Journey to the center of Equestria

by Rarity Belle


Chapter LIII

The arcane power kept on collecting itself around the horn of Twilight. Both of the lamia guards were glancing towards it and one another. They were aware that magic was a force that was existing within their world. They all had felt the powers of the arcane surging through their bodies at one point or another. But they couldn’t believe that there were actually beings who could call upon it.

Twilight’s own anger towards the guards was only increased when one of them poked Pinkie Pie with a lance and commanded her to move on. That did it for the unicorn in fact. She was having enough of the city already and she hadn’t even seen the insides of it. Even though Pinkie was a lamia like the rest of them, they treated her like garbage. Just because she was sacrificed towards this Gorgon One didn’t automatically happen to mean they could do to her as they pleased.

“Outch, watch it!” Pinkie exclaimed after the shock of pain had gone through her body. She began to rub her back a bit with a frown upon her face. “Too much to ask to show them the insides?”

“Silence, you have no more right to talk to any of us,” the other guard spoke in a dangerously low tone. The yellow eyed one seemed to be the only one wanting to show a bit of mercy towards Pinkie. But his sense of duty and orders from higher up all just prevented him from actually doing so.

“Oh now you have gone too far!” Twilight shouted towards the guards after she had abruptly turned herself around and released all of the stored magic that she had. With deep exhales that went through her nostrils did the light of her horn became brighter. She was angry at the guards, but not just angry in any normal manner of the word. No, she wanted to show them both that they could be standing their ground if they were pushed too far.

And they both had pushed the mares too far, or at least Twilight.

With the massive outburst of the raspberry light nearly blinding their eyes did everypony just had to look away for a moment. Among the blindness of the light could the sounds of wood being bend be caught clear within their very ears. Whatever happened, the company was happy that Twilight wasn’t breaking their very bones. But whatever else she might have done, remained a question to be seen. An answer they would discover soon enough.

The hallways of the cavern were engulfed within the raspberry light and everything that didn’t knew they were there, must have known it by then. It would either set in the hunt for them, or retreat to darker domains.

It was in fact the second thing that was done by pretty much all of the spiders that were in the neighborhood. Spiders that had dared to follow the company within the darkness of the caves. But with such a bright light and arcane powers that came forth out of so much anger, all they could be doing was flee. Flee for their dear little lives and hope that that light was never witnessed by their eyes again.

The guards were both shuddering with their bodies. They felt the wood in their very hands vibrate like mad. What was happening to it? What was that thing, doing to it? And how could it have called upon the powers of the arcane like that? Did they anger some kind of other god they didn’t knew about? Or had the surface dwellers managed to evolve in such a way that they could tap into it? All of those questions went through the heads of the guards without ever being spoken.

Countless questions went through their heads as they could only be guessing the answers upon them. Whatever would be happening next, it wouldn’t have been something all too pleasant. But they were still alive, still alive and kicking. That said something about the massive power that the mare in front of them possessed.

Wheezes were made by the body of Twilight while the lights still became brighter with every single exhale. For a couple seconds did she just stood there with the lights being almost as bright as the sun. None of the members of the company dared to look right into it whereas Pinkie sought shelter within her own body. She had coiled up around herself and placed her head in the middle of it, on the far side so that she would stare into the darkness.

Pinkie was terrified as well, the last thing she wanted was that Twilight would be ending lives because of her. But if no other chance was going to be given to the unicorn, what else could be done? Where would Twilight have drawn the line of it being enough?

Finally did the lights began to lower themselves. Finally did the natural darkness of the caverns and the light of the torches return to it. But there was one more little surprise in store for the lot of them. While Twilight remained standing there, the wheezing that went through her nostrils, she had tapped into another kind of magic.

A kind of magic she didn’t wanted to tap in ever since an accident had happened with it. It wasn’t the dark magic she feared, but one equally as destructive. All of the mares held their torches high as they wanted to see what was going on, but also not burn anything in the process. Yet their eyes were caught by something.

