A few days later Arc and Rose emerge from the wormhole to Princess Celestia’s room. Arc turns to Sunburst.
“Feels like you really got this portal thing figured out.”
“Yes sir. I’m hoping for no more turbulent trips. However, Princess Luna wanted me to inform you that she wished to speak with you as soon as you returned.”
“Oh? Is something wrong?”
Sunburst shakes his head. “I don’t believe so, sir. But she said the details were for your ears only.”
“Alright. I’ll go see her then.”
He turns back to Rose.”
“Would you like me to open a portal back to Light’s Hope for you? I’m not sure how long this will take.”
Rose takes his arm and smiles. “I’d rather stay with you if that’s alright.”
“Okay. But you can’t come with me to the meeting.”
She nods as they leave the room together. “That’s okay. I don’t mind waiting in the hall.”
“Suit yourself.”
They approach the Audience Chamber to find the anteroom empty. Rose looks around, puzzled.
“Strange. Shouldn’t this place be busy right now?”
Arc looks at his pocket watch. “It should be.”
They walk up to the guard on duty. He salutes Arc respectfully.
“Sir! The princesses will see you immediately in their office!”
“Very well.”
Arc looks to Rose.
“I’ll try to keep it short… whatever it is.”
Rose lets go of his arm and nods. “I’ll be waiting!”
Arc enters the Audience Chamber. The Royal Guards stand at attention as he makes his way to the office. Entering he finds the princesses sitting on one of the couches. Cadance looks over and smiles.
“Good to see you again, Arc!”
He closes the door behind him. “It’s always good to be home, Princess Cadance.”
Luna gestures to the couch before them. “How are things on Earth?”
Arc walks over and sits down. “Not great.”
He brings them up to speed on Frank’s disappearance and his recent altercation with Hammer and Mio.
Cadance frowns. “This is disturbing! Knowing humans not only possess magic, but a way to nullify it!”
Luna nods. “Indeed. Tell me, how is your magic now, Arc?”
Arc levitates an apple from a nearby bowl to himself. “Back to normal.”
“Good. Do you have any idea how the humans could have done this?”
“If you had asked me that before the other night, I would just say it was science or some illusion trickery.”
Cadance nods. “And now?”
“Now I know that it wasn’t anything short of bona-fide unicorn magic. How they did it is anyone’s guess at this point though.”
Cadance turns to Luna. “How could this happen?!”
Luna thinks for a moment. “The only source I can think of would be either the Dragon Lord himself, as Arc is living proof of, or…”
“Or what, Luna?”
She frowns grimly.
“There is only one other known way to attain magic.”
Cadance’s eyes grow wide. “You mean…?!”
“Yes. Extraction.”
Arc narrows his eyes. “Does that mean what I think it does, Luna?”
“Magic essence forcefully taken from a unicorn. It was done in the past before unification. Now, that information is strictly forbidden.”
Luna looks up at Arc.
“Please do not tell anypony such methods even exist, Arc.”
“I understand.”
Cadance appears confused. “But where would they have found unicorns on Earth, Luna?!”
“I wish I knew.”
Luna’s eyes are suddenly wide.
“Arc! Do you suppose they have my sister?!”
He shakes his head. “I don’t believe so, no. They’re just common thugs. Even if they could have captured Princess Celestia, they don’t have the brains to do something like extract magic from her.”
Cadance looks to Arc nervously. “Are you certain?! What about their leader?! Frank, was it?”
“He’s not a nice person. But sacrificing one for another isn’t his style.”
Luna sighs. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or not by your words. In any case, I suppose I should be happy that my sister is not in their possession.”
“Perhaps we should have Sunburst search their compound anyway.”
Luna nods to Cadance. “It wouldn’t hurt.”
She walks over to the phone. Asking for the Lead Sage they are momentarily connected.
“Sunburst! I want you to shift your scrying to a large warehouse in Hero of Light Arc’s hometown on Earth. My sister may be inside.”
After conversing for several minutes she hangs up the phone and returns to the couch.
“He says the process will take a few days. But he’ll get right on it.”
Arc nods. “Good. It will be nice to know one way or another.”
Arc snaps his fingers.
“Can he look for anyone or anything?”
Cadance nods. “Yes. You have an idea, Arc?”
“It’s personal, but could he locate my missing friend, Frank?”
Luna nods. “Possibly. Shall I call him back?”
“He’ll need a picture of him though for reference.”
Arc removes the photo from his ring and levitates it over to Luna. “Here’s an older one. He hasn’t changed though.
