The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

Reappearing back in Light’s Hope’s Main Hall together, Arc looks to Tempest.

“I’m going back to my room to get cleaned up and relax a bit.”

Tempest nods soberly. “You do that. I need to send my daily message anyways.”

They part ways. Cherry calls out to Arc as he walks down the corridor.

“That went surprisingly well.”

“Yes, it did.”

“Do you think they’ll be able to find the others?”

“The ogres have the best chances of doing so at the moment, yes.”

Cherry sighs. “Maybe you should get some rest in the meantime then, Arc.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “But we just got up about an hour or so ago.”

“I meant mentally rest. You’ve been going at it pretty hard since we got here.”

“Can’t argue with that. What should I do though?”

“Um…”

There is an extended silence as Cherry ponders Arc’s question. Eventually she sighs and continues.

“There really isn’t much to do up here in terms of rest and relaxation.”

Arc groans. “Tell me about it. Normally at this point in time I’d be looking forward to spending some time with my loved ones.”

Cherry sighs. “But they’re back in Equestria. Well, I mean our home Equestria.”

“Yup.”

“Well… how about a nice shower then? I’m sure spending the night in the aqueducts wasn’t too good for your hygiene.”

Arc sniffs himself. “Guess you’re right. Onward to my quarters then.”

Arriving, Arc heads to his bathroom. Removing his armor piece by piece, he sets it on the floor before sitting on the closed toilet lid with the helmet in his lap. Picking up a small towel from a nearby rack he begins wiping it down as Cherry speaks.

“Starting with the essentials, I see.”

Arc nods. “It’s probably dirtier than I am at this point. That and I don’t really want to do such a task after I get myself cleaned up.”

“Such would probably require a second shower.”

“Exactly my reasoning.”

“Can I ask you something, Arc?”

Arc chuckles as he continues with his work. “Sure, anything.”

“What do you think about what Tempest said this morning?”

“Regarding Decimus?”

“Yes. Do you think he might still be alive?”

Arc shrugs. “He was always able to come back to life in our home Equestria.”

“But what if he can’t?”

“Meaning if he’s not working with the Dark One or a changeling under Chrysalis?”

“Right.”

Arc frowns. “Before we came to this world, I did look over his file. Decimus does have quite the track record of getting out of sticky situations without injury.”

“Maybe he’ll do it again then.”

Arc shrugs. “Assuming he’s the same stallion that the files say is a paragon of virtue, then there is a good chance of that, yes.”

Cherry sighs. “I hope so too. For Tempest’s sake as well as his.”

Arc nods soberly. “Yeah. This version of her seems to be just as smitten with him here as our Tempest is with the other Decimus.”

Putting a hand to his forehead, he continues.

“All of this alternate reality stuff is getting hard to wrap my head around.”

Cherry groans. “Tell me about it. I’m just a passive onlooker and even I’m having trouble keeping everypony straight.”

Arc holds his helmet up and looks it over. “That looks pretty good I think.”

“Much better than before, yes!”

Setting down the helmet next to the sink Arc looks to the rest of his armor and sighs.

“Yes, well… that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg though.”

Cherry sighs. “This is going to take forever.”

Arc puts a hand to his chin. “Or it would if it was just me working on it.”

“Want me to hop into Eidolon’s Ward and lend you a hand then, Arc?”

“That would be helpful, yes.”

Cherry giggles. “We’d get it done twice as fast too.”

Arc smirks. “True. But that wasn’t what I was thinking of.”

“Oh?”

“I want to try a little experiment, Cherry. Care to join me?”

“Sure.”

“Alright. Here we go.”

Taking a deep breath, Arc closes his eyes and concentrates. The world around him slowly fades away into nothingness. Concentrating, things slowly come into focus. Opening his eyes again, he looks around for a few moments as Cherry calls out to him.

“What happened, Arc?”

“Just the start of the experiment.”

“I don’t understand. Nothing appears to have changed.”

Arc stands up. “You’ll see.”

Walking out of the bathroom, he heads over to his quarter’s front door. Opening it, he sees innumerable guards walking to and fro. Pointing to half dozen or so of them, he motions for the stallions to enter. Leading them over to the bathroom Arc points at the armor.

“Everyone grab a towel and a piece of my armor. I need that dirt and grime scrubbed off.”

They salute and get to work. As they do so Arc walks over to a window and looks out it. The lush, green field behind the base comes into view. Unlocking it, he pushes the window open and sticks his head out. Taking a deep breath, Arc sighs contentedly as he speaks.

“Now that’s more like it.”

Cherry calls out telepathically. “It is nice seeing the sunshine again.”

Arc chuckles. “You can just talk audibly, Cherry.”

“But the guards…!”

Arc interrupts her. “…aren’t real. This is all just taking place in my Sanctuary”

Cherry giggles. “I know. However, it just felt so real.”

Arc nods as he closes the window. “That it does.”

Thinking for a few moments, Arc looks to the guards working diligently cleaning his armor. After watching them for a time he holds out his index finger and moves it in a clockwise circular motion. The guards begin moving faster and faster. In but a few moments they step back and stand at attention.

“Your armor is now clean, sir.”

Arc looks it over and smiles. “Thank you very much all of you.”

“Is there anything else we can do for you, sir?”

Arc shakes his head. “No, that will be all.”

They salute and leave. Arc puts on his armor and looks it over as Cherry calls out.

“Looks like they did a nice job on it too.”

Arc nods as he recalls his armor. “That they did.”

“Should we be heading back now?”

“I guess we should.”

He takes a step toward the door, but stops. Turning and looking around, Arc continues.

“Then again, who’s to say that we should?”

“What do you mean, Arc?”

“I just had an idea. But first things first.”

Concentrating, Arc puts a finger to his forehead for a few moments before holding it out in front of him and snapping a finger. In a flash of light Cherry materializes in front of him. She looks around, clearly confused.

“How did I…?!”

Arc interrupts her. “Remember, I have full control over my Sanctuary.”

Cherry grins as she stretches. “It does feel nice to have four legs again.”

“I just figured, as long as we’re both here, let’s enjoy it.”

“Alright then. What should we do?”

Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Well… anything at all really. Want to spend some time with the others?”

Cherry nods. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

Cherry heads for the door as Arc calls out after her.

“Sorry. Figure of speech.”

Cherry looks back, confused. “Huh?”

“Just give me a few moments.”

Making a waving motion with his hand, Arc dematerializes the world around them. After thinking for a few moments, he begins casting. A beautiful beach and lake on a warm sunny day materializes around them. Snapping his fingers, Arc motions for Cherry to turn around with him. As they do so the pair see Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, and Derpy walking toward them in their pony forms. Cherry gasps.

