//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - Three Surprises // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Everyone on the Bridge gasps. Twilight is the first to speak. “What?!” Dinky shakes her head furiously. “NO!” Moon Dancer turns to Auriel. “But that would only allow the vines to absorb it more quickly!” Wrangler frowns. “That’d be like throwing fuel on the fire!” Auriel nods soberly. “Those were his orders.” Tight Ship looks straight ahead. “Then we’ll carry them out. Wrangler, target the sphere and prepare to fire.” “Aye, sir.” The ship targets the artificial sun. Wrangler looks to the captain. “Target locked, sir.” Tight Ship is silent. Moon Dancer looks over. “Energy levels rising, sir!” Twilight sighs as she continues channeling her magic into the ORB. “We have to trust Arc!” Tight Ship sighs. “Forgive us, sir. Wrangler… fire!” Wrangler presses a button. A beam of pure magical energy hits the sphere dead on. Tight Ship grips his chair nervously. “Regulate the power levels as not to overload the sphere, Moon Dancer.” Moon Dancer nods and gets to work monitoring the energy levels. The others watch the ground below closely. Wrangler frowns. “Sir, I can only keep this up for a few more minutes!” Soarin turns to Moon Dancer. “Will that be enough?” “Without knowing what the Hero of Light’s plan is, I can’t say for sure.” Twilight grimaces. “He’s… probably trying to overload the vines by overfeeding them.” Auriel gasps. “What?! But…!” Frank frowns. “Will he survive?!” Moon Dancer shakes her head. “I don’t think so, no.” Dinky screams out. “No! It can’t end like this!” Her horn aglow, Dinky vanishes from sight. The others gasp as Lemon Hearts turns to Twilight. “What did she just…?!” “That wasn’t a normal Blink Spell!” Soarin frowns. “Moon Dancer, scan for her!” “Miss Dinky is not within my sensor range, sir.” Tight Ship appears confused. “That isn’t possible. No unicorn, let alone a filly, has that kind of range.” Frank chuckles. “She’s certainly Arc’s daughter. Headstrong and talented.” Twilight sighs. “At least she’s safe… wherever she is.” Auriel shakes her head. “Yes. This plan may end very badly.” Lemon Hearts looks confused. “How?” “The vines may absorb so much magical energy they, or the artificial sun, may literally explode.” Tight Ship turns to the helm. “Thunderlane! Maximum effective distance!” Auriel gasps. “Wait! We need to stay close!” Wrangler nods soberly. “She’s right! If we back off now our output will be lower, sir!” Soarin grimaces. “Then what should we…?” Moon Dancer calls out frantically. “Captain, I’m getting some strange readings near the artificial sun!” “Could it be the Hero of Light’s energies?” “No sir. This is much different. Much more powerful too! Three small pillars of light form in front of the sphere. Twilight squints. “What was…?” Moon Dancer turns to the captain. “Sir! Reading three equine life signs down there!” “What?! Who…?!” Auriel gasps. “It’s Dinky and her friends!” Soarin frowns. “We have to stop the operation and get them out of there!” Moon Dancer shakes her head. “But if we cease fire we won’t have enough energy in the ORB to theoretically finish the operation! We can’t stop now!” Meanwhile, Dinky looks to her right and left. “You two ready to do this?” Apple Bloom grins. “Yeah!” Sweetie Belle giggles. “Let’s save Arc and head home!” They nod and charge forward. The trio vanishes as they hit the surface of the sphere. Twilight gasps. “Dinky!” Thunderlane calls out. “Sir, Miss Dinky and what appears to have been two other fillies just… vanished.” Moon Dancer frowns. “Yes. They… were absorbed by the…” Auriel calls out. “Something’s happening! Look!” Everyone turns their attention back to the sphere below. It begins glowing intensely. A few moments later the vines bulge to a sickening degree before one by one bursting. Black plant flesh explodes outward as the ground begins to shake. Frank narrows his eyes. “An earthquake?! Now?!” Auriel looks down at the scene unfolding. “The Mother below ground must be ready to blow!” Tight Ship turns to Lemon Hearts. “Have all crew members strap in and prepare for impact!” “Yes sir!” Everyone runs to nearby seats and fasten their seatbelts. Frank turns to Twilight. “Everything’s going to be alright.” “I sure hope so.” Auriel smiles. “Arc had faith in us earlier. Now we need to believe in him.” The tremors grow in intensity. Moon