The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido


Chapter 14 - A Sharp Eye


Very early the next morning Twilight and her friends meet at Derpy’s house. They sit at the table going over the files from last night. Rainbow Dash frowns.

“There really isn’t that much here.”

Applejack turns to her friend. “Are you sure this was absolutely everything, Pinkie?”

“Yup! I triple checked!”

Twilight sighs. “We’ll, let’s make the best of what we have.”

Rarity nods as she continues reading. “Yes. There has to be SOMETHING in here we can use!”

Rose shakes her head. “Not necessarily.”

Fluttershy turns to her. “What do you mean, Rose?”

“There were many times when Arc would gather information only to find it was useless to the current investigation.”

Derpy grimaces. “I can’t imagine working so hard to get clues only to find they won’t help.”

“But they sometimes led to another source of information.”

Twilight grins. “Right. So let’s keep at it.”

Rainbow Dash moans. “Fine. But wouldn’t this be easier at your library, Twilight?”

Fluttershy nods. “Yes. It has more tables and chairs.”

Rarity looks over her shoulder to the sigil. “We choose here just in case Dinky sent us another message.”

Derpy stands and turns to the refrigerator. “Why don’t I make everypony something to eat? It isn’t much, but we can’t do all this on empty stomachs.”

Twilight appear relieved. “Thanks, Derpy. We really appreciate it.”

Derpy gets to work. Rainbow Dash looks up.

“Does anypony know if it’s normal for guards to go on leave?”

Applejack shrugs. “I would think so. What do you think, Twilight?”

“According to my brother, yes. As long as there isn’t some big reason to keep everypony around, they have rotating schedules. Why do you ask?”

Rainbow Dash holds up a paper. “Because it looks like there was a LOT of guards on leave at the time.”

Applejack thinks for a moment. “Maybe Arc gave them some time off?”

Rarity looks to her friends. “Or perhaps it was the soldiers injured during Arc’s previous mission.”

Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “The Lord Regent wouldn’t normally be involved in such things though. That would be the job of the various commanders and the Captain of the Royal Guard.”

Fluttershy smiles. “Maybe you could ask Shining Armor about it, Twilight?”

Rose nods. “Yes. He may be able to give us some more insight into the staffing levels at the time.”

Derpy frowns. “What about Captain Decimus? Any reports on what he was doing there?”

Rainbow Dash grits her teeth angrily. “Other than killing Arc, you mean?!”

Rarity shoots her friend a withering look. “Please, Rainbow Dash! Yes, I’m looking over his report of the incident now.”

Applejack looks over. “Anything interesting?”

“Admittedly, it’s a bit disconcerting. But he did report that Princess Celestia herself was the one whom blasted Arc out a window on the west side of the corridor.”

Derpy calls out from the kitchen. “But Dinky says the evidence shows Arc was actually thrown out the east side of the hall.”

Fluttershy appears confused. “Why would the captain lie about that?”

Pinkie raises an eyebrow. “Or how?! I mean… a shattered window that big is pretty hard to disguise!”

Rarity sighs. “The report says pretty much every window in the corridor was destroyed by the magical backwash of Princess Celestia’s attack.”

Rose grimaces. “Saying Arc flew out a different window wouldn’t have been too difficult to cover up.”

Rainbow Dash gasps. “Yeah! Especially since he was the one doing the investigation!”

Applejack groans. “The thing I don’t get is ‘why’?”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Why intentionally misdirect everypony?”

“Right. He could’ve just been honest about it. I mean… then at least somepony could’ve easily recovered Arc’s body for burial.”

Pinkie looks out the window. “I wonder where it ended up.”

Rainbow Dash shrugs. “Well… Dinky did say they found his gauntlet in that lake. So assuming he wasn’t obliterated, maybe he fell in and drifted down the river.”

Rose nods. “That is indeed possible, yes.”

Derpy appears hopeful. “So let’s go look! Maybe we can still…!”

Applejack interrupts. “Hold on just a minute. Don’t you know where that river leads?”

“Where?”

Twilight sighs. “Horseshoe Bay which is connected to the Celestial Sea. If he went that route, by now Arc arrived at the ocean for sure.”

Applejack nods sadly. “It’d be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

Rarity bows her head. “A very large haystack, that is.”