“Applejack?! How are you… ah… right!”

Arc puts a hand on top of her head. “Sanctuary remember, Cherry?”

“Sorry, I just remember this world’s version of her lying in that hospital bed.”

Arc looks over to his fiancée. “How are you feeling, Applejack?”

“Right as rain, Arc. Why?”

Arc turns back to Cherry. “See? Just fine.”

Cherry giggles. “Yes, yes. She’s just a figment of your imagination, after all.”

“Something like that.”

Twilight appears confused. “What are you talking about, Arc?”

Derpy grins. “Yeah, let’s have some fun!”

Rarity smiles. “Here, here!”

Applejack plants her hooves firmly in the sand and arches her back. “I’m up for that!”

Arc chuckles. “Alright. Just give me on second.”

Turning back to Cherry, he continues.

“Anything else you can think of?”

Cherry puts a hoof to her chin. “Well… we’re supposed to be on that beach back on Earth, right?”

Arc nods. “That we are, yes.”

“Then why don’t you make all of us humans like you? At least for the occasion, that is.”

“I suppose I could, yes. But we’ve already done that before.”

Tapping his chin for a moment, Arc grins as he looks back to Cherry.

“To tell you the truth, there is something that I’ve been wanting to try for a while now.”

“Great! What is it?”

Arc smirks. “You’ll see.”

Snapping his fingers, Arc transforms himself into an Earth Pony. Cherry yelps, clearly surprised.

“A-Arc?!”

Arc grins as he waves a hoof. “Hey!”

Cherry cautiously steps toward him. “This is rather… surprising.”

Arc laughs as he looks to the mares. “What do you three think?”

Twilight nods approvingly. “I think it’s a very interesting choice you made there, Arc.”

Applejack smirks. “Right. That and you choose to be an Earth Pony too. Very nice choice there.”

Derpy giggles as she stretches her wings. “Knowing Arc as I do, he just wanted to start off slow. Without having to try and get used to any extra limbs, I mean.”

Rarity licks her lips. “You look very sexy, Arc.”

Arc turns to Cherry. “See?”

“While that does sound like something each of them would say, all of this is still just an illusion. Including them, I might add.”

“Not denying that. But it’s still nice though, don’t you think?”

Cherry looks to Applejack. “That it is.”

“So let’s have something to eat then.”

Applejack points a hoof. “I’ve got some veggies cooking over a fire around that next rock.”

Derpy sniffs the air. “It sure smells good.”

Rarity holds out a hoof to Arc. “Shall we be off then?”

Twilight giggles. “I think we should. Don’t want the food to burn.”

Arc nods as he steps forward. “Sure. Lead the way.”

Walking with the others toward the rocky outcropping in question, they see a small fire in the sand with sticks over it. Poked through them are veggies wrapped in tin foil which are sizzling nicely. Cherry grins as she turns to Arc.

“I see that you chose to keep the vegetables only diet going.”

Arc sit down on his haunches and shrugs. “Yes, well… I figured that if we’re all ponies here we should observe the proper dietary customs too.”

Rarity walks over to a stick. “Should we take these off now, Applejack?”

Derpy giggles. “I think we should. They sure do smell done.”

Applejack points a hoof. “Just this one, this one, and this one though. Those others take longer to cook.”

Twilight pulls several sticks out and levitates them with her magic. “Come and get it, everypony!”

They sit around the fire together and accept the food as Twilight gives it to them. As she levitates one into Cherry’s hooves the young mare instinctively draws back.

“Hold on a minute! That just came off the fire, Twilight!”

Arc laughs. “Yes, we wouldn’t want to burn our hooves on it!”

Taking the foil wrapped food from Twilight’s magical grip, Arc holds it out to Cherry before continuing.

“Not to worry. By my decree, no one is allowed to burn themselves here in my Sanctuary.”

Cherry appears confused. “How are you able to…?”

Arc interrupts her. “Remember, I have full control over everything here.”

“I… somehow keep forgetting that.”

Arc holds out the food to her. “Then why don’t you give this a try?”

Accepting the foil wrapped parcel, Cherry unwraps it and cautiously takes a bite. Turning to Arc, she smiles.

“It does taste very nice, yes.”

Applejack smirks. “Of course it does! This is an old family recipe, after all!”

Derpy giggles. “Well, you can thank Granny Smith for me then!”

Rarity nods as she swallows. “Yes, indeed! This is divine!”

Cherry sighs. “Sorry everypony. But I’m just used to certain… rules of nature.”

Arc appears confused. “What do you mean?”

“Food being especially hot when it comes off of the fire, for starters.”

“Ah! You see, I just didn’t want anypony to have to wait before…”

Cherry interrupts him. “Did you just say ‘anypony’, Arc?”

Arc nods. “Just getting into the pony spirit, I guess.”

Applejack looks over as she eats. “What’s wrong with that, Cherry?”

“Nothing, I suppose. It’s just… not something I’m used to hearing come out of Arc.”

Twilight smiles at him. “Well, I for one think it’s nice that he’s trying to embrace our Equestrian culture.”

Rarity nods as she looks him up and down. “That and becoming a very sexy looking stallion doesn’t hurt either.”

Derpy rests her head against Arc. “I’m just happy that we’re able to spend this time together. Ponyness or not.”

Arc smiles as he puts a hoof around Derpy’s shoulders. “Yes, it’s a whole new perspective for me as well.”

Twilight leans against the other side of Arc and sighs. “And you look really handsome too.”

Rarity giggles as nods approvingly at the sight before her. “That you do, dear.”

Derpy nods. “You do make a really cute stallion, Arc.”

Applejack steps behind Arc and wraps her hooves around his neck. “Pretty as a picture, handsome.”

Arc smiles and closes his eyes. “Thank you, everypony. I’ve wanted to try this for a long time now.”

Cherry nods approvingly. “And what do you think, Arc?”

“That I love all of you. Whether you’re in human form or pony.”

Twilight giggles. “And we feel the same about you.”

Derpy nuzzles his cheek. “Either works for me too.”

Rarity shrugs. “Human or pony, it doesn’t really matter in the grander scheme of things.”

Applejack rests her head on top of Arc’s head. “Just as long as we’re all together and happy.”

Arc puts his hooves around the mares next to him and sighs contentedly. “That’s really all that matters in life. Being with the ones we love.”

There is relative silence for a time other than the waves lapping at the shoreline and the mares making slight cooing noises. Suddenly a familiar voice rings out behind them.

“HEY!”

Turning, they see Princess Luna running toward them. Cherry looks to Arc, clearly confused.

