//------------------------------// // Preface - Volume 48 - Captured 'Enemies' // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// In our previous volume Arc and Applejack walk down the corridors of Canterlot Castle together. Bumping into Ember, the dragon originally claims to be heading to the Kitchen for a snack. However when Applejack presses her, she admits that she was hoping to hear how their date went. Admitting that it was very enjoyable, Ember is told that they have a major announcement to make in the morning. Asking for a favor before leaving, Arc has Ember turn Applejack back into her pony form. Returning to his room in the castle, he lays Applejack on the bed before undressing down to his undershirt and shorts. Laying down with her, they talk through the events of the experiment together. Applejack admits that she wants to have sex with him, but is willing to wait for him and the others to be ready. Leaning into her, they share a passionate kiss together. Meeting in Twilight’s room for breakfast, Arc and Applejack bring the others up to speed on what happened on their extended date. The group has mixed feelings regarding Celestia’s methods. Twilight tells them of how Celestia wants to lead the attack on the Badlands herself. Arc reassures them that she cannot due to the way the law is written. Remembering the bag Auriel gave him from Cadance, Arc opens it to find numerous condoms along with a note warning him that Applejack did not receive ‘the shot’ to prevent pregnancy. The next day Arc meets Twilight in his room. She comes early to speak to Arc privately. Thanking him for sticking with her through all the political and personal matters, he admits that all he did was encourage her. The rest of the herd arrives and Arc opens a portal so that Derpy, Dinky, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle can join them as well. Standing with the others as they wait, Arc motions for Applejack to join him. Doing so, he announces their engagement in the Celestial Realm. As the others congratulate them Sweetie Belle raises a hoof. Asking about her mother’s own engagement, Arc walks over to Rarity. Kneeling down, he asks her to marry him as well. Agreeing, the pair embrace as the others also nod in approval. Preparing to leave with Derpy for alone time on Earth, she asks for Dinky to be allowed to come as well. Dinky requests that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle come as well so they can all bond as a family. Arc calls out telepathically for Scootaloo to join them. As she arrives he kneels down with the others as Ember casts the spell to turn them into humans. Calling forth the Rainbow of Light, Arc opens a portal to Earth and steps through with the others. Arriving in his backyard, Arc opens the door so the others can get dressed upstairs. As they do so Derpy passes out their new clothes. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle accept their outfits as would be expected. However, Scootaloo resists dressing in human garb, preferring to stay in her Equestrian cloak. Finally picking out a t-shirt and shorts, she dresses and goes downstairs with the others. Arc approves of their clothing other than Scootaloo’s. Telling her to go back upstairs and try again, the others complain of her attitude. Arc reminds them that Scootaloo had a rough upbringing and to give her a chance. As the little girl returns, they head out the door and walk to Shelly’s Kitchen. Arriving the group finds it standing room only. Arc heads to the Kitchen and nearly misses Jackal and Snake as they hurry out from the back. Finding Frank going over supplies in the back room he greets his old friend and asks how things are going. Hearing that Shelly is doing poorly, and that Lily is upstairs packing for her friend’s extended stay in the hospital, Arc heads upstairs to see her. Thinking he is Frank at first, Lily is surprised to find Arc standing in the doorway. Hugging, she tells him of Shelly’s uncertain future before he heads back down to get food and the others. Returning with pancakes, and the others, Arc motions for them to set the food out as he heads back to Shelly’s room for Lily. Escorting his friend to the Kitchen they sit down and eat. Introducing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle they bring her up to speed on the trouble back in Ponyville. Telling Arc and company that Shelly’s condition has greatly deteriorated, she invites them to come visit Shelly in the hospital. As they bring the dishes back downstairs to be washed she also invites Frank. Agreeing to Blink over, Lily leads Arc and his family outside to her van. Making the short drive to the hospital they see Frank waiting for them. Lily escorts them to the room and enters first to see how her friend is doing. Shelly asks to see everyone and greets them warmly. Talking about their hometown of Ponyville the conversation shifts to Shelly’s memories of her parents. Appearing tired, they leave to give Shelly some rest. A doctor arrives to give her a nutrient rich IV bag. After hanging it up he injects a green liquid from a syringe directly into the bag before opening the flow. Lily thanks him for taking such an interest in Shelly’s case. Little does