Derpy trots in place. “But there’s still a chance we could…!”

Fluttershy turns to her. “Please Derpy. Arc wouldn’t want us to risk our lives trying to find his body that may or may not still exist.”

Rarity nods sadly. “Indeed not. Of that I am certain.”

“Then what should we do?!”

Twilight looks to Derpy. “Discover his fate and make the truth public. If we can do that, Princess Celestia will have no choice but to arrest Captain Decimus, Admiral Gaston, and anypony else involved in this plot.”

Applejack grins. “Well, I might have found something on that.”

Twilight looks over. “Oh?”

“Princess Celestia’s medical records. Nurse Redheart found an unknown compound in her blood when she was brough back to Arc’s ship.”

Rainbow Dash gasps. “What did Doctor Whooves say about it in his examination?”

“Nothing.”

Rarity raises an eyebrow. “Nothing?!”

“Right. He couldn’t detect any such substance. Even in trace amounts. He did note it in his report. However, he believed the princess’ body was able to cleanse itself of whatever it was.”

Fluttershy shrinks back. “Could it have done… whatever it was supposed to?”

Applejack shakes her head. “I don’t think so. He also writes about it possibly being some kind of very powerful sedative.”

Twilight frowns. “That does make sense. After all, she was really out of it when I last saw her. But at the same time, she was really out of it until that night. Anything on that?”

Applejack holds up a paper. “A report here from Emerald Dream. She believes the princess to be emotionally scarred from her kidnapping and subsequent ordeal.”

Pinkie shudders. “What happened over there anyways?!”

Rose sighs. “There were no reports on that subject.”

Derpy gasps. “So somepony took them?!”

Twilight shrugs. “Or Princess Celestia just didn’t talk to anypony about it.”

“Both are equally likely, mother.”

Fluttershy turns to Rose. “So where does that leave us?”

“Nowhere at the moment.”

“Breakfast, everypony. Come get it while it’s hot.”

They rise and head for the small kitchen. Standing around Derpy’s small table they munch of eggs and waffles sadly. Derpy looks around the table as she speaks.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any more chairs.”

Twilight smiles at her. “It’s okay. Derpy.”

Applejack sighs. “Yeah. We’re just sorry nothing really came of all this research.”

Pinkie looks at the notes behind them. “We could go over everything again!”

Rose sighs. “Agreed. But it is unlikely we would find anything that hasn’t already been discovered.”

Rarity grits her teeth. “This just doesn’t feel right! Somepony HAD to alter or destroy quite a few of the records!”

Rainbow Dash frowns. “Yeah! They really didn’t want the truth getting out!”

Fluttershy appears hopeful. “But what about what we found?”

Twilight shakes her head. “It was probably deemed safe enough to be kept on the record.”

Rose thinks for a moment before responding. “Or perhaps too dangerous to destroy.”

Derpy raises an eyebrow. “Rose?”

“Think about it. If they were to get rid of ALL the records it would look suspicious. But if they did away with only the most incriminating ones there would be MUCH less chance of someone noticing and starting an investigation.”

Applejack sighs. “Right. But an investigation that goes nowhere is still no threat to anypony.”

Pinkie’s ears droop. “Like ours?”

Twilight nods soberly. “Yes.”

They are silent for a time as they eat. Rarity taps her forehead with a hoof.

“There has to be SOMETHING we’re overlooking!”

Derpy looks sadly around. “Or maybe that’s all there is to find in these papers.”

Fluttershy furrows her brow. “But we can’t give up on this!”

Rose looks to the upset pegasus. “That’s true, Fluttershy. But like I said before, there were plenty of times where the evidence at hand wasn’t helpful to Arc. However, when he gathered more from another source sometimes he could piece it together with what he already had. It helped him gain a new understanding. One that couldn’t be attained otherwise.”

Applejack groans. “But what else do we have?”

Pinkie lays her head on the table dejectedly. “Right. It’s not like we could just interview Captain Decimus.”

Derpy appears hopeful. “Could we?”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Princess Luna is one of the ruling monarchs of Equestria. Couldn’t she just order Decimus to answer our questions?”

“I suppose she could. But I don’t think he’d be very cooperative.”

Applejack sighs. “That and anything he told us would probably just be more lies.”

Rose turns to her mother. “What about Princess Celestia herself?”