“Um… is Princess Luna supposed to be part of your herd, Arc?”

Arc shakes his head. “No, she’s just a friend.”

Luna closes the distance in the sand as best she is able. At one point even losing a hoof protector in the process. Approaching the group, they see that she is covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Arc hurries over as she falls to her fetlocks in the sand.

“Luna? Is that really you?”

Luna nods, still out of breath. “Y-yes! Are you… you?!”

“It’s me.”

Clapping his hooves together, Arc returns to his true form and kneels down in front of Luna.

“How did you…?”

Luna interrupts him. “I don’t have much time, Arc! Tell me, what happened to you?! Twilight said you exploded, or something!”

“I don’t really understand it myself to be completely Honest with you. But I was somehow teleported to an alternate version of our world.”

Luna frowns. “Another version of Equestria?”

Arc shakes his head. “In truth, it’s a whole different dimension complete with an alternate version of both Earth and Equestria. But how did you…?”

Luna groans as she strains. “Found you… purely by luck! What should I tell… Twilight?!”

“That I’m safe and will find a way back eventually.”

“Eventually?!”

Arc nods soberly. “This other world needs the Hero of Light right now. They don’t have one, as the Hammers were killed in this dimension.”

Luna begins to fade away. “I’ll tell Twilight! We’ll come up with some way to communicate with you again! I promise!”

Arc puts a hand on her shoulder for but a moment before Luna vanishes from sight. Cherry moves to stand with Arc as the other mares look on silently. After a few moments Arc reaches out and pulls the lost hoof protector from the sand with a Telekinesis Spell. Pulling it to his hand, he takes it and looks it over for a few moments before Cherry breaks the silence.

“That really was our Princess Luna!”

Arc nods soberly. “Yes, it was.”

“But how did she get in here?”

Arc sighs as he gets to his feet. “I’m not really sure. However, considering that Luna has much more experience with Realm Magic than most, it’s not surprising that she was able to do such a thing.”

Cherry breathes a sigh of relief. “At least the others back in our home dimension will know that you’re safe and sound.”

“You mean ‘us’, right?”

Cherry shrugs. “Mostly you. Remember, I’m already dead, so I don’t really see how anything could harm me at this point.”

Arc sighs. “While that’s technically true, I still don’t want to see anything bad happen to you, Cherry.”

Cherry walks over to him and smiles sadly. “And I do appreciate the sentiment, Arc. But I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

“In the future, if something should happen, please don’t come back for me.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “Come again?”

“Like I said before, I’m already dead. My life as we know it is over and done with. But you… you still have your whole life in front of you. So don’t throw it all away to save somepony who’s little more than a talking ghost at this point.”

“I’m not sure that I’ll be able to do that though.”

Cherry looks over her shoulder to Twilight and the others still sitting by the fire. “You have to, Arc. After all, you of all people need to survive in order to marry those mares over there one day.”

“But leaving someone behind is…!”

Cherry interrupts him. “Trust me, Arc. That would be the right thing to do.”

Sighing, Arc nods slowly as he turns to look at the mares smiling at him. Snapping his fingers, they slowly fade away. Cherry appears confused as she turns to Arc.

“That was strange.”

“Oh?”

“Normally when you snap your fingers in your Sanctuary though things change immediately.”

Arc nods soberly. “Yeah, well… that’s because I generally want them to change. This…”

He gestures to the place where the mares were just moments ago before continuing.

“…this isn’t something I actually wanted. To see them go, I mean.”

Cherry sighs. “But they weren’t the mares you fell in love with, Arc.”

“I know. However… this was the best I could do to see them again.”

Waving a hand, the scenery around them vanishes to be replaced by darkness. A few moments later Arc’s quarters rematerializes around them. Walking over to the couch, Arc sits down heavily and looks up at the ceiling. Cherry calls out to him.

“And we’re back?”

Arc nods. “Yup. This is the real world. Well, the alternate dimension of it anyways.”

“And that… isn’t what you want?”

Arc shrugs. “What I wanted was to have a bit of a break from all of this.”

“You did seem to be enjoying yourself. At least from what I could see anyways.”

“I was, yes. And I am happy that Luna was able to make it into my Sanctuary and talk to me. She can tell the others that I’m safe, after all.”

Cherry breathes a sigh of relief. “They’ve probably been worried sick ever since you vanished that day at tea.”

Arc looks down. “The worst part is that I’ve… kinda been trying to put them out of my mind.”

Cherry sounds confused. “Why though?”

“To concentrate more on the here and now versus what’s going on back in our home world.”

“But that’s for the best.”

Arc sighs as he stands. “Yeah, I suppose that it is. But that just makes me feel even more guilty about it.”

Heading for the door, Arc calls forth his armor and steps into the corridor. Walking down the hall he continues speaking to Cherry telepathically.

“Guess I should probably go see how Applejack’s doing.”

Cherry giggles. “I’m sure she’d like that. Well… probably, I think.”

Arc shrugs. “We’ve never met before though. I mean myself and this dimension’s version of Applejack. So I’m not really sure how this is going to play out.”

“Considering the circumstances, she might think that you were just part of some kind of very vivid dream.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “But Applejack physically saw me in her hospital room when she woke up the first time.”

“All things considered though, you have to admit that it is a very hard pill to swallow. A large creature standing on its hind legs and wearing armor, I mean. To say nothing for the amount of sedatives she was under at the time.”

“All the more reason to see her again and confirm my existence.”

Reaching the Main Hall, Arc walks up to the stallion at Raven’s desk. Pointing to the map, he speaks.

“I need to return to Manehattan.”

The stallion nods. “Very well, sir. Please step onto the pad.”

Arc does so as the stallion begins manipulating the controls. When he is done he looks to Arc whom nods in affirmation. In a flash of light he vanishes from sight and reappears outside of the a fore mentioned city. Walking up to the gate, he looks to the guard on duty.

“I’m here to visit your hospital.”

The guard looks him over. “You do not appear to be injured though.”

“That is correct. What I meant was that I’m here to look in on a patient. Mayor Shining Armor should have put me on your list the last time I was here.”

Chuckling, the stallion rolls his eyes. “Very well. I shall look.”

Picking up a clipboard, the stallion looks it over for a few moments before raising an eyebrow and looking to Arc again.

“It appears that you are indeed on the list.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Was there ever any doubt?”

“Forgive me, but it’s not like we have many authorized visitors lately. But in any case, I shall admit you now.”

Pressing a button, the gates open to allow Arc entrance to the city. Stepping inside, he is met by an officer whom salutes and comes to attention.

“I shall be your escort, sir”

“Very well. Take me to see the mayor.”

