//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Prerequisites // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// The room is silent as Arc’s words sink in. Dinky runs up to her father and throws her hooves around his neck as she starts to cry! “Dad? Are you… going away forever?!” Arc hugs Dinky. “No sweetheart. I’m just going back to Earth to prepare to rescue Princess Celestia. When I finish that task, I’ll come back to Equestria for good!” Derpy looks nervous “What then?” “I’ll retire as the Hero of Light, go back to my old job as Problem Solver and live here with you and Dinky. “ Dinky wipes away the tears. “I… I’ll miss you while you’re gone dad! How long will it take?” “I don’t know sweetheart. It could take months.” Ember’s eyes grow wide! “Months?!” Arc nods. “Maybe longer.” Derpy slowly steps forward. “Arc. I don’t know if Dinky and I can be apart from you for that long! I know this may sound selfish, but… is there any way that we could… come with you?” Dinky’s face brightens! “Yeah dad! I’ll miss you too much!” “While I would miss you both as well, I don’t think so. A unicorn and a pegasus on Earth would be spotted in a heartbeat. Sorry, but I really don’t want you two getting hurt!” Derpy looks down sadly. “Oh…” “I’ll see if anything can be done about that. I’d love for you two to see my old home! But your safety comes first.“ Dinky nods sadly. “We understand dad. Come back often though, okay!” “As often as I can!” Ember frowns as she crosses her arms over her chest! “What about me?!” “Sorry Ember, but like I explained a while back, dragons are just as mythical as pegasus and unicorns on Earth.” “Hmph. Well that’s just too bad, Arc!” “Ember?” “I don’t care what you think on the matter, I’m going with you!” Arc shakes his head. “Ember, I don’t think you understand just how dangerous Earth can be.” “Maybe I don’t! But you know what?! I DON’T CARE!!!” Sereb nods. “I am with Ember on this one, Arc. While I may look different from a human, I do not like the idea of you being undefended.” “You could come with me in your cub form, Sereb. Everyone would just assume you were an ordinary dog.” Sereb frowns. “A… dog? While not the most flattering of creatures, I will endure such a thing to stand by your side.” Ember fumes! “What about me?! I’m not going to sit around and worry about you for months!” Arc sighs. “Well, maybe there’s a spell that could help us in that regard.” Derpy’s face lights up! “A spell?!” Arc nods. “It just seems like there’s a spell for everything. I’m sure someone in Equestria would know how to temporarily change a dragon into a human!” “Well then, let’s go find them!” Dinky grins! “Why not ask Miss Twilight, dad? She knows more spells than anypony in town!” Arc ruffles her mane! “That’s a good idea, sweetheart. Thanks!” “You’re welcome, dad! If this works maybe mom and I can come!” Derpy smiles! “I’d like that too Dinky. But you have school and I have a job to do!” “Awww…” Arc thinks for a moment. “Maybe you could come on weekends.” The smile returns to Dinky’s face! “That would be awesome!” Arc turns to Ember and Sereb. “Could you two please run down to the Golden Oaks Library and ask Twilight about this? A book detailing such a spell would be ideal.” Ember heads to the door with Sereb. “We’re on it!” The pair leave the house as Derpy, Dinky and Arc sit down to enjoy their lunch. Afterwards Derpy puts the lunches dishes in the sink. “I should head over to the orphanage now. Miss Pommel could probably use a hoof. Come along Dinky. You can still make it to your afternoon classes.” “Can’t I stay here with dad?” Arc shakes his head. “Education is very important, sweetheart. Don’t you worry now. I’ll still be here when you get back.” “Your father is right sweetie. I want you to grow up to be smarter than I am!” Dinky sighs. “Okay. I understand.” “Goodbye you two. See you later!” Derpy waves as she and Dinky head out the door. “Have a nice day off, Arc!” “Bye dad!” Once alone in the house Arc sits on the couch for a few minutes looking into the fire. Eventually he stands up and mutters to himself. “Well, I had best get to work.” He walks to the kitchen and pulls out some paper and pencils from a nearby drawer. Taking them over to the kitchen table he lays them down and takes a seat. Pulling out the book he received from Princess Luna out of his magic ring he opens it and begins to read. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let’s get started.” Several hours later there is a knock at the door. Arc, not looking up from his book, calls out loudly. “Come in!” Ember and Sereb open the door and enter the house together. “We’re back!” Arc nods as he continues writing down notes. “Any luck?” Sereb nods. “Possibly.” Ember puts a book down on the table. “Twilight said there was a spell she used a while back to turn her and her friends into insects of some kind. The details are on page 198. She says it’s a very unique spell. Not sure what that means though.” Arc puts his own book down and looks to Ember. “Thanks, you two. This will bring me one step closer to my goal!” Sereb nods. “Which is…?” “Getting back to Earth. What else?!” Ember frowns. “You mean getting US to Earth, right?!” Arc sighs and shakes his head. “Ember, I’m still not sure that’s such a good idea. Any number of bad things could happen!” Ember looks to him angrily. “That’s exactly why I’m going with you!” “I don’t think you quite understand…” She interrupts! Exploding, as she slowly walks around the table toward Arc! “No Arc, YOU don’t understand! Now I don’t really CARE what you think on this matter! I AM going with you to Earth whether you like it or NOT! Even if I have to knock you out and DRAG you through the portal or wormhole or whatever it is we’re traveling through!” Ember is inches from Arc’s face by this point! Her viselike claws on his shoulders! Arc is so surprised at her sudden outburst that he can barely speak! “E-Ember?” Her face crimson with rage as she breathes heavily and continues her tirade! “Get this through your thick skull! There is NO WAY you’re going on this fool’s errand alone! I am NOT letting you leave Equestria again WITHOUT ME! I… I… I…” Ember slowly falls to her knees on the floor in front of Arc. She is shaking with either anger, fear, sadness or a combination of the three. A moment later she begins to cry. “I won’t lose you, Arc. I… I can’t!” Arc gets down on his knees as well to look Ember in the eye. He puts his hands on her shoulders and sighs. “Ember it’s not that I don’t WANT you to come. It’s just… I don’t want to lose you either. You’re a very special friend to me! One that been with me through thick and thin! Ember responds in a pleading tone. “Then take me with you!!!” “Ember…” She takes Arc’s hands, almost whispering. “Please!” Arc nods. “Okay Ember, if we can get that spell to make you look human, you can come with me. Ember leans forward quickly to wrap her arms around Arc. “Thank you.” Arc returns the hug. “It will be nice to have someone from Equestria there with me.” “Oh?” “I hate to say it, but this mission… it’s bigger than one person!” Sereb nods. “It is good to hear you say that Arc. I was concerned you were becoming a bit overconfident.” “Quite the opposite. I just don’t want to put my friends in danger any more than I already have!” Ember looks into Arc’s eyes as she wipes away her tears. “Arc? Does this have anything to do with… Cherry?” Arc sadly nods as he holds Ember tighter! “It does. Look Ember, I… losing Cherry was the worst experience of my life! The pain of losing someone I care so deeply for… it’s not something I want to feel again… EVER!” Ember sighs. “Yes. I don’t want to feel it again either.” Sereb looks confused. “Ember?” “When my mom… passed away… let’s just say it hurt more than words can express. Knowing she was gone… knowing that it might be tens of thousands of years before we were reunited in the Great Beyond… it hurt. It hurt a lot!” “How did you get through it?” “I finally came to terms with the fact that time is really just a number in the grand scheme of things. It may take a long time, but her and I WILL be together again! But until then I’ll live my life the best I can and go where I’m needed! And right now, my place is by your side, Arc!” Arc smiles at her. “Thanks Ember. You really are a wonderful friend!” Ember sighs as she and Arc stand back up. “Dragon’s