//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - International Aid // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Arc leaves the Infirmary with the others. Ember turns to him. “I assume you have a plan Arc.” He walks quickly toward the Teleporter Pad as he calls forth the rest of his armor! “I do. Help the citizens of Panthera!” Max nods. “Where do we start?” “By talking to the King of Abyssinia. I can't order aid to enter the country without his permission!” Ember frowns! “Why not?!” Viktor sighs. “Because it would look like we were invading! I mean… Belle already referred to us as the Equestrian Invasion Force!” Arc nods! “Right! Let's hurry!” He and his companions quickly leave the Lunar Destiny. Arc mounts Sereb as his squad surrounds him! “Move out! To the castle, double time!” Arc and company run down the main street toward the Royal Palace as Ember flies overhead. In several places they see glowing yellow eyes peeking out at them from various buildings. Xenos looks to Hugh. “I wonder why no one is trying to stop us.” Hugh sighs. “If Belle is any indication of the state of this city, they probably lack the strength to do so.” Ember calls out from the air! “We're going to change that!” Arc nods! “Right!” As they approach the Royal Palace, two armored cats cross their spears! “HALT! State your purpose!” “I am Arc. Hero of Light and Lord Regent of Equestria! I have come to see the King on a matter of great urgency!” “Y-yes sir! Please go right in!” Ember lands on Sereb's back behind Arc as they pass. “That was easy!” Arc nods. “They know they couldn't stop us even if they wanted to.” Sereb sighs. “They were quite malnourished themselves.” Max looks to Sereb. “How could you tell?” “Their voices and smell. They reeked of hunger and desperation.” Ember looks over Arc’s shoulder. “This land is running out of time!” “Agreed.” The group quickly makes their way to the Throne Room. The guards at the entrance do not even try to stop them! Entering the Throne Room, the group walks down the red carpet toward two cats sitting on thrones next to each other. The king and queen look to them, quizzically. “Who... who are you?!” “If you've come to plunder our land, I think you'll find you’re a bit too late for that.” Arc dismounts Sereb and approaches the king and queen. Recalling his helmet, chest-plate and greaves to look somewhat less threatening. “I have not come to take what little you appear to have left. My name is Arc.” The king’s eyes grow wide! “Are you...” Arc nods. “Yes. I am Equestria's Hero of Light and current Lord Regent. I've come here today to...” They king quickly stands along with his queen. “Please! Say no more, exalted Lord Regent!” As they near him they fall to their knees and remove their crowns. “As rightful monarch of Abyssinia, I Felix, hereby relinquish my crown to you, Lord Arc.” He hands over his crown. “I surrender to you, Lord Regent of Equestria... unconditionally.” The queen quickly does the same! “As rightful queen of Abyssinia, I Fiona, also relinquish my crown to you Lord Arc. I only ask... no... BEG you to spare our citizens! Please! Many of them are starving!” Arc looks at the crowns in his hands before turning back to the monarchs. “Are things really so bad here that you would so easily turn over control of your nation?!” Queen Fiona sighs and nods. “Yes. Under Equestrian rule, our nation will be protected from the pirates that plague our land!” King Felix bows low! “Please help our citizens... Lord Arc!” Arc kneels down in front of the pair. He puts their crowns back on their furry heads before taking their paws and helping them stand up. “I will help you and your citizens. However, I have no interest in ruling over this land.” Queen Fiona raises and eyebrow is disbelief! “What?!” Arc nods! “We have much to discuss. However right now we need to help your citizens!” King Felix looks to Arc and smiles! “Thank you sir! But how?!” Arc touches his earring! “You there, Lemon Hearts?” “Yes sir, go ahead.” “The situation here is critical! Tell the Cafeteria staff to set up tables in front of the city with as much food as they can prepare! Spare nothing! I'm sending my squad back to help! Also notify Canterlot that we need as much emergency aid as they can send as quickly as possible! That includes food, water and medical supplies!” “Right away sir!” “Good! Arc