The officer raises an eyebrow. “Forgive me, sir, but I was informed that you told the guard at the gate that you were here to visit the hospital.”

Arc nods. “I am, yes. However, first I need to get some paperwork from him.”

“Very well. This way please, sir.”

Leading Arc to City Hall, he is quickly admitted to the mayor’s office. After a short time, Arc leaves the office and looks to the officer whom is waiting for him patiently.

“Now I’m ready to visit the hospital.”

“Please follow me, sir.”

Making the short walk to the hospital, Arc enters and walks up to the front desk. The nurse looks to him nervously as he does so.

“C-can I help you?”

Arc nods. “I’m here to speak to one of your patients.”

“Do you happen to know the room number?”

“Yes. I merely wanted to check in here before entering the building.”

The nurse smiles shyly as she notices the officer escorting him. “Thank you, sir. Please proceed at your leisure.”

Arc proceeds down the corridor with the officer. Looking to his escort Arc addresses him.

“Pretty high security around here.”

“Orders by the mayor, sir.”

“Any idea why though?”

“He says it’s to prevent Canterlot from getting the drop on us, sir.”

“Makes sense, all things considered.”

Coming to the room, Arc sees a number of heavily armed guards stationed outside of it. The officer motions for them to step aside as Arc approaches the door. He knocks lightly before entering. Seeing Doctor Horse at the foot of the bed going over a chart Arc waits patiently to be addressed. After a few moments the doctor turns to him and speaks.

“Hello again, sir.”

“I’ve come for an update regarding Applejack’s condition.”

Doctor Horse gestures to the bed with a wave of his hoof. “The patient is still very weak. Still sleeping most of the time. However, they are indeed gaining strength as time goes on.”

“Any… uh… lasting effects from the earlier… affliction?”

The doctor shakes his head. “Not that we’ve been able to detect, sir.”

“What have you told the patient in her waking moments?”

“Just that she’s safe and sound here in Manehattan for the most part. My apologies, sir, but I wasn’t sure what I was allowed to tell her.”

“Sorry for not laying that out before I left the last time. In truth, there is no need to keep anything from her regarding her own state of being or what’s happening in the world around her.”

A rustling of sheets catching the pair’s attention. Turning to look, they see Applejack slowly opening her eyes and looking around with a blank expression. Doctor Horse makes his way to her side and smiles at the mare as he speaks.

“Can you hear me, Miss Applejack?”

Applejack nods as she slowly sits up. “Yeah, doc. I…”

Horse interrupts and pushes her gently back down onto the bed. “Please, you mustn’t overexert yourself!”

“But I…!”

She stops talking as she notices Arc standing nearby. Looking him over quizzically, she continues.

“You… you’re the one I saw before!”

Arc nods as he removes his helmet. “Yes, that’s right. My name is Arc. I led the group which liberated you from…”

Applejack cuts him off. “I’d like to turn myself in to you.”

Doctor Horse raises an eyebrow. “Miss Applejack?”

“For my crimes against Equestria and its citizens.”

Arc shakes his head. “While I appreciate it, that won’t be necessary.”

“But I…!”

Arc interrupts her. “It would appear that you were manipulated by Nightmare Moon into doing what you did.”

Applejack bows her head. “Tell that to all the ponies that I hurt.”

Horse nods soberly. “I already have.”

“What?”

“They wanted to be sure that they were safe here. So I informed them that their captors were taken down by the Hero of Light.”

Applejack grimaces. “So they think that I’m in prison, or something?”

“Dead, actually.”

Applejack gasps. “Why would you do that though?! I mean… that’s just not true!”

“Actually, it is. At least from a certain point of view.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “Elaborate, doctor.”

“The mare that did such things to them was more or less destroyed by the Hero of Light when he went into your mind to bring you back to us, Applejack. That and she will never again return as long as you don’t let her.”

Applejack puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “I… guess that’s at least partially true.”

Arc steps forward. “Listen to me, Applejack. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to change your actions in the past. But right now I need your help as an Element Bearer fixing the present and future.”

Applejack shakes her head. “I… I just can’t. Tell the others…”

Arc cuts her off. “We don’t have the others. We just have you.”

There is stunned silence as Applejack processes what was said. Eventually she speaks in a shaky voice.

“You mean… you mean that they’re… dead?!”

Arc sighs. “I’m hoping not. But there’s been no sign of the other five Element Bearers since the sun stopped shining. If I’m being completely Honest with you, I was kinda hoping that you could tell me where to find them.”

Applejack puts a hoof to her forehead. “I… I don’t…”

Laying back, she struggles to put the words together for a few moments.

“…everything that happened that day is really… muddled in my mind.”

Doctor Horse looks to Arc. “Please, sir. The patient really can’t take the stress of your questioning right now.”

Arc sighs. “Yes, it would appear that you are correct, doctor.”

He looks to Applejack before continuing.

“Before I leave you to get some rest though, I’d like to say something regarding your earlier request to turn yourself in.

Applejack bows her head. “I’m willing to face whatever consequences that the law deems appropriate.”

“You are being pardoned.”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “The Hero of Light can do that?”

Arc shrugs. “To be Honest with you, I don’t think so.”

“Then how…?”

Arc interrupts her as he pulls a scroll from his ring. “That’s why I got this.”

Doctor Horse looks at the seal. “From the mayor’s office?”

Arc nods as he hands it to the bedridden mare. “It’s an official pardon.”

Applejack appears confused as she reads it over. “But… but they don’t even know me! Why would somepony do such a thing?!”

“The mayor at the moment is Shining Armor. Twilight Sparkle’s older brother.”

Doctor Horse nods. “He’s been running the city since the trouble with Canterlot started.”

Arc taps the scroll. “I just told him that it’s what Twilight would want him to do. Were she her, that is.”

Applejack sighs. “Even though I don’t deserve it? I mean… I really should still be punished.”

Arc begins walking toward the door. “Then you can plead your case to the proper authorities when all of this is over. But in the meantime we all have a great deal of work to do.”

Applejack reaches out a hoof. “Wait!”

Arc turns back around. “Yes?”

“What about Twilight?! Is she okay?!”

“As I said earlier, we don’t have any information on her or the other Element Bearers whereabouts. That being said, I do currently have several… groups searching for her and the others as we speak.”

“Soldiers?!”

“You could call them that, yes. Well… some of them.”

Applejack again moves to sit up. “I want to help!”

Doctor Horse pushes her back down again. “Please, Miss Applejack! As I stated before, you still need to rest!”

“But…!”

Arc interrupts her. “The doctor is correct. You should…”

There is a knock at the door. The officer whom escorted Arc to the room enters and salutes respectfully. Closing the door behind him, he speaks.

