Stepping out of the portal, Arc and Mio appear on the sigil in his quarters. She looks around, confused.
“I thought we were going to a military base.”
“We did. Well, kinda.”
“This looks like a house though.”
“It’s my quarters. Sorry, but this was the only place I had a sigil.”
“It’s... fine.”
Pushing her toward the door, Arc casts a Telekinesis Spell to open it. Walking down the corridor several guards part to let them pass as they salute respectfully. Mio instinctively salutes back. She blushes slightly as Arc chuckles at her mistake.
“Conditioned reaction?”
Mio blushes. “Yes. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. After all, we all make mistakes.”
Turning down another corridor Mio looks around.
“This is very nice.”
“For a military base?”
Mio nods. “Indeed. They’re usually very... utilitarian.”
“Like my quarters?”
“Something like that. But out here looks more like an extension of the castle. Just not quite as exquisite.”
Arc stops at a window. “Well, as you can see we’re not on top of the mountain anymore.”
“A... forest?”
“It’s the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like a very good place to put a military base.”
“Well, it was selected by one of the princesses as this spot is only somewhat remote.”
“You said it was on the outskirts of a town called Ponyville if I recall correctly.”
Arc nods. “Yes. Far enough away that the town wouldn’t be directly affected by anything going on here, but at the same time close enough that we could still go there for supplies and whatnot.”
“Very different from how things are done on Earth.”
“True. But different cultures do things differently.”
Coming to a large set of double doors Arc stops.
“This is the Training Room. My troops use it to practice and run drills.”
Mio shudders. “Drills.”
“Something wrong?”
“Just bad memories. I assume your troops are training at this time though?”
“Probably. But we could still see the facilities and watch them if you’d like.”
“Would that be okay? After all, I don’t want to get you into any trouble.”
Arc chuckles. “I think we’ll be fine. After all, this is my base.”
“Oh... right.”
Opening the doors with a Telekinesis Spell, Arc pushes Mio inside. They see a number of armed and armored stallions sparring in the center of the room. Others cheer them on from the sidelines. Mio looks up at Arc.
“Looks more like a sporting event than training.”
Arc shrugs. “Perhaps it’s both.”
Watching from the back of the room for a few moments they see one stallion eventually get the edge over the other. Sandstorm Mirage runs up to him and calls out loudly.
“We have a winner!”
Cheers ring out as he holds up the hoof of the victor and looks around with him. A moment later his eyes rest on his commanding officer standing at the back of the room. Gasping, he calls out.
“Everypony at attention!”
They hurry to comply as Arc steps forward. The stallions salute him as he approaches Sandstorm Mirage and looks to the victor.
“Quite the display.”
The stallion nods nervously. “Th-thank you, sir.”
Arc turns to Sandstorm Mirage. “Might I ask what’s going on here?”
“Friday is Exhibition Day, sir. It’s where the troops put what they have learned into practice.”
“Who’s idea was it?”
Sandstorm grimaces. “Mine, sir. But I did clear it with then Lieutenant Flash Sentry prior to implementing this idea.”
“How long ago?”
“Shortly after I was promoted, sir.”
“Well, it appears your training methods work. We didn’t lose a single soldier from my command in the attack on Light’s Hope.”
“Very true, sir.”
“In any case, I just dropped by to show someone the facilities.”
“Shall we disperse then, sir?”
Arc shakes his head. “No. I’d actually like to see more of this.”
“We’re actually almost done now. This was the semi-finals.”
Sandstorm Mirage motions to the stallion next to him before continuing.
“Our victor here had just won the chance to challenge the current champion.”
“One last match, huh?”
“Yes sir.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss that. Carry on.”
Turning to return to Mio, Arc stands by her side as Sandstorm Mirage addresses the troops.
“Alright everypony! Since our companion here beat everypony else, he’s earned the right to fight the champion and try to win his title! Get ready!”
The stallion takes up a battle ready position as he waits. Mio turns to Arc.
“So who’s the champion? You?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not this time, no. Remember, I just learned about this whole thing when you did.”
Sandstorm Mirage takes up a position across from the stallion. Arc chuckles.
“Guess that answers that question.”
The troops start chanting their names as the pair face off. Taking flight they trade attacks mid-air. Mio gasps.
“They really CAN fly!”
“Those wings are for more than just show, you know.”
