Journey to the center of Equestria

by Rarity Belle

Chapter XXII

The door that fell back in its lock and Applejack had finally the time to just drop her body down unto the bed. She wanted to get the much needed sleep. She was dead tired and the events to come weren’t something that made things anymore calm inside of her coconut. The earth anthrony stumbled over to the cheaply looking two-pony bed before she just crashed into it.

Twilight on the other end was a little bit more by knowledge and she sat down on a small chair. Her eyes looked through the whole of the room just before a deep sigh was released through her nostrils. Something about everything never made sense and with the words of Rarity actually going through her mind, the difficulty of everything only became more apparent to her.

“Hey Applejack,” she started, “can I ask you something?”

The admiral herself was too tired to even lift her head out of the pillow. Which resulted in her actually talking through it. “What’s on yar mind?” she replied in a muffled tone. One that was weak and tired sounding yet curious at the same time.

“About your brother and, well, you know…” It was a touchy subject but the soothsayer wanted to know the truth behind the matter. Even if meant that she had to crush the feelings of Applejack.

Something which Twilight could do easily. Though the other mare had a whole set of different plans when it came down to the matter. For a deep groan was released through the pillow as it almost seemed the mare would turn around. Yet the orange skinned, black coat covered body never moved itself. Instead there was another reply that was mumbled up through the pillow itself.

“Ah don’t wanna talk ‘bout it. Family and naval business. No soothsayer has anything to say ‘bout that. Now, lemme sleep!” She was cranky, that much could Twilight easily determine. Perhaps it was just for the better to let her get as much sleep as she could. Something that Twilight also could use for the time being.

The soothsayer stood up from the chair and made a little walk through the room they were in. It was just a plain looking, ordinarily fashioned hotel room above a bar. Not much had to be expected in the first case. The violet rimmed eyes of Twilight moved over to the window where she saw the city stretching until the horizon.

Or better said, she looked at the house on the other side which formed the horizon. Another exhale was released through her mouth as the curtains were closed and her horn shone a faint light. Mumbles were given off by her before the raspberry coloring emerged from the lock of their room. “The way the keeper is, that’s how he trusts his guests,” she whispered to herself. Then the light fainted from existence.

The spell that she had performed was meant to keep any other being out of the room unless they allowed it to enter. Something that seemed to be rather helpful in the eyes of the soothsayer given their location. The snoring of Applejack fell in her ears. The mare looked over to the lump of admiral that laid on the bed.

She hadn’t even moved a single inch from the moment she had dropped down. Twilight on the other end was a little bit annoyed by the fact she had to sit through the cutting of an entire forest that night. “Just, bloody, great,” the mare muttered to herself before she dropped her head on the pillow. Only to close her eyes and let herself fade away into the realm of the dreams.

