Journey to the center of Equestria

by Rarity Belle

Chapter XXXIII

The silence inside of the bar was even more dreadful than outside of it. The rest of the company of mares didn’t knew what they had to do in the situation. Of course they could be just barging in like a group of thirsty travelers. But they just needed to have any kind of confirmation from Applejack that they could actually enter without much of a problem.

The dreadful silence was one of those things that none of them could be living it. It drove them all to complete and utter madness in one way or the other. Seconds seemed to have turned everything over into just minutes as the blood was pumped through their bodies at a high rate. One wrong word and each of them knew that they would be having the whole town right up their flanks.

All of them shared the same thought that was surging through their minds as they either stood or sat down on the wooden porch of the bar. Their eyes couldn’t dare to look inside of it as perhaps the horrors of their lives could be playing themselves out right there and then. Danger was the scent that reeked within the air. Yet the silence had to be broken eventually by somepony. That somepony was none other than Rainbow Dash. “How long until everything goes to Tartarus?” the major mumbled just loud enough for the others to hear it.

Almost in an instant did the heads of the group of mares turn over into the direction of the major. But all of them were looking at her back as she stood bend over by the wooden fence that separated the porch from the street. Even though the words were harsh and even terrible, they were still right on the matter. It was all just a matter of nothing else but time. Time they perhaps were running out of.

Back inside of the bar had Applejack never taken her eyes off of the stallion. His light goldish skin was reflected in both the lights of the place as well as the sun as wore a typical western outfit. The gamboge and amber colored hair looked a little ruff under his stetson. The pistachio colored eyes he carried were still in a truly massive shock about just what was happening and who was in fact standing in front of him.

Never in his life he would have expected to see her standing right in front of him like that. But one of the guests became impatient and drew his flintlock as he got up from his place. The stallion made his way over to Applejack where she once again stared down the barrel of a weapon. “Can’t a stallion enjoy a nice drink for a change without being interrupted?” he asked through his teeth. The piercing eyes didn’t do too much towards Applejack emotions though.

Though she was having enough of standing at the other end of the barrel and huffed a bit towards the stallion just before she set her hands in her sides. Her own eyes pierced just as deeply back into his as they began their stare-down. Who would win the competition was something none of them knew. Even though a lot of other anthronies inside of the bar wanted to partake in the action, the entire attitude of Applejack showed them that she was a stone cold badass.

They valued their lives a little bit more than to just wanting to waste it in a fight with the admiral of the Equestrian navy. The frozen stallion behind the bar slowly regained his ability to speak. But the first words that came out of his mouth weren’t the ones he wanted to speak, for it was literally gibberish that was thrown out there.

“Calm down!” he managed to say to both Applejack and the other stallion. Their stare-down was broken up as the admiral glanced over to Braeburn. The other stallion turned himself around and without a second thought, had aimed his weapon to the other stallion. Who oddly enough only rolled his eyes backwards. “Oh this again?”

“Yes, this again,” the stallion replied before he cocked the weapon. Yet before he could even fire a single shot had the hands of Applejack wrapped themselves around his throat and began to choke him.

“Pick your enemies wisely, Boulder. That’s my niece you just insulted. And let me tell you, she isn’t going to play nice when that happens. So I suggest you apologize, now,” said Braeburn then. It was him who actually got a grin that went across his face.

The air left Boulder’s lungs with every quick exhale that he took. All the way up to the point as to where he slowly began to turn purple. “I, I’m s-sorry!” he managed to say under his breath as the flintlock was being dropped.

Applejack only then released the stallion and gave him one last glance of pure thunder. “And get out,” she growled to him. Boulder had no idea just how quick he had to get away from the place. Almost like a scared cat he ran out of the bar, past the rest of the company and down the street.

The mares outside looked after him while he got out of dodge. They had not even the slightest of clues on what was actually going on. Though perhaps it was better that they didn’t. Rarity shrugged a little bit as she continued to put on her maroon colored trench coat and matching hat. Twilight glanced over the change of attire and thought it was oddly fitting for the scene. Mysterious, dangerous and saying not to mess with her.

Back inside had Applejack made her way over to the bar and taken place on a stool. That was the universal signal that everything seemed to have become alright. Slowly but surely did the conversations resume themselves as the piano began to play again in its happy tunes.

“So, what can I do for you, niece?” Braeburn asked while he tapped a glass of his finest apple cider and gave it to the admiral.

“What Ah need of ya, of better say, what we need from ya, is a place to spend the night and supplies for the coming days,” replied Applejack. The glass was taken and set straight on her lips.