Dancer reads over her instruments. “It’ll blow any second now!” Lemon Hearts presses the intercom button. “All crew, brace for impact!” With an ear splitting roar the Mother plant bursts underground. The plateau and the ground beneath it crumbles as a massive shock wave hits the ship. Thunderlane struggles to maintain control. Soarin calls out to him. “Thunderlane!” “I’ve got it, sir!” A few moments later the ship levels off. Thunderlane slumps back in his seat. “There we go.” Moon Dancer sighs. “No life signs detected. Vine, pony, or human.” Tight Ship frowns. “Lemon Hearts?” “Equinox to the Hero of Light. Come in please?” Nothing but static comes over the radio. Twilight sighs. “Arc… please…” Auriel puts a claw on her fetlock. “He’ll be okay, Twilight.” Frank looks hopeful. “Are you certain?” “Yes. I can just feel it.” Thunderlane gasps. “Sir! The artificial sun is on the move!” Tight Ship looks to Moon Dancer. “Can we safely follow it?” “Yes sir.” “Thunderlane, make it happen.” The Equinox follows the glowing sphere down the peninsula toward its tip and the South Luna Ocean. It slowly comes to land a foot or so off the ground. “Land a safe distance away. Thunderlane nods. “Aye, sir.” The others unbuckle and head for the door. Soarin calls out to them. “Wait! We need to be sure it’s safe to approach before…!” Twilight interrupts him. “I have to make sure Arc’s okay!” Frank and Auriel follow her out the door. Soarin shakes his head. “The Hero of Light certainly has loyal friends.” Lemon Hearts nods. “That he does. And I do hope he’s alright.” Moon Dancer smiles. “I believe he is, yes.” Soarin turns to her. “You have something on your scanners?” “No, sir. I’m just… hopeful.” Wrangler raises an eyebrow. “It’s not like you to believe something without physical evidence, Moon Dancer.” “Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.” Meanwhile, Twilight, Frank, and Auriel leave the ship. They hurry over to the artificial sun as Arc, Dinky, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle step out slowly. Twilight gasps. “ARC!” He kneels down as Twilight runs over to him. She tearfully throws her hooves around his neck happily. “We thought you were dead!” Arc chuckles as he puts his arms around Twilight. “So did I for a time.” She looks to the fillies standing happily with him. “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle?! How… how did you get here?!” Apple Bloom giggles. “Dinky came and got us!” Sweetie Belle grins. “That’s right! She said her dad was in trouble and that she needed our help to save him!” Dinky nods. “I knew my power alone wouldn’t be enough.” Frank smiles at her. “That was very wise of you, my dear. It is not always easy to know when a task is beyond your abilities.” Auriel appears confused. “Yes. But how exactly did you get to Ponyville?” Dinky paws at the ground before her with a hoof as Twilight lets go of Arc. “I… um… it’s just something I can do. But it’s easier with my friends.” Arc turns to her. “Like what you did at the Crystal Hospital?” “You’re… not mad at me, are you dad?” “No, dear. But I do wish you wouldn’t put yourself in danger like that.” Apple Bloom frowns. “But you couldn’t have…!” Arc smiles at her. “I know. Thanks you three.” Dinky and her friends grin. Arc turns back to the artificial sun as Auriel examines it. Frank joins her. “I still don’t understand what happened. We saw this destroyed.” Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “While that’s certainly true, I for one am glad to see it somehow was able to regenerate itself.” Frank nods. “This sphere is certainly beyond all reasoning.” Arc grins. “I think I can shed some ‘light’ on that mystery.” Frank facepalms. “Really? A pun? Now of all times?” Arc laughs. “Just trying to ‘lighten’ the mood.” Twilight appears confused. “What are you talking about, Arc?” Frank turns to his friend. “Does it have to do with you getting inside?” “Kinda. You see, the artificial sun isn’t just a collection of Dragon Berry essence.” Dinky’s eyes grow wide. “It isn’t?” “No. Truth be told… it’s alive.” No one speaks for a time. Eventually Frank turns to Arc. “Do you perhaps have medical facilities aboard you ship, my friend?” “Yes. Why?” Twilight takes his hand. “Maybe we should take you there, Arc. Get you examined by Redheart.” Auriel frowns. “He’s telling the truth!” Arc chuckles. “It’s okay, Auriel. That might not