Arc sits down in his office aboard ship. Groaning, he looks out the window.
“Of all the times…”
The phone rings. Arc hurriedly picks it up.
“Arc here.”
“Sir, this is Lemon Hearts. I’ve just spoken with Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire. She said she would welcome your help, but refuses to speak about the situation over the airwaves.”
“That kinda makes it hard for me to do anything though.”
“Yes sir. But as it stands we’ll arrive before the enemy does though, so you’ll have plenty of time to formulate a strategy.”
“There’s never enough time for these sort of things. I’ll head over there now and talk to her face to face. Notify Captain Soarin that I’m leaving the ship for a time.”
“Yes sir. Good luck.”
Hanging up the phone, Arc calls forth his gauntlet and sighs.
“Here we go again.”
Opening a portal, Arc steps through and reappears in Steel Hammer and Silver Hammer’s hospital room. They appear confused.
“Arc? Is something wrong?”
“Were you and Platinum Valve able to…?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nothing on that yet, no. Sorry I don’t have time to talk, but right now an armada from the Griffon Kingdom is heading this way!”
“What?!”
“Why?!”
“Not sure yet. I’m here to see Cadance about it.”
“Don’t let us keep you then!”
“Yes! Help Princess Cadance with all due haste!”
Arc nods as he removes a magic cloak from his ring and quickly puts it on.
“That I will.”
Cloaking, Arc Blinks through the window and drops to the ground. Looking around, he Blinks up onto the hospital’s roof to get a better view. Spotting the Crystal Castle, Arc concentrates and focuses his power. Blinking across the city, he arrives at the castle and quickly makes his way inside. Heading for the Throne Room, Arc decloaks and motions for the guards to stand aside. They quickly do so, allowing him access. Cadance paces nervously as Shining Armor does his best to reassure her.
“Cadance, you have to remember that Arc is…”
Arc clears his throat loudly. “Did I miss anything?
Cadance gasps and runs over to him. Throwing her front hooves around his neck, she pulls him into a bear hug.
“Arc! I’m so glad you’re here!”
Arc grimaces. “Cadance…?!”
“Yes?!”
“Too… tight…!”
Shining Armor chuckles. “Let him breathe, Cadance.”
“Oh my! I’m sorry!”
She releases him and steps back nervously as Arc speaks.
“It’s fine. What’s the situation?”
Shining Armor steps forward. “We received advance warning from Manehattan of an armada of Griffon Kingdom ships flying over the city heading this direction.”
Cadance sighs. “Naturally we tried to speak to them on the radio. But nopony would pick up.”
Arc frowns. “Not talking, eh? Any idea why they’re attacking now?”
Shining Armor frowns. “Actually, yes. Cadance?”
Cadance picks up a scroll from the seat of the throne. “This arrived by royal courier late last night.”
Arc takes the scroll and opens it. Frowning, he looks to Shining Armor.
“Is this thing for real?!”
Shining Armor nods soberly. “Yes, Arc. As you can see, it’s by Princess Celestia herself.”
“But this is a declaration of war!”
Cadance sighs. “From Equestria to the Crystal Empire, I know.”
“She’s attacking her own citizens?!”
Shining Armor shrugs. “Or at the very least allowing a foreign nation to do so with reckless abandon.”
“This is insane! I know she was mad about you giving me The Equinox back and whatnot. However this will amount to literal MURDER!”
Shining Armor puts a hoof on Cadance’s shoulder. “Princess Celestia is going to force us to fight our allies.”
Cadance bows her head. “I know. But what other choice do we have?”
Arc clenches a fist. “Is there anything we can do to stop this?”
Shining Armor purses his lips. “There’s a list of demands printed further down.”
Arc clears his throat and reads aloud. “One… Princess Cadance and all of her officers are to turn themselves over to Hero of Light Decimus for the crime of treason. Two… the Elements of Harmony are to be returned to Equestrian custody. Three… before leaving the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance is to publicly denounce the traitorous former Hero of Light as nothing more than a usurper and common criminal. Four… Princess Cadance is to publicly appoint the commander of the Griffon Kingdom’s forces as Chancellor before leaving the Crystal Empire. Five…”
He throws the scroll across the room angrily.
“Unconditional surrender! That’s her idea of diplomacy?!”
Shining Armor sighs. “So it would seem.”
Cadance looks to Arc pleadingly. “What should we do?!”
Shining Armor turns to Arc. “I recommend giving the order for citizens to shelter in place.”
“Agreed. But that doesn’t really solve the core problem.”
He turns to Cadance.
“What defenses does the city have?”
“We have our ground forces, of course. However those will be rather ineffective if the griffon ships decide to bombard the city.”
Shining Armor grits his teeth. “A likelihood given their known weapon systems.”
“Shining Armor is capable of casting a powerful Shield Spell, which would protect us from that.”
“Right. But it’s not likely to stand up against a prolonged assault should the situation degrade to that point.”
“I can help strengthen it with my Alicorn Magic. But again that still only buys us time.”
Arc turns to Shining Armor. “What about our own air support?”