The stallion swings at Sandstorm Mirage numerous times but is unable to make contact. Moving deftly through the air, the sergeant dives and grabs the stallion’s back hooves. Pulling down hard, he forces the stallion to flip over and crash to the floor below with him on top. Pointing his training weapon at the defeated stallion’s neck Sandstorm Mirage calls out.
“Surrender?!”
Sighing, the stallion nods. The room bursts into cheers as Sandstorm Mirage hops off of his opponent and raises his weapon triumphantly. Arc applauds as he approaches.
“Very good, Sergeant.”
“One has to be the best to be able to train their troops, sir. Well... YOUR troops, that is.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “I suppose.”
“But how about an exhibition match, sir?”
“Oh?”
“You and I could face off.”
“What are the rules?”
“Just like in real battle, there are none. You just need to make them surrender.”
Arc shrugs. “Sounds simple enough.”
“We just need somepony to officiate.”
Arc points to Mio. “How about my friend over there?”
“Sure, sir.”
Mio gasps. “What?! But... but I don’t know what to...!”
“It’s simple really, miss. You just watch that no one goes too far and declare the winner at the proper time.”
“Well... if that’s all, I think I can handle it.”
Arc chuckles as he picks up a training staff. “Alright. Ready, Sandstorm Mirage?”
“Yes sir.”
Taking up a battle ready position, the pair square off as the other soldier’s watch intently. However they take the liberty of backing up first. Arc lunches forward and takes a swing. However the Sergeant deftly evades it.
“Nice try, sir!”
Arc chuckles. “Didn’t realize you were so fast.”
“Want to try again, sir?”
“Gladly.”
Taking up his position again, Arc swings. However just as before the stallion nimbly dodges. Chuckling, Arc looks him over.
“Faster than you look.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“But I did notice one thing.”
“Sir?”
“You aren’t attacking.”
“I try not to, sir. It’s part of my technique.”
Arc smirks. “Wait for your opponent to make a mistake and then capitalize on it via a counter.”
Sandstorm Mirage nods. “Yes sir. And I’ve tried to pass that on to the others as well.”
“But I did notice that the stallion facing you before did indeed attack.”
“He had to. Otherwise we would have been here all day, sir.”
“It makes for a near-perfect defense.”
“Near-perfect, sir?”
“Nothing is ever flawless. There’s always an opening somewhere... if you can find it.”
“Please try then, sir.”
“Gladly.”
His eyes darting around the room, Arc spies a weapon rack nearby. Reaching out with his magic he pulls it, along with several other objects from other directions, toward Sandstorm Mirage. The sergeant effortlessly dodges them before turning back to Arc.
“Even that didn’t really... sir?”
Not seeing his opponent, the sergeant looks around for a moment before being unceremoniously pinned to the floor under Arc’s body as it drops from up above. Chuckling, Arc looks down.
“Give up?”
“Yes sir.”
Arc stands as his troops clap their hooves. “Good.”
Mio calls out. “Winner! The Hero!”
Reaching out a hand, he helps the sergeant up before stepping back.
“Let’s go again. And this time I won’t use any Telekinesis Spells.”
“Alright, sir.”
Taking up their positions again, Arc looks the stallion over as he waits for the attack. Running toward Sandstorm Mirage, Arc grins as he sees his opponent preparing to dodge. However as he does so, Arc Blinks to one side and catches the Sergeant in mid-air. Wrapping his arms around his opponent Arc grins.
“How about now?”
“I give up, sir.”
Mio calls out again. “The Hero wins once more!”
The crowd cheers as Arc lets the stallion go. He turns to Arc and sighs.
“You got me again, sir.”
“That I did. But let’s do it once again. And this time you have my word that I won’t use magic of ANY kind.”
“None, sir?”
“None.”
“There’s no rule against it though.”
“True. But I’m trying to make a point here.”
Nodding, Sandstorm Mirage and Arc take up their stances again. Wasting no time, Arc charges headlong at him. Smirking, the stallion dives out of the way at the last second. However, as he does so, Arc reaches over and grabs his rear fetlock. Using his own momentum, Arc pulls the Sergeant along for the ride. Unable to counter properly he flaps his wings to get some air, but cannot pull away from Arc’s grip. After a few moments Arc releases him without warning. Flying at high speed he crashes into a wall and falls to the ground as Arc hurries over to him.
“You okay, Sandstorm Mirage?!”
