Arc finishes cleaning Natalya and helps her out of the tub. He pats her dry before leading her back to the room.
“Thank you. That feels MUCH better, sir!”
Arc sighs. “Yeah. No problem.”
Natalya slowly limps over to the bag on the floor.
“I should probably get rid of this.”
As she moves to pick it up, Natalya spots an envelope attached. She picks it up and looks it over.
“It’s addressed to you, sir.”
Arc takes the envelope sadly. “Thank you. I think I know what this is.”
“Sir, I’m a bit confused by all this. Well, I suppose ‘relieved’ would be the word.”
Arc nods as he opens the envelope and pulls out the papers. “About which part?”
“I was told I was being sold into slavery. Something must have come up at the last second though. Did you have anything to do with that?”
“Um… kinda.”
“Well thank you, sir. I don’t think I’d have done well as a slave.”
Arc looks over the papers and shakes his head.
“Something wrong, Lord Arc?”
“Yeah. Um… you’ve been discharged.”
“I’m confused. What for?”
Arc hands her the papers. “There’s no reason listed.”
Natalya sits down on her haunches, her talons shaking as she looks over the paper. She looks up at Arc and speaks in a weak voice.
“But… but I didn’t even DO anything!”
Arc nods soberly. “I know that, Natalya.”
Natalya sighs as she hands him back the paper. “Well… at least I’m not a slave.”
“I think you better see this.”
Arc gives her the other paper. Her eyes grow wide as the tears begin to fall.
“I… I’m a… a slave to you now?”
“Yes, Natalya. I’m sorry this happened.”
Natalya gives back the paper and turns around. “I… understand.”
She slowly lowers her head to the ground and lifts her tail to expose her nether regions.
“Go ahead…”
Arc looks at her confused. “Um… what?”
“When a female griffon is enslaved, their new master has to show their dominance by taking the slave and… abusing them.”
“Natalya, put your tail down! I’m not doing that to you!”
Natalya slowly stands upright and turns to Arc. “Th-thank you, si… master.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“But you own me now.”
“I’m not really interested in having a slave, Natalya. How do I free you?”
Natalya shakes her head. “A slave is only freed when their master dies. I’ll do my very best to serve you in whatever capacity you need me though.”
Arc frowns. “Wait! So I CAN’T free you?!”
“Not legally, no.”
“Can’t I just order you to not be a slave anymore?”
“No. I’m yours for the end of your days.”
“What if I told you to just be my slave on paper? You’ll have total free will, total choice of where to live, and what to do with your life.”
Natalya puts a talon to her chin. “I… suppose you could order that, yes. But no matter what I’ll still be your property.”
“Okay. Natalya, I order you to be as free as you want then. You can do anything you want without my permission.”
A small smile creeps across her face. “Yes, Lord Arc. Thank you very much!”
“You don’t have to call me that anymore.”
“Call you what?”
“Lord Arc.”
“Do you have another name?”
“Just Arc.”
Natalya is nearly frantic. “What?! Please no! I… it just wouldn’t be proper for a commoner like me to call you that!”
Arc sighs. “Very well. You can call me something else if you really want to. One thing though. You must NEVER call me ‘master’ ever again.”
“Yes sir. I understand. You are my master, but I am not to call you that.”
“Good. Now how about we get you something to eat? Hungry?”
Natalya nods. “Yes sir. I haven’t eaten since we last saw one another.”
“You still sore?”
“Yes, sir. The shower helped a lot. But I’m still pretty stiff.”
“I’ll have something brought here then.”
Arc touches his earring. Lemon Hearts acknowledges his call. A short time later a platter of sandwiches is brought to the room. Natalya eats ravenously.
“Careful now. I don’t want you choking.”
“Forgive me, sir. I’m just so very hungry!”
“It’s okay.”
Arc takes a sandwich for himself and looks out the window as they approach the ocean. He turns to Natalya.
“Fancy a look?”
Natalya walks over to him. “What, sir?”
