//------------------------------//
// Preface - Volume 34 - The Final Reagent 
// Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds 
// by Kamahido 
//------------------------------//

In our previous volume, Arc and Scootaloo fled the city of Canterlot together. Following the forest to the west, Arc lays out their route through the northern mountain pass, around Tall Tale, and along the western coast to Vanhoover. That night Twilight enters the Lunar Realm and tells Luna all that has happened. Agreeing to say nothing to Celestia about Arc, she reaffirms her commitment to Luna regarding the nation as a whole. The next morning Twilight visits her friends in their suite. Informing them of the complicated nature of their plan, she asks everyone to return home and let her deal with the matter at hand. They agree to do so.

As Twilight awakens the next morning, she spies Celestia attempting to get up. Rising with her, Twilight watches her raise the sun albeit with great difficulty. The pair head to the bathroom where Twilight bathes her old friend before brushing her mane and eating breakfast together. Celestia hints at Twilight having a stallionfriend and encourages her to speak to her on the matter. Without telling her friend of Arc’s name or species she describes him accurately and completely. Approving of him, Celestia expresses her desire to meet with Arc when he returns one day. As the conversation shifts, Celestia informs Twilight that Decimus is hunting an errant human down whom has done many heinous things against the nation and it’s inhabitants. When Twilight suggests that she speak to him, Celestia announces that she looks forward to listening to his last words before execution. Later that night Twilight informs Luna of her sister’s plans. Luna tells her of her own plans to stay in hiding until either Arc returns of Celestia comes to her senses.

Many weeks later Arc and Scootaloo arrive in Vanhoover. Locating the New Beginnings Orphanage, Arc tells Scootaloo to walk up the steps and knock. When her pounding elicits no response they hop the fence to look for another way in. Scootaloo approaches Arc as he tries windows and shows him a large hole in the building’s wall. Entering, Arc remembers his battle with Tempest but not the why behind it. Looking around, they see the tell-tale signs of abandonment. As they look around the empty dormitory Arc agrees to take Scootaloo with him. Leaving the building, they return to the town square and look over the Writ Board. Spotting a job searching for reagents they agree to look into it in the morning. Heading for the Inn, they get a room and head for the shower together.

The next day the pair head for the apothecary’s shop. Entering, they elderly stallion behind the counter believes Scootaloo to be a sick foal. Explaining that she’s only there to answer his writ, he gives her a list of herbs he needs and sends the filly on her way. Scootaloo and Arc find the reagents in the woods around town and return that evening. Impressed by her work, the apothecary pays her and gives her more information on the sickness afflicting the foals of the town. Arc sends Scootaloo back to the Inn before heading to the hospital to see the foals for himself. Examining them with Scootaloo’s remote help, he accidently goes to far and awakens a foal. Making his escape, Arc return to the Inn and showers. Talking with Scootaloo about his findings, she agrees that the illness is indeed real. However she is unable to narrow down any particular cause or treatment methods.

Returning to the shop again, they ask if the stallion has had any luck coming up with a cure. Shaking his head, he admits that he has been unsuccessful. Scootaloo suggests several of her theories from the other day. While the apothecary believes them to be plausible, it brings them no closer to a solution. Leaving their room at the Inn that night, the pair are about to go exploring when they hear a sound. Cloaking, the see the elderly apothecary meet up with a shady looking stallion. After checking his goods, the stallion takes the entire bag and heads back to his shop. Scootaloo follows him as Arc does the same for the shady stallion. As he follow the stallion, he breaks into a run and escapes. Rejoining Scootaloo at the shop they wait for the apothecary to leave for the evening. Following him home, they break in and steal the reagents. Taking them back to the Inn, they go over them together. Scootaloo informs Arc that they could be used with the ones in the shop to cure pretty much anything… or make any poison. After returning the satchel to its rightful place, they enter the shop and mix up a simple cold remedy. Entering the hospital, they mesmerize a nurse and have her test the medicine before giving it to a sick foal. Their work completed, the pair head back to the Inn and get some sleep.

