Sometime later Arc, Ember, and Frank walk down the path together. Frank turns to Arc.
“I hope you were able to help your friend with whatever problem she’s facing.”
“Kinda, yeah.”
Ember looks to him. “What was it anyways?”
“Well…”
Frank suddenly puts a hand to his forehead and gasps. Arc and Ember turns to him, clearly concerned.
“Frank?!”
“What’s wrong?!”
The pair help him sit down as he holds his head.
“Just… just a bit of magical backwash. It will pass momentarily.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Magical what now?”
Arc sighs. “Backwash. It’s when a magic user’s powers become unstable.”
Ember frowns. “What do we do?!”
“I can get through this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Arc.”
A few moments pass before Frank is able to stand again. He leans heavily on the staff to support himself. Arc looks hopeful.
“Better?”
Frank nods weakly. “ Yes. But I think I need to lie down now.”
“I’ll open a portal back to Light’s Hope.”
Calling forth his gauntlet a portal opens. Ember and Arc help Frank through. Finding themselves back in Arc’s quarters they help him to the bedroom. Ember grimaces.
“I still don’t understand how this happens?!”
Frank sighs. “It’s when… an inexperienced magic user’s… powers… outweigh their… skills.”
Arc nods. “Yeah. Like Princess Luna said, it’s extremely rare except in cases of artificial infusion. Like what happened to Frank.”
They lay him on the bed and cover him with a blanket.
“You need anything?”
Frank shakes his head. “No, thank you. I believe a nap is in order. But please don’t let me oversleep.”
Ember nods. “We’ll wake you up in a couple hours then.”
“Thank you.”
Arc and Ember leave the room together and head for the couch.
“How should he work through this, Arc?”
“By matching his magical skill with his power.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Think of your magical power like the water behind a dam. The more of it there is, the stronger the dam that’s required to hold it back. As we learn more about our powers, our skill increases as does our magical aptitude.”
“So they increase together?”
“Exactly.”
Ember looks back toward the closed door. “But since he wasn’t born with them…”
Arc frowns. “Frank was forced to accept a large amount of magical power. But he doesn’t have the skill to control it.”
“Sounds awful.”
“It’s bad enough to watch. I can’t imagine going through that.”
“Yeah. So what do you and I do now?”
Cherry calls out to them. “Frank might’ve had the right idea. I think a nap is in order. After all, you two don’t get much time to rest these days.”
“Sounds good to me. Arc?”
“Yeah. I’ll sleep out here on the couch if you want to use your bed in there.”
He lies down against a throw pillow.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Um… I guess not.”
Grinning, Ember lies down on Arc’s chest and wraps her arms around his neck.
“This feels nice.”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Just try to get some rest, okay.”
Ember closes her eyes. “Truthfully, I kinda want to stay awake to savor this.”
“You do what you want. Rest well, my friend.”
Sometime later Arc opens his eyes. He looks at the clock on the wall and sighs as he nudges Ember.
“Time to get up.”
Ember slowly opens her eyes and frowns.
“But we JUST laid down!”
“That was some time ago.”
“Really?! Darn it!”
“Something wrong?”
“I was trying to stay awake.”
“Oh. Uh… why don’t we check in on Frank?”
Ember sighs. “Fine.”
The pair stand up and walk over to the bedroom door. Opening it they find Frank just standing up.
“Have a nice nap?”
Frank nods. “Yes indeed, Arc. I’m feeling much better now.”
Ember grins. “Up for some more fun?”
“Sure. Uh… what did you have in mind?”
Arc grins. “A little walk to a friend’s house.”
“Lead the way.”
They leave Arc’s quarters and head down the corridor.
“Maybe we should take a portal there.”
Ember looks Frank up and down. “I don’t know. He looks okay to me.”
Arc turns to his friend. “What do you say, Frank?”
“Not to be a nuisance, but I’d like to save my energy if I could.”
“Alright. Portal it is then.”
Arc calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. They step through it and arrive at their destination. Frank looks around clearly confused.
“I thought we were heading to your friend’s house, Arc. This appears to be your quarters again.”
Ember shakes her head. “No. We’re right where Arc intended.”
“Right. This is my friend’s house a short distance away. I had my quarters modeled after it.”
“Might I ask why?”
“I’m not much for luxury accommodations. That and I wanted it to be a constant reminder of the humble beginnings where I came from.”
Ember looks around. “They don’t appear to be home.”
Arc nods. “Yes, we’re a bit early. Should we get started on supper?”
Ember shrugs. “Might as well. It’ll be a nice surprise for them.”
