//------------------------------// // Chapter XCIX // Story: Journey to the center of Equestria // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Applejack crossed her arms over one another in front of her chest as she rose an eyebrow to the unicorn soothsayer. There hung the strange scent of mystery within the air and she smelled it from even a mile away. Whatever had been planned by Twilight –or anypony else for that matter– would remain a mystery for the time being. Though she knew that the calling of her wasn’t just for a friendly chitchat. Not that soon after they had been separated again. Of course there were about a thousand and one thoughts that rushed through the admiral in that moment. But the soothsayer couldn’t answer a single one of them just yet. Perhaps she never would have been able to begin with. It all had to be seen through the gears of time itself. So the only thing that Applejack could be doing was to wait for whatever came next. Twilight still didn’t have an idea that the rest of the mares also had been drummed up to come, which only added to the mystery. The admiral lowered the arms down to her sides as she just stood there for a little moment. The doubt was visible within her eyes though. She was doubting whether or not she would have been sitting down. Seconds ticked away like they were nothing before Applejack had made a cut through the knot in her mind. The body of the earth anthrony moved itself over to the bench and she dropped herself into it. She would have been ready for pretty much everything else that would have been hitting her. Though she couldn’t help herself but to ask about what the matter was, once again. “Ya really can’t tell me what’s going to happen?” Twilight shook her head from side to side before her attention remained stuck upon the admiral. “Applejack, even if I wished to tell you what would happen, I couldn’t do it. You aren’t the only mare I’m waiting upon in the moment,” the soothsayer spoke to her in a serious tone. The words were enough for the admiral to realize that the rest of the company would have been gathered as well. Though the chances of such a thing actually happening would have been rather slim. There wouldn’t have been a way in the world that allowed the other mares to have come back to the castle that quick. The biggest issue that they faced in the moment? Getting Rarity past the security of Canterlot. Not to mention that the treaty between the two mares of the sea had been retired all together as well. So any second that the pirate captain would have revealed herself to anypony in Canterlot, she would have been Applejack’s prisoner in a near instant. Behind the two mares there was another sound that could be heard. Applejack recognized it out of thousands and she quickly turned herself around. In her eyes she then caught the brightly pink scaled lamia with the same shirt covering her upper body. “Heh, so ya really kept her. She’s coming along nicely?” “You mean Pinkie? Yeah, she’s doing just fine actually. Still needs to get used to a couple of things thought. But outside of it, she’s actually acclimatizing nicely,” replied Twilight to the admiral with a certain cool in her voice. “Acclima-whatta now?” the other mare spoke up with a raised eyebrow. Once again had they stuck upon a word that actually was unknown to a member of the group. Twilight released a deep sigh through her nostrils as the eyes were shut for just a moment. “It means that is getting used to it, it’s a fancy word for it. Don’t give me that look though, I don’t know anything of a ship either.” To that could Applejack only release a chuckle. She shook her own head from right to left while Pinkie slithered up to the two of them. The lamia didn’t seemed to have been out of breath or anything. Instead she seemed to have been really excited about the facts as they were. Whatever would have been happening that day, she was actually looking forward to it. “Hey Pinkie,” the admiral said before she tipped her hat a little bit. “Hey Applejack!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. The lamia was genuinely happy about it all. She didn’t knew for what though. But a feeling within her very guts just told her that everything would have become great that day. If it actually was a feeling placed right remained to be seen though. The lamia and the admiral got into a conversation with one another while Twilight began to look over the skies. Surely the fourth member of their company would have been there by then, right? The skies were thick though. The clouds blocked her view and she couldn’t glance as high as she would have liked. It was a minor inconvenience for the unicorn but there were many ways that Canterlot could have been visited. So she turned her attention over to the conversation that happened between the earth anthrony and the lamia. She tried her best to pick up some of the words that were spoken but the thoughts of her mind caused it all to be lost straight away. Twilight even shook her head to get any bit of sleep that dwelled there to be thrown out of it. Out of nothing it happened and it caught all of the mares by surprise. All of the other beings that wandered through the courtyard for that matter, were caught off guard. There was a sudden rainbow trail within the skies and it had landed right within their very courtyard. Twilight reached for her heart in a manner like she wanted to calm it. Her eyes had shot upwards and followed the trail down in silence. Words couldn’t have been spoken by her. Yet Applejack on the other end stood ready with one hand at the hilt of her sword. It wouldn’t have been long before she had actually drawn it. But then she saw just whom it was that had crashed down in the courtyard. Only one mare in the entire land would have