//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Imprisoned by Destiny // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Arc returns to the armory. Luna and the Hammers are busy catching up. “Don't you feel a little... oh I don't know... belittled, working for the new Hero of Light?” Silver Hammer shakes her head. “Quite the opposite actually! It's an honor to work for a hero like him! He's already done so much more for Equestria than we ever did, or could have imagined doing!” Arc joins them. “I'm far from perfect, but I try! Raven's getting the papers typed up as we speak. They should be ready in about an hour. Thank you, Princess Luna. I appreciate you doing your part to keep my troops supplied!” “Think nothing of it! All of our soldiers deserve armor and weapons that are in functional condition, after all!” “Well, it's about time for supper. Would you like to join us Princess Luna?” Arc looks to the Hammers. “All of you are invited, of course!” Steel Hammer nods. “Thank you Arc. I think we will!” Luna sighs. “That's very kind of you Arc, but I really should be getting back to Canterlot.” Arc smiles at Luna. “I’m sure Saffron would like another chance to cook for you.” “Well... let me see how Cadance is doing first. Arc, can I use the phone in your office please?” “Sure. Right this way!” Arc and Luna leave the armory together. Silver Hammer smiles at her husband. “It's good to see Princess Luna hasn't changed a bit!” Steel Hammer sighs. “Yes… although I wish she trusted Arc more.” “What do you mean?” “I see the way she looks at him with a suspicious gleam in her eyes. She used to look at us the same way.” Silver Hammer nods. “Trust isn't earned overnight dear! Don't worry about it. She'll come around eventually! Arc escorts Luna to his office. He sits on a couch while Luna makes the call. It lasts only a few minutes before she hangs up the phone. Luna walks over to Arc. “Cadance says she has today's paperwork under control and not to worry about her.” “That's good to hear!” Luna sighs. “Not really. I could tell she was making the whole thing up. Right now, our office is probably filled to the brim with papers. She worries that I need more time off.” “Do you?” “I... don't have the time to take time off!” Arc smiles at her. ”That wasn't the question!” “In any case... how about that supper now?” “I thought you would never ask!” Arc leads Luna to the Cafeteria. The orphans have finished their own supper and are outside playing again. She fills her plate at the buffet and sits down at the table with Silver Hammer, Steel Hammer, Platinum Valve, and Arc. Derpy and Dinky walk in the door. “Derpy! Glad you and Dinky could join us!” “Hi Arc! How are... Princess Luna?!” Derpy and Dinky bow respectfully! Luna shakes her head. “Please! Don't let me keep you from your meal!” “Thank you Princess Luna!” Derpy and Dinky get some food and join Arc and the others in their evening meal. Dinky sits down next to Arc. She leans over to give him a hug! “I missed you dad!” “And I missed you too sweetheart! You know, you and your mother are welcome here anytime. The two of you could even live here if you wanted to.” Dinky’s eyes light up! “Really?! Can we, Mom?!” Derpy shakes her head and smiles. “No Dinky. We already have a home.” Dinky and Arc respond together. “AWWWWW!!!” “Arc, don't worry about us. We'll be fine in my little cottage. And besides... I need to make sure you always have a home to come back to!” They continue with their meal. Princess Luna looks over to Arc. “I know this may sound a bit strange, but... is this what a family meal is like?” “Pretty much. Nice, isn't it?” “Indeed!” Dinky look up at the princess. “Princess Luna? Don't you have a family you share your meals with?” “No dear. The closest thing we had to this back then were formal dinners when my mentor would entertain heads of state.” “What was that like?” Luna frowns. “Boring. Very, very boring. We were just there to observe and learn how such dinners were supposed to go. To tell you the truth, my sister and I were always glad when they were over!” The group finishes their meal and enjoys a nice dessert of cake together! Luna nods her head approvingly as she wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Thank you for the meal Arc! Your chef certainly does not disappoint!” “That's probably because I didn't tell her you were out here.” “I appreciate that!” Arc turns to the Hammers. “It's getting late. If you would like, you may stay the night here. We have several very posh guest rooms.” Platinum Valve looks to her parents, excitedly! “Can we?!” Steel Hammer nods. “Well... I suppose so. Thank you for your hospitality... boss!” Arc laughs! “Please! Just call me Arc! We're all equals here, right?” Raven walks into the Cafeteria with a sheaf of papers and an