“Sir, I’ve just been contacted by Mayor Shining Armor! Apparently there has been a security breech!”

Arc frowns. “Elaborate.”

“We captured an enemy scout from Canterlot! He was attempting to infiltrate the city via the front gate with some very authentic looking forged papers!”

Doctor Horse appears confused. “Then how was he apprehended?”

“The signature of the mayor was slightly off… and misspelled!”

Arc grimaces. “Shall I help in interrogating this operative?”

The officer shakes his head. “That will not be necessary, sir. I’m told that upon being found out he took his own life. We were able to confirm his intentions by going through his belongings though. There were a number of messages in code found on him along with other incriminating evidence.”

Applejack groans. “Hunting for intel on the city’s defenses, I would guess.”

The officer shakes his head. “No ma’am. It’s been confirmed that he was actually looking for you.”

Applejack gasps. “What?! ME?!”

Arc frowns as he puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Guess they want their Element Bearer back.”

Sighing, the officer turns to Arc. “Mayor Shining Armor has ordered that, for the sake of Manehattan’s security, you relocate the patient to the Lunar Resistance’s base as soon as medically possible.”

Arc looks to the doctor. “Can she be moved?”

Doctor Horse sighs. “Only on the condition of maintaining bedrest for at least another two days. After that she can move around more and do certain simple tasks.”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Nothing more stressful than basic household chores mostly, as you still shouldn’t strain yourself and shouldn’t be too far from bed.”

Arc nods. “Any medication required, doctor?”

“No sir. Just rest.”

Applejack raises a hoof. “Uh, excuse me. You mentioned something called the Lunar Resistance’s base a moment ago. What is that?”

Arc looks to Applejack. “It’s a military base located on the moon.”

Applejack gasps. “How would I even get all the way up there though?!”

“I have a way to ferry myself and others. If you are ready to leave, I will take you there now.”

Applejack grimaces. “Not so sure that I want to take that particular trip.”

Doctor Horse gestures to the officer. “As per the mayor’s orders though, it is for the sake of the city and its inhabitants. After all, we don’t have much in the way of standing forces with which to repel a full-scale attack from Canterlot should they choose to go the direct route.”

Arc sighs. “Please understand that this is for both yours and the city’s protection, miss.”

Groaning, Applejack nods sadly. Slowly sitting up, she allows the doctor to remove the wires from her monitors. As he finishes, Doctor Horse helps her stand up. Applejack turns to Arc and slowly walks towards him with her head down.

“I’m ready when you are.”

Arc nods. “Very well.”

Holding out his gauntlet, Arc opens a portal. Applejack instinctively steps back, wide-eyed.

“What the hay is…?!”

Arc interrupts her. “This will take us to the Lunar Resistance’s base on the moon. Not to worry though, as it’s completely safe.”

Applejack gestures with a hoof at the swirling energies. “Are you sure?!”

“Completely. I use them all time.”

Taking a deep breath, Applejack steps through. Arc salutes the officer as he follows her closely. A split second later they reappear in his quarters inside of Light’s Hope. Looking around, Applejack turns to him nervously.

“This doesn’t look like any military base I ever heard of.”

Arc gestures to the window. “It’s just my quarters. Take a look outside though.”

Doing so, Applejack gasps as she sees Equus in the distance. Turning back to him, she grimaces.

“We really are on the moon, aren’t we?!”

Arc nods as he recalls his armor. “Yes, we are. Forgive me to bringing you here, but I wanted to speak to the base’s leadership on what we should be doing regarding your specific case.”

Nodding to the table, Arc continues talking as he picks up his phone.

“Please have a seat. I’ll summon them here at once for an impromptu meeting.”

Applejack does so as Arc makes the call. A few minutes later there is a knock at his door. Opening it, he steps back to allow Cherry, Spitfire, and Tempest to enter. Cherry is the first to speak as Arc closes the door behind them.

“We came as soon as we…!”

Spotting Applejack sitting at the table, Cherry runs over to her.

“Applejack?!”

Applejack gasps. “Cherry Jubilee?! What the hay are you doing here?!”

“What am I…?!”

Spitfire walks over. “She’s the general of the Lunar Resistance.”

Tempest shrugs. “Or ‘mayor’ as she likes to be called these days.”

Cherry nods. “Something like that. We’re just trying to survive these days.”

Arc joins them. “All of that is over now though.”

Applejack frowns. “What does that mean?”

Arc gestures to the table. “We should all sit down first.”

They do so as Arc turns to Applejack and continues.

“You more or less know what’s happened to the country below, I assume?”

Applejack nods. “A lot of bad stuff, yes.”

“No one’s been able to get into Canterlot since then either, causing the major cities to begin more or less ruling themselves.”

Tempest taps the table. “Manehattan, Baltimare, and Las Pegasus are the three major holdouts at this point.”

Spitfire shrugs. “And other than us up here on the moon, pretty much everypony else has fled to one of those cities.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Or, at least in theory, gone into hiding elsewhere.”

Applejack groans. “Like my friends, I hope.”

Arc sighs. “At the moment we really have no idea where they are. But as I said back at the hospital, we are looking.”

He turns to Cherry before continuing.

“In any case though, I called you and the others here to make sure it was okay for Applejack to be here.”

Cherry appears confused. “But… this is YOUR base, sir.”

Spitfire raises an eyebrow. “If anything, we’re the guests here.”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “And even if we weren’t, nopony can really say ‘no’ to the Hero of Light’s orders.”

Arc shrugs. “Then think of it more as a courtesy.”

Cherry smiles at Applejack. “Believe me when I say that you’re safe here with us.”

Applejack appears relieved. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard that Canterlot was looking for me.”

Arc turns to Spitfire. “We should keep a lookout here for agents of Canterlot as well. After all, who’s to say that they won’t find a way up here.”

Spitfire nods as she gestures out the window. “I’ve already spoken to the Nightborn about that very thing. They’ve agreed to have their… shadow creatures, or whatever those things are, patrolling the grounds at all times.”

Tempest frowns. “Do they now?”

Cherry puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen anything out there though.”

Spitfire looks out the window. “They’re supposedly more of an astral projection at that point, I’m told.”

Applejack raises a hoof. “Um… excuse me?”

Arc turns to her. “Yes, what is it, Applejack?”

“I know that I just got here, and all. But… I don’t suppose anypony has heard what happened to the rest of my family?”

Cherry bows her head. “Apple Bloom and Big Mac weren’t in Ponyville when the Nightborn evacuated the town though.”

Arc looks to Applejack. “Could you tell us where they would have been at that time of day?”

