Aurora looks to Arc, clearly confused.
“We do not understand. Why would them leaving be a problem?”
Arc sighs. “Because Tartarus is supposed to be a prison.”
Sereb nods. “And an escapable one at that.”
Auriel gasps. “But wouldn’t that mean that my father is repentant for his past crimes?!”
“Yes, Auriel. However you have to look at it from Equestria’s point of view.”
Malevolence puts a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Indeed. Should demons suddenly start emerging from Tartarus it would cause a panic.”
Aurora tilts her head to one side. “We have watched and learned since becoming conscious. Is not the reason for prisons to keep the dangerous ones from the innocent?”
Arc nods. “That along with punishment and rehabilitation, yes.”
“And my father is! His piercing the barrier is proof of that!”
The king turns to Arc. “While I agree that my daughter is correct, I also understand that a demonic settlement has no place within Equestria’s borders.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “So you will stay here?”
Auriel gasps. “You can’t!”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “I think we need to talk to Twilight about this.”
Malevolence chuckles. “The purple unicorn?”
“Princess, father. Remember?”
“I am still not sure how a knock-kneed mare like that could…”
“Father!”
Arc gestures to the door. “Shall we go?”
Aurora appears confused. “Where?”
Sereb sighs. “To meet with Twilight.”
Auriel’s eyes grow wide. “But there’s quite the group camped outside the Gates!”
Malevolence groans. “They’ll never let a demon past. Much less their king.”
Arc chuckles. “Don’t worry about that. I have a plan.”
“I’m listening.”
Sometime later Arc, Auriel, and Aurora approach the Gates of Tartarus with their beetles (and Sereb, of course). Hoping off, they head for the barrier. Walking through they see Mythic Honor standing with his forces and innumerable Royal Guards fully decked out for war. Spotting his commanding officer Flash Sentry hurries over and salutes.
“Sir!”
“What’s the status out here?”
“As you can see, we have the cave covered inside and out. Double the number of troops are stationed outside and The Equinox is holding position here with its cannons aimed at this cave.”
Auriel gasps. “What?! Why?!”
“In the event the demons escape and overwhelm us I will radio to The Equinox to take the shot. We’ll be buried, of course. But Equestria will survive.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “And you’re in charge of this operation?”
Flash Sentry shakes his head. “No, sir. Princess Twilight is overseeing everything from your ship.”
“I need to report my findings at once. Carry on, colonel.”
Saluting, Arc opens a portal. Stepping through with Serb, Auriel and Aurora they find themselves in his quarters. Looking around to make sure they are alone, Arc turns to Aurora and holds a hand to her chin.
“Open up.”
Doing as she is told, Aurora opens her mouth and allows her tongue to rest in the palms of Arc’s hand. King Malevolence slides out and into his palm. Setting him down carefully, Arc casts the Matter Compacting counter spell on him, returning the demon to a head or so taller than he is.
“Are you alright, father?”
“Yes. However that was a very… interesting feeling.”
Arc chuckles. “Being inside a goddess’ mouth?”
Aurora smiles. “You may do so again if you’d like.”
“Perhaps later.”
The king turns back to Arc.
“What now?”
“Twilight’s here, which makes this a lot easier.”
Auriel grimaces. “To do what exactly?”
“Tell her of what happened.”
“But she’ll blast the cave!”
Sereb shakes his head. “No, she won’t.”
Aurora nods soberly. “Agreed. She is a very level headed mare whom cared for us when we could not do so ourselves.”
Arc touches his earring. “Arc to Bridge.”
Lemon Hearts’ voice rings out. “Go ahead, sir.”
“I need to see Princess Twilight privately regarding the current situation.”
“Yes sir. Where shall I send her?”
“My quarters. We have much to discuss and we might as well be comfortable.”
“I’ll see to it, sir. Shall I send the others with her?”
“Others?”
“The Element Bearers accompanied her aboard ship. I believe they’ll want to accompany her to this meeting. Shall I allow that, sir?”
“Yes, I want all six of them here to receive my debriefing.”
“I’ll see to it, sir.”
“Thank you, Arc out.”
He touches his earring, severing the connection. Turning to Auriel and her father, Arc sighs.
“Not really sure how this is going to go.”
Auriel smiles nervously. “I trust you to do what’s best though.”
Malevolence turns to his daughter. “And I believe in Auriel’s judgement.”
Aurora nods. “The Consciousness also believes in those whom raised us.”
“That’s good to hear.”
A short time later Twilight enters the room along with the rest of the Mane Six, Scootaloo, Ember, and Hammer. They gasp at the sight of the Demon King. Rainbow Dash spreads her wings and takes flight.
“Everypony, get Twilight out of here! I’ll cover you!”
Hammer gasps. “Blue?!”
Sereb calls out. “Wait!”
Arc steps forward quickly. “The king is with us!”
Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Say what now?”