inkwell. “Commander, here are the forms you requested.” “Thank you Raven. If you could have Princess Luna sign them, we can get started righting this wrong.” Raven walks over to Princess Luna and sets the papers before her along with the inkwell. “Your Highness, if you could please sign here and here...” Luna does so “Thank you Princess Luna. I will file these with Canterlot first thing in the morning.” Raven walks over to Arc and hands him a paper. “Here is the authorization of payment, Commander. It will allow Steel Hammer to be properly paid for his work. Just sign the line at the bottom to make it legally binding and give it to him when the job is done.” “Can't I just take care of that now? I mean, he's going to need a lot of seed money to get a job of this size off the ground.” “Traditionally craftsmen are paid only for completed job, commander. But that is completely up to your discretion.” Arc signs the paper and passes it to Steel Hammer. “There you are! 50,000 bits!” “Thank you Arc! We won't let you down!” “I know you won't. Now would it be easier for you to work from our forge here, or from your shop?” Steel Hammer looks slightly embarrassed. “I was kinda hoping you would ask that. Your forge is actually better than my own right now!” “Bring whatever tools you need from your shop tomorrow morning and we can get this train a-moving!” Steel Hammer smiles! “Yes sir... I mean, sure Arc. We'll have it done in no time!” Silver Hammer stands up. “Well, we should probably make sure we have the correct numbers from the Armory before turning in for the night. It was very nice seeing you again Princess Luna!” Luna smiles and nods in agreement! “Don't be strangers now! Next time I'll have you over for dinner in Canterlot!” “We look forward to it!” The Hammer family leaves the Cafeteria as Arc looks to Derpy. “Want to spend the night as well? I know it's not the same thing, but I have a mat in front of the fireplace in my quarters that has your name written all over it.” Derpy nods. “Thanks Arc! I think Dinky and I will!” “YAY!!!” Arc looks over to Luna. “Why don't we all head to my quarters for a bit. There are a few other things we need to talk over.” “Splendid! I would be interested in seeing what you had built there. Hard Hat tells me you completely redrew it!” “I hope that's all right. I know you spent a lot of time and effort on the plans for this building!” Luna nods! “No, it's fine Arc! Whatever makes you comfortable!” Arc leads the way to his quarters. Upon entering they find Ember sprawled out on the couch, relaxing. “Hey Ember, we have company!” Ember looks over at Princess Luna. “Who's your friend?” “This is Princess Luna. She's the one in charge of Equestria at the moment.” Ember puts forward a claw in greeting. “Glad to meet you! Name's Ember!” Luna shakes Ember’s claw politely! “I must say I've never met a dragon face to face before! My sister always took care of diplomacy with the Dragon Lands. It's nice to finally meet somepony who doesn't bow and scrape when they meet me.” “No problem there! Dragons aren't much for that sort of thing anyways.” Arc motions to the couch. “Why don't we sit down around the fireplace?” Arc, Dinky, and Ember sit on the couch. Luna and Derpy lay on the floor in front of the fireplace. Derpy looks over to Luna. “Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable on the couch, Princess Luna?” “Thank you, but no. Truth be told I rather enjoy ‘roughing it’ as it were! In my youth I used to enjoy sleeping out under the stars.” Luna turns to Arc. “Admittedly, this room isn't really what I was imagining. Truth be told, I was expecting it to be quite a bit more extravagant!” “Hard Hat made it to look exactly like Derpy's house. I always felt very comfortable there, and it will serve as a constant reminder of my humbler beginnings.” Luna nods. “That's a very reassuring attitude, Arc! Now, what was it you wished to discuss?” “Truth be told, I meant to talk to you about this a while back, but you know how it is. Busy, busy, busy! I was hoping you could advise me on a method I could use to kill Tempest should she return.” Luna shakes her head. “Sadly, no. Cadance and I checked the Royal Armory and even our forbidden texts for an answer! According to Sunburst, we really have no defense against such a creature as she! That ‘Spear of Devotion Coco Pommel used to end your last battle. Whatever happened to it?” “I locked it up in my vault. At some point I should return it to her. She is the chosen pony to wield it, after all!” Luna nods. “That weapon alone appears to be the only thing in Equestria that can give Tempest pause.” Ember considers this for a moment. “But I thought she was really weak when it was used against her. Could that have anything to do with it?” “I suppose it is possible. Arc, I wouldn't