be a bad idea, Twilight. But before we do that, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Aurora? Can you come out now?” The familiar face slowly steps out of the sphere wearing a long white robe. All assembled other than Arc and Auriel gasp. “Everyone, this is Aurora. She’s the… representative of the essence that makes up this sphere.” “Greetings.” Aurora’s gaze turns to Twilight. “It is quite an honor to finally meet you, Twilight.” “Meet… me?” “Yes. You and Auriel took very good care of us as we grew. While we did not understand at the time, we were grateful for the nourishment you provided.” Auriel looks to Twilight. “Nourishment?” “Could she mean that special plant food you formulated, Auriel?” Aurora nods. “We do. It helped us grow and mature.” “I’m… glad you liked it.” Dinky looks the newcomer up and down. “So… can you explain who you are exactly?” Apple Bloom frowns. “Yeah. And why you look like my sister’s friend.” “Aurora is the designation given by The Consciousness. Aurora speak for all of us. As for Aurora’s appearance, it was taken from Arc’s mind.” Sweetie Belle looks around. “Us? But I only see one of you.” “Each Dragon Fruit the makes up this glowing mass is represented by Aurora.” Auriel nods. “It truly is alive, Twilight.” Twilight looks Aurora over. “Not just that, but it has conscious thoughts!” Arc clears his throat. “Yes, well… we should probably figure out how to care for this new form of life.” “Aurora is content to remain here. After all, without the vines to hinder us, we can survive anywhere.” Auriel turns to Arc. “Can we take Aurora with us?” “I don’t know. Aurora, can you be separated from artificial sun?” “Yes. However, that is not what we desire. Separation would serve neither Aurora or The Consciousness.” Arc nods. “I have an idea where to take you then.” “Tartarus?” Twilight looks to Arc. “She knows about that?!” “I told her everything.” Dinky frowns. “But that place is terrible, dad!” Sweetie Belle nods with conviction. “Right! She doesn’t deserve to be sent there!” Auriel sighs. “But the demons of Tartarus need this artificial sun! It’ll give them hope for a brighter future!” Frank turns to Auriel. “You cannot force your will on another, miss. After all, she’s more than just your science experiment now.” Twilight sighs. “Frank’s right. We can’t tell her what to do or where to go.” Dinky walks over to her. “Miss Aurora? Would you like to come with us?” “The Consciousness would like to see the place of our birth.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “You mean the Dragon Lands?” Aurora shakes her head. “No. Only one of us was grown there. The rest remember only the Nursery.” Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “The what now?” Twilight smiles sheepishly. “That’s what I called the room with the Dragon Berry bushes. It’s my little plant nursery, after all.” Dinky looks to Aurora. “My dad could fly you there in The Equinox.” “Right.” Aurora turns to Arc. “And after that?” “I don’t know. That’s something you have to decide for yourself.” “The Consciousness will have to give that matter some thought. But we are prepared to depart when you are ready.” Auriel smiles. “Great! That just leaves the matter of how to transport the artificial sun.” Sweetie Belle strains her neck to look up. “It might be too big to fit in The Equinox. Assuming we could move it, that is.” “Dad? Do you think you could shrink it down with the Matter Compacting Spell?” Arc shakes his head. “Twilight already advised me not to do that. In fact, I couldn’t even put the essence in my ring earlier.” Aurora nods. “The Consciousness did not wish to be altered further. However, Aurora is able to help in this regard.” Turning back to the sphere and steps back into it. A moment later it fades away as Aurora comes back into view. Twilight gasps. “What?! Where did it…?” “The Consciousness is now one with Aurora physically and mentally.” Dinky looks Aurora up and down. “Are you going to be okay?” “Yes. Shall we be off?” Arc turns. “Um… okay. This way then.” He leads the group back to The Equinox. Twilight and Auriel walk on either side of Aurora. “We’d like to speak to you some more if you’d like.” “Yes. There’s so many questions we’ like to ask you!” Frank chuckles. “Easy there, you two. Perhaps our new guest would like some time to rest.” “Aurora appreciates the sentiment. But neither Aurora nor