The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido


Chapter 1 - Lunar Arrival

The next morning Arc meets Twilight and her friends in front of Light’s Hope. Rainbow Dash looks around.

“The weather’s sure getting warmer.”

Twilight looks over sheepishly. “Is it? Sorry, but I haven’t been getting outside very often lately.”

Rarity sighs. “Twilight, we REALLY need to get you out of your lab for a spa day, or something.”

Applejack nods. “Right! You’re underground so often I’m surprised you haven’t grown roots.”

Fluttershy giggles. “Come on now, girls. Everypony has their reasons for doing what they do.”

Pinkie looks off into the distance. “Is that the moon?”

Fluttershy runs and hides behind Rainbow Dash.

“Eep!”

Rainbow Dash laughs. “Good one, Pinkie!”

Arc looks over. “What are you afraid of? It’s far too early in the day for the moon to be out, Fluttershy.”

“Oh… I suppose that’s right.”

She slowly stands up and frowns.

“Please don’t do that Pinkie.”

“But it’s fun!”

Flash Sentry steps out of the base with Shining Armor and Cadance. They approach Arc and salute.

“Sir! We’ve just received word from the Lunar Destiny. They’ll be arriving in just a few minutes.”

Shining Armor sighs. “Do you think we’re ready?”

Cadance sighs. “As much as we can be.”

Arc nods. “Agreed. So no more worrying about it.”

Rarity offers up a forced smile. “Arc’s right. The princess will…”

Twilight pricks up her ears. “I hear the ship!”

Pinkie grins. “Goody!”

Applejack turns to Rarity. “I sure hope the diplomats like our food.”

“And their accommodations.”

Rainbow Dash frowns. “Are you kidding?! As hard as we worked on this, we should have nothing to worry about! Uh… right, Arc?”

“Everyone did their best. Worrying now won’t change anything.”

Cadance smiles. “Well, I for one am very proud of all of you. This project came together very quickly.”

Shining Armor nods. “Right.”

A short time later the Lunar Destiny touches down on the landing pad next to The Equinox. Shortly thereafter the gangplank is extended and Luna stoically steps out flanked by two Lunar Defenders. Shining Armor steps forward and bows as he removes his helmet. Everyone else assembled also bows other than Arc and Cadance.

“Welcome, your highness. Everything is ready for the summit tomorrow.”

Luna nods curtly. “Very good, captain.”

Arc and Cadance step forward.

“Hello, Luna.”

Luna looks to her. “Cadance. Have you enjoyed your… learning experience?”

“I have. In fact, I’d like to talk to you about that when we have more time.”

Luna turns to Arc.

“I’d like to see what you’ve come up with, Arc.”

“Right this way, Princess Luna.”

Shining Armor leads the procession into the Main Hall. Twilight and her friends lag behind them as Arc turns to Luna.

“Twilight spent a lot of time researching what should hopefully be the most warm and inviting entryway for all the races.”

Twilight walks over to join Arc. “Y-yes, I did.”

“I see. And are you certain about your choices?”

“As certain as I can be, Princess Luna.”

Shining Armor turns to Luna. “It certainly wasn’t easy to do, as customs of one race might be in stark contrast to others.”

Arc nods. “A balancing act, if you will.”

Luna looks around. “Very nice. Did you organize the alteration of this room, Arc?”

“No. That was handled by Rarity. She’s our town’s… fashionista.”

Cadance turns to Rarity. “Well it looks like you did an amazing job.”

“Thank you, your highness. I did my very best to assemble everything as per Twilight’s research notes.”

Shining Armor gestures to the adjoining corridor. “As per your instructions, we’ve also modified the VIP suites to meet the very different needs of our guests.”

“I would like to see these rooms for myself.”

Arc motions for Luna to follow him. “Right this way.”

Shining Armor leads Cadance and Luna down the corridor as Arc gestures to Rarity to follow them. The others look to Twilight as they step outside for some fresh air. Rainbow Dash is the first to speak.

“Princess Luna is kinda on edge today.”

Twilight sighs. “You thought so too? I just figured it was because she didn’t like me, or something.”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Who couldn’t like you, sugarcube?”

Pinkie giggles. “Yeah, Twilight! You’re awesome!”

“Thanks. But she and I have never really gotten along.”

Fluttershy frowns. “I think you mentioned that a while back, Twilight. You mean things are still not right between you and her?”