Frank turns to Arc. “I’ll lend a hand as well.”
“Great. Let’s get to it.”
They make their way to the kitchen. Arc opens the refrigerator and begins handing items to Ember and Frank.
“What should we make?”
Arc grins. “With how little time we have, I’m thinking a quick Vegetable Soup is in order, Frank.”
They walk over to the counter. Arc hands Frank a knife and a small cutting board.
“Think you can chop everything up for me?”
“Of course.”
Ember turns to Arc. “And me?”
“How about you set the table?”
“On it.”
Arc fetches a large pot from a nearby cupboard and fills it partway with water. Frank looks over as he sets it on the stove.
“Tell me more about this friend of yours, Arc.”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Well, for starters, can I assume they’re a pony?”
Arc nods. “That she is.”
“Friendly?”
Ember turns from the cupboard. “A bit shy at first, but yeah.”
“Anything I should know?”
“She’s really easy going, which is surprising considering her past.”
Frank raises an eyebrow. “Oh? She’s had run-ins with the law?”
Ember shakes her head. “Nah. Arc just means she had a hard life growing up.”
Arc nods. “Yeah. You see…”
The sound of the front door opening can be heard along with small hooves running inside. Dinky’s smiling face comes into view as she runs into the Kitchen and straight over to Arc.
“DAD! You’re home!”
Leaping into his arms Dinky throws her small hooves around Arc’s neck and hugs him tight. Ember takes over for him at the stove.
“I missed you so much!”
Arc returns the hug. “And I missed you too, sweetheart.”
Derpy walks into the Kitchen as Arc carries Dinky over to her. He kneels down to give her a hug as well.
“Glad to see you home safe and sound.”
Arc smiles. “It’s good to be back.”
A few moments later they break off the embrace. Derpy looks to Frank and smiles.
“I see you’ve brought a friend this time. Hello again, Mister Fontaine.”
Frank appears confused. “Again?”
Arc nods. “Right. Remember, you met these two back at my place last Christmas.”
Ember laughs. “But you knew them as Dawn and Daisy.”
Frank gasps. “What?!”
Derpy smiles at the newcomer. “Right. In truth, my name is Derpy.”
Dinky grins. “And I’m Dinky!”
Frank turns to Arc. “So they were really… ponies?”
Arc nods. “Yup. That transformation spell I mentioned earlier allowed them to appear to be humans.”
Frank turns to Dinky. “So you’re Arc’s… daughter?”
“Uh huh! He adopted me!”
Frank puts a hand to his chin. “Ah! I believe he told me that some time ago.”
Derpy turns to Arc. “Can I help with supper?”
Ember shakes her head. “Oh no you don’t. It’s been far too long since your little family was together. I’ll cook while you catch up.”
Arc grins. “Thanks Ember.”
Dinky leads her father out of the kitchen. “Come on, dad! Let’s sit on the couch! I wanna to hear all about your adventures on Earth!”
Derpy smiles. “As do I. Would you like to join us, Frank?”
“I’d like that, thank you.”
Arc carries Dinky over to the couch as Derpy follows at his heels. He sits on one end of the couch with Dinky in his lap as Derpy climbs up next to him. Frank sits on the other end.
“Sorry for not visiting more last time I was here you two.”
Derpy nods sadly as she puts a hoof on Arc’s hand. “We understand, Arc.”
“Yeah dad! You were really busy back then!”
Arc tickles Dinky behind the ears. “Well, I’m not busy now!”
She giggles as Derpy nuzzles Arc’s side.
“Can you stay awhile this time?”
Arc nods. “I think so, yes.”
He gestures to Frank.
“In fact, the whole reason I came back was to get help for my friend Frank here.”
Dinky looks the man over. “Is he sick?”
“No, no. But he was artificially infused with magic against his will.”
Derpy gasps. “Oh my!”
Dinky grimaces. “Did it hurt, sir?”
“More so than you know, little one.”
Derpy turns to Arc. “How is such a thing even possible?”
“Some very bad people back on Earth somehow figured out how to do it. The down side is Frank here can’t properly control his powers.”
Dinky looks up at her father. “Maybe Miss Twilight could help him.”
Derpy nods. “Or the princesses.”
“Already talked to both.”
Frank clears his throat. “It was recommended that to help balance me out I should properly learn magic.”
Arc nods. “I gave him that book from Twilight already. Hopefully it can help a bit.”
A short time later Ember calls out from the kitchen.
“Supper will be ready in about two minutes.”
Arc turns to his daughter. “Dinky, why don’t you go wash up?”