As the apothecary opens the shop for the day he finds Scootaloo waiting for him. Offering to help, he tasks her with the job of bringing the daily treatment to the hospital. Stopping to examine the contents of the box, Scootaloo is confused by the sight of the medicine. While it smells and tastes as it should, she also detects something else within the vials. Taking them to the hospital as ordered, she turns them over to the nurse on duty. Arc stealthily watches as the box is taken to the lab for testing. Watching the readouts, they see several red lines of text come up. Following the nurse to the Foal Ward, Arc witnesses her and others giving the foals their medicine. He also notices that the foal from the other night appears no better than she did before. Heading back to the apothecary, Arc sneaks into the back room to look over the supplies there. Scootaloo confirms that he has nothing out of the ordinary. That night Arc swipes the satchel of reagents from the shop, forcing the apothecary to order new ones from his shadowy accomplice. Flying overhead, Scootaloo watches the deal go down before following the mysterious stallion. Approaching him at the edge of a cliff, she calls out. As soon as the stallion spots her, he calls out angrily as he identifies her as a Crimson. Flying after her, she hurries toward the apothecary’s shop where Arc lies in wait. Grabbing the stallion as he flies by, Arc throws him through a window before smashing a flask on his head. The guards and townsponies come running. Scootaloo tells them what happened as the apothecary enters the shop. After hearing Scootaloo’s story they search his bags only to find several illegal reagents. As they take him into custody, the stallion get up and flees. Going after him with a guard, Scootaloo loses her quarry and heads back to town. They find the city in an uproar as the citizens take sides either for or against the apothecary. Meanwhile the shrub Scootaloo flew into earlier turns back into the stallion as a female voice rings out. Identifying it as the Dark Lady, he reports the actions of the light before being ordered to get rid of the Scarlet Filly once and for all.

Heading to the station, Scootaloo is able to convince the stallion in charge to allow her to see the now imprisoned apothecary. Interviewing him, she learns that the stallion she was chased by was indeed the apothecary’s supplier. A wildcrafter and businesspony, the apothecary used his reagents to greatly empower his treatments in an effort to cure the foals. Telling Scootaloo where he lived, she and Arc head back to the cliffside. Holding onto Scootaloo, Arc is flown into a cave on the face of the cliff. Finding a room filled with reagents, they look up to see a green pod hanging from the ceiling. Flying up to it, Scootaloo suddenly finds herself sucked inside. Arc throws a knife to cut it down before slicing the pod open to free his friend. 

Continuing down the corridor, they come to a large room filled with numerous pods. Slicing them open the pair find them filled with ponies. As they regain consciousness Scootaloo encourages them and flies back to Vanhoover to get help. Convincing the skeptical guard at the station of her need for aid, he sends her back to the cave with two guards. Flying down to the mouth of the cavern they are surprised to find her story to be true. As they prepare to leave another guard appears at the mouth of the cave. Revealing himself to be an imposter, he sacrifices himself by collapsing the entrance. Before dying he announces the victory of the Dark Lady. Scootaloo sends the others away to search the cave for another way out. Discovering that Arc has some non-Crimson magic, Scootaloo convinces him to push the rubble out into the ocean which he does with gusto as everyone looks on. Returning to town with the other ponies, they are stopped by a guard captain whom orders them arrested as imposters. Fortunately the real captain was among them and exposed the fake by showing everyone the color of his blood. Heading to the hospital, they find everyone with them is a real pony. Calling the station for reinforcements, the captain orders the imposters rounded up as Scootaloo leaves. As she and Arc enter their room at the Inn they are met by the apothecary’s supplier. Telling her their entire plan, he transforms into a massive wolf to kill Scootaloo. Arc decloaks and stops him. Knowing he cannot beat the Hero of Light, the wolf begs for mercy. Responding by giving him a quick death, Arc and Scootaloo leave to tell the guards about the dead changeling lying outside the Inn.

