Journey to the center of Equestria

by Rarity Belle

Chapter LXXIV

On the outside of the mountain and back on the spot where they had left did the other three still remained. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all stood still. They were just waiting for the events to come by as they would. But they hadn’t been standing completely still of course. They moved around and about as they anticipated the return of any of the three mares.

It didn’t really matter to them who would have returned, as long as one would have returned to the surface with news of some kind. The admiral had dropped herself upon a tree trunk and had closed her eyes. She was ready to take up some rest before anything else would happen.

The forest behind them was silent, the skies were white clouded, the wind in their favor. Peace seemed to have managed to be dropped down upon them and it comforted the earth anthrony more than she liked to admit. Yet it were the other unicorn and pegasus of the group that would be throwing in the soot in the dinner. They had a different set of plans in mind.

They wanted to just go and leave the place. They wanted to go back to their home or ship and continue on with their lives as it was before everything. They had been placed through so much already and when the scent of freedom literally lingered before them, they wanted to take it. The two of them were without a doubt on the same wavelength when it came to it.

Even though they were as different as anypony could have guessed, they still understood what it meant if the time was there to leave. But they had the force of Applejack to deal with before anything else.

Both the pirate and the major looked over to the admiral with a raised eyebrow because that one question had been asked numerous times already. The question of whether or not they just leave the place without Twilight, without Fluttershy and without Pinkie.

Though the answer had remained the same as always. And even that time there was a deep exhale that was released. One of her green rimmed eyes was revealed to the world and focused itself upon the other two. “Ya two never know when to quit, do ya? Ah have told ya about twenty times already: we ain’t going until we know something from ‘em,” she said again to them.

“But that can take days!” Rainbow exclaimed once again. The excuse had been used before and Applejack was highly aware of that little fact.

“And Ah’m ready to stay here for a couple of days. Y’all told her we were in it, together. Y’all promised her that, make that promise count for once,” said Applejack then to them. The admiral she did have a point. They had told Twilight that they were in it together. The argument hadn’t been used by the admiral before though. Yet in return it pissed the other two mares off only more.

Two deep grumbles were released from the throats of the mares. Only to then let the sighs take over. There wasn’t anything else that could have been said or done against the matter actually. The word of the admiral seemed to have turned into law and order.

The two anthronies left the admiral for what she was and laid the matter to rest. Just the sheer power of the tone she carried in her words made them frightened. Deep in the undertone of the admiral laid the commanding tone, the true tone of a sailor. The tone that spoke to the pair of them that they needed to stay, or pain would follow.

Whether Applejack was in fact aware that she could speak like that, was a fact that remained to be discovered by them. Though it also explained why she became an admiral in the navy. The stern look in her eyes and the commanding tone were two perfect traits for the job.

The thoughts of Rarity drifted off before she placed her hands behind her back. Only to then just wander around and about. She paced up and down on the spot as she thought about almost a thousand and one things. The mind of Twilight sometimes could have been a hurricane, the mind of Rarity was no different in that aspect. Unicorns were all alike was the argument often said to mock their race.

Rainbow Dash on the other end felt that something was off. Ever since she lowered her bum down on a tree stump she couldn’t help it. The feeling had crawled up in her soul every single time she looked over to the mountain. Her eyes peeked through the clouds in the hope that there was something that could be seen.

Or better said: in the hope there wasn’t. Fear for other beings preying upon them was a constant one. One that had to be battled almost all the time in her mind. Perhaps she was just crazy and imagined things again. She had gotten used to the confinement of the tunnels and the caverns of the mountain after all.

Rarity kept on wandering up and down with her eyes only half open. Applejack almost seemed to have been asleep, which meant that only Rainbow Dash was awake enough to notice anything. The pegasus major wanted to spread her wings and fly up. Yet if there was indeed somepony up there, the cover would have been blown and perhaps a massive attack would have bursted out.

No, Rainbow had to play it smarter than that. She was a pegasus after all. While a lot of them were known to only use their brawn, some of them did in fact contain a set of brains that could and should be used. The rainbow haired pegasus just so happened to be one of those very select few. She had to tackle the situation with caution in the hope of not engaging herself in another bloodbath.

With the other two mares almost out of the count, it was only her who could be doing anything. Who knew how long it would have taken either Applejack or Rarity to be pulled back in the there and then? Rainbow had to do it herself and safest way she knew how was by a very simple reconnaissance.

She reached in one of the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a tiny set of binoculars. One that was great to spot things over massive distances with the magic glasses and one tiny enough not to become too suspicious. The mare nodded to herself before she placed the thing before her eyes and looked up the side of the mountain.

