Arc stands and holds out a gauntlet to Mio.
“I should probably get you back to Hammer’s room now.”
“Do you have to?”
“Kinda. After all, I wouldn’t want you to have a relapse from the cold.”
Mio nods as she takes his gauntlet. “Understandable.”
Turning around, they begin walking back the way they came. Coming back to the balcony, Arc Blinks them up to it.
“Here we are.”
Mio sighs. “Yes.”
“Something wrong?”
“Not exactly. Maybe I’m just a bit... stir crazy from lying around so much since coming to this land.”
As they near the balcony door Hammer walks into her quarters. Seeing them outside she gasps and hurries over.
“Hero, what are you DOING?!”
“Helping your sister get some fresh air.”
“But it’s freezing outside!”
Mio groans. “It’s really not that bad, Hammer.”
Arc nods. “Yeah.”
Mio smiles and pulls the blanket closer to her face before continuing. “That and he gave me this to keep warm.”
Arc shrugs. “Found out it was a bit colder than expected when we touched down in the gardens.”
Hammer takes her sister’s hand. “Well, you’re probably tired after all that exercise. How about you lie down?”
“I actually have to use the restroom first.”
Hammer shifts course. “Okay. Next stop, the toilet.”
Sighing, Mio hands Arc the blanket and allows herself to be led away. Hammer helps her sit down and pulls down her sister’s pants before stepping back.
“There you go.”
Mio groans. “Again. Can I get some privacy?”
“No way! After all, you could be very sick again from all that cold air! I’m not letting you out of my sight until I’m sure you’re okay! But I will do this much for you.”
Hammer turns around and looks at the wall. Shaking her head, Mio... does her business before flushing and calling out.
“I’m... done.”
Hammer turns back around. “Did you remember to wipe?”
Mio rolls her eyes. “Yes, Hammer. Why wouldn’t I have...?”
“Remember the other day?”
“I was suffering from pneumonia and was so tired that I...!”
Hammer frowns as she helps Mio stand up. “And you still are technically!”
Heading back to the room with her sister, she helps her sit down on the bed before turning to Arc.
“How’d she handle the walk?”
“Pretty good actually. Halfway through we sat down on a bench so she could rest.”
Mio nods. “I was getting a bit tired admittedly.”
Hammer gasps. “Why didn’t you say something to the Hero then?! He could have carried you back!”
“But I’m feeling a lot better now.”
Hammer facepalms. “Don’t you want to get better, Mio!”
“Yes, I do. However...”
Hammer interrupts her. “Then you need to stop straining yourself!”
Arc shakes his head. “Don’t you think you might be overreacting just a bit, Hammer?”
“Not really.”
Mio groans. “But I’m going crazy just sitting in the same room all day!”
Hammer grins. “Yeah, I figured that. So I brought you a little something that might help with that on my way back from the office.”
Stepping out into the corridor, Hammer pulls a wheelchair inside.
“This should help!”
Arc rolls his eyes. “I think Mio can walk, Hammer.”
“Yes, I can.”
“That may be. But it’ll prevent her from straining herself or getting too tired if she wants to go out.”
Mio scoffs. “If?”
Arc looks the wheelchair over. “That’s a bit bigger than a pony could use though. Where’d you find it, Hammer?”
“Nurse Redheart said it’s ‘princess size’. Just a little something they had in the back room gathering dust. She figured Mio would fit into it with room to spare.”
Mio groans. “That I would.”
“Well, I need to get back to the office. Just came by to see that you two were getting along all right.”
“We are, yes.”
Arc motions with his gauntlet. “Things are just fine here. Go ahead and take care of your job and I’ll stay with Mio.”
“Thanks. Have fun, you two.”
Leaving the room, Hammer closes the door and hurries down the hall as she mutters to herself.
“Well, Mio didn’t look too upset. Guess Arc didn’t tell her yet.”
She groans before continuing.
“I just hope he can ease her into the idea.”
Meanwhile, Mio slowly walks over to the wheelchair. Sighing, she looks it over.
“I can’t believe she brought this.”
“Hammer is being a bit overprotective admittedly.”
“Truth be told, I’d rather not use this.”
Arc shrugs. “That’s your choice. But I was just thinking that it might actually be useful.”
“Oh?”
“I could show you around the castle. It’s a really big place, so you would probably get tired out before we got anywhere close to being done.”
Mio smiles. “A tour of a real castle?!”
Arc nods. “If you want, sure.”
“That would be wonderful, yes!”
She looks down at the wheelchair and grimaces before continuing.
“Um... do I have to use this thing though?”