The sergeant puts a hoof to his forehead. “Y-yes sir.”
Mio wheels herself over to them. “Um... I guess the Hero wins.”
Arc grimaces. “Sorry. I think I got a bit carried away.”
Sandstorm Mirage slowly gets to his hooves. “What exactly happened?”
“I just did what you suggested. Waited for my opponent to do something. Then countered it with something they wouldn’t expect.”
“Like grabbing my hoof?”
Arc nods. “You’re not used to fighting someone with fingers.”
“Or anything other than a pony.”
“True. But at the end of the day it all boils down to one thing.”
Arc turns to the others before continuing.
“Know thine enemy. When fighting something outside your understood norms you must first observe from a distance. Watch them very carefully and learn their habits as best you can. That can lead to you adapting and being able to overcome them. Were Sandstorm Mirage and I to continue fighting, he would have eventually learned my tactics and been able to counter them with his own abilities.”
“Maybe one day, sir.”
“I must say that I’m very impressed by what you showed earlier though.”
“But I lost, sir.”
“True. However only due to the reasons I laid out a moment ago.”
He gestures to the troops before continuing.
“And it’s thanks to your training that everyone here lived through the attack on this very base.”
“Just doing my job, sir. But we should probably move on to the next part of our Friday training regime. With your permission, of course.”
“Sure, go ahead. What is it though?”
“A three mile run.”
“Ah! Well... carry on then.”
Looking to the soldiers, Sandstorm Mirage calls out.
“Line up, two by two! Ready... MARCH!”
They trot out the door as Sandstorm Mirage follows them. Mio reaches out and closes the door behind them as they leave. Standing, she turns to Arc.
“That was very impressive.”
Arc shrugs. “I kinda got lucky.”
“Lucky?! You could have destroyed that equine!”
“Just wanted to make it a teaching moment.”
“Could you show me a thing or two?”
“Like what?”
“How to be a better caster.”
Arc chuckles. “Practice makes perfect.”
Mio groans. “That’s just it. No matter how much I do that I can’t seem to break through my limitations.”
“Without your staff though, right?”
“Right. I’ve even started thinking that it might be better if I just stopped casting altogether at this point.”
“Let me see you cast.”
He points to a training weapon before continuing.
“Levitate that to yourself.”
Holding out a hand, Mio concentrates. The staff slowly makes its way over to her as her hand visibly shakes. However about halfway to its destination she falls to her knees as it clatters to the floor. Arc moves to help her up as she groans.
“See what I mean?”
“Yes, it’s not exactly a taxing spell either.”
“However with my staff I could have moved it all day.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “All day, huh?”
“Did I say something wrong?”
“I wonder if that was intentional.”
Mio frowns. “It was my very best though!”
“No, no. I mean you only being able to cast with a focus.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Perhaps the Ascension Project at the time was only able to infuse limited amounts of magical power into a host.”
“But Colonel Diva was able to...!”
Arc interrupts her. “Diva was born a Unicorn, remember?”
“I... do remember you mentioning that, yes.”
Arc frowns. “Although that still doesn’t explain how she casts spells in her human form.”
Mio raises an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t she be able to though?”
“Because Unicorns require a focus in the form of a horn.”
“Arc you certain?”
“Positive. I’ve taken a couple of them to Earth before. No horn, no magic.”
Mio sighs. “I’m guessing General Mustang figured out a way to help her with that.”
“And kept you on the lower spectrum.”
“But I’d have been more effective...!”
“Perhaps TOO effective.”
“Are you saying that he was worried we’d rise up against The Organization?!”
“It’s an even money bet. Since Diva can apparently do it such a thing, it’s clearly possible.”
Mio groans. “And here I thought I was the brightest and the best.”
“Sounds more like you were treated like a prototype.”
“Or science experiment. Perhaps they wanted to see what would happen if a subject was brought up with a focus.”
“Maybe. The general probably just didn’t want to risk hurting Diva.”
Mio sits back down in the wheelchair and puts her face in her hands before continuing.
“Hammer... Hammer was right all along.”
Arc kneels down to her level. “That she was.”
Mio looks away. “So I guess you won’t be interested in having a talentless loser like me in your employ.”
“Mio, listen. Maybe you were just an experiment, and maybe you’ll never get any better at magic. But that doesn’t mean that you aren’t important to us.”