she know that this so-called doctor is actually Doctor Rieper with The Organization. Driving towards Arc’s house, Frank and Arc explain the situation to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Arriving back home, Dinky shows the others what television is as Derpy motions for Arc to follow her upstairs. Alone, she asks him to talk about what’s bothering him. Admitting that he would like to spend more time with Shelly if possible, Arc also expresses his regret over putting her and the family second. Derpy reassures him that she understands the situation and is willing to accommodate for it. His earring chirping, Arc hears Ember calling him. Telling them that Brightwing senses something strange nearby. Initially dismissing it, Ember informs him that Sunburst agrees. Looking to Brightwing, Ember sees their scales glowing. An intense burst of light later finds Ember standing in the bedroom with Arc and Derpy. Brightwing asks to help find the source of the trouble, but also asks for Auriel to help as well for some reason. Going downstairs to tell the girls, Arc informs them that there is something up. They sadly agree that he needs to take care of the matter. However Derpy asks Arc to take Scootaloo with him. Agreeing, they head out to the Jeep together. Ember and Brightwing lie down in the cargo area as Auriel and Scootaloo sit in the back. Not finding anything in town they head out to the countryside. As the sound intensifies they find it coming from a grove of trees. Parking, Arc and Ember call forth their armor and approach. Splitting up, Auriel stays with Brightwing. Suddenly a portal opens and Mio steps out holding something in her hand. Lunging forward, Brightwing takes the machine. Auriel tells her to give it to her. However as Brightwing sets it on the ground Arc pulls it to himself with a Telekinesis Spell. Questioning Mio about what she’s up to, she agrees to talk if Arc can provide a letter from Hammer stating that she’s safe. Agreeing, Arc opens a portal back to his house while the others stay with Mio in the woods. Returning to the basement, Arc finds Derpy and the girls watching YouTube together. Explaining that he needs a letter from Hammer to convince Mio, they wish him a speedy return. Opening a portal back to Equestria, Arc enters it and leaves his room in the castle. Flagging down a patrol he asks the location of Lieutenant Hammer. Informing him that she is in her office he makes his way there. Entering, Arc surprised her with his visit, causing her to nearly climb over her desk to get to him. Kissing passionately for a time, he eventually comes to the point of his visit. Telling Hammer about the issue with Mio back on Earth, she tears a page from her diary to give to her sister. Admitting that she’s been going to therapy for the mental damage done by Stingray’s betrayal, Hammer tells Arc to leave her out of the herd. Refusing to abandon his friend, Arc gives her a serious pep talk which includes more kissing before leaving. Returning to the others, Arc gives Mio the page from Hammer’s diary. Reading it over she frowns and questions its validity. Handing over the second note Hammer wrote for just such an occasion, Mio shakes as she reads it. While the first note was just meant to be written as a therapeutic gesture, the second note was specifically written to tell Mio that she was done with them. Having held up his end of the bargain, Arc again asks Mio to tell him what she is doing in the middle of the woods. Asking the others to leave, Mio allows Brightwing to stay with Arc. Leading them deeper into the woods they approach a pond. Announcing that it is the same spot The Equinox pierced the transdimensional barrier, Mio raises a device from the depths of the pond. Telling Arc that she is trying to pierce the barrier to get to Hammer, she asks for his help. Admitting that he is unsure how it works, Mio takes the news hard. Volunteering to deliver a message to Hammer, Mio asks him to return tomorrow at midnight. Arc turns and leaves with Brightwing as General Mustang and Diva observe via a mechanical bird overlooking the clearing. Arc and the others return to his basement via portal. Smelling supper cooking, Arc opens a portal for Ember and Auriel as Brightwing stays behind. Head upstairs to eat, Arc tells the others about what happened in the woods earlier. Worried that Mio would somehow figure out how to make her device work, Arc is convinced to contact Sunburst. After being told that Mio is on the wrong track the worries of the others are lessened. After eating Arc and Scootaloo head to the hospital to visit Shelly. Finding that Lily has not eaten yet, Arc takes her to the cafeteria while Scootaloo stays with Shelly. Telling the little girl about how Arc helped her and the other orphans, Scootaloo gives her own testimony regarding her meeting Arc and how he protected her. The next morning Arc and Derpy take the children, with Brightwing (in dog form), to the local park. As Derpy goes to push Dinky and her friends on the swing Arc sits down for a talk with Scootaloo. Telling him that she doesn’t believe Derpy would be a suitable wife, Arc tells Scootaloo to give her a chance. Playing games at home later, they cook