Luna nods as she walks to the office door with the photograph. “I’ll have a guard take this over there now with my instructions.”
“Thank you.”
She returns a moment later to the couch.
“He will look for your friend after searching the warehouse for my sister.”
“I understand.”
Cadance sighs. “We’re sorry, Arc. But this is a matter of national security.”
Luna nods. “You have done much to aid this land in the past. It seems the least we can do. In any case, we should probably get to the reason for inviting you here.”
“Is something up?”
Cadance smiles. “Yes. You see, the details for the treaty with the Griffon Kingdom are complete. All that is left is Luna and King Guto’s signature.”
“I see. Has the date and time been set?”
Luna nods. “It has. We were advised through channels that the ceremony will take place a few days from now.”
“That’s… kinda short notice.”
Cadance frowns. “We thought so too.”
Luna turns back to Arc. “I’m not sure if they’re doing this to be difficult or if it’s just part of their culture.”
Arc shrugs. “Perhaps it’s to see just how dedicated to this treaty Equestria really is.”
“There is no way to know for certain. I know this is rather last minute, but will you accompany me, Arc?”
“Of course, Luna. They’ll want to see me there after everything that’s happened anyways.”
Cadance breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s a load off my mind! Knowing Luna will be properly protected.”
“Thank you, Arc. We will depart on the Lunar Destiny tonight at dusk.”
Arc sighs. “I’ll be here. Can I assume the Little Hooves Orphanage is ready then?”
Luna nods. “Yes. We’ve received word from Hard Hat that everything is in order for their arrival.”
“Another teacher has also been assigned and is currently there now writing up a curriculum for the new students.”
Arc frowns. “Any other staff members being sent? I mean… it’s going to be a lot of work!”
Luna shakes her head. “Matron Pommel believes they should be able to handle things as of now. I’m certain she will inform us if that changes. After all, nopony knows just how many orphans will come until they arrive.”
“Makes sense. Their homeland certainly isn’t keeping records of them. I doubt even the Griffon Lords themselves know, or care, just how many there are.”
“The only thing that worries me is somepony making an attempt to stop this.”
Arc frowns. “Like some politician?”
Luna nods. “Yes. Anypony really though. Although rare, these things do happen. I’d hate for this to be delayed any longer than it already has.”
Cadance turns to Arc. “Perhaps you should bring your griffon friends. I’m sure they could attest to any last-minute arguments of cruelty and abuse of the orphans.”
“I don’t think they really care what happens to them. But I’m certain General Blackbeak would like Natalya back at some point. Any word on how they’re doing over there?”
Luna picks up a report with her magic. “Yes. Matron Pommel reports she and the other griffons are doing well in their new surroundings.”
Cadance nods. “Let’s just hope the new arrivals will adapt as easily.”
Arc leans forward and lowers his voice. “Yes… about that…”
Sometime later Arc leaves the Audience Chamber and returns to Rose.
“Is everything alright, Arc?”
“Yeah. We just have a meeting to go to in Griffonstone.”
“You mean the treaty?”
Arc looks surprised. “You know about that?”
Rose takes Arc’s arm as they walk down the corridor together. “Mother told me about it.”
“Oh. I kinda thought this was a secret.”
Rose shakes her head. “No. Pretty much everyone in Ponyville has heard.”
Arc shrugs. “A large building like the orphanage getting an addition built would do that I suppose.”
“So when do we leave?”
“Back to Ponyville? Right now.”
He opens a portal. Rose giggles as they step forward.
“No, silly! The Griffon Empire!”
Arc turns to her quickly. “WHAT?!”
He loses his footing and falls through the portal. Rose shrugs and hops through as it collapses. She lands nimbly on all fours on top of Arc as they reappear on the sigil in Derpy’s house.
“You weren’t planning on leaving me here, were you?!”
“Uh… I was actually going to ask Twilight if you could stay with her while I’m gone.”
“But I can be helpful!”
“By doing what?!”
“Watching your back! Please take me too!”
Arc sighs. “This is going to be dangerous, Rose.”
Rose’s eyes grow wide. “It is?! Then I’m DEFINITELY going!”
“Fine. Just please do as I say. We don’t want to start an international incident.”
Rose giggles as she lies down on Arc’s chest and hugs him. “Always!”
Arc blushes. “Uh… can I get up now?”
“Okay!”
Rose helps him up. The pair head for the door together and leave the house as Rose turns to Arc.
“I’m sure we have quite a few things to do before heading out, right?”
“Yup.”
“Where to first?”
