Where the Heart Is

The wind could be heard howling and shrieking outside the cave, reminding the two mares sitting idly and silent near the back of the cave of their imprisonment. Considerable time had passed since the two had discovered their predicament, though neither could tell how long they had been sitting. In fact, it seemed to the two that no time had passed at all. The wind still wailed outside, their only exit still a solid wall of white that taunted them with potential of warmth and escape though both mares knew better, and their only protection from the outside world was still dark and confining. Yet there was nothing to fill the void of waiting. The only thing that spoke was wind, any conversation between the two in the cave nothing more than a simple ‘Do you think the snow has passed yet?’ or ‘How much longer?’ the only purpose of which was to let the ponies hear a voice for a brief moment. Sleep, despite the still-aching muscles of the two, was an impossible feat, a mix of cold and worry keeping them pinned in the waking world. A sudden stray gust of frigid air swept through the cave, as it was specifically chosen by some unknown force to accent the hopelessness of the situation.

“So cold.” Rarity managed to murmur the words from her chattering teeth and shivering body. The only times she had been in temperatures anywhere near what she was in now the dressmaker had been wrapped in several layers of thick jackets and sweaters, and it’s not as if her dainty physique was in any way helping her tolerance of the chilled air.

“Yeah, I know.” Applejack sincerely said to the freezing white unicorn. The farmpony had curled herself into a tight ball, her back towards the cave’s exit in an attempt to keep herself warm. Rarity had mimicked this, but it clearly did little to help her. “Just try not to think about it.” She told her friend, moving herself so that the bodies of the two mares touched. Rarity flinched when she felt the orange pony’s side against hers, but graciously accepted the warmth that it had brought. She pushed herself closer to the earth pony. Applejack felt the unicorn’s soft coat, as well as the shaking muscle and bone beneath it. It was nearly as cold as the floor beneath her which had not yet been warmed by her body. Rarity continued to shake violently, her eyes shut so firmly that tears formed around the edges, her head on the ground, allowing her long styled mane to drag along cave floor. She looked absolutely tiny to Applejack, and she did genuinely feel bad for her friend. She draped a hoof along her shoulders in an attempt to put the unicorn at ease. The two were closer than they would ever allow themselves to be under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were anything but normal. “It’s not cuddlin’, it’s survival!” Applejack’s mind yelled at her.

“How did we get here?” Rarity whispered after a time, her shivering had become less of a problem though she still kept her eyes closed and her head on the ground.

“You still on that?” Applejack questioned. “Look, it don’t matter how-“

“There has to be a reason.” Rarity continued, not seeming to hear Applejack or notice that she had cut her friend off.

“Rare, it-“

“Something happened, something important, something different. I just can’t remember what.” At this point, Rarity was more so thinking aloud to herself rather than actually talking.

“But we-“

“Come on, think! What were we-“

“Rarity!” Applejack raised her voice, taking her turn to cut off the unicorn. “How we got her don’t matter, we’re here now, and we gotta be thinkin’ of how we’re gonna get back home.” She said, her voice becoming level again, the last thing she wanted was for another outburst.

Suddenly, Rarity’s eyes shot open and widened, she didn’t seem to react much to the orange mare’s snap at her. “Home…” She murmured, then trailing off. “Home…” The white mare repeated. There was a long pause as Rarity thought. “Applejack, we weren’t home, were we?” She suddenly asked.

“What? Of course we were… wait.” Applejack trailed off in a fashion similar to Rarity. “No, no we left for something.” Applejack’s volume and pace of speaking increased as memory came flooding back to her.

“Yes!” Rarity suddenly said loudly. “Quite hurriedly, as I recall. I had to literally throw my things into my bags.”

