Arc and Twilight leave Celestia’s room together. Everyone looks to Arc as they do so. Hammer is the first to speak.
“So how’d the rest of it go?!”
“Um… okay, I guess.”
Pinkie elbows him. “At least she didn’t blast you, amiright?!”
Applejack frowns. “That’s not much consolation, Pinkie.”
Auriel frowns. “Agreed. And I think Princess Celestia still doesn’t trust Arc’s words.”
Arc sighs. “She believed you more than me, Auriel.”
Rainbow Dash groans. “And we didn’t even get to SAY anything?!”
Fluttershy shrugs. “What would we have said anyways?”
Rarity turns her nose up. “That Arc is innocent of ALL the charges brought before him, naturally!”
Ember folds her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I thought that was weird.”
Hammer puts a hand on the door. “So, let’s just march you five in there and…”
Twilight interrupts. “That won’t be necessary, Hammer.”
“Say what now?”
Arc nods. “Celestia… invited all of us to dinner tonight.”
Scootaloo frowns. “Did she now?”
Sereb growls. “What for?”
Twilight shrugs. “She says she wants to hear more of our thoughts on… everything really.”
Max gasps. “Sir, this could be a trap.”
Hugh stomps a hoof. “Agreed. Remember, she’s already tried to kill you once before.”
Viktor grits his teeth. “Removing you may still be on her mind.”
Xenos frowns. “Yeah. Probably shouldn’t risk it.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I don’t think she’ll try anything. At least not tonight.”
Rainbow Dash grins wickedly. “It’d be really dumb of her to try.”
Rarity plants her hooves firmly. “Yes, with all of us there it would make such a thing nearly impossible.”
Fluttershy shudders. “That and I don’t think she would dare do anything to make Twilight unhappy.”
“Right.”
Applejack points a hoof down the corridor. “Then we should all go. It’ll give us a chance to vouch for Arc’s character.”
Pinkie grins. “Yeah! And tell her how much he means to Equestria!”
Ember brandishes her claws. “I’ll watch your back in there, Arc.”
Hammer draws her gun. “Me too.”
Sereb growls. “As will I.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “Probably won’t be anything to see, but I’ll come too.”
Max nods. “We could wait outside as well, sir.”
Arc chuckles. “Fine. You four can join the guards at the door if you wish.”
Hugh clears his throat loudly. “Begging your pardon, sir. But the Dining Room is completely soundproof.”
Xenos shudders. “Yeah. You could be screaming at one another and we wouldn’t be able to hear it.”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin. “Perhaps they could come inside and stay to the outer walls.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “But wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble?”
“I don’t think so. After all, Princess Celestia knows what Arc’s been through. It would make sense that he would want extra protection.”
Ember scoffs. “Fine, whatever. When is supper anyways?”
Scootaloo looks out the window. “About an hour from now.”
Arc gasps. “Wait, what?”
Rarity shrugs. “You and Twilight were in there pretty much all day, Arc.”
Pinkie giggles. “Yeah! That was impressive! Didn’t you need potty breaks though?!”
Rainbow Dash groans. “And we were waiting out here the whole time too!”
Applejack grins. “Well, just standing here gave me an appetite… somehow.”
Arc frowns. “Me too. But I think that was the stress.”
Hammer scoffs. “From what?!”
“Sitting in front of Celestia. Remember, she could have still taken a shot at me back there.”
Twilight shakes her head. “Not with me next to you she wouldn’t.”
“Still not the best position to be in.”
“Should we head to the Dining Room then, Big Brother?”
“I guess so.”
Auriel looks to him. “Might I return to my room, Arc?”
“Sure. But are you okay?”
Auriel puts a claw to her forehead. “Y-yes. Just a bit… rattled from our meeting.”
Twilight smiles as she walks over to Auriel. “Then you go rest. I’ll come check on you after dinner.”
“Thank you, Twilight. I think I shall.”