aren’t much for friendship, so this is all still new to me. Sorry for blowing up earlier.” Arc nods. “All is forgiven! And we won’t tell anyone about you crying either. Will we, Sereb?” “I will say nothing.” “Thanks! It’s not something I’m proud of! “ She looks at the table which is covered in pages of notes. “Now is there anything Sereb and I can do to help?” Arc thinks for a moment. “Well, both of you can use magic. Would it be asking too much for the two of you to figure out that transformation spell? He gestures to the mess of notes on the table. “I would do it myself, but I think this is going to take all my time and energy for a while.” Ember picks up the book from the table. “Sure! We can do that! Right Sereb?” “I will give it my best.” Ember puts the book in Sereb’s saddlebag. “That we will. Um… could you give us a moment alone please?” Sereb nods and walks toward the door. “Very well. I will wait for you outside.” He leaves the house as Ember turns back toward Arc. She wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a small kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry Arc, but I’m going with you even if this spell doesn’t work.” Arc slowly nods. “Okay Ember… okay.” Ember walks toward the door. “Thank you. Now don’t work too hard on your research.” “I’ll try. Same to you though.” Ember looks back as she steps through the door. “No promises!” Arc looks after her as the door closes, muttering to himself. “I… I didn’t know I had friends like this! Ember really is willing to follow me to hell and back! Even knowing it may very well be a one-way trip.” He ponders this for a time before sitting back down. Arc spends the remainder of the afternoon reading the book and making notes. Rubbing his eyes, putting the book down and shaking his head. “Talk about complicated!” A short time later Derpy and Dinky come home. Dinky trots over to her father, tossing her saddlebags off and giving him a hug! “Hi dad! We’re home!” Derpy sees the papers strewn all over the table. “Oh my! You’ve certainly been busy today, Arc!” “Very! I was so wrapped up in my work here that I didn’t realize how much time had gone by!” “You must be hungry! I’ll get to work on supper right away.” Arc closes the book and puts it back in his ring. “That I am! I had no idea what I was getting into when I started earlier! This kind of research is certainly not light reading!” Dinky points a small hoof at the papers on the table. “What are you working on, dad?” “How to open a portal back to Earth. Princess Luna gave me a book that’s SUPPOSED to detail how to do that. But it’s proving to be quite the challenge! “ Derpy stands at the counter chopping vegetables. “What seems to be the problem?” Dinky nods! “Maybe we can help!” “Well, it details the methods by which a portal COULD be opened. The main problem, amongst others, is the portal itself.” Derpy nods. “It is much different from the portals you can already open, Arc?” Arc shakes his head. “On paper, no. However, I’ve found that the greater distance the portal has to take me, the more energy it requires to open and maintain.” Dinky frown. “Is Earth farther than, say… Panthera?” “Much! That and it has to pass through what the book calls the ‘transdimensional barrier’. It’s supposed to keep things from bleeding over from one dimension to another.” Derpy looks over to Arc and sticks out her tongue playfully! “Like errant humans?” Arc laughs! “And interdimensional-traveling alicorn princesses one would hope! That fact that she’s there and I’m here proves that such a feat is indeed possible!” Dinky nods. “How about the other princesses? Have they ever done this before?” “Sadly, no. The book they gave me is really all there is.” Derpy turns to look over. “Didn’t Twilight bring you here by accident? Maybe she could be of help?” “Probably not. She did try to send me right home, but failed. Her portal apparently only allows one-way travel. If there was another portal on Earth, I suppose they could easily summon me back! But that’s yet another dead-end idea!” “What about her portal? Could you study it as a reference?” Arc sighs. “I looked it over back when I was living with her several times. To