“How about the orphanage? I want to see the addition for myself.”
“Sure! Sounds like fun!”
They make the short walk to the Little Hooves Orphanage. Entering the building they hear Cheerilee’s voice coming from the classroom. Looking around the Main Hall they see two new wings to their left and right. Arc turns to his left and takes a few steps.
“This must be the new classroom.”
Rose looks nervous. “Can we… go inside?”
“I don’t see why not.”
They enter the large room. There are small tables and chairs pushed together into groups of four. Some larger tables nearby suggest the teacher is planning on having to help older griffons learn the basics. Arc looks around impressed.
“This classroom is pretty big!”
Rose nods. “I’ll say! The teacher here must be very talented if they can instruct such a large class!”
Arc looks around. “I wonder if they’re here.”
The door to a small adjoining bathroom opens and a young mare walks out. She has a yellow coat, lime green mane and a rooster for a cutie mark. Upon seeing Arc she rushes over and bows.
“H-Hero of Light?! To what do I owe this honor?!”
“I, uh… just wanted to see the new addition for myself.”
The mare does not move.
“You can stand up now.”
“Yes sir!”
She straightens up nervously and looks at Rose.
“Are you my new superior, ma’am?!”
Rose shakes her head. “No. My name is Rose. I’m here with Arc to see the school.”
“Yes. She’s… never seen one. That and I wanted to talk to the new teacher. Is that you, miss…?”
“Peachbottom, sir!”
Arc looks around the room. “Well, it looks like you’ve done a good job getting this room set up.”
“Thank you, sir! I only hope I’m ready for the task ahead!”
“How’s the curriculum coming along?”
“Very well, sir! I understand I’ll be teaching griffons who haven’t had much education.”
“Little to none, yes.”
Miss Peachbottom looks at the empty desks. “I find it hard to believe that we’ll need this many desks though.”
“If what Gallus told me is true, you will. I’ll see if I can get you an aide of some kind.”
“That won’t be necessary, sir! I can manage!”
Arc turns to her soberly. “Miss Peachbottom. Your students will mostly be the lowest of the low the Griffon Kingdom has to offer. They will arrive dirty, scared and alone in a foreign land. These orphans do not know what a loving home is… or even that love exists.”
He looks around the room as he continues.
“The job ahead of you will be a challenging one. There may be times where you will simply want to just give up and walk away. But know this. These orphans have known only loss and abandonment. You and the rest of the staff here must show them there are others whom care about them AND their future.”
Miss Peachbottom nods soberly.
“More than likely, you will be the first kind face they’ve ever seen. While I know you are not perfect, they will soon learn that there is an alternative to their former lives on the street. A future of hope, life and love awaits them here in this land. They need only accept it. Now, do you have any questions?
“I… Yes, sir. Might I ask you something a bit… extreme?”
“Ask away.”
“With all due respect to the leaders of the griffons, how does one willfully ignore the physical needs and education of the next generation?!”
Arc shakes his head sadly. “I… don’t know.”
Rose sighs. “They must not have much faith in future generations.”
“Without education, there won’t’ BE a next generation. The Griffon Kingdom dropped the ball on this one. But Equestria will pick it up and see it to the goal.”
Miss Peachbottom smiles. “Well put, sir!”
Rose nods. “Very noble. But why Equestria?”
“Because if we don’t, no one else will.”
Arc turns back to Miss Peachbottom.
“Thank you for your time. I’ll let you get back to work, ma’am.”
Arc and Rose head for the door. Miss Peachbottom looks nervous.
“But sir! What should I do?!”
Arc does not look back as he leaves the room with Rose. “Your very best.”
As they leave the classroom Rose turns to Arc.
“You were a bit hard on her.”
“She needed to know the gravity of the situation. The task ahead is not an easy one.”
“For her, or the orphans?”
“Both.”
Walking across the Main Hall, they make their way to the stairs and head to the Matron’s Office. Arc knocks.
“Come in!”
He and Rose enter the office. Coco Pommel hurries over to him as he kneels.
“Arc! Here to see the new and improved orphanage?”
Arc nods as he gives her a hug. “That I am. My friend Rose and I just came from Miss Peachbottom’s classroom.”
Coco Pommel nods. “Did you like what you saw?”
Arc nods. “I did. She looks to be as ready as she can be.”
“We all are! But how about I show you the new dormitories?”
“Lead the way.”
Coco Pommel leads the pair back toward the stairs. Looking down them she points a hoof toward the restrooms.