“Other than The Equinox and our Pegasi forces, we have no other airships.”
Arc groans. “Great…”
The Audience Chamber doors open and an armored stallion rushes inside. He approaches Cadance and salutes.
“Your highness! We…!”
He stops talking and hastily salutes again as Arc turns to him.
“S-sir?!”
“Flash Sentry?!”
“You’re here! This is wonderful!”
“Yeah, I’m glad to be back and all. But what’s the problem?”
“A small armada of Equestrian airships are headed straight for us from Canterlot!”
Cadance sighs. “It appears they are sending everything they have in terms of flight.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Aerial superiority?”
Flash Sentry nods. “Yes sir. They will control the battle as it stands with sheer numbers and firepower.”
Cadance groans. “Most of our forces won’t be able to even get close.”
Shining Armor puts a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. “The Equinox will help, of course. But even it can’t take on two armies simultaneously.”
Arc looks out a window toward the east. “We might have to. But that’s not what troubles me.”
Flash Sentry appears confused. “Sir?”
“This doesn’t seem right. Celestia and Decimus have to know that you’d call for me as soon as you learned of the attack.”
Cadance nods. “Yes. But what does that have to do with…?”
“It’s likely they’re either trying to distract us from something much larger, or wear our forces down.”
Shining Armor muses to himself. “Our forces.”
Cadance turns to him. “Shining Armor?”
“That might just be it!”
Arc frowns. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“The Griffon Kingdom, Crystal Empire, and Equestria all start fighting. It’s likely all sides would take heavy losses. We would then lack the ability to retaliate against either Canterlot or whatever other attacks are prepared.”
Arc clenches a fist. “Three birds, one stone. This has the Council of Shadows written all over it!”
Cadance grimaces. “But what can we do?”
“Stop the fighting before it starts. This battle needs to be won, but with a minimum of collateral damage.”
Shining Armor appears hopeful. “You have a plan, Arc?”
“I just might. Tell me, when will the ships from the Griffon Kingdom reach the Crystal Empire?”
Shining Armor looks at a wall clock. “Two hours.”
“And the forces from Canterlot?”
Flash Sentry sighs. “About the same.”
Cadance shudders. “The griffon ships are much faster than the ones from Canterlot. So even though they’re much further out…”
Arc nods. “They’ll arrive together.”
Shining Armor grits his teeth. “A coordinated attack will follow.”
“How fast are they?”
Flash Sentry frowns. “It’s likely that they’re faster than anything we have, sir.”
“Then we just need to use that to our advantage. Here’s what I had in mind…”
A short time later Arc sighs and looks around the group.
“Does anyone else have any other ideas?”
Cadance shakes her head. “No. I think that’s it.”
Shining Armor sighs. “While I wish we could do more, this’ll have to do.”
Flash Sentry nods. “Agreed. I’ll command the ground forces with pride, sir.”
“I know you will, lieutenant.”
Cadance shudders. “With any luck it won’t come to that.”
Shining Armor nods soberly. “Right. But we’re prepared nonetheless.”
“Yes, well… if anyone comes up with any new ideas let me know.”
Cadance smiles nervously. “We will.”
Shining Armor turns to him. “Would you like to rest before the battle, Arc?”
Arc shakes his head. “No thanks. But I would like to see Flash Sentry.”
“Me, sir?”
“It’s about a… personal matter.”
Cadance heads for the door. “Then we won’t pry. Come, Shining Armor. We have our own preparations to attend to.”
“Right behind you, Cadance.”
The pair leave the Audience Chamber as Arc turns to his former lieutenant.
“So… how’ve you been?”
“Very good, sir! Raven and I get to see each other every day now!”
“So things are going well between you two?”
“The best! Every weekend we go on a nice date. Dinner, a show, or even just walking around town together.”
“And how is Raven doing?”
“Why don’t we ask her together, sir?”
“That would be nice. If she isn’t too busy, that is.”
“For you, sir, I think she can make time.”
The lieutenant leads the way down several corridors before coming to a large, ornate door. Pushing it open, they come to a well-furnished office. Raven sits at a desk next to a large double door. Looking up, she grins and hurries over to them.
“Commander!”
“Hi, Raven! How’re you doing?!”
“Much better. I’ve been seeing a therapist here in the city since we arrived. They’ve even had Flash Sentry and I doing a few couple’s sessions.”
Flash Sentry blushes slightly. “A bit of pre-marital counseling, sir. Not sure how I feel about it, but it makes Raven happy.”
“Oh, I’m all for that. After all, you can never know someone too well.”
Raven sighs. “Even though I’m the one with the baggage.”
Flash Sentry puts a hoof on her shoulder. “You’re still perfect, Raven. Like a pretty peach.”
“A bruised one.”
“Now, now. You remember what the therapist said about self-loathing.”
“I know. But it still nags at me.”
She looks back to Arc.
“Sir, I know you have your own problems right now, but might I ask if there’s been any… developments in my case?”