Anything that could even be seen as a threat would have been stored in her mind. But for mere minutes she scanned the whole place, without seeing anything worthy of raising her suspicion. The sides of the mountain were just as empty of life as they always had been. Only the plants that grew between the rocks could be seen. Not a single intelligent form of life was witnessed through the glasses. Which naturally granted a massive relief to Rainbow.

There was a new worry also came straight to her when she realized the fact that there still was the cloud that covered summit of the very mountain. A little gulp was given off by her. Rainbow would have pointed her binoculars even further up.

The white ring of cloud stood in her way and she took the thing away from her face for a moment. The blinks were made by her eyes as they had to get used to the amount of light that fell in them. It had been a long, long time since she last had glanced into such a bright area that wasn’t under thousands and thousands of hooves of solid rock.

“Good morning me,” she exclaimed in a soft voice to herself. The eyes were widened a little bit. Then there was a shake of the head before she glanced back to the summit. “Something is hiding up there, I can feel it in my wings. That tingle of danger, but who are you and what are you doing there?” the mare said and questioned in a faint whisper. The eyes made a couple of blinks and she shook her head gentle.

A deep and slow exhale was released through her nostrils before she placed the binoculars back before her eyes. The fingers turned on a couple of cogs that stuck out on the side which triggered the magical mechanism. Which in return allowed her to switch to a pair of glasses that could look through the clouds.

They couldn’t disappear just like that, they would at least reveal the shadows of the things that were hidden inside of the place. The eyes were narrowed even further as the major continued to look. The cloud covered summit was the thing that she looked to and prayed silently to one thing only. To be nothing else but utterly empty.

Seconds went by and there were no shadows to be witnessed. Relief was already getting to the pegasus and Rainbow just felt safe in the matter. She felt safe that there was nothing truly lurking around and about. But just when she thought to give herself the all clear signal, there was a shadow that moved by. A shadow that moved itself past at a great speed.

“What the..?” Rainbow muttered to herself before she took her binoculars off. She had to get a grand view of the place at first before she placed the thing back before her eyes. Once again she scanned over the whole summit to find the thing she needed to find. That one black shadow managed to have changed everything for her.

The whole plan had been changed literally in the fraction of a second. Rainbow knew that there was something on top of the mountain and it wasn’t the everyday bird. It was too big to have been that in fact. So it must have been something else that had been preying upon them. But what it was, Rainbow was getting almost desperate to figure out.

The pegasus continued to look at the summit of the mountain until she finally had found it again. The search was in fact a whole lot easier than she would have expected and anypony would have made her believe. The only problem on the matter had to be the very little fact that what she saw through her binoculars, was a sight she had rather lost then was rich off.

With a slow motion were the glasses removed from before her eyes. Which in their own turn only left the eyes to glance at the clouded summit. There was no doubt in her mind about what she saw. There was only one thing in the entire world that could have cast the shadow that she saw. Rainbow lowered her gaze almost in defeat before she shook her head lightly.

“Impossible,” she whispered to herself, the mental image was recalled again. It must have been impossible, right? But the evidence was right there. She had actually seen the thing that she didn’t wanted to. The best thing that she could have done in the moment was to tell the news to both Rarity and Applejack. How they would be taking it, remained to be seen.

The binoculars were placed back in the pocket of the jacket just before Rainbow stood up from her stump. Her eyes looked over both the other mares and she called their names. Almost an instant later had they reacted to it and gave her a strange expression. It almost seemed as if they were baffled by the fact that they were called by the pegasus.

Eyebrows were raised up before the gaze turned into nothing else but questions. They had the little desire to know what Rainbow wanted to say to them. As well as curious to the fact of why she looked so pale all of the sudden.

The mares left their spot and gathered themselves around the pegasus. Who then turned to the summit once more. One last glance had to be given to it for whatever reason. Perhaps she wanted to make sure that they weren’t followed by anyone or anything. Or that the forces above would be making their descend. But with the clouds, that fact remained unknown.

Rainbow turned her head back over to the mares and nodded calm to them. “Whether you believe and like it or not, I’m having some bad news,” she said in a truly worried tone, “before you say it’s an excuse, it’s not. I wouldn’t joke about this matter. But up on the summit, hidden within the clouds they lurk. A pack of griffons are hidden among them.”

“Griffons?” Applejack asked. She couldn’t believe what she heard coming out of Rainbow’s very mouth. “How did them lot find us?”