Derpy nods and stands up. “Come along, sweetie.”
“Okay!”
They trot to the bathroom as Arc and Frank head for the kitchen.
“Quite the family you have there, Arc.”
“Thanks. They’re the best.”
The pair sit down. A few minutes later Derpy and Dinky join them at the table. Arc smiles at her.
“Are you hungry, Dinky?”
“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cabbage!”
Derpy giggles. “That would be a sight to see.”
Arc sniffs the air. “Well, it smells almost done.”
Ember calls out from the stove. “That it is.”
“Miss Derpy?”
“Yes?”
“Arc was telling me earlier that you had a rather rough childhood as he and I did.”
“I did, yes.”
Arc frowns. “Hers was much worse than ours though.”
“If I may… what turned things around for you?”
Derpy smiles. “When I met Arc.”
Dinky grins. “Yeah! He even delivered me!”
“Did he now?”
Arc nods. “There was a huge snowstorm, so I couldn’t get Derpy to the hospital. It was kinda touch and go there for a bit. But as you can see, Dinky made it.”
“A very interesting name you have there, little one.”
“Mom named me that because I was so small.”
Arc looks to Frank. “She was less than half the size of a human newborn. Such a sweet little thing that almost fit in the palm of my hand.”
Derpy tousles Dinky’s mane. “That she was.”
A short time later Ember brings the pot over to the table and sets it down in the middle. Arc begins serving the meal.
“So what’s your next plan, dad?!”
Derpy nods. “Yes. Other than help your friend, that is.”
“Well, Twilight needs to test out an invention her and Auriel came up with.”
Dinky appears nervous. “It won’t be dangerous, will it?”
“No, sweetheart. But we’re going to fly out to the middle of nowhere in The Equinox just to be safe.”
“Can mom and I come?!”
Derpy sighs. “Now Dinky…”
“That’s actually a good idea, sweetheart.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “It is?”
Arc nods. “Yes. I haven’t had much time for my little family here lately. And this little trip should be pretty safe.”
Ember sighs. “By ‘safe’ you mean ‘boring’, right?”
Arc shrugs. “It comes to about the same thing.”
He turns to Derpy.
“I’d love it if you and Dinky came along. While I can’t promise an adventure, I’m hoping we can spend some quality time together.”
“Well…”
“Come on, mom! You need some time off anyways!”
“It would be nice to catch up, I suppose. But I hate to leave Miss Pommel short-hooved. Especially on such short notice.”
Ember grins. “I can talk to her. After all, Arc’s already providing the orphanage with supplemental kitchen staff.”
Dinky turns to her mother. “They can handle things for a couple days, right?!”
“Um… probably, yes.”
“PLEASE!!!”
Derpy smiles and pats Dinky’s head. “All right, dear. But only if it’s okay with Miss Pommel.”
Ember nods. “Great! I’ll go see her after supper.”
Frank chuckles. “Your daughter is very persuasive, Arc.”
Ember laughs. “That she is.”
Derpy turns to Arc. “When will we be leaving?”
“We’ll be taking off in The Equinox at first light tomorrow.”
“Why not right away, dad?”
“Twilight and Auriel needed time to get their supplies ready. That and I’m sure Captain Tight Ship would like a bit of notice as well.”
Ember nods. “Your dad doesn’t want everyone to have to change their plans on a whim.”
“Right. By the way, I promise I’ll make something for lunch aboard ship that’s a little tastier than this.”
Frank chuckles. “I think it’s quite good.”
Derpy nods. “So do I.”
Ember looks to Arc. “Mind if I tag along?”
“If you want to, sure.”
Dinky claps her hooves together happily. “This’ll be SO much fun!”
Arc chuckles. “You sure did like flying last time, didn’t you?”
“It was fun, yes. But that wasn’t the best part.”
Dinky smiles up at her father.
“That was spending time with you, dad.”
Arc tousles Dinky’s mane. “Well, I had fun too, sweetheart.”
“I wish mom could’ve been there.”
Ember takes another ladleful of the soup. “Well, if Coco Pommel doesn’t disagree, she’ll be with us this time.”
Derpy giggles. “I’m looking forward to it.”
They finish eating and begin clearing the table as Ember heads for the door.
“I’ll be right back. Wish me luck with Coco Pommel.”
Arc chuckles. “See you soon.”
He turns to Frank as Ember closes the door behind her.
“Why don’t you rest on the couch? We can take care of the dishes.”
“Thank you. But I’d still like to help if I can.”
Derpy walks over to him. “You can dry if you’d like.”