“Sadly, no. Luna and Cadance were working on the paperwork and procedure before… Celestia came back. But now that she’s in charge again I haven’t heard of her doing anything about it.”
Raven bows her head. “Oh… I see.”
“Sorry, but I can’t really tell you anything more.”
“That’s… fine. “
Arc shakes his head. “No, it isn’t. When there’s time I’ll speak to the princesses about how to move forward in this case. There has to be something that can be done.”
Flash Sentry turns to him. “Sir, could we possibly approach the griffon ambassador about this?”
“Ashe isn’t exactly what I would call ‘capable’. She’s just kind of a placeholder in Canterlot.”
Raven sighs. “That’s a shame. When we heard that there was a new ambassador, Flash Sentry and I were hoping that would be a breakthrough.”
“Sorry. But Ashe isn’t someone whom can help. In fact, the griffons are the whole reason I’m here right now.”
Raven appears confused. “Oh?”
Flash Sentry groans. “It’s going to be announced shortly, but a fleet of airships from the Griffon Kingdom are heading this way as we speak.”
“What?!”
Arc nods. “It’s true. The Equinox is on its way to intercept them, but another fleet is also coming up from Canterlot.”
“But WHY?!”
Flash Sentry grits his teeth. “Princess Celestia believes that the Crystal Empire betrayed Equestria by helping the commander.”
“But that’s CRAZY! He’s the Hero of Light for Celestia’s sake!”
Arc clenches a fist. “A fact it appears I will have to remind her of when next we meet.”
“I’ll be commanding our forces on Princess Cadance’s behalf.”
“You will?!”
“Most likely from the castle, but yes.”
Raven breathes a sigh of relief. “So you’ll be safe?”
Arc nods. “As safe as anyone will be when the fighting starts. I’ll do my best to stop this before it gets out of hand, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.”
“We’ll defend this city with everything we have though, sir!”
“I know you will. But who knows just how far Celestia will go?”
Raven seethes. “She’s clearly out of her head!”
“Agreed. But I believe there’s more going on here than meets the eye.”
Flash Sentry raises an eyebrow. “Sir?”
“Just concentrate on the coming battle.”
A strange sound rings out from a nearby radio. Arc turns to it, confused.
“What the heck?!”
Raven gasps. “That’s the emergency alert system!”
Flash Sentry nods. “It sounds like Princess Cadance is announcing this matter to the general public.”
“But won’t that cause a panic?”
Arc frowns. “Maybe. But it’s important that everyone has time to prepare.”
Flash Sentry sighs. “It won’t help anypony if we’re just carrying on with business as usual when the fleets show up.”
Raven puts a hoof to her chin. “I suppose that’s true.”
Arc smiles as he looks to Raven. “Yes, well… in any case, I need to get moving.”
“It was good to see you again, sir.”
“Likewise, Raven. Take care.”
“I will.”
Arc calls forth a gauntlet and opens a portal. Stepping through he vanishes as Raven turns to Flash Sentry.
“What do you suppose our chances are?”
“Pretty good with the commander on the job.”
Meanwhile, Arc reappears on the sigil in his quarters. Ember and Hammer are waiting for him.
“Arc! What’s this I hear about us flying to intercept a fleet of airships from the Griffon Kingdom?!”
“It’s true, yes.”
“Then open me a portal!”
“I’m sure I know the answer to this, but why?”
“To call forth dragon reinforcements! What else?!”
“Are you forgetting that you signed a peace treaty with Equestria?”
“What’s that have to do with…?!”
Hammer sighs. “It’s on Equestrian soil. Your forces would be seen as invaders.”
“I… uh… guess that’s true. But so what?!”
Arc frowns. “It could spark open hostilities between all three nations.”
Hammer smacks her fists together. “That has Diva written all over it!”
“You might be right. She’s a manipulator?”
“Not as smooth as General Mustang, but still able to hold her own.”
“With any luck, her and I will be able to settle this.”
“I doubt it. She’s not much for directly interfering unless it’s to put on a show or make some kind of point.”
Ember brandishes her claws. “Well in that case, I’ll make it worth her while to attend.”
Arc grins wickedly. “You’ll have company.”
Hammer laughs. “Me too.”
Arc turns to her, confused. “Hammer?”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “You’re okay fighting your former commanding officer?”
Hammer grins as she pulls her gun. “Absolutely!”
Arc chuckles. “Glad you feel that way. Because this is probably going to get rough.”
His earring chirps.
“Arc here.”
Sir, this is Lemon Hearts. We’re withing visual range of the fleet from the Griffon Kingdom. They have not yet returned any of our hails.”
Thunderlane calls out from the pilot’s seat. “And their course remains unchanged.”
Wrangler grins. “Want me to warm up the weapons?”
“Yes, Wrangler. This time we need to be ready to fight.”
Moon Dancer grimaces. “What are our chances, sir?”
“That depends on who’s commanding that fleet.”
Soarin sounds hopeful. “You think you can talk them out of this?”
“Hopefully, yes. But in any case, Captain Soarin, bring the ship up to red alert and notify my soldiers to prepare for battle!”