“I’ll leave that decision up to you. However I do recommend you take Hammer’s advice and let me push you around.”
Mio blushes slightly. “You... pushing me?”
“Well, I thought you might get tired wheeling yourself around. Maybe even faster than normal walking would.”
“I... wouldn’t want to be a burden.”
“It’s fine. That and it’ll give us some more time to talk.”
Mio giggles. “Then yes, I’ll do as you asked.”
Sitting down in the chair, Mio folds her hands in her lap and smiles as Arc turns to her.
“Would you like the blanket from earlier?”
“Is it cold in the castle?”
“Kinda, yeah. Especially when you’re not walking for yourself.”
Mio nods. “Then yes please.”
Levitating the blanket over from where he laid it, Arc helps Mio arrange it to cover her lap before stepping back.
“There you go. And there’s enough slack that you can pull it up to cover the rest of you if you’d like.”
“Thank you. I’ll do that.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“I am, yes.”
Stepping behind the wheelchair Arc takes the handle, which is just a long bar across the back for hooves assumedly, and pushes Mio toward the door. Reaching out with his magic he opens it and steps out into the corridor. Mio looks all around at the pillars and floor to ceiling windows as she gasps.
“Amazing!”
Arc nods as he closes the door. “That it is. But didn’t you see it when Hammer brought you here?”
Mio shakes her head. “No. She had Nurse Redheart sedate me first.”
“But... why?”
“Something about nation security.”
“Ah! She was worried that you might tell The Organization our state secrets, or something.”
“But I won’t!”
“I believe you, Mio. However you have to think about it from Hammer’s point of view. She’s a Lieutenant tasked with keeping the castle secure.”
Mio sighs. “Quite a promotion for her I would imagine.”
“But she’s doing well.”
“Is the workload... heavy?”
“Somewhat, yes. However I’d like to add that she is happy in her job.”
“Hammer told me as much when I asked her. Um... do you think I could... stay here with you?”
Arc chuckles. “I don’t actually own a house.”
Mio blushes. “Oh no! I meant here in this land!”
“Sorry. It was a joke. But to answer your question... that would be up to the princesses.”
“Celestia, Luna, and Cadance?”
“You’ve been reading, huh?”
Mio smiles nervously. “The basics, yes. Hammer’s been trying to answer my questions too, so I have a fundamental knowledge of how things work here.”
“Good. That’ll make things easier.”
“So... what do you think they’ll say?”
“Well... the book you read must’ve been an older one. There’s a new princess sitting on the throne now.”
“Oh?”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“Interesting name. What’s she like?”
“Kind, studious, a bit shy, and a workaholic.”
“Really?”
Arc nods. “Yup. From what Hammer’s told me you and her are kinda similar.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“As to whether or not she’d let you stay... not really sure.”
Mio bows her head. “Is it because of my past?”
“Somewhat, yes. However her former teacher, Princess Celestia, doesn’t really like humans.”
“Oh?”
“Truth be told, she hates them.”
Mio raises an eyebrow. “But you’re her champion, aren’t you?”
Arc sighs. “I was appointed by Princess Luna and Princess Cadance.”
“The other two dissented?”
“Twilight hadn’t yet been crowned and Celestia was, at the time, being held by The Organization.”
“Oh. That’s... not a good thing for my case, is it?”
“Not really, no.”
“I’d still like to plead it though.”
“When you’re fully recovered.”
“Very well. I trust your judgement, Hero.”
Arc winces slightly as they continue on. Arriving at a large set of double doors Arc motions for the guards to open them. As they do so Mio gasps.
“This... this is...!”
“The Library, yes.”
“It’s massive!”
Arc chuckles. “Yes, well... Princess Celestia feels that knowledge is very important to a society. At least that’s what Twilight tells me she thinks.”
“You don’t know?”
“We haven’t really had any talks on the matter, no. Any matter really other than... uh...”
“What was it?”
“Sorry. That one’s really personal.”
“Oh.”
“But in any case, the castle houses many sages and scholars whom study various aspects of science, magic, and everything in between.”
Mio giggles. “Are there pony scientists too?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Twilight’s one. Well, kinda. It’s complicated.”
Mio gestures to the room before them. “Might I look over some of the books in here?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not without permission. I only authorized you to see certain things thus far... for reasons I’m sure you understand.”
“I do, yes. However I would like the opportunity to try and earn the right to know more.”
“Perhaps one day. But we should continue on.”
Leaving the Library, they continue down the corridor. Walking for some time they eventually come to a number of stained glass windows. Mio looks all around.
“Very picturesque.”
“Each one commemorates an important event I’m told.”
