Arc emerges from the portal. Derpy, Dinky, and Scootaloo stand there waiting for him.
“Sorry for making everyone wait.”
Derpy smiles. “It’s fine, Arc.”
Scootaloo looks around. “But where are we?”
“Redemption Village. It guards the Gates of Tartarus.”
Dinky gasps. “Tartarus?!”
“Yes. We needed someplace quiet and safe to talk.”
Derpy appears confused. “About what, Arc?”
“It’s… complicated.”
Dinky frowns. “What about your armor, dad?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have any.”
Derpy nods. “Maybe this would be a good time to talk to Mythic Honor about acquiring something new.”
“Yes, well… that can wait until after…”
Derpy shakes her head vehemently. “No, no! You need armor! If somepony finds you, it’ll go a long way in safeguarding your life!”
“Yeah dad! Let’s take care of that first!”
“They’re right, Big Brother. Who knows when somepony will try to collect that reward on your head.”
“Um… okay.”
Entering the town the make their way to the Town Hall. Mythic Honor is napping on the upside-down cauldron. Arc nudges him gently.
“Mythic Honor?”
The stallion jumps up with a start.
“Why, hello there! Say, there’s something different about you today, Arc! Did you do something different with your armor?!”
“Um… no. In fact, I don’t have it. Remember?”
“Oh, right! But the good news is that I sent scouts out to find it! Well, what was left of it, that is.”
Cherry sounds hopeful. “To reforged it?”
“I tried, mind you! But it’s no use!”
Derpy frowns. “What do you mean ‘no use’, sir?”
“Follow me! I’ll show you!”
Leading the way into the Town Hall, he gestures to a large crate in the corner.
“It’s in there!”
Arc steps forward and puts his hand on the box. His armor lies within, but is not smooth as it was before. Innumerable bumps over the surface litter the armor, giving it a strange appearance.
“What the…?”
“Whenever I melt it down, all I get is this when it cools!”
Dinky puts her hooves on the table and peeks into the box. “How could that have happened?!”
Mythic Honor sighs. “The hydra scales that composed your armor appear to have been altered somehow!”
Derpy gasps. “What could do that?!”
“Nothing I can think of! Well, other than some insanely powerful spell hitting it, that is!”
Arc chuckles. “Oh… that.”
“Eh?”
“Princess Celestia fired some kind of massive spell at me. Not actually sure how it didn’t kill me, but…”
Cherry groans. “That was scary!”
Scootaloo looks to Mythic Honor. “Can nothing be done to make it look as it did before?!”
“Afraid not! It’s also very brittle now! Well, not so brittle it’ll fall apart! But I don’t recommend taking this into battle again!”
Arc sighs as he pulls the ruined armor into his ring.. “Well, thanks for trying.”
Cherry calls out. “We should head to the inn now, Arc.”
Mythic Honor chuckles. “Looking to spend some time in town, eh?!”
“Just the day.”
“Well then, let’s get you settled in!”
Derpy smiles. “Oh, you don’t have to…”
“I’ll make sure you get the finest room again!”
“Thanks. That’ll help.”
The group follows Mythic Honor to the inn. He approaches the elderly mare behind the counter.
“What can I do for you today, sir?”
“Our town’s savior needs to borrow the top room for the day.”
Arc nods. “We’ll be leaving before sundown.”
“Certainly. It’s the least we can do.”
Standing up slowly, the mare heads for a shelf. Picking up a key she gives it to Arc.
“Please enjoy your stay, on us.”
“Thank you.”
Mythic Honor cackles. “Well, I’ll let you get to whatever it is you need to do, Arc! Uh… I still can’t figure out what’s different about you!”
He looks down at Scootaloo.
“I’m getting the same vibes from your companion here too!”
Scootaloo sounds nervous. “R-really?”
“Sure am! Whatever it is, I hope you two get it figured out soon!”
“Okay. See you later.”
They part ways. Mythic Honor thinks as he walks. Meanwhile, Arc leads his group down the corridor to the room. Unlocking the door he steps aside to allow the others to pass before closing the door behind them. Dinky looks around with Scootaloo.
“This is a nice room!”
“It is, yes.”