out!” Arc turns to face his squad. “You four head back to the Lunar Destiny now! Have every available set of hooves help with setting up and feeding the citizens! Go!” Arc's squad salutes and quickly flies away! He and Ember turn back to the king and queen. “Thank you for your Generosity and compassion, Lord Arc!” “Yes! Our citizens would not have survived much longer!” “It's my pleasure. I only hope it's enough! Now if you would be so kind as to inform your citizens that help is on the way I'd appreciate it.” The king nods! “Yes, Lord Arc! Right away!” He waves over some of his guards who hurry away to spread the word to the citizenry! Queen Fiona looks to him skeptically. “Lord Arc, while we do appreciate what you're doing, I must ask... why?” “Why what?” “Well, we certainly haven't been on the best terms with Equestria for some time! Our nation is not really strategically located, nor do we have any valuable resources to speak of other than our trade routes.” King Felix sighs. “Which have all but evaporated with the incursions of the pirates, I might add.” The queen nods. “I guess what I'm trying to say, as politely as possible I might add, is... why are you doing this?” “If the two of you would come with me to my ship, I will show you why.” “Well... alright.” Arc opens a portal. “Very well! Shall we go?” Queen Fiona points a claw at the portal. “What is THAT?!” “It's how the Hero of Light gets around. This portal will take us to my cabin about the Lunar Destiny. My ship is parked just outside the city gates. Ember, can you please show our new friends here how it's done?” “Sure!” Ember walks through the portal and vanishes from sight! Arc turns back to the monarchs. “My bodyguard is now waiting for us in my cabin.” Arc gestures to the portal. “After you!” The monarchs nervously enter the portal. Sereb follows them with Arc in the rear. They appear on the sigil in Arc's chambers. The king and queen look around! “Incredible!” The queen looks out the window at the palace in the distance. “We're so far! And quickly!” Arc nods! “Painlessly too, I might add.” Ember turns to him. “Arc, I'm going to help the kitchen staff make preparations.” “Sure, go ahead.” “Are you coming Sereb?” Sereb shakes his head. “My duty is to Arc. I will continue to guard him.” “Suit yourself!” Arc motions for the king and queen to follow him. “This way.” As the group slowly walks down the corridor Queen Fiona turns to Arc. "Sir? Your bodyguard... what is she exactly?” “A dragon. Why?” “Forgive me, but we have only heard stories of such creatures. Are they all of the same temperament?” “I only know a couple dragons. The others are much less... benevolent.” King Felix shudders at the thought. “Then I suppose it is just as well we don't know any.” “I'm sorry. There are most likely dragons other than Ember who are perfectly civilized individuals.” King Felix thinks for a moment. “Ember... where have I heard that name before?” The queen turns to Arc. “Is she perhaps well known in Equestria?” “Not really. She's Dragon Lord Torch's daughter though, so...” “WHAT?!” “Is that a problem?” King Felix looks to Arc, amazed! “How did you manage that?! Did you defeat the Dragon Lord himself?!” Arc shakes his head. “No. I actually met Ember before I became the Hero of Light. It's quite a long story, so it will have to wait for another time.” Queen Fiona smiles and nods! “I look forward to hearing it!” “Yes, well here we are.” Arc leads the monarchs into the Infirmary. Nurse Redheart is very busy gathering up medical supplies in putting them in her bag. She walks over to them as they enter. “Lord Arc! I just received word that I may be needed outside to treat the citizens of Panthera! What happened?!” “They're will most likely be many patients suffering from malnutrition. Canterlot will be sending help shortly.” Nurse Redheart breathes a sigh of relief! “Good! I only have four hooves!” Arc nods! “I know you'll do your best in the meantime.” “Thank you sir! Is there something I can help you with?” “No. I just wanted to visit our friends from earlier.” Nurse Redheart points a hoof to a curtained off area. “They're right through there. Now remember, the patient needs her rest. She may not be completely coherent, as all her energy is going into digestion right now.” Arc nods. “Thank you. We won't stay long.” He leads the monarchs