Hoping for a morning, that would be a lot better than the night.

~~~~

There was a coldness, nothing more but an icy and chilly coldness engulfed the body of the soothsayer. She laid shivering in the bed while she was brought back out of her sleep. Everything seemed to have turned upside down in her mind already. Drunk from her sleep did she turn herself right side up. Only to realize something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

The body of the mare grinded itself a bit more against the bottom to make certain of her suspicion. She knew that the mattress of the bed wasn’t too comfortable, but it felt to her like she was laying on stone cold rock. A groan was being released and the eyes of the unicorn opened up again. She had no idea of what she could expect to see. She hoped for something good of course.

Darkness was the only thing that they saw while her brain came back to full throttle. Together with her feelings coming back were the suspicions being confirmed. She actually laid on solid rock for whatever reason.

As soon as that realization had come through to her, had the unicorn shot right up from her spot and glanced all around her. She wanted to know where she was and if there was anything she could do to the matter. Thankfully she didn’t seem to be tied up in any way or form. Another problem happened to be that she was actually alone in the place.

Twilight wanted to call out for Applejack with the whole of her heart. Though such a thing would have given her position away. There wasn’t all too much that the unicorn could be doing in her case. All but one thing, which was to actually go out and investigate where she had been brought too. Thoughts about the spell being destroyed rushed through her as the uncertainties only rose up further.

Slowly but surely had the soothsayer moved herself at the side of the cave she was in. All around her were the stone cold rocks tunneling their way before her. Strange curiosities raced through the mind of the mare. “Somewhere in the harbor? Rarity who managed to find and kidnap us? What’s going on here..?” Twilight questioned to herself almost in silence as she walked further and further down the given path.

Going back wasn’t really an option anymore for her. The only way that could be gone was forward. Towards the answers, towards the troubles. Moving forward inside of the tunnel while she kept her back firmly to the wall. Not even a single torch was lit to illuminate the way. The strange case in which Twilight found herself was about to get a whole lot stranger.

After minutes of careful sneaking did the eyes of the mare caught something. Something that was a totally different color than the darkness that surrounded her. She saw a warm, inviting color that popped up around the next corner. Yet that same color could also have been the color of a warning. There where was light, didn’t necessarily have to be peace.

Slower than a snail in reverse had Twilight made her way around the corner where the light came from. Caution was something that was executed even more by the mare as her eyes peeked around the corner. All in the hope to see what she wished to be seeing.

It almost seemed as if the goddesses had actually taken Twilight in their favor. For around the corner wasn’t much to be seen. Nothing but an empty hallway that stretched itself to a doorway was caught in her eyes. The sights were something that caused a feeling of relief to flow through the mare, yet she still had to travel further.

Closer and closer she came to the doorway and with even more caution she traveled under it. Nothing could indicate to her just what she would be finding after that treacherous arch had been past. For there wasn’t anything actually visible after it. It literally was a blind step of fate that she had to take. A thing that Twilight hesitantly did.

Soon enough had her body traveled through the archway with a set of firmly closed eyes. Anything could have happened and she knew that. Though the thing that did happen was something that caught her actually by surprise. For where she had expected to be taken by other anthronies, there was a rather harmonic sound.

The sound of fire that danced in harmony. That sound, the very rhythms of the fires and their heat were enough to get the unicorn even further down the brink of craziness. Her eyes were opened widely and they immediately began to inspect the area that she was in.

Much to her surprise was she still inside of the cavern system. Yet she had to be in a different part of it. For the room that the mare was in almost looked like half a sphere. A sphere that was perfectly crafted in ancient times, gone by the gears of time. All that remained of that once so smooth surface were cracks in the very rock. Cracks that seemed to have come from that very place.

As if something had tried to break out, instead of in. Yet the massive elephant in the room was the source of the light and the heat. Twilight’s eyes were gently turned over to the middle of it. There they could witness the sheer beauty that was her ‘host’.

Twilight was staring at the ball of magma that she had seen before in her visions. “Impossible,” the mare whispered to herself. The feelings rushed all over her mind. Everything literally happened at once. The sheer amounts of uncertainty about it all only seemed to be rising inside of her. Nothing made sense to her in the moment. And it was about to get even more crazy.

The more the mare stared into the ball of magma, the more she seemed to saw a shadow that swirled actually within it. A shadow that moved itself at a slow and steady speed inside of the molten rock. “That, that can’t be done. Unless…” All of the sudden went her eyes wide again. In that moment had the realization hit her. “Oh no, no, no, no, that can’t be right? Nightmare Moon taking over the sun? Corrupting it into her own way and create eternal night?!”

The words of a madmare often spoke the truth was a well-used saying. But that idea was so crazy that even Twilight herself had a difficult time to actually believe her own words. While the idea certainly was possible, it didn’t seem actually likely.

Twilight placed her hand on her forehead was a moan was released. “I’m an idiot, how can the sun be here? What are we, a zillion miles beneath the surface? Well, maybe not a zillion. One, perhaps.” The unicorn began to wander around the place a bit more while she inspected everything that there was to be seen.

Danger seemed to be a long way away all of the sudden. Which was something that the mare didn’t really seemed to be minding at all. It meant to her that she just had a lot more time to inspect what needed to be done.

“Oh this is clever, this is very clever indeed. I feel like I’m awake, but I’m still inside of a vision created by them. Highly interesting,” she said. Then a smile could be found across her lips.

She was actually right on the matter. For Twilight was wandering through a vision that had been made by the goddesses themselves. Yet its purpose remained unknown to Twilight in the moment. She still had actual difficulties to determine whether the ball of magma was actually a ball of magma, or perhaps maybe even pieces of a star.

If it was a star that was housed down there, they wouldn’t be out of the danger zone for a long time to come. “If that goes supernova, our whole existence can be whipped from the universe. If, it is a star after all.”

Ideas flowed through the mind of the mare as she began to draw some of them out on an arcane piece of paper. “What could have happened is that comets and asteroids began to cover up the star by arcane powers, to form the land on, which… Oh you have to be kidding me! It’s the core of Equestria itself?!”

A sudden revelation was made by the mare. One that she perhaps knew for a long time already. Yet finally had she the confirmation on the looming thoughts. It was the very place that their journey would be taking them, the very center of their land. Not the center of the surface, but the center of the hunk of earth they called home.

“Oh this is just great…”