Ember grits her teeth. “Arc, are you nuts?!”
Pinkie looks to Sereb and hisses. “Isn’t he a bad guy though?!”
“That is… complicated.”
Rarity frowns. “Pinkie Pie! That is Auriel’s father!”
Fluttershy steps back nervously. “But he did such bad things in the past!”
Scootaloo narrows her eyes. “I can sense the dark magic coming off this thing too!”
Aurora steps forward. “That is true. However you willingly helped him, did you not?”
Twilight nods as she stands surrounded by her friend. “We did, yes. But that was back in Tartarus. Not here in Equestria.”
She turns to Arc.
“How did he get here?”
“We took a portal after passing through the Gates.”
Twilight sighs. “Of course you did. Arc, you can’t be letting others out of Tartarus like that.”
Rainbow Dash frowns. “Yeah! It’s dangerous!”
Applejack holds up a hoof. “Now, now. If Arc did so he must have a good reason.”
“I did, yes.”
Twilight looks to him. “Well then, I’d very much like to hear it.”
Ember brandishes her claws. “Me too.”
“Auriel will explain.”
Doing so, Auriel brings them up to speed on the situation. Twilight puts a hoof to her face and groans.
“This is just perfect.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “I don’t see how it’s even close to good.”
Sereb shakes his head. “It’s a figure of speech.”
Ember points a claw toward the window. “Arc, we need to build some kind of defense around the cave or in it immediately!”
“Oh?”
Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. “Yeah! Those demons need to stay right where they are!”
Applejack glares at her friend. “Rainbow Dash! Auriel’s right here!”
Pinkie shrugs. “Maybe they’re not so bad anymore?!”
Rarity shudders. “I still remember holding the barrier open when we came here to rescue Arc. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.”
Fluttershy sighs. “But if they’re really and truly sorry for what they did, Tartarus isn’t the place for them.”
Sereb looks to Twilight. “So what shall be done?”
“Arc. You know the situation as a whole better than anypony. What do you say?”
Arc fold his arms over his chest. “Should any prisoner come to terms with their crimes, the Gates of Tartarus will no longer hold them.”
Twilight nods. “That is what every prisoner is supposed to be told prior to entering, yes.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “What about it?”
“I think Big Brother means that literally.”
Ember gasps. “Wait! So you’re saying that the KING OF DEMONS HIMSELF should be let out of Tartarus… PERMANENTLY?!”
Arc nods. “If he’s truly repentant, yes.”
Sereb growls. “There is another option.”
Fluttershy smiles. “Oh? What is it?”
“Perhaps the barrier could be altered in a way that made it impermeable to anything and anyone.”
Auriel gasps. “But then my people would be stuck there forever!”
Aurora turns to Auriel. “They have your artificial sun and plants now though. We are confident that the Consciousness could make it very similar to Equestria given enough time and energy.”
Malevolence clenches a fist angrily as he looks to Twilight. “I have accomplished what your predecessor Princess Celestia ordained us to do oh so many years ago! Reformation!”
Twilight sighs. “That is understood. But I am the Princess of Friendship, and as such must do what is best for my subjects.”
Arc clears his throat. “That’s true, yes. However the demons were once a part of this land, forming what was known as The Great Demon Kingdom. “
Auriel nods fervently. “As such we have a claim to our ancient homeland.”
Arc turns to his friend. “Tell me this, Twilight. What would Princess Celestia say if she were here right now?”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin. “She… she would probably… stay true to her word.”
Hammer frowns. “But if they’re THAT dangerous…!”
Aurora interrupts her. “They aren’t, no. However, without the light of hope glistening before them they will most likely descend into something far darker and more dangerous than that which you see before you.”
Auriel looks to her friend pleadingly. “Please, Twilight! My father’s changed!”
Twilight turns to the king. “Tell me more of your former kingdom, sir.”
“Have you never heard of it?!”
“No, I have not.”
Ember grins wickedly. “So you don’t really have a legal leg to stand on as far as settling goes.”
Auriel frowns. “The demons have a legitimate claim to the forests and jungles far to the south though!”
Malevolence nods. “It must still exist! We can prove our history lies within this land’s borders!”
Twilight turns to her champion. “Arc?”
“We have to give them a chance to prove their claims. If Auriel believes they once lived far to the south then we need to look into it.”
Fluttershy nods fervently. “Right. We can’t oppress anypony just because of the sins of the past!”
Hammer motions out the window. “What about the soldiers down there though?!”
Ember rolls her eyes. “They can hold the line while we go on this fool’s errand.”
Sereb chuckles. “Indeed.”
Scootaloo turns to the Dragon Lord. “You don’t believe there’s anything there, Ember?”
“I fought the demons for some time in Tartarus. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t buy their story.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Then I’ll lead a team to their ancestral homeland to verify its existence if you’d like to return to Canterlot or oversee our forces here, Twilight.”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, Arc. If there’s any chance of finding their old kingdom I need to see it for myself.”