They part ways. Leading the way down the hall, Arc turns to Twilight.
“So how’d I do?”
“Pretty good, I’d say.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“Well… Princess Celestia doesn’t approve of violent outbursts without provocation, so you impressed her there.
Ember rolls her eyes. “Why would Arc have done that though?”
“You forget, my teacher believes all the tales of human violence and wanton destruction.”
Hammer shakes her head. “But you don’t think he would have done that, do you?!”
“Of course not. However, she did.”
Rarity puts a hoof to her chin. “So when Arc didn’t act in a way that she perceived to be natural…”
Applejack grins. “…it made her question that belief.”
Twilight nods. “Right. But this matter is far from over.”
Fluttershy appears surprised. “What do you mean, Twilight?”
“She didn’t just ask us all of us to dinner to make small talk.”
Rainbow Dash spreads her wings. “You think there’s some kind of underlying motive?”
“I do. She’s unsure of what to think as it stands.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Hence the invitation to dinner.”
Max frowns. “I still don’t like this, sir.”
Xenos grits his teeth. “Yeah. She could still be luring you into a trap.”
“A possibility, yes. But I have to take the chance.”
Hugh appears surprised. “Sir?”
“This is a perfect opportunity for me to show Celestia that humanity is capable of more than just wanton violence.”
Viktor groans. “You can show you all you want, sir. But that doesn’t mean it will stick.”
Sereb turns to Viktor. “What would you suggest then?”
“Keeping your distance.”
“I can’t really do that around a dinner table though.”
Rainbow Dash smacks her front hooves together. “Well, all of us will have your back, Arc!”
Applejack nods fervently. “That we will.”
Fluttershy turns to Twilight as they approach the Dining Room doors. “Any suggestions on what we should be doing?”
“Mostly observing.”
Pinkie groans. “No, no! We have to do MORE!”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Like what though?”
Sereb grins toothily. “What is best. Showing that Arc is indeed a noble human and brave warrior.”
Arc looks to the others. “Let’s just play this one by ear, shall we?”
Hammer groans as she puts her gun away. “No big plan though?”
“That in and of itself would appear suspicious. So let’s just go in there, have a nice meal, and try to be on our best behavior.”
The guards part as Arc and company approaches. Opening them, he motions for the others to enter as he holds the door open for them. They approach the large round table and sit down aa Arc looks around.
“Let’s see here…”
Ember frowns. “Something wrong?”
“Just thinking about seating arrangements.”
Rainbow Dash shrugs. “What’s the big deal with where we sit now?”
Rarity giggles. “Arc probably wants us strategically placed.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Strategically…?!”
“I prefer ‘insightful’.”
Fluttershy appears confused. “What’s the difference?”
“Do tell, Big Brother?”
“Just trying to do what I can to make Celestia more at peace.”
Twilight smiles “Very conscientious, Arc.”
Pinkie nods happily. “Yeah! Especially when she doesn’t really deserve it!”
Applejack glares at her. “Pinkie!”
Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. “She’s right though!”
Rarity sighs. “But that doesn’t mean we can be uncouth!”
Fluttershy frowns. “Right. That wouldn’t help things anyways.”
“What do you think, Big Brother?”
“That we should be polite, respectful, and courteous.”
Ember scoffs. “Uh… why?”
Hammer clenches a fist. “Yeah. I’d like to pop her one myself.”
Arc looks to the others. “For Twilight’s sake as well as Luna and Cadance.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “The other princesses?”
“This has to be a hard time for them as well. They know exactly what happened while Celestia was under Decimus’ control. But if they criticize her reactions too sharply she’ll just shut them out.”
Twilight bows her head. “And none of us what that to happen.”
Max shrugs. “Makes sense.”
Viktor puts a hoof to his chin. “Such a thing would make helping her royal highness that much more difficult, after all.”
Hugh sighs. “It isn’t going to be easy as it stands though.”
Xenos bows his head. “Yeah. But if they start fighting amongst themselves… impossible.”
