//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Unbridled Grief // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Dinky paces back and forth along with Twilight and Cadance. Twilight wrings her hooves. “Oh… what’s taking so long!” Cadance sighs. “The castle is quite large, Twilight.” Dinky groans. “By now Princess Celestia could be anywhere!” “Yes. But I’m sure Arc and Shining Armor will find her soon enough.” As if on cue Luna and Shining Armor enter the room. Both of them are sober as Luna walks over to Dinky with something in her hoof. “Princess Luna, did you find your sister?” Luna nods. “We did. Or more accurately… she found us.” Twilight gasps. “What?! Then where is she?!” Shining Armor frowns. “In the Infirmary. Doctor Whooves is looking her over now.” Cadance winces. “Oh my! Was she injured?!” Luna shakes her head. “It would not appear so, no. In fact, she’s now conversing somewhat normally in addition to being able to walk under her own power.” Dinky smiles. “That’s terrific! Is my dad with her?!” Shining Armor sighs. “No. No he’s not, miss.” Luna kneels down and looks Dinky in the eye. Taking Dinky’s small hoof, she puts something in it. “What’s this?” Twilight’s eyes grow wide. “That looks like Arc’s Crest of Light.” Shining Armor nods soberly. “It is.” Dinky looks to Luna, nervously. “P-Princess Luna? Wh-where’s my dad?” “I’m sorry. He’s… he’s gone.” Twilight sits down heavily on her haunches. “Gone?!” Shining Armor looks to his little sister. “Princess Celestia says he attacked her.” Dinky screams. “WHAT?! My dad would NEVER…!” Cadance frowns. “Luna, what is this madness?!” “What Shining Armor says is true. My sister claims Arc gave her no choice, and she was forced to slay him. I don’t imagine he suffered.” Dinky runs over to Twilight and buries her face as the sniffling mare wraps her hooves around the sobbing filly. “It can’t be true! It just CAN’T! Bring him back with your magic, Miss Twilight! I want my dad!” Twilight sniffles. “Let’s go back to Ponyville, Dinky. I’ll take you back to your mother.” Dinky collapses on the floor wailing. Twilight picks her up with a Telekinesis Spell and lays the filly on her back. Shining Armor walks soberly up to her. “I’ll see to it there’s a full investigation into this matter. Arc deserves that much.” Twilight nods sadly. “Thank you, big brother. Let me know when you find something.” Luna sighs. “Yes, Twilight. But first I’ll order a chariot to take you and Dinky back to Ponyville.” Twilight nods, barely holding it together as Shining Armor leads her out of the room. Cadance looks to Luna, seething. “This is just WRONG!” Luna nods. “I’m aware of that, Cadance. But we both know Celestia wouldn’t make something like this up.” “Perhaps she was delirious?!” “More than likely, yes. Doctor Whooves will be able to tell us more soon.” Cadance stomps toward the door, angrily. “Very well! Let’s head over there now and see for ourselves!” Meanwhile, Arc awakens to the sounds of hushed voices and shuffling hooves. He looks around, but can see nothing due to a blindfold and what feels like a burlap sack over his head. Groaning, he attempts to sit up but also finds his wrists and ankles tightly bound. The voices stop briefly but momentarily continue with greater urgency. “Doctor, it’s waking up!” “Don’t worry. We bound this creature for just that reason.” Straining, Arc begins to tear the bindings through steer force. The nurse gasps. “I don’t think it’s going to be enough!” “Nurse! Sedative!” “There is none! Remember, we used the final bit yesterday!” “Straps!” Numerous hooves reach over the bed in an attempt to strap him down. However, Arc continues to thrash. “I don’t think it’s going to hold it!” Another much deeper voice rings out. “Stand back!” The sound of metallic instruments clattering to the floor can be heard. A moment later Arc sees stars as something hits him in the head. Dropping the ruined surgical tray to the floor, the stallion turns and walks away. “There you go, doc. Do try to keep this thing alive please. It’s worth a lot to me.” Both the doctor and nurse stare after the stallion silently as he leaves the room. Eventually the nurse breaks the silence. “Well… that’s one way to do it.” “Certainly not medically sound, of course. But in these trying times drastic measures sometimes need to be taken, I suppose. But in any case, let’s get him unbound and properly examined.” Several assistants untie Arc. The nurse turns back to the doctor as she deftly cuts away his muddy clothing. “What if this thing wakes up while we’re working, doctor?” “Then we hit him again, I suppose.” “Him?” The doctor shrugs as he grabs a clipboard and writes. “Just an assumption, I suppose. We’ll document all we can about this creature, of course.” Turning back to the doctor as the last of Arc’s clothes falls to the floor, the nurse points a hoof at his pelvis. “It appears you were correct, doctor. This is definitely a ‘he’.” “Noted. In any case, get him cleaned up so we can start the process of stitching him back