“I just thought you’d like to see the shores of you homeland before we go. You probably won’t be coming back here for quite some time.”
Natalya sighs as she puts a talon on the glass. “I’ll miss it, but will do my best to make a new home for myself in Equestria.”
“That’s all that can be done right now.”
“Sir? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why was I enslaved?”
Arc frowns. “Lord Gestal wasn’t completely certain you weren’t the Rebel Leader. I volunteered to take you out of the country when I left.”
Natalya looks confused. “Didn’t you leave the other day though?”
“I had to turn around and come right back. Lady Ashe was aboard my ship.”
“What was she doing here?!”
“It’s… complicated. Needless to say, Lord Gestal allowed me to choose your fate. Slavery to me, or execution.”
“Thank you for sparing my life, sir! I hope I wasn’t too costly.”
Arc looks back out the window. “You were a reward for returning Lady Ashe safely.”
Natalya sighs. “Then you were underpaid for certain. I’m not worth much.”
Arc shakes his head. “I disagree. You’re a very strong, smart officer.”
“I was.”
“There’s still good you can do in Equestria. Believe me, I know what it’s like to suddenly have to leave your homeland.”
They are silent for a time as the view of land gives way to the ocean. Natalya sighs.
“Goodbye… Griffon Kingdom.”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder.
“You can stay with me until you get on your feet.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Gallus will like that.”
“Yes. He’ll enjoy you being around on a more permanent basis.”
Natalya sighs. “That and learning I’m not in the military anymore.”
“Things don’t always go the way we plan them, Natalya. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.”
“Yes sir. I’m just feeling a bit down about the whole thing.”
Arc nods. That’s understandable. You worked so hard to get where you were. And in an instant it was taken from you.”
“That it was. But you gave me something greater in return, sir.”
“I did?”
“My life, and the freedom to choose my own path.”
“Where I’m from originally, that’s a right.”
“A what?”
“A right. Meaning it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are on the socioeconomic ladder. Some things you should just be able to do. But we can talk about this later. I’m sure you’re very tired from your ordeal.”
“I really am.”
Arc gestures toward the bed.
“Why don’t we get these sheets changed so you can take a nap.”
“Here?!”
Arc shrugs. “Might as well. I have some work to do and you need a place to sleep.”
Natalya removes the sheets while Arc fetches fresh ones from a cabinet. Together they make the bed. Nataly lies down.
“Are you sure this is okay, sir?”
Arc nods. “Yes. Get some rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Arc leaves the room and walks to the office. Sitting down in the chair behind the desk he picks up the phone. Lemon Hearts’ voice comes over the receiver.
“Yes sir?”
“I need to report to the princesses on the status of my mission.”
“I’ll connect you to Canterlot Castle at once sir.”
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later Arc is connected. Luna and Cadance’s voices sound nearly frantic.
“Arc! Is everything alright?!”
“Yes Luna. Lady Ashe is safely resting in her father’s estate.”
“Were they… upset?”
“No, Princess Cadance. But at the same time they don’t really know the truth about what happened.”
Luna frowns. “How so?”
“I made a deal with Ashe. She agreed to tell her father it was the rebels whom hurt her. In return, I wouldn’t tell her father that she’s the leader of the organization.”
Cadance sounds nervous. “Do you think she’ll keep her end of the bargain?”
Arc nods. “Yes. I was there when she told Lord Gestal. Changing her tune now would only show that she can’t be trusted.”
“So the situation is rectified then?”
“Yes. That part is, Luna.”
“What about Lieutenant Natalya? Were they able to determine her innocence?”
Arc sighs. “No. But I was able to convince Lord Gestal, with Ashe’s help, that she needed to be released.”
Cadance breathes a sigh of relief. “So she’s free now?”
“Not… exactly.”
Luna frowns. “Explain.”
“She was more of a loose end to him. The choice was either execute her or have me take her as my… um… slave.”
Cadance glares at the phone. “ARC!”
“I’ve already told her she’s free!”