Mio raises an eyebrow. “They don’t have history books?”
“Oh, they do. But think of this as a visual representation. Equestria doesn’t have many monuments or statues. Instead they create a reminder of important ponies or events by immortalizing them in stained glass form.”
“It doesn’t sound like it would last nearly as long though.”
“Maybe not. But different cultures have their own way of doing things.”
“I suppose so.”
Arc points. “This is one that I know. Star-swirl the Bearded.”
Mio raises an eyebrow. “A pony... with a beard?”
“I don’t get it either. However he was the one whom came up with the idea of the princesses embodying all three pony races.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Doctor Whooves is an Earth Pony. They’re the strongest of the races and grow most of the food for the land.”
Mio frowns. “But he’s a doctor.”
Arc shrugs. “That doesn’t mean that they’re not intelligent. From what I’ve seen anyone can aspire to be anything here.”
“That sounds nice admittedly.”
“Nurse Redheart is a Unicorn. The only ponies that can directly harness the raw power of magic.”
“I was a bit surprised when I saw her admittedly. More so when her horn started glowing.”
“It just means that she was casting a spell.”
“Yes, I figured that out fairly quickly.”
“Unicorns seem to have an advantage in the intelligence category. Most of the sages here in the castle are Unicorns, after all.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“We all do what we’re good at.”
“And the Pegasi?”
“Horses with wings.”
“Are they big?”
“The Pegasi?”
Mio shakes her head. “Just the wings. I assume it would take quite a bit of lift to allow a horse to fly.”
“Admittedly their wings are a lot smaller than I thought they’d be. But can I assume that you’ve yet to see one?”
Mio sighs. “Not yet, no.”
“You will at some point.”
“And their advantageous skill would be flight I assume?”
“That and agility. They can use their wings to fly as well as shift their center of gravity on a whim.”
“Strength, intelligence, and agility. Now then, I just have one question. Which is the greatest among them?”
“None.”
Mio raises an eyebrow. “They’re equals?”
“That’s why the princesses exist. To embody all three aspects in one.”
“And all of them are okay with that? No power struggles?”
“None in many years, no. Everyone just does what they’re good at for the betterment of others.”
“So it’s like a commune?”
“On a national scale, yes. They do have private business, schools, and other governing authorities though. Very similar to what we have back on Earth.”
“And it works?”
“For the most part, yes. Naturally not everyone is happy or follows the rules. And for those that act on their impulses we have dungeons and prisons.”
Mio appears suddenly nervous. “And me?”
“When I first brought you in the idea of putting you in a cell did come up, yes. However I pointed out that from a medical standpoint you were too ill to leave the Infirmary.”
“And the future?”
“Well, it was also pointed out that you had not committed any crimes against Equestria. Other than what you did to help The Organization, that is.”
“But you were willing to overlook that?”
“For now, yes.”
“Oh?”
“Hammer and I stuck our necks out to keep you free. All we ask in return is that you not betray that trust.”
Mio nods soberly. “I will do my best to show you and the others my devotion to your cause then. That is, if I can join you.”
“You need to be fully recovered before I’d even consider it.”
“I’ll do my best to heal and learn all I can to be of help to you.”
“Rather eager to begin, aren’t you?”
“It’s just that... I feel as though I need to make up for what The Organization did to your captured princess.”
“Nothing else?”
“Well... that and I’d relish the thought of fighting by your side.”
“What makes you think they’ll be violence?”
“Trust me, where The Organization is concerned force is ALWAYS an option. Especially with Colonel Diva.”
“Well, my friends showed her a thing or two a while back.”
Mio gasps. “That was YOU?!”
“I wish. Sadly I was busy elsewhere at the time.”
“They must be very powerful to take her on!”
“You could say that, yes.”
Mio grins wickedly. “Now I REALLY want to join up so I can help smack the smug out of her!”
“That probably won’t be for some time yet. After all, we have bigger fish to fry here in Equestria.”
“Your enemies must be quite the threat then!”
Arc sighs. “You have no idea.”
“I’d still like the chance to...”
Mio gasps as a certain stained glass window comes into view.
“Is that...?!”
Arc nods. “Yup. Me.”
“On the throne?!”
“Temporarily, but yes.”
“How does one get to do THAT?!”
“It was a legal matter. Should no princess be willing or able to take the throne the Order of Succession must be followed. And the next in line is the Hero of Light followed by the Captain of the Royal Guard and then the Lead Sage. Not sure about the titles after that.”
“Hammer?!”
“She’s actually the aide of the Captain of the Royal Guard, who in this case is actually a colonel.”