together.” “Yes, doctor.” She motions to several orderlies. They pick up numerous buckets of water and pour them over Arc’s body. One of them gasps as the mud flows away from the skin. “Doctor! His belly!” The doctor looks the wound over quickly before frowning. “It looks pretty deep. Roll him onto his side.” As the orderlies do so the doctor peeks at Arc’s back. “Looks like it goes all the way through. Hurry and get him cleaned up so I can ascertain the extent of the damage.” “But we don’t have any other sedatives!” “We’ll just have to use a lot of localized anesthetic. With any luck he’ll stay out long enough for me to do what needs to be done.” “And if he doesn’t?! You saw how strong he is! Those ropes were beginning to fray!” “Then we’ll use the tray again.” The next day Twilight and her friends sit around the Rarity’s kitchen table. Rain pelts the window panes as a low rumble rolls across the land. They all have puffy red eyes and are nursing cups of coffee. Applejack turns to Twilight. “How’s Rarity doing this morning?” “Not much better than she was last night.” Rainbow Dash groans. “Yeah. She took it the hardest.” Pinkie sighs, her mane deflated. “We all miss Arc. But… she wanted marriage more than anypony.” Fluttershy looks out the window at the falling rain. “He really made an impact on all of us. It’s just…” She bites her lip, and fights back tears. “…it’s just so hard to believe Arc’s gone!” Rainbow Dash turns to Twilight. “Is there ANY way he could’ve survived?!” Twilight shakes her head. “No. Shining Armor looked over the scene personally. He says the blast was such that it blew out every window in the wing.” Applejack sets down her cup. “Were they at least able to recover his body?” “Unfortunately not. He said the magical blast Princess Celestia used to… do the deed was powerful enough that Arc must’ve been nearly vaporized.” Pinkie sighs. “At least it was quick for him.” Rainbow Dash slams her front hooves on the table, angrily. “How could she DO that to him?!” Applejack frowns. “Calm down, Rainbow Dash. You know the princess wouldn’t have done that without either a good reason or unless she was out of her mind.” Fluttershy nods. “Right.” Rainbow Dash seethes. “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that she KILLED Arc!” Twilight’s ears droop. “I’m sure Princess Celestia feels just awful about what happened.” “Not bad ENOUGH!” Applejack looks to Rainbow Dash. “Think about it this way, sugarcube. Let’s say you were flying as fast as you could and a foal came out of nowhere and flew out right in your path. Even if it wasn’t your fault, wouldn’t you feel terrible?” “Yes! NO! I mean… I don’t know!” Pinkie lays her head on the table. “It’s okay to feel sad-mad right now, Dashie.” Fluttershy sniffles. “Yes. But in the end, we should do what Arc would want us to.” Rainbow Dash grins wickedly. “Get revenge?!” Twilight shakes her head. “No. Just the opposite.” Applejack nods. “Right. Arc wouldn’t want us to retaliate against Princess Celestia. After all, he worked so hard to find and rescue her.” Rainbow Dash takes flight angrily, knocking her chair over. “I KNOW THAT!” The enraged pegasus lands and storms toward the door. Throwing it open she turns back to the others. “It’s the only thing keeping me from flying over there RIGHT NOW and taking her OUT!” Flying over the threshold, Rainbow Dash streaks away. Sighing, Twilight closes the door with her magic before turning back to her remaining friends. “We should probably check on Rarity.” The others nod and stand. Walking up the stairs together they stop outside the familiar door. Hearing nothing but sobs, Twilight knocks lightly. “Rarity?” The muffled sobs continue unabated as she turns to her friends. Applejack steps past her and turns the doorknob. Walking into the room together that see Rarity lying face down on the bed. The room is a mess with clothes strewn everywhere, a smashed vanity mirror, sheets and blankets lie on the floor, and even several hoof-sized holes in the drywall. Twilight is the first to speak. “How do you feel this morning, Rarity?” “How do you THINK I feel?!” Applejack bows her head. “Like we do, I reckon.” Fluttershy nods. “Yes. We’re all feeling the pain of this loss. But…” Pinkie sighs. “But you were closer to Arc then the rest of us.” Rarity nods as she continues crying. “Right! And now I’ll NEVER be happy again!!!” Applejack shakes her head. “That’s not true, sugarcube.” Rarity looks up and glares at her friends. “Really?! Do ANY of you know what it’s like to lose the stallion of your dreams?! WELL?!” They are silent as Rarity continues her tirade. “I was just SO excited when I heard Arc’s speech announcing he had returned to Equestria with Princess Celestia! In all honesty, that was the happiest I’d EVER been in my LIFE! And do you know why?!” Applejack purses her lips. “Because Arc was safe and sound?” “YES! But there was so much more!” Twilight appears genuinely surprised. “Like what?” “We were going to start dating! Believe me when I say that I had it all planned out! Dinner… a