put too much faith in using that method of defeating Tempest a second time! She’s used to learning and adapting!” Derpy puts a hoof to her chin. “What about the Elements of Harmony, Princess Luna? Would those work?” Luna thinks for a moment. “I don't see why not! Tempest is no fool though. If she sees the Element Bearers approaching her, she will most likely flee and wait for a better opportunity to strike!” Derpy looks very concerned! “Princess Luna? Are you saying there's nothing you can do to help Arc?” Luna puts a wing around the mare. “Don't you worry. We'll think of something.” Dinky looks over! “What about me?! My power was enough to slow her down!” “It did indeed weaken her, but it certainly didn't stop her. Not that I didn't appreciate your help back then, Dinky!” The filly grins up at her father. Arc sighs. “Look, I hate to suggest this, but we really need to think of some way to kill Tempest once and for all. Right now, all we have are ways to slow her down or weaken her.” Ember brandishes her claws, angrily. “How about I tear her throat out?” “Somehow I don't think that will work.” Arc tells all assembled about his dream earlier that day. “I mean, I literally ripped her apart and she just came back together! Brute force is not the answer here!” Ember looks indignant! “It was a dream Arc! Besides, I'm better at tearing things apart than you are!” “Trust me on this Ember. It won't work!” Ember replies frantically! “It WILL work Arc! It has to! I...” She wraps her arms around Arc and draws close to him as she tears up. “It... it has to! I... don't want to lose you to that MANIAC!!!” Arc puts an arm around Ember. “Don't worry. We'll think of something. I'm not going down that easily!” Derpy’s eyes light up! “Could we somehow banish her to Tartarus?! At least then she would be contained!” Luna thinks for a moment. “It is indeed possible. However, I believe as slippery an opponent as she is, she may very well find a way out!” “True, but it's worth a try. At the very least it will buy us time!” “Yes. Arc let me see your gauntlet a moment.” Arc calls forth Eidolon's Ward and holds his left hand toward Luna. She touches her horn to Arc's sigil-making gauntlet. A small spark appears. “There! You should be able to use the sigil magic in your gauntlet to open a one-way portal to Tartarus at will now!” Arc opens a portal. Looking through it, he sees the inside of the temple where he first arrived in Tartarus.” “Creepy! Thanks for the upgrade though.” “You are welcome Arc. Your life may depend on it one day! Just do me one favor and only use it against Tempest herself, or anypony who is truly deserving of it! I don't want what Twilight did repeated!” Arc returns the gauntlet to his ring. “I will. We'll try to think of a Plan B in the meantime. Can I offer you a room Princess Luna? It really is quite late.” Luna nods. “Thank you Arc. I would like that.” “This way. I'll escort you to one of our Guest Rooms.” The pair stand. Arc leads Luna to the room Trixie used during her stay. Luna looks around the spotless room. “I think I will be comfortable here.” “Good. However, there is one last thing I would like to speak with you about. I would have done so earlier, but this is a rather... delicate matter.” Luna walks over to the couch and sits down as Arc does the same at the other end. “What is it?” “Have you taken any action against Lord Goldstone for what he did to Raven?” “I have passed on a report to Griffonstone.” “And...?” Luna bows her head. “Sadly, I doubt any action will be taken against him due to his position in their society. I'm sorry Arc. I truly wish I could do more to right this wrong, but short of going to war with the Griffon Kingdom, there is nothing else I can do. I'm sorry... really I am!” Arc looks as if he may explode in a fit of rage, but in a few moments he is calm again. He stands and speaks in an eerily calm voice as the turns to leave the room. “Thank you Princess Luna. I will take things from here.” Luna looks toward Arc, warily. “What are you going to do?!” “Tomorrow morning I’m heading to Griffonstone and break his legs. ALL FOUR OF THEM!!! I may even rip off his...” Luna jumps off the couch! “ARC!” “I'll go alone and keep to the shadows. No one will have to know it was me.” She walks quickly toward him! “You can't do that! It would be an act of war!” “I KNOW THAT!” Arc brings both of his fists down on a small table near the door, smashing it to pieces! He leans against the wall red faced and breathing heavily. “I know... that. I'm sorry Princess Luna. It's just... I hate the thought of anyone using their authority to take advantage of the weak! And then using his position to get out of having to pay for such a disgusting act?! It just makes my blood boil! Raven deserves better than this!” Luna walks toward Arc