Arc grins. “Right.”
Walking over to a chair, Arc gestures with a hand.
“I’ll sit here. Rarity will be on my right and Sereb on my left.”
Rarity giggles. “Lovely!”
Sereb appears surprised. “Me, Arc?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. However I simply thought you would be more interested in having another one of your fiancées close at hand.”
“Celestia knows about Life Pacts, so I’m trying to show her my devotion to that.”
Rarity appears expectant. “And me?”
Pinkie makes kissy noises. “Right! After all, Rarity IS Arc’s favorite!”
“No so much my favorite as one I just know the best.”
He continues around the table as he speaks.
“Next to Sereb will be Ember. Celestia knows The Forsaken Tribe and dragons are neighbors so it would stand to reason they’d be together.”
Ember shrugs. “Fine with me.”
“Then I want Hammer next to Ember due to similar personalities.”
Hammer frowns. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You’re both brash, impulsive, and speak your minds. But at the same time loyal, devoted, and enthusiastic.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “But don’t those things all mean about the same thing?”
Arc ignores Twilight as he clears his throat and continues. “Next will be Rainbow Dash next to Hammer. Then Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo walks over to her chair. “But whom am I sitting next to?”
“Twilight whom will be next to Celestia. Luna and Cadance will take the last two chairs here.”
Twilight grins. “That puts you and I across from one another, Arc.”
Arc nods. “Along with the other princesses, yes.”
Sereb frowns. “Is this seating really so important, Arc?”
“Maybe, maybe not. But let’s give it a try.”
They nod and take their seats. A short time later Celestia enters with Luna and Cadance. Twilight hurries over to her teacher and smiles as the others stand respectfully.
“Good evening, Princess Celestia.”
“Hello again, Twilight.”
“I hope you’re hungry.”
“Actually, yes. We didn’t eat much of a lunch today.”
“Oh?”
Luna rolls her eyes. “We were busy with the interviews.”
Cadance giggles. “Remember, Twilight?”
“Oh! Right!”
She motions with a hoof before continuing.
“Then let’s remedy that. This way, please.”
She leads Celestia over to her seat as Luna and Cadance follow. Taking her place next to Celestia, she turns to her old friend.
“I’m told this meal should be especially good.”
Luna sighs. “Castle food generally is the best Equestria has to offer.”
Cadance smiles. “Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal here.”
Celestia nods as she sits down. “Agreed.”
She sniffs the air before continuing.
“And it seems tonight will be no different.”
A Hoof Maiden emerges from the kitchen and bows respectfully as she looks to Celestia silently, waiting for her response.
“We are ready.”
Nodding, the mare returns to the kitchen and returns with a procession of servants each pushing a serving cart. They approach Celestia and the other princess first. Serving them, they work their way down the line ending with Arc on the other side of the table. The Hoof Maiden bows and addresses Celestia as the servants return to the Kitchen.
“Do you require anything else, your highness?”
Celestia shakes her head. “No, this will suffice.”
Nodding, she backs away and follows the last cart into the kitchen. Twilight looks over her food and grins.
“This looks wonderful!”
Celestia smiles at her as she picks up her utensils with at Telekinesis Spell. “That it does.”
Taking a small bite, she then dabs at her mouth with a cloth napkin.
“Delicious.”
Nodding, Luna and Cadance pick up their silverware and begin to eat. Twilight nods to the others whom reach for their utensils. Celestia looks to Arc as he does so. Watching him for a few moments as he eats, she eventually speaks.
“Tell me, Twilight. Are you familiar with the dietary nuances of humans?”
“Somewhat. Was there something you wanted to know, Princess Celestia?”
“Yes. How do you feel about them eating meat?”
“To be completely honest with you, a bit squeamish actually.”
Celestia returns her gaze to Arc as she continues. “Does it now?”
“Yes. But I do understand their reasoning.”
“Explain.”