Applejack nods. “When it all happened, I was at Sweet Apple Acres doing both mine and my older brother’s chores. Big Mac was taking Granny Smith to the hospital for her regular examination while Apple Bloom was having a sleepover at Carousel Boutique with her friend, Sweetie Belle.”

Arc sighs. “We’ve yet to hear from or learn of either Rarity or Sweetie Belle’s location at this point.”

There is a long silence as Applejack sits there wordlessly with a blank expression on her face. Eventually she looks to Cherry.

“So… they’re not here then?”

Cherry shakes her head. “I’m afraid not, no.”

Spitfire looks to Arc. “I can send messages to the main cities asking if they took refuge in one of them.”

Arc nods soberly. “Please do so.”

Tempest pulls out a small notepad and turns to Applejack. “We’ll need their names and descriptions.”

Cherry frowns. “But shouldn’t we make sure Applejack is properly bedded down first? After all, she was just released from the hospital a short time ago.”

Spitfire shakes her head. “We really need to get this ball rolling though.”

Arc nods. “Agreed. It won’t take long.”

Tempest takes down the information as Applejack dictates it. Finishing her task, she heads for the door with Spitfire. Turning back from the doorway Tempest looks to Applejack.

“We’ll get right on this.”

Applejack calls out. “How long until you know anything though?!”

Spitfire shrugs. “Hopefully within a day or two. But with the state of affairs these days, it’s anypony’s guess.”

Cherry looks to Applejack as the mares leave the room. “Why don’t we get you to a private room for some rest now?”

Applejack shakes her head. “No, that’s alright. I can stay with the others in the common dormitories.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “While that is an admirable attitude, Doctor Horse was very adamant that you needed proper bedrest, Applejack.”

Cherry sighs. “And you can’t really do that properly in the dormitories we have here. What with a bunch of foals running about along with our other members coming and going off shift as well.”

Arc stands and motions to the door. “Cherry and I will escort you somewhere private now.”

Nodding, Applejack hops off of her seat and walks slowly toward the door. Arc leads her and Cherry down the corridor to a very fancy looking door. Pushing it open, he gestures to the room before them.

“You should be able to rest peacefully here.”

Applejack sighs as she walks over to the bed. “I don’t think I will though. What with my family missing, and all.”

Cherry helps the mare into bed. “Don’t worry about a thing, Applejack. We’re on the case.”

Applejack lays her head back on the pillow. “I hope something comes up soon.”

Arc nods soberly. “If it does I’ll see to it they’re brought here immediately.”

Applejack smiles sleepily. “Thank you, sir. Please find them for me.”

Arc heads for the door. “We’ll do our best.”

Leaving the room, he walks down the corridor toward the War Room. Cherry (as in the version of her within his head) calls out telepathically.

“What do you think their chances are, Arc?”

“Of finding the rest of the Apple family alive and well?”

“Yes.”

Arc sighs. “Admittedly, pretty low at this point.”

“I know that this mess supposedly started about a year ago. But one would have thought that they would have made it to safety by now and tried to track down Applejack.”

“There’s that too. But one might look at it another way.”

“Oh? And what’s that, Arc?”

“They may be keeping a low profile intentionally in order to stay off of Canterlot’s proverbial radar.”

“I do hope you’re right, Arc. After all, Applejack wouldn’t take the news that something happened to them too well.”

“Then we’d better start with them.”

Cherry sounds confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

Reaching the War Room, Arc enters and walks over to an empty desk. Turning some dials and pressing buttons on a radio, he calls out.

“Lunar Resistance to Manehattan. Come in please.”

A few moments later Shining Armors voice rings out through the speaker.

“This is Manehattan. Go ahead, Lunar Resistance.”

“Hero of Light Arc here. I wanted to inform you that we just finished moving Applejack to my base. She’s resting here peacefully in a VIP suite.”

Shining Armor sounds relieved. “Thank you for that, sir. She’ll be safer up there with you anyways.”

“Hopefully, yes. But in any case, in an interview she gave us a short time ago Applejack mentioned that her family was away from the farm when things went sideways in Ponyville. I’m having my staff notify the refuge cities and see if they’re at one of them. Manehattan included, of course.”

“Any leads on where each family member was last seen?”

“Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were either on their way to or at the hospital getting her a checkup. And her little sister Apple Bloom was at Carousel Boutique having a sleepover with Rarity’s… younger sister.”

“We’ve had no contact with Rarity, no. Sadly, I don’t think anypony else but her would know where to find those two fillies. To say nothing for the brother and grandmother, that is.”

Arc sighs. “Yes, well… if you could contact our agents in the northwest regarding this matter, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’ll have them focus on figuring out Rarity’s location then. With any luck, she and the fillies will have stuck together since the day the moon rose.”

Arc nods. “Three birds, one stone.”

Shining Armor sounds confused. “Sir?”

“Nothing. Just a bit of a euphemism. But in any case, we need to collect everyone if this is going to work.”

“We’ll do our best, sir.”

“Good. I’ll leave this matter in your care then. Lunar Resistance out.”

Pressing a button, Arc cuts the transmission and turns off the radio. Standing, he makes his way over to the main office and enters. Seeing Tempest and Spitfire on the desk phone together he waits patiently for them to finish their conversation. Sometime later they hang up and look to him. Spitfire is the first to speak.

“They’ll start a search of their territory for Rarity.”

Tempest nods. “With luck she’s in one of the major cities with the two fillies.”

Arc sighs as he sits down. “While I hope so, I can’t imagine Rarity not trying to make contact with the others.”

Spitfire shrugs. “The trans-continental phone lines aren’t working though, as they all pass through Canterlot.”

Tempest puts a hoof on the phone. “Other than via a military grade radio, which our phones run through, nopony from one town can speak to anypony else in another.”

Arc frowns. “Not sure if that’s encouraging or not though.”

Spitfire points to the map on the wall. “It’s an even money bet that she’s in one of the three cities though. But at this point in time, we can’t really do anything else other than wait for word.”

Tempest nods as she turns to Arc. “So, what should we be doing in the meantime?”

Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “That’s… a very good question.”

Spitfire gestures out the window with a hoof. “We can’t just sit around doing nothing, after all!”

Tempest frowns. “True. But by the same token, we also shouldn’t feel the need to act out of a need to simply be taking action. Or make unnecessary moves on our part either. It could leave us vulnerable to our enemies.”

Arc turns to Spitfire. “Do you have any more information on that griffon invasion we stopped?”

Spitfire appears confused. “You mean the one at Dodge Junction?”

Arc nods. “Yes. I mean… has there been any more trouble from them on our soil?”