~~~~

With a deep gasp for air went the eyes of Twilight open again and she found herself panting deeply on the bed. Applejack was not to be found next to her though. Instead had the admiral taken place in the chair and was gazing to the outside world. Only to have her attention shift back to Twilight once she woke up.

“It was, it was, it was a vision,” stumbled Twilight out before her body was dropped back down. “Though if it’s true…”

“If what’s true?” Applejack then asked out of curiosity. Without any sign did the body of Twilight rose itself back up again and gazed almost idiotically towards the admiral. A set of eyes that spoke the words of uncertainty were given to her before a sigh was released. “Nevermind.”

The soothsayer on the other end tried to make sense out of everything she had seen and the situation as a whole. Which could only have made her come to one conclusion. “I think, it’s best if I do not say that for the time being. Hey, what, what have you been up to so far?”

Those words caused the admiral to raise an eyebrow. She wouldn’t have expected that such a question came out of the mouth of Twilight. “Nothing too much really. Figuring out a way to get out of here as soon as possible. That, and waiting on ya ‘course.”

Twilight released a little giggle in response to the matter. With her hands had she rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, sorry about that. Dreams were interesting this night. Hey, I’m going to refresh myself a little bit and then we shall look for a way out. Any particular path in mind?”

The admiral didn’t had to think long about that answer. They were in a pirate infested town and she was the one mare pretty much all of them wanted to see dead. If they would have just walked out of the place, it could have created a deep suspicion. “We’re gonna travel by sea. Ah ain’t walking that darn end again with this leg and Ah need to be at sea one more time, before this all begins. Ya can live with it?”