Something that terrified them as the lights of Twilight’s horn had completely vanished. Their torches seemed to have gotten a will of their own. For the flames that sat on top of it seemed to become more intense with every exhale Twilight took. Yet with every inhale they became normal again.

Rarity couldn’t believe it and the rest couldn’t believe it either. Twilight was a mare who remained to be filled with surprises from the looks of it. It turned out that she also had the knowledge of the pyromatic arts. In other words: the art of fire. Terror struck all of the beings as they were scared to their deaths. If Twilight would have lost control over herself there and then, who knew and could tell just what would be happening to them all?

The wheezes continued for a short period of time. Then Twilight had managed to calm herself down. The breathing became regular once more while the light of the torches also returned to normal. Relief came to all of the creatures as Pinkie dared to uncoil herself. They knew that they didn’t had to anger Twilight, but they didn’t knew she was capable of doing such acts.

The eyes of the unicorn moved over to the guards just before the dreaded words were spoken. For finally they also had a clear view over their lances again. The guards looked at their weapons and saw just how far the wood had managed to bend. It almost made a perfect curl around and the tips were pointing right at them.

“W-Witchcraft!” the yellow eyed lamia exclaimed just fractions before he dropped his lance. “You’re a witch! A bringer of darkness upon our flourishing times. You’re a harbinger…”

“Of what?” Twilight said in a dead serious and cold tone towards him.

The creature gulped loudly as he saw his life almost flashing past his eyes. “O-Of, death,” he dared to speak. All of his muscles managed to ready themselves in a split-second for any possible retreat that he would be making. The guards only had to return back to the doorway and they would have been safe. For behind that doorway, there was safety. Out there, only danger lurked, always.

But Twilight released a grin in return towards the guards before she shook her head. “Oh no, no, no, no, I’m no harbinger of death. No, I needed to make a point clear to you,” she spoke in that same serious tone. If it was only thrown a couple of tunes lower it would have become monotone. The unicorn was really shifting upon the edge of becoming that, and staying as threatening as she appeared to be.

“What do you wish from us?” the other guard dared to speak. He had set his lance into the ground and thus became more negotiable. It almost appeared then to have become some kind of unusual scepter worthy for some high council member or something. Applejack and Rainbow couldn’t help themselves but to let out a chuckle. Fluttershy was too scared to think of anything else as the problems could be hitting them any time again.

Though Rarity was brooding upon something else. She had placed herself against the wall and just watched over the events. “I want you to stop hurting her. You may have sacrificed her to the Gorgon One, but we have taken her into our company. She shall be our guide to lead us into the underground caverns. You said there was no path, but there always is for those who look.”

The guard could only release a deep huff in response. Even though he was terrified of her power, he still had a duty of his own he needed to accomplish. They needed to remain out of the city. Which was exactly what he demanded from the group. “We won’t hurt her, as long as she doesn’t show her face into the city or the gates ever again. Next time she comes, she’s going to be dinner. Am, I, clear?” The words were spoken tough, but the heart was still afraid.

“As crystal,” the soothsayer replied before she turned around. Then she walked away from the guards. Who did the same and made their way over to the doorway again. The rest of the company could only follow Twilight into the deeper darkness. They wouldn’t be having a single clue as of what they needed to do. Nor did they know what laid behind those stone doors.

“Applejack,” the pirate captain began while her horn was charged slight, “you know my abilities, right? If you trust me for a change, you know I can succeed upon what I have planned. But my window of opportunity is only getting smaller and smaller.”

The admiral didn’t fully realize what Rarity meant at first, but as she looked behind her did everything became clear. “Are ya really wanting to do an espionage mission? Right here, right now? Are ya cr- No, don’t answer that one.”

“You know me too well,” chuckled Rarity before she gave a little rune to the earth anthrony. “Keep this with you, and I’m able to find you among the dark of these caves. My magic is connected to it, it will always guide me to it, thus to the group.” The rune fell in the hand of Applejack who was having a rather difficult time actually believing that Rarity dared to place so much trust into her.