She hands Frank a dish towel as Arc turns on the water.
“Well, let’s get to it.”
Arc washes as Derpy rinses. She then gives the dishes to Frank who dries them and hands them off to Dinky to put away. Soon their task is complete. Derpy smiles.
“That went quicker than normal.”
Frank nods. “Many hands make light work, miss.”
Dinky grins. “And it’s more fun too!”
Arc nods. “Agreed.”
Ember walks in the front door.
“Coco Pommel says it’s just fine for Derpy to take a day or two off.”
Dink raises her hooves happily. “YAY!”
“She’ll also tell Cheerilee about Dinky’s absence.”
Derpy smiles at Ember. “Thank you for doing that, Ember.”
“No problem.”
Dinky turns to her father. “Can we head over to the ship now, dad?!”
“But we’re not leaving until tomorrow morning.”
“I know. But your ship is just the COOLEST!”
Arc sighs. “Well… let’s leave it up to Derpy.”
“It’s fine with me, Arc.”
Ember grins. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Alright. Shall we be off?”
Derpy nods. “Okay.”
They head for the door as Ember puts out the fireplace. Dinky follows closely behind her father excitedly.
“We’re going to have a blast!”
“Maybe tomorrow we will.”
Derpy looks to Dinky and giggles. “You need to get a good night’s sleep if you want to be rested, sweetie.”
Frank chuckles. “Early to bed, early to rise.”
Ember turns to Arc, mischievously. “Sure. As long as I’m going to bed early with Arc.”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Oh boy…”
A short time later they arrive at The Equinox and walk up the gangplank. The door opens and they walk down the corridor. Arc leads the group to the VIP suites and opens the door.
“You can bunk here, Frank.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
He looks around the room, clearly impressed.
“Your princesses certainly spared no expense on these accommodations!”
“I suppose not. Now then, my room is down the corridor on the right side if you need me. But I am a bit wary to leave you alone right now.”
Ember turns to Arc. “I could stay with him.”
“Um… I suppose that’s fine. If it’s okay with Frank, that is.”
“Yes indeed. It will give us a chance to talk. But I assure you that’s all, my friend.”
Arc appears confused. “Sure.”
“Come on, dad! Let’s get to your room!”
Derpy shushes Dinky. “Patience, sweetie.”
Frank chuckles. “It looks like you’re wanted elsewhere.”
Ember nods. “Yeah. See you in the morning.”
Arc grins as he turns back to his family. “Good night you two.”
Ember steps into the room as Frank closes the door. She heads over to one of the beds and sits down.
“You mind if I take this one?”
“Very well. I suppose I should thank you for volunteering to keep me company.”
“Yeah well… Arc wouldn’t have much fun if he was worrying about your well-being.”
Frank hobbles over to other bed and sits down to face Ember.
“Are you certain that’s the only reason?”
Ember frowns. “No. To be completely honest, I don’t really trust you.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
Ember narrows her eyes. “Arc and I have spent months investigating the Shards and fighting the efforts of your lieutenants.”
Frank chuckles. “I thought the Hero of Light and his companions were a bit more than just tenacious warriors.”
“We must’ve been quite the thorn in your backside.”
“Sometimes, yes. To tell you the truth, I’d taken to sleeping with one eye open.”
Ember brandishes her claws. “It wouldn’t have protected you from ME!”
Frank levitates his staff from across the room. “Maybe not back then. But I’ve grown since that time.”
Ember grins wickedly as she forcefully pulls the staff to herself with a Telekinesis Spell of her own. “That may be true. But remember this. My magic is strong enough to blast you from the other side of the land anytime!”
Frank lays down. “Perhaps so. But I have a habit of surprising those whom take me lightly.”
Ember frowns as she gets under her covers. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll be watching you VERY closely.”
Frank chuckles. “As will I.”
“You’ll be watching ME?!”
Frank nods. “That I will.”
“Why?!”
“You and Arc together accomplished great things back on Earth. I simply wish to observe how the two of you operate.”
“Is that all?”
“Not quite. I’d also like to know what my old friend has been up to in his absence.”
Ember rolls over and looks to Frank.
“You really want to know?”
“Certainly.”
“Fine. But it’s a really long story.”
Frank shrugs. “I have the time if you do.”
“Then lay back and listen. You’re not going to believe quite a bit of this.”
Frank chuckles. “If you recall, I just found out my friend has been living in a land filled with magical ponies for the past year and gained significant magical powers. That which I will believe has greatly expanded.”
“We’ll just have to see how much then. It all started…”
Ember talks long into the night as Frank listens intently.