In our previous volume, Fluttershy leaves to see her parents in the hospital. She is accompanied by Rainbow Dash as Arc and her parents return to their homes. Inviting Arc and Scootaloo to stay with them during the investigation, Bo shows them to a large guest room before fetching them for supper. Rainbow Dash flies in as they sit down and makes a scene. Both parents are upset when they hear her call Arc by his first name. Informing them that she and he are old friends, Arc is able to diffuse the situation. Rising to get cider, the couple leaves the room. Rainbow Dash confesses that she has not told her parents of the herd as she is sorta pledged to Fluttershy’s brother, Zephyr Breeze. Her parents return and speak on the subject. Arc learns of his friend’s past with her friends as well as their intention to marry. Rainbow Dash heads for bed suddenly as Arc lowers the sun and raises the moon much to the surprise of their host and hostess. Bo escorts Arc and Scootaloo to their room for the night before returning to the kitchen to help with the dishes.
The next morning Arc and Scootaloo have breakfast with Rainbow Dash and her parents before heading to the hospital to check Fluttershy and her parents. Finding them all asleep, Arc awakens Fluttershy and asks for her thoughts. A doctor enters and explains the condition of the patients at large. Noting their malnourishment and atrophy, Arc is told that their conditions are stable and everyone will recover with time. Heading to the Rainbow Factory, they are quickly admitted by heavily armored soldiers. After being escorted to the foreman’s office by Ember and Sereb they find Rose resting. Awakening her, she is able to give them a comprehensive analysis of the situation at hand. Passing on what little is known about changelings, Arc announces that the factory may reopen. As Bo sits down in his chair the phone rings. Picking it up he is told by Rainbow Dash that Fluttershy’s parents are showing signs of awakening. Arc and his friends hurry out the door to return to the hospital.
Coming to Fluttershy’s parent’s room they find that neither is up to having visitors. Heading out for a bite to eat Arc treats the group to a meal at a local diner of Dash’s choosing. Leaving, they head to a shop so Arc can buy some gifts. Returning to the house, Bo asks Rainbow Dash get her mother before he heads to his office to inform his workers to report for work in the morning. Windy arrives and is told of a scroll that came in the mail that day from Zephyr Breeze. Announcing his return to Cloudsdale, Bo and Windy decide to invite him to dinner. Suggesting that it would be more intimate to reveal Zephyr at a fancy restaurant, they prepare for an evening of exquisite dining.
Arc and Rainbow Dash, along with her family, head to a fancy restaurant together. After ordering, Bo whispers something to their waiter whom nods and hurries off. After talking for a time, Bo motions for a stallion to approach. Rainbow Dash is surprised to see her childhood friend in the flesh again and even more surprised to learn that he’s there for dinner. Sitting down, they talk about the old days of getting married over and over again during play weddings. Mention is made of Zephyr’s parents whom are in the hospital. Not realizing what transpired, he is told of their condition. Quickly excusing himself to see them, he inadvertently breaks up the evening. Returning back to the cloud mansion, Arc heads for his room and sits on the balcony. Rainbow Dash lands and moves to knock on his door. Calling out to her, they speak about Zephyr. Confessing her past to him, Rainbow Dash contemplates what to do about Zephyr.
The next morning Arc and Rainbow Dash head to the hospital to see Fluttershy’s parents. They find Fluttershy and Zephyr Breeze dozing in chairs nearby. Fluttershy gently wakes her father and tells him of Arc’s need to interview him. Telling Arc of how he was captured as well as their treatment at the hooves of the changelings, he is able to give very little useful information on them. Promising to keep quiet, Arc leaves to inform Twilight of the matters transpiring. Rainbow Dash and Zephyr leave the room together as Fluttershy and her father talk. He asks about how his son and Rainbow Dash are hitting it off. When he learns that they have drifted apart he changes the conversation to that of Fluttershy’s own love life. Admitting that she has been seeing someone, Fluttershy is vague about whom her stallionfriend really is. Saying only that he is very high up in the social status of Canterlot and that he advises the princesses, she then allow her father to rest.
Finally able to interview Fluttershy’s parents together, Arc learns that their captors spoke of ‘The Academy’ often. After being told of the facility in question, he leaves the room to formulate a plan of infiltration. That night he and Scootaloo enter the facility together via their Mist Form. Entering a closet the pair rematerialize and talk over their plan one last time. Walking the facility corridors they find nothing at all. Not even the ponies whom are supposed to live and work there. Unable to locate any clues, Arc opens a portal and summons Rose along with Sereb. She informs him of the sensor dampening field around the base which prevent her from performing scans. Sereb smells something and motions to the stairs. Going to the basement he tells Arc and company of the scent of many mares and stallions leading up to the wall behind a rack. Rose uses her L-Blade to slice a small hole in the door. Turning to mist again, Scootaloo enters the Panic Room via the hole. Finding the door release, she floats over it before returning to her pony form and falling on it. As the doors swing open Arc and the others enter another nearby door the Panic Room’s interior. Finding what appears to be the entire facility’s staff, Arc opens a portal to call in his forces along with Ember and Hammer. Ordering the cages sliced open and the prisoners freed, he opens another portal to the local hospital before heading through with the others.
