//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Trust Issues // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// As the sun climbs higher in the sky, Arc returns to Ponyville via portal. He steps off the sigil into his private quarters. Leaving the room he quickly heads for his office. Upon entering it he finds Sergeant Sandstorm Mirage there going over some paperwork. “Sir! Welcome back!” Arc nods. “Sadly, I’m not staying long… probably. How are you getting along here?” “Okay, I suppose. Truthfully there isn’t much to do other than paperwork and duty rosters while you’re gone, sir.” “Is that good?” Sandstorm Mirage smiles. “I guess it’s better than being under attack on some warfront.” “That it is! In any case, while I’m gone this time I want you to see to it that every soldier under my command has a full psychiatric evaluation. Schedule them so Emerald Dream has plenty of time to properly observe everyone and not leave Light’s Hope understaffed.” “Sir?” “I think Matron Tempest may have done more damage to everyone than we originally thought. That includes you too.” “Yes sir! Whom should I leave in charge while I’m away though?” Arc thinks for a moment. “Now that I think about it, performing the evaluations here would probably be better. Have her come here and perform her task in the Conference Room.” “Very well, sir! Shall I have copies of her findings sent to you?” Arc heads for the door. “Just have them sent to my office. I’ll look them over when I get back.” The sergeant steps forward, nervously. “S-sir?!” “Yes?” “I… it’s nothing. I just wanted to wish you good luck in Griffonstone, and a speedy return!” “Oh… thanks. Take care of things while I’m gone. I’m counting on you.” Arc leaves the office. Sandstorm Mirage shakes his head. “Why is this so hard to do?! The commander would understand! Probably…” Meanwhile, Arc makes his way back down the corridor. A Royal Guard quickly approaches him and salutes. “Sir! We’ve just received a message from Canterlot Castle. The Council of Lords will reconvene tomorrow.” Arc grins! “Good!” “Raven should be able to give you the details.” “I’ll go see here now. Thank you.” Arc quickly makes his way to the Main Entrance. Raven is sitting at her desk wringing her hooves together nervously. “Sir! I just sent somepony to find you!” “Canterlot called about my audience?” Raven nods. “Yes! Tomorrow evening the Council of Lords will see you.” “Good. I should probably head over there early though.” “Sir?” “While I don’t want to be late, there’s also a couple things I want to do before my audience. When Flash Sentry gets back tell him to get Ember, Natalya and Sereb and meet me in the cafeteria. I’ll be back in a bit.” Raven nods as Arc heads out the door. “Yes commander.” Arc quickly makes his way down the path to the Little Hooves Orphanage. Stepping inside he hears the sounds of laughter and foals playing coming from the backyard. He makes his way to the cafeteria and finds Derpy busy wiping down the tables. She looks up as he walks in. “Arc?! What brings you here?” “I wanted to let you know I’m heading back to Griffonstone in a little while. The council is finally going to see me tomorrow evening.” “That’s wonderful! But why are you leaving today?” “I want to see another one of their towns before my audience. With luck, I’ll be able to come home for supper.” He kneels down to give her a hug. Derpy wraps her hooves around Arc’s neck. “Dinky and I will be waiting for you.” Arc nods as he returns the hug. “I’ll see you later. Tell Dinky I love her!” “I will! She’s with Miss Cheerilee right now getting some help with her schoolwork if you want to tell her yourself. “ Arc sighs. “I shouldn’t interrupt her lesson. In any case, I’ll see her tonight.” “Okay. We’ll be waiting for you.” He leaves the orphanage and returns to Light’s Hope. Raven waves him over as he enters. “Flash Sentry just got back a few minutes ago, sir.” “Good. I’ll catch up with him and the others.” “Take care commander!” Arc makes his way to the cafeteria. Flash Sentry, Ember, Natalya and Sereb are waiting for him at a table. “Ready to go, sir!” Arc