“The bathrooms now span both floors to accommodate the larger number of residents.”
Rose looks confused. “Don’t the new dormitories have their own bathrooms?”
Coco Pommel shakes her head as she leads them down a hall. “No. We decided against that, as we were building an addition to the current bathrooms anyways. The space we saved allowed us to add something a bit… special.”
“Special?”
Coco Pommel giggles. “You’ll see in a bit.”
She opens a door to a small apartment-like room with two bunk beds, a table and four chairs, a few cabinets, and a large window.
“They’re not the biggest, but will provide a transitional education to the older orphans.”
Rose looks confused. “Transitional?”
Arc nods. “This will teach them what it’s like to sort-of live on their own before they leave here as adults. Those whom aren’t adopted, that is.”
Coco Pommel sighs. “That may be quite a few of them. Pony and griffon alike.”
Arc puts a hand on Coco Pommel’s shoulder. “They’ll be warm, fed, and safe here. Much better than what they’ve endured up until now.”
She nods as she closes the door behind them. “Yes. I spoke to Gallus and the griffon younglings. Their homeland sounds like a terrible place.”
“No argument there.”
Rose points down the hallway. “What’s down there?”
“The surprise I told you about.”
They follow here to a large Commons Area with couches, tables, and more age appropriate games.
“This is where the older orphans can spend their free time. Miss Derpy and I figured the younger foals had a Playroom, so why not something for the older generation?”
Arc nods. “Good idea. This should help keep them out of trouble.”
“It will?”
Coco Pommel turns to Rose and nods. “I’ve found that foals get into mischief if they don’t have something to occupy their time. Hopefully this will help us avoid that.”
Arc looks out the window at the playground below. "I see you took my advice."
Coco Pommel walks over to him. “Yes. I believe all ages will find something to do around here now.”
Arc turns to her. “Are you and Derpy ready for this?”
“As ready as we can be. Miss Peachbottom is a welcome addition to the teaching staff.”
“Is there anything you need?”
Coco Pommel shakes her head. “Not that I can think of, no.”
“Tomorrow Princess Luna and I are heading over there to make this idea a reality.”
Coco Pommel nods. “She told me it was coming soon. We’ll be ready. You just keep the princess safe over there, okay?”
Arc smiles at her. “I’ll do my best. Now as long as I’m here, is Natalya around?”
“She’s helping out in Miss Cheerilee’s class right now. Shall I call for her?”
“That won’t be necessary. Just tell her to meet me at Light’s Hope after supper today. We’ll head to Canterlot together and join Princess Luna on the Lunar Destiny.”
Coco Pommel nods. “I’ll see to it she knows, Arc”
A short time later Arc and Rose leave the Orphanage.
“Things are looking good around here. They’re ready!”
Arc nods. “We’re so close! All we have left to do is to see this matter through to the end.”
“Where to now?”
“The Hammer’s shop. This way.”
Arc leads Rose to the familiar shop. The sound of hammers can be heard. As they enter the pair see Silver Hammer at the front counter.
“Good morning, Arc! I see you’ve brought Rose with you today. Here for your order?”
Rose looks confused. “Order?”
“Yes. How’s it coming along?”
Silver Hammer gestures for the pair to follow her into the back. “My husband and Stellar Eclipse finished it late last night.”
“That was fast!”
They approach the anvil. Steel Hammer and Stellar Eclipse are busy at work on various projects. Steel Hammer looks up.
“Arc! Here for the fitting?”
Arc nods. “Yes. We have a mission coming up.”
Stellar Eclipse approaches. “You’re a busy one, sir!”
Steel Hammer leads them over to an armor rack. “Here’s what I came up with.”
A suit of mithril armor stands before them silently on the rack.
Rose looks the armor over. “It looks very nice. But my sensors tell me the sizing is wrong.”
Stellar Eclipse looks confused. “It is?”
“Yes. Arc will never fit into this!”
Arc laughs. “It’s for you, Rose!”
“It is?”
Silver Hammer nods. “Yes. Arc commissioned this a while back.”
Rose turns to Arc. “I thought you said you still needed to talk to them.”
“Sorry about that. But I wanted this to be a surprise. After all… I don’t want to lose any more friends.”
Rose smiles up at him. “Thank you! It makes me happy that you care about my personal safety!”
Silver Hammer turns to Rose. “Care to try it on?”
“Very much so!”
“Right this way, miss.”
The pair step into the Living Quarters together. Steel Hammer turns to Stellar Eclipse
“Can you watch the front for a bit?”
“Yes sir!”