The pegasus turned her head towards the admiral with a cynical raised eyebrow. “You really are wondering that, aren’t you? You see another group of anthronies around here? Or to be more specific, those whom you had in your clutches a few days ago?”

“Hmpf, when you say it like that,” returned Applejack before she stroked her chin in thought.

Then it was Rarity who reached for a flintlock of her own before the arm stopped moving. “It’s not going to be worth it now, is it? To attack them, that is. They have the advantage of the clouds and we only have one pegasus.” The facts had been weighed down in her mind and it wasn’t worth it to her. Not in the moment at least.

To confirm the thoughts even more, Rainbow did shook her head towards the captain. “Going up against them would be suicidal of the top shelf. No, we have to wait. And prepare ourselves for the battle that’s to come. For I’m positive that those griffons belong to Sharpbeak, that worries me the most,” she said to Rarity.

“Ah heard ya partner,” commented Applejack while Rarity just nodded in silence. All they could do in the moment was to just wait. Wait it out until the battle had fallen upon their place.

Seconds went by just like that when Rarity noticed a figure approaching their direction. Her attention immediately shifted over to the figure and she pointed gently towards it. Rainbow and Applejack then just followed the finger and looked at the being that came their way.

Relief would have then rushed through the three of them, they realized just who it was that came their way. They had finally seen Twilight Sparkle again on the surface. The mare of miracles had returned to the surface of Equestria with both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, much to their surprise.

Disgust filled the pirate captain as she still wasn’t too fond of the lamia. She was rather rid of her then rich, but she had to hide the fact as it was. All Rarity could do was to just suck it up and deal with it. Nonetheless did she had to admit the very fact that she was genuinely glad that they made it out of the place in one piece. Not many beings could have claimed that fact and prize as they did.

“Well, well, well, look who it is. Finally reemerged out of the depths, eh?” Applejack chuckled when she was finally able to give the soothsayer a well-earned pat on the back.

Twilight almost beamed from happiness when she was back in the camp that had been made up. It was a rather simple one as they didn’t had the access to the tent. For some reason was that thing locked inside of the void storage. But Twilight nodded to the admiral and she replied with words of her own. “Finally we’re back on the surface after a small adventure. And I’m having even better news. Pinkie Pie here, wishes to live on the surface with us.”

Those were a pair of words that not many of the mares could have believed on the spot. Applejack rose both of her eyebrows and Rainbow gained a shocked expression right in her eyes. Neither had expected the words to come, but they were happy for the lamia. It was a massive deal to have gone from the dark caverns to the light plains of the surface.

Only Rarity didn’t fully agree with the matter. But as long as the creature wouldn’t have gotten in her way, there wouldn’t be trouble. Only then she could agree on the fact that it was a good thing. Yet one thing remained answered for them, what had happened down in the caverns?

“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t be interested in it, really. Short version is that they found me after hours of looking,” the lamia said to them with a little mischievous smirk that went across her lips. One that told them there was more going on than that they originally had told them. But they weren’t the ones to complain about it too much actually.

The group was back together and complete, that was all that counted in their own eyes. “Say Pinkie, how do you like the sky? Ah mean, ya only saw it through a hole in the ice. Now are ya seeing it up close,” said Applejack. The mare was interested in the lamia’s transition from ground to surface.

Pinkie had a little glance upwards where she saw the thick white clouds gathered over the skies and released a small gulp. “S-Still getting u-used to it. Twilight told me, to just look straight ahead or down for the most time.”

The admiral nodded with her head before she gave the creature a warm smile. “She’s a smart one, so she’s most likely right on it. Just give it time, ya be getting used to it. But none of y’all wanna tell us what really happened down there?”

Then the attention was thrown back to the group as a whole. The three mares looked at one another and thought about the things that they had both seen and done. Quickly they then turned back to Applejack and quickly shook with their heads. “Nope, nothing else happened down there that is needed to you all to be knowing,” claimed Twilight in a rather clumsy way.

Of course there were matters that had to be shared, but not in that very moment. Time would be there when they would reveal the possible truth to them all, but not on that day and especially not on that time. “Fine then,” commented Applejack before she crossed her arms over each other.

Yet every question had to be answered with an equal and opposing question. For Twilight that meant that she could ask what had been going on in the camp they had made. Which was exactly the question she asked. Her glance went from left to right, passing Applejack and Rarity before it finally rested upon Rainbow.

The pegasus was having some difficulty to process the question as she scratched herself behind the head. A gulp was given by her before she exhaled deeply. It was enough to let Twilight know there was trouble ahead. “Something bad, isn’t it?” asked Twilight. She didn’t even think for a second about her words. Rainbow nodded quick and then she realized that it was her turn to speak up. But what words would she have used in order to say what was going on?