“Yeah, Twi seemed right excited ‘bout it, told us we only had a few hours to get ready.” Applejack recalled the frantic purple unicorn bursting into through her front door while the family was still eating breakfast, practically yelling at her to get pack her things as soon as possible. She smiled. “I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen her so off her rocker.” Suddenly, Applejack’s face darkened. “Well, y’know, ‘cept that one time. But this was different.” She quickly added, trying to get the incident involving a particular doll and unicorn that the entire town had kept an unspoken agreement to never speak of again out of her mind.

“She was quite… enthusiastic.” Rarity remarked, having less-than-fond memories return to her of a positively ragged Twilight Sparkle teleport into the bedroom of a still-sleeping dressmaker just to tell her to have all of her things together in the shortest amount of time possible. Of course, she had failed to mention how long the trip would be and what type of clothes she would need, even telling Rarity where they were going seemed to slip Twilight’s mind before she teleported to Celestia-knows-where. “I had to do all that packing.” Rarity thought aloud, remembering how she had attempted to throw together a week’s worth of outfits that would be suitable for any occasion in a rush.

“You sure did.” Applejack snickered. “Didn’t you have to send half of it back ‘cause it wouldn’t fit in the carriage?”

“Yes, and I had to sort through all of my things again and try to figure out what to bring and what to leave.” Rarity huffed. “We had to take a train to a carriage to a boat, it was a disaster.”

“We had to do all that travellin’ just to get on a boat that was goin’ in a circle!” Applejack laughed.

“Well, yes. That is what you do on a…” Rarity’s eyes abruptly widened as she cut herself off, her mouth hung open. “On a… on a…” She stammered.

Applejack gave a confused look at Rarity. Throughout the conversation, she had stopped shivering entirely and now held her head off the ground, her now-dusty mane that was slightly ruffled due to being draped on the ground now hung in its proper place. Though the two were still close together, Applejack had long since removed her hoof from her friend and the two had distanced themselves, though neither of the two recall actively doing so.

“You okay, Rare?” AJ asked the seemingly awe-struck unicorn.

“Gold Sun.” Rarity whispered as if she were having an epiphany.

“Pardon?” Applejack questioned, Rarity’s two words doing nothing to clear her confusion.

“Gold Sun.” Rarity said with more emphasis, as if the words should mean anything to Applejack, which they did not. “As in the Gold Sun Royal Cruise.” Rarity explained, though the title seemed to only faintly resonate with Applejack, if at all. “As in the triennial cruise that Princess Celestia has been hosting for years, the one she personally attends to for a whole week with little over one hundred other ponies, making it one of the most exclusive events on the planet. The one where only the most elite ponies from all over the world show up, known to pay through the roof to get on. The first one ever to have Princess Luna in attendance. The one the princesses had invited all of us to.” Rarity explained quickly, clear admiration in her voice. She had to take a breath by the time her spiel was completed, giving Applejack a chance to respond.

“Oh yeah, that. I remember now. Guess that explains why Twi was so worked up ‘bout it.” The earth pony said matter-of-factly. “Not sure what the big fuss is over that cruise, though. Sure the princesses are there and all, but the whole thing just seemed a little, y’know…” Applejack paused, trying to think of the right word to use. “Borin’.” She eventually decided on, looking down to the ground to avoid Rarity’s glare that was far colder than the snow outside. That pony could be downright scary sometimes.

“Well it’s true.” Applejack said to the floor, feeling the unicorn’s eyes bore into her skull. “It was just a bunch of fancy-dressed ponies sittin’ around all day eatin’ expensive food and listenin’ to fancy music. I guess it’s just not my type of thing.”

“Applejack, you are absolutely hopeless.” Rarity sighed. “Besides, the ship made several stops in some of the most beautiful places along the east coast, surely you can appreciate that.”

“I don’t remember that boat makin’ any stops.” Applejack said plainly.

“What? But that’s impossible; there were at least four scheduled stops.” Rarity’s brow furrowed as she frowned.

“Oh yeah? What did you do at them then?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well I- at the first one, no. And then-“ Rarity fumbled over her words, lost in confusion.