landed in such a way and left a trail of a rainbow behind her wherever she flew. “Hmpf, Rainbow Dash, ya couldn’t think of any other way when it came to coming in?” Applejack growled to her. The sword was released again before the admiral walked up to the pegasus to give her a firm hand. The pegasus major had landed in her signature pose yet seemed to be needing a little bit of help getting out of it. Twilight’s eyes looked to the first upon the ground and the hooves. The eyes went wide as she noticed that there actually was a small crater beneath it all. It appeared that the gardener would have some work cut out for him. Her eyes then shifted back up to the mares with an expression of happiness within them. They had gathered yet another member of their team. Rainbow placed a hand in Applejack’s before she was hoisted back up to her original height. The major of the air force looked into the eyes of the admiral with a cocky grin before she wrapped an arm over both of her shoulders. “I had to make an entrance right? First time I’ve been to Canterlot Castle, might as well leave an impression that will be remembered.” “And a fine for property damage to add to it,” said Twilight a little bit too loud. “What was that, Twilight?” Rainbow asked before she turned her head over to the soothsayer. Something was spoken in her direction, but she hadn’t caught it. She wanted to know. Twilight’s eyes went wide a second time before she tried her utmost best to cover up the mistake that she had made. “Oh, n-nothing. Just, just a thought that escaped me. Great landing though. Sure to leave an impression.” “Hehe, just as I thought,” the pegasus replied. Then she asked the all-important question to Twilight. “So, what did you need me back here for? Seeing how almost the old club is together, I have so my thoughts.” “Whatever they may be, I think that you’re actually wrong with all of them,” the soothsayer replied to her. “As I have told Applejack and Pinkie already, you’ll see. We still need to have two members that need to come and then you’ll see why I have called you here today.” Those words caused Applejack to raise an eyebrow. How did Twilight ever even think about getting Rarity past the security of Canterlot to begin with? The case was beginning to smell a little bit fishy in her nose and she wanted to know the finer details about it all. The problem happened to be that she couldn’t be getting any of those anytime soon. So the admiral was forced to just wait in the courtyard just like everypony else. Whatever had been planned, only Twilight seemed to be knowing it. And to make matters even worse, she had bet her bits on something impossible as well. Silence had been given off by all of the mares as they patiently awaited the arrival of the next anthrony. Which happened to be nopony else then Fluttershy. The other pegasus walked down the same hallway as the admiral had done before. Though she seemed to have been a little bit more shyer than usual. Something had caused her to not be the most usual self. Twilight thought that she knew the reasoning of why she acted like that. A reason that she never shared it with anypony else. There was no need of them to know the conditions where the doctor was in. There was just no need for them to know what she knew. Rainbow Dash gained a smile upon her face though. She was glad to see the other pegasus once more. The major of the air force had spent just one night up in Cloudsdale before she had to turn back over to Canterlot. So any friendly face from the same race was a welcome one in her eyes. “Welcome back, Fluttershy,” the soothsayer spoke while she approached the doctor. The two of them gave one another a hug and a smile. It wasn’t something done by the rest of them but they most likely would have declined it anyway. “Thanks Twilight,” the doctor replied to her just before the smile faded away from her face. She then looked over to the rest of the mares and gave them all a gentle nod with her head. She was actually looking a little bit frightened to see them all again for some reason. Which made her turn over to the unicorn once again. The unicorn remained calm as she looked at the group as well. A small smile was then formed across her lips before she nodded calmly to herself. It must have been enough right? There was no way that Rarity physically would have showed herself in the castle. Though there were other ways to get the pirate captain in the same place that they happened to be. The anthronies and the lamia just stood there in silence or a moment or two while they anticipated the arrival of said pirate captain. But there was nothing that came their way. Not even a breeze that came from the direction of the seas that could have changed everything was felt. There simply was, nothing. Only then did the volume of Fluttershy raise itself. The pegasus was genuinely curious about the facts as they were and wanted to know the finer details. “Twilight, you probably have gotten this question a dozen time already but…” “What’s the reason I called you all here?” the soothsayer almost bluntly interrupted her. She didn’t mean for her words to be taken that bluntly though. But Twilight was tired of hearing the same question over and over again. The answer would have been the same anyway until the time was there. And said time, didn’t happen to be there just yet. After all, they did still miss nopony else then Rarity Brittenburg. “Y-Yes, that’s what I meant to ask.” Fluttershy brought out before she released a small gulp. In her eyes it almost seemed like she had upset Twilight in one way or the other. The rest of them just thought that she hadn’t take things so seriously. “As I told the rest, you’ll all see when the time is there,” replied Twilight to her in calm. “And when’s that? When