The soothsayer nodded her head calmly up and down. She could understand the reasoning behind the words and who was she to deny the earth anthrony that one last pleasure of the rough seas.

~~~~

Sometime later were they wandering once more through the harbor of the place. Even in the bright daylight it still looked somber and dead. The light of the sun only penetrated a couple of gaps in the ceiling of the cavern, possibly made by the very residents or nature had taken an interesting course with it.

Either way, with the sunlight they allowed in and the torches lit, it wasn’t a pleasant sight to behold at all. And somewhere in that mess of ships and drunken sailors had both Applejack and Twilight to find a anthrony crazy enough to bring them to Canterlot. That was a task that was actually a lot easier said than done. A fact they both knew perhaps too well.

The stomping of the admiral’s metalized leg didn’t really help either. Though they had the luck that the sounds seemed from somepony with a peg leg. Perhaps that was why she wanted to go to the harbor that badly, thought Twilight to herself before she chuckled only once.

For them it was going up and down the boards of the harbor to find a vessel that didn’t seem to be too big or too small. Yet every time they had found the right vessel, the crew didn’t appeared to have been too fondly with them going aboard.

Which resulted in the fact that they took off just as quickly as they came.

Their situation seemed to be hopeless as they just wanted to return home. None of the ships would even think about going to the heavily guarded port of Canterlot, that much they could tell straight away. Not to mention the fact that the Vengeful Belle had already left the port. It eliminated the possibility of asking Rarity for a lift.

Minutes had turned into hours when the two of them walked down the so maniest ramp to one of the docking areas. They saw a smaller vessel laying there that seemed to be loading itself up with goods. Applejack turned her head over to Twilight who simply gave a shrug. It was all that they had in the moment. Perhaps their only hope of actually getting out of the place.

It was at least worth the shot to ask whether or not the vessel would go to Canterlot. With the courage and morale raised just a little bit did the both of them took calm steps forwards. When they got closer to the ship, they were greeted by a pegasus anthrony stallion who looked to the both of them with one visible eye.

The other one had lost all of its color and they both knew that he was blind on that eye. The smoke that came out of pipe and the beard under his chin, he was an old fish in the profession. “Can I help the ladies with something?” he spoke to them while he laid a sack over his back. The sack itself was not only held by both of his hands, but his wings actually coiled around it on his back.

In the eyes of Twilight it seemed painful yet the stallion looked like he didn’t even notice it. “Well, Ah hope ya can. We’re looking for passage,” explained Applejack to him.

Only to get a raised eyebrow and a short answer back. “I’m not into anthrony smuggle, not anymore! I told them before I wouldn’t take another job, ladies, excuse me but I’m due to sail out.”

His words confused Twilight even more as she had not even the slightest of clues what he was talking about. Sadly enough did Applejack know exactly what he meant. Yet her knowledge of the seas was the thing that would have saved the day. The pegasus walked aboard of the ship, yet Applejack quickly followed him up the ramp.

Once they both stood on deck, the stallion would just drop the sack and turned himself around to face her. “Entering the ship of another captain without permission is trespassing. I already told you, I am not doing it anymore!”

“Sir, sir, ya have to calm down for a moment here,” replied Applejack to him. She even gestured it with her hands. “We ain’t talking about smuggling here, but a legitimate passing. We’re paying whatever ya want.”

The offer was something that the stallion couldn’t refuse yet his bones told him two things. The first one that he had heard that voice somewhere before. Even though he couldn’t place it as Applejack was covered in the black coat. The second was that he held more power than originally thought. Weren’t it for one little detail that he missed. One detail that was of great importance.

“And just where, do the ladies want to be dropped off?”

“Canterlot,” the admiral replied in a humble tone towards him.

“Canterlot you say? Your accent sounds familiar to me, but I can’t place it. Might be nothing. Canterlot, Canterlot, Canterlot, heh. Call your friend, you’re coming with me,” the pegasus replied before a smile went across his face. The pipe was removed from his mouth as he continued the words. Twilight was gestured up to the ship as he continued. “Canterlot is actually the last port I need to stop for supplies. Been having a little trading route between here and there, if you know what I mean, hehehe,” he cackled up in a well meant chuckle.

“Ah heard ya.” Applejack replied as she wasn’t all too fond of the fact told to her. Though she was relieved that he would actually sail to the place. It didn’t matter to her just how long they would be on their way, as long as they would be getting back home. Yet the urge to ask was too great at one point. “How long do ya think we’re on our way?”

“To Canterlot? I’d say a day or two. Need to make a couple stops here and there along the coast,” the stallion replied. Then he walked off to undo the ropes and give them the chance to sail out. Twilight and Applejack were about to return home once more.

With the vessel finally free from its hold were the docks left behind them. Both Twilight and Applejack had taken a position near the bow. Never had seen the way out of the place but that would change soon enough.

The ship was sailing to one of the openings and the stallion began to whistle a tune that was unknown to either of them. A tune that was haunting, empty and sorrowful. The stuff of nightmares went through both of their heads without much effort.

Though what happened next, and most likely because of it, was something that the two couldn’t have guessed in a million years. For the tunes became louder and louder the more they went into the passageway. And the passageway responded to them. The eternal darkness that laid before them caused the waters beneath them to move more violently than before.

Both of the mares had troubles believing what they saw before the entire vessel was picked up by water. They wanted to scream on top of their lungs as they genuinely thought that they would smash against the cliffs. Yet the stallion continued to whistle the tunes longer and deeper which caused the waters to be manipulated by it.