Rainbow Dash grins. “Yeah! Twilight could go see her and ask some questions!”

Fluttershy gasps happily. “At least she’d answer honestly.”

“It’s certainly possible. However the hard part would be getting mother in to see her.”

Applejack appear hopeful. “Twilight’s her student though. So she should be able to see her if an audience can be scheduled.”

Twilight sighs. “Normally yes. However, I don’t think Captain Decimus would let that happen. I’m still going to try though, mind you.”

Pinkie grins. “So what do we do in the meantime?”

Rose gestures to the papers. “Like I said, we need another source of clues.”

Derpy sighs. “I guess Dinky and her friends will have to come up with something.”

Rarity puts a hoof on Derpy’s shoulder. “They can do it. Together they can do anything.”

Applejack joins Rarity behind Derpy. “Right! After all, they saved Arc from a fatal disease.”

Twilight nods happily. “And stopped the Plunderseed Vines with Arc and Aurora.”

Derpy closes her eyes and smiles. “Sereb will see to it they can’t get into TOO much trouble, I suppose. But as a mother I can’t help but worry.”

Rarity nods sadly. “I know how you feel.”

Meanwhile, Dinky sits up and turns to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“Hey. Time to get up.”

The fillies slowly sit up and look around.

“Already?”

“It still feels like we just went to bed.”

Dinky stands and stretches. “Well, I want to eat and get moving as soon as the sun’s bright enough to see.”

She walks over to the mouth of the tent and peeks out. A cool mist surrounds them. Sereb raises his head from his place in front of them.

“Good morning. You’re up early.”

Dinky nods soberly. “We have a lot of ground to cover today.”

“Are you certain you don’t want to rest a bit longer?”

Dinky shakes her head as she rummages around in Sereb’s saddlebags. “I’m sure.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walk out of the tent as Dinky pulls some food from the bag. Sitting on the ground they begin to eat.

“It sure is foggy this morning.”

“Yeah. And a little chilly too.”

Sereb nods. “The mist should lift with the sun to allow for increased visibility.”

Dinky frowns. “Good. I want to get moving.”

They begin to eat. Sweetie Belle looks to Dinky.

“Something wrong?”

“Not really.”

Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “You sure?”

Dinky sighs. “I just… don’t want to let my dad down.”

Sereb looks to the filly. “I do not believe that is possible.”

“He’s right. Arc was always really happy with you, Dinky.”

Sweetie Belle nods. “That he was. Honestly, I… was a little jealous.”

“Me too actually.”

Dinky looks to her friends. “You both wanted him to be your dad, right?”

They nod as Dinky continues.

“I would’ve liked for the three of us to be sisters. My dad would’ve taken really good care of us and your older sisters. That much I know.”

Sereb nods approvingly. “Arc was certainly very caring.”

“That’s what we liked about him.”

“Yeah! I always felt safe when he was near. Ever since that time he found me in the Everfree Forest when I ran away.”

Apple Bloom turns to Sweetie Belle.

“How about you? When did you know Arc was the one for Rarity?”

“Well… you remember that time we went to Canterlot with our class?”

Dinky nods. “Yeah. What about it?”

“Rarity told me she was really sick in the head back then. Arc saw to it she was taken to the hospital.”

“Like Applejack?”

“She told you about that?”

Apple Bloom nods. “Uh huh. That was when we had what she called… ‘the talk’.”

Dinky tilts her head to one side. “What exactly happened?”

Sereb frowns. “The mares all wanted Arc to… make a foal with them.”

Dinky raises an eyebrow. “Um… okay. That’s kinda strange, I guess.”

Sereb sighs. “They were under the effects of a spell at the time, and didn’t know what they were doing. Had your father mated with them at that time they would have been disgraced when they recovered.”

Dinky bows her head sadly. “I wish I could have talked about that with him. There was a lot I heard about that time I didn’t understand.”

Apple Bloom smiles at her. “We’ll fill you in while we tear down the camp.”

“Right. Rarity told me all about sex and how foals are made.”

“Really? Because there were a few things I didn’t get, but was too embarrassed to ask Applejack.”

The pack up their camp and return the bedding to Sereb’s saddlebags. He looks at their surroundings.

“The mist does not appear to be dissipating.”