Twilight shakes her head. “I was kinda hoping to impress her by doing a good job here. Maybe then things won’t be so awkward between us.”

Applejack looks to Twilight reassuringly. “Pinkie and I will make sure the food is perfect.”

“That we will!”

Rainbow Dash puts a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “She’ll be so happy with the awesome job we did here that she’ll see you in a whole new light!”

Fluttershy nods. “Is there anything else we can do to help you Twilight?”

“At the moment I’m not sure. Princess Luna will probably want some changes to what we’ve done after her tour.”

Applejack looks toward the building. “We’ll wait here then and help you out.”

Rainbow Dash nods. “Yeah!”

Meanwhile, Arc, Shining Armor, Rarity, and the princesses walk down the corridor. Luna turns to the captain.

“Can I assume you’ve taken all the necessary security precautions?”

“Yes, your highness. My soldiers and I have gone over every inch of this base.”

Cadance nods. “I can attest to that, Luna. Shining Armor was very thorough in his inspections this week.”

Arc chuckles. “To be honest, the base was already very secure thanks to Lieutenant Flash Sentry’s previous preparations.”

They stop in front of a door. Rarity steps forward.

“This room is for the dignitaries from the Griffon Kingdom.”

She pushes the door open and they step into the room. To say it’s lavish would be an understatement.

“This room contains the best of everything, your majesty.”

Luna turns to Rarity angrily. “This appears VERY costly! Do you think Canterlot is made of bits?!”

Rarity shrinks back in fear. “N-no, your highness! It’s just… I, um…”

Arc moves to stand next to Rarity. “Begging your pardon, Princess Luna, but I signed off on the plans for this.”

“What?! Why would you…?!”

“This is how the aristocracy of the Griffon Kingdom lives. To be honest with you, Lord Gestal’s bedroom was certainly much more lavish than this is.”

Cadance gasps. “It must have been a sight to behold.”

“Indeed it was, Princess Cadance.”

Luna sighs and nods soberly. “Very well. I will overlook it as a… necessary expense.”

She turns to leave the room. Rarity looks up to Arc and silently mouths the words ‘thank you’. Shining Armor leads the way down the hall.

“Tell me, how is security being handled, Captain Shining Armor?”

“We’ve set up cameras all over the base. They’re all routed through a temporary Security Center in Arc’s Office.”

“And patrols?”

Cadance turns to Luna. “Standard two hour rotation with squads of four reporting directly to their sergeant.”

“And how many squads?”

“Twenty-four”

Shining Armor nods. “Princess Cadance is correct.

Arc turns to Luna. “I do believe we’re as ready as we can be for whatever comes our way.”

“Yes. That and it appears Cadance took her lessons to heart.”

Cadance nods. “I did. And it gave me a new appreciation for what it takes to make a facility ready for us, Luna.”

“Indeed. Very good, Cadance.”

She turns to Shining Armor.

“Food?”

“Are you hungry, Princess Luna? Lunch isn’t scheduled for another hour, but we can…”

Arc clears his throat loudly. “I believe the princess is asking about food for the summit, Shining Armor.”

Luna rolls her eyes. “That I was.”

“Oh… well, the pantry and deep freezer have been fully stocked with everything needed to make traditional meals for our guests.”

“What about medical staff?”

Arc steps forward. “Nurse Redheart will be on standby abord The Equinox. She reports the Infirmary is fully prepared to treat any injury or illness, as I don’t actually have medical facilities here at Light’s Hope.”

Luna nods. “As an additional precaution I’ll be ordering the Lunar Destiny to maintain an orbit around the building. Their instruments will continually scan the grounds and the building itself.”

Cadance turns to Luna, confused. “Why the building?”

“So we can keep tabs on everypony inside. Should trouble arise we need to know exactly what happened and form a strategy to defend the facility in the blink of an eye. Who will be in charge of overseeing security?”

“Lieutenant Flash Sentry will be in command of the grounds via The Equinox while Sergeant Sandstorm Mirage will head the Security Center with Rose.”

Luna stops walking and turns to him. “You’re putting an awful lot of faith in a machine, Arc.”

“I understand that. However she’s proven herself to me on numerous occasions that were both dangerous and not.”

Shining Armor sighs. “Would you like somepony else assigned, princess?”

Luna shakes her head as they continue on. “No. This is Arc’s base. He will staff it as he sees fit.”

She turns to look apologetically at Arc.

“No offense was implied to you or Rose.”