“Us?”
“Hammer and I.”
Mio blushes slightly. “I... I’m important to you?”
Arc nods. “Yeah. Look, having or not having a particular talent doesn’t make you any less special. I’m sure there’s other things you could do to support yourself.”
“So... you’re not upset?”
“Why would I be?”
“I... don’t know. The Organization prioritizes what you can contribute over pretty much everything else. Those whom can’t are out.”
“Well, I’m not kicking you out of Equestria over this.”
Mio appears hopeful. “You... you mean I can stay?”
“As long as you don’t cause any trouble you’ll have my vote. Not that it means a whole lot by itself.”
“The princesses?”
Arc nods. “Yeah. That’s their department. But I could put in a good word for you.”
Mio smiles. “Thank you. It’s more than I deserve. However I do want to know something.”
“What is it?”
“How can you be so nice to me?”
“Considering our past?”
Mio nods. “I caused so much trouble for you. Well, my sisters and I did anyways. But you didn’t try to kill us and even went out of your way to safeguard us several times. It’s not something I can wrap my mind around.”
“Look, I think you and Hammer are really nice people, Mio. You two just had a rough bit of luck with the cards fate delt you.”
“And we did so much to...”
Arc interrupts her. “But I think you’re capable of making up for it now that you know the truth. Just like Hammer did, or is doing now.”
Tears form in the corners of Mio’s eyes as she smiles happily. Throwing her arms around his neck Mio begins crying loudly. Arc puts his gauntlets around her as she lets it all out. After a time she is able to sit back and speak again.
“Thank you, thank you! I promise I’ll do my very best to live up to your expectations!”
“Just do your best and we’ll call it even, okay?”
“Sure!”
She takes his gauntlet and smiles happily before continuing.
“I need to say something!”
“What is it?”
“That you’re the nicest, Kindest, most forgiving, smartest person I’ve ever met! And I... I’d like the chance to get to know you on a more personal level!”
“Mio, I...”
Mio interrupts him. “I promise that I’ll be anything you want me to be! You just let me know what you need and I’ll...!”
“Please... stop.”
“Hero?”
Arc sighs and puts a gauntlet on his helmet.
“You don’t... I... I actually already have... someone else.”
Mio gasps. “So you’re... taken?!”
“Kinda, yeah. It’s complicated.”
“Is there any chance you might... you know...?”
“Go with you instead?”
Mio sighs. “It sounds bad when you say it like that, but yes.”
“I... I need to be Honest with you.”
Mio looks at him expectantly. “Yes?!”
“I... I just...”
Groaning, Arc stands and takes a couple steps back. Looking at Mio for a few moments, he puts both hands on his helmet and takes it off along with the mask. Dropping both to the floor, it makes a dull ‘thud’ as the metal hits. Mio’s eyes grow wide as she sees whom he is. Arc bows his head sadly.
“Mio... I’m... I’m sorry.”
She looks at him for a long moment, her mouth agape. Neither of them speaks for some time. Eventually Mio stands slowly and looks him in the eye.
“Y-y-you?!”
“Yes.”
“YOU’RE THE HERO?!”
“I am.”
Her face turning red as she grits her teeth, Mio clenches her fists as she seethes silently. Lifting her hands she slowly steps toward him. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she lets loose her magical powers. Arc looks up and waves his arms.
“MIO, WAIT!”
Casting as powerful a spell as she is able, Mio attempts to knock Arc down with a fireball. However his armor deflects the magic harmlessly away from his body. She tries again and again to no avail. Falling to her knees Mio looks up at him and puts everything she has into one last spell (which admittedly isn’t much). As it fizzles out in her hands she looks up at him angrily for a few moments before her eyes roll into the back of her head and she collapses. Arc gasps.
“Oh no!”
Rushing over to her, Arc kneels down and puts two fingers to her throat.
“She has a pulse and breathing! Good!”
Touching his earring, he speaks.
“Arc to Canterlot.”
“This is Canterlot, sir. Go ahead.”
“I have a medical emergency. Have Doctor Whooves sent to my quarters in the castle immediately.”
“Yes sir, I’ve just sent the message. Will there be anything else.”
Arc looks to Mio’s unconscious form for a moment before speaking.
“Tell Hamm... have Colonel Flash Sentry’s aide sent to my quarters as well for an immediate consultation regarding a... a very delicate security matter.”