Steel Hammer turns to Arc as Stellar Eclipse leaves.
“He’s a good one. I was teaching him how to run the forge when you came in.”
“Good student?”
Steel Hammer nods. “Very! His disability doesn’t seem to slow him down either.”
“That’s good to hear. And Cozy Glow? How’s she doing here in Ponyville.”
“Adapting well from what I see. Nopony seems to notice that her leg seems a bit different.”
“Well, you and your family did an amazing job building that thing. It looks so real!”
“Platinum Valve was the real genius behind that. Maybe we could…”
Rose and Silver Hammer return. She runs over to Arc and does a small twirl.
“How do I look?”
“Much more protected.”
“But, this armor is much less dense than my dermal plating.”
Arc sighs. “Just humor me.”
Rose nods soberly. “Okay.”
Steel Hammer walks to her and looks Rose over. “It’s a special alloy. Mithril and adamantium. It’s light, but durable.”
Silver Hammer nods. “This should keep you safe, miss.”
“Thank you.”
Arc smiles at her. “That and you have to look the part if you’re coming with me to the Griffon Kingdom.”
He turns back to the Hammers.
“The signing of the treaty between our nations.”
Steel Hammer nods. “This has been a long time coming.”
Silver Hammer rubs out a spot on the armor with a rag. “Hopefully everything goes smoothly.”
“I hope so too. But nothing ever seems to be that simple for me. In any case…”
Arc pulls out a large bag of bits and hands it to Steel Hammer.
“Great work as always! I’ll tell you all about the summit when I get back.”
Silver Hammer nods as Arc and Rose head for the door. “We look forward to it!”
Steel Hammer turns to his wife as they leave. “This would be a prime time for something to go wrong.”
“I know you’re right. But still hope you’re wrong, dear.”
Meanwhile, Arc and Rose walk down the road together.
“How you holding up?”
Rose walks beside him a bit strangely. “It is a rather strange feeling. My body is a bit off balance.”
“You going to be okay?”
“Yes. I’m attempting to adapt to compensate for the extra load.”
“Good.”
“Now what?”
“I saved the most important task for last.”
Arc leads Rose to the Golden Oakes Library. He knocks. A few moments later Auriel answers the door.
“Good morning! Please, come in!”
“Thanks.”
He and Rose enter the library. Auriel closes the door behind them.
“So what brings you two here?”
“Rose and I have something to discuss with Twilight. Is she around?”
“Yes. She’s in the lab right now. Follow me.”
Auriel leads them downstairs. Twilight is working on an experiment as they enter. She walks over to them as Arc kneels down to give her a hug.
“Hi, Twilight.”
“Welcome back you two. How is everything?”
“Okay. I’ll be better when the treaty is signed and officially in force though.”
Auriel appears nervous. “Will we have peace then?”
“Hopefully.”
Twilight nods. “We’ll all be happy to have new friends across the sea. But I get the feeling you didn’t come here to talk about that.”
“Yes, well… Rose had an… interesting request the other day.”
“Oh?”
She turns to Rose who appears nervous.
“You want something, Rose? What is it?”
“I… um… it’s just… I want to… um…”
Auriel smiles at the android. “It’s okay, Rose. Whatever it is, Twilight will understand.”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want me to ask her?”
Rose nods.
“Twilight. I know this may sound impossible, but… Rose and I were wondering if there was any way for you to turn her into a human.”
Twilight looks confused. “But she already is.”
“No, Twilight. Not an android. Not a machine. A real live, breathing, feeling, bona-fide human.”
“Oh…”
Twilight walks over to Rose”
“What brought this on?”
“Mother. I’m… very grateful for the gift of life and all, but to truly be there for Arc I feel the need to become so much more!”
“And you think becoming human will do that?”
Rose nods with conviction. “Yes.”
Arc puts his other hand on her shoulder. “Rose. Me being human doesn’t make me any better than you. We all have our strengths, as well as our weaknesses.”
Twilight puts a hoof on Rose’s knee. “Arc is right. I designed you to help Arc compensate for some of his own flaws.”
Auriel looks confused. “You did?”
Arc frowns. “Not sure how I feel about that.”
Rose looks Twilight in the eye. “What am I then?!”
“A companion, a friend, a protector and, if Arc wanted… a lover.”
Arc blushes. “Wait, what?!”
Twilight nods, blushing slightly herself as she turns to Arc. “I did my best to make her as… authentic as possible. In every way.”
“But… you never said anything about…!”
“I didn’t want you thinking I made you a sex slave, Arc!”