nods. “Good, lieutenant.” Ember frowns. “Is there trouble?!” “No, Ember. The Council of Lords will see me tomorrow evening. But I wanted to go back for a bit.” Natalya looks confused. “Lord Arc?” “I’ll explain when we get there, Natalya.” He activates the crystal in his forehead and opens a portal back to the Grand Aviary. Everyone steps through. They walk out of the bathroom and into Arc’s room as Ember turns to Arc impatiently. “So why are we here a day early?” “I wanted to check on General Blackbeak’s daughter.” Natalya nods. “She should have been released by now.” Arc heads for the door. “Then we can go see General Blackbeak and ask him then.” Flash Sentry points a hoof at the table. “Sir? It looks like there is a letter for you.” “Oh?” Arc looks over and sees an envelope. “It’s probably additional information regarding tomorrow, Lord Arc.” He walks over and picks it up. “Only one way to find out, I guess.” Arc opens the envelope and reads it silently. An angry look suddenly crosses his face! “Arc? What is it?” “It’s from the rebels, Ember! They’re extending an invitation for me to join them!” “WHAT?!” Flash Sentry frowns. “That’s pretty brazen of them! Sneaking in here and putting something like this in writing!” Ember nods. “I’ll say! Aren’t they afraid you’ll turn them in, Arc?” “Turn who in? No one signed the letter.” Natalya looks around, fearfully. “This is getting out of claw! Lord Arc, we need to report this!” Flash Sentry sighs. “But to whom? For all we know, the one we tell might be with the rebels!” Ember frowns. “Great! What then?!” Arc puts the letter in his ring. “I guess there’s nothing to do about this other than to ignore it for the time being. But I get the feeling this isn’t the end of the matter.” Natalya shudders as they make their way out of the room and head down the corridor together. Sereb stays in the room and lies down. A short time later they arrive at General Blackbeak’s office. Natalya knocks on the door before entering with Arc and his Honor Guards. “General. Lord Arc is here to see you.” Blackbeak stands up and quickly walks over to Arc. “Lord Arc! Good to see you again!” Arc extends a hand and shakes the general’s talon. “Likewise, general. How’s your daughter doing?” “Resting peacefully at home, thanks to you! She says her tail feels very stiff, but is otherwise working! It’s going to takes some time, but her tail should function as it did before the accident!” “Glad to hear it!” “I’m told the Council of Lords has approved your audience for tomorrow.” “Yes. I’m looking forward to it.” Blackbeak nods. “So what brings you back a day early?” “I wanted to see you and ask how your daughter Gilda was doing. That and I was hoping to see another one of your nation’s towns before the meeting tomorrow.” Nataly looks confused. “Which one, Lord Arc?” “Griffon’s Gate.” The general nods. “Ah! So you want to see our main trade hub, eh?” “Yes. Lieutenant Natalya tells me everything goes through it. Like a giant depot.” “It’s fine with me. Perhaps you can learn a few things about how us griffons do business.” “Maybe. In any case, how do we get there?” “I’ll have one of our transports take you over there. See to it, lieutenant!” Natalya salutes. “Yes sir!” “Thank you, general.” “Take Lord Arc to the Skyport and escort him to Griffon’s Gate, lieutenant. Show him around whatever facilities he wishes to see. “I’ll see to it, sir!” She looks to Arc. “If you would be so kind as to follow me, Lord Arc.” “Lead the way.” As the group leaves the office the general calls out after them. “I’ll see you at your audience! Take care!” He closes the door behind them and paces the office, muttering to himself. “There’s been quite a bit of rebel activity in that town. Is Lord Arc going there to meet with them?” He considers this for a few minutes before picking up his telephone. “I can’t take that chance! He has to be watched! Whatever it is you’re up to, Lord Arc, I’ll figure it out!” Meanwhile, Natalya leads Arc and company back to his quarters. He opens the door and sticks his head inside. “Let’s go Sereb! Time for another adventure!” Sereb quickly gets up and heads over to