//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Decisions // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// For a long moment neither of them speak. Eventually Derpy turns to Arc. “Are… are you sure?” Arc shakes his head. “Not really, no. But her appearance to the photo on the badge is uncanny otherwise.” “What do we do now?” “Auriel should know about this as soon as possible.” “Naturally. But shouldn’t we take care to make sure her mother’s going to be okay?” “Agreed. Her and Mio aren’t in immediate danger from what I can tell. But we should still have a medical professional go over both of them.” “So we head to the hospital?” “No. Mio is probably a fugitive on some level. And the good doctor here may want to head right back to the Organization when she wakes up.” Derpy frowns. “You think she’s still with them?” “It’s possible. After all, that place is staffed with very... devoted individuals.” “How devoted?” “When Hammer presented irrefutable proof that General Mustang was manipulating them via pheromones both Mio and Stingray dismissed her claims as false at once.” “Sounds like the general has a firm hold on everyone then.” “We can’t let her go back there. Not after what I discovered about her from my previous trips to Damocles Base.” “She’s that valuable to them?” Arc nods. “If she hadn’t disappeared when she did I believe that the Organization would be MUCH further along in their plans by now.” “A sobering thought. But what can be done with her? After all, Auriel won’t stand to see her mother in the dungeon.” “That and I don’t actually have a charge to file against her to do such a thing either.” “Why don’t we start with getting her looked at first then?” “Yeah. We’re just talking in circles right now.” Touching his earring, Arc speaks. “Arc to…” Releasing his earring he stop talking and facepalms. “What am I doing?” “Arc?” “It’s the middle of the night and The Equinox is docked. There’s no way Lemon Hearts would be at her station.” “She’ll still be there though.” “Not likely. I gave the crew some time off while I was gone. After all, no reason for them to be at their posts while I’m here on Earth.” “How about Doctor Whooves? He’s probably at the castle Infirmary.” “That’s a good idea. I’ll head over there and get him.” Calling forth the Rainbow of Light, Arc channels his magic into it and opens a portal to Equestria. Turning back to Derpy he speaks. “I’ll be right back. You going to be okay?” “Y-yes. Hurry back though.” Arc smiles. “I will.” Stepping through the portal, Arc vanishes. Derpy turns back to the woman as it closes behind him. “Are you really… Auriel’s mother?” Looking her over, she shrugs. “I do see the resemblance. But… could it really be true? Was Brightwing actually…?” Meanwhile, Arc reappears in his room in Canterlot Castle. Hearing a slight rustling he turns around to see three fillies asleep in his bed. Dinky opens her eyes and looks at him sleepily. “Dad?” Arc walks over to her and whispers. “Sorry to wake you up, sweetheart. I just came back to talk to the Royal Physician.” “Is something wrong with mom?” “No, no. But we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” “Okay.” “Goodnight.” Kissing her on the forehead Arc turns and head out the door and down the corridor. Entering the Infirmary he heads for the private quarters and knocks lightly. Hearing the sound of a mattress creaking Arc waits patiently. A few moments later the door opens part way and Doctor Whooves sticks his head out wearily. “S-sir?” “Sorry to wake you up at this hour, doctor, but I need a physician to examine two humans back on Earth.” “Right now?” “Yeah. They really need someone to look them over, so if we could get moving…” Whooves looks around nervously. “I… um… really shouldn’t leave the Infirmary unattended though. In case of a medical emergency here, that is. Involving the… Princess Celestia. Could you bring them here instead?” “I suppose I could. But I’m not really sure these two should be allowed here in Equestria. Or even know for sure that it exists.” “Then… can it wait until morning?” “If you’re really that worried about leaving the premises, I suppose I could see about tracking down Redheart. Although she’s on leave at the moment so I don’t actually know where she…” Redheart comes into view behind the doctor. She smiles nervously at him as she speaks. “H-hello, sir.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “Redheart?” Doctor Whooves grimaces. “We were just… um…” Redheart lowers her voice. “This isn’t… quite what you think it is, sir.” Arc folds his arms over his chest. “At this hour, I believe I do. That and there’s a rather… tell-tale smell coming from in there.” Whooves bows his head. “Yes… I suppose there is.” Redheart sighs. “I’m sorry, sir. You gave me liberty so I decided to…” Arc interrupts. “We’ll talk later. Now then I really do need one of you to come with me. Preferably Redheart though as the patients are both female.” Redheart nods. “Very well, sir.” “Do you need a few minutes to… um… compose yourself?” Redheart shakes her head as she steps through the door and picks up a trauma bag from a nearby shelf. “No sir. Lead on.” Calling forth the Rainbow of Light, Arc again opens a portal to Earth. The pair step through as Doctor Whooves looks on. As the portal closes he bows his head and sighs. “I am SO fired.” Meanwhile the pair reappear in his basement. Redheart looks around, clearly confused. “This is Earth, sir?” “The basement of my house, yes. Please follow