Spitfire shakes her head. “Not a thing, no. Then again, we did humiliate them pretty bad back there.”

Tempest scoffs. “I still thing that we should have gone a step further and wiped them out then and there.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “And turn this cold war into a full blown one? I don’t think so.”

Spitfire nods. “I’m on Tempest’s side on this one, sir. After all, they were the aggressors back then. That and the Griffon Kingdom doesn’t have the resources to fight a second war on yet another front. Especially one that is across the sea.”

Tempest smirks. “Perhaps we could capitalize on that.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

Tempest puts a hoof to Griffonstone on the wall map. “They’ve got to be getting pretty desperate for resources at this point if they were willing to invade Equestria.”

Spitfire looks out the window. “Just like Abyssinia is right now I would imagine.”

Tempest nods. “The furballs across the sea would most certainly be doing the same as the griffons. If they had airships like the Griffon Kingdom does, that is. All they have are sea faring ships though.”

Spitfire looks to Arc. “According to Baltimare and Manehattan, the Abyssinian ships always stay far enough from our shores to avoid any kind of confrontation.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “So they’re patrolling near our waters?”

Spitfire shakes her head. “Fishing, actually.”

“Fishing?”

Tempest puts a hoof to her stomach. “It’s still pretty gross to me.”

Arc points out the window. “Why here though? I mean, they have plenty of ocean around their own shores.”

Spitfire sighs. “Because their waters have been more or less fished out.”

Tempest shrugs. “Feeding an entire nation along with their ever-expanding military war machine isn’t exactly easy, after all.”

Spitfire nods. “Or cheap either.”

Arc folds his arms and looks out the window toward Equus. “Which means that they’ll eventually be in the same position as the Griffon Kingdom is. And that may very well lead to them coming up with the idea to hit Equestria for badly needed resources.”

Tempest brandishes her knife. “So, are we planning on taking the fight to them first then?”

Spitfire frowns. “That would make us the aggressors though.”

Arc clenches a fist. “It may just come to that. After all, we can’t be worrying about them taking the initiative to invade when it comes time to retake Canterlot.”

Tempest smirks. “So if that’s truly the case then we have to strike first.”

Arc shakes his head. “Surgically.”

Tempest frowns. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re an agent of Equestria, am I right, Tempest?”

Tempest nods. “I am, yes. What about it?”

“Would you agree that many conflicts could be brought to an end with a properly sized military force?”

“Of course.”

Spitfire steps forward. “Anything could be solved that way.”

Tempest frowns. “But usually it’s better to send in a smaller group ahead of the main force. Or even in place of an army entirely as the situation warrants.”

Spitfire scoffs. “And if things go wrong, you’re stuck out there with no way home.”

Arc nods. “Right.”

Tempest turns to him. “Which one of us are you talking about, sir?”

“Both actually.”

Spitfire raises an eyebrow. “How could we both be…?”

Arc interrupts her. “Think about it. There are times when a number of smaller forces can do more damage to an enemy over a full blown army and military campaign ever could. It’s about knowing what level of force is required to meet the trouble at hand. Send too many soldiers and you’ll just lose troops needlessly. Too few and the mission is lost due to them being overwhelmed.”

Tempest groans. “I still don’t understand what you’re saying that we should do though.”

Arc shrugs. “Without more information, nothing.”

Spitfire grits her teeth. “So you would let them tread on our soil unopposed?!”

Arc shakes his head. “No. But we need to know more about both theirs and the Griffon Kingdom’s situation before committing to a plan of action.”

Tempest smirks. “With your permission, I can scout out their lands. See what’s going on over there.”

Spitfire shakes her head. “That would be extremely dangerous though, Tempest. After all, it’s not like you could blend in with the locals.”

Arc puts his hands on the desk. “Both of you are right. We need intel on those two countries very badly. But at the same time, it’s going to be dangerous even getting there without being blown out of the water.”

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “How about we get there via airship then? We can just fly high over the clouds so as not to be seen.”

Spitfire groans. “We’d need an airship then. And more importantly, a crew to fly it.”

Arc smirks. “An airship and crew, eh?”

Tempest turns to him. “You have an idea where to find such things?”

“In a manner of speaking. Let’s start with the crew aspect first.’

Spitfire puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “They’d need to be smart, brave, and highly skilled to pull off such a thing.”

Arc nods. “Anyone you can think of?”

Tempest looks to Spitfire. “What about your former post?”

Arc chimes in. “Luna Bay Prison.”

Spitfire frowns. “You know about that too?”

Arc nods. “Yes. What happened to the prison when the sun stopped shining though?”

Spitfire groans. “In a word… pandemonium.”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “I can just imagine. But I’m assuming that the Hero of Light was referring to the prisoners.”

Arc nods. “Right.”

Spitfire grimaces. “It’s… complicated.”

Arc shrugs. “Then do your best to explain it to me.”

Spitfire sighs. “Alright.”

Taking a deep breath, she continues.

“For months prior to the fall of the capital, orders came in almost daily regarding prisoner transfers from Luna Bay Prison to the Canterlot dungeons.”

“Is that out of the ordinary?”

Spitfire nods. “Admittedly it is, yes. You see, once a prisoner has been tried and incarcerated, they don’t generally leave until their release date comes around. Or a change in their sentencing due to new information regarding their case.

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with anything though?’

Spitfire turns to her. “Think about it, Tempest. Nightmare Moon must’ve taken over the capital city long before anypony even suspected that anything was amiss. She probably pulled strings to get disgraced former guards as well as other criminals within Canterlot’s walls prior to lowering the sun for the last time.”

Tempest grits her teeth. “To bolster her ranks with criminals whom would eagerly do her bidding.”

Arc frowns. “So you’re saying that the prison is empty then?”

Spitfire shakes her head. “Sadly, no. When prisoners were transferred away, new ones came to take their places.”

Tempest folds her hooves over her chest. “Let me guess. The loyal guards of Canterlot?”

Spitfire sighs. “You guessed it.”

Arc frowns. “And you just let them be kept prisoner?”

“Their papers were always in order. All of them had been found guilty of various crimes against Equestria.”

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “Then what tipped you off that something was amiss?”

“I had been suspicious that something was wrong in Canterlot for some time prior. However, the sun suddenly setting and Canterlot going dark was the final straw.”

Arc frowns. “Are you saying that you abandoned your post?

Spitfire shakes her head. “Not until I had released the prisoners, no.”

Tempest gasps. “You just let everypony go?!”

Spitfire shrugs. “I meant that I released everypony from their cells.”

Arc appears confused. “Why though?”