Derpy smiles. “Thank you for this, Arc.”
“Y-yeah. But right now we need to talk.”
He gestures to the table.
“We should sit down.”
Everyone does so as Arc looks at Derpy.
“Do you remember how I told you Scootaloo and I have been traveling the land together?”
“Yes, Arc. But you were kinda vague about that.”
“We did a few… interesting jobs around the country.”
Dinky giggles. “If by ‘interesting’ you mean taking down a one hundred stallion gang, then yes.”
Scootaloo smiles. “That was kinda fun.”
“I suppose it was. But right now we need to talk to you about the last job we did.”
Cherry calls out. “Was it bad?”
“Not at all. We accepted it before I got my memories back though. It was to find… you, Derpy.”
“Me?”
Scootaloo gasps. “I thought I recognized her the moment we met, Big Brother. So she’s the one in the picture?”
Arc nods soberly. “Yes. Of that I’m certain.”
“What does all this mean, dad?”
“Scootaloo, show them the picture we were given.”
Opening her saddlebags, Scootaloo pulls out the photo and sets it on the table. Derpy’s eyes grow wide as she picks it up.
“It’s me!”
“You look so sad though, mom.”
Derpy sighs. “This was taken shortly before I met your… before I met Moonlit Dusk, sweetie.”
She looks up at Arc.
“How did you get this?!”
“Your… father gave it to us.”
“He did?”
Scootaloo nods. “Yes, ma’am. He hired the Scarlet Filly to find you.”
Derpy appears hopeful. “Does he… want to see me again?”
Arc sighs. “Not… exactly.”
Grimacing, he turns to Scootaloo again.
“Give it to her.”
Nodding, Scootaloo opens her saddlebags. Pulling out the lockbox, she sets it on the table. Derpy gasps.
“My father gave this to you?!”
“Yes. He wanted Scootaloo to track you down and make sure you got it.”
“What is it, mom?”
“Something my father told me never to touch. It’s sat on his desk for as long as I can remember.”
Scootaloo looks to Derpy. “Can you open it?”
“I think so.”
Pressing the switches, Derpy nods as the lock opens.
“Figures.”
Arc turns to her. “Derpy?”
“The combination was the date that he and my mother met. He always told me it was the happiest day of his life.”
Sighing, she opens the box and reaches inside. Pulling out a scroll, Derpy looks it over.
“That’s odd.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “What is?”
“This scroll looks somewhat fresh.”
Arc frowns. “Is that a problem?”
“Not… really. But I thought it would be old and yellowed.”
“Would you like us to leave you alone to read it, mom?”
Derpy shakes her head. “No, dear. I’d like everypony to hear.”
Breaking the seal, Derpy unrolls the scroll and begins to read, albeit slowly.
Dear Derpy,
A month has passed since you left. I had assumed that you would have come back with your tail between your legs to beg for my forgiveness by now. But it appears you took my words to heart and left the island. While you probably hate me for what I put you through, please know that I don’t blame you in the least. Your whole life… every time I laid eyes on you… it was as if I was looking at the one whom took my love from me. Silver Hooves was gone and you were left in her place. I am not trying to apologize, but am merely stating the facts as I saw them.
However… nothing I did to you was warranted. I threw myself into my work and tried my best to forget about you. But before I knew it, you were grown up… up into a fully grown mare. A mare with completely normal thoughts and desires. The stallion whom impregnated you was probably the first one to show you any interest. Had I brought you up as a father should have, maybe you wouldn’t have fallen prey to his lustful will. Again, the blame for that is purely mine.
Soon you will give birth. Hopefully successfully to a healthy colt or filly. I… wish I could be there to see my grandchild being born and hold your hoof through the pain of foal bearing. But I don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve to feel such happiness, and as such I have decided to cultivate and grow my fortune. You never knew this, but I’ve been sick for quite some time. While it isn’t unbearable, the doctor says it will only get worse as time goes on. Nopony truly knows just how long they have, I suppose. I do hope that wherever you settle, it will allow you to make a fresh start.