“Exactly.” Applejack cut in.

Worry returned to Rarity’s face. “I know we got on that ship; I remember it clearly.” The unicorn said, squinting as she tried to remember the trip to even the tiniest detail. “And I know for a fact that the ship was supposed to make stops.”

“Rare, seriously, let it go.” Applejack told the white pony, who looked almost pained with thought. The farmpony knew that her words wouldn’t get through to her friend, though not trying to ease her distress seemed wrong to Applejack. It seemed clear as day (Though that might not be the most appropriate simile given the current situation.) that the ship made no stops while the two were on it, but the earth pony couldn’t stop her mind from wandering, trying for herself to piece together exactly what happened on the cruise.

“It’s,” Rarity muttered, clearly thinking out loud. “It’s as if we only took half the cruise.”

The words made something go click in Applejack’s mind. A new wave of memory rushed through the mare’s head as if a great valve had opened. She tried to speak, tried to in some way communicate the sudden surge of memory that was so vivid that the earth pony seemed to experience the recalled events once again, but only stifled noises could escape her lips.

“Darling, are you quite alright?” Rarity questioned a trace of concern evident in her voice. “Did I say-“ The unicorn began, but cut herself off with a gasp. The mares stood perfectly still as they simultaneously relived their time on the Gold Sun Cruise.

Cloudless, bright blue skies complemented the blue seas the Unity sailed upon. The sun was bright and warm, though not unpleasantly so, and its rays were somewhat reflected by a well-polished deck. The very bringer of the great ball of light stood near the center of the deck in all her radiance, flanked by her dark blue sister, a set of gold and black armor-clad guards positioned like statues behind the two. The princesses were surrounded by dozens of ponies as well as the occasional griffon, all of whom reeked with high society and fame. The alicorn sisters spoke with a privileged few, though it was clear the patrons were far more interested in talking to the bringer of the sun than that of the moon; and Luna, despite her sister’s urging, did little to change the fact. The rest of the group either seemed content to be within the presence of royalty or were trying to find a way among those speaking; among these a lavender unicorn trying to worm her way through the tightly-knit crowd.

Towards the bow and a set of stairs from the princesses yet still on the upper deck of the ship was another, albeit smaller, crowd stood, chatting among themselves and looking over a railing at the sea. This crowd was not without its celebrities, however, as a congregation was well-situated around a small group of pegasai wearing their trademark blue uniforms. A cyan pegasus who left a rainbow trail in her wake as she zipped about the group, trying to pull aside as many blue-clad ponies aside for as long as she could. Another pegasus, this one yellow in color, stood away from any group, peering over the railing and staring intently at the ocean as to avoid eye-contact with anything else.

Opposite the yellow pegasus, two ponies, a white unicorn and an orange earth pony, watched the crowd with their backs to the railing that divided them from the water. “I told you, Rare; I ain’t goin’ to no spa.” The earth pony said.

“Applejack, don’t be that way.” The unicorn responded. “Were on one of the best cruise ships in the world and you’re not going to try out the spa?”

“Don’t plan on it.” Applejack said plainly.

“But it’s so relaxing, you couldn’t even imagine. You have no idea what you’re missing.” Rarity was trying to sound as persuasive as she could.

“It’s plenty relaxin’ up here.” Applejack responded, clearly not impressed.

Rarity scoffed. “As if you would know anything about relaxation. Tell me, when was the last time you took a vacation?”

“I take vacations!” The orange mare said in her defense. “I went to that Young Fliers Competition last year, and the Gala, and I went to Shining Armor’s wedding.”

“Firstly, the Gala doesn’t count because all you did there was sell apples.”

“I wish.” Applejack cut in on Rarity.

The unicorn sighed before continuing. “Second, the wedding doesn’t count either, you were baking for it. And you only went to the Young Fliers Competition to cheer on Rainbow Dash.”

“Still counts.” Applejack added.