toward the curtain. “Belle. It's Arc. Can I see you please? There's someone here who wants to meet you.” A tired sounding voice rings out. “Y-yes.” Arc slowly pulls back the curtain. The king and queen gasp as they see Belle's thin face looking back at them only semi-conscious! “Wh-what?!” “How did this happen?!” Arc sighs. “My bodyguards and I found her like this on our way to the Palace.” He walks over to the incubator and stands behind it. “However, I actually brought you here to meet another friend of mine.” Arc uses his magic to carefully uncover the small kitten's frail body and her exposed ribs! Her small paws shake from lack of nutrition, a breathing tube is lodged down her throat, several tubes are intravenously feeding her nutrients while others are hooked up to different machines which hum behind him! King Felix stares at the kitten, horrified! “That... that poor little...” Belle looks to the monarchs. “L-Lord Arc... he saved her. Sh-she was d-dying. He... he brought her here. Nurse... s-saved her.” Arc uses his magic to again cover the kitten's small frame. “This is why I'm here! THIS is why I'm doing what I'm doing! Maybe we'll save a thousand... perhaps a hundred! He looks back at the suffering kitten. “...maybe, just one.” Queen Fiona looks to him, tears in her eyes! “Th-thank you Lord Arc!” “Let's allow Belle and her daughter to rest now.” Arc leads the group out of the Infirmary and back to the corridor. “Let's go to the Bridge and see how the captain is doing on getting aid out here!” The king and queen nod as Arc leads them down the hallway to the Bridge! As they enter Soarin spots them! “Uh... Royals on the Bridge!” “Commander Soarin, where is the captain?” Soarin points to the Captains Office. “He's talking with Canterlot on what supplies to send.” “Good. I need to see him about just that.” Arc's group enters the office together. “Yes! As much as can be spared! Wait a moment.” Tight Ship looks to Arc. “Captain Shining Armor can send a plethora of military rations, but that would cause our own forces to go hungry should they need to be deployed!” Queen Fiona looks to Arc, pleadingly! “Please Lord Arc! As you've already seen, our citizens are literally starving!” Arc takes the phone from Tight Ship and puts it to his ear. “Shining Armor, this is Arc. Here's what I want you to do! Get every bit of food we can comfortably spare and ship it over to Panthera!” “Yes sir. But that's really just a drop in the bucket! It won't feed an entire nation!” Arc nods! “I know! Just get that done while I try to think of somewhere else to get food!” “I'll see to it!” “Good! I'll call you later when I think of something. Goodbye.” Arc hangs up the phone. Tight Ship looks to him. “Sir, where ARE you planning on finding more food?!” “I haven't a clue. Any ideas King Felix? Queen Fiona?” “Sorry. Not a one.” Queen Fiona looks uncomfortable. “Lord Arc, can we talk somewhere a bit more private?” He looks to her, confused. “Um... okay. Follow me.” Arc leads the king and queen to the Meeting Room and closes the doors behind them. “Have a seat!” They all take a seat as Arc takes his place at the head of the table. “Now what is it you wanted to say?” Queen Fiona looks down at her lap. “I just wanted to confess something.” Arc nods. “Go ahead.” “This food shortage didn't happen overnight! It's been an ongoing problem since the pirates started coming.” “That much I assumed, yes.” King Felix sighs. “As you know, Equestria is a lush and fertile land where food is plentiful! Ours is a barren country with little agriculture. When we heard that Equestria's princesses were all out of commission, my queen and I decided this was a golden opportunity!” Arc narrows his eyes. “I'm starting to see where this is going.” Queen Fiona nods. “Forgive us, but we started to make preparations to invade your country!” King Felix looks to Arc, desperately! “We had a land full of hungry citizens! At the time we saw no other choice!” “I see. What made you change your mind?” Queen Fiona sighs. “We were days from launching an all-out assault when we received word that you had successfully conquered Yakyakistan! While not as numerous as we are, the yaks are powerful warriors! If you could so easily defeat them, what chance did we have?! “Rather than let our preparations go to waste, we decided to use our military forces to lay a