“We’re similar biologically, of course. While at the same time different. Their bodies need nutrients that are difficult to get from an all plant diet.”
Celestia frowns. “Difficult, yes. But certainly not impossible.”
Arc nods as he looks up. “That is correct.”
“So do you eat what we do when in the presence of ponies?”
“Usually, yes.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow skeptically. “Only at times, you mean?”
“Pretty much everyone here has accepted my dietary needs and has gotten used to the fact that I need to eat such things.”
Celestia gestures to the all plant meal before them. “So you don’t care much for the current meal then?”
Hammer shrugs. “Meh, it’s okay.”
Arc frowns. “Hammer?”
“I mean, it’s tasty and all. But I could go for a nice, juicy steak right about now.”
Fluttershy shrinks back squeamishly. “C-could you?”
Hammer nods. “Yeah. Had a real good one back on Earth when Arc took me to a steakhouse.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “He took you… out?”
“It was a nice date, yeah.”
Rainbow Dash grins as she turns to Hammer. “Had a good time, cupcake?”
“Oh yeah! I think you’d have liked the meal, blue! Well, if you had been there in human form, I mean.”
“Looking forward to that!”
Celestia looks to the rainbow maned mare. “Forward to what?”
“Trying that food!”
“Are you now?”
Applejack chuckles. “I wouldn’t mind it myself. Well, as a human gal, I mean.”
Sereb nods. “It is quite the experience.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “Yeah. Texture’s a bit funny. But the taste is okay.”
Fluttershy shakes her head. “None for me, thank you.”
Pinkie giggles. “I’d just try a bite off Dashie’s plate!”
Rarity dabs at her mouth with a cloth napkin. “A salad would be fine for me in such a position.”
Celestia turns to Twilight. “And you?”
“Hm?”
“What would you do, Twilight?”
“I… haven’t really thought about it.”
She puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully before answering.
“If such an opportunity presented itself I suppose I should at least try the food.”
“Would you now?”
Cadance nods approvingly. “That’s actually pretty surprising. Never really considered you to be interested in such things. Well, considering your eating habits as a foal, Twilight.”
Luna interjects. “But it is good that she would want to expand her culinary options. Especially with such a... unique opportunity.”
Twilight smiles. “Yes, I believe I’d do it as part of my continuing studies regarding humans.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “An interesting answer.”
“Would such a thing be wrong, Princess Celestia?”
“I suppose not, given the circumstances. One never knows if they don’t try, after all.”
Scootaloo nods. “That’s what I told myself when I tried a hamburger.”
Ember grins. “Those ARE tasty!”
Hammer laughs heartily. “You know it!”
Luna turns to Celestia. “And you’re okay with such things, sister?”
“Oh yes. After all, it’s not like Twilight would be slaughtering the beast she’s eating herself.”
Twilight grimaces. “I… I suppose not.”
Ember brandishes her claws. “A shame, really.”
Sereb frowns. “Ember?”
“It’s rather thrilling actually.”
Luna frowns. “Is it now?”
Cadance looks to her. “Have you done so in the past, miss?”
Ember nods. “I’ve hunted in the Dragon Lands, of course. It’s a rather important pastime for a dragon.”
Scootaloo shudders. “Hunting animals for… food?”
“Of course.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “Sounds like a high-stakes game of tag to me.”
Rarity frowns. “Yes. One where the loser dies.”
Applejack sighs. “I suppose so. But it’s not our place to tell other cultures how to live their lives.”
Pinkie shrugs. “Yeah! I’m sure we do things they think is strange too!”
Fluttershy tilts her head to one side. “Like what?”
Sereb groans. “Since arriving in Equestria I have been somewhat dismayed by the lack of combat training given to foals.”
Luna raises an eyebrow. “Combat training?”
Cadance gasps. “But why would we need to do so?”
Twilight frowns. “Right. Equestria is a peaceful place.”
“That is correct. But such a fact may not always hold true. One never really knows when they will need to defend themselves or their nation from outside threats.”
