The next day Arc walks down the corridor of the hospital towards Shelly’s room. He turns and looks down at Scootaloo.
“I still don’t understand why you insisted on coming along.”
Scootaloo looks away nervously. “You and I both want to know how your friend is doing, right?”
“True. But since when are you that interested in this?”
“I… can’t really say.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Did I miss something?”
“Well… you remember a day or so ago when you took Lily to the Cafeteria for something to eat?”
“What about it?”
“Shelly and I had a nice conversation.”
Arc nods approvingly. “You two bonded, huh?”
“Yeah. More so than you know.”
Coming to the room, Arc motions for Scootaloo to stay in the hallway. Entering, he finds Lily sitting in the chair next to Shelly’s bed. She is wearing a hospital gown identical to the one on Shelly.
“Morning, Lily.”
Lily smiles and stands up. “Good morning, Arc.”
Arc points at the gown. “Um… what’s with… you know…?”
Lily blushes slightly. “I… had a bit of an… incident last night.”
“Incident?”
“Woke up in the shower.”
“Then what’s with the gown?”
Lily sighs. “I was still wearing my clothes when I got in the shower apparently.”
Arc frowns. “Were you now?”
“Yes. You see, I haven’t been showering OR sleeping properly for some time now. Guess I must’ve been trying to take care of two problems at once.”
“Yeah. So where are your clothes?”
“The nurse that found me took them to the laundry. She’ll have them back soon enough.”
“That’s good. But why didn’t you just put on some of Shelly’s spare clothes in the meantime?”
Lily facepalms. “I… didn’t think of that.”
Arc chuckles. “Guess you really were fatigued. How about I watch Shelly for you while you go change?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lily takes some clothes from Shelly’s bag (that she herself packed, no less) and heads for the bathroom. Arc sits down next to the bed and takes Shelly’s hand as he calls out telepathically to Scootaloo.
“Do you have something to tell me now?”
“Um… I…”
“Did you mind control Lily?”
Scootaloo sighs. “Yes, Big Brother.”
Arc frowns. “We are going to have a long talk about this later. Now I want you to go sit in the Waiting Room and think about what it was that you did.”
Cutting the telepathic link, Arc puts a finger on Shelly’s chin. Moving her head side to side he looks over her neck. Breathing a sigh of relief he sits back and gives Shelly’s hand a squeeze as he whispers.
“Sorry about this.”
A few minutes later Lily steps out of the bathroom. She sits down next to Arc and smiles sleepily.
“Thanks for coming, Arc.”
“It’s where I belong.”
“I know this is a rather busy time for you, what with having a full house right now.”
“It’s fine. Dawn is watching the kids at the moment.”
“That’s good. She seems like a really nice gal to me.”
“That she is.”
“Tell me, how did you find her?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Find her?”
“You didn’t have any known relatives when we were kids.”
“Just… something that came up in my travels.”
“A one in a million chance, huh?”
“More like one in a billion.”
“Well, I can see that she’s very happy to have found you.”
“I’m happy to know her as well.”
Lily smiles nervously. “Arc… can I be honest with you about something?”
“Always. What is it?”
“I… um… noticed something when we were at your place last Christmas.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Noticed?”
“About Dawn.”
“Something wrong?”
“I… uh… don’t really know. After all, I’m sure other countries have their own customs and ways of doing things. That’s why I didn’t say anything back then. But I think I need to now.”
“What is it?”
“Well… you see… when we were there that week… both Shelly and I noticed that she kept glancing over at you with a very strange look on her face.”
“Strange?”
“Kind of a weird smile. Like this.”
Lily makes a strange smile before continuing.
“Sorry. I’m probably not doing it right.”
“What’s wrong with a smile though?”
“Nothing by itself. But she had a weird look in her eyes too.”
“You’re not making any sense, Lily.”
Lily grimaces. “Shelly… told me she’d seen that look before.”
“Where?”
“On my face whenever you and I were together.”
“Nothing wrong with that though.”
“I used to smile like that when I was… fantasizing about you.”