“So she wouldn’t ever be in a position to be... you know...?”
“Like I said, I don’t know the rest of the order followed. However she couldn’t take the throne anyways, as one needs to be a citizen of Equestria to do that.”
“And you are?”
“By royal decree, yes.”
“How did your reign go?”
Arc sighs. “It was a... hard time for our nation. Everyone was used to a princess ruling over them. The idea that someone else was doing it, coupled with the fact I wasn’t even a pony, was very... difficult for them to come to terms with. That and my lack of experience didn’t help either.”
“But you did it.”
“Yes, I held things together while a cure was found for the ailing princesses.”
“They were sick?”
“Something like that.”
“Did you ever have to take over again?”
“After we rescued our missing princess, yes.”
“But what was wrong with the other ones?”
“It was suggested that they be by their companion’s side, as she was very... um... heavily mentally scarred from the incident. So I took over as Lord Regent so that they could focus on Celestia’s health and mental well-being.”
“I assume that went better.”
Arc nods. “Oh, yes. The public was more used to me by that point along with my bigger reputation.”
“And your physical and magical might, I might add.”
“Well, practice does make perfect.”
“Very modest of you to say so. I still remember our very first encounter.”
“At the Shard Base if I recall.”
“Yes, indeed. I was trying to get you to join our cause.”
“The Organization, I imagine.”
“Eventually, yes. But had you taken me up on my offer I would have watched you as you carried out tasks for the Shards before recommending you to General Mustang personally.”
“It was a rather... interesting time for me.”
“You appeared rather frightened to me.”
“Kinda was. You were the first human I had encountered whom could use magic. Up until that point my powers were my trump card.”
Mio giggles. “That may be. But back then I was bluffing.”
“Were you now?”
“Yes. Even then I could sense that your powers dwarfed my own.”
“And now?”
Mio sighs. “I don’t even hold a candle to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I did notice you were missing something in your camp back on Earth.”
“What was that?”
“Your magic staff.”
Mio looks away nervously. “I’ve moved beyond it.”
“Getting better?”
“Not... exactly. But I can cast very simple spells without my focus. And it tires me out very quickly.”
“That’s how we learn though.”
“Oh?”
“The strain of exercise is what makes muscles grow. It’s the same with magic. Challenge yourself and practice to become more than you are.”
Mio puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully. “More than I am.”
“I just meant that there’s always room for improvement. There is such a thing as pushing oneself too hard.”
“But Colonel Diva did that and look at how far she’s come.”
“That may be. But she sacrificed herself to get there.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s at the top, yes. However she’s all alone up there. No family or friends to share in the glory of her actions and accomplishments.”
“Sounds rather lonely to me.”
“I’m assuming it is, yes.”
“And you?”
“Even though I pushed myself hard, there was always someone by my side to lend me a hand. Sometimes literally.”
“Overwork?”
“Drained my mana pool too much.”
Mio grimaces. “Ouch.”
“You’ve done it too?”
“Every magic user has at some point, I’m told.”
“Not too good for one’s image.”
Mio giggles. “Hammer and Stingray made fun of me for a week after that.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
“Because they had to do it too. I just went first because I was the best at magic.”
“How bad was it?”
“Let’s just say that dragging them down the corridor to their rooms wasn’t exactly easy for me.”
“Well, at least they learned what it was like.”
“Yes. Damocles Base did have quite the magical training facilities.”
“Did they now?”
“You never saw them?”
Arc shakes his head. “I was too busy sneaking and skulking to notice them, I guess.”
Mio grins. “Well, I guess that’s a decent enough excuse. But you probably have facilities here that put ours to shame.”
“The castle does have some nice training area’s yes. However they’re constantly being used right now.”
“Trouble on the horizon?”
“Something like that.”
“A shame. I was hoping you could show me a few things.”
“If you’re up for a bit of a field trip, I could take you to another training facility.”
“Where?”
“My base. It’s south of here on the outskirts of a small but centrally located town called ‘Ponyville’.”
Mio giggles. “I’d love to go. Um... what about Hammer though?”
“We’d be back before too long. After all, I need to do my part to make sure you don’t overexert yourself. However you do need to understand one thing before we go.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s quite a ways from here. You’d be miles from the castle and your sister too. Are you okay with that?”
Mio nods. “Oh, completely.”
“You sure? We could wait until Hammer gets off work and head over there together.”
“I’d actually rather we didn’t wait. Hammer would just... be Hammer.”
“Alright. But if you start getting too sleepy just let me know and I’ll bring you back right away.”
Arc raises an hand and opens a portal. As he pushes Mio through she smiles happily and blushes slightly.