supper and head to bed as Arc leaves to take a portal to Mio’s campsite. Arriving, she gives him the letter for Hammer. Arc shows her how to properly build a fire before sitting down across from her. Confessing that she is jealous of Hammer, Mio admits that she has developed feelings for the Hero. After telling Arc she trusts him to do what’s best, he leaves via portal. Returning to the castle, Arc heads for Hammer’s office. Finding a note that says for him to meet in her quarters Arc does as he is instructed. Entering the room, he finds Hammer sitting soberly on the couch. Sitting down next to her Arc hands over the note. Frowning, Hammer announces that she knows exactly what Mio wrote. Claiming it to be nothing more than criticism she wads up the note and throws it toward the fireplace. Arc grabs it in midair with a Telekinesis Spell. Imploring Hammer to read it, she does so. Surprisingly, Mio confides in her sister that things have been going south back at Damocles Base. Telling her of the secret project presumably going on inside the base’s vault, Mio admits to running away and hiding in the woods as she attempts to build a machine that will take her to Equestria. Hammer asks Arc what camping supplies Mio has at her hideout. Admitting that he didn’t see any, he returns to Mio with gear from Hammer. The next day Arc takes Derpy and the girls to a roadside market. Picking up on the produce with the others Scootaloo is drawn to the herbs. Driving home, they put their bounty away as Arc pulls out crayons and paper. Telling the girls to each fetch a leaf from the backyard, he shows them how to trace their leaves with the crayons. Leaving for a few minutes, Arc returns with an ironing board. Putting a leaf between two pieces of wax paper, Arc puts the bundle between some newspapers and starts rubbing it with an iron. A short time later he pulls out the wax paper, which has melted together trapping the leaf inside. Excitedly, Dinky, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle hurry out the back door to collect more leaves. Encouraging Scootaloo to join them, Arc and Derpy also hurry outside to have some fun. However, unbeknownst to them, Brightwing takes their leaves back to her office in Canterlot Castle. Arc and company sit around the table eating a freshly baked pie. Suggesting that they should give the last two pieces to Shelly and Lily, Arc decides to go to the hospital that very evening with it. Arriving, he finds Shelly unconscious and Lily dozing in the chair next to her. Holding out the pie, Lily reminds him that Shelly cannot eat regular food anymore. Mortified, he apologizes and promises to give them a couple days so Shelly can recover. Telling him to come back anytime, Arc tells Lily he will return tomorrow morning alone. Heading for home, Arc and Scootaloo find Derpy and the girls in front of the television watching ‘Dirty Jobs’. Announcing that he is heading upstairs to bed, Arc leaves the room. The others ask Scootaloo what happened at the hospital. Telling them the truth, she heads upstairs herself to see Arc. Stopping herself from knocking, Scootaloo instead heads to her own room and lies down. Staring up at the ceiling until long after everyone else has gone to bed, she looks at the moon to change into her Crimson form before opening the window and misting outside. Reforming on the roof she gets her bearings and floats back to the hospital and into Shelly’s room. Mesmerizing Lily, Scootaloo puts her in the bathroom with instructions to brush her teeth and take a shower. Returning to Shelly’s side, she mists into the bed and lays down with her. Entering Shelly’s dream, Scootaloo pretends to be a newly arrived orphan. After Shelly takes her to the Dormitory, Scootaloo asks to talk to her. Explaining that she could turn Shelly into a Crimson to save her life, Scootaloo is surprised when Shelly turns her down. Returning to the waking world, Scootaloo prepares to force Shelly to become her thrall. However as her fangs touch Shelly’s skin she has second thoughts. Pulling back, Scootaloo instead gives the young woman a kiss on the cheek before misting back up onto the room. Sitting there and looking up to the moon she contemplates what just happened. Arc and Scootaloo head to the hospital the next morning together. Upon arriving at the room Arc enters while Scootaloo remains in the corridor. Finding Lily in a hospital gown, he learns that she was found by a nurse in the shower, clothed. Suggesting that she put on some of Shelly’s clothes, she heads to the bathroom to change. Taking Shelly’s hand, Arc calls out to Scootaloo telepathically. Learning that the little girl mesmerized Lily to get to Shelly, he orders her to go to the Waiting Room as he looks over her neck. Finding nothing, Arc waits for Lily to return. Shelly awakens as she does and asks if Lily is invited to Arc and Rarity’s wedding. Nodding, Arc tells them he wants both of them to attend. Shell reminds him that she won’t be around long enough. Sometime later Arc and Scootaloo return to the basement via portal. Telling her to sit at the table, Arc grills Scootaloo regarding what exactly she did. Admitting that he too wanted to turn Shelly into a Crimson to save her