Sweetie Belle sounds frightened as she looks to Apple Bloom. “Is that normal?”

“It is pretty rare. But nothing we should be worried about.”

“But something could jump out at us!”

Sereb growls. “Worry not. I can hear and smell anything that might cause you three harm.”

Dinky nods fearlessly. “Right. The only problem is we’ll have to walk slower so as not to miss anything.”

Soon they are on their way. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell walk side by side with Dinky as Sereb follows them. Sweetie Belle turns her head nervously at every sound.

“I don’t like this.”

Apple Bloom frowns. “Why not?”

“Because it makes everything look kinda creepy. And colder too.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of. After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen…”

Dinky holds up a hoof. “Wait!”

They stop as Dinky looks at something down the path. Apple Bloom squints.

“What… is that?”

Sweetie Belle falls backwards on her flank. “It looks like an alligator!”

Dinky frowns. “I don’t think it is.”

Sereb sniffs the air. “It is not moving or breathing. And has no scent.”

Dinky takes a deep breath. “I’ll take a look.”

She cautiously steps forward and looks it over before jumping on it and turning to the others.

“False alarm. It’s just an old log.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah. From back here it really did look like a…”

Dinky gasps. “Wait a minute!”

She hops off the log and looks at something glittering in the mud. Reaching for it, Dinky picks up what appears to be a dirty stick. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cautiously approach.

“What’s that?”

“Ew! It’s filthy!”

Dinky frowns. “I wonder if…”

She walks over to the river and tosses the stick in. Reaching out with her magic she pulls it out and levitates it in front of her face. Sereb gasps.

“Tha-that’s…!”

Dinky nods soberly. “Yes. My dad’s knife from the Griffon Kingdom.”

Apple Bloom gasps. “What’s it doing HERE?!”

Sweetie Belle looks at the weapon. “That means Arc really DID float down the river! Or at least his body did.”

Sereb walks over to the bank and looks around.

“No one move.”

Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “What? Why?”

“I’m trying to piece it together.”

Sereb is silent for a time as his eyes dart around the bank.

“Arc rode this log and crawled ashore. Badly wounded, he lay in the mud here for a time. At some point several large creatures approached and attacked.”

Dinky gasps. “Did he survive?!”

“There is evidence of a great struggle here. However, judging by the lack of a carcass, I would say Arc was able to drive them away. However, there are no footprints showing which direction he went in.”

Sweetie Belle groans. “No footprints? Did he fly away, or something?”

“Unlikely. I do however see some rather strange hoofprints leading into the forest. Perhaps they carried Arc away.”

Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “That would be one strong pony!”

Dinky grimaces. “Are you sure about this, Sereb?”

“The only other possibility is that the beasts carried him away to eat elsewhere.”

Sweetie Belle shakes her head vehemently. “Arc wouldn’t have gone down without a fight!”

“And he certainly gave them one. But we need to consider that possibility.”

Dinky walks over to Sereb and opens his saddlebags. Pulling out her notepad and a pencil she begins to write. Apple Bloom approaches her.

“Dinky? What are you doing?”

“Telling my mom what we found here. Miss Rarity and her friends need to know about it.”

Sweetie Belle nods. “Good idea. Then what?”

“One second.”

Finishing her note, Dinky pulls out her father’s gauntlet and opens a portal. Tossing the paper through she picks up the dagger.

“Might as well send this back too.”

She stands there for a long while looking at the weapon. Eventually, Dinky shakes her head and closes the portal before turning back to the others. Sereb appears confused.

“I thought you were going to send your dad’s knife back to Ponyville.”

Dinky sighs. “Yes, but… I really want to keep it with me.”

Reaching into the saddlebags, Dinky pulls out Sweetie Belle’s small pack. Opening it, she removes a piece of her father’s torn royal raiments. Carefully unfolding it to expose Arc’s Crest of Light, she looks it over before setting the dagger next to it along with the gauntlet and wrapping all three up. Smiling, Dinky puts them back in the bag and returns it to Sereb’s saddlebags as she mutters to herself.

“Another clue, dad. We’ll find out what really happened to you. I promise.”

Apple Bloom nods soberly. “And we’ll stick with you, Dinky.”

Sweetie Belle grimaces. “Right. But where to next?”

Dinky turns and points a hoof toward the forest.

“There.”