Since the day you left, I’ve learned something. Something I suppose I’ve always known, but never really believed. In the end, family is really all you have in this world. Money… a mansion… extravagant possessions… none of it really matters without somepony to enjoy it with. As you know, I have enough bits to purchase anything, anywhere, and at any time. But I’ve found it all to be meaningless. As futile as chasing after the wind. Had I learned that earlier in life, perhaps things would have worked out different for us. Since this realization, I’ve done my best to better the lives of those in Trottingham by offering employment via the Writ Board. It’s allowed everypony whom wants a job the ability to support themselves since the closure of the mines.
As I close this letter I want to apologize for everything I did and said to you over the years. It was cruel, unnecessary, and did nothing to make you a better mare. While I know this will do little, if anything, to make up for the years I abused and neglected you, I felt it necessary to tell you before I died. Many times I thought of sending others to look for you. However I always came to the conclusion that it would only serve to drive you further away. Perhaps even from the new life you’d made for yourself. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, I know. But by the time this reaches you… I will have passed. All I have left in this world now belongs to you. Every material possession, property, and asset is now yours. If you would like to return and run my affairs I have instructed my butler and foreman to assist you in learning how to manage. Something I should have done myself long ago. Or, if you prefer not to come back to Trottingham, there are those whom can run things on your behalf. You will receive a monthly stipend of the profits as is your birthright. With it you will be able to live comfortably wherever you choose to. The phone number for the main office in at the bottom of this letter. Please make your decision and notify the foreman as soon as possible to allow those employed indirectly by me to be allowed to keep working. Whichever choice you make, please be sure to reward the bearer of this letter appropriately. The time and effort they took to find you must have been great. Stay safe and know that I love you, Derpy. Farewell…
With a heavy heart,
Your father
P.S. A bit of fatherly advice to you. Find somepony special to love and share your life with. One that can care for you and your foal. And… don’t become a slave to your work like I did. Raise your foal to be happy and free.
Derpy sighs and lays the letter on the table.
“I… don’t ever want to go back to Trottingham. Is that wrong?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Derpy. What happened to you there isn’t something one can just move past.”
“Yeah, mom. Dad’s right.”
“I wish now that I could have been there for him at the end.”
Cherry gasps. “Derpy?”
“As cruel as he was, he did provide for me for many years. Kept me safe and fed. While I don’t feel as though I owe him anything, I still wish I could have told him a few things.”
Arc nods. “Like what?”
“That Dinky was safely born thanks to a very special human. And that she’s as smart as the day is long.”
Derpy puts a hoof on the letter and smiles as a tear rolls down her cheek.
“Despite everything, I never hated him. In a way, I think he was like me.”
Cherry calls out. “How so?”
“We both missed my mother. But he wasn’t able to move on from her death.”
Scootaloo bows her head. “I… know how you feel.”
“You do?”
“Yes. My father killed my mother right in front of me. Big Brother and I had to find and take him down for that. And then the mayor told us we both had to leave town. I had to leave behind everything I knew that night.”
“It was a sad day, Scootaloo. What your dad did couldn’t have been ignored.”
“But in the end you had to be the one to do the deed.”
Cherry sighs. “From what you described, it had to be done.”
“Yeah. Shadow had to go down.”
Derpy looks to Scootaloo. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you feel about him?”
“About my dad?”
“Yes.”
“I hate what he did to mom! And not just how he killed her! He always treated her like an object!”
Dinky frowns. “That’s terrible!”
Cherry sniffles. “You poor little thing!”
Scootaloo looks to Arc and smiles. “But then I met Big Brother here. He took care of me and showed me what it meant to be able to do what was right.”
“We both needed a friend back then.”
“Like how Arc took care of me in foalbirth.”
“I couldn’t just leave you there in labor.”
“Dad’s really good at making everything right.”
Derpy holds up the letter. “In that case, what should I do about this, Arc?”
“Well, since you said you don’t want to go back to Trottingham, the only real solution would be to notify the foreman of you intention to let them handle the business.”
Cherry sighs. “But there aren’t any phones here in the village.”
“She can call them from Ponyville when we leave this evening. “
He turns to Derpy.
“That is, unless you want to call them now.”
Derpy shakes her head. “No, no. We can wait until tonight. Um… but I was wondering one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you… speak to my father?”