trap for the pirates.” “You see, they always flew in from the east. It seemed a simple enough task to lie in wait for them to come.” Arc nods. “But it didn't quite go according to plan?” Queen Fiona nods. “Correct. Somehow the pirates knew of our plans! They came from the east, as they had many times in the past.” “As my military commanders were communicating with me via radio the pirates suddenly launched a multitude of what could only be described as flying barrels! Inside was a strange liquid the quickly turned to a gas that hung low in the air!” Queen Fiona shudders! “I can still remember hearing our forces gasping for air as the gas ate away at their skin and caused them to suffocate!” Arc’s eyes grow wide! “Chemical warfare?!” The king nods. “I suppose you could call it that, yes. We lost nearly all of our military forces that day.” “All we have left are the Town Guard and handful of survivors from that attack. All of them are bedridden. Our doctors tell us they will never fully recover.” King Felix looks to Arc, pleadingly! “We cannot defend against another invasion! That is why, when you sent us your letter wishing to talk peace, we invited you to come here, Lord Arc.” Queen Fiona nods sadly. “Even in slavery we would have the protection of Equestria! Although it came as quite a surprise to us when you did not take advantage of our plight!” Arc thinks for a moment. “That gas sounds an awful lot like something back on Earth called Mustard Gas!” “You know of this substance?!” Arc nods. “It was first used to kill entrenched soldiers during my home world’s first world war!” Queen Fiona looks to Arc, wide-eyed! “A world war?!” “Not our best idea to be sure. I learned in history class that by the end of that war 100,000 soldiers had been killed by the gas! To say nothing of the roughly 1,000,000 soldiers who were hurt by it!” King Felix trembles at the thought! “How awful! Was that the end of your race?!” Arc shakes his head. “No. We lived to fight another world war decades later. Hopefully we've learned our lesson, but it's not likely.” He stands and paces the floor. “This pirate is no mere brigand! He's not leading a band of misfits! This guy is leading a bona-fide ARMY!” Queen Fiona nods! “As he stole from us, his wealth grew! He used it to upgrade his arsenal exponentially!” King Felix sighs! “He may very well be unstoppable at this point!” “If he gains much more power, he's not going to be content raiding a city that has nothing more to give! Next, he'll start attacking the neighboring countries!” “What do we do?!” Arc stops pacing and rests his hands on the table in front of the monarchs. “He must be stopped! The line must be drawn HERE! Not just for Abyssinia... not just for Equestria, but for the entire WORLD!” King Felix nods! “Agreed! But how?!” “I'll think about it while we help your citizens.” Arc again paces the floor. Looking up he spots a picture of a bowl of fruit on the wall. He snaps his fingers and points to it! “There's our solution!” Queen Fiona looks at the picture. “While the painting is a nice likeness, sadly we can't eat a picture of food.” “No, no! I have a friend who owns an apple orchard! I'll see what they can spare!” “I suppose it's a start!” Arc rushes back to the head of the table and picks up the phone! Lemon Hearts greets him. “Yes, Lord Regent?” “I need to speak to someone at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville at once!” “Right away sir!” A few moments later the call is patched through. Applejack picks up the phone! “Sweet Apple Acres! Applejack speaking!” “Applejack, it's Arc!” “Hey there sugarcube! Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened the other day at the school!” “It's not a big deal, Applejack. But right now we have a huge problem on our hands! I need your help!” “Sure thing! I'll do whatever I can. What do you need?” “I need every apple you can spare!” She raises an eyebrow. “Come again?!” “The neighboring country of Abyssinia is almost completely without food! They're literally starving over here! Canterlot will compensate you for the apples, jams, pies, or whatever else you can spare! I'm not asking you to give away your livelihood for free now!” “Tarnation! When do you need them?!” “Immediately! I'll teleport over there and pick them up in a little while!” “Alright Arc! We just started harvest season, so we