Rarity looks confused as she follows behind the group and mutters to herself.

“Arc was able to effortlessly convince Princess Luna of Rose’s qualifications. She must really hold his word in high regard.”

A short time later the group arrives at the Cafeteria. The small tables have been removed and single long dining table has taken their place. Arc gestures to it.

“We’ve done away with the previous idea of each delegation having a single table in favor of a more unified dining arrangement.”

Luna frowns as she looks around the room. “I see. While I admire the thought that went into this, it may be a bit premature to expect everypony to get along well enough to break bread together. Tell me, who’s idea was this?”

Rarity’s eyes grow wide as she silently shakes her head no. Arc sighs.

“The idea was…”

Cadance interrupts. “Mine. I suggested it would be a good idea to eat as one in an effort to forge cooperation.”

Luna shakes her head. “While I applaud you for making an thoughtful suggestion, Cadance, I believe this one is going a bit too far.”

Rarity breathes a sigh of relief as Shining Armor turns to Luna.

“Should we change this, your highness?”

“Light’s Hope is Arc’s base. That is up to him.”

Arc turns to Rarity. “As Princess Luna suggests, we’ll go back to the original seating arrangement.”

Rarity nods. “I’ll see to it personally.”

“Thank you. We’ll also be removing the buffet prior to the summit. The waitstaff from Canterlot will handle serving the food.”

Rarity pulls out a notepad. “I’ll see to it the table and furnishings are moved to the Armory.”

“Very good.”

He turns to Luna.

“What do you think of our layout thus far, princess? Any changes or other questions?”

“A few, yes. For starters, what about our own soldier’s meals? Are they eating in the barracks?”

Shining Armor shakes his head. “No, your highness.”

Cadance turns to Luna. “The Equinox’s onboard Cafeteria will serve as their Mess Hall and temporary sleeping quarters.”

“Is Tight Ship commanding the soldiers?”

Arc shakes his head. “No. I felt it would be too much for him to coordinate in addition to the ship’s crew. For day to day activities, and in the event of an emergency, Lieutenant Trixie will be charge of keeping the ship secure and the troops organized.”

“Good thinking. What of the flight plan to pick up the dignitaries?”

Cadance points a hoof toward the window. “Captain Tight Ship already has his orders in that regard. He’s plotted courses to assure both The Equinox and the Lunar Destiny arrive at the same time.”

Shining Armor nods. “We were afraid if the ships landed one before the other dignitaries on the second ship would view it as a slight against their position.”

Luna sighs. “They probably would.”

Arc nods. “I’ve already spoken with Tight Ship. He’s confident that the ships can land in tandem on the landing pad.”

Cadance smiles. “If he says it can be done, we should believe him.”

Luna smiles. “Agreed. Well, it appears all of you were successful in putting everything together. I just have one last question Arc.”

“Yes?”

“When we passed the VIP quarters I noticed you had prepared a place for every dignitary. However, where exactly are Cadance and I supposed to sleep?”

Rarity’s pupils shrink as Arc sighs.

“That’s been bothering me this whole time. I have three possible solutions, none of which I particularly like. And the choice is yours.”

He clears his throat before continuing.

“One. You could sleep in your rooms back in Canterlot Castle and allow me to teleport you to Light’s Hope Daily.”

Cadance turns to Luna. “That is certainly an idea.”

“Yes. However that hinges on you being available and able to do that every day. Should something happen that required our immediate attention you wouldn’t have time to come get us, Arc.”

“Alright. Option two. You could do as Princess Cadance has this week and sleep aboard The Equinox. Every night I teleported her straight to my quarters there. My ship has been fully secured and is certainly ready to host royalty.”

Luna thinks for a moment. “That is certainly a better idea than the first. However, I would much rather be inside the base in case of a security breech.”

Shining Armor turns to Arc. “It would be easier to just be able to put the base on lockdown then have to defend it in addition to The Equinox.”

Cadance sighs. “That is a valid point. What’s the third idea, Arc?”

“My apologies, but this is probably the most rational of them. Both of you are welcome to sleep in my quarters here in the base.”

Luna narrows her eyes. “I’m sorry, what?”

“My bedroom isn’t exactly big by any stretch of the imagination. But it does have two beds, is secure, soundproof, and I must say is quite cozy.”

Luna frowns. “Are you suggesting we sleep in such cramped accommodations?!”

Cadance forces a smile. “Please, Luna. It’s only for a few nights.”