the door to join them. Arc closes his door and look down the corridor. “Onward everyone! Uh… which way now?” Ember chuckles. “Our fearless leader…” Natalya smiles. “This way.” She leads them to eastern side of the Grand Aviary. The hallway opens into a large hanger with numerous airships. She heads for a small cargo ship that is being loaded. After speaking with the officer on deck she returns to Arc. “This ship is headed for Griffon’s Gate. We can hitch a ride with them.” Flash Sentry looks at the ship, warily. “Uh… are you sure this ship is… air worthy?” Ember frowns. “Yeah! It looks to be in pretty poor condition.” Natalya nods. “I’m sure it’s fine. But if Lord Arc wants, we can wait a few hours for a different ship to come in, unload its cargo and head back.” Arc shakes his head. “This ship will do.” They head up the gangplank past several rough looking sailors. Natalya approaches the captain, who is nearly as tall as Arc is, with the group. “Captain, this is the VIP I spoke to you about earlier.” They look him up and down. “This is Lord Arc? The emissary from Equestria?!” Arc nods. “I am. Is there a problem?” The captain laughs. “Nah! I just assumed he would be an equine, is all! Anyways, we’re almost ready to take off!” Arc smiles. “Thank you, captain…” The captain turns to walk away. “The name’s Captain Celaeno.” A short time later the airship takes off and heads due east. Arc and his companions stand on the deck together. “Nice day for a flight!” Arc nods. “That it is, Ember!” Natalya turns to him. “We should be there in about an hour. Barring any problems, that is.” Flash Sentry looks at the sky. “Weather looks good. Not sure what could slow us down.” Sereb walks over to Arc and bumps his ankle several times with a paw. Arc kneels down as he pretends to scratch Sereb behind the ears. “What’s up?” “I just overheard something disturbing. The ship and crew just received a message of some kind over the radio. Their captain is trying to reassure her crew into doing what she tells them to.” Arc frowns. “Mutiny?” Sereb growls. “Something devious, that much is certain. Although it may not concern us, I thought you should know.” Arc moving to stand up. “Thanks. Keep your ears open.” “Sereb nods and walks away.” Arc walks back over to the railing and looks out over the horizon, muttering to himself. “We’ve come this far…” A short time later Captain Celaeno comes out onto the deck. “Would you like somewhere to rest, Lord Arc? We don’t have the most luxurious cabins, but what we have is at your disposal.” “Thank you captain, but I’m just fine out here on the deck.“ She appears unsure of herself. “Oh… uh…” “Nice ship you have here! What’s her name?” “Thank you, sir. We call it the Solar Macaw. She may not be the prettiest, but she gets us to and from.” There is an awkward silence as the captain thinks. “Can I interest you in some… tea?” Arc shakes his head as he looks out over the railing. “No, thank you.” “Is there anything you need?! Anything at all!” “Well… how about a restroom?” “Yes sir! Right this way!” She gestures toward the hatch that leads below deck. Arc turns to follow her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Enjoy the view everyone.” Flash Sentry turns to Ember as Arc and Captain Celaeno disappear below deck. “She seemed quite nervous.” Ember chuckles. “Maybe the captain’s afraid of heights.” Natalya frowns. “Do you think Lord Arc is in danger? I know you said he likes his privacy, but…” Ember shakes her head. “He can take care of himself for a few minutes.” Flash Sentry nods. “That he can. Besides… how much trouble can he get into on such a small vessel?” Meanwhile, Captain Celaeno leads Arc below deck and down a narrow corridor. She points a claw at a door. “It’s… through there.” Arc smiles at her and walks toward the door. “Thank you.” He opens the door to see a small closet with a few mops inside. Cherry speaks to him telepathically. “A… bucket?!” Arc sighs. “I thought so.” A moment later a much larger crew member walks up behind him with a drawn blade. He has an eyepatch and green feathers. “No sudden movements now!” Arc turns slowly toward