Scootaloo pipes up. “I did, yes.”
“What do you think? I mean, was he serious about the things in that letter?”
“Very. He was on his deathbed when Big Brother and I saw him.”
“Yes, and… he died that night.”
“Sorry we couldn’t get here sooner.”
Dinky bows her head. “It couldn’t be helped though, right?”
“Not really. I didn’t have my memories back yet.”
Cherry sighs. “There was nothing you could have done, I’m sure.”
Derpy’s ears droop. “Yes, Arc. I don’t hold this against you or little Scootaloo.”
Later that evening Arc and his family appear on the sigil outside Carousel Boutique. Heading inside they are greeted by Rarity.
“Welcome back, everypony. I hope you had a good day.”
Dinky sighs. “Well, it was certainly eye opening.”
Arc nods. “Yeah. Rarity, can we use your phone please? Derpy has to make an important call.”
“Right this way.”
She leads them to the back room. Pointing to the desk, Rarity turns to Derpy.
“Feel free to take as long as you need.”
“Thank you, Rarity.”
Arc turns to her. “You going to be okay doing this, Derpy?”
“I… think I would feel better if you were with me, Arc.”
“Should I sit with you?”
“Yes, please.”
Dinky nods soberly. “Scootaloo and I will wait outside.”
“We will?”
“Yes.”
“Um… okay.”
Scootaloo leaves the room with Dinky and Rarity. They close the door behind them as Arc pulls the letter from his ring and gives it to Derpy.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you. I’m just so nervous!”
“Want me to hold your hoof?”
“Can I be honest with you, Arc?”
“Always.”
“Would you please… hold me?”
“If you want me to, sure.”
Picking Derpy up, he sets her in his lap and pulls the phone over to her.
“Better?”
Derpy nods. “Much.”
Dialing the number, she waits as it rings. Eventually a stallion picks up.
“H-hello? This is Derpy. Derpy Hooves. Um… my father sent me a letter telling me to call you.”
She listens as the stallion on the other end of the line speaks. Arc gently strokes her mane.
“No, I… I don’t believe I’m qualified to lead my father’s organization. Yes, that’s fine. I’ll leave everything to management there. What’s that? Oh, yes. Send it to the bank in Ponyville. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.”
She hangs up the phone and sighs.
“They’ll handle everything, just like my father said they would.”
“Something wrong with that?”
“I… I wish I was smart enough to carry on my father’s business. Make him proud of me.”
“We all do what we can, Derpy. But I’m sure your father IS proud of you.”
“Oh?”
“After all, he hired the Scarlet Filly to track you down.”
“Is that… good?”
“I think so. But you and Dinky should be getting home soon. You going to be okay?”
Derpy nods. “Yes, Arc. Um… thanks for helping me with that phone call.”
“It’s no problem. After all, you did all the work there.”
Standing up, he sets Derpy on the floor before heading to the door with her. Dinky and Scootaloo are waiting for them patiently.
“Sorry for making you two wait.”
“It’s fine, mom. Um… can Scootaloo spend the night too?”
“I… suppose she can. That is, if it’s okay with her… what is she to you again, Arc?”
Scootaloo smiles. “His thrall.”
Arc sighs. “Please don’t say that, Scootaloo.”
“It’s true!”
“That’s fine with me.”
Dinky grins. “YAY! Slumber party! Can Sweetie Belle come too, Miss Rarity?!”
“She’s actually spending the night at Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Aw…”
Derpy smiles. “Maybe next time, dear.”
Nodding, the fillies run outside as Arc turns to Derpy.
“You sure you’re up to this? I mean…”
“Yes, Arc. While I’m sad that my father is gone, I have to keep going. For Dinky’s sake.”
“Alright. Just don’t forget to take time out for yourself.”
Derpy nods happily as they hear hoofsteps running around outside. “I won’t. You and Rarity have a nice time tonight, okay?”
“Oh! Th-thanks.”
Derpy walks out the front door with Dinky and Scootaloo.
“Do you think Big Brother’s going to be okay?”
Derpy nods. “Sure. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“My dad will be fine in the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadance wouldn’t betray him. Right, mom?”
“Yes, sweetie. She’s the Princess of Love, after all.”