live, Arc reminds Scootaloo that consent is needed beforehand. Meanwhile, Brightwing watches as Mio heads to a bush to answer the call of nature. Grabbing a flask from her workbench, she takes some multi-colored liquid and pours it into a vial before flying away. Arc and Scootaloo head upstairs to where Derpy and the girls are playing a board game. After telling him that they are having trouble figuring it out, Arc notices the name on the board. Telling them that he used to play ‘Stratego’ a lot with his father, he explains in great detail how to play. They spend the rest of the day playing various board games before eating supper together. Arc decides to visit Shelly at the hospital before she goes down for the night. However before he leaves Dinky asks her father to send them back to Equestria in the morning before leaving to spend the day with Shelly and Lily. Derpy volunteers to get the house cleaned but is told she has a part to play in their plan as well back in Equestria. They ask Arc to place a sigil in his parent’s room and return tomorrow at exactly nine o’clock in the evening. Dinky and her friends run upstairs to plan, accidently leaving all the dishes for Derpy. Scootaloo volunteers to help with them as Arc leaves. Arc returns home at the desired time. Spotting a note on the bed that tells him to put on his suit he follows the directions which lead from note to note. Eventually it instructs him to go to the Guest Room and knock three times. Doing so, he finds Derpy in her human form and wearing a beautiful dress. She gives him a scroll. It instructs him to go to the top of the stairs and find a remote. Pressing the button illuminates a large number of artificial candles on the stairs. Proceeding downstairs they find the main floor perfectly cleaned and lined with innumerable candles. Coming to the kitchen the pair find a pizza in the refrigerator along with a pie. Cooking it, they talk as it cools. Eating their fill, Derpy pulls a note from between her breasts. Admitting that she didn’t want to hand over the wrong note earlier, she hands it to Arc. It sends them to the basement with another remote. Derpy presses the button to illuminate more candles and another note. Stating that the CD player in the corner is loaded with a classical disk, Arc turns it on and asks Derpy to dance. Showing her some very simple slow dance moves, they enjoy each other’s company. Meanwhile, Brightwing continues with her potion. Going to Scootaloo’s room, she gives her some advice on how to make up for what she did to Shelly. Donating some of her Crimson blood to the little creature’s potion, Scootaloo asks only that she be allowed to be there when the potion is used. Brightwing agrees and the promise is made. Arc and Derpy sit down after a particularly fast dance plays. Taking for a time, they head upstairs for bed. Meanwhile, Brightwing gets a sample of Auriel’s blood to complete her potion. Setting it down on her office desk, she grins slyly as she monologues. Escorting Derpy to her room, Arc tries to say good night but is stopped as Derpy grabs the back of his coat. Trying to say something, Derpy hurries into her room and shuts the door. Confused as to what he did, Arc does the same. After undressing and getting into bed there is a knock at the door. Derpy walks in nervously wearing nothing but a bra and panties. Confessing to Arc that she’s been fantasizing about him violently having sex with her, she asks if that’s wrong. Informing her that it’s normal for someone who is sexually frustrated, Derpy then admits that she dreams often about the time Moonlit Dusk had sex with her. However instead of the stallion it’s Arc. Promising to sleep with her more often to help, Arc formally asks Derpy to marry him. She agrees and promises to be the best wife ever. As Derpy falls asleep Arc lies there in bed staring up at the ceiling. As he does so, Wiseman’s voice telepathically fills his head. He warns Arc that he needs to go to Mio’s camp that night at eleven o’clock. Not explaining further, Wiseman cuts himself off from Arc. Heading downstairs to sit on the couch to think, Derpy joins him sometime later. After assuring her that she isn’t to blame, Arc tells Derpy of Wiseman’s instructions. Worrying that Mio might be in trouble she asks Arc to go check on her. Doing so, he finds her asleep in the tent. Returning to Derpy, Arc reports that all is well before getting back in bed with her and falling asleep. Waking up later that morning to the sound of freezing rain Arc does his best to explain what it is to Derpy first. She informs him that Dinky and her friends will be spending the day in Canterlot trying to come up with new date ideas for him. Heading to the store for supplies, both for them and Mio, they purchase numerous canned goods before returning home. Derpy asks to do something a bit out of the norm and Arc agrees. He sets the downstairs television up at the foot of his parent’s bed as Derpy cooks breakfast. Brining the food up to him, they lie on the bed to eat together. Asking what show she would like to watch, Derpy suggests Dinky’s favorite... Power Rangers. Finding that there’s a marathon going on, Arc changes channels as the first ever episode