The Consciousness require sleep.” Dinky looks around. “Dad? Where’s mom?” “Oh… um… about that…” Sweetie Belle appears nervous. “Miss Derpy’s alright, isn’t she?!” Arc nods. “Yes, her and Ember are fine. Before the blast I opened a portal and Auriel knocked them through.” Auriel turns to her. “Where did you send them?” “Ember’s house in the Dragon Lands.” Apple Bloom looks to Arc. “What? Why there?” “I didn’t have much time to plan. My only thought was to get them as far away from here as possible. That was the first place that came to mind.” “Can we go check on them, dad?” “Yeah, we probably should.” Raising a hand Arc calls forth his gauntlet. A portal opens as Arc turns to the others. “We’ll be right back. Apple Bloom, I want you and Sweetie Belle to head to my quarters. Dinky and I will be back soon.” “Okay!” “See you later!” Arc and Dinky step through the portal and are gone. Twilight and Auriel turn back to Aurora. “This way. We can talk over a snack.” “And some coffee. I get the feeling it’s going to be a long night.” Aurora tilts her head to one side, confused. “What is coffee?” Twilight giggles. “Well, you see…” The trio walk away as Frank shakes his head and heads for his room. “If your time in this realm has been anything like this, Arc, it will be quite the story. I look forward to hearing more about it in the future.” Meanwhile, Arc and Dinky reappear. The pair find themselves in Ember’s small house. Derpy and Ember are sitting nervously on the couch. Both call out as they lay eyes on him. “ARC!” Jumping up, they look him over. Ember is the first to speak. “Are you okay?!” Arc chuckles. “Yes, I’m fine.” Derpy breathes a sigh of relief. “What happened?!” “Auriel pushed you through a portal I opened.” Ember clenches her fists. “WHAT?!” “Please, Miss Ember! My dad was only trying to keep you safe!” “Right.” Derpy smiles at him. “Thank you for that. But how exactly did you and Auriel get out of that mess?” “It’s… kinda a long story. Why don’t all of us head back to The Equinox and get some sleep?” Ember yawns. “That actually sounds pretty good. I was so busy being worried, I didn’t realize just how tired I was.” Derpy nods. “Me too. But do you suppose you could come get Ember and I tomorrow morning?” “Um… I guess so. Why?” “I’d like to talk to her about something.” Arc grins. “Girl talk?” “Right. Would it be okay if your father looked after you, Dinky?” “Sure!” Arc looks down at the filly. “I should probably get you to bed then, sweetheart.” “Aw…” “See you tomorrow?” Ember shrugs. “I guess.” Derpy waves a hoof. “Bye!” The pair step onto the sigil. Arc powers it up and vanishes with Dinky. Ember turns to Derpy. “What was that all about?” Derpy sighs. “Well… you see…” Meanwhile, Arc and Dinky reappear on the sigil in his quarters aboard The Equinox, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are waiting for them as they look out the large window in front of the couch. Dinky runs over to them happily. “Sorry for making you wait!” Apple Bloom grins. “That’s okay!” Sweetie Belle looks around. “Hey, where’s your mom?!” “She wanted to stay back in the Dragon Lands with Miss Ember.” Arc nods. “Right. I’ll go get her and Ember tomorrow. But I should probably let your families know where you are.” He touches his earring. “Arc to Bridge.” Lemon Hearts answers. “Bridge. Go ahead, sir.” “I want you to radio Light’s Hope and tell Lieutenant Flash Sentry to send guards at once to Sweet Apple Acres and Carousel Boutique with a message. Have them inform the Apple family and Rarity that both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are with me. They will be home tomorrow morning.” “Yes sir. Anything else?” “Um… ah! Add that both are safe and sound.” “I’ll take care of it, sir.” “Good. Tell the captain to take off whenever the ship’s ready. Arc out.” He touches his earring and looks at the three happy fillies. “Now then, we should all probably get some sleep.” Sweetie Belle turns to him. “Um… Arc?” “Yes?” “Can we talk to you about something… kinda important?” “Um… okay. Let’s sit down.” They head for the couch. Arc sits down in the middle as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom take their places on either side. Dinky jumps in his lap. “Now then, what seems to be the problem?” Sweetie Belle looks at Arc soberly. “Well… it’s about you and my sister.” “Oh? Do you want to talk to me alone?” “Nah. It’s