the naked eye, it just looks like an ordinary mirror. Basic logic tells me there’s more to it than that. But it’s master level stuff!” Derpy sighs. “Where did she get it from anyways?” “Princess Luna sent it to Twilight to keep her busy! Her and Princess Cadance couldn’t bring themselves to tell her what had really happened to her mentor and friend, Princess Celestia! Dinky looks down. “That’s kinda cruel of them!” “I know. Know this Dinky, no matter how benevolent a leader is, you’ll never agree with EVERY decision they make! All they really succeeded in doing was kicking the can down the road, so to speak.” “And the mirror itself? Where did it come from?” He holds up the book. “From the same pony who wrote this book. Star Swirl the Bearded. “ Arc sighs. “I really wish I could pick his brain right now!” Derpy looks to Dinky. “Would you set the table please?” “Okay mom!” Arc gathers up his notes. “I’ll give you a hand in a minute sweetheart.” Arc and Dinky set the table together and help Derpy bring over the food. They sit down to enjoy a nice family meal together. “So how long do you think it will take to create a reliable portal, Arc?” Arc sighs as he puts some salad on Dinky’s plate. “At the rate I’m going, years! Some of the points in the book just don’t make sense!” Dinky picks up her silverware. “Like what?” “Well, for starters, the sigil illustrated in the book doesn’t work!” Derpy frowns. “What do you mean?” “When I found it, I thought this was going to be easy! I quickly cast it on the floor in front of me and, to my surprise, it collapsed momentarily!” Dinky thinks for a moment. “Sounds unstable.” Arc sighs. “Yeah! Like the pony who came up with the idea! Darn crazy portals…” Derpy nods. “Was it open at all? Even for just a moment?” “Kinda. After a couple tries, I threw an apple at it to see if it would go through.” “Did it?” “No. Quite the opposite actually. The portal rebuffed the apple which came rocketing back at me at what felt like Mach 5!” Derpy looks concerned! “Oh dear! Are you alright Arc!” “I’m just fine. It took me over an hour to clean up the mess it made though! And that was after I regained consciousness!” Dinky looks around. “I thought things looked cleaner than usual around here.” Arc nods. “It is! Dust and applesauce-free too!” He sighs. “I hate to admit it, but at the moment I’m stumped!” “Maybe you could ask Twilight for help, Arc! Or how about one of the sages in Canterlot?” “Princess Luna made it very clear that no one other than myself should read this book or know of its contents. It’s not that she and I don’t trust anyone else with this information! But there’s too much at stake here to get complacent now!” Derpy nods. “Don’t worry. We won’t tell anypony, Arc!” “Yeah dad! Promise!” “Thanks for understanding you two.” Arc goes back to thinking as he and the others finish their meal. Derpy moves to clear the table. “So how was school today, Dinky?” “It was okay. We learned about something called ‘symmetry’ today.” Derpy puts the dishes in the sink. “What’s that?” “It’s like when you draw a line through the center of something and it’s the same on both sides of the line.” Derpy returns to the table. “I’m a bit confused.” Dinky sighs. “Me too! I only caught the tail-end of that lesson! Hopefully dad can help me with it. This is part of my homework!” Arc nods. “I think I can explain that, Dinky. Would you please bring me a paper and pencil?” “Sure dad!” Dinky quickly returns with her school saddlebags and pulls out the requested items. Arc draws a heart on the paper with a vertical line down the center of it. He then folds the paper in half. “If we fold this paper in half this way, one half of the heart is lying nicely on the other half. The two halves are symmetrical.” He then erases the vertical line and replaces it with a horizontal line as Derpy and Dinky look on. He then folds the paper on the new line. “However, if we fold the paper along this new line, the two sides don’t match up. This means they are not symmetrical.” Derpy nods! “Interesting!” “Think of it this way. Let’s say there was a line down the middle of my face. Would it be symmetrical?” Dinky thinks for a moment. “I