Shining Armor nods. “That’s probably the best idea. We could easily secure you and the dignitaries, your highness.”

“The only other place to sleep would be in the barracks with the guards. But I’m not approving that.”

Cadance wrinkles her nose. “Neither am I.”

Shining Armor sighs. “So what shall we do, your highness?”

Luna turns Shining Armor. “I suppose we have no choice. But are you certain Cadance and I will be safe in Arc’s quarters.”

“Yes. I’ll station guards just outside in the corridor.”

Cadance looks nervous. “But those walls are soundproof. If something were to happen nopony would hear us.”

“I… ah… would be willing to sleep on the couch in the Living Room. With Arc’s permission, of course.”

It’s fine with me. Princess Luna?”

Luna thinks for a moment.

“I believe the captain’s time would be better spent making his rounds and helping coordinate security.”

“But who will guard us then?”

“I believe the base is adequately secured as it stands. We don’t have guards standing over us as we sleep in Canterlot Castle, after all.”

Shining Armor nods. “That is true, your highness. It looks like we’ve done what we can.”

Rarity walks nervously over to Luna. “Yes. Is there anything else that should be changed, your highness?”

“I don’t believe so, no. Although after lunch I would like to see for myself the culinary ideas for the summit.”

“Saffron has that covered. Applejack and Pinkie are in charge of desserts and snacks. They’re planning to serve some of what they’ve come up with for lunch today.”

“Good. Well then, shall we adjourn for now?”

They leave the Cafeteria. Arc turns to Luna as they step into the corridor.

“Would you like your things brought to my quarters now?”

Luna nods. “My Hoof Maidens will organize my luggage.”

Shining Armor nods. “I’ll send word to the Lunar Destiny for them to begin.”

“Please do.”

Shining Armor heads down the hall. Rarity follows him. As soon as they are out of earshot she sighs.

“That was a frightful experience.”

“Please forgive Princess Luna’s harsh tone back there. She’s been under a lot of stress since… you know.”

“Yes, well… we all need to do our part. I’ll show her we can be counted on in times of need.”

Meanwhile, Arc, Luna, and Cadance return to his quarters.

“Feel free to have the furniture rearranged as you see fit.”

Cadance gasps. “But this is your space, Arc!”

“Well, for now you need it more than I do. Your… Hoof Maidens may need all the space they can get to help you look your best each day.”

“Thank you for your cooperation in this matter, Arc. It is good to know we can count on you.”

“Agreed.”

Cadance turns to Luna.

“Has there been any new requests of those attending?”

“There has been one, yes.”

Arc rolls his eyes. “Great… what is it?”

“The griffons, dragons, Abyssinians, and yaks have all asked for several additional guests.”

Cadance frowns. “Oh?”

Luna turns to Arc. “Yes. Forgive me, but I need you to personally extend another… invitation.”

Meanwhile, Shining Armor oversees Luna’s luggage transfer while Rarity rejoins her friends outside. Twilight turns to Rarity.

“How did it go? Did Princess Luna like what she saw?”

“For the most part, yes. Arc’s taking them to his quarters now to get settled.”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Get… what now?”

Rarity nods. “They’ll be staying in his room during this time.”

Rainbow Dash points a hoof at the Lunar Destiny. “Why?! I mean, they have a huge ship sitting right there!”

Fluttershy looks worried. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Rarity sighs. “Arc felt it wasn’t secure to have them going back and forth.”

“I can escort them with my party cannon if they want!”

Applejack turns to look at the base. “Maybe they should stay in there. I mean, anything could happen out here.”

Twilight looks around. “There are a thousand places to hide around here after all.”

They turn and watch the boxes being unloaded from the Lunar Destiny for a time. Rainbow Dash is the first to break the silence.

“How long is this summit supposed to be again?”

Twilight shrugs. “A few days. Why?”

Rainbow Dash points a hoof at the sheer volume of boxes. “It looks like they’re moving in!”

Applejack frowns. “That it does.”

Rarity sighs. “I’m sure Arc knows what he’s doing. We should trust his judgement.”

Fluttershy smiles “Yes, well…”

Arc walks out the front door. Spotting them he hurries over. Twilight and her friends trot over to meet him halfway.

“Everything okay, Arc?”

“For the most part yes Twilight. Um… Princess Luna did have one emergency request she wanted me to pass on to you six though.”

Rainbow Dash sighs. “Great. What is it now?”

“Well, you see…”