The next day Hammer lies on her bed. There is a knock at the front door, however she makes no attempt to rise and answer it. A few attempts later, Mio Blinks through the door and looks around. She sees a sink filled with dirty dishes, an open and empty refrigerator, and an overflowing trash can with flies circling it. Moving on to the living room she finds it strewn with dirty clothes and the TV on but muted. Shaking her head she muses to herself.
“I do hope this plan of yours works, Arc.”
Carefully stepping over various garbage strewn about, she makes her way cautiously to the bedroom. Finding her sister lying on her side facing the wall, Mio clears her throat loudly. However, Hammer does not move. Lacking any other ideas to get her sister’s attention she calls out.
“Hammer? It Mio.”
As expected there is no response.
“I… um… came by to check on how you’re doing. You haven’t been to our apartment in… quite some time.”
Hammer responds sadly. “It’s not my home.”
“Stingray and I are worried about you. After all, you seem to be fine at Damocles Base during the day. But the state of your apartment shows otherwise.”
“It’s nighttime.”
Mio looks out the window. “So it is. But how’s that different than when we’re working? You seem okay then.”
Hammer sighs. “I don’t have anything to do.”
“Should I help you find a hobby?”
“No. I mean… the nights are so lonely.”
“So come back to the other apartment with me. Stingray and I will…”
“That’s not what I mean.”
She rolls over to face Mio. Her eyes are red from crying. Mio immediately spots the familiar took box in her sister’s arms.
“Every night I remember all the nice things Arc and I did together. The places he took me… the good times we had… the wonderful new things he showed me… and the feelings I felt then.”
“You didn’t know him that long though, Hammer.”
Hammer smiles weakly as she looks down at the toolbox. “Long enough.”
Mio’s gaze turns to the box. “You’ve always liked that, haven’t you.”
“Yeah. Now more than ever.”
Mio reaches toward it slowly. “Maybe you should…”
Moving like lightning, Hammer grabs Mio’s wrist and squeezes.
“Back off!”
Mio winces in pain. “Hammer, I just…!”
“You just WHAT?!”
“I just want to help you!”
“Do whatever you want! But don’t you EVER touch my toolbox!”
She roughly pushes Mio’s arm away before turning to face the wall. She strokes the box lovingly.
“Nothing will ever come between me and you.”
“Who are you talking to?”
“My toolbox.”
“Um… okay. Why?”
“It holds my fondest memories. As well as something Arc gave me.”
“What was it?”
“His greatest secret. The ultimate truth. And it’s mine. All mine!”
“And what are you going to do with it?
Hammer turns and looks over her shoulder, a wild gleam in her eye. “Keep it secret! Keep it… SAFE!”
“Safe? Safe from what?”
“Everyone! Have to protect it! Have to defend it!”
Mio takes a small step backwards. “Hammer, you’re really creeping me out.”
“I’m sorry, Mio. But I have to do this. For myself as well as Arc.”
“Hammer, I… I don’t understand. What exactly did he DO to you?!”
“Everything, and nothing!”
“What?”
“Arc showed me the wonders of friendship and food. How others could be loving and kind.”
“Stingray and I both love you, Hammer.”
“I know that! But this…”
She turns to face Mio, stroking the toolbox’s lid.
“…this was different. Everything and nothing… together.”
“Tell me about the ‘nothing’, Hammer.”
“Arc gave me everything. Changed my outlook on the world. In return I wanted to give him everything I had.”
“What did you have to give?”
“My body.”
Mio blushes and gasps. “So you and him…?!”
Hammer shakes her head sadly. “No, Mio. I wanted him to get in bed with me so… SO badly! But he didn’t give in to my willingness to be taken.”
Mio appears genuinely surprised. “Oh?”
“I think he was trying to tell me something back then. No idea what, but I’ll figure it out before he comes back.”
“Hammer, I don’t think…”
Hammer frowns. “He’s coming back! I know it!”
“How can you be so sure? You told Stingray and I that he dumped you.”
“Arc didn’t DUMP ME!”
“Then what did he do?”
“Broke it off in case he didn’t make it back safely, I’m sure! But I know in my heart that he’s fine!”
“Why isn’t he here then?”
“Like Arc told me before, he’s a professional. I’m sure he’s just busy with work, that’s all.”
“Sounds more like he’s putting you second.”
“Arc’s trying to find someone who’s been kidnapped, Mio! They’ve gotta be really scared! Don’t you see?! He’s just thinking of others!”
“Tell me this then. If he cares so much about you, why hasn’t he tried to contact you since he left?”
“Because he’s a workaholic, that’s why! Just like me! Besides I know that he’ll contact me one of these days! I’ve been carefully checking the mail every day since he left!”
