//------------------------------//
// Chapter XL 
// Story: Journey to the center of Equestria 
// by Rarity Belle 
//------------------------------//

The rainbow haired pegasus was scurrying around in both the tent and the void storage in order to get the stuff that she needed. Rope was without a single doubt a thing that she required in order to complete the rather treacherous journey that had been laid ahead of her. With the mountains behind them and the winds that came from two sides were the levels of danger already high enough. But if she had to pull even one of the other mares up, everything could have literally ended in the biggest catastrophe yet.

Only time would have been able to make the others learn whether or not they even was a safe passage up to the mountain. Rainbow Dash had slowly gathered everything she thought to have needed and placed it all over her shoulders like massive belts. A deep exhale was being released through her mouth before she gave a powerful nod to herself. In the reflection of the small mirror that stood next to her bed she looked at herself with a face of determination. “You can do this Rainbow. You can scout the route ahead for them,” she said to the mirror image.

Or better said: the mirror image said to her. That was the intent that the pegasus had for the events. There was no way back anymore, it was literally all or nothing in that moment. The mare had to go into the air and hope that there would have been any kind of path that could be leading the other anthronies up to the top. Only the fact whether or not there actually was one was still gnawing deeply in her mind.

She knew the dangers of mountain chains perhaps better than anyone. The pegasus was used to fly through them during patrols for the city of Cloudsdale. She knew exactly what kind of dangers were lurking around both on the sides as well as the massive tops. No rest was granted to any of them in the air. Only once they had made a touchdown, did they manage to have the time to catch some of their breath. Before they had to fly out once again.

Happy memories weren’t a thing the mare had about her time as a patrol’s pegasus. But the job had to be done and taken seriously as enemies of the city could be hiding themselves literally everywhere and strike at any time. Which made her think back to the time where Twilight said that nopony had opened the floodgates of the rainwater.

Calculation after calculation were made within her mind about the force of impact of the steam that would be rushing back up as a massive geyser. But the more she thought about it, the more her worst fear became actually true. If the waters would have been dumped and touched the magma that was running through the veins of the earth, there wouldn’t have been any more hope for Cloudsdale to be saved.

Despite the fact that the city was built to be both stern and tough, it was also both weak and fragile. The whole place was made out of nothing else but clouds and they weren’t too stable by nature to begin with. A shudder travelled over the back of the mare. Rainbow just couldn’t believe that her home had escaped a mere certain death.

The eyes of the mare looked back into those upon the little mirror before she stood up from her bed. She had to not only make herself proud, but also the group. She was chosen to do that very job for a reason by Twilight. Whatever the reason might have been was unknown but pure logic was the most logical answer in Rainbow’s eyes.

Finally did the pegasus appear out of the tent before it began to fold itself up again. The admiral made her way over to the major and gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Ah’m glad yar willing to fly ahead of us. Eyes in the skies are always something appreciated by anypony.” Applejack said with a small smile before she brought the mare a bit closer towards her.

Rainbow was overwhelmed by the fact that Applejack even thought about giving her a hug like she did. Why would she have done that in the first place, was one of the thoughts that went right away through the mind of the pegasus. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Just, just be ready to follow my lead, okay?” she said quickly before she managed to break the hug with Applejack. The pegasus really didn’t enjoy any of those things whatsoever. Even if they were well meant, she just wasn’t a massive fan of them.

“Alright then, partner. We’ll be climbing behind ya,” said Applejack before she gave the pegasus the space to become airborne and set out on the task that was given to her. With the admiral out of her way did the mare spread her wings in a glorious manner as her head was aimed towards the skies.

Not a single cloud could be seen in them but she still placed the goggles before her eyes. The howling winds was still something she wished to protect herself from. Nothing could indicate to Rainbow just how bad it would have been up there as none of the trees moved. Which meant to her that there wasn’t any wind on the altitude that those were on. Problem just happened to be that she had to be going higher. Much, much higher.