Ah grow a beard or som’thing?” Applejack growled towards her. To which the soothsayer could only chuckle and shake her head. “I certainly hope not, Applejack, that’s about the last thing I want to see upon your face. If I may say so,” added Twilight after she let out a little chuckle. The comment of the admiral was just a little bit too funny in her eyes to not make a reply on. Rainbow Dash had a series of different plans about it all. Her mind had come up with things that made far less sense to every- and anypony. But then again, it was a pegasus who said them to begin with. Of course could the words have been viewed as spoken by a hothead. Or at least a being that always walked with a head in the clouds. “You know what I think about it all?” she spoke before her arms were crossed over one another. Her eyes went over each of the company’s members with a gentle grin across her lips. She seemed to have been just so certain of everything. She appeared to knowing exactly what was happening or needed to be done. The problem just happened to be that she was just about dead wrong with it all. Twilight turned her attention over to the pegasus and rose an eyebrow to her. Even though she knew that Rainbow would not have been able to figure out what would be happening, she was still curious to the fact of which she came with. “Go ahead, tell us all what you think is following up soon enough,” she said as she even made a gentle gesture for her to begin with her words. The soothsayer had given the major a massive boost in confidence when she had given her the very room to speak her words of probable madness. It was all that the pegasus could have spewed out actually. Fluttershy on the other end was a whole lot closer to the ground because of her life upon the solid surface. Rainbow lived in Cloudsdale itself and for many that spoke enough. “Alright then, but you asked for it,” said Rainbow just before she cracked her fingers. Why such a thing needed to be done in order to tell a story was a mystery to Applejack and the rest. But it was an annoying thing to say the least. They wanted to know what she had upon her mind. They all were a little bit curious to the facts as they happened to be in her mind. Each of them turned their attention over to the major who only stood there with a fool’s grin. She was just so certain of her entire business that she almost dared to wage everything upon it. “Okay, what I’m thinking is this,” she began before the story erupted. “You all know how Twilight is a soothsayer right? Maybe she’s gotten visions of another catastrophe that lays in wait. Perhaps the goddesses have been wanting to assemble us again, in order to stop a new threat.” Once again were the words just madness itself and everypony had to agree upon that little fact. It were the only words that she could spew out on the matter though. Not to mention that they did ring a form of truth. There must have been some reason of why they were called back, but that that happened to be the reason was one possibly far off. Applejack released a deep huff through her nostrils as she shook her head. Her arms went cross over her body as the eyes were closed. “Come on now, Rainbow, that’s just utter madness ya be talking there,” she spoke just before her focus was placed once more upon the pegasus. “If you have a better idea, I gladly hear that,” returned Rainbow to the admiral with a smirk. Perhaps were the words enough to corner the other mare, but that didn’t bother her. For the subject needed to be changed in her eyes, and fast. Applejack wasn’t in the mood to argue with the pegasus about what was the reason why they were there. Nopony else spilled a word over it as they already realized the fact that it was just impossible to do. But the attention of the admiral turned over to the soothsayer who just stood there. The chance was given to her to change the subject. “Ya really think a mare like Brittenburg is coming? Ah don’t think so mahself if Ah may say so. Security’s too tight ‘round here and ya know it.” Twilight released a gentle nod to the words of the mare. They were right in all the ways. Everything just seemed to be working against Rarity if she wanted to even try to get to Canterlot harbor. But the soothsayer always had a little trick or two upon her sleeve. “Don’t you worry about it, Applejack. I’m certain that she’ll find a way around everything to get to us. Though what that way is, I don’t even know,” the soothsayer spoke in response. Applejack had listened with great care to the spoken words and released a calm nod with her head. Perhaps Twilight was right with them and she just worried too much about it? At the other hand laid that years long desire of finally bringing the pirate captain to the trail that she needed. Their treaty was over and everything between the two could have been done. Though then there happened to be a third hand that was thrown in the mix. A third hand that showed her the betrayal that she would give the unicorn pirate. For the whole of the journey they hadn’t been flying at each other’s throat and in the aftermath they would? That would have been a hefty price to pay for them all in fact. The admiral gulped light before she closed her eyes for a moment or two. There was the feeling of a possible guilt that rose up within her. Even though she wanted to capture the pirate through a your long desire, another piece of her told her that she just couldn’t do such a thing. The eyes of Twilight glanced over all of them, they looked from the lamia over to the major of the air force, to the admiral of the navy before they rested upon the doctor. Almost everypony was there with the exception of a possible key player. The message had been sent out, whether there would have been any kind of response