But on the other end, it showed just how much Rarity was willing to place their grudge aside for the quest. The fingers of the admiral coiled up around the stone before she placed it in a pocket of her coat. “Alright, go ahead, Ah inform Twilight. Go, before Ah change mah mind again.”

“Thanks Jackie,” the pirate captain replied. Rarity even went so far as to make a polite bow. Her horn discharged itself before she then just left the group. Just like that, was Rarity gone.

“She’s planning on what?!” Twilight exclaimed seconds later after Applejack had explained the crazed plan to her. “Don’t tell me she’s actually that crazy.” Her pace came to a screeching hold before she looked back over to the stone doorway. And upon the path leading towards it, she walked. Without a torch or anything in her hand, sticking as much as possible to the shadows.

“Oh I can just dump her back into the ocean right now, seriously! How stupid is she?” Twilight exclaimed while she growled softly to herself. But Applejack on the other end could only release an actual chuckle in response.

A hand was placed upon Twilight’s shoulder before she looked into the eyes of the admiral. “Believe me when Ah say she knows her stuff. Ah’ve seen the reports of her actions and seen her in combat mahself. She may appear to be sweet, sugar and nice. But she carries a lot of spice hidden behind her. If any of us can infiltrate that place, it’s her.”

Twilight turned her eyes back over to the doorway and noticed how it was standing open. With the guards making their way inside, she could only see Rarity slipping through it. “I hope you’re right.” Then did the door close in upon them with a loud and stony thud. Rarity was inside of the city while the rest of them were out there. “I hope so, that you’re right.”

Applejack didn’t wanted to say it right in the face of Twilight, but she was praying in silence to herself that she was that. Rarity was possibly the biggest loose cannon that the whole company had. Always appearing to be calm, collected and strong, but deep inside of her laid a vicious creature. One that formed the whole inspiration of her being the bloodthirsty captain she was always pictured to be.

The very picture which Applejack eventually came to believe that that was the real Rarity Brittenburg. “Believe me, she’s full of surprises,” was perhaps the safest thing that could be said about the unicorn captain.

Twilight released a gentle nod before her attention came back to the rest of the group. “Alright everypony, we set up our camp right here. All we can do is wait for her to return, if she ever comes to return.” And with those words was the camp set up for all of them. A rather simple one at that as the tent wasn’t summoned up. Instead they only took out smaller things like sleeping bags and equipment to make a campfire.