Celestia nods approvingly. “The Warchief is correct. It wouldn’t hurt for our citizens to learn how to fight.”
Hammer grins. “Darn right!”
Ember scoffs. “Then why isn’t it a part of schooling?”
Celestia sighs. “Because I was never able to find teachers whom would be willing and able to learn such skills.”
Rainbow Dash scoffs. “Why not send somepony from the Royal Guard then?”
“I did consider that, yes. However such a personable soldier would be difficult to find.”
Fluttershy frowns. “Personable?”
Rarity sighs. “Somepony whom knows how to fight AND is good with foals.”
Applejack chuckles. “They’d also have to be licensed to teach.”
Rainbow Dash chuckles. “Like a drill instructor?”
Pinkie grins. “Exactly!”
Celestia bows her head. “And they’re trained to be harsh, unforgiving, and unrelenting in their training methods.”
Luna sighs. “Not something a foal responds well to.”
Cadance turns to Ember. “How does the Dragon Lands do it?”
“Skills passed down from generation to generation. We learn be watching our parents hunt from a young age.”
Sereb growls. “We do the same.”
Ember shrugs. “Yeah. Both our cultures are similar in that regard.”
Rarity puts her fork down and groans. “So they just… watch you kill things?”
“Yeah.”
Hammer gasps happily. “Cool!”
Rainbow Dash grins. “When do they start joining in?”
“There isn’t a set age for that. But we know when we’re ready.”
Celestia frowns. “How so?”
“By just jumping in there.”
Sereb bares his teeth. “When an opening presents itself one must leap forward.”
“Yeah. Even though the first time always seems to suck.”
Rarity puts a hoof on her belly. “How so?”
“You don’t really know what you’re doing, so the amount of force needed to kill something isn’t known to you. My first time, I went after a beast whom got away. I tackled them and bit into their throat.”
Fluttershy gasps. “Oh my!”
Applejack shrugs. “A fairly quick way to die, I suppose.”
“That’s just it though. I didn’t know about death from blood loss.”
Rainbow Dash appears confused. “Didn’t your dad teach you though?”
Ember shakes her head. “No, he was always too busy leading our species. That and there was also the size difference.”
Scootaloo frowns. “So you learned how exactly?”
“Trial and error mostly.”
Arc sighs. “A bit slower, but it works.”
“Yeah. But getting back to my story… so I tackled this creature whom had spotted me. It flailed around trying to get away, of course. So I bite down hard on their throat like I had seen others do. However I didn’t really know how to tell if a creature was dead or not.”
“What happened?”
“I felt it’s blood in my mouth so I pulled back instinctively. It’s eyes were wide and it was writing around on the ground under me, so I… bit its neck again, and again, and again.”
Twilight gasps. “How long?”
“I’m not fully sure how much time passed. But I didn’t stop until I… um… bit into dirt.”
Sereb shakes his head. “Dirt?”
“Yes, I… I had bitten their neck enough times to… completely sever their head from the rest of the body.”
Applejack’s eyes grow wide. “What?!”
“That’s when I stopped and looked down at the body. It’s neck was just… completely gone by that point. And I was covered with blood from head to tail. More red than teal scales back there.”
Fluttershy looks away. “It sounds awful!”
Ember sighs. “For both of us, yes.”
Arc nods soberly. “And that’s why a parent does it for their whelpling, huh?”
“Yeah. To make sure they learn properly.”
Celestia nods soberly. “That’s why I never made combat training a national mandate. If it couldn’t be done correctly it wouldn’t be done at all.”
Sereb nods approvingly. “A wise decision.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “Agreed. But this conversation makes me wonder something.”
“Big Brother?”
“Tempest’s attempts to train foals for life in the military. Was she just trying to make Equestria more secure?”
Twilight shrugs. “I… don’t know. Princess Celestia?”