“Wait, who’s ‘we’ here, Jackie?” the stallion replied in a whisper. He needed to know the finer details of everything. He had to know details that most likely would have been best left untold. But the admiral had no choice. She couldn’t lie all too well against a family member. So the story of their adventure was being told, but with the most crucial details being left out.

Instantly did the stallion understand why they had come to Appleloosa. He leaned against the backside behind the bar. His arms went cross over his body while he nodded. “Now it all begins to make sense to me. I should be having a couple of rooms that are still available for you five. Provisions can be get all over town, as you remember from your last visit. …And, Jackie, don’t start thinking strange about me but, nah it comes later,” said Braeburn before he shook his head again quick.

The admiral placed her second glass down on the table and nodded to her cousin. “If ya say so, but Ah thank you for letting us stay. The keys, please?” the admiral said. A hand was held up to receive the all-important keys that would be leading them towards their rooms.

Hesitantly were the keys given to her before she finally left the stool. The clunking sound of her leg against the wooden boarding echoed through the whole bar as anthronies couldn’t resist themselves to look at the mare with the metal leg.

Back outside she appeared as a bringer of good news for a change. Applejack chuckled a little bit as she showed them all the keys for the rooms. Relief was something that filled each of them as they had expected for things to be going a whole lot more troublesome. “Ah’d say we check our rooms and then just wander ‘round. Get the things we need and come back here as soon as we can.”

“Are you suggesting that we are just going to wander through a city we do not know?” the hat wearing Rarity questioned in a voice that was hinting towards suspicion. She couldn’t really believe that Applejack had spoken those words.

“Fine, then y’all may be going tomorrow if Ah care,” replied Applejack then with another chuckle. “It ain’t like ya can get lost in this place, with its one main street.” She did have a point there actually. There wasn’t much else that the anthronies could be doing then to take their keys and go to their rooms.

~~~~

Finally had Twilight turned the key into its hole and opened the door. The sun had already set itself behind the horizon and the cool night had taken place for the blistering day. Their dinner consisted out of typical western styled dishes with a hint of apples within them. Lots and lots of apples in fact. It must have ran within the family, was a thought that Twilight almost constantly had on the matter.

Her eyes glanced over the room and noticed just how simple it actually was. Just a bed and a chair were placed into it as well as some pictures from earlier times. “Cozy,” she whispered to herself after the door was closed. The staff was placed against the hoofend of the bed before the mare dropped herself down on it.

A deep winch in pain followed together with a slight snarl. Her wound still needed to be healed but the sudden crashing motion didn’t really help with it. “Oh this is just gonna hurt, so, so much,” the mare muttered to herself. Though she swung her body further up the bed. Her head finally rested upon the pillow and all she wanted to be doing was just sleep.

The horn and the hands charged themselves up one last time. Her right hand began to slowly stroke the bandages around her body. She wasn’t speeding up the healing process for one bit though. Instead she was applying some anesthetic to the place. It would become numb and thus giving Twilight both the time and space to not worry about it too much, for the moment.

After the spell had been cast were the eyes closed as she laid motionless upon her bed. All of the others must have already been vast asleep. Every day was another massive battle for the lot of them, exhaustion was something almost constantly lured right around the corner. Waiting for them, anticipating them even.

In the middle of the night did the eyes of the soothsayer forcefully open themselves. Her ears couldn’t bear the sounds anymore that had been tormenting her. Somewhere around her was the creaking of a bed going on and on and on. Either in the rooms directly next to her or across her it must have happened. It drove her to insanity itself if it would continue any or much longer or further.

But being as sleep drunk that she was, Twilight did rose up from her bed and made her way back to the door. The normally so rational thinking of the mare had just vanished. In the moment would she let her actions speak for her.

The door was being opened and the dead tired, wide veined eyes glanced through the lit hallway. Her ears perked themselves to hear the creaking of the bed and turned herself over to her right. There, that was where were the sounds coming from. With a grumble beneath her breath did she made her way over to the door next to her room and didn’t even look whether or not a board was hung up.

Her hand just reached for the doorknob and turned it just because. Much to even her own surprise did the door actually open. Before anypony within it could react was it flung open. Though the sight which would have been revealed in Twilight’s eyes weren’t those that she had expected. For she saw both a mare and a stallion in the bed that were both naked as on the day they were born.

The mare sat on the pelvis of the stallion with hunched legs. The other mare turned just her head over to face Twilight with a gentle motion. “Would you close the door, doll? The air is getting chilly here. It’s not good for him, if you catch my drift,” said the hot, seducing voice of the mare. Gentle streams of sweat went down her back. The stallion said nothing, but his hands were wrapped around the waist of the mare.

Even with her dead tired eyes did Twilight saw the streams of sweat travelling clearly down the mare’s back and head. Not to mention the bright red blush that went across her cheeks. Instantly did Twilight knew where she had walked into and just closed the door again with haste.

Back on the hallway did the unicorn shook her head a couple of times just before the sounds of the creaking bed returned. The only sentence that she could be speaking as she laid back in her own bed was one of utter discomfort. “We sleep, in a brothel, ran by Applejack’s cousin. What a messed up family does she have!?”

For the rest of the night did the unicorn just had to endure the sounds for as long as they would be playing themselves out. Though she wouldn’t be taking any second chances anymore. Both of her ears were stuffed with plug to make sure no noise would come in. Finally was she granted a bit of sleep. Finally could she enjoy the bed that she was in.