Comfortable it may not have been but their options were truly limited within the cave.

~~~~

                 
With the door having closed upon her from behind, Rarity did realize that she was on her own. No more help would be ready for her should she have fallen into the problems. But her eyes focused themselves upon the two guards. No doubt they would have gone to a higher official to tell just what happened. So all that she had to do, was to follow them and listen in on that very conversation.

The only problem was the fact that it was a lamia city. Which resulted in her admiring the scenery first from the shadows. Spires that reached all the way up to the ceiling were shown to her eyes as she couldn’t believe just what she saw. All of those massive stones were carved out to either become homes or working stations.

Countless of those spires could be seen through the entire stretch of the opening in the caverns. Her eyes continued along the ceiling to see if there was any hole that could be connecting them to the upper world. A little chuckle was already released to herself as the thought alone was idiotic.

There wasn’t even the slightest bit of sunlight to be found within the whole of the cavern though. Yet there still was some source of light that the creatures used. Curiosity and surprise took the mare over as she moved from one spot to the other. She had to keep an eye out on those two pesky guards while also making sure nopony noticed her scurrying about.

Two things that seemed to have been impossible to do. But when she looked down to her crouched body and rubbed a hand over the gems on her lower belly, it only proved to her that she had stood against impossible odds before…and survived.

Sneaking through the shadows, Rarity moved in silence. Her hooves covered by the leather of her boots caused her to walk without a sound. Even though her clothing was white and her skin even whiter, she somehow managed to blend in with the darkness. That, or the lamia were actually blind enough to not notice her.

The lights that lit up the whole of the city were some she thought to have lost a long time ago. Every time that she went past one of them there was a little tingle in her horn. A little tingle that told her that her magic wanted to connect to another kind of magic, or vice versa. That allowed her to get to the conclusion that those lights, weren’t normal lights at all.

“Magelights, that’s something I haven’t seen in a long time,” she whispered to herself while the eyes had focused on one of the lantern posts. On top of the post could it be found, the grayish or white light that was being cast right into the city. “No wonder my horn is going in overdrive here, it’s caught here for centuries at least. It wants to go, it wants to vanish. But something keeps it there.”

Interest had been born within the body of the unicorn while she continued to sneak further up. Lamia’s came and went past her, but they didn’t notice the mare at all. It wasn’t a feeling that caused her to be that comfortable with everything. Surely they must have seen her right? Surely they must have at least smelled her, right?

Smell, that could have been the answer. Pinkie’s nose could have developed itself while she lived in a near constant danger. The lamia inside of the city lived a pretty easy life. Their meals were prepared and all that good stuff. They didn’t had to leave for anything. It was their very little world. They didn’t knew what was behind the gates.

They didn’t knew what laid further into the darkness. “Now that’s just something cruel,” the mare whispered up again while she stroked her chin. Her eyes then focused back upon the guards and she followed them.

Time and time again wasn’t there anything that seemed to have been able to detect her. It really was like Canterlot in one strange way or the other. They weren’t paying attention for something strange to happen, they all thought that safety was right there, within those very wells. Not only Canterlot felt like that, every major city without a reputation felt that way.

A feeling that both comforted as disturbed the pirate captain. Her eyes constantly shifted over from left to right as she was always worried about somepony actually noticing her. The fears kept her reflexes as sharp as they needed to be.

Her sapphire blue eyes kept a great eye out for the two guards who made a turn left and then right. Rarity just followed and then saw their final destination. A place that wasn’t a massive spire reaching for the top, but a massive building that seemed to have been carved right into the rocks themselves. It reminded her of some ancient ruins she had once sailed past but never entered.

“So here we are then? The palace of your little, king. This should be interesting for certain,” said Rarity to herself in a whisper. The doors opened before the lamia and they entered the place. The unicorn made the decision to take the head on assault. Rarity just rushed over to the closing door and slipped through just before it closed like it normally would.

She had done it, she had entered the palace of the king, as she called it. She could continue with her investigation about the situation. The mare could only hope that she wouldn’t have been captured by any of the guards that wandered through it. Though the light was blinding enough already. But she was a pirate captain, a fierce one at that.

Rarity knew how to save herself out of almost every sticky situation though. At least she thought to have been knowing it. With her legs in a crouched position had she already made herself as small as she possibly could have done. Her eyes watched through the hallway before they finally dared to be looking up. “Chandeliers, fire to keep the lights on. But those must be connected somehow…” she mumbled to herself. Ideas were flowing, but which were right?