guess so.” “That’s right!” Derpy nods! “So, they would be mirror-images of each other then, right?” “That’s a good analogy, Derpy!” Arc suddenly appears lost in thought. “Dad? Is everything okay?” Arc nods. “Yes Dinky. Everything is fine. Symmetry… mirror image… is it possible? ‘ He pulls the book out of his ring and flips through the pages quickly! Stopping to read the contents of said page, he mutters to himself… “Could it really be that simple?” “Did you figure something out, Arc?” Arc walks quickly toward the bathroom with the book in hand. “Maybe. Let me check something.” He holds the book up to the bathroom mirror and looks the reflection over carefully before returning to the living room. “I’m going to try a bit of an experiment.” He casts the sigil from the book onto the floor. Dinky looks at it, wide eyed! “Dad? Is this…?” Arc nods as he puts the finishing touches on the sigil. “Yup. The sigil that makes applesauce.” Derpy steps back! “But I thought this didn’t work!” “Right! This particular sigil was a bust. Or was it…” Dinky looks confused. “What do you mean?” “I’ll show you.” With a few quick movements of his wrists, Arc flips the sigil over to create a mirror image of the original! “There! It’s now a mirror image of itself! Now maybe it will work! Derpy, you and Dinky keep your distance just in case I make applesauce again! Derpy gestures to the back of the couch. “Come along sweetie.” Arc picks up an apple from a nearby cabinet and gets behind the couch himself. “Here goes nothing!” He activates the sigil and quickly throws the apple at the newly materialized portal! The fruit hits it and vanishes from sight! A few moments later the portal collapses in on itself! Dinky looks out from behind the couch. “I’m sorry it didn’t work, dad.” Arc looks out, wide-eyed. “I… I think it did! “ “What? But the portal only stayed open for a few seconds at most!” “That was to be expected. Without a steady stream of energy along with some kind of focus the portal couldn’t remain stable for much longer than that!” Dinky smiles! “Dad! Are you saying…?” Arc nods! “Yes. I think that apple made its way safely to Earth!” Derpy looks at the sigil nervously. “How will we know for sure?! I’d hate for you to materialize high up in the sky!” Dinky nods. “Or underground!” “I’ll have to verify it with Sunburst. Perhaps if we can track the energy signature, their scrying can show me the other side of this portal! With any luck we’ll be able to see both ends of the wormhole and whether or not something that goes through makes it there intact!” Derpy breathes a sigh of relief. “It would certainly be reassuring knowing that we could test this magic’s safety before you used it, Arc! I want to see Princess Celestia return safely as much as anypony else! But not if it means risking you in the process!” “Don’t worry about a thing Derpy. I won’t be traveling through any transdimensional portals until I’m relatively sure it’s safe!” Dinky looks to her father. “You’re not going alone though, right?! How about taking Miss Ember and Sereb?!” Derpy nods! “That’s a good idea! There’s safety in numbers after all!” “Agreed. To be honest with you, right now they’re working on a spell that will allow them to take on the guise of a human. “ “Good! How’s that coming along…” Derpy is cut short by Ember and Sereb bursting through the door! “ARC! We’ve done it!” “Indeed.” Derpy falls backwards off her chair. “Oh my Celestia!” Arc quickly catches Derpy. “Haven’t you two ever heard of knocking?!” “Apologies Miss Derpy.” Ember talks excitedly! “Sereb figured it out!” “Figured what out, Miss Ember?!” “The human-making spell!” Sereb looks over. “She means the Lifeform Transmogrification Spell.” “Wait, what?!” Sereb’s horn glows slightly. “I am now able to change one creature into another. Provided I can lock on to a nearby specimen.” “Meaning…” “We had a guard stand next to Ember. I locked onto him and cast the other half of the spell on her.” Derpy looks at Ember, wide-eyed! “And she turned into a pony?!” “Yes.” Arc looks to her, suddenly confused! “Are you okay, Ember?! Perhaps we should take you to Ponyville Hospital to get checked out!” “I’m fine, I’m