“It didn’t appear that anypony in general population actually deserved to be sent there. That and I couldn’t just leave them to rot in their cells for crimes they most likely never actually committed. So I explained what I knew about the situation in Canterlot over the intercom system and used my keycard to open every cell from the control room.”

Arc appears hopeful “What about the warden, General Virtuous Lance?”

“He… didn’t want to leave the prison. So he decided to stay and lead those whom remained within those walls.”

Tempest frowns. “So you’re saying that there’s a prison full of loyal guards and you didn’t see fit to say ANYTHING before now?!”

Spitfire nods. “Yes. Before I left the general warned me that doing so would make them a target of the military. So he told me to flee the prison and report that it had fallen from a large scale prison riot.”

Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Then no one would bother sending troops there to restore order, since they thought that the prison was merely full of the dead.”

“You got it.”

Arc appears hopeful. “By any chance is there a Captain Tight Ship imprisoned there?”

Spitfire appears surprised. “Actually there is, yes. How did you…?”

Arc turns to Tempest. “We need to make contact with the general as soon as possible.”

Tempest grins wickedly. “Good idea. We’ll need the soldiers when the time for action arrives, after all.”

Arc frowns. “I was thinking more along the lines of getting ourselves a flight crew to pilot an airship.”

Spitfire steps forward. “We can do both, you know.”

Tempest grunts. “Can, but shouldn’t. Remember, we need to keep as much as we can a secret from Canterlot.”

Arc nods. “Agreed. We’ll get the flight crew if possible while restocking the prison’s food stores for those whom are staying there.”

Tempest grins slyly. “They could be a future trump card. A secret army that can be used at the proper time.”

Spitfire looks out the window at the new greenhouses. “What should we say is our reasoning for sending so much food to an undisclosed location though?”

Tempest groans. “Right. It’ll look suspicious to be stockpiling so much food in an out of the way place.”

Arc shrugs. “I’ll just say that it’s going to a secret supply depot that’s being prepared as a fallback location.”

Spitfire nods. “It wouldn’t be a total lie either, as we could legitimately use the prison as a fallback location in the event that the moon is compromised.”

Tempest grins. “Sounds like we have the makings of a real plan here.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Agreed. But none of this will mean anything if we don’t get General Virtuous Lance himself on board with the idea.”

Spitfire turns to Arc soberly. “I can arrange a meeting between him and you, sir. When do you want to see the general?”

“As soon as I can. Like first thing tomorrow morning if possible.”

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “You don’t waste any time.”

Arc shrugs. “As it stands, we don’t really have much of it to waste. That and it’s unknown just how well they’re doing over there at the moment.”

Spitfire chuckles. “The prison is stocked to operate independently for years at a time if necessary. In truth, they’re probably doing better than we are supply-wise.”

Tempest scoffs. “Oh yes, eating prepacked meals for months on end is my idea of a good time too.”

Spitfire shrugs. “While I admit that they don’t exactly taste the best, the meals are nutritious and filling.”

She looks to Arc before continuing.

“But if we can start supplying them with fresh fruits and vegetables it’s likely that the prison and its guards will be in a better place with which to remain on standby until needed.”

Arc nods. “Exactly. Notify the general that the Hero of Light and his entourage wishes to meet with him as soon as possible.”

Tempest stands. “I want in on this mission.”

Spitfire grins. “As do I.”

Arc nods. “And normally I would agree with that. However, this needs to be done secretly.”

Spitfire frowns. “How so?”

“I’ll give strict orders not to be disturbed tonight, saying that I’m feeling a bit out of sorts and need to catch up on some rest. Spitfire will go to my quarters in order to ‘check’ on me in the morning and tell the others that I’m feeling a bit under the weather. Tempest will corroborate her story and suggest bedrest until I’m feeling better.”

Tempest grins. “And nopony will be the wiser.”

Arc chuckles. “Right. They’ll think that I’m just resting in my quarters. When in reality I’ll be out meeting with the general at the prison.”

Spitfire sighs. “And how exactly are you planning to get there?”

“It’s near Vanhoover, right? I could teleport there and hoof it the rest of the way to the prison.”

Tempest rolls her eyes. “If by ‘near’ you mean a week’s walk, then yes that’s totally a viable option.”

Spitfire looks to the map on the wall. “I have the coordinates of a small rock clearing just outside the prison that General Virtuous Lance and I agreed to use when travelling there. You can use that to safely get close to the prison.”

Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “That solves one problem anyways. But there’s still the matter of the stallion on teleporter duty.”

Spitfire shrugs. “If it would help, I can send you there very late in the evening or early in the morning when everypony else is asleep. That is, if whomever is on duty could be persuaded to step away for a few minutes.”

Arc smirks. “I can make a fitting distraction. Then you send me over to the spot outside of the prison, I make a sigil nearby, and take a portal back here until it’s time for the meeting with the general.”

Tempest nods. “Sounds like you two have a real plan figured out.”

Arc looks to Tempest. “The three of us. Remember, Spitfire will need you to agree with her story in an effort to make it plausible.

Tempest groans. “I still think that I should come with you.”

Spitfire grimaces. “Agreed. You really shouldn’t be going anywhere alone at this point, sir.”

Arc chuckles. “Who said anything about me going out alone?”

Tempest raises an eyebrow. “You mean to say that you’re taking somepony with you other than us?”

Arc nods. “Yup. Like I said, you two are needed here to make the plan work. That and if something were to come up while I’m gone, I’m confident that the pair of you, along with Cherry, could handle it.”

Standing, Arc walks over to the window and looks out toward Equus. Sighing, he continues.

“I know this isn’t exactly what you two think I should do. But please respect my decision here and make the necessary preparations.”

Nodding, the mares stand and leave the office together. Cherry calls out to Arc telepathically as the door closes behind them.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea, Arc? After all, you didn’t exactly have the best time when last you went to Luna Bay Prison.”

Arc nods soberly. “Very true. However, this time things will be different.”

“How so?”

“First off, I’m not going in there as a criminal. And second, it really needs to be done.”

“I admit that it would be helpful to have a number of troops in reserve for later, yes. However, we don’t really know whom is in there for legitimate reasons and whom can be trusted.”

“That’s why I’m meeting with the general.”

“Oh?”

“Knowing him like I do, it’s an even money bet that he knows exactly whom can be trusted in there and who’s a legitimate criminal.”

“There’s more to this than just an airship crew and soldiers, isn’t there?”

Arc sighs. “Yeah. I also don’t like the idea of innocent guards, whom just wanted to do the right thing for those whom they are sworn to protect, being left to rot in jail for crimes they didn’t commit.”

“Like you were.”

Arc nods as he turns to leave the room. “Let’s just say that I know all too well how such a betrayal feels.”