don't have but a few dozen bushels harvested and stored in the barn! We've got lots of Zap Apple Jam though!” “Thanks Applejack! I'll be there soon!” “See you in a bit! Bye!” Arc hangs up the phone before turning back to the king and queen. “I have to go back to Ponyville for a bit. I'll leave my ship and subordinates here, save for my bodyguards.” King Felix nods! “We'll help with the distribution of food until you return!” Queen Fiona looks to him quizzically. “Yes, but how will you get across the ocean without an airship?!” “With my Sigil Magic.” “It has that kind of range?!” Arc shrugs. “I dunno. Guess we'll find out!” He leads the king and queen outside to where the Lunar Destiny's waitstaff have setup a makeshift soup kitchen! Arc spots his squad with Ember and quickly heads over to them with the monarchs! Max salutes him! “Sir! Is Canterlot sending aid?!” Arc nods. “Yes. We just need to hang tight!” Ember frowns. “What are we supposed to do in the meantime?” Xenos looks to her with determination! “We're gonna feed everypony!” Viktor sighs. “We don't have THAT much food though!” Arc kneels down and places a sigil on the ground. “Don't worry. I'm going on a bit of a supply run. Just be ready to catch whatever comes out on this end.” Max nods! “I'll see to it sir!” Arc turns to Ember and Sereb. “I don't actually know if my Sigil Magic will work this far out. If you two want to stay here, I understand.” Ember shakes her head. “We're coming!” Sereb nods. “Agreed.” Arc steps on the sigil with Ember and Sereb, smiling. “I don't know why I even ask sometimes...” The sigil glows but Arc and his friends do not dematerialize. Sereb sighs. “Perhaps we are too far away.” Arc strains! “I need to give it more power! Just have to connect the two locations...” Ember sighs. “There's no shame in admitting you can't do something impossible Arc!” “I... I can do this! I... I HAVE TO!” The air suddenly feels heavy as the crystal in Arc's forehead suddenly begin to glow! He levitates about a foot off the ground as he appears to channel power from the gem! “Here we go!” Arc, Ember and Sereb disappear from sight! Hugh turns to Viktor. “I wonder where the commander is going for food.” Viktor shrugs. “There's nowhere around here that I can think of.” Queen Fiona looks to the pair. He's heading to a place called Ponyville. Max looks at her, dumbfounded! “What?! But that's across the ocean!” Xenos shakes his head! “No teleportation magic is THAT powerful!” Hugh shrugs. “It wouldn't be the first time we've seen him do something that should be impossible!” Meanwhile... Arc and company reappear on the sigil in Derpy's house! Ember looks around! “Woah! That worked?!” Sereb watches as Arc lands gently on his feet. “Arc? Are you... alright?!” Ember quickly moves to steady Arc! “How do you feel?! Do you need to rest?!” “I’m okay. Really!” “What?! HOW?!” Sereb shakes his head. “Such an outpouring of magic should have sapped your strength. Standing should not be possible.” Arc heads for the door. “We'll talk about it on the way! Let's go!” The group steps outside. Arc mounts Sereb as Ember jumps on behind him and wraps her claws around him! “Sweet Apple Acres, Sereb! And hurry!” Sereb runs at top speed down the road! Arc turns to Ember. “To answer your question, somehow I was able to draw power from the gem in my forehead! Ember frowns! “Where did the crystals get the power then?!” “No idea!” Sereb grunts. “That does not sound safe.” “Maybe not, but neither is leaving Abyssinia without food any longer than necessary!” Ember nods. “Great! Yet another mystery to solve!” Arc smiles! “Never a dull moment.” The trio quickly makes their way to Sweet Apple Acres! Big Mac and Apple Bloom are hurriedly moving baskets and crates out of the barn as Applejack tirelessly bucks apple trees in an effort to harvest more apples! Apple Bloom runs over to Arc as he and Ember approach! “I'm sorry Mr. Arc, but this is all we have.” Big Macintosh nods sadly. “Eyup.” “Thank you! It will have to do!” Applejack suddenly collapses! “Big sis!” Everyone runs over the Applejack who is lying in the grass, panting! Sweat pours from her body as Arc kneels down over her! “I… I… I'm sorry sugarcube. But that's all I can do!” Apple Bloom pats Applejack on the head. “It's okay big sis! Just rest! You did everything you could!” “Eyup!” Apple Bloom bucks a