him. “Can I assume that bucket isn’t the toilet?” Cherry sounds nervous! “Be careful, Arc!” Arc does his best to soothe her fears telepathically. “Don’t worry, Cherry. I will.” The captain wrings her claws. “Please Lord Arc! Just do as my First Mate says and everything will be fine!” “Very well, First Mate… “ “Mullet.” Arc chuckles. “What’s so funny?” “N-nothing. What now?” “Keep your claws where I can see them!” He leads them back toward the deck hatch. “You know my Honor Guards won’t stand for this! When they learn you’ve captured me…” The captain interrupts him. “That’s why we’re going topside. You’re going to call them off!” Mullet nods. “Yeah! We don’t want to hurt anyone! Least of all you!” Arc sighs. “Very well. I’ll cooperate.” They emerge from the ship back onto the deck. A couple crewmates emerge from the Bridge and walk over toward Ember, Flash Sentry and Natalya. Mullet pokes Arc in the back with his blade. “Tell your guards to surrender their weapons peacefully.” Celaeno nods. “Right! And no funny business!” Arc sighs. “Fine.” He turns to his Honor Guards. “I need you three to give you weapons to the crew.” Flash Sentry turn to look at him with a confused look on his face. “Sir?” Ember frowns. “What are you talking about? Arc shrugs. “I… uh… guess I’ve been captured.” Natalya’s eyes grow wide! “What?!” She moves to draw her weapon. Mullet grabs Arc and puts a blade to his throat! “Put it down miss! Nice and easy!” Arc nods. “Do as he says. All of you!” Sereb growls menacingly! Celaeno turns to Arc. “Call off you mutt too!” “Sereb… heel! Easy there big guy! I’m okay!” The wolf looks unconvinced but does as he’s told. A couple other crewmates approach the group and confiscate their weapons. One of them, who appears to be one of the least intelligent crewmembers, pats Arc’s guards down before turning to his superiors. “No other weapons!” Celaeno nods. “Good work, Squabble. Now let’s escort them to the Bridge, nice and slow.” They are led into the ship’s Bridge. The captain looks at them. “And none of you try to make a break for it! Flying away to get help will only lead to Lord Arc getting hurt!” Ember scoffs. “Crazy pirates…” Mullet looks to her angrily. “We are NOT pirates!” Cherry scoffs telepathically. “A likely story!” Flash Sentry narrows his eyes. “Really?! Could have fooled me!” Celaeno sighs. “Look. We’re really sorry about this. Just do what we say and I promise you’ll be fine, sir.” Natalya glares at the crew. “You can’t do this! When Griffonstone hears about this…” Squabble laughs. “They’ll what?! Look around for a standard airship?” Mullet nods. “He’s right! There’s hundreds if not thousands of ships just like ours out there.” Arc sighs. “So what happens now? You going to take us back to your base and put us up for ransom?” The captain rolls her eyes. “Hardly. Look, we owe a lot of bits to a lot of creditors and can’t hope to pay them all back. If we turn you over to… someone… they’ll pay off our debts.” Ember rolls her eyes. “Who?!” Mullet shrugs. “No idea. They’ll meet us when we land.” Natalya looks the crew over. “What are you?! Rebels?!” Celaeno shakes her head. “No. Just… very poor sailors who’ve had quite a long streak of bad luck.” Squabble nods. “But all that’s about to change.” Mullet grins as he tightens his grip on Arc. “Right! You’re going to give us a fresh start!” Celaeno looks at Arc. “We’re not pirates, thieves or kidnappers. Just do what you’re told and everything will be okay.” Arc nods. “Fine…” There is a tense silence as Mullet motions for Arc’s guards to sit against the far wall. The captain does her best to keep everyone calm. “This will all be over soon. Trust me.” Ember glares at her. “Hmph! Trust you…” Mullet nods. “Captain Celaeno is telling you the truth. She’s always been fair with us.” Celaeno looks away guiltily. “How much longer until we arrive at the rendezvous point?” Squabble looks over the instruments as he changes course. “About half an hour.” Arc turns to look at their captors. “Well then… how about we pass the time with some conversation?” Mullet eyes him suspiciously. “About what?” Arc shrugs. “Anything