fine! Fortunately, Sereb was able to cast the counter-spell after a few more minutes of reading!” Sereb smiles. “From where I stood, it appeared you rather enjoyed the transformation, Ember.” “I admit it was a rather… interesting experience to be sure! But it did give me a new perspective!” “How so, Miss Ember? “Walking on four legs is much different. There’s also the issue of the mane.” Derpy looks confused. “The mane? Sereb chuckles. “It kept getting in her eyes.” Ember blushes slightly. “So, how’d you do on this end, Arc?” “I… think I just sent an apple to Earth.” Ember frowns. “I’m confused. Either you did or you didn’t. Which one is it?” Arc sighs. “Yes, inasmuch that it vanished through the portal. I think it worked, as I can’t verify whether or not it got there safely.” Derpy nods, a bit sadly. “I guess you three are well on your way to Earth then.” Arc walks over to Derpy and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Derpy. I know you’re worried about something going wrong. But we’re going to make sure everything works perfectly before we attempt to use the portal.“ Ember nods! “You got that right! Don’t fret Derpy! I’ll keep him safe!” Sereb nods. “So, what now?” “We should probably report this to the princesses. Hopefully they’ll allow me to ask Sunburst for help.” Derpy looks out the window at the setting sun. “If you’re going to Canterlot tonight you had better hurry! “ “Mom’s right! As busy as you were as the Lord Regent, I doubt they stay up too late.” Arc walks toward the sigil in the corner of the room. “You’re both right. Ember, you and Sereb want to come?” “Wouldn’t miss it!” Sereb nods. “I will come as well.” The three step onto the sigil. Arc turns to Derpy and Dinky. “Don’t wait up for us you two! Get a good night’s rest! I’ll come home when I can!” In a flash of light, they are gone. Dinky puts a small hoof on her mother’s fetlock. “Dad’s got this! Princess Celestia is as good as rescued!” “I know sweetie. While my mind tells me not to worry, my heart can’t help itself.” Meanwhile… Arc, Sereb and Ember reappear on the sigil in his private room in Canterlot Castle. Ember looks around the room, confused. “What are we doing here? I thought we were teleporting to the Audience Chamber.” Arc walks quickly toward the door. “I’m not the Lord Regent right now, Ember. The whole castle isn’t mine anymore. Well, I guess it never was, but you two know what I mean!” Sereb nods as the trio steps out into the hallway. “Indeed. It would be quite rude for us to just barge in on an audience like this. That is, assuming it was not so late in the day.” Arc leads the group down the corridor. “Right! I also removed the sigil from the Audience Chamber a couple days before I abdicated.” “Before you what?” “Before I turned control of the country back over to the princesses, Ember”. “Oh. Makes sense! So where are we headed?” Arc grins! “My favorite room in the castle!” Sereb looks confused. “Princess Celestia’s room?” “Okay, my OTHER favorite room then!” In a short time, they find themselves in front of the closed dining room doors. Ember facepalms. “Why am I not surprised?” “Hey! I couldn’t lead on an empty stomach!” Sereb nods. “But didn’t Saffron return to Light’s Hope?” Arc nods. “She did. I’ll have to ask her to make us another roast one of these days.” Sereb drools slightly. “Mmmmm… “ Ember rolls her eyes. “You two are impossible!” “Are we? I seem to recall you eating quite a bit of…” Ember interrupts! “It’s just really good, okay!” The Royal Guards part to allow Arc and company to pass. They enter the Dining Room to see Cadance and Luna enjoying a rather large chocolate cake. Luna nods to them as they enter. “Arc! What a pleasant surprise! Would you and your friends care to join us?” “Sounds great!” The group sits down as an attendant serves everyone a slice of the decadent chocolate goodness. Cadance looks over to Arc. “So, what brings you here this evening? Is something amiss?!” “For once, no. But, might we speak in private?” Luna nods. “Very well.” She waves a hoof at the Royal Guards. They bow and leave the room. The doors close behind them as Luna turns back to Arc. "Now then Arc. What did you wish to discuss