nearby tree with her small hooves to no avail! Seeing her trying so hard gives Arc pause. “I have an idea! Ember, come with me!” Arc and Ember rush to the barn as Apple Bloom turns to Sereb. “What do you suppose they're up to?” “I haven't the faintest idea.” A few moments later Arc and Ember emerge from the barn carrying as many baskets as they can! “Line them up!” Ember hurries to carry out Arc's instructions! “What for?!” “I’m not fully sure! The idea is still coming together in my mind!” “Wait?! Are you saying...?” Arc sighs! “Yup! A half-baked plan!” “Great! I thought we were past this! You were doing so well too!” “No one's perfect, Ember!” The pair finish their task and return to Applejack’s side. Sereb looks to him for guidance. “What now Arc?” Arc picks Applejack up and sets her on Sereb's back. “Everyone go stand by the barn! I need to concentrate!” The group quickly does so! Applejack looks up, weakly. “What? What's Arc doing?” Sereb turns his head to look his charge in the eye. “I do not know.” Arc focuses his magic as he stands in front of the baskets. “I can do this...” Arc begins to levitate again as the crystal in his forehead glows! He floats there for a few moments appearing to be concentrating! Suddenly a multitude of apples fly off the trees and gather above Arc's head, the mountain of apples quickly overshadows the barn and much of the orchard! The others can only look on in amazement! Apple Bloom is the first to speak! “Incredible!” Big Macintosh nods, slack jawed. “EYUP!” Arc points at the buckets in front of himself one by one, as he does so the apples above him quickly move to fill them. In but a few minutes every basket is filled! Arc lands gently on the ground and puts a hand to his forehead as he sits down heavily on the ground! Ember runs to him. “ARC!” “Whew! That one took a lot out of me.” Apple Bloom looks to her friend, concerned! “Are you okay Mr. Arc?!” “I... think so.” Ember speaks in a concerned tone. “Are you sure?!” “Y-yeah... just need a few moments to catch my breath. Apparently, this crystal boosts my magical prowess. However, it appears its power source is... me. Applejack looks up weakly. “Crystals?” Ember frowns! “Well, don't use em then!” “Might not have a choice! Lives hang in the balance, Ember!” Sereb nods. “Yours included Arc.” Arc slowly gets to his feet. “Well, in any case, we got what we came for. Applejack, is it alright for us to buy all these apples?” “S-sure. We can harvest more to fill our other orders.” Arc walks over to Applejack. “Thanks! But please don't try so hard in the future, okay?” Ember mutters under her breath. “You're one to talk, Arc.” Applejack nods weakly. “I'll try sugarcube.” “Sereb, can you take Applejack to bed please?” Applejack looks up in protest! “What?! But, I...” “Go rest now Applejack. I insist! Take a nap at least.” Sereb walks toward the house as Applejack mutters under her breath. Arc walks over to Apple Bloom and kneels down in front of her. “Do you think you could take care of a really important job for me, Apple Bloom?” “Sure! What is it?!” “We're going to start sending these apples to Abyssinia now. Can you handle inventory management please?” Apple Bloom looks up happily! “Oh boy! Sure I can! Just let me get big sis' clipboard!” She runs to the barn and returns a few moments later with a clipboard. Ember looks at the rows of baskets lined up neatly. “Are you sure you can handle this?” “Sure! I've seen Applejack do this a hundred times! All I have to do is put a mark down for each basket of apples on one side, and a mark on the other side for each crate of Zap Apple Jam!” Arc smiles at the eager filly. “Sounds like you've got this under control, Apple Bloom. You ready to do this you two?” Ember and Big Macintosh take their places at the front of the line of baskets. “Eyup!” Ember gives him a thumbs up. “Ready when you are, Arc! Just don't push yourself too hard!” Arc begins to levitate again. “No promises... here we go!” With great effort Arc opens a portal back to Panthera. He strains, using all his energy to maintain the portal! “Okay, do it... HURRY!” The others get to work! Ember looks to Arc as he continues to channel magical energy! “You okay over there?!” “It... it's unstable! I'll have to maintain the portal manually!” Ember nods! “We'll go as fast as we can!” Big Macintosh pushes a crate of