Rose smiles. “So I’m capable of…?”
Twilight nods. “Yes, Rose.”
Rose grins as she puts a hand on her midsection. “Does that mean I can bear Arc’s children, mother?!”
“No, Rose. You lack sufficient parts to make that dream a reality.”
Arc frowns. “Parts?”
“Rose does not have any internal reproductive organs.”
Rose appears ready to cry. “B-but, that’s so cruel!”
“What?”
“I can’t please Arc without giving his offspring! Like this, I’m only a shell of a woman!”
Rose takes Twilight’s hooves in her hands and holds onto them desperately.
“Please, mother! Make me whole! Make me real! Make me… make me human!”
“Rose… I…”
Rose continues. The desperation in her voice rising. “I’ll do anything! Take any risk! PLEASE!!!”
“I… I can’t.”
“Why not, mother?!”
“Back when I first thought of creating you, I originally planned to expand on Star Swirl the Bearded’s idea of artificial life.”
Arc’s eyes grow wide. “You mean…!”
Twilight nods as her ears droop. “Yes. I originally wanted to make you a living companion. Somepony to share your life with! Somepony to… grow old with.”
“Mother! Are you saying… I was SUPPOSED to be real?!”
“Yes, Rose. But I was unable to do that. Had I been able to solve that problem, you might have been able to have children.”
Auriel appears stunned. “What?! But that’s impossible!”
Arc sighs. “I’m kinda glad of that.”
Rose looks to Twilight. “What was the problem?!”
“Rose. You are programed with how creatures procreate, are you not?”
“Yes. A female egg and male sperm must come together. Could you not magically create eggs for me?”
Arc frowns. “Some things can’t be solved with magic, Rose.”
“Arc is right. That and I was unable to… acquire a male sperm cell.”
Twilight looks over to Arc.
“I think I owe you an explanation.”
Arc looks at Twilight nervously. “What about?”
“My… original plan. We should probably sit down for this.”
Auriel turns to leave. “I’ll just leave you to it then, Twilight.”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, Auriel. You should hear this too. After all, it was your P.E.E.L. that I used to make this all possible.”
Arc looks to Auriel. “Maybe you can give some insight as well.”
Twilight leads them upstairs to her room. She sits down on her bed as Arc and Rose sit on either side of her. Auriel sits in a chair across the room.
“This is… difficult to say, Arc. But… do you remember when I served you that… um… special tea a while back?”
“Yes. It caused our friends to… um… yeah. What about it?”
Twilight looks down at her hooves. “Please understand. All I wanted at the time was to make you happy.”
“I understand. You thought back then that I needed intimacy to be happy. Truth be told, I’m very… flattered by your… um… efforts.”
Twilight shakes her head. “That… wasn’t the entirety of my plan, Arc.”
Auriel looks confused. “What else could there have been?”
“I… um… that was only the first part.”
“Twilight. What are you saying?”
Twilight’s ears droop in shame. “The… second part of the plan was to… um… harvest your sperm, Arc.”
Auriel looks confused. “How, Twilight?”
Twilight blushes feverishly. “By sleeping with him.”
Rose tilts her head to the side, confused. “But that would still leave the problem of the female egg, mother. There are no humans in Equestria to harvest them from.”
Twilight puts a hoof on her midsection. “I was planning on harvesting one of my own and altering its DNA to be compatible with his.”
Twilight begins to cry.
“I know what I did was wrong! But I so badly wanted you to be happy, Arc!”
“But… why would you…?”
Twilight interrupts him. “If by sacrificing my marehood I could create a special somepony for you, well… to me that was worth it!”
Arc puts his arm around Twilight.
“Twilight. What you did was very, VERY wrong and all. But… I’m very happy that you think so highly of me that you’d be willing to… um…”
Twilight throws her hooves around Arc’s midsection and presses her face against him.
“I’m sorry for tricking you, Arc! I’m so… SO sorry!”
“It’s okay, Twilight! This… this is in the past.”
“You don’t understand! I… I betrayed and hurt so many!”
“Twilight?”
She looks up at him through her tear-filled eyes. “I betrayed you, my friend’s marehoods, Auriel’s trust and… and…!”
She looks down.
“And I betrayed Rose.”
“Me, mother?”
“Yes. If… if I was a bit smarter than maybe… maybe you could have been born properly as a real human!”
“I don’t blame you mother. I’m sure you did your best!”
“Well, my best wasn’t enough!”
Arc and Rose do their best to console Twilight as she collapses into hysterics.