Luna puts a hoof to her forehead. “Where is she now?”
“In my room aboard ship resting. Their interrogation methods were not kind.”
Cadance sighs. “So will she be accompanying you back to Ponyville?”
“For now, yes. I think she’ll want to be closer to her younger brother anyways.”
Luna nods. “So all in all, the situation has been set right?”
“Yes, all is well between our nations. I was even given a gift by Lord Gestal.”
Cadance frowns. “Other than the lieutenant?”
“Indeed. A knife made of the same material as the bolt from earlier.”
Luna looks surprised. “That strange black metal?”
“Yes.”
Cadance thinks for a moment. “Perhaps we can learn something from it if we analyze this material.”
Arc pulls the knife out of his ring and toys with it as he continues.
“Maybe. But it’s a family heirloom to Lord Gestal. Us melting it down wouldn’t sit well with him. That and I gotta tell you, this thing looks REALLY cool!”
Luna smiles. “I’ll have to take a look at it when next we meet, Arc.”
“Yes, it must be quite the sight to see if you’re so enamored with it.”
“It was a nice bonus for this mission. But there was something else I didn’t even think of.”
Luna sounds confused. “Oh?”
“This act of goodwill toward Lord Gestal has helped strengthen the bond between our nations.”
“When I signed the treaty I was worried it would simply be letters on a paper. Perhaps this shows that the griffons are not so callous with their words.”
Cadance shakes her head angrily. “From a nation whom would sell one of its citizens into slavery, that means little to me!”
“I agree Princess Cadance. But soon we’ll have to put this relationship to the test. When the charges against Lord Goldstone are brought forward, we’ll need allies in their government who will stand with us.”
Luna chuckles. “You’re becoming quite the diplomat, Arc.”
“Am I?”
Cadance nods. “While I don’t believe that was your intention, you have indeed positioned yourself between our two nations quite strategically.”
“It sounds bad when you say it like that, Princess Cadance.”
Luna sighs. “Politics is often a dirty game. It is very difficult to play in the mud without soiling oneself.”
“True. However you’ve been able to stay on the up and up for the most part, Arc.”
“I didn’t like lying to Lord Gestal like that. But did I really have a choice? Had I been honest he would have laughed at me! I mean, his own daughter the leader of the rebels? I know it’s true and even I don’t believe it!”
“I’ve played this game for far longer than I’d like to remember, Arc. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t lose sights of your original goal. Remember why you are there.”
Arc nods soberly. “Raven. This all started for her benefit, but…”
He sighs.
“…there are so many that are suffering in the Griffon Kingdom. Until I met with Lady Ashe aboard ship, I momentarily thought that maybe the rebels would lead the country better.”
Luna nods. “I see. And what do you think now?”
“That Lady Ashe’s reign would be no different than the current king and council. She would do whatever it took to stay in power.”
Cadance sighs. “You’re probably right.”
“Let us hope we don’t have to put that idea to the test, Cadance.”
“Agreed. Well, I’ll let you two get back to work now. I just wanted to assure you everything went well on this end.”
“Yes, Arc. Thank you for the call. Goodbye.”
Luna hangs up the receiver and leans back in her chair as Cadance paces in front of the desk.
“That was a close call. Had Lady Ashe not agreed to work with Arc…”
“I’m sure he would have thought of something. But you are right, Cadance.”
Meanwhile, Arc hangs up the phone on his end and sighs.
“How far am I willing to go? While I do want to get justice for Raven, I also don’t want to become just another thoughtless politician.”
He sighs and stands up.
“I should get back to Natalya. This has to be so hard on her.”
Returning to his room Arc finds Natalya asleep. She appears quite frightened by something though. Arc walks over to her.
“Nightmares…”
He sits down on the side of the bed and gently strokes her back.
“It’s okay, Natalya. I’m here.”
Natalya calms down somewhat as she hears his whispers of encouragement.
Arc sighs and mutters to himself. “I can’t image what they did to you in that dungeon. But you’ll be safe in Equestria.”