kinda something that involves all of us.” “How so?” Dinky grins. “We all know you went on that date with Miss Rarity before the peace summit, and that you really enjoyed yourself.” Sweetie Belle nods. “That and Rarity’s been talking about you an awful lot.” “I’ve been thinking about her a lot too.” Apple Bloom smiles widely. “Really, Arc?” “Yes.” Dinky appears nervous. “What about mom?” “Derpy and I are friends. Nothing’s changed in that regard.” “Well… you two HAVE slept together before.” Apple Bloom gasps. “Really?!” Arc nods. “That’s true, yes. But we just went to sleep. What brought this on all of a sudden?” Sweetie Belle looks nervous. “Well… I was just wondering if maybe… something happened that week Rarity was working for you during the peace summit.” “What kind of things?” Dinky appears nervous. “Um… you know… grown-up pony things.” Arc sighs. “You’re asking how far I’ve gone with Rarity, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle nods. “Y-yes. I mean… I know she’s a fully grown mare and all, but… it’s been kinda hard for me to ask her exactly where you and her are in the relationship department.” Arc puts a hand on Sweetie Belle’s fetlock. “I didn’t have sex with her, no.” Sweetie Belle looks down sadly. “Oh.” “Is something wrong with that?” “Well… kinda. I know that’s sometimes what mares and stallions that love each other do. So I was actually hoping you two had…” Arc frowns. “Woah now! What?” Apple Bloom smiles sheepishly. “We’re sorry for asking this, Arc. But we just want our friend here to… um…” Dinky picks up for her. “We want her to be happy, dad.” “I see. And you three think that Rarity needs someone special in her life to be happy?” Sweetie Belle appears confused. “Yes. Is there something wrong with that?” “No, Sweetie Belle. But I need to explain something to you three.” Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “What is it?” “You need to understand that just because a mare and a stallion care for one another doesn’t mean they are, or need to, have sex to show it.” Apple Bloom tilts her head to one side. “They don’t?” Arc shakes his head. “No. Think about it this way. Dinky’s mother and I care about each other very much. But we’ve never had sex or been otherwise romantically involved.” “I know that, dad. But you and mom have a really special relationship.” “That we do. Now remember, I do care about you and your mother, Dinky. But I don’t need to… um… lift her tail to show that.” Sweetie Belle looks away. “I… don’t really know how to feel about this.” Dinky turns to her friend. “Sweetie Belle?” “I’ve already told you and Apple Bloom what I want.” Dinky and Apple Bloom nod as their friend continues. “Back then, I thought if Arc and Rarity were to fall in love then maybe the three of us could be a family. But… at the same time I was worried that would… um…” She thinks for a moment before speaking. “…take away from what you two want.” Dinky puts a hoof to her chin. “I don’t know. It might.” Apple Bloom grimaces. “This is really complicated!” Arc smiles at them. “Why don’t you two tell me what it is you’re hoping for and I’ll see if I can give you some advice.” “Okay, dad. I was kinda hoping you and mom would get married. We’re already a family, and all, but things just kinda feel a bit… different than other foal’s family life.” Sweetie Belle sighs. “We all saw that when the other foals were standing in the Main Hall waiting for their parent/teacher conferences.” Apple Bloom nods. “Their parents were there with them. But the three of us… we kinda stuck out standing there. Me with my sister and Sweetie Belle with Rarity.” Dinky looks sad. “I felt the same way standing there with mom. None of us looked like a complete family.” Apple Bloom forces a small smile. “We talked about it the next day at school. And it sounded like we all wanted the same thing.” Sweetie Belle turns to Apple Bloom. “Yeah. All three of us wanted a… a dad.” Dinky looks up at her father. “I told them how you signed my birth certificate to adopt me.” Sweetie Belle nods. “Um… do you think there’s any way you could… ah… adopt me too?” “I’m sure if you talked to Rarity she’d agree, dad.” “My birth certificate didn’t list a father. Just like Dinky’s. All you’d have to do is sign it, right?” Arc sighs. “I suppose so. But… um… have you talked to Rarity about this?” Sweetie Belle looks suddenly nervous. “Kinda.” “Kinda?” “Well… I suggested you and her getting together someday.” “And what did she say?” Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “Not much. Rarity just kinda giggled nervously and got a starry look in her eyes. She didn’t say much after that.” Apple Bloom look nervous. “Arc?” “Yes?” “I, ah… kinda wanted the same thing.” “But you already have a family.” “Sorta. I mean, I have Applejack, Babs Seed, Big Mac, and Granny. But… no mom or dad. Do you think you could adopt me too?” Arc frowns. “I don’t think your family would appreciate that.” Dinky looks to her friend. “You should probably tell him the rest, Apple Bloom.” “There’s more?” “Yeah. I… kinda had the same conversation with Applejack as Sweetie Belle had with Rarity.” “Um… about what?” “I was hoping maybe… um… that you and Applejack might… you know…” Arc sighs. “Get married?” “Yeah! But I didn’t want to take you away from Dinky or Sweetie Belle. I mean… you can only marry one mare. Not all of them.” Dinky grins. “That’s when we came up with the idea of you adopting my friends, dad. Then no matter whom you married we’d all have parents!” Arc puts a hand to his forehead. “I… I don’t know what to say. All three of you want me to be your dad?” Apple Bloom giggles. “Four, actually. You’re forgetting about Babs Seed.” “Look, I’m really flattered that you all want to be my daughters, but… I can’t take you away from your families. They care about you.” Apple Bloom jumps up. “And we care about them too. But we don’t know what else to do!” “What do you think, dad?” Arc sighs. “Well, at the moment I don’t have time to settle down with a wife. But I definitely think all of us need to sit down together and talk this out.” Sweetie Belle looks confused. “But we are.” “I mean with Rarity and the Apple family. They need to know about this.” Apple Bloom grimaces. “Do we have to? Applejack might not like that we came to you like this.” “I’ll make sure she understands that I was okay with you three talking to me about your problem. She’ll understand.” Sweetie Belle looks nervous. “Rarity too?” “Of course. Now don’t you three worry about a thing. We’ll figure this out, okay?” The three fillies nod and smile as they lean in and nuzzle Arc’s sides. He puts an arm around Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as Dinky looks up at him. “Thanks for being there for us, dad.” Apple Bloom grins. “Yeah. We didn’t really know what to do.” Sweetie Belle appears hopeful. “Could we… um… maybe call you… ‘dad’ too?” “I think we need to have that talk first, okay?” Sweetie Belle sighs. “Okay.” “One last thing. If any of you ever needs to talk I’ll try to be more available in the future. Now then, we need to get some sleep. All of you have school tomorrow morning.” Dinky hops down. “Yeah.” “You three can sleep in my bed tonight.” Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “What about you?” “I’ll stay on the couch.” Apple Bloom looks to Arc and grins. “Do you think we could… you know… all sleep together?” Sweetie Belle nods. “Like you and Dinky do!” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Why not, dad?” “Because… um… well…” Dinky points down. “How about we just sleep here then?” “On the couch?” Apple Bloom nods. “Yeah! It’ll be like a slumber party!” Sweetie Belle grins. “Can we?!” “Well…” “Please dad!” Arc nods. “Okay. But just until you three fall asleep. Then I’m putting you to bed.” They nod excitedly. Dinky sits back down in Arc’s lap as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom lean against him and look out the window at the stars. A short time later their breathing slows and they fall asleep. Arc looks to his left and right and smiles. “These three fillies just want a normal home life. Can I really give that to all of them?” He looks down at Dinky curled up in his lap and sighs. “I can’t even be there for Dinky when she needs me.” Arc looks over the sleeping fillies for a long time before slowly standing and walking each of them over to his bed. Covering them up he gives each of them a peck on the forehead. “Good night, little ones.” They quickly snuggle up to one another. Arc smiles as he walks back over to the couch. “Those three deserve parents. But I’m only one person. How can I make this work?” Cherry calls out to him telepathically. “There isn’t a perfect solution to everything, Arc.” “I know. But… for such sweet fillies as them, there really should be.”