There was only one more thing that she could be doing. The unicorn rose up from her position after the guards had left the hallway. A deep exhale was taken by the mare before she made a sprint towards the opposing wall and ran up against it in silence. When she lost her momentum, there was a jump made in the direction of the support beams for the chandeliers. It could have been her only chance to have gotten a bird’s eye view of the whole place.

But the execution of her thoughts didn’t go really in the way that she had originally planned them. For instead of ending with her legs upon the wooden beam, only her arms and top of her head managed to have raised themselves already. “At least I’m up here, got that going for me.” She only needed to get the rest of her body upon the thing and then she could continue her searches.

There wasn’t any other way she could be crawling on top of the beam without making some form of noise. But if she kept on hanging there, the lamia would eventually have found her by both her dangling legs and tail. “One swing, Brittenburg, one swing is all that it takes and you know it,” she whispered to herself before the eyes closed.

Deep in- and exhales were released through the nostrils of the mare before she finally dared to do the action. She began to sway her body from right to left in the hope to eventually be able to throw a leg unto the beam. A little bit of acrobatics was being performed by the mare, not that she could complain too much about it though.

She was physically able to do it, but the moans and groans came almost naturally. And every moan she released through her mouth caused her to become more vulnerable of being captured. Time was running out and she knew that better than any other being that could be present. “Come on, come on!” she muttered to herself while the swings kept on happening. “Don’t tell me I have forgotten it, did I?”

Finally had she managed to get a leg over the wooden beam and the other then soon followed suit. Her whole body was placed upon the thing, her tail laid itself perfect within the gap of her legs. Only when looked up could the silhouette of the unicorn be seen. There wasn’t any other way that she could be spotted. At least none to her knowledge in the moment.

A deep exhale was being released through her mouth. Rarity was just glad that none of the guards had taken the time to investigate the strange noises in the hallway. If they had even heard them to begin with that was. Her eyes then looked over to the support beam and she could indicate the actual size it had.

“Perfect for a lamia to either coil up around or to just slither on, meaning I won’t have too much trouble walking over it,” said Rarity to herself before she rose up. Yet straight away had she to assume a crouched position again. There was a lamia that had managed to make its way into the hallway and stood still, right below her.

The sleeve of the unicorn was rolled up to reveal the hidden device she always carried with her. Her trusted harpoon that had saved her skin in more than one event. The sharp tip of the tiny harpoon was aimed directly at the head of the lamia, though she prayed to the moon goddess that the thing would just move away from her.

Rarity didn’t wanted to cause any more trouble than she would be having too. Her eyes were closed while the prayers were said without a sound. Only the motions of her mouth revealed that she was saying something. But what remained unknown.

In the end did the lamia just leave through the doorway of the palace, relieving Rarity. She didn’t had to fire her harpoon and for that was she just happy as anything could be. A massive weight fell off of her shoulders before she then proceeded to relocate her two guards again. But she had lost just so much time with everything that it must have been impossible to actually find them again.

It could be seen as a lost cause as she walked over the beams. The walls that separated the beams from each other only had holes that size she could be crawling through within them. Security didn’t seem to be really a priority for the residents of the palace. Then again, only city and such, Rarity could figure it out.

Not to mention the fact that she was thankful for as it meant she didn’t had to break her neck a couple dozen times. With swiftness had she managed to make her way through the holes and over the beams. She had to find the room that carried the elusive king of the lamia. A room that was probably located all the way in the back.

Whether it was a mansion, palace or a castle, the layout was always the same. The most important figures were in the most well-guarded and protected area’s and in a palace within the rocks, that meant all the way in the back.

Over beam and through hole did Rarity make haste. She was as silent as a shadow while covering as much ground as she could. The mare prayed that she was still on time. On time to capture the conversation between her two little guards and the king.

One more hole and she was there. One more hole and she was in the room where the sounds came from. The sounds of a massive creature talking to its subjects. Rarity couldn’t have picked the wrong room, unless the echoes were going to be a whole lot more confusing for her. With one last squeeze through it round shape she managed to get into the room.

A room that was massive and cast within the brightest of lights. And there it laid. A creature too horrible to describe, it almost made Rarity actually vomit on the support beam. A gross looking, fat slug, she could only describe it as. If that was the lamia king, she wondered how many of the creatures had actually seen the thing with their own eyes.