The next morning the pair return to the apothecary’s shop. Finding the rescued captain there as well, he tells them of the roundup of all the masquerading changelings. The apothecary informs them of the slight improvement of the foals now that they’re not being poisoned by changeling nurses. Telling Scootaloo of a reward and letter from Canterlot, the captain takes her back to his office to retrieve both. Voicing his concern about Arc’s wanted level, Scootaloo leaves and returns to their room to read the letter with Arc. In it, Decimus asks her to investigate an unauthorized town of potential rebels. Returning to the apothecary’s shop, she asks him about a potion to restore lost memories. An old book tells of one made with very hard to find reagents. Arc agrees to head to the town in Decimus’ letter after they take the train to the Crystal Empire for a crystal vial.

Weeks later they arrive at the settlement indicated on Decimus’ map. Removing her cloak, Scootaloo attempts to speak to the citizens, but fails. Approaching the mayor’s house, she tells the mare that her parents abandoned her in the woods while they fled from the law. Inviting her inside, the mare gives her some moldy bread and water before putting her to bed. Waking Scootaloo, she tells her to follow her on a supply trip. Arriving at a cave they enter together. As the mayor calls out, a misty figure materializes. Revealing himself to be an ogre, he decloaks Arc and the pair lock horns. Being defeated, Arc offers to forget about the whole matter if the ogre leaves the townsponies along. As he turns to leave however the ogre pins him to the wall with a huge boulder and again goes after Scootaloo. In an effort to help her, the mayor uses her magic to swing a branch at the ogre.

Retaliating, the ogre holds up a large rock. The mayor runs to stand in front of the boulder holding Arc to the wall. Dodging the attack, it hits the boulder, helping Arc escape. The mayor takes a blow to the head from the shrapnel and collapses. Arc lunges toward the ogre and, doing as he witnessed earlier, begins draining him for a time. Pulling back the ogre’s hood, he watches as he turns back to normal. Collapsing, the ogre dies. Arc takes some of his blood before he and Scootaloo return to town with the mayor. Making sure she’s alright, they inform her of the ogre’s death and leave the town. They mayor rallies the citizens to start anew to build a town built on freedom and equality as she swears to make it a reality. So says Sunset Shimmer. Arc and Scootaloo return to the ogre’s cave to look for anything useful. Finding an old journal, they discover that he originally was a good and noble ogre. However years of study and cultivation of his powers had left him with no choice but to feed on others. Discovering how to go into a mist form, the pair wait for night to fall and follow the breeze to the town of Hollow Shades where they plan to catch a train to Canterlot.

Arriving in Canterlot a couple days later, a guard meets them at the train station. Escorting Scootaloo to the castle to see Captain Decimus, she reports the success of her mission. Sending scouts to verify her claims, Decimus asks her to stay for a special ceremony being held later that evening. As the filly is being escorted to a suite, a guard hurries over to her to relay an invitation to breakfast from Princess Celestia herself. Accepting, she is escorted to the Dining Room where the princess and Twilight are waiting for them. After questioning Scootaloo about her recent exploits Celestia approves of them while Twilight has her reservation. Later that day before the ceremony Decimus speaks with the Scarlet Filly regarding her future. Offering to introduce her to someone whom can help train dark powers, he leaves it as an open invitation. Finding that she needs certain reagents for a potion, Decimus shares some Poison Joke pollen with her before they head to the ceremony. As the entire city watches, Scootaloo is presented with a medal from Celestia as Decimus is appointed as the new Hero of Light. Lastly, Celestia announces the coronation of a brand new monarch… Princess Twilight Sparkle.

However, many questions remain unanswered. What IS Luna’s plan? Will Celestia really try to execute Arc? What is the apothecary up to? And his accomplice… what was his angle? Who is this Dark Lady really? What the heck are those pods DOING there?! Why would Decimus care about a supposed rebellious town? Will Starlight Glimmer follow the same path as she did in the show? Why did Celestia appoint Decimus as the new Hero of Light?

Time will tell. Sooner or later… time will tell.