show perhaps! Followed by us walking the streets with a warm summer’s breeze blowing through my perfectly styled mane! But it wasn’t going to end there! Oh no!” Pinkie sighs. “But that sounds perfect. How could it get any better?” “Easily! Our walk would lead us past some of the most exclusive hotels in Canterlot! I’d have a room reserved with the key already in my purse! We’d arrive to a wonderfully romantic fire and music playing softly with the lights off!” Rarity stands up on her mattress, turns away from the others, puts her head down with her flank in the air, and lifts her tail high to expose her genitals. “Then I was going to do THIS and he would do whatever came naturally!” Twilight gasps. “You were going to do THAT?! Even after… what happened to you in college?!” Rarity nods as she turns around to face the others again. “Yes! Don’t any of you understand?! Since that time, I haven’t wanted anything even CLOSE to a relationship with a stallion!” Applejack looks away. “That’s understandable. But why swing so far from that mindset and offer your flank to him like that?” “Because I WANT intimacy! I WANT physical contact! I WANT… no… I NEED Arc to take me and make me his!” Fluttershy blushes. “”Oh my goodness! You really do have a lot of pent up frustration!” “YES!” Applejack forces herself to look at Rarity. “Wow! This is just… so surprising, Rarity! But are you really sure that’s what you wanted?” “More so than you know! I wanted to share my life with him! Eat the same food! Sleep in the same bed! Breathe the same air! And… and…” She smiles carnally before continuing. “And be BRED by him!” Twilight lowers her head. “Rarity, I… understand.” “You… you do?” “Yes. I also wanted to bear Arc a foal at once point.” Applejack blushes heavily. “I… did too.” Pinkie closes her eyes and smiles as she puts a hoof on her belly. “The thought of Arc being my first time was something I was really looking forward to.” Fluttershy smiles sheepishly. “Me too. I mean, I didn’t think I’m ready for such… intimacy. But I knew I could trust him to take me through it step by step and at my own pace.” Rarity looks around the room, dumbfounded. “I… don’t really know what to say. After we spoke about forming a herd, I thought I was the only one who was emotionally prepared to have sex with Arc.” Applejack shakes her head. “We all want what we want. No shame in that.” Pinkie sighs. “Right. I was looking forward to celebrating the holidays with everypony. Not as friends, but as a family.” Twilight bows her head sadly. “Arc brought us closer together than we ever through possible. I never believed we would be talking about sharing a stallion or building a family together.” Fluttershy smiles. “Me either. But it just goes to show just how strong our friendship really is.” Rarity smiles nervously. “I would imagine that anypony else would have just resorted to fighting over him.” Applejack looks around the room. “Right. However we were willing to share and take turns like a real honest to goodness family.” There is a light tapping outside the window. They turn to see a soaking wet Rainbow Dash hovering before them. Twilight opens the latch to allow the mare to enter. She stands in the center of the room with her head bowed, dripping all over the floor. “I… I’m sorry, everypony.” Applejack nods understandingly. “We’re all a bit on edge right now, sugarcube.” “Right.” Rainbow Dash looks to her friend sheepishly. “So… how’re you doing, Rarity?” “Not the best. We were just talking about the hopes we had regarding our futures with Arc.” Fluttershy turns to the wet pegasus. “What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack chuckles. “Let me guess. You wanted a nighttime rendezvous with Arc too, right?” Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “Um… duh. I would’ve rocked his world too!” Pinkie gasps. “What about Rarity?!” “She was going first, sure.” Rainbow Dash grins wickedly as she continues. “But I was going second!” Rarity sighs. “Yes, well… I don’t suppose any of that matters now.” Fluttershy speaks up. “No. But maybe…” Applejack frowns. “Fluttershy?” “I was just thinking what we could do to honor our friend.” Twilight smiles sadly. “Truthfully, I’ve been considering that very thing since last night.” Pinkie looks hopeful. “Have you come up with anything?” “How about a proper funeral?” Fluttershy tilts her head to one side, confused. “But his body was…” Rainbow Dash nods. “Well, it would be more of memorial service then. But that’s still a really good idea!” Applejack nods. “Right. It shouldn’t be too showy though. Arc never did like folks making too big a fuss over him.” Twilight looks to her friend. “Rarity, you were closer than we were. What do you think of the idea?” “That it’s absolutely wonderful. But there’s somepony else who should be consulted before we move forward with this matter.” Fluttershy appears confused. “Oh?” Pinkie frowns. “Who?” Rarity hops off the bed and walks over to the window. Staring out at the rain, she sighs before responding. “Derpy and Dinky.”