“She did at one point volunteer to act as a trainer and travel the land teaching, yes. However she lacked experience with foals.”
Luna raises an eyebrow. “Then why allow her to be the orphanage’s matron, sister?”
“To protect and guide them. I never dreamed she would have stooped to starvation techniques though. However there was another reason.”
“Aunt Celestia?”
“I had read her file and discussed the matter with Decimus extensively. She had little in the way of a foalhood herself. In this way I wanted her to be able to reconnect with her past in Vanhoover.”
Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. “Well, that didn’t end well!”
Hammer clenches a fist. “Yeah! Why wasn’t this discovered before Arc came around?!”
“Inspection reports showed everything to be in order at all times. And her past experience made her appear infallible.”
Celestia sighs before continuing.
“That choice I made will be one that haunts me for a very long time though. And I must… I must... th-thank you for intervening, Hero of Light.”
“Just doing my duty.”
Luna nods. “Cadance and I were very impressed by his first report to us.”
“ Indeed we were. And equally surprised both by the findings and his proposed solution.”
“If you recall, I took the orphans into my care at Light’s Hope while the new orphanage was being built.”
“Yes, you mentioned that before. But I don’t understand why you chose Ponyville.”
“Two reasons. One, I wanted them to be able to distance themselves from Vanhoover and the New Beginnings Orphanage.”
Applejack shudders. “They’ll never see that place again unless they really want to.”
Pinkie frowns. “Which I doubt any do!”
“Second, so that I could personally keep an eye on them.”
Rarity raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t trust Coco Pommel?”
“I do, yes. But at the same time I wanted to make sure that everything that could be done for them was done.”
Applejack smiles warmly. “And you did. Moreso for us.”
Cadance appears confused. “Oh?”
Luna smirks. “How so?”
Arc grins. “I went through the records with Coco Pommel that we took from the old orphanage. We found that one of the orphans did indeed have living relatives.”
He gestures to Applejack before continuing.
“A cousin of yours if I recall.”
Applejack nods happily. “Yup.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “Your family member?”
“Her name’s Babs Seed, your highness. We didn’t know she was orphaned or we would have come to get her.”
Pinkie grins widely. “Arc made it right though!”
Fluttershy giggles happily. “She and Apple Bloom look so cute playing together.”
Rarity nods approvingly. “And Sweetie Belle too.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “I’d say we could call that a happy ending.”
Twilight smiles as she turns to Celestia. “Yes, indeed.”
“I suppose so. But I do have one question for the Hero of Light on this matter.
“What is it?”
“Why were you going through the files in the first place?”
“To learn more about Tempest’s misdeeds.”
“And did you learn anything else from them?”
“A bit, yes.”
“Such as…?”
Luna frowns. “Sister, Arc is under no compulsion whatsoever to tell us his findings on ANY matter!”
Arc looks away. “Yes, I... believe the rest of what I found should remain buried for the time being.”
Applejack sighs. “It’s better that way, I suppose.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “And you just... trust his judgement on this?”
“I do, yes. In fact… I… um… wanted to… uh…”
Pinkie appears confused. “Applejack?! You okay?!”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”
Rainbow Dash groans. “Then just spit it out!”
Applejack wrings her hooves nervously. “I just… thought it’d be nice to thank him for what he did.”
Arc chuckles. “It was my pleasure, Applejack.”
“That’s… not exactly…”
Rainbow Dash groans impatiently as she taps the table with a hoof. “Just tell him already!”
“Tell me what, Applejack?”
“I just… wanted to show my appreciation for… for what you did for me and my family back then. So I was... kinda hoping you would want to… I mean… I’d like you to… uh… come to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner some night. When you have time, I mean.”
Pinkie grins mischievously. “Ooooooo! Are you asking Arc out on a DATE, Applejack?!”
“K-kinda, yeah.”
Arc nods. “Thank you, Applejack. I’d like that.”
Celestia narrows her eyes. “You would?”