“My point is, do you ever take any real vacations? Ones that are just for you, and just to relax, no work whatsoever.”

“Of course I do.” The earth pony said indignantly.

“Oh really? Name one.”

Applejack’s only response was a few stammering sounds, her eyes began shifting away from the white unicorn.

“Precisely.” Rarity declared, positioning herself behind her orange friend. “Which is why… You’re going… to the spa… with me.” She said between huffs of trying to nudge the indomitable earth pony into movement.

“No. Way.” Applejack proclaimed as she dug her hooves into the ship’s deck.

“Why not?” Rarity asked, her voice straining as she attempted once more galvanize the country mare.

“Because I ain’t no prissy pony that goes to the spa all day.” Applejack growled as she shoved Rarity off of her, which sent the unicorn stumbling.

Rarity gave an aggravated ‘hmph’. “This has nothing to do with being prissy, which it’s not. We’re talking about some of the best masseuses in Equestria, maybe the whole world. Most ponies can only dream of using their services and you don’t have to pay a single bit to get them. You’ve been nothing but uncomfortable since we got on this boat yesterday and here I am, giving you the opportunity of a lifetime, and you’re being stubborn as a mule!”

“Why don’t you just take Fluttershy? You two are always goin’ to the spa together.” Applejack said, whirling around to face Rarity.

“I scheduled for treatment for three!” Rarity declared, pouting.

Applejack sighed. “Fine, I’ll think about it.” She said, more for the sake of ending the discussion than actually being convinced.

“There’s no time to think about it.” Rarity stressed. “If we’re going to go, now’s the only time, while everypony else is too distracted with trying to talk to Princess Celestia or the Wonderbolts or whoever. The spa is completely booked at any other time.”

Before Applejack had a chance to respond the ground underfoot suddenly became shaky. Ever so slightly, the entire ship began to rock, but only for a few moments before settling out. A universal murmur swept throughout the boat, concerned glances and nervous laughs erupted between some.

“What was that?” Applejack asked, on edge due to the sudden rocking.

“It was probably nothing.” A less-than-confident Rarity assured her friend. “Don’t try to work your way out of this, Applejack. Are you coming with me or not?”

The ship shook once again, though this time it was more violent. Upright tables shook and a few passengers lost their balance. A few glasses filled with brightly-colored drinks fell from the shaken tables and shattered against the deck, causing a loud yet quickly cut-off scream from the yellow pegasus near the boat’s railing.

“I don’t like this.” Applejack said aloud, not bothering to hide her tensed muscles or nervousness in her voice.

Before anything further can be said the Unity trembled with the magnitude of an earthquake. All but the sturdiest of passengers were knocked flat, tables and chairs that still remained standing all fell accompanied with shattering glass and the combined screams of the ship. The fallen furniture rolled starboard as the boat tilted dangerously, most ramming into unlucky passengers clambering to a stand. Any guards that had managed to rise to their hooves rushed to the edge of the ship and looked into the ocean. Unicorn horns flared while the armored pegasai leapt into the air and searched the area around the boat. The ship settled, and all aboard stood in eerie silence, the entire world seemed to agonizingly slow.

Screams of terror erupted once more as a dark blue tentacle shot out from the sea and slammed down against the top deck of the ship, causing it to tilt. The sound of splintering wood and the groan of metal filled the air as a huge chunk of the boat fell away into the sea with the tentacle. The screams of the passengers were drowned out by shouts of battle as the unicorn guards unleashed blasts of arcane energy on the tentacle before it disappeared into the sea.