with us?” “We’ve made some progress on how to return to Earth.” Cadance looks at him surprised. “Really?! That was fast! I thought you were going on a family vacation though.” Ember munches away happily on her cake. “He did! Took his time too!” Sereb nods. “We were about to send out a search party when he returned.” “I was a day late returning due to a storm that popped up.” Luna frowns. “A storm? There were no storms scheduled for this week as far as I’m aware.” Arc looks to her confused. “Scheduled?” Cadance nods. “In Equestria the pegasi control the weather.” “Wait, what?! How?!” Luna sighs. “Weather Magic. What do you think the Rainbow Factory is for?!” Arc smiles and shrugs. “I dunno. Making sparkles, or something?” Cadance laughs! “Not exactly!” Luna shakes her head before continuing. “The factory makes clouds, which in turn are used to spread rain around the country. The pegasi that run it are also in charge of occasionally making more… extreme weather patterns.” Arc nods. “Like storms?” “Precisely.” Cadance puts a hoof to her chin. “Come to think of it, wasn’t there quite a storm in Dodge Junction the day of…” Luna’s neck snaps over to her companion! “CADANCE!” “It’s okay Princess Luna. I… I’m coming to terms with that terrible event. So, if the weather is controlled, then I thank you for that.” “For what?” Arc sighs. “For the rain. It… somehow felt appropriate for the occasion.” Cadance shakes her head. “I can’t take credit for that, Arc! It was as much a surprise to me as it was to the crew of the Lunar Destiny!” Ember frowns. “Was it hard to fly through?” “Captain Tight Ship ordered the ship to fly higher to avoid the storm, so we were all right.” Sereb nods. “That is a relief.” “I don’t understand. If you didn’t order that storm, then who did?” Luna shrugs. “We will have to investigate this, Cadance! Somepony at the Rainbow Factory is taking certain liberties a bit too far!” “Agreed.” Arc nods. “Well, if you find out who did it, please go easy on them. No real harm was done after all.” Luna nods. “We will take that into consideration. Now then, I hope no harm came to you or your family due to that errant weather pattern.” “Um… not really, no. We… uh… had a bit of help though from someone who lives around the area.” Cadance appears surprised. “Oh? I wasn’t aware there were any towns out there.” Arc looks at her nervously. “There aren’t. At least not any that officially exist.” Luna rolls her eyes. “Arc, you’re not making any sense! What are you trying to say?!” “We… we found the ruins of a town. From the looks of it, no one has lived there in many years.” “An abandoned town?!” “Well, it’s not COMPLETELY abandoned. There is ONE resident. They allowed us to stay the night in their home.” “Oh really? “ Arc nods soberly. “It was Tempest.” Luna and Cadance stand up quickly! “TEMPEST!!!” Ember calls forth her spear. “I still wish you would take me there, Arc! She and I have a date with destiny!” “No Ember! There’s nothing to be gained from you two fighting! “ Sereb nods. “Arc is right, Ember. What would defeating her net you?” “Peace of mind, maybe?!” Arc puts his hands on Ember’s shoulders! “Ember! Calm down and listen to me! I’m not going to take you ANYWHERE like this!” Ember looks him in the eye! “Alright! Then just tell me where it is and I’ll go there MYSELF!” “No Ember! Now for the last time… calm DOWN!!!” Arc’s reaction seems to instantly bring Ember back down to earth. “A-Arc? What’s gotten into you?” “I… I won’t lose another friend needlessly, okay?! “ Cadance steps back toward her seat. “Why don’t we all sit back down and let Arc finish his explanation?” Luna nods. “A wise idea. Best to know all the facts before rushing in.” Ember sits back down along with everyone else. A bit embarrassed. “Okay.” “We ate supper, after which Derpy and Dinky went to bed.” Sereb nods. “And you?” “I… decided to stay up and chat for a bit with our hostess.” Cadance shudders. “Very brave of you, Arc!” “Foolhardy would be a better way to describe it, Princess Cadance.” Ember frowns. “I don’t get it Arc! Why didn’t you just open a portal back to Light’s Hope?” “For some reason magic doesn’t work there.” Luna looks confused. “I’m