~~~~

The following day had each of the other mares packed their bags for the stuff that they needed to gather. All of them were just so happy they asked Twilight the day before to get access to the void storage, for the soothsayer was nowhere to be found. Each of them were sitting at a table and taking their breakfast before they would be going out.

Of course they wondered where the soothsayer happened to be, but the words of Fluttershy were in fact comforting enough. For she spoke about the rest that the unicorn needed to let her wounds heal. Not to mention the little fact that she finally would be getting the rest she needed.

“The stress inside of her eyes, unbearable to look at sometimes. Constantly is she thinking about something and everything at once,” said Fluttershy after she had finished her plate. “But if you will excuse me, the time is there for me to explore the town a little bit. Any of you staying here, in case she does come down?”

Applejack was the one who nodded towards the words. “Ah’ll be staying here. Mah leg needs some cleaning and Ah need to be having some good words with Brae as well. She shouldn’t be too difficult to miss.” Those words were a relief for Fluttershy as she thanked the admiral and finally left the table.

One by one they then slowly left the table in order to do the things that they needed to be doing. Only Applejack remained sitting inside of the bar for just a moment longer. Only to then stand up and walk out of the place. Far she didn’t go though. There were a couple of chairs that stood on the porch. Chairs that had a nice little view over the main street of Appleloosa. That would have been the near perfect place for her to not only crash down, but to do her job.

Which was exactly the thing that she began to do.

~~~~

Fluttershy on the other end wandered a little bit up and down the main street. She glanced over each of the houses that could be seen. The whole scenery of the town was that of the typical Wild West always been pictured within the stories she read. The adventure tales of Daring Do and the quests which she did.

A little giggle was released by her as the town almost looked like one that came forth in one of the many books about the pegasus. Who could say but perhaps it was actually used as the setting for it? Fluttershy’s thoughts began to run wild and plenty as she was just taken by the atmosphere.

So taken in fact, that she even walked out of town. When the blistering sun stood once again upon her face was she brought back to the time where she needed to be and shook her head a little bit. “W-What?” she questioned herself. Before her was nothing but desert landscape. When her head turned itself around to watch, more desert. Only when she looked straight back, Fluttershy saw the town of Appleloosa standing there.

The eyes of the pegasus went wide for a moment before she just rushed right back into the main street. Soon enough was she back within the safety of the place and a massive sigh of relief was released through her mouth.

Her trek continued and brought her eventually to one of the buildings that was standing at the side of the main street. But it was exactly the place she was looking for. A little pharmacy that most likely would be having the stuff that she needed in order to make the trip.

A couple of things she still required and she needed to just restock on the stuff that was used to bring Twilight back. “Let’s see what you got for me,” the timed pegasus said to herself before she walked inside. Hoping to find the things that she was required to find. Hopes were set high and expectations low. Anything could happen inside of there. Both good, bad and downright terrible.

Yet out of everything that the pegasus needed, there was something else that was also required. Something was about to happen to her. A thing that nopony actually knew or needed to know about her. A secret kept hidden about her for so long and one she preferred to keep that way for the longest of times. But she knew that every secret eventually would leak out no matter what. She had to prepare herself for the moment, as it felt it was laying right around the corner, waiting for her. Hunting her, teasing her.

~~~~

Rainbow Dash on the other end had just taken right off into the skies after her own breakfast had been consumed. There wasn’t much on her mind outside of her morning flight and routine. From the air did the town look even more bleak and grim in her eyes. The whole place was just strange to her. Rainbow couldn’t actually wait to get out of there. Yet time wouldn’t allow it yet.

All of her muscles were kicked into their highest gears as the pegasus climbed up higher and higher into the atmosphere. The trail of rainbow colored lights that she left behind her was something a lot of town residents saw of course, but they hadn’t any idea as of what they needed to think about it. Some even discarded it just like that, as if it was nothing.