Early the next morning Natalya awakens. Seeing the first rays of light shining through the window she sighs contentedly.
“It wasn’t just a dream. I really am out of that place.”
Feeling something warm on her back, Natalya turns her head to see Arc sitting up in bed against the bedframe.
“L-Lord Arc?!”
Arc opens his eyes and responds sleepily.
“Good morning, Natalya.”
Natalya blushes. “G-good morning, sir. Um… did you need something?”
“Sorry for making you uncomfortable. You were rather… upset last night.”
“Yes. The past few days have been hard. They’re still fresh in my mind as well.”
“I’ll see about getting you in to see a therapist when we get back to Ponyville.”
“I don’t think…”
“Had you seen yourself last night, you’d agree with me.”
Natalya turns back to Arc. “What did I do?”
“Thrashing, crying and begging for mercy mostly.”
“I… um…”
Arc puts a hand on her back. “We have an excellent therapist in Ponyville. She’ll help you come to terms with this terrible event.”
“Yes sir.”
“We just have to make a quick stop before returning to Ponyville. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine, sir. You’re in charge here anyways. If I may ask, where are we heading?”
Arc smiles. “A place very near and dear to my heart.”
He stands up and looks out the window.
“We should be there soon. Let’s head over to the main hatch.”
Opening the door Arc finds Rose waiting for him.
“Oh! My apologies, but I came to tell you we’ll be landing shortly, Arc.”
“Yes. We were just heading toward the hatch. Care to join us?”
“I would, yes.”
“Let’s go then.”
Natalya nods and follows him out the door and down the corridor with Rose. The android turns to her and smiles.
“Hello again.”
Natalya nods at her before turning back to Arc.
“You should eat first though, Lord Arc.”
Arc grins. “Not until we get there.”
A short time later the ship touches down. Arc and Natalya step out onto the deck and walk down the gangplank. Looking around Natalya sees rows and rows of cherry trees and a small farmhouse. Arc walks quickly toward it as he looks back.
“This way.”
The front door opens and Ruby trots out to meet him happily.
“Good morning, Arc!”
Arc stoops down to give her a hug. “Good morning, Ruby. Sorry for being a couple days late.”
“It’s fine.”
She looks past him at their guest.
“Did you make a new friend, Arc?”
Arc stands up. “Oh, I’m sorry! Ruby this is Natalya. Natalya, meet Ruby Jubilee. She runs Cherry Hill Ranch.”
Ruby walks over to Natalya and extends a hoof. “Pleased to meet you.”
Natalya looks nervous as they shake hooves/talons. “Sorry to drop in on you like this.”
Ruby laughs. “It’s just fine! Any friend of Arc’s is welcome here. Please come inside though. It’s chilly out here.”
“I’ll be just a moment.”
He touches his earring
“Arc to Lemon Hearts. Come in please.”
“Go ahead, sir.”
“Head back to Ponyville and drop off Lieutenant Flash Sentry before continuing on to Canterlot.”
“Yes sir.”
“Thank you, Arc out.”
They walk into the warm farmhouse as the giant ship slowly takes off. Arc turns to Ruby.
“Where’s Cherry?”
Ruby points a hoof. “In the kitchen making some more pancakes. She heard your ship coming and took the initiative.”
“Great! I’m starving!”
Ruby leads them to the kitchen. Eidolon’s Ward is busy at the stove. It turns around as they enter.
“Welcome back!”
“Hi, Cherry!”
The pair embrace. Natalya looks confused as Arc gestures toward her.
“Cherry, this is Natalya. She’s coming back to Ponyville with us.”
Eidolon’s Ward extends a gauntlet to her. “Pleased to meet you, Natalya!”
Natalya cautiously takes the gauntlet and shakes it.
“H-hello. Are you… alive?!”
Eidolon’s Ward sighs. “It’s… complicated.”
“We can talk about it later, Natalya.”
Arc turns to Ruby.
“Need some help in the kitchen?”
“We’re almost ready to sit down.”