Mio glances back to the living room. “Yes, I saw quite a few unopened envelopes next to the trash can in the kitchen.”
Hammer sighs. “They weren’t from him though.”
“Hammer, have you…?”
Mio takes a deep breath as she forces herself to say the words.
“…checked your email?”
“For what?”
“Well… I know you don’t really keep up on it. But maybe Arc’s sent you a message that way.”
Hammer shakes her head. “I never gave it to him.”
“But you told Stingray and I that he’s really good at figuring things out. Don’t you think someone like him could have…?”
Hammer bolts upright and gasps. “Yeah, he could have!”
Jumping up, Hammer runs over to her computer. Setting the toolbox on the desk she presses the button and waits impatiently for it to load.
“Come on! Hurry up and load you stone age piece of junk!”
Finally displaying the desktop, Hammer navigates to her browser and makes her way frantically to her email. Clicking wildly she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before allowing herself to see her inbox. Mio calls out from the bed.
“Anything?”
Hammer grins. “There’s a message here!”
Clicking on it, she begins to read. As she silently does so, her hand involuntarily reaches for the toolbox. Stroking it gently, tears of joy stream down her face.
“Hammer?”
“He… he didn’t forget about me!”
“Oh?”
“Arc says that he was able to locate and rescue that missing person!”
“Then why didn’t he come back?”
“Because their family needed his expertise again!”
“What for?”
“He doesn’t say! Well, other than that it was a matter of great importance and that innumerable lives hung in the balance!”
Swiveling around in the office chair, Hammer turns to Mio and grins hugely.
“And you doubted him!”
Mio sighs. “Well, I suppose no one’s right all the time.”
“See! You’re not infallible!”
“I never said I was. But don’t you think you should be ready for him?”
Hammer appears confused. “Ready?”
“For if he comes back.”
“What do you mean ‘IF’?!”
“Well, let’s say Arc walked through that door right now. What would he see?”
The blood drains from Hammer’s face as Mio continues.
“A messy kitchen with overflowing garbage. No food in the refrigerator. Trash all over your living room as well as the smell of this place.”
She stands and walks over to Hammer. Putting her hands on the woman’s shoulders, she leans down and whispers in her ear.
“And this isn’t meant to be rude, but… you don’t smell very nice either.”
Hammer gasps. “I really don’t! And my place here is a disaster!”
“Would you like me to help you clean it up?”
“Oh, would you?!”
Mio nods. “Yes, indeed. But I do have one request.”
“What is it?”
“That you take a shower first.”
Hammer grits her teeth. “But I need to get to cleaning!”
“And what if Arc walked in? Would he rather see a clean apartment, or a clean you?”
Hammer nods and runs for the bathroom. “Don’t worry! I’ll be out in a jiffy!”
Mio calls out after her. “Take your time!”
The door slams shut as the water turns on. Mio sighs as she walks into the kitchen and pulls the bulging bag from the trash can.
“It’s good to see you looking happy again, Hammer. But I can’t help but wonder if I did the right thing. I mean… you needed SOMETHING to pull you out of that blue funk. But was Arc’s plan really the answer to that?”
Frowning, Mio turns toward the bathroom door as Hammer begins singing in the shower happily.
“You don’t deserve this kind of devotion, Arc. Not from Hammer.”
Meanwhile, Arc sits at the computer in his basement. Derpy, Dinky, and Scootaloo look over his shoulder.
“Looks like Mio did what I asked her to.”
Derpy turns to him. “Is that good?”
Arc nods. “Yup. She was able to convince Hammer to check her email.”
“How do you know that, dad?”
Arc points to the screen. “The message I sent her had a read receipt attached. So I know she opened it.”
Scootaloo frowns. “I still don’t understand why you’re so interested in helping somep… someone whom is supposed to be an enemy, Big Brother.”
Arc sighs. “Hammer’s not a bad person. At least I don’t believe that she is.”
Dinky giggles. “Yeah. She was really nice to me at the beach. Miss Hammer even showed me some new swimming techniques.”
Arc groans. “Yes, well… to answer your question, Scootaloo, I… did some things a while back that I’m not proud of.”
“Like what?”
“I… manipulated Hammer into falling in love with me.”
“How?!”
“By just being there for her.”
Dinky looks to her father. “What would that do?”
“Hammer didn’t have anyone in her life that showed real interest in her. So when I did, she naturally gravitated toward me. When I saw that she was beginning to trust me, I… I used that to gain information necessary for my mission to save Princess Celestia.”
Derpy puts a hand on his shoulder. “Arc… what you did was wrong. But I’m sure you did it for the right reasons.”