A gentle exhale was being released by the mare before she jumped up into the air and gave a truly powerful flap with her wings. Instantly had she traded in the ground for the air she felt home in. Soaring through the skies already with the rainbow trail behind her she made way to the right altitude. Reconnaissance was the thing that needed to be done by the mare before anything else would be happening.

But just as Rainbow was flying nicely through the air, she noticed in the corner of her eye how Twilight gestured her to come back. The cyan pegasus didn’t even have the faintest of ideas why she had to return. Though it was better to come back. She didn’t wanted to leave Twilight hanging down there.

So her wings steered her back down to the earth where she landed upon only a couple seconds later. The mare went down on one knee as a fist was touching the ground as well. Nopony knew whether or not it was something that she did for the show or that was how she actually landed. But then the mare got back up and removed the goggles from her eyes. She then spread her arms in a confused manner towards the unicorn.

“Why did I need to come back then? Did you forgot to tell me something?” she said in a genuinely confused tone. But also a tone that was slightly hinting towards utter irritation. She could have been up there, already plotting a course for the group to walk.

Twilight shook her head a little bit as her horn charged itself up. “I didn’t forgot to tell you something. I forgot to give you something,” the soothsayer said. She gained an even more confused expression from the pegasus. Rainbow had lost track of whatever the soothsayer meant as a whole and just decided to throw herself at it. As long as she could be returning into the air, she would have been happy.

The magical charge was released and on both of their heads it appeared. Appearing like a raspberry colored gaze that merged itself into something different. Before Rainbow could even realize it had her right ear been covered with something that wasn’t usually there.

“Can you hear me?” Twilight asked while she also had something going into her ear, but also another something that went before her mouth. Near instantly did Rainbow understand just what Twilight had done. She then looked down towards her own mouth and noticed how that same little arcane arm was there as well.

“Loud and clear,” replied Rainbow through the little mouthpiece.

“Good, these arcane headsets should keep us in contact when you’re up there. So no need to come down and tell us where to go. Feed everything directly through to me and we shall walk,” said Twilight then. It was then her who gave the pegasus a pat on the shoulder. “I think that we’re all ready and eager to leave. Rainbow, have a good flight and keep everything together up there.”

“Ha, I should be telling that to you, for it are you lot who are going to be walking. Bye bye!” And then she was off once more. Off into the skies to continue doing the thing she had been set out to do. The two mares remained in contact with another as they tested the long range communication skills that the items had. It didn’t matter how far Rainbow went up the mountain, the connection luckily remained standing.

A massive relief came through on the mulberry unicorn. She finally knew that the company could actually be departing. Yet one other member was doubting about something. Fluttershy was constantly wanting to spread her wings before she tucked them back again against her back. Rarity noticed it in the corner of her eye and turned herself around to confront the mare with it.

“What are you planning to do in that coconut of yours, Fluttershy?” the pirate captain asked in a concerned tone. They had only seen Fluttershy flying once so none of them knew whether or not the mare was any good at it. But if joining Rainbow was going to be the plan, a lot of trouble had to expected as well as the discovery of perhaps hidden pathways.

It was a tough pill to swallow before Rarity gestured the other unicorn over. “Hm? You want say something, Rarity?” asked Twilight towards the pirate with a raised eyebrow.

The pirate released a little nod before the words left her throat. “Why yes, it seems like Fluttershy here, wants to join Rainbow up there.”

Those words caused the soothsayer to look at the doctor with an even stranger look as she landed a hand upon her back. “I’m not going to stop you if you want to go up there, but think about it before you ask. You have been living a life on the ground for so long now.” The words of Twilight were meant to keep the mare thinking.

But instead they only acted a coal for the fire. The yellow skinned pegasus then finally turned herself around to face Twilight. “Two pairs of eyes in the skies are better than one, isn’t that something that is always been taught to any of you? Do you see  any other pegasi around here that can probably help Rainbow getting the job done?”