She blushes and looks away quickly as Arc picks up where Lily left off.
“That’s… um… surprising. But I’m not mad or anything. After all, you had the courage to tell me about your feelings some time ago.”
“I just… Shelly and I think that she might be… uh… developing feelings for you, Arc. And I’m not talking about the ones family should have for one another.”
“Ah! I see.”
“This is really hard for me to say, Arc. But I thought you should know.”
“Well thank you for being honest with me about it.”
“Shelly and I just don’t want her to come between you and Rarity. Legal or not in their home country, that could have ended badly.”
“I believe we could have talked it out. Her and Rarity are good friends, after all.”
“That’s what could make it especially hard. Friends fighting over someone like you, Arc. I just wanted to make sure you knew about it.”
“And I appreciate that.”
Lily sighs. “Arc, I… need to say one other thing though.”
“Oh?”
“In the end, I… I just want you to be happy. While I do think that Rarity is a wonderful woman… at the same time I also wish that… that maybe you and I had… maybe gone out, or something.”
“On a date?”
Lily nods. “Yes. I wanted to ask you out so many times in the past. But I always chickened out.”
Arc smiles as he takes her hand. “Can I be Honest with you too?”
“Of course!”
“I always thought you were cute.”
Lily smiles as she blushes. “You did?!”
“Yeah. That long blonde hair and blue eyes… I don’t mind admitting that you looked really nice.”
“I don’t understand, Arc. If you liked me why didn’t you say anything?”
Arc sighs. “Because at the time I just saw you kinda like a little sister. That and I thought you had a thing for Frank.”
Lily giggles. “Well, I kinda did.”
“I didn’t really want to risk our relationship changing.”
“Changing?”
“Right. Like if we started dating and had a falling out… I didn’t want to risk losing my friend like that.”
Lily smiles. “That’s very sweet, Arc. And I do appreciate you thinking about our relationship like that.”
“Do you think… that you would have said ‘yes’?”
“If you’d asked me out?”
“Yeah.”
Lily nods. “I would have. At least I think so.”
“Guess it doesn’t really matter now.”
“Not really. But I did want to get it off my chest.”
“Me too.”
“You?”
“Ever since you confessed your feelings I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. Some of them I can’t really talk about. But it opened my mind to a lot of new ideas.”
“Did it?”
“Yes. That I need to be Honest with those around me about how I feel if I want the same.”
“Well, you’ve always been honest with Shelly and I. We do appreciate that.”
Arc sighs as he looks toward the bed. “I… yeah.”
“Is something wrong, Arc?”
“Kinda. But I… can’t really talk about it.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure you will if you want to.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“We trust you, Arc. But might I ask you something that’s been bothering me for a while now?”
“Anything.”
“Are we… are Shelly and I… invited?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “To what?”
A voice rings out from the bed.
“Your… wedding.”
They turn to see Shelly’s eyes partially open. Arc and Lily stand and look to the young woman. Lily is the first to speak.
“Shelly!”
Arc smiles at her. “How are you feeling?!”
Shelly groans. “Really… tired.”
Lily gasps. “I’m sorry. Did we wake you?”
“It’s… it’s okay. How long… was I out?”
“About a day and a half.”
Arc nods. “I came by yesterday with the others. But you were out cold.”
Shelly smiles. “I could feel you there, Arc.”
“Feel?”
“Yes. He’s always given off a sense of warmth and security.”
“Do I?”
“That you do. But you haven’t answered Lily’s question yet.”
Lily appears momentarily confused. “Question?”
“About her wedding invitation.”
Arc turns to Lily. “Of course you two are invited!”
Lily smiles nervously. “Are you…sure?”
“Very!”
“It wouldn’t be… weird?”
“Not at all. I want both of you there when the time comes.”
Shelly smiles sadly. “Unless it’s happening very soon, I think I’m going to miss it.”
Lily takes the young woman’s hand. “Come on, Shelly. Be positive.”
“I am, Lily. And it’s okay. Please have a good time and enjoy Rarity’s homeland when you go.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Go to… Ponyville?”
“Unless it’s here, of course.”