really. We don’t really have much else to do. Might as well have a nice chat, eh?” Celaeno nods. “I suppose.” “Tell me, how did you get into this mess in the first place?” “The life of a cargo crew isn’t really a hard or dangerous one. But sometimes it’s tough to make ends meet. We’ve been behind for quite some time now.” Mullet nods. “Not much longer though.” Celaeno looks to Arc. “Right… you’ll be okay though.” Flash Sentry rolls his eyes. “Really? What do you think the ones who hired you want to do with us?” Squabble calls out from the helm. “Probably collect some kind of fat ransom for you, Lord Arc! You’re a big fish!” Arc smiles. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Ember looks over to Mullet. “How do you know that’s what they have planned?!” Natalya nods. “That’s right! It could be a LOT more sinister!” Mullet shakes his head. “I doubt it. The rebels probably just want to use you for leverage.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “So it IS the rebels who hired you!” The captain turns to her first mate. “Mullet!” Sighing, she shakes her head. “Fine! Yes, the rebels have us over a barrel. We don’t really agree with everything they stand for. But some kind of change is better than what we have now! Isn’t it?!” “What do you mean?” Mullet nods. “The merchants don’t really pay very much for this kind of hauling service. A lot of ships have to do a bunch of illegal or dangerous stuff on the side to stay in business.” Celaeno frowns. “I refuse to risk my crew’s lives and freedom like that!” Squabble chuckles. “And we appreciate that, captain! But that’s also the reason we aren’t making it around here!” Mullet shrugs. “Can’t spend bits if you dead or in jail though.” Flash Sentry shakes his head. “No, I suppose you can’t.” Ember looks daggers at their assailants. “I hope you all choke on your reward!” Arc sighs. “Well, it looks like our captors have thought of everything. Sorry…” Celaeno looks to him, confused. “You’re sorry?” Arc nods. “For my Honor Guards, yes. Like your helmsman said earlier, I’m a big fish. But they’re not.” Mullet narrows his eyes. “What are you getting at?” “My Honor Guards will most likely be killed by the rebels as they’ve have seen too much to let live.” Celaeno nods. “You might be right. I’ll hide them below decks and tell the rebels you came aboard alone. They don’t need to die for this.” “Thank you. That means more to me than you know.” Arc appears to be thinking. “Something else just occurred to me, captain.” “Oh?” “Neither you or your crew look to be rich or important. What’s to stop the rebels from killing all of you off?” Squabble squawks loudly! “What?! Why would they…?” Flash Sentry interrupts him. “For the same reason we’ll be killed, you fool! No witnesses! No loose ends! No talkers!” Mullet looks to Captain Celaeno. “He may have a point. It would be a lot easier to just do away with us!” Natalya grins. “No one would miss one ship! Cheaper for them too!” Ember chuckles. “Right! They could even make it look like an accident! Stage a crash, or something.” Squabble turns to the captain. “I’m liking this a whole plan a lot less!” Mullet looks to her. “Captain! What do we do?!” Celaeno looks frightened! “I... I don’t know! If we let them go, Lord Arc will just turn us in to the authorities!” Squabble nods. “Or just kill us himself!” Mullet thinks for a moment. “Could we drop them off somewhere? They could walk back to a town or something” Celaeno shakes her head as she points to the land below. “These forests are dangerous. They could be hurt, or worse!” Flash Sentry chuckles. “Quite the predicament you’re in.” Celaeno begins pacing the floor. “We turn them over to the rebels, we disappear! If we continue on to Griffon’s Gate, Lord Arc has us arrested! The authorities give us a trial and find us guilty of kidnapping a foreign dignitary!” Squabble appears ready to panic. “We’d be executed!” Arc shrugs. “How about you toss us overboard? Most of us have wings.” Mullet shakes his head. “We’re not murderers! But… we have to do SOMETHING!” Celaeno is quickly becoming frantic. “I know. I KNOW! But what?!” Arc looks up. “I