“Yes. I’m trying to make an effort to go out with everyone one at a time.”
Celestia gestures with a wave of her hoof. “Twilight has already informed me of why.”
Twilight nods. “It’s for the best this way, Princess Celestia.”
“While I disagree, I also admit that there is very little I can do to stop you, Twilight.”
Luna nods. “Technically that is correct.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Ma’am?”
Cadance looks over. “While Aunt Celestia can’t legally act against Twilight, Ember, or Arc, the most she could do would be to imprison the rest of you.”
Rainbow Dash seethes. “IMPRISON?!”
Rarity gasps. “Whatever for?!”
Celestia picks up a fork and spears a tomato slice with it. “Herds are illegal in Equestria, after all.”
Fluttershy shrinks back nervously. “But we haven’t formed one yet!”
Sereb growls. “Then by what crime would you justify such an action?!”
“Intent, I suppose. That is, if I was planning to prosecute anypony.”
Luna quickly speaks up. “Which my sister is not.”
Ember sighs. “That’s good.”
Scootaloo looks around the table. “I’d like to see everypony together too. After all, I’d... kinda like a real family as well. Even if I am emancipated.”
Applejack smiles nervously. “Princess Celestia, might I say something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Ma’am, we all… really want to make this work. What can I, or anypony else, do or say to show you just how serious we are?”
Celestia rubs her front hooves together and smiles slyly. “Interesting.”
“Aunt Celestia?”
“You simply want a chance to prove your devotion, is that right?”
Applejack nods. “Something like that, your highness.”
“Then how about a bit of a test?”
Arc frowns. “Test?”
Hammer shudders. “Hopefully it’s multiple choice.”
“I propose that you and the Hero of Light go out together, Applejack.”
“Wha-what?!”
Luna glares at her. “Sister?!”
“This… attraction Twilight and her friends share for the Hero of Light. I wish to gain an understanding of it.”
“But Aunt Celestia, you can’t force somepony to go on a date and expect them to act naturally!”
“You’re right, I cannot.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Then why…?”
Celestia interrupts her. “Twilight, you yourself have told me of your feelings for your… friend here.”
“Y-yes, I did. But…”
“And how the others favor him too.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “Darn right we do!”
Fluttershy nods. “Arc’s very important to us all.”
Rarity giggles. “That he is!”
Pinkie jumps up to stand on her chair as she lowers her voice a few octaves. “Arc da man!”
Celestia motions with her hoof. “Think of it like a science experiment then, Twilight. We both have our own hypotheses on the outcome.”
Scootaloo frowns. “Princess Celestia?”
“I believe that young Applejack here, even being the Element of Honesty, would be able to see through the deception the Hero of Light may try to use on her.”
Sereb growls. “Arc does NOT stoop to such lows!”
Hammer raises a hand slightly as she smiles nervously. “Uh… just for the sake of honesty sometimes he does. In the course of duty, that is.”
Ember slams her fist down on the table. “Right! But he’d NEVER actually DO that!”
Arc motions to Hammer as she looks to Celestia. “Right! What I did to Hammer was done to SAVE you, princess!”
Twilight nods fervently. “Arc has always been honest with all of us!”
Celestia smiles slyly. “That is your hypothesis, Twilight. Mine is the opposite. However, I have already laid out a method by which we could determine the truth of the matter. All that needs to be done is the test itself in the form of a date.”
“Please, Aunt Celestia. Applejack is a living creature. Not a…”
Applejack responds with a sober look on her face. “I’ll do it.”
Arc gasps. “Wait, what?”
“Arc… would you… please go out with me?”
“I… um… would love to.”
Celestia giggles. “Then it’s settled.”
Twilight frowns. “But the mission to The Badlands…!”
Celestia interrupts her. “…is quite a while from now, my dear Twilight. Which leaves plenty of time to run this experiment.”
Arc glares at Celestia as he stands and places both hands on the table before looking her in the eye.
“Fine. Let’s do this.”