Arc grimaces. “Ah! Well, we… haven’t really had time to talk about it yet. But I’m guessing she’ll want to have it there, yes.”
Lily appears hopeful. “Do you think I’d be allowed into the country?”
“I’ll see to it that you are, yes.”
Shelly turns to Arc. “Will it be safe?”
Arc nods. “By then, yes. I can assure you of that.”
Lily smiles. “Good. I’d love to see that land where you found such happiness, Arc.”
“They’ll be a lot for you to learn regarding the culture, of course. But I’ll be with you the whole time.”
“I’ll do my best not to offend anyone.”
“The townsfolk are all very understanding. Well, now anyways.”
Shelly raises an eyebrow. “Now?”
“It was kinda tough for me when I first came. Being an outsider, and all. But we learned to coexist.”
Lily grins. “Let me know when you have a date and I’ll fly over there.”
“I will.”
Shelly reaches up slowly. “You and Rarity will be very happy together.”
Arc nods as he takes her hand. “We already are.”
“I do hope you two have a long and happy life together.”
Lily giggles. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll open an international franchise of ‘Shelly’s Kitchen’.”
Shelly smiles at her friend. “That would be fine with me.”
Arc appears surprised. “You’re okay with Lily moving to another country?”
“You forget, Arc. I’ll be gone by then.”
Lily gasps. “But what about the restaurant?!”
“I’ve already named you as the beneficiary of my estate, Lily. When I’m gone everything is yours. Hire someone to run it for you, close it, sell it… but promise me one thing.”
“Name it.”
“That you’ll do what makes you happy.”
“I will, Shelly. Promise!”
Sometime later Arc steps into the Waiting Room. He spies Scootaloo sitting in a chair as she looks down at the floor. Walking over to her he calls out.
“Time to go.”
Nodding wordlessly, she stands and walks with Arc through the exterior doors. Stepping behind a dumpster, Arc opens a portal and steps through with her. Reappearing in his basement he closes the portal, recalls the gauntlet, and motions to the table.
“Sit down.”
Scootaloo sighs and does as she is told as Arc sits across from her.
“Now then, I’m going to ask you some questions and I need straight answers. Okay?”
Nodding silently, she continues to look down as Arc speaks.
“Scootaloo. Last night… did you go to the hospital?”
“Yes, Big Brother.”
“And did you see Lily?”
Scootaloo nods as Arc continues.
“What did you do to her?”
“I… mesmerized her.”
“And told her to go take a shower?”
“In all honesty she did need one.”
“Then explain why she was wearing a hospital gown when I found her.”
Scootaloo sighs. “I… didn’t think to tell her to get undressed first. But you have my word that I didn’t harm her in any way!”
“Yes, well… did you do anything else in that room?”
“Just… lay down next to Shelly.”
“And?”
“And… used a certain spell I learned from a book.”
Arc frowns. “Book?”
“The one we took from the ogre.”
“Tell me about the spell.”
“It’s similar to a standard mesmerizing spell, but with a bit of a twist. This one let me enter her dreams.”
“You… saw what Shelly was dreaming?”
Scootaloo nods. “Not just that, but it let me interact with her.”
“Why though?”
“I… wanted to make her an offer.”
Arc narrows his eyes. “What kind of offer?”
“To heal her.”
“I think I know what you mean, but elaborate.”
“The way I saw it, she’s not going to last much longer. And I wanted to offer her a chance to live.”
“How?”
“By making her my thrall.”
Arc sighs. “Scootaloo…”
“I was planning to treat her like you treat me! A thrall in name only though! And you could have always just ordered me to give control of her to you!”
“I thought so.”
“She… didn’t go for it.”
“Yes, I checked her neck.”
“It doesn’t have to be there. A bite anywhere would have sufficed.”
Arc frowns. “Not helping right now.”
“Sorry.”
“So just to be sure… you didn’t turn her into a Crimson, right?”
Scootaloo shakes her head. “No, Big Brother. I made the offer and she declined it.”
“Good. She shouldn’t be forced into that.”
“Like I did to you?”