“Yeah, dad.”
Cherry calls out to him. “They’re right, Arc. That and I certainly encouraged you to do so. I’m as guilty as you are here.”
“No, Cherry. I made the decision on my own. And now… now I have to try and make this right.”
Scootaloo sighs. “But how?”
“By attempting to get close to Hammer again. But this time I’m planning on letting her down slowly and easily… face to face. Apparently me choosing to do so via a heartfelt letter was a big mistake.”
Cherry groans. “You didn’t have a choice at that point. It was only hours before the mission start time, Arc.”
“Yes. But I choose to wait until the last minute. My procrastination led to Hammer’s pain.”
Derpy smiles. “We know you’ll do the right thing, Arc. But you need to think of your feelings in this matter too.”
“Huh?”
“Mom’s right. Not everything can be fixed.”
“But if Big Brother’s determined to try, we should support his actions.”
Arc forces a smile. “Thanks, Scootaloo. Derpy is right, I know. This whole thing has been very painful for me as well. Although I deserve everything I’m feeling right now, I still need to try and help Hammer before this thing spirals out of control any more than it already has.”
His earring chirps. Touching it Arc calls out.
“Arc here.”
Rainbow Dash’s voice comes over the air.
“Hey, Arc. Um… are you guys busy?”
Derpy smiles. “We were just using the computer when you called.”
Dinky giggles. “Yeah! Dad was showing us how this new kind of mail works!”
Scootaloo shrugs. “I still don’t get it.”
“Oh! Um… if this is a bad time to talk, I completely understand.”
Arc shakes his head. “No, no. What’s up?”
“Can I talk to you privately, Arc? It’s kinda personal.”
“Sure. Just let me head upstairs. One sec.”
Turning to the others Arc smiles.
“I’ll show you that other website in a bit.”
Derpy nods understandingly. “Take your time, Arc.”
“Yeah, dad! We’ll be waiting!”
Arc tousles his daughter’s hair and hurries up the stairs. Dinky turns to her mother.
“What was that other… website called?”
“I can’t remember. Scootaloo?”
“YouTube.”
Meanwhile, Arc walks past Sereb in the corridor. Motioning to his earring, Sereb nods and walks downstairs. Entering his parent’s room he flops down on the bed and clears his throat.
“I’m alone now. What’s on your mind, Rainbow Dash?”
“Can anypony hear us?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. We’re completely alone right now.”
“Are you completely sure?!”
“Yes. What’s wrong? This isn’t like you.”
Rainbow Dash sighs. “Sorry. I just… look, I kinda have a reputation around Ponyville and I need to maintain it.”
“Listen, whatever’s bothering you, we can talk about it in absolute secrecy.”
“Promise you won’t tell anypony?”
“I promise.”
“Okay. Just give me a second…”
Arc hears her take a deep breath before continuing.
“It’s about a conversation we had while helping Auriel transport her gear to Redemption Village.”
“Oh?”
“Well, it was actually after we got her there. Safely, I might add. We were on our way back with Applejack’s wagon. I helped pull it there, so Pinkie volunteered to take my spot on the way back.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Yeah, I guess. Anyways, I’ve never been much for walking. Flying’s more my thing. But at one point Pinkie started bouncing around like she always does. Normally that’s fine, of course. However when you’re hitched to a wagon with another pony, it’s kinda a bit rough.”
“Uh oh. Is Applejack okay?”
“She’s fine. Pinkie just accidently knocked her hat off. When she bent down to grab it, Rarity picked it up with her magic and pulled it away. That’s when it started.”
“An argument?”
“Nah, nothing like that. Rarity just commented that she had an amazingly beautiful mane. Even when she works from sunrise to sundown on the farm, it always seems to be perfect. The others agreed with her as Rarity put the hat back on her head and we continued on.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? I mean, it sounds like Rarity was just trying to compliment her.”
“She was, yeah. But I was flying over everypony at the time, and it got me thinking about a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Well… remember, you promised not to tell, okay?!”
“Of course.”
“I started thinking… Applejack really is pretty. Her long blonde hair, toned figure, and her attitude are really… um…”
Rainbow Dash fumbles for the words as she continues.
“…attractive. But that wasn’t the problem.”
“Then what was?”
“Like I said, I was flying above everypony at the time. What was said made me look at the others too. Pinkie’s happy-go-lucky attitude and high energy. Fluttershy’s melodious voice and kind disposition. To say nothing for Rarity’s beauty. I mean… she’s a total knockout! And Twilight’s a genius, proficient in schools of magic I don’t even know exist, and now a princess of Equestria beside Princess Celestia!”