remained to be seen. But Twilight judged to herself that it was time. The time had fallen upon them all to know a little something that would have brought them closer to figuring out what was going on. And above all, what was going to happen. Twilight had one last glance over all of them before she spoke the words. “It is time to reveal, a little bit. If you all want to follow me, please.” “Follow you to, where exactly?” Fluttershy dared to ask. Naturally it gained the curiosity of all the other mares around them. Eyebrows were raised while glances were given to everypony. All of them wanted to know exactly what would be happening from that moment on. Not to mention who happened to be right with their words. “There’s one place in the entire castle, where nopony is allowed to enter. But the goddesses had spoken to me that something lies waiting within that room. So after a hefty conversation with the head soothsayer, have I managed to gain access to said room,” revealed Twilight to them in a little bit of a mysterious tone. Though most of it was just plain old casual. Once more were all of the mares actually captivated by the facts as they were revealed to them. Nopony knew about which room she spoke up as their knowledge of the soothsayers were too low for such a thing. But they all realized that whatever laid there, it must have been important of some degree. The company of five began to make their way through the hallways of the castle as the soothsayer continued upon her words. “The room that we’re going to visit is one sealed off many years ago. Longer than time can possible remember actually. All of you are aware that this castle stands here for longer than our lands have existed right?” Twilight had gently turned her attention around to face the mares. All of them were known a little bit to the history and only the anthronies nodded to the words. Of course Pinkie’s head remained stationary as she didn’t knew anything about it. Something Twilight had been knowing for a little while actually. “The room we’re going to visit carries perhaps the greatest importance for us all. As that very room happens to be no place else then the throne room of the goddesses,” said Twilight in almost an ominous tone. Nopony knew what to think of it though. Would it have been a good or bad thing? And what would have been waiting there for them? All the questions that arose with the answers, only made things just as clear as mud itself. ~~~~ “So this is the doorway leading to the throne room?” Rainbow said while they all looked to a golden plated door. There didn’t seemed to have been too much mystery to it, but Twilight knew that behind that very door perhaps the greatest achievement of them all laid. The door itself was wonderfully cared though. Arches and lines that formed the most beautiful shapes could be witnessed by all of them. It was a true work of beauty, that fact had to be admitted by everypony that was present. The mares couldn’t actually believe the sights that they saw. Twilight allowed herself a deep exhale as she then closed her eyes. “This is indeed the door, Rainbow. The door that always must have remained shut to preserve it. I don’t know what we will find inside of it.” Twilight spoke up before her horn calmly charged up. Applejack understood what would be happening next and she placed a hand upon Twilight’s shoulder. “Nice and easy there, partner, there’s no need to rush a thing like this. Savor the moment, for yaself.” Those words seemed to have some sort of effect upon the unicorn as she did calm down a little bit. It was a great moment and all that she had to do was to open the doors. She needed to take her time with it and did so. Seconds had gone by in utter silence while Twilight just stood before the door. With her magic charged did she allow the flow to go over to her hands as well. Slow but sure had they then rose up and each of them was placed upon one door. Deep exhales were given off by the mare before she closed her eyes. Everypony was waiting in anticipation of what would be happening next. Whether it would have been something good or bad, they would be standing behind her. Literally, that time. Nopony dared to speak a word when they realized the importance of the place. Not to mention the fact that nopony seemed to have opened the door in possible years. Time happened to be there then. The time was there for Twilight to just open the door and for them to go all inside. With a powerful push of her magic had the soothsayer managed to open the doors. They went with such great easy, almost like they didn’t weigh anything. Though the screeching sounds of the hinges could be heard far and wide. Behind the door laid darkness as far as the eye could see. A darkness that they were all too familiar with. No light seemed to have been able to enter the room for whatever reason. But they all walked inside of it on Twilight’s command. Who on her own turn closed the doors again. Whatever would be happening next to all of them, they weren’t in the need of others trying to get a peek of it. Twilight’s magic was about the only thing that could be seen after the doors had been closed again. Yet that soon changed as the first torch was being lit. Which was followed up by the second, the third and so forth. All the way up to when all of the torches had been lit up. It caused the unicorn to lose her magical aura when they all stared at something they never held possible. They were within the forbidden throne room and next to the throne that stood before them could it be seen. Two massive statues had been erected to visualize what the goddesses of both the sun and the moon looked like. But the statues had taken on the shape of the view that was always granted in the planes of the goddesses. Which meant that they