Arc and company help the hospital staff in their task of helping the Wonderbolt patients. Early the next morning he and the others meet with Redheart in the head doctor’s office. She tells them of the weakened condition of the patients but reports that they will recover in time. As they speak a nurse enters passing on a message from the head of the Wonderbolt’s Academy to Arc. Asking for a meeting, Arc agrees to it. Being cautioned by Redheart not to stress the stallion any further than necessary, Arc meets with Headmaster Wing. After being told about a Princess Celestia imposter ordering the entire staff into the Panic Room the headmaster reveals that their captor then used a sleeping gas on them as the door closed. Awakening in the cages, he watched as his own flyers slowly weakened along with him. Leaving to let the stallion rest, he and the others return to Fluttershy’s parent’s room. Spotting Zephyr as they do so, everyone enters the room. As they speak, the parents shift the conversation over to Rainbow Dash and Zephyr. However when they attempt to tell Zephyr about Rainbow’s desire to marry Arc, the stallion assumes the conversation to be an intervention for him. Confessing that he not only dropped out of college, Zephyr tells them that he’s become attracted to another mare… Tree Hugger. Admitting that he has been unable to even speak to her, much less ask her out, Arc gives the stallion some tips on what to do on a first encounter. Taking his advice well, Zephyr leaves the room Rainbow Dash breathes a sigh of relief. Strawberry Shy invited everyone to their house for dinner the following evening to give Arc and Rainbow Dash a chance to be honest with Bo and Windy.
Dressing up for yet another formal gathering, Arc and Rainbow Dash head to Fluttershy’s childhood home. Arriving, they have a short meeting to lay out their intentions. To put Rainbow Dash into a position in which she could ease into telling her parents about her and Arc. However over dinner she does the opposite and tries to divert the conversation from herself. Working up the courage to say something however Rainbow Dash finds herself unable to get a word in after revealing that Fluttershy has a stallionfriend. Angrily, Rainbow Dash leaves the house. Arc and Fluttershy follow her to a bench just outside. Talking to her, they convince their friend to open up about her feelings to a pair of plants for practice. Spilling her guts, Arc and Fluttershy roleplay with her as her parents. As she finishes the parents step forth from just inside the screen door. Bo and Windy disagree with the herd idea and look to Fluttershy’s parents for support. However they both agree that Arc deserves a chance after making their own daughter so happy. Reluctantly agreeing, they return to the dinner table to become better acquainted.
Enjoying their meal together, they are interrupted by a call on Arc’s earring from Lemon Hearts. She informs him that Hammer and Rose have returned from their investigation. Wishing to report to him in person, Arc is also told of a stallion identifying himself as the leader of the Wonderbolt’s Academy. Ordering him escorted to his office along with Hammer and Rose, Arc takes a portal back to his quarters along with Hammer, Rainbow Dash, and Bo. Joining the Scarlet Filly, whom is reading on the couch, they girls leave together as Arc and Bo head to the office. Finding the headmaster, Rose, and Hammer waiting for him Arc sits down and begins the debriefing. Hammer reports that they disabled the sensor dampeners by shutting off the base’s main power. Rose informs him that upon scanning the base they found explosives wired up all over the place. Presenting Arc with an inactive bomb he consults with Hammer to confirm that it is indeed of Earthen origin. Suspecting Diva to be behind the plot, the headmaster is informed of the Council of Shadow’s potential involvement. Asking to see Twilight, Arc calls her and explains the situation. Agreeing to come immediately, Arc opens a portal to allow Twilight to join them. After explaining his position to Twilight, Headmaster Wing agrees to join Canterlot in standing against Celestia and Decimus. He also pledges to speak to the Town Council regarding Twilight’s offer to allow Cloudsdale to be moored in Canterlot’s airspace. Escorting Twilight back to his quarters, she voices a desire to speak with him. Sitting on the couch, Twilight expresses her extreme disdain for her new role as princess. Admitting that she wants nothing more than to join Arc as his wife, she nearly tackles him in a show of affection. Offering to resign immediately, Twilight tells Arc that she wants nothing more than to leave her position behind for him and their herd. Convincing her to stay on in her capacity, Arc agrees that he too wants to end the matter so that they can become better acquainted.
Waking very early the next morning to the sound of his earring chirping Arc is told by Lemon Hearts that the Cloudsdale Town Council has unanimously voted to move the city into Canterlot’s airspace. Feeling inadequate due to her lack of experience, and after a conversation regarding personal hygiene and scent, the pair head to the shower together. Arc does his best to console Twilight and reassure her that he will do whatever is necessary to safeguard the land. Up to and including helping her lead Equestria on a more permanent basis if needed.
Two days later Arc, Hammer, and Ember discuss Cloudsdale and the Wonderbolt Academy being successfully moved to Canterlot. Heading to the Audience Chamber they join the Mane Six in brainstorming ideas to unify the country as well as stop Decimus. Adjourning for audiences, Twilight and her friends take them while Arc heads to the office to do Twilight’s paperwork. Sometime later Raven enters with a scroll. Giving it to him, she informs Arc that it was given to her by Ashe. Heading to her office, Arc speaks with the ambassador regarding the state of the nation. Admitting that she got most of her information from Ambassador Brightwing (that still sounds wrong in my head), Ashe suggests a plan to help reassure the public. Listening to her idea Arc agrees to bring it before Twilight. Agreeing to the idea, Twilight cancels the rest of the day’s audiences to make preparations for a public speech. That evening Arc addresses the nation with Twilight. Inviting the leaders of the rest of the world, they also give Twilight their endorsement. Luna arrives and also gives her approval to Twilight leading the nation. After the speech Twilight and the others head to the Dining Room for cake. As they eat, Kibitz and Raven run into the room. Informing the group that the leaders of the rogue towns have requested to speak to Twilight about joining under Canterlot’s rule, Arc orders more cake brought out in celebration.
However, many questions remain unanswered. What else is Decimus planning? Why did the changelings act so recklessly in whom they took and did not replace? Zephyr… yeah, enough said. What will Rainbow Dash do about her two suitors? What did the Changelings REALLY want with those they captured? How does any of this further the Changeling’s goals? Will Bo and Windy be able to fully accept Arc in time? Will this finally reunite the land?
Time will tell. Sooner or later… time will tell.