Hesitation struck Rainbow for the moment when she closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. One deep inhale was taken by the mare before she nodded to herself. “Okay,” she said before her eyes opened up again. The major looked at the three of them as the words were spoken up about what had happened.

“After some time of nothing and building up the camp we finally got around doing nothing. But I had the feeling we would have been watched near constantly. It crawled up beneath my skin and it worried me. So I had a look at the summit and noticed the greatest pain we could be having at us. Twilight…” The tone of the pegasus suddenly turned a whole lot darker as she didn’t wanted to speak the words that would have followed.

But she had to tell them. She had to tell them as they were for the safety of the whole company. One half of them knew it, the other half didn’t. Secrets were kept from both sides, but that one secret was one that had to be revealed no matter what.

“I am almost positive to say that, the griffons of Sharpbeak are lurking at us from the summit. They are hidden in the clouds and just waiting for us to make a mistake,” spoke Rainbow to them. Two gasps for air were given off as the lamia only tilted her head. She had never heard of a griffon before. Though as she judged the reactions of the mares, they meant a whole lot of trouble.

Twilight almost instantly turned herself around and glanced over to the summit of the mountain. Her eyes looked around and about, as if she tried to watch through the clouds. But with no success of course. The only other thing that could have been done was to come up with the plan of attack. So the unicorn turned back around as the group formed a circle.

The eyes of Twilight looked at every last one of them before she gave one powerful nod to herself. The situation could only have been resolved in one manner and it wasn’t going to be something that they would have enjoyed.

The words that Twilight spoke were said in a tone that made clear what they had to do. As commanding as Applejack could have been, that much could Twilight as well have been from time to time. “I don’t know what you three have been doing out here other than that, and quite frankly I don’t even want to know. But I pray to the goddesses that you haven’t done something stupid enough as to fire a shot at them,” said Twilight to them all.

Rarity and Applejack only shook their heads just before Rainbow interrupted the unicorn. “We haven’t done such a thing. We realized the facts as they were also about just before you arrived. Attacking them is not going to work. That plan sunk faster than a magical cannon could fire. They have the advantage of the clouds to begin with. Followed by many more.”

The mare nodded to the words in calm. “Secondly, if we would have fired even one shot, it can be seen as an attack on them,” added Twilight into the group. Her mind was turning as quick as it possibly could have been before a deep exhale of relief was given off. “I’m just glad you didn’t decided to attack them. If you did, they could be giving Equestria a declaration of war. To make matters worse, we too would be plunged again into something we don’t want to be.”

“Another war… Another war between the anthronies and the griffons. So what is your plan, Twilight?” Rainbow asked. She just wanted the whole ordeal to be over with.

Twilight had to think about the answer for a minute or two. The silence took them all in its dreaded hold. Only the soft breathing of the unicorn could be heard clear while the gears in her mind turned and twisted all the way.

Finally she looked back up to the group and shook her head lightly. “There’s nothing that we can do other than to keep on moving. It’s still a long, long way to Canterlot, or home if you like. But with the griffons right at us, I recommend packing up. They need to attack us first if we want to keep the excuse of it being self-defense. If we attack now, it’s going to be war. If we let them wait, stalk us crazy and then attack…we can call it defense for our lives and they would be the ones trailed or kicked out.”

“So, both are not the most ideal options?” Rarity asked after she rose her head a little bit. With her arms going cross over each other and her posture set to slight intimidation, she had been listening to the whole story in silence. Yet the conclusion she came to hit the nail right in the head. Sharp to the point as always.

“Neither of them are ideal, yes, but it really is weighing up against each other. Either two nations go back at war and thousands shall see their lives ended. Or just six go crazy and preserve those thousands of lives. The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, I’m afraid,” said Twilight. Even she was having a true difficulty saying the words that were on her mind.

Yet she was used to placing pretty much everypony else before her. “The solution needs to work at long term, Rarity,” commented Fluttershy all the sudden. The doctor had been silent for almost all of the time but finally dared to say the thoughts she had. “Shooting them down only solves the troubles we’re having now and not the ones we’re gonna get. Us going crazy, is the long term solution.”

“But even with that, they would still be finding a way to work themselves around the fact that they are going to be the victims. I mean, if they stalk us crazy like you say, an accident hides in a small corner.” Rainbow spoke up as she did a step backwards.