Dangerous it didn’t seem and it did have a certain charm to it for sure. So the only thing that they could be doing was to either watch it for the time being or just to ignore it any further and continue upon their daily routines.

The pegasus climbed higher and higher in the air until the heat of the sun became almost too much for her. The desert was nothing like the grassy fields above which Cloudsdale had been set and the sun was just without a grain of mercy. So the only thing that could be done to counter it was to return back to the ground.

Her wings were tucked back against her body. Before she even realized it, was she falling down towards the earth again. The amounts of speed that she gained became greater and greater with every second of falling.

Yet the time to enjoy the view wasn’t there. She was counting inside of her head when her wings needed to take over again. Never had she admired the beauty of the desert nor would she ever at that rate.

All of the sudden were the wings opened once more and acted like a parachute. They dropped down her speed almost to nothing just before she would be crashing right into a roof of a building. She just hovered a little bit over the roof and got a little genius idea for herself. Rainbow didn’t had to stock up on all too much and they would be leaving the following day. So she reckoned that she had more than enough time.

The mare dropped herself onto the roof and just laid down on top of it. The wings were tucked again behind her back and she placed her hands behind her head. The legs were crossed over one another as the eyes went shut. Rainbow would be enjoying a bit of a sunbath for the time being.

Minutes had become a couple of hours while the bright yellow sun kept on hammering itself against the skin of the pegasus as well as the attire she wore. Sleeping wasn’t granted to her due to the heat of the roof. At one point it seemed like it had become just that tad bit too much for her.

In the end she sat right back up and stretched both her arms and wings again. Her eyes were closed for a yawn to pass through her mouth which then made a couple of smacks. Once the eyes were opened again, she caught something within the corner of them. Quickly did the head turn itself over into the general direction.

She couldn’t believe what she saw in her eyes, for one of the buildings that stood off of the main street was actually a book store. A bookstore that could be holding one of the many things she still needed. “Impossible,” the mare whispered to herself. She had to know it for sure.

With a quick jump and glide of her wings she managed to get down on the ground again. She then hurried herself towards the bookstore and looked through the windows. There were many books seen that weren’t even in production anymore. “Vintage books, or just not many buyers?” Rainbow questioned to herself as she weighed the odds off against one another. Anything could actually have been possible in the moment.

But she needed to be certain of her case. And the only way for the pegasus to become certain of her business was to just go in and ask straight up whether or not they had what she was looking for. For the fact was that the major of the air force also had a little something for the books that were written by A.K. Yearling. Who was in fact better known as the author of the bestselling series about the adventurous Daring Do.