“That’s both a yes and a no, actually,” replied Twilight before she nodded, “fine, I hope you have your goggles, because for all I care, you can go up there as well.” Twilight placed the mouthpiece against her mouth. “Sparkle for Dash, Sparkle for Dash, come in Dash.”

Silence was the thing that took over for a couple of seconds before the voice of Rainbow could be heard within Twilight’s very own ear. “Dash here, go ahead.”

“Fluttershy here also wants to join you in the skies and help the searching for a route upwards. Is it safe to send her to you, or do you want to keep her on the ground?” Twilight then asked through the headset. It was a fair enough question that needed to be asked no matter what. If Rainbow didn’t need the other mare in the skies but she still went, their troubles would have become bigger. Both mares were still doubting the fact if it was wise to send her up though.

“It’s a big mountain and two pairs of eyes see more than one. I say send her up, if she can handle it. But if she can’t handle it, don’t expect me to go easy on her. She might be or doctor, but she has decided to live on the ground for the longest time now. Dash out.”

“Copy that and Sparkle out.” Then the attention of the unicorn focused itself again upon the remaining pegasus as her horn charged itself up. She said the words that Rainbow said to her and simply waited for the response to come.

“Well that’s a bit harsh, don’t you agree?” Rarity replied to the other unicorn who nodded. But it wasn’t their decision or call to make. It all came down to Fluttershy and even Applejack had come in to see whether or not she would be doing it.

The attention of the three mares might have been a little bit overkill. The hesitation of the timid pegasus actually seemed to have become too much. Finally she snapped and just gave a nod. A nod that she would be joining Rainbow up in the skies above them. Whether the major would be happy about it or not was something that remained to be seen.

Twilight then quickly returned the nod and allowed the arcane headset to take its shape upon her head. Then were her aviation goggles taken out of her coat and she placed before her eyes. They looked old, ancient even. Just to show the lot of them that the pegasus hadn’t flow a whole lot within her life.

“Take off whenever you’re ready Fluttershy,” said Twilight before she gave one last nod. She spoke those words over the headset. “Here goes nothing.” And it was literally nothing. For none of them had ever seen Fluttershy flying through the air. Of course they saw her sort of doing it when they rushed down the slopes the day before, but technically seen that was gliding instead of flying.

With the lot of them having taken a step or two back was Fluttershy granted all of the space she needed in order to take off from the ground. Both of her wings spread themselves as the goggles were fixed for one last time. All that the rest could be doing was to wait for the moment to happen. And for Fluttershy to not disappoint Rainbow Dash.

With one jump into the air she allowed her wings to flap like mad. Each of them thought that the pegasus would fall out of the skies like a brick, but the splashing sound never seemed to be happening. So the rest of them glanced up to see where the mare had gone off to. And in the skies they saw her, climbing towards the altitude where Rainbow was to start the flight.

Twilight took the mouthpiece again and spoke the words through it to each of the mares. “Good luck up there, if there is going to be something that we need to know, you know the name to call,” she spoke through the headset.

“Roger,” the cyan pegasus replied.

“Acknowledged,” the voice of Fluttershy said before they could only hope that everything would be going alright. Though knowing their luck, it could have gone any way.

What was the most surprising for each of the mares was the fact that Fluttershy managed to get airborne and maintain flight in the way that she did. It was true that she happened to be a whole lot slower than Rainbow, but she took the time to look around and see which ways were actually accessible for the rest of them.

It still didn’t feel right in the guts of the pirate. Rarity looked at the two of them working the way they did with a keen eye. Something deep inside of her just spoke of the fact that they were actually the dead weight in the moment. The feeling gnawed at the mare while she turned herself around and began to walk away for a little bit.

She began to pace up and down with her hands behind her back. Deep in thoughts she constantly tried to push that one thought right out of her mind and just leave everything as it was supposed to be. But that was something just wasn’t allowed to the unicorn. It seemed like every single unicorn was having some sort of mental issues that caused them to become an oddity of races.