have an idea.” “What is it?!” In a flash Arc Blinks behind Mullet, calls forth his armor, grabs his captor by his red comb to expose his neck, and puts one of his Magic Blades to it! “What the… how did you…?!” Arc chuckles. “How about YOU surrender? Drop the blade.” Celaeno slowly steps forward as Mullet drops his sword to the floor. “Look! Please just calm down, Lord Arc! Don’t hurt him! What do you want us to do?!” “Give my Honor Guards back their weapons, for starters.” Squabble and Captain Celaeno quickly do so. Ember grabs her spear from the captain and levels it at their captors as Natalya quickly rushes forward to pick up the sword Mullet dropped. “What are we going to do with them, Lord Arc?” Celaeno sighs. “Look… I’m sorry for doing what we did! Please do whatever you want with me! Arrest me… kill me… whatever you want! Just let my crew go! This was my idea, not theirs!” Flash Sentry shakes his head as he takes back his blades. “Yeah? Well, they went along with it!” The captain falls to her knees. “I’m begging you! Let my First Mate go! Take me hostage instead!” Arc nods. “Very well. But you stay on your knees and no sudden movements! Understood?!” “Agreed!” Flash Sentry points his blades at Mullet as Arc lets him go. He walks over to Captain Celaeno, puts his gauntlet under her chin, raises her neck and puts a Magic Blade next to it. “Any other crew on board? Celaeno speaks in a frightened tone. “T-two more. Chef Lix Spittle and Marco, our cabin bird!” “Ember, you and Flash Sentry go find those two and bring them back here.” “Sure, Arc. You going to be okay?” “Yes.” The pair silently leave the Bridge as the captain calls out after them. “Don’t hurt them!” Arc nods. “Don’t worry. They won’t.” Mullet sighs. “What happens to us now?” “Here’s what we’re going to do, captain. You’re going to take us to Griffon’s Gate now. The ship will land safely at the Skyport, or whatever you call it. Then I’m placing you and your crew under arrest.” She nods silently. Squabble frowns. “How do we know you won’t just kill her once we get there?” Mullet looks nervous. “Yeah! And us too?!” Arc sighs. “You have my word.” Celaeno looks down at the glowing blade at her throat. “Do as he says!” Natalya frowns at their captives. “Lord Arc’s way is the ONLY chance all of you have at living to see another day!” Flash Sentry nods. “Right. Every other path is certain death for you!” The crew sighs and silently agrees. A short time later Flash Sentry and Ember return with the other two crew members. They join Mullet as prisoners on the Bridge. About fifteen minutes later they land at a rather run down looking Skyport. Squabble sighs as they touch down. “We’ve arrived.” Arc nods. “Good! Natalya, is this the place?” She looks out the window. “It is.” Celaeno looks to him, nearly frantic with worry. “Lord Arc, I’m begging you! Please don’t turn my crew in! It would be the end for them! Just take me in! I’ll take the blame for everything!” Arc nods. “You’re all going to Equestria, for now.” “What about my crew?!” “All of you will go to the dungeon. You’ll all be together and relatively safe.” Flash Sentry nods. “And none of you will be executed.” Arc nods. “Right. Now do you accept, or would you rather I turn you in to the Griffon’s Gate authorities?” Celaeno hangs her head in utter defeat. “No. Take me and my crew to your dungeon. We’ll come quietly.” The rest of the crew nod in agreement. “Wise choice.” He places a sigil on the floor and turns to the others. “Everyone step onto the sigil I just made.” Arc retracts his Magic Blade but keeps a tight hold on Captain Celaeno’s arm as she slowly stands up. Mullet looks nervous. “What… is that?!” Ember looks to them. “It will teleport everyone to Canterlot Castle.” Flash Sentry nods. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt.” Captain Celaeno turns sadly at her crew. “I’m sorry, everyone. Thanks to me, we’ve lost everything!” Flash Sentry shakes his head. “Not quite.” Natalya chuckles. “Really? What do they have left now?” Arc nods soberly. “Their lives.” He activates the sigil and teleports everyone to his quarters in Canterlot Castle.