Without any form of hesitation had the pegasus walked through the door and the scent of old books just filled her nostrils right away. A scent that was at least ten times more powerful than when she would be standing in front of her own shelves. The chances were small that she would find the book she was looking for, but the chance was there. That alone was more than enough for the pegasus to take it with both of her hands.

~~~~

Rarity Brittenburg on the other end had found the shop she was looking for rather quickly and with strange ease. The signs that were hanging off of the house at the main street easily indicated just what was being sold were. Provisions were of course something that stood high upon her list, but not that alone, in fact. Something else was also standing on top of it. Something that was a whole lot more interesting towards her personally and something she had always desired to have.

The hammer and the anvil were a clear enough indicator that the blacksmith of the town had its shop set up there and the heat of the force could be felt outside already. It must had been dreadful for the smith to work there. Not only was there the heat of the forge, but resting outside was something that couldn’t be done either.

Still, somehow seemed the place to be operational and the unicorn opened the door. What followed was the little bell that rang through the place. Not to mention the slap of cold air that greeted the pirate captain. It certainly was a bit of a pleasant surprise that she felt the cool air hitting her, as it meant that the place had a decent air-conditioning system within it.

The place looked nice, tidy even. Countless weapons were stored behind arcane protected glass and the unicorn had a look at each of them. All of them just seemed to have been made by the hands of an anthrony. The question arose within her of who that very anthrony happened to be. In her ears she caught the fires of a forge being dimmed. Then the heavy boots echoed over the wooden floor.

Rarity tore her attention away from the weapons on display and glanced over the only other being in the store. Her sapphire blue eyes fell upon a mustard skinned, blacksmith attire wearing, two toned purple haired mare. She had to admit that she hadn’t expected the sights that she saw. Not to mention the little fact that the mare actually seemed to be a unicorn.

“Can I help you?” the mare asked towards Rarity in a well meant, but slightly rough tone. Of course she couldn’t be blamed for her manner of speaking as the other unicorn didn’t exactly wore the most friendliest of attire herself. She was in disguise and hidden within plain sight.

“Well, I hope that you can, actually. I, want to have an exact copy of the blade I’m carrying right now,” said Rarity. Then she drew her sword and placed it in both of her hands. She drew it slow, without any sudden movements that could frighten the blacksmith. The smith herself had a look over it when it was presented to her. The horn charged itself and took it out of her hands with care.

The blacksmith’s eyes went even further over the piece of steel before she stroked her chin a little bit. “It certainly is an old piece of metal. Seen a lot of blood in its time. I’m not certain if I can make a full on replica of it, but I should be able to make an identical looking one. Maybe even stronger. This beauty is made in the Great Plains, griffon styled actually. They use a different metal over there. But as I said, it should be doable.”

“Oh thank you so much, I think it should be doing just fine with an identical one. And yes, it has seen indeed quite the bit of blood. If, if it isn’t too much asked…” Rarity continued before she just went silent for a moment. She had to play her cards right in order to get the thing that she desired. Even if it was the request of a madmare.

“Continue please. I’m actually wanting to hear what you have to say,” the smith replied before she gave the sword back to Rarity. Who on her own turn sheathed it again to get it out of the way.

“Can I instead order two sables that look just like that? Then this one can be put on display for preservation. And, maybe a bit of a strange request, but can you also make the sables in such a manner that they can be mounted to my arms via special braces?”

To the request could the smith only raise an eyebrow. In all her years as a blacksmith had she never even heard something like that. Anthronies in Appleloosa sometimes did came with some unusual requests for her, but never had they been asking for something that ridiculous. So the only thing that the unicorn smith could be doing was to shake her head a little bit from side to side. “I can make the two sables for you, but I can’t make them arm mountable as well. That’s just insane, if you excuse me the terming here,” she spoke up in a collected tone. “It won’t do the blades honor.”

It might actually have been a good thing that Rarity wore such a large hat, otherwise the smith would have been able to see the bright red blush of slight embarrassment that went over the cheeks of the mare. “Alright then, then just the two sables it is going to be. When, do you expect them to be done? I have to leave tomorrow in the morning.”

“Well,” the smith began, “it’s not super busy here, so I would say I can have them and their sheaths done within an hour or seven, possibly eight. It takes a bit of time to make the handle and form the steel to the right size and thickness, even with magic.”

Rarity nodded towards the explanation that was given to her. “You mind, if I stay here then and clean my flintlocks?”

“As long as you don’t end up shooting me, go ahead.”

~~~~

Applejack on the other end was still sitting on the porch of the bar where she was cleaning her leg. All of the sand that had gotten into the gears and the springs looked like it could almost have destroyed the thing. It was never designed to make long trip, make long runs or desert climate. It was designed to keep her safe at sea, to keep the mare able to run across the deck if needed and protect itself from the salt in the water.

It was at moments like that that the realization went through the anthrony just what shortcomings the leg actually had. Grumbles after mumbles were released by the admiral as she just continued the job. It wasn’t one she preferred to be doing of course, but it was still one that needed to be done no matter what, how, why or when.

All throughout the morning did anthronies walk in and out of the bar. Some wondered about what happened to her, others just didn’t even look up strange. And then there was the third kind, those who actually walked up to her and asked the questions on their mind. Questions which the admiral didn’t mind to answer, as long as they weren’t about her own personal history of course.

In the end did Twilight surface again and she was pointed outside by Braeburn, who said that Applejack could be found there. So when the middle of the day was announced by the massive clock tower, the unicorn finally showed her face to another member. She dropped herself down in a chair next to the admiral. Twilight couldn’t get the image out of her head though.

“Something’s troubling ya, Twilight? If yar wondering where the rest of ‘em are, all ‘round town to gather the supplies we need for the trek further north,” said Applejack. She was cleaning the shell of her leg. That was one of the last things that needed to be done before it was finally over.

“It’s not that. It’s that your cousin, is actually running a brothel. I, uhm, kinda ran into, you know,” said Twilight to her. She couldn’t even bare herself to say the scene that she had witnessed.

“Ah know, Ah had the same last night, asked Brae ‘bout it today. Turned out he’s tight with money. Should have asked the family though. Apples support one another through thick and thin,” commented Applejack in a disappointed tone. Her leg was finally done with its cleaning.

“As you should have told me we were going the wrong way,” the soothsayer replied under her breath and inaudible for Applejack. Together they remained sitting there. They watched all over the town of Appleloosa until the sun would be setting itself. They were waiting, waiting for the heat to be changed in cold. In the deserts they would be going from one extreme, right into the other.