Then again, being normal was only just a concept that was generally accepted by the local area. It was a thought that the unicorn philosophized about one night when she was wandering the decks of her ship. Normal didn’t exist, never had and never would. The world, was chaos everywhere.

It were thoughts like that which caused the unicorn to actually stay sane to a certain degree. If she wouldn’t have been thinking that deep about certain things in life, who could have told her how everything would be packing out.

Twilight Sparkle on the other end was waiting for any reply to be made towards her from both of the mares about something where they could be starting to walk. Applejack at last, was just looking over to the slopes and tried to discover a way to walk herself. With her leg it meant she would be having to take it easy, but easy wasn’t something that would be happening that day.

Once again it seemed like she had to place her leg through yet another extreme. It was almost literally killing her that her leg was put from one extreme right into the other. “Why didn’t Ah bring mah pegleg?” she grumbled to herself just loud enough for Rarity to hear.

“Because with a pegleg the trouble be getting ten times worse. Trust me on that one. I have seen you walking with it,” the pirate replied almost out of the blue. Though it was a series of words that she perhaps shouldn’t have said.

“How did ya..? Ah only walked with the pegleg after ya cut mah leg off. Don’t tell me ya were in Canterlot harbor when Ah docked after that assault, did ya?” questioned Applejack with a raised eyebrow. If it was true, it was a fact she never knew that about Rarity. If the pirate had actually seen her with the pegleg, it meant that she was a better tracker then Applejack ever could have been. “Better question would be, why?”

“Why?” Rarity returned to Applejack. Rarity was glad to have an actual argument with the admiral. Finally had she found something to focus her attention upon that was something different then Fluttershy’s flight. “Because I’m not the soulless monster you picture me as. You shot me, I got picked up by a vessel that made its way to Canterlot, unfortunate as it was. Arrived there a day before you did. I have been hiding myself for all those hours while my wounds were still bleeding. I just had to make sure whether or not you had survived.”

“And if Ah didn’t..?” Applejack simply asked. The admiral wanted to know the even finer details of Rarity’s side of their shared story. Though the answers that she would be getting could either completely surprise her, or just shock her for life once more.

“Heh, if you wouldn’t have survived, I wouldn’t have been here either,” commented Rarity in return. The pirate lifted up her blouse just for a little bit. What was revealed to Applejack were the three sapphire blue gems placed in a pattern that represented a sideways triangle. The shapes of the gems were the classical sharp rectangular shapes and seemed to be glowing faintly.

Even Twilight saw the gems as they were. She couldn’t help herself but to look at it for a second. There was only one thing that could have been the perfect description for the formation and the gems. Three word she whispered. Three word she whispered into the air but also so that neither of them could be hearing it. “Her cutie mark.”

Applejack looked at the gems before her head rose itself back up again and the blouse was lowered once more. “What are ya trying to say here, Brittenburg, what’s yar game today?” the mare said when she crossed her arms over each other.

A faint grin went across the lips of Rarity. One of her hands took a refuge to her side. “Who would you be, without me, Applejack?” It was a question that caused both of the other mares to actually look over to Rarity with a confused expression clearly visible upon their faces. What on earth could she be talking about when it eventually came down to the matter?

Neither Applejack nor Twilight seemed to be knowing the answer to the matter. The grin only got bigger upon the face of Rarity before she tore herself away from Applejack and continued to pace up and down the spot. As much as the admiral wanted to argue against the words that were said, it was perhaps best left unspoken as the thoughts alone were enough nightmare fuel.

Applejack then turned herself around as well and wanted to greaten the distance between her and the pirate. She was simply baffled by the fact that if she hadn’t survived the onslaught, the other unicorn wouldn’t have been walking around the face of the land either. Whether it was genuine or a sweet little lie she didn’t know. Nor did she really care for it either.