me.” Escorting Redheart upstairs, he leads her into his parent’s room. Derpy steps aside to let the nurse get to work. Pulling back the covers she begins her examination as Arc motions for Derpy to follow him to the other side of the room. They speak in hushed tones. “Anything happen while I was gone?” Derpy shakes her head. “Not a thing. I did leave her for a moment to check on Scootaloo though. No change over there either.” “Not sure if that’s good or bad.” “Oh?” “Part of me wishes Mio would have woken up to answer my questions. While the other part is glad she’s still out cold. No need to explain to her where she is, what’s curled up next to her, or why she’s naked.” Derpy giggles. “That would be a rather awkward conversation.” Sometime later Redheart turns to Arc as she covers the patient back up. “My initial prognosis is that this mare is suffering from extreme fatigue and a lack of proper nutrition.” Arc nods soberly. “Treatment options?” “She’s in no immediate danger. Some time in the hospital on bedrest and a special diet should bring her body back into balance.” Derpy appears relieved. “That’s good to hear.” Arc gestures to the woman. “How long will she be out?” “Impossible to say, sir. But rest is paramount to her recovery right now. However if you absolutely need to speak to her right away I could probably rouse her with an intravenous stimulant.” “That will not be necessary. Just let her rest here for the moment.” “Very well. Now then, I believe you said you had a second patient for me to examine?” “Follow me. Derpy, would you please stay here?” “Sure.” Leading Redheart down the corridor he opens the door and allows Redheart to enter first. Motioning for Scootaloo to move, she rolls out of the bed and joins Arc in the doorway. Redheart pulls back the covers and frowns as she begins her examination. “What exactly happened to this individual, sir?” “They were found in a soaking wet sleeping bag under a pile of pine needles a short time ago.” Scootaloo sighs. “It looked like she had been lying there for quite some time.” Redheart rubs a fetlock on Mio’s belly. “Her skin appears to agree with that assumption. It’s still very clammy.” “Scootaloo stayed with her to try and get her warmed up.” “Yeah. But I think she might have bigger problems.” Redheart continues her examination. “Oh?” “She started getting a bit too warm. I was actually about to get out of there when you two came.” Redheart pulls a thermometer out of the bag. “She feel feverish. But let’s see exactly what we’re dealing with here.” Putting the instrument in Mio’s mouth Redheart holds it there with her magic while she listens to the young woman’s chest with a stethoscope. Finishing, she removes it and frowns. “One-hundred two point five. Four degrees high.” Arc groans. “So she caught a cold, huh?” Redheart sighs. “I’ll need to run a few more tests to confirm this, sir. But I believe it’s more than just a simple case of the sniffles.” Scootaloo frowns. “Due to the prolonged trauma of freezing temperatures?” Redheart nods. “Yes. She honestly should be relocated to a local hospital at once for further testing, sir.” “I… can’t really do that.” Scootaloo looks to Redheart. “How bad is it, ma’am?” “Let’s just say that if I’m right it’s good that you found her when you did.” Arc groans. “That bad, huh?” Redheart sighs as she covers Mio back up with the blankets. “More testing is needed for further diagnosis, sir. But I must again strongly recommend relocating her to a proper medical facility.” “What’s it going to be, Big Brother?” Arc looks at Mio for a few moments before returning his gaze to Redheart. “We’ll bring her and the other patient back to Equestria.” “I don’t think Princess Celestia will appreciate two more humans in her realm though, Big Brother.” “Agreed. That’s why we’re going to be bringing them aboard The Equinox. She doesn’t have any say on what goes on aboard my ship.” “That may not be prudent, sir. After all, it would be easier to treat her in the castle Infirmary versus the somewhat cramp by comparison Equinox’s facilities.” “Fine, we’ll go with that and just keep Celestia out of the loop on it. Scootaloo, tell Derpy we’ll be leaving for Equestria in just a few minutes. I’ll run Mio over before returning for the rest of you.” “Yes sir.” Running off down the corridor Arc turns to Redheart. “Should I call for Doctor Whooves to assist in this?” “That would probably be for the best, sir. He’s more experienced than I am regarding infectious diseases.” “Very well. Once we arrive I’ll wake him back up and we’ll go from there.” Redheart grimaces. “Um… sir?” “Yes, Redheart?” “N-nothing. Shall we be off?” “Let’s go.” Using the Rainbow of Light to open a portal back to Equestria, Arc picks up Mio and walks through. Reappearing on the sigil in his room he heads for the Infirmary with Redheart. Laying his charge on a hospital bed, he opens a return portal back to Earth in order to repeat the process. Returning again with Derpy, Scootaloo, and the unconscious woman in his arms Arc sets the second patient on the bed next to where Mio was. Derpy looks around, confused. “Didn’t you bring Mio here, Arc?” “Yeah. But it looks like they moved her.” Redheart emerges from the back and heads over to them. “Hello again, sir. We’ve relocated the patient to the back in order to conduct some more tests on her in addition to a chest x-ray.” Derpy gasps. “Was she injured?!” Redheart shakes her head as she begins hooking up sensors to the new patient. “It’s to check her