jam through the portal. "Eyup!" Sereb emerges from the house and runs up to the group! He picks up several baskets of apples with his magic and directs them through the portal! “I will help as well.” In short order Ember, Big Macintosh and Sereb complete their task! Ember pushes the last crate through the portal. “That's the last of them Arc.” Arc nods and calls out in a weak voice. “Ember, Sereb... go through the portal! I'm right behind you.” Ember jumps on Sereb's back as he runs toward the portal. The pair disappear through the twisting nether as Arc turns to Apple Bloom. “Thank your sister for me.” Apple Bloom nods. “I will!” Arc turns toward the portal and Blinks into it. The portal closes behind him! Apple Bloom looks at the clipboard. “I think I better let big sis handle adding all this up.” Big Macintosh looks over Apple Bloom's shoulder at the tally marks, wide-eyed. “EYUP!” Meanwhile... Ember and Sereb step out of the portal. They find what is most likely the entire city lined up for the evening meal. Max nods at the stack of goods before them. “That's a lot of apples!” Xenos lines up the last crate. “You got that right!” Hugh opens up a crate of Zap Apple Jam. “You could feed an army with all this food!” Viktor picks up a basket of apples and flies them over to a table. “Or an entire city! But where is the commander?!” Ember turns her head to look at the portal. “He should be right behind us.” Sereb nods. “I'm certain he is fine.” A few moments later Arc emerges from the portal as it collapses behind him. He falls to the ground, breathing heavily as he lies there. “Whew!” Ember jumps off of Sereb and hurries to his side. “ARC!!!” Arc looks up at her as she helps him sit up. “Did we... do it?” Ember nods! “Yes. It looks we did! How do YOU feel though?!” He smiles up at her, weakly. “Like a nap.” King Felix and Queen Fiona quickly approach Arc! “Thank you very much for the help, Lord Arc!” “Are you... okay?!” “Yes. I just need to rest now. It's been quite a day.” Queen Fiona nods! “It's been quite the day for us as well! It's good to see our citizenry eating again!” King Felix nods as he looks over to the line. “Thank you again for doing this, Lord Arc!” “My pleasure. Now I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to lie down now.” Queen Fiona smiles at him. “Of course, Lord Arc! You've certainly earned a rest!” King Felix nods! “We'll help your forces distribute the food now!” Arc looks at the horde of cats lined up. “Sounds good. I'll help too... after a rest.” Ember helps Arc get into Sereb's saddle. “Oh no you're not! You're going to bed right now! Bodyguards orders!” Sereb nods. “I agree with Ember. You need to rest now, Arc.” Arc yawns. “I guess that's settled then. See you in the morning King Felix... Queen Fiona.” King Felix nods happily! “Rest well, Lord Arc.” Queen Fiona waves after him. “We will come see you again in the morning.” Sereb ferries Arc back to the Lunar Destiny. King Felix turns to his wife. “We should probably get to work now.” Queen Fiona looks back toward the city. “I'll join you shortly dear. I just have to quickly take care of something.” The king nods and heads toward Arc's crew. “Alright. Just don't be long! We have a lot of mouths to feed!” “See you in a bit, dear!” Queen Fiona quickly makes her way back into the city's now deserted streets and quietly slips into a nearby alleyway! She cautiously looks around nervously. Eventually a voice rings out behind her. “Your majesty...” She almost jumps out of her skin as she turns around!” “Why do you always DO that?!” A strange, short, stubby creature chuckles at her reaction from the shadows. “Heh, heh, sorry. In any case, you're late!” Queen Fiona glares at him! “My apologies, but it seems the situation has shifted.” “Oh? How?” She sighs. “The new Lord Regent of Equestria finally showed up.” The creature nods happily! “Good! That should make the boss happy! He's been in such a mood lately.” Queen Fiona looks to him angrily! “Well, you can go tell ‘the boss’ that his little plan almost cost my citizens dearly!” He looks down with what appears to be genuine remorse. “Do you really want me to tell him that?” The queen rolls her eyes. “No. He'd probably enjoy hearing about it.” The little creature pulls an apple out of his cloak and munches on it. “Yup. So... here's what the boss wants you to do...”