The words of the major were true indeed. The matter could indeed have been twisted and then it meant that they would still be at war. Yet that was a worry for both later and not something Twilight wanted to really think about in the matter.

So the reply that was given off to the major was one that only Twilight could give. That dry tone in her voice compared to the almost casual glance in her eyes. “So, it’s simple then, don’t go crazy,” she said before her lips curled up into a little smile.

“Hmpf, easy for you to say,” whispered Rainbow almost inaudible to herself. She then shook her head a little bit before the whole company knew what needed to be done. They had to clean everything up and store it once again. The time had fallen upon them all to go to the place they had desired to have been for such a long time already.

Finally had the time fallen upon them to just go home. The trek home was knocking at their door and they knew somehow that it all wouldn’t be as easy as they would have liked. All of them sensed the trouble that the griffons would be giving them all. Yet that, wasn’t the worst compared to what spooked through the mind of Twilight Sparkle.

The little camp that the pegasus, earth anthrony and the unicorn had built up, was taken apart in just a matter of minutes. Everypony did their fair share in cleaning it up before they all nodded. Everything was back the way it was supposed to be and they were ready to leave.

They were finally ready to leave the place and begin the journey home. The journey that would probably take them through the most beautiful sights of Equestria once more. For they had one massive advantage with them that them.

They could be walking home in the straightest line possible. Nothing had to be gathered along the way back, nothing had to be collected. All that needed to be done was for them to separate at one vital point and for them all to have gone their own way.

If things were only that easily done and said for each of them.

Twilight stood up front of the company and used her staff as a walking cane. None of the arcane powers surged through it yet. Though she had the feeling that that could have changed rather soon. “Is everypony ready? I can’t believe I’m going to say this but, it’s true and you all know it. We’re going home, we’re actually and finally just going, home,” she said to each of them.

The feelings of comfort managed to nestle itself in all of the mares as they felt relieved. Their quest had been over and they could be living their lives as it was without the intervention of the unicorn. But would they be received as heroes in Canterlot? Or would their deeds have gone in history unnamed?

Rainbow Dash had one last look behind her as the group began to move. The mares of the company silently past her as she took out her binoculars once more. She had to be certain about something. She had to be certain of the fact whether or not those very griffons were standing under the command of Sharpbeak.

With a feeling of illness which turned her stomach inside out were the binoculars placed before her eyes. Once more she glanced over in the distance as she caught something in her ears. Something that made them twitch gently. “Rainbow, are you coming or what?” the voice of Twilight echoed within them.

The binoculars were taken away from the eyes when the pegasus turned into the direction of the sounds. There she stood, with the elongated staff in her hands and ready to drag her along if she had to. It caused a small chuckle to come from the mouth of Rainbow before she shook her head gently. “I’m coming, I just need a minute to be certain about something. I need to have that one last look through the skies and see what else is all up there. It’s a pegasus thing.”

Twilight nodded to the explanation given to her before she cracked a small smile of her own as well. “Alright then, Rainbow. Just, don’t fall behind too far. Even with your wings, you might not be able to find us.”

“Right, like I’m not going to find a group of anthronies and a lamia in the middle of the woods? You’re all brightly skinned, remember? Even with the darkness of the caves I could still see you. No need to worry about me, Twilight. I’ll be okay, go back to them, they need you more than I do,” said Rainbow before she gestured with her hand that the unicorn had to move.

The soothsayer nodded one last time before she turned back around and rejoined the company as before. They would be off to start a leg they had never expected to make.

Finally was Rainbow back alone and the binoculars were placed once more before her eyes. Once more she glanced at the summit and changed the zoom of the things. The zoom was then enhanced a couple dozen times up to the size where she almost get just one of the shapes right in her sights.

Only then was the shock of a lifetime made by the pegasus. A shock went through her and she didn’t even dare to take her binoculars off. One of the shades in the darkness reminded her of somepony she had a growing hatred towards. A deep huff was released through her nostrils while the blinks were made.

Rainbow couldn’t have believed the facts as they were. Yet they were presented bright as the sun to her. A deep exhale was then followed up before the binoculars were dropped. The name wasn’t even spoken. But as the binoculars were raised again could the mouth of the creature be seen moving rather quick.

Almost as if it gave orders of some kind. The major of the air force knew straight away what it was that was being said and realized the time had come. Time for her to return to the company and share the warning based on loose speculations. Yet perhaps it was better to do it that way then figuring it out in the harsh reality of the matter.

Speed was of the essence to catch up with the group. Something she happened to have plenty of. Perhaps even more than anypony else in the land of Equestria.