“Not quite. At the time you couldn’t have asked me. And seconds mattered.”
Scootaloo appears hopeful. “So I did the right thing?”
“For me, yes. But as far as Shelly goes… I don’t really like the fact that you just left the house to go see her without telling anyone.”
“It was kinda late though, Big Brother. That and everyone else had already gone to bed.”
“However I am glad that you talked to Shelly to get consent first.”
“I knew that’s what you would have done, Big Brother.”
“Yeah. And thank you for not just biting her anyways.”
“After she said ‘no’ I left her subconscious to return to the waking world. In truth… I had my fangs on her skin before I stopped.”
Arc clenches a fist angrily “So you WERE planning to turn her into a Crimson?!”
“Kinda.”
“Then why did you stop?!”
“Because… I realized that I was just acting like I knew what was best for her. And while I still think she’d be better off as one of us, she’s already rejected the idea.”
“Then that’s the end of the matter.”
Scootaloo gasps. “But we could save her!”
“I know.”
“Then why…?!”
“Because it’s like you said, Scootaloo. She already said ‘no’. While I’m sure you explained the matter to her properly, the choice needs to be hers to make.”
“So… are you still mad at me?”
Arc sighs. “A little, yes. But you didn’t follow through with it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t like me doing that.”
“And, I… I know where you got the idea from.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “Idea?”
“I’ve been considering doing that very thing for a long time now.”
“You have?!”
Arc nods. “Yes. Like you said, it would probably save her life. Even let her live a proper one from now on.”
“Then do it!”
“But, again like you said, she doesn’t want that. And we shouldn’t force such changes on others whom don’t want it.”
Scootaloo sighs. “I just… wanted to make her better.”
“We both do.”
“You forget, I can feel what you do, Big Brother.”
“Then you know how I feel.”
“I know you want her to live on. And I do know the reason too.”
“Shelly is a very good friend of mine, yes.”
“Yes. But that isn’t the only reason, is it?”
“I do want her there when I get married to the others.”
“There’s something else though.”
Arc sighs. “And I’d like to make things right between her and Max.”
“Then let him come here and see her!”
“I did offer to do that before. However he believes that their relationship is over.”
“But you don’t.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why…?”
“You saw her, Scootaloo. Shelly’s very weak right now.”
“Just tell her the truth about Max and his origins then.”
“She can’t take a lot of excitement though. At this point the stress could very literally kill her.”
“But that’s… that’s not fair! For either of them!”
“Yeah, I know. And it’s completely my fault things went that way for them. However, forcing Shelly to become something she doesn’t want to be won’t help anything.”
“But…!”
“But then she’d be strong enough to see him. I could back up his story, tell her about Equestria, and be Honest about who he and I really are, I know. And believe me, that does sound very good right now.”
“Then why aren’t we doing that?!”
“Like I said, because Shelly doesn’t want it. Isn’t that what she told you?”
“Yes! But…!”
Arc interrupts her. “Scootaloo.”
“Huh?”
“Please stop.”
“I…!”
She sighs and nods her head.
“I’m sorry, Big Brother. This isn’t easy for you.”
“You can feel my pain.”
“Yeah.”
“It hurts. A lot.”
“What can we do to help?”
“Give Shelly what she wants. Time with her loved ones.”
Meanwhile, Brightwing sits in a tree overlooking Mio’s campsite. She watches her work from the concealment of the leaves overhead. As Mio heads to a bush to… um… take care of business, Brightwing swoops down and grabs a flask from her pile of supplies. Quickly opening it, she pours a small amount of a multi-colored liquid into a vial in her claws. Replacing the lid as she hears the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps, Brightwing turns and puts the flask back into position with her tail as she takes flight. Flying for some time she eventually sets down in a tree some distance away. Looking down at the vial, she smiles.
“Another ingredient found! This is going well!”
Opening the vial, she sniffs it for a moment before wrinkling her nose and quickly putting the stopper back in.
“Reagent smell funny! But no one ever said magic had to smell good!”
Concentrating, she opens a portal and flutters through it.