They were dragged along by the waters to the safety of the infinite ocean. Through the treacherous cavern system they traveled almost without a hitch or trouble. The only thing they had troubles with was keeping their breakfasts and lunches in. The ride they were given was something that was a little bit on the hefty side.

Neither of them were ever so happy in their lives to finally see the sunlight again. To them it meant to them that the rollercoaster was over. Or they hoped that at least, because they got to sea.

“What on earth was that for sorcery?!” muttered Applejack towards the soothsayer in a low kept tone. She didn’t wanted to have the pegasus actually hear her words. That very same pegasus she gave a shady look from under her hat.

Twilight herself was just baffled as well. Nothing in the world had taught her that what they had seen was actually possible. “Manipulation of water like that, I can only guess the whole place is heavily enchanted by something and somehow. An investigation for a later date, that I promise you,” whispered the soothsayer in return before she stood up.

The unicorn removed the hat from her head and gave it a couple of gentle shakes. The hairs were shaken loose from her body which almost shone in the light of the sun itself. A beautiful sight to behold, that much was to be true. “Captain?” Twilight then asked when she walked over to him. “Do you have any stories to tell? An old stallion like yourself, must have hundred stories about the ocean.”

“You interested in an old lad like me? That’s a first for the youth of today. But I do have a couple of stories yes. Call your friend, then I shall share them with you,” he replied with a gentle smile. It was just before a puff of smoke was released through his lips.

Hours and hours he had been telling his stories about the adventures he had on the oceans. Stories that actually interested Twilight a whole lot more then she would have thought. Stories that got out of the nostrils of the admiral. An admiral who still hadn’t removed the hat from her head. Her identity remained unknown as only pieces of the orange skin were visible below the darkness.

“Those are some interesting stories you have indeed sir. Thanks for sharing them,” the soothsayer said to him in a thankful tone.

Yet Applejack had a couple of troubles keeping her words before her. “Yeah, thanks for ‘em.”

The words of the admiral caused the old pegasus to shake his head a little bit. Something inside of him told him that she was trouble waiting to happen. Something just assured him of that fact. The accent, the way she spoke, it all seemed as if he had heard it before. Somewhere in a past long forgotten and buried deep away.

“I need to know,” the stallion spoke up as he rose up from the crate he had taken position on. Without a second thought in his mind he just walked over to Applejack. Who on her own turn tried to stop him as he pushed the hat further down. A struggle between the two erupted but was ended just as quickly. The old pegasus was thrown to the ground while Applejack stood there with the hat removed from her head and in his hand.

The face of the pegasus became as pale as snow the second he looked at her. Almost like he had seen a ghost of yesterday. Tears sprung into his eyes, then they were closed forcefully. “No, no, no, no, this isn’t happening, this can’t be happening! After all those years, the demons still find me!”

"Demons?” Applejack questioned. She was wondering what he actually meant by that. “What demons are you talking about, old fool?”

“You!” the stallion screamed out as he crawled back to his own spot. Twilight found that she needed to do something about it. She gently made her way over to the poor pegasus and placed a raspberry coated hand on his shoulder.

The magic that began to surge through the body of the poor soul managed to calm it down significantly. So much even that he even got back to his senses but never dared to look Applejack in the face. “It’s, it’s a long story. But I’m, I’m the last survivor of her old crew. Before she only got, them.”

“Who are you talking about here?” Twilight carefully asked him. She stroked the shoulder even more. “You can tell me.” She had no idea what it was all about.

“B-Brittenburg, W-White Widow.” And in response went the eyes of Applejack even wider than they had never been before.

The calming magic of the soothsayer allowed the troubled pegasus to tell his story without any interruption or stutter from his side. It felt to him as if the memories were opened and he was reading them up from a page out of a book. Both Twilight and Applejack kept their ears firmly open to catch every last spoken word out of it. “It was on the voyage to the final battle, Brittenburg had done her mutiny against the navy as some other ships followed her. Though they quickly returned back to the fleet.”

Suddenly there was a little break in his words. The eyes were closed for only a second. It seemed that he was digging up even more memories to give them both an accurate timeline of the events. “I was aboard one of the ships that decided to follow her, we had her on screen for a long time and she convinced me to join her. So when my ship returned to the fleet, I deserted from it. I joined her crew until that fateful day. That day she blow it all up.” His index finger was pointing to Applejack.

The earth anthrony was immediately reminded to the dreadful day he spoke about. The day that she lost her leg but did sink the ship of Brittenburg. A terrible day in the books of the admiral, a day even worse for the stallion. “Among the rubble and broken wood I laid, more dead than alive. I was ready to meet them, as the sun blacked out by a shadow. Horror came to me, as I felt the cold hand of death grasping me more. Only to be pulled out of the water by another naval ship. I saw you, fighting her before firing the shot. After that, black…”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me on that oh so great day,” commented Applejack in a sarcastic tone before Twilight shushed her.

“There’s, there’s a fact about Brittenburg, brilliant strategist, but also keeps morals high. She never ends a life just like that. Unlike others, she’s hesitant, about taking a life. She’s still good, just troubled.”

"’Just’ troubled? She’s just about the biggest threat in the ocean, nothing ‘just troubled’.” Once again was Applejack shushed by Twilight before she got a snarl in return. Yet she allowed the words to be sunk inside of her thoughts. It did explain why Twilight wasn’t that easily killed by her.

That very same thought also went through Twilight. The two of them looked at one another as they tried to make something out of the information that they had just gotten. Perhaps there was still something they didn’t understood about Rarity. Or that there was something that was long forgotten since she left. Who could tell? Who wanted to tell?