Auriel looks to Arc. “And when we get there, then what?”
“Then we can go from there. The demons will get a proper and impartial investigation. Even if I have to do it myself.”
Hammer groans. “Someone needs to go back and lead the troops as well as the nation though.”
Twilight nods as she looks to Arc evenly. “Colonel Flash Sentry will be put in command here. Sunburst will take over as Lord Regent of Equestria until we return.”
“A wise decision, Twilight. Shall we get underway?”
“Yes. I don’t want to waste even a moment.”
Malevolence frowns. “You don’t believe our claims?!”
“Oh, I do. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have agreed to come along, after all. Now I’m very sorry if all of this sounds cold and calculating. But you have to understand that I have a duty to my subjects.”
“As do I, princess.”
Auriel nods. “Me too.”
Twilight smiles. “And with luck we will come to an amicable solution that will benefit everypony.”
She turns to the others.
“I’d like you five to return to Canterlot and help keep things running smoothly though.”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “What?!”
Applejack frowns. “But we should come too!”
Pinkie stomps her hoof. “Yeah! We’re a team!”
Rarity grins. “Here, here!”
Fluttershy sighs. “But somepony needs to be there. Sunburst can’t do that job by himself.”
Arc moves to stand next to Twilight. “I’ll stay with her and make sure she’s safe the whole time.”
Sereb joins him. “As will I.”
Ember walks over. “And I have Arc’s back.”
Scootaloo grins. “Me too!”
Hammer draws her gun. “We got this!”
Applejack groans. “Fine…”
Rainbow Dash turns to Hammer. “You take good care of her, cupcake.”
“I will.”
Twilight smiles at her friends. “We should be back in a couple days. Nothing to worry about.”
Rarity appears hopeful. “Will you still call us at night, Twilight?”
“Sure. It’ll be nice to keep in touch even during this short trip.”
Arc walks toward the door. “I’ll head for the Bridge and tell them of our plans before radioing Flash Sentry.”
Twilight nods. “Thank you. I’ll wait here with the others.”
Arc turns to leave the room, but stops. Looking back to Twilight he shakes his head.
“Twilight, I… I disagree.”
“With what?”
“The others should come with us too.”
Rarity appears surprised. “We should?!”
“Yes.”
Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Care to explain yourself there, sugarcube?”
“Together you six are the Element Bearers. Your friendship binds all of you together. This is going to be the most important choice Twilight’s made thus far as a princess. I think you should all be there together to help her make a decision.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “Darn right!”
Pinkie raises a hoof. “We’re with you, Twilight!”
Fluttershy smiles nervously. “Y-yes, we are.”
Arc nods. “Now then, I’ll deliver instructions to those whom will be temporarily in charge while we’re gone before ordering the ship to set a course south.”
Auriel appears confused. “But you don’t know where our kingdom was, Arc.”
“Can you show me on the Bridge?”
Auriel shakes her head. “No, as I’ve never been there.”
Malevolence steps forward. “I can.”
“Alright. Please follow me.”
Ember positions herself between Arc and the king. “I’ll come with you.”
“Fine. Everyone else please stay here.”
They leave the room together. Heading to the Bridge, Arc leads the king over to a large chart on the wall. He points a large finger to a spot on the southern edge of a large mountain.
“Here.”
Soarin looks at the spot. “That’s uncharted territory though.”
Malevolence rolls his eyes. “And?”
Moon Dancer grimaces. “It means there’s nothing there.”
Ember frowns. “Are you certain of that?”
Wrangler shrugs. “Nopony’s ever set a hoof out that way as far as I know.”
Auriel raises an eyebrow. “Then how can you say that there’s nothing there?”
Arc turns to the pilot’s seat. “We’re going to see for ourselves. Thunderlane, set a course to those coordinates.”
“Right away, sir.”
“Lemon Hearts, inform Colonel Flash Sentry that he is to hold position with our forces here until we return in a few days. Then radio Canterlot and tell Sunburst that he is temporarily in charge while we’re away.”
“Aye sir.”
Soarin clears his throat. “Sir, if I may… what do we hope to find out there in the middle of nowhere?”
“A long lost history. Forgotten by all but a few.”
Auriel grins. “I’m looking forward to learning more about our heritage, father.”
“You have much to learn, I’m sure.”
“And I’ll enjoy every minute of it!”
Malevolence chuckles. “That I’m certain of as well.”
Arc looks to the pilot. “Thunderlane, how long will it take us to get there?”
“We should arrive around sunset this evening, sir.”
Auriel smiles at her father “So we have all day together then!”
“Indeed. What would you like to do, my dear?”
Arc steps forward. “I have an idea.”
Auriel appears surprised. “Oh?”
“How about breakfast?”
Ember facepalms. “Should’ve seen that one coming.”