“Dash to Sparkle, come in,” spoke Rainbow to them from high in the skies . With her eyes she glanced over the mountain side. “I have found a route that you lot can be walking up to, but you have to go to the western side of the mountain. From there you can walk up in a zigzag pattern to a platform. We’ll see it from there again.”

Twilight listened with great care to the words that were spoken to her before she nodded to them. “Understood Rainbow. Western edge of the mountain, follow the path to the platform. Wish us luck. Sparkle out.”

“Good luck to you indeed, Dash out.” Then the unicorn looked into the direction of both the other anthronies and gestured them to come her way. Without a word did both of the mares actually come up to her as they were wondering just what on earth the unicorn wanted from them.

But the twinkle inside of her eyes actually told already more than enough to the both of them. “So they found a way, now didn’t they?” Rarity said as Twilight nodded right afterwards. All three of them were just relieved about that little fact before the soothsayer took the lead over them. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Western edge of the mountain, Dash said there was a way for us to go up the mountain in a zigzag pattern.” Twilight replied before the rest of them just followed without a question.

“Ah just hope Ah ain’t scraping the metal of mah leg,” the admiral said to herself as she glanced one last time over towards the mountain itself before joining the rest of them.


~~~~

                     
“Me and mah big mouth,” the voice of Applejack muttered while the scraping of metal again rock could be heard with every single step that she made. She had already formed the rearguard just in case but not even that could be disguising the sound. The way they had to walk on the small ridges was literally with their backs pressed against the side of the mountain. But at least they were ascending upon the thing. Even though the incline was gentle, it was already a massive chore of Applejack to be keeping up.

Twilight formed the middle group and constantly had an eye out for both Rarity and Applejack as the last thing she wanted was for them to be dropping down. Or possibly even worse, flying at each other’s throat. But so far did everything seemed to be going so well. The mood was tense given the fact they were literally in the balance with death itself. But they did had a wonderful view over the land of Equestria already.

Zigzag after zigzag was being made by the by the group of mares. Twilight stood in direct contact with Rainbow for new information. She needed to know when exactly the next turn would happen while Fluttershy kept her eyes open for avalanches or any of those other nice little things that would be dropped off of a mountain.

 The only concern that Rainbow seemed to be having about it was whether or not Fluttershy’s voice was loud enough to warn them. But then she realized she also carried one of the headsets with her. It was a bit of a relief for certain. Yet with that it also ended. Time would tell whether or not the pegasus was actually cut out of the right wood to handle the job.

Time came and went before the group of mares stood on the platform that Rainbow had looked after. Climbing, walking and tiptoeing had become just regular parts of the day for the unicorns and the earth anthrony. But when they finally arrived, they realized just how unstable the rocky platform happened to be. It wasn’t sitting right in the guts for Twilight and Rainbow immediately went back into the skies to search for something a little bit more stable.

It was a slight mistake, but one that could have been costing them their lives if they were a bit more careless with their legs. Fluttershy had made the decision to stay on the ground for a change. A change that was gladly appreciated by Rainbow Dash. The pegasus had to gather up her strength to carry another anthrony all the way over to the next platform.

There wasn’t any other way that they could be going without the breaking of bones or necks. All they could be doing was to just sit it out and wait for Rainbow to return with some good news. But Rarity and Applejack were having so their own thoughts about being picked up and transported through the air.

Neither of the mares of the sea seemed to have been fond of it of being hauled through the air and they knew that little fact of one another perhaps better than any other mare in the land. Anthronies of the sea loved the sea and water in general. They were home there, that’s where they belonged. Not in the air, the air was for wind, pegasi and birds.

“Ah swear to ya Brittenburg, we be getting ‘em back for this. Tie ‘em the mast of a ship and make ‘em enjoy the ocean,” said Applejack while she looked over the side of the rock. Beneath them laid nothing more but the valley that they had been sleeping in for the night.