~~~~

The days came and went before the little vessel finally made its way into the harbor of Canterlot. After having explained to the stallion that neither of them shall speak a word about what he said to them, they were allowed to leave. The promise was easily made by Twilight, Applejack on the other end had some troubles coming to terms with it.

He was a former member of Brittenburg’s crew after all. Yet in the end she simply agreed to not say a thing. She had a lot bigger fish to fry. “I thank you for everything, sir,” the soothsayer thanked him and she made a polite bow. The admiral did the same but without the words.

“You were great company all around, just don’t mention it to anypony, eh?” he replied to them both before waving them off of the ship. Twilight waved back with a smile as the admiral just wanted to get away as soon as possible.

With the night over Canterlot did the two anthronies wander a little bit together before they came to a crossroad. “So this is it then? We’re going to split up until the great gathering? Ah mean, Ah’m off to mah bunk if ya don’t mind it,” said Applejack when she crossed her arms over each other.

Twilight nodded in the light of the magical lanterns. “Afraid it’s going to be like that, yes. Hey Applejack, goodnight,” were the words that she spoke. And with those words did the two shook their hands for the last time. “And thanks, for everything so far.”

“Don’t mention it, partner.”

Then were they just off. Off to go their own ways once more. Applejack returned to her bunk to get some good sleep. While Twilight still had the hike to the castle before her. As well as some other things that needed to be done. Things where Applejack better wouldn’t be involved in. The soothsayer had to visit her brother.