and places a hoof on his back. “Arc, listen to me. Do you think I like this any more than you do? Having the power to act, but the foresight not to is quite the bureaucratic burden at times. Arc, look at me!” Arc turns around to face Luna, still red in the face. “Now... if you will calm down, I do have a plan.” “Plans... are good.” Luna nods. “I think it's about time I sent a diplomatic envoy in response to their visit a while back. I want you to be Equestria's representative and make this matter right!” Arc looks at her, slightly ill! “I'm not going to do THAT to one of their females!” “I would hope not! That would most certainly not be fair to either of you! My hope is for you to spend some time there learning their laws and customs. Find a way to take this Lord down, but for Celestia's sake, play by THEIR rules! No violence without provocation!” “Very well. I will do this! And Princess Luna...” “Yes?” “I'm sorry for blowing up earlier.” Luna looks to Arc, understanding. “It's alright. Just be sure to keep a level head on this mission! I'm not trying to put too much pressure on you, but if you lose control of your emotions, a lot of innocents will lose their lives in the conflict that follows. Remember that.” “I understand. Believe me, if I have anything to say about it, that won't happen!” Luna smiles at Arc. "I know you can do this! Tomorrow when I get back to Canterlot, I’ll get to work getting everything in place for your diplomatic mission. Just be aware that it’s going to take QUITE some time to set this up. Month… years even!" Arc nods. “I understand the wheels move slowly. But they do move!” “That they do. Now if you will excuse me... I am rather tired.” “Of course. I need a good night's sleep as well. Pleasant dreams, Princess Luna.” Arc leaves the Guest Room as Luna sits down on the bed and sighs. “I'm sorry Arc. I wish I didn't have to deceive you like this...” Arc returns to his quarters. Derpy and Dinky are laying on the mat in front of the fire. “I have another guest room if you two would be more comfortable there.” Derpy smiles at him! “Thank you Arc, but this is where I’m happiest!” Dinky yawns. “Good night dad!” “Good night, you two.” Arc retires to his room for the evening. Meanwhile in Luna's room, the Princess of the Night paces the floor impatiently! “I do wish he would hurry up...” As if on cue there is a slight rapping on the window. Luna opens it with her magic and a robed figure jumps through it into the room. “My apologies Princess. It took longer than I anticipated to sneak away!” “Never mind that. What have you discovered? Is Arc ‘dirty’?” The robed figure shakes his head. “Quite the contrary, your Highness! He's so clean, he positively squeaks! I've never seen anypony as selfless or incorruptible as he is! However, you were right about him keeping secrets from you!” Luna narrows her eyes. “Elaborate.” “His recent adventures into the Aqueducts under Vanhoover was not directly in response to Tempest's actions.” Luna stakes her head. “I don't understand. What else could he have been looking for?” “Truth be told, he is actually investigating Captain Decimus at the moment. He had reason to believe that the two were connected.” Luna rolls her eyes. “Decimus?! He's almost as blameless as Arc himself is! The only thing Arc is guilty of in that regard is wasting time chasing shadows!” “Begging the Princesses pardon, but that is not entirely true.” Luna again narrow her eyes suspiciously. “What do you mean?” “When I discovered Arc's investigation into the captain's affairs, I too felt the same way about it. However, Arc has indeed uncovered quite a few disturbing facets of Decimus' life! They are purely circumstantial at this point. Although I believe he may very well be on to something here!” Luna nods. “Just to clarify... there is no concrete evidence against Captain Decimus, correct?” “That is right. Arc is being quite thorough in his investigation. If there really is something to find, you can bet Arc will uncover it!” “This matter with Decimus... it's just so hard to accept.” “I would not give it too much thought princess. If you or Princess Cadance were in any real danger, I am sure the Hero of Light would not keep it to himself.” Luna nods. “I am sure he wouldn't. Arc has proven to be as trustworthy as he is noble!” “Forgive me Princess, but if you trust Arc so much, why did you order me to spy on him?” Luna walks over to the window and looks up at the moon. “Arc has taken a much more... involved role than any other Hero of Light before him! While I certainly hope he is doing so out of piety or duty, I can't help but wonder if he doesn't have some kind of ulterior motive.” “Come now! You don't really believe he's trying to overthrow you, do you?” Luna closes her eyes and sighs. “I can't take that chance...”