starts. Arc and Derpy watch the first ever episode of ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ together. Derpy dislikes the scenes with Bulk and Skull, but enjoys the fighting scenes. As they finish the episode the pair talk about what they have seen. Derpy asks to be allowed to lie with Arc as she did when she was a pony... bare. Arc agrees and Derpy removes her bra and panties. Laying down on Arc’s chest she sighs contentedly. Meanwhile, Mio looks over her machine’s innards. Finding several parts that don’t belong, she prepares to remove them. However something slams her head into the machine violently. Falling to the ground, she sees Brightwing looking over her as she passes out. Grabbing the sleeping bag from the tent, Brightwing Blinks the unconscious woman onto it and covers her up. After zip tying her wrists and ankles, that is. Fluttering over to the machine she begins to tinker with it as Mustang and Diva look on from their bird spy. Diva wants to go out and stop the little creature. However the general convinces her not to go. Arc and Derpy shower together and return to the bedroom in their birthday suits. Propping himself up, Arc allows Derpy to lay back against his body as they continue watching Power Rangers. Returning to the room in a bathrobe, Arc carries in a pizza as well as a bottle of soda. Trying to eat, Derpy burns her mouth on the fresh pie. Talking as they wait for it to cool, Arc asks Derpy if the feeling of nakedness as a human is similar to that of a normal day for a pony. She admits that it is and suggests a bare day with the other herdmates. Arc tells her he isn’t ready to be surrounded by ten naked women as they go back to eating and watching television. Meanwhile, Brightwing flutters out of the machine and cast another Sleep Spell on Mio to keep her unconscious. Announcing to no one in particular, she coos about the machine being done. Opening a portal back to her office in Canterlot Castle, Brightwing retrieves her potion and sets it on the ground next to the machine. Considering that she could increase the power of the potions slightly more, she cuts Mio’s arm and takes a bit of her blood. Meanwhile, Arc and Derpy finish their pizza. Taking her place between Arc’s legs again they continue watching television. Arc tells Derpy of some of the other shows he watched as a child such as Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, The Magic School Bus, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Explaining the shows one by one to her, Derpy suggests bringing them to Equestria. As he tells her about ‘Mister Roger’s Neighborhood’ Arc decides to play the farewell address via a laptop which he plugs into the television. Watching the final recording of Mister Rogers together Derpy tells Arc that she felt as if the man on the screen was talking directly to her. Meanwhile, Brightwing closes the access panel and talks to herself. Remembering her promise to Scootaloo, she leaves to get the little Crimson filly. Reappearing in the castle, she flutters down the corridor until reaching the Dining Room. Smelling food, Brightwing makes a small detour to get something to eat. As Arc and Derpy decide to watch just one more episode, Brightwing and Scootaloo appear above their bed. Trying to cover Derpy up, Arc orders the pair out of the room. He and Derpy quickly dress and head downstairs to talk to his thrall. Telling Arc about her helping Brightwing with her potion, they ask where it is. Brightwing informs them that it’s back in Mio’s camp. Thinking Mio has betrayed them, Arc announces his intention to stop her before the potion can be used. Gasping, Brightwing vanishes to return to the campsite. Arc and Scootaloo hurry after her but find the creature behind a magical aura which protect both her and the machine. Filling it with the potion, a bright light shines out knocking Arc and his companion to the ground near Mio. As the light dims they find a young woman lying on the ground where Brightwing was previously. Opening a portal back to his house they take both her and Mio to his basement. Putting Mio to be in the Guest Room, Scootaloo climbs in with her to warm Mio up. As Arc returns to the basement he see the young woman’s face for the first time. Grabbing her, he rushes upstairs with Derpy close behind. Putting her in his parent’s bed, Arc grabs the nightstand light and shines it on her face. Grimly, he voices his concerns that this woman is none other than Maria Knowles... Auriel’s missing mother. However, many questions remain unanswered. How will the others handle additional confessions of love/engagement? Is it really that important to the group that they all have ‘the shot’? How will the others react as more mares join the future herd? Is this it for Arc’s friend Shelly? What is Rieper doing to Shelly? What exactly happened that made Mio leave Damocles Base? What are Mustang and Diva up to this time? Will Arc and Mio be able to reconcile their differences? What was Scootaloo THINKING?! Who won the Stratego game(s)? Will Arc REALLY be able to hold out for Rarity? Will Mustang be able to hold Diva back? How did Maria become Brightwing in the first place? Time will tell. Sooner or later... time will tell.