Arc sighs. “I think I see where this is going.”
“You do?”
“Yes. But please continue.”
“I didn’t say anything to anypony at the time. We got back to Sweet Apple Acres to return the wagon and went our separate ways. Flying home as fast as I could, I went to my bathroom and looked in the mirror. All I saw was a rough mane and matted fur.”
She sighs before continuing.
“Jumping into the shower I started going over even more things in my head. Applejack’s an expert of anything apple related. Pinkie’s a master party planner and has her Pinkie Sense. Fluttershy’s knowledgeable in every creature in Equestria, and can even talk to most of them. Rarity’s so creative and business savvy. And Twilight’s forgotten more things since she came to Ponyville than I’ve ever learned!”
“What about you?”
Rainbow Dash groans. “All I can do is fly really fast. FLY! Just like every other pegasus in Equestria! That and I don’t even have a cute voice like pretty much every other mare out there! It always sounds like I have a sore throat!”
“It seems to me like you’re feeling a bit jealous.”
“Maybe a little, I guess. But that isn’t the real problem.”
“Oh?”
“When I got out of the shower and toweled off I looked in the mirror. My mane was everywhere like normal. So just for once I decided to try and brush it.”
“Did it help?”
“That’s… complicated.”
“How so?”
“For starters, it took me half an hour to find my brush. By that time my mane had dried and I had to get in the shower again to wet it down.”
“Then what happened?”
“I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and put the brush to my scalp. However when I tried to pull it through all that happened was it got stuck partway.”
“Tangled?”
Rainbow Dash nods. “Very. I mean, I’ve always known my mop was pretty much unworkable. But since I’m in the air so much I just never gave it much thought. So to make a long story short, I spent the next twenty minutes trying to remove the brush from my mane.”
Rainbow Dash is silent for a time before continuing.
“I need to ask you something, Arc. Point blank.”
“Shoot.”
“Are you interested in me?”
“Of course! I want to get to know all of you better when I get back.”
“No, no! I mean… is it just because of my social group? Did you include me because my friends and I are kind of a package deal?”
“No, Rainbow Dash. I…”
“Then answer me this. Given that the rest of my friends are physical AND skilled knockouts… why are you wasting your time with me?”
“You’re not…”
“I’m just trying to be honest here! We all know that I’m not very good looking and sound like a broken kazoo! So I really need to know exactly what makes me worth your time!”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Um… are you done?”
“Huh?”
“I keep getting cut off.”
Rainbow Dash sighs. “And my mannerisms aren’t like the others. Sorry.”
“In all honesty, I think you’re really nice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Kinda tomboyish, of course. But I still like you just the same.”
“I don’t really understand how.”
“In that case, how about I turn this around?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been asking myself the same question.”
“Which one?”
“Why are you six interested in me?”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “Are you KIDDING ME?! You’re the total package, Arc!”
“Am I? I’m so much bigger than everyone else. My diet and customs are completely different. Not to mention that I can’t give any of you foals. So why am I such a love interest?”
“Because you’re so darn NICE! Not to mention you’re smart, caring, brave, considerate, and strong!”
“And there aren’t any stallions who fit that bill?”
“None as amazing as you, Arc!”
“I don’t look anything like a pony though.”
“I don’t care about that! After all, it’s who you are on the inside that really… really…”
Rainbow Dash’s voice trails off as she considers her own words.
Arc smiles as he finishes her sentence. “It’s what’s on the inside that really counts?”
“R-right.”
“That’s what I like about you and our friends, Rainbow Dash. You don’t look anything like a human girl. But that’s not important to me. “
“And foals?”
“You and the others can’t give me them, no. But I’ve come to terms with that fact.”
The line is silent as Rainbow Dash considers this for a time. Eventually Arc speaks.
“I just want to add that if you or any of the others ever have second thoughts about this whole thing, please tell me.”
“Second thoughts?”
“Like if you don’t want to form a herd, or meet a real stallion, I don’t want you to feel pressured into continuing down this path.”
“Well, that works both ways, Arc.”
“I suppose it does.”
“Then tell me this. What is it that YOU want?”
“To be able to spend some quality time with you and the others. We really need to get to know each other a LOT better if we’re going to start relationships.”
“I’d like that, Arc. We all would.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
“With what?”
“Dating.”
Rainbow Dash blushes. “D-dating?!”
“It’s something that needs to be done. After all, we wouldn’t want to form a herd just to find out it’s not meant to be.”
“I… suppose not.”
“Look, we’ll get everything figured out together.”
“You and I?”
“All of us.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “Thanks, Arc. I really feel a lot better after talking to you about this.”