Arc smiles. “I’ll set another place at the table.”
Eidolon’s Ward nods as she turns back to the stove. “I’ll be done here in a few minutes.”
Ruby pulls out a chair. “Have a seat, Miss Natalya. You look like you’ve seen quite a bit of action.”
Arc nods. “She has. But let’s not talk about it.”
“Um… okay.”
A few minutes later they sit down as Eidolon’s Ward serves the food. Arc smiles at her.
“This smells great you two!”
Eidolon’s Ward giggles. “We aim to please!”
Ruby nods as Arc serves her a stack of pancakes. “Truthfully, we were getting a bit worried about you, Arc.”
Arc holds up his bandaged hand. “Sorry about that. Things didn’t exactly go according to plan in the Griffon Kingdom.”
“Oh my! Are you alright?!”
“Yes. It’s just a minor flesh wound, Cherry. It’s nothing!”
Rose frowns. “I wouldn’t call a bolt through the hand a nothing, Arc.”
Ruby shakes her head. “Sounds like diplomacy failed, huh?”
Arc looks to her as he serves Natalya a plate of food. “It almost did a time or two. There were some rather angry folks that didn’t want our two nations to have peace.”
Natalya picks up her fork. “Lord Arc sent them packing though.”
“It had to be done.”
They continue eating for a time.
“So what were you two up to?”
Eidolon’s Ward laughs happily. “Cooking, cleaning the facility, and catching up mostly.”
Ruby looks at the armor fondly. “Yes, sister. It’s been too long since we had time for such things. She’s also brought me up to speed on your adventures, Arc.”
“His life is certainly not boring. But you’re not too upset with my leaving again, are you sister?”
“Not at all! Your place is by Arc’s side. Over him? Well, you know what I mean.”
The pair giggle and continue with their meal.
Natalya looks out the window. “So this is an orchard?”
Ruby nods. “Yes. We’re the premier supplier of cherries for Equestria.”
“I’ve never seen one before.”
“Sadly this isn’t the best time for it.”
Eidolon’s Ward nods. “Arc’s right. Come spring though we’ll have you over to see the cherry blossoms.”
“I’d like that.”
Ruby turn to their guest. “Will you be staying in Equestria that long, miss?”
Natalya looks nervous. “Um… yes, I… um…”
Arc interrupts. “She’s moving here permanently.”
Ruby nods. “Well, I’m sure you’ll love it. I haven’t seen a town in all my days with friendlier ponies than Ponyville.”
Natalya smiles shyly. “Yes. I think I’ll be very happy.”
They finish eating and quickly do the dishes. Arc hangs up the towel.
“Well, we should be going.”
Ruby looks disappointed. “Do you have to leave so soon, Arc?”
“Sadly, yes. I have many things to do right now. Sorry.”
Eidolon’s Ward hangs up her apron. “I’m looking forward to traveling with you again, Arc.”
She walks over to Ruby and kneels down. The pair embrace.
“Take care of yourself out there, sister.”
“I will, Ruby. And I’ll come back to visit as soon as I can.”
Standing, the armor walks over to Arc.
“I’m ready.”
Arc points to his head. “You want in, Cherry?”
“Thank you, but I kinda miss looking at you. Is that okay?”
Arc nods. “Sure. Whatever makes you happy.”
Ruby motions with a wave of her hoof. “This way, everypony.”
She leads them to the basement sigil. Arc walks over to her and kneels down. Ruby wraps her front hooves around Arc’s neck.
“Take good care of my sister for me.”
“I will.”
Arc stands and steps onto the sigil with the others.
“Take care, Ruby.”
“I will! Keep Arc safe, sister!”
Eidolon’s Ward giggles. “Yes ma’am!”
Arc takes his gauntlet and powers up the sigil.
“Here we go.”
In a flash the group vanishes. Ruby smiles and sighs as she walks up the stairs to the main level.
“I’m so glad you found happiness, sister. Maybe one day I’ll meet a special somepony as well.”