Suddenly, the boat was rammed again and a sound akin to that of an explosion was produced as another part of the ship was destroyed. The boat’s starboard end began to dip again and the ship would’ve capsized had not a yellow energy envelop the ship and rooted it in its normally-impossible position. A deafening roar drowned out all sounds and all on the ship instantly froze. Port side a huge creature rose from the ocean. Droplets of water fell from the thing’s serpentine form and glistened in the sunlight against its navy-scaled hide. The monster’s head had the semblance of a snake, with vertical pupils in its eyes that seemed small for the creature’s size, and two wicked fangs that were far bigger than anyone onboard the ship that jutted out from its huge maw that would easily fit a fishing boat. The creature’s head was topped with a mat of fleshy tendrils that were all pointed backwards. Along either side of the serpent’s head were fins that looked more like bat wings, with a leathery membrane between the long spines that extended from its head. More tentacles shot up from the water but where exactly they connected to the rest of the creature’s body was unknown. The serpent roared again as it was pelted with a barrage of magical blasts and swung its head and tentacles at the few brave pegasai who were zipping around it doing what little damage they could. A particularly powerful blast of dark blue energy that was even darker than the creature itself cut of its roar, and the serpent slunk its head back into the ocean.

Many of the passengers began to cheer at the creature’s apparent defeat, but the guards continued to scan the waters. The yellow energy still enveloped the ship and was working to slowly right the tilt. This was halted as the serpent’s tail, which was tipped in a fan-like structure that looked somewhat similar to the fins along its head, crashed into the starboard side of the ship, tearing almost a quarter ways through the boat and tilting the ship more severely than it had begun. As the tail and the yellow magic wrestled for control of the ship, the serpent’s head repeatedly slammed into the boat on the side opposite its tail, tearing apart the bottom part of the boat and slowly lowering the starboard side of the boat towards the water. Passengers were already desperately trying to keep themselves from falling into the ocean and the unicorn guards were too preoccupied with trying to keep their footing to attack with their full intensity. The ship itself began to creak and groan as if it were about to split in half.

The only thing that snapped Applejack from her fear-stricken trance was a familiar scream that had managed to differentiate itself from the others. The earth pony’s head snapped to her side, only to find that the unicorn she was expecting was nowhere to be seen. She looked around her but saw nothing of her friend. Almost instinctually she turned to the railing and backed up a few paces, being careful to keep her balance. Without a second thought Applejack galloped towards the railing and shoved against the ground with her powerful legs, lifting her into the air. The railing was rather small, compared to other things the orange mare had jumped before, that combined with the orientation of the rail made it no challenge for Applejack to clear.

Several things happened in rapid succession. The first was a call of “Applejack, wait!” from Rainbow Dash, who had seen the mare as she was getting ready to leap, but spoke moments too late. The pony in question may have heard her friend’s shout, had she not been so focused on saving a pony. Even if she had heard it, gravity was in the way of allowing her to do as the cyan pegasus told her. The second was a layer of dark blue energy which hummed loudly coating the yellow one around the ship. The third was the two overboard mares, Applejack and Rarity, being enveloped in a purple energy, which similarly hummed, though not as loudly.

Within the span of a few milliseconds, Applejack and Rarity felt the sensation of being crushed. It was as if their bodies were being shrunk until their very essence would be no more. Yet, at the same time, it felt as if their muscles were being strained and extended. Intense warmth finished the cocktail of strange feelings. The world suddenly went bright, and then pitch dark in an instant, all feeling squashed.

Both Rarity and Applejack shook themselves out of their respectful trances. The only memory they had past that experience was waking up in the cave. They remained silent and still for a while, neither one sure how to react. Applejack was the first to break the silence.

“So, uh, now we know what happened.”

“Yes, we do.” Rarity responded slowly.

Another silence passed over the two. It was only then that Applejack realized that it wasn’t supposed to be silent. Wordlessly, the orange mare rose to her hooves, and walked to the cave’s mouth. Sure enough, there was no falling snow outside. Simply a rocky plateau covered in snow which went out from the cave for a little before it gave way at a cliff to a thick pine forest. From her position, Applejack could see no signs of anything but wilderness.

“It looks like the snow stopped.” The earth pony called back to the unicorn. “We should probably be headin’ out now.”