were just two swirling things cast in both respectable gold and silver. Nopony was having a word for the sights that they saw while Twilight walked closer to it. She walked closer and closer to the steps of the throne until she came to a standstill. The rest of the mares followed her but stopped to form a v-like shape behind her. Twilight stood at the tip, followed by Applejack and Pinkie behind her, while Rainbow and Fluttershy just ended the formation. “It shall be here, that we receive the final gift,” said Twilight loud enough for them all to hear. Naturally had the curiosity been raised within each of the mares. To them it seemed like she was talking just about the greatest madness that ever could have been spoken. But they didn’t spoke a single word yet again. Twilight was the anthrony with whom they had to speak with if there was anything that needed to be happening. Which resulted in none of them actually daring to argue against her, or talk against her. Perhaps it was for the better, perhaps it was for the worse. The soothsayer didn’t knew it in the moment. The unicorn had another look at both of the shrines to the goddesses and began to talk almost directly towards them. “I certainly hope that you know what you’re doing. The last thing we need, is being dragged out here for nothing.” Being called by the goddesses themselves and then getting there for nothing usually wasn’t a thing that was done by them. But it still felt to the unicorn that such a thing could be happening. Of course there was the natural doubt that she had. They had been so vague to her before, but the only way to get any answers was to just proceed upon doing what they had to be doing. Time to admire the scenery had been destroyed as the unicorn charged up her horn and her hands. “Pray that this works.” Twilight whispered to herself. The charges became even more intense as she reached out for the hands of both Applejack and Pinkie. They both noticed what needed to be done and took the hand of the soothsayer, while in return were they reaching out for a hand of one of the pegasi. They had a little bit of difficulty to understand the facts as they were, but they went with it nonetheless. Which meant that all of the beings within the group were holding one another’s hand. Twilight charged her magic even further and once more they would have been acted as massive conducts for her. The powers that were surging through her hands sprung over to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Only to then make the jump over to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as well. All of them felt the tingles of the magical abilities that the unicorn carried going through their bodies. All of them were genuinely terrified for the things that would happen next. Even if they wanted to release the hands from one another, they still couldn’t. The mares seemed to have been glued together by said magical ability. Not that they truly seemed to be minding it though as they would be helping out a friend. The powers that surged and rushed through the soothsayer became five times as powerful as that they normally would have been. She had five conducts standing right behind her that were in her aid. The unicorn’s eyes had turned to just pure white when a column of her aura was shot upwards. The groans of the unicorn had them all worried, before they looked to the rest of them. They all saw that the other members also had their own column of light going up. Applejack had an orange one, Pinkie’s happened to be pink, as Rainbow’s was blue and Fluttershy’s was yellow. The columns of color all shot upwards and into the skies before it hit the ceiling. There they would have splashed out like water in a lake. Only to be met with one another to make one of the most interesting color combinations ever they had ever seen. There happened to be one color that appeared to be missing. And that was the white one of Rarity herself. All of them noticed how that one was just missing yet their attention was then quickly grasped by something else. For Twilight had started to levitate before them. She had let go of the hands of both Pinkie and Applejack in order to proceed. None of them dared to believe what they saw but didn’t dare to take a step away. For they were still charged with tons and tons of magical energy. Out of nowhere was there a strange, white light that appeared. Out of nowhere there was a massive, bright and white light that appeared to their very aid. A light that consumed Twilight Sparkle’s body whole just before two whispers could be heard resonating within the air. All of the mares became even more terrified upon the matter as they didn’t believe what they heard. Gulps were given off by them all as the eyes turned from left to right. But the thing that they heard was the song of the goddesses. The goddesses themselves appeared to be singing to them all from the palate of color that laid on the ceiling. It must have been a doorway that was leading over to the planes of the goddesses, that was the only explanation that Applejack had for it. Their harmonious song was truly one of the most beautiful that she had ever heard within her life. But inside of the massive light, there was a shadow to be seen. A shadow of which they all thought to be Twilight’s. There only happened to be one little change to her. The longer they stared at it, the more they could have sworn the fact that they saw wings spreading from her back. That fact alone left them all speechless when they finally could release the hands from one another. Nopony knew what they had to think about it. Which meant that the silence had been remained by all of them. Silence not out of fear for what would be happening next, but out of utter respect for what had happened to Twilight.