A shudder travelled down her spine before she moved herself over to the middle of the beam and assumed her final, crouched position. She would be listening to the words that would have come to her attention and ears. Anything important could have helped her, anything involving traveling. Much to her surprise, the guards she had been chasing through the whole of the city had only just began their talking to the king. “Right on time, exactly when you’re needed Rarity, as per usual,” she giggled quietly to herself. The mare had so her moments, that happened to be one of them.

Her eyes and ears were focused upon the creatures down there. Whatever they would be having to say, would be caught by her.

“So, what news from the gate?” the king spoke while his triple chin moved in all kinds of directions. “Why have you returned so early to me after another tremor had hit. Why aren’t you, making repairs to it?” His tone was low and deep, almost having an echo to itself without anything done to it. The more he spoke, the more Rarity became disgusted by it.

“My king, we bring you disturbing news. She has returned, the pink one,” one of the guards spoke up. Rarity couldn’t tell from her position which guard said which words as the backs of their heads were turned towards her. “We think, we think that the Gorgon One is angry at her, because she’s still alive.”

“Hmpf, anything else of information that is of value of disrupting my slumber?” the king growled to them. It almost didn’t seem to be mattering to him that Pinkie had returned or that she could have angered the Gorgon One. Something else was going on, that much could Rarity already tell. She wouldn’t be surprised if the slug upon the throne was in fact this mythical ‘Gorgon One’.

“Y-Yes, one other matter. Five beings from the older world managed to find the gate, with the help of the pink one. They spoke about having taken her to them as a guide to the deeper caverns. But, s-such a thing can’t be e-existing, right?”

The guard was terrified because all of his beliefs were shaking at their very foundations. They also knew just massive parts of the lands. From the looks of it were the guards allowed to know of the world above them. Though what laid deeper than the city was something not even the king seemed to be willing to share with them. Which made Rarity wonder, just what laid there?

A shudder was given off by the king before he erupted out in a deep laughter. A laughter that caused the other two lamia to slither back. “Oh my little guards, so ignorant about the worlds we know. There are many things that you do not know about anything. But, I might share a secret or two with just the pair of you. Only problem, you might end up in the insane asylum!”

“What?!” both of the guards exclaimed at the same time. Things had taken a turn for the worst as Rarity readied herself for a battle to come. Her dual swords and the harpoon were more than ready to get into action. But the words of the king, surprised all three of them.

“No, I want those beings gone. None other must know from their existence. This city has kept itself secret for so long because we remained forgotten.”

“A-And how do you wish to, do that?” one of the guards spoke in a terrified tone. Yet the answer was already known to him as there was only one way such a thing could be done against it. “And, and what about the sacrificed one? End her too? End, one of our own?”

“If you have to, do it. Let me tell you a little secret about her,” the king said before just about one of the biggest revelations was revealed to Rarity. “The gorgon one hasn’t been heard from in over a couple of centuries, these tremors have nothing to do with him. Her sacrifice was a needed one. She wasn’t poor, she wasn’t sick, she was perfectly healthy. She was thrown out of the city because she was mentally unstable. Her mind bounced from left to right and nothing inside of this hole could bare it anymore.”

The king took a moment to catch his breath as he then continued further. “So that’s why her name was pulled ‘randomly’ to be the next sacrifice for him. It has nothing to do with anything, except getting her out of this place.”

“But then, everything you told us, is a lie!” one of the guards yelled while he dared to come closer to the king. The anger was visible within the eyes, yet the disbelief was even greater.

“And who dares to follow you? They would declare you insane and charge you. You have nothing to prove my words on boy. Now sit down!” the king demanded as his tone had turned dangerously. He wasn’t kidding, the guards indeed didn’t have any actual evidence on the fact that the king was lying to the whole of the city.

But high above them did Rarity knew the truth about Pinkie Pie. The reason for her sacrifice was only to cover up banishment and letting her live her life as she seemed fit. Only to become dinner for the spiders that ravaged down there. It could be rocking the world of the lamia for certain. But first would Rarity’s world be rocked. For the beam she had been sitting on gave away.

The unicorn looked behind her when she noticed how the thing was scraping against the wall before it finally dropped. In a split second had the unicorn jumped off of the beam and revealed herself to the king and his men. She landed in the signature pose Rainbow Dash always assumed after she had landed to minimize the chances of getting too much damage to herself.

But she was in the light, out there and in full view of the king. The thoughts in her mind slowed down to a crawl while it seemed as if time would be slowing down. Her chance to shine, her chance to soar, her chance to escape had then arrived and she would be taking it with both hands.

Everypony of the company had to know exactly what she had learned. The only problem just happened to be, that she had to get to them first. The guards on which in the room, had different ideas on that.