lungs. Doctor Whooves didn’t like the way they sounded.” Scootaloo nods. “I thought they were a bit rattly.” Arc sighs. “We’ll have to wait on those results then.” He turns to Derpy and Scootaloo. “Why don’t you two get some rest? Dinky and the others are in my quarters at the moment, so you might want a separate room.” Derpy smiles. “That’s okay, Arc. I’m more comfortable being near our little one.” Scootaloo shrugs. “And I already have a room of my own here in the castle, thanks to Decimus.” “Alright. I’ll see you two at breakfast then.” Derpy takes his hand. “Don’t forget that you need your own rest, Arc.” “Right, Big Brother. It’s the middle of the night and I don’t think you’ve slept yet.” “I’ll be along as soon as I can.” He gives Derpy a hug before she and Scootaloo leave the room together. Turning back to Redheart, he speaks. “Will there be more tests run on this patient?” Redheart nods. “A few, yes. But mostly we’re just going to be monitoring her vitals. Doctor Whooves said that he’ll brief you on your friend’s condition when he’s done with the tests.” “Good.” Redheart looks around and lowers her voice. “Um… might I speak with you privately, sir?” “Alright.” She leads him into the doctor’s private office and closes the door. Bowing her head she speaks. “I… just wanted to apologize for my earlier actions.” “Oh?” “The way you found me in the doctor’s quarters.” “Yes, well…” Redheart interrupts him. “I know that such a thing was unbecoming your command and that I risked tarnishing your reputation for the sake of my own wants and desires, sir. So if you’d like me to step down as your Chief Medical Officer, I completely…” “Redheart?” “Yes sir?” “Um… I’m not upset about finding you in that position.” Redheart appears confused. “You’re… not?” Arc shakes his head. “Nope.” “But we… we were…!” Arc cuts her off. “Did the doctor force you to do that?” Redheart shakes her head vehemently. “No, sir! In fact it was my…!” Her eyes grow wide as she covers her mouth with her hooves. “I mean… ah…!” “And did you make him do anything he didn’t want to do?” “No sir. But I…!” “Then what you’re saying is that what happened back there was purely consensual with respect to both of you?” Redheart appears confused. “Completely consensual, sir.” Arc nods approvingly. A mare and a stallion agreeing to have sex. Nothing wrong with that. “But it’s against regulations, sir.” “From what I could see it was certainly outside normal business hours though. What do the regulations say though?” “That castle personnel should avoid forming relationships with members of the military.” Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Should avoid, huh? Sounds more like a suggestion than an actual order to me.” “Well, it’s treated as such, sir.” “Fine. Avoid doing that here in the future and I’ll forget what I saw.” Redheart appears relieved. “Thank you, sir. You have my word that it won’t happen again.” “That’s not exactly what I said, Redheart.” “Sir?” “I told you not to do that sort of thing HERE. That means in the Infirmary. You two can do whatever you want aboard The Equinox.” “We can?!” “Sure. After all, I do it all the time. My only limitation is that you do that sort of thing in your quarters only.” “Yes sir! That’s more than generous!” “Then it’s settled.” He motions to the door and they step back out into the Infirmary. Redheart turns to him. “But what about the regulations?” Arc smiles at her as Doctor Whooves steps out from the back. “It’s no problem. I’ll suspend that sort of thing aboard my ship. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for me to punish you, or anyone else for that matter, for doing that which I do often enough myself.” Joining them, the doctor sighs. “Sir, I’m ready for whatever punishment…” Redheart interrupts him. “There won’t be any, dear.” “Say what now?” Arc smiles. “Right. No reason to punish either of you for this.” Redheart grins. “That and we have permission to use my quarters aboard The Equinox to make out in the future!” “Th-thank you, sir!” “No problem. Now then, about the patient.” “Yes, of course. Please follow me.” Leading the pair to the semi-private area he motions to the bed. Mio lies there covered with a sheet and blanket. A clip on her finger is hooked up to a machine while another shows her various vital signs. Arc frowns. “Is she really that bad, doctor?” Doctor Whooves nods. “I’m afraid so” Pointing a hoof at a nearby screen he continues. “The patient is currently suffering from pneumonia as well as moderate frostbite on her fingers and toes.” “Why is she unconscious?” “A strange spell. I was able to dispel it after a few tries, but she should stay asleep for some time.” Redheart nods. “I agree. Rest is the best medicine for her right now. Well, that and heavy antibiotics I would imagine.” “Indeed. I simply need to head to the supply room and mix some up.” “Let me get that for you.” “Thank you, nurse.” Arc turns back to the stallion as Redheart leaves the room. “Anything else wrong with her?” “A nasty bump on the head along with a mild concussion. But it’ll heal by itself. However I’m a bit in the dark as to exactly how this human found themselves in such a predicament.” “Our other patient did it to her.” “Oh my! Should she be restrained?!” “I don’t think so. But I’m going to get someone to watch her. At least until we know more.” “Very well, sir. However if either patient is a danger to others we shouldn’t take chances.” Arc nods as Redheart returns with the antibiotics. “Agreed.”