sorry, what?!” “It’s true. I was unable to cast any spells or even call forth my armor and spear!” “How?!” “No idea. She had me right where she wanted, but she didn’t attack.” Sereb raises an eyebrow. “Not at all?” Arc shakes his head. “No. We ate, we talked, we went to sleep. The next morning, we got up and found Tempest was gone. She left us a nice breakfast though!” Sereb narrows his eyes. “How generous of her…” Ember shakes her head. “This doesn’t make any sense! What did you SAY to her that night?!” “She told me a number of things. For starters, she admitted to being part of a larger organization.” Luna sighs. “Somehow that does not surprise me.” “And she claims Captain Decimus is still alive.” Cadance rolls her eyes. “Really?” “I’m a bit skeptical on that as well. I mean, there wasn’t much left of him when I was done.” Ember nods. “I can attest to that!” Luna sighs. “Anything else?” “She and I spoke of the village and how it came to be abandoned. She was just a filly at the time, but she claims one day she and her sister went out to play. When they returned to town, they found it empty!” Cadance nods thoughtfully. “Would that have anything to do with magic being unusable there?” “No. It was that way before the event.” Luna considers the matter for a moment. “Fascinating! Should we send a team there to study this further?” “I would not. Tempest has, so far, kept her promise to me and not hurt anyone else. However, I don’t think she would take kindly to someone walking around ‘her’ town.” Ember frowns. “What about the missing villagers?!” “I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open on that one. This happened years ago, so any clues to that event have long since been lost.” “What was the town called?” “Stableton, Princess Luna. Have you heard of it?” Luna shakes her head. “I have not. However, much has changed since my banishment. I’ll have to consult the archives and see what there is to find in regards to this town.” “Would you let me know what you find? Maybe I can help.” Ember folds her arms over her chest. “Like you don’t have enough to do right now?” Sereb frowns. “If there is any chance at all that some of the innocent villagers yet live, we must try Ember.” “I know that, Sereb. But with everything Arc has to do right now, can’t someone else handle this?!” Arc nods. “Yes Ember. Someone else can go through the archives, gather all information on the subject, and report it to the princesses and I. But if anyone’s going back to Stableton, it’s going to have to be me.” “Why?!” “Because Tempest would probably kill anyone else.” Luna nods. “Most likely.” “We’ll send over copies of whatever we find. Now, didn’t you say earlier you wanted to talk about going back to Earth?” “Yes, Princess Cadance. Sorry if I steered us a bit off course.” Sereb raises an eyebrow. “A bit?” Ember chuckles. “More like in the opposite direction!” “Yes, well… I believe I may have figured out how to open a portal back to Earth!” Luna nods. “But…?” “As it stands, there’s no way of knowing if it’s stable enough to actually allow me to travel back there safely! I tested it with an apple, but…” Cadance smiles. “How can we help?” “I’d like to go over my findings with Sunburst. Princess Luna, I know you told me not to allow anyone else to read this book, but I don’t see any other way to double check my results.” Luna thinks for a moment. “I understand. You may speak with Sunburst regarding this matter. But only him! I trust you have kept your word and not allowed others to read the pages of that particular tome.” “I have. Research into this matter up until now has been done exclusively by me!” “Good. If you would like, Sunburst is most likely still in his office. I’m sure he would like very much to speak with you about this matter.” Arc stands up. “Thank you, princesses. I promise we won’t let you down! Come on you two! To Sunburst’s office!” Ember nods! “Right behind you!” Arc, Sereb and Ember quickly leave the room together! Cadance turns to Luna. “Do you really think Arc can pull this off?” “I do. In fact, I believe he may be the only one currently living who CAN save my sister!” Cadance sighs. “I hope you’re right.” “As do I.”