“There’s also something that is called overkill, remember?” the pirate captain replied as she gave the admiral a true shady look. Applejack just gave a little shrug. She wasn’t sitting with the facts as they were. Applejack just enjoyed the thoughts for the moment. “You of all, should know that.”

But the train of thoughts was being disturbed when Rainbow had discovered another platform. One which might have been the actual one where they needed to be. Twilight actually happy with the words as she was already picking out the first anthrony to be send upwards. Who happened to be Applejack.

“Karma Jackie, karma,” chuckled Brittenburg to her. Fluttershy also got back up in the air. Applejack released a couple of grumbles before she finally just gave into the situation as it was. There was no escaping it, they all had to fly at one point or the other so she might as well be done with it.

Rainbow Dash had returned to their platform and both of the pegasi took a hold of the admiral’s hands. From that moment onwards it was a little bit scary as the admiral was hoisted up into the air. She would only been having to let go at the end of the trip. But the danger of slipping of the pegasi their hold was a fear that seemed to have been ever present. And something both of the pegasi constantly thought about as they went around and about.

“You certain that you want to be going last, Rarity?” asked Twilight when both Rainbow and Fluttershy had returned from dropping off Applejack. But the unicorn insisted that the soothsayer would be the one to be going first. It was perhaps a lot better for her own sanity that she wouldn’t be stuck with Applejack on a small platform, hundreds of hooves from the nearest form of actual solid ground.

The other unicorn just shrugged before she then took the hands of both the pegasi and allowed herself to be carried away. What then happened to Rarity was that she continued to pace up and down on the platform. Creaks within the rock could be heard all the time, but never had she felt the thing move a bit. But if it would eventually crash down, she could at least trust upon her harpoon to get stuck in the rock.

It may have been a little security, but it meant the whole world to her. The last thing that she wanted and would have needed in the moment. They were once again so close to finishing another leg of their journey. It would have been just a shame if she would have to cancel the rest of her trip.

After some time did the two pegasi return for the third time and they picked up Rarity without a word. Then it was her chance to fly again and the mares flapped their wings as hard as they could to bring the mare over to the other platform. A platform that seemed to have been right on the border between the normal Equestria and the Frozen North. The grip was tightened just a little bit as Rarity tried to keep her body as still as possible.

Her eyes looked over the whole area with a set of wide eyes already before she felt her head becoming a little light. Most likely it was the actual lack of fresh air on the altitude that caused her to be looking like that. Either way, they were almost there.

In the end had they reached the platform again and wanted to drop off Rarity safe and sound. But the wings of Fluttershy had other thoughts. Those were just tucked against the body of the mare. Which caused not only her, but also Rarity and Rainbow to fall down to the rocky ground.

With three smacks did the mares crash land down on the platform and their arcane headsets just faded out of existence. Rainbow was the first one of the three to stand up and she didn’t look too happy about the stunt that was pulled off. “Where in the name of Tartarus was that good for?!” she exclaimed towards the other pegasus. A deep huff was then being released through the mouth.

“Stupid idiot,” the mare then added before took back off into the skies. Leaving an almost crying Fluttershy behind her. Yet even though Rarity had landed face flat against the rocks, she still placed a hand upon the back of the other mare and began to slowly stroke it. All in the hope the calm the mare down from the words and the deeds.

“They’ll pull by, hopefully,” the soothsayer said before she looked around once more upon the platform. Once again they saw just a wonderful sight that stretched itself before them. It was always one of the highlights of the trip, that they would be seeing landscapes that were both beautiful and truly magnificent.

The sight they saw that time was the near perfect border line that separated the frozen wasteland of the North with the sun filled Equestria. Just the contrast between the two places made it almost look they had landed on a different planet.

Never in their lives could they have even imagined that their land held such wonderful sight to be seen. Each new one was more awe inspiring than the last one. The time to enjoy the sights was finally taken for a change. Rainbow had been flying off to some other place to get her own peace.