A few hours later Ember and Arc lead the group back onto the Observation Deck. Arc gestures to the hospital bed.
“While it may not be the best way in which to conduct an interview, would you like to lie down, Shelly?”
“Yes. I’m... still rather tired.”
Lily and Ember help the young woman up onto the hospital bed. Arc pulls out a nicer blanket from his ring.
“I, uh... bought this from a very skilled seamstress in the capital city. This should look a bit nicer than a standard blanket on television.”
Shelly giggles. “Thank you, sir.”
He spreads the blanket out on Shelly’s lap as Lily straightens it. Stepping back Arc nods.
“It looks pretty good.”
Ember turns to him. “What’s that made of, Hero?”
“Magically imbued dragonberry silk.”
Minerva raises an eyebrow. “Is that a trade name?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. Literal.”
Ember grins. “All the way from a nation across the sea. Usually illegal to import due to the substance’s rarity and cost.”
Shelly gasps. “Oh my!”
Lily grimaces. “We don’t want to cause any trouble!”
Arc chuckles. “Not to worry. I obtained permission from the Dragon Lord himself.”
Minerva looks over. “Hey now! Save some of that for the cameras!”
Dave nods. “We’ll be ready in just a few minutes.”
Ember looks around. “Where should we be sitting though?”
Lily turns to Minerva. “Right. I’m sure you’ll want all of us in at least one shot.”
“Normally there would be a couch of some kind for something like this. However there wasn’t time to pick something out.”
Dave sighs. “And it would clash with the height of the bed.”
Arc looks to Ember. “How about stools?
“Like the ones in the kitchen?”
“Right.”
Minerva nods. “That could work, yes.”
“Dragon and I will go fetch them. Be right back.”
Hurrying down the corridor, Arc and Ember return a few minutes later each carrying two tall stools. They set them down on either side of the bed. Arc and Ember sit in the ones by Shelly’s feet while Minerva and Lily take the ones at the head of the bed. Minerva turns to Dave as she speaks.
“How’s the angle?”
“I can get all five of you comfortably in one shot, yes. Most of the interview will be done in pairs though.”
Arc chuckles. “Understandable.”
Ember turns her head to look away vainly. “Be sure to get my good side.”
Shelly and Lily giggle as Dave motions to Minerva. Holding up her microphone she begins to speak.
“I’m coming to you today from the Hero’s airship which is currently still flying high over his homeland. With me are Shelly and Lily, the owners and operators of Shelly’s Kitchen.”
She turns to Shelly as she continues.
“Would you please tell our viewers why we’re here today?”
“During out previous interview I asked the Hero to come see me. I wanted to request a ride on his ship, as I’ve never been able to fly in the past.”
Lily sighs. “And no airline was willing to make the special accommodations necessary for such a thing.”
“What kind of accommodations?”
Shelly grimaces. “I needed a bed and a doctor abord in case something happened. That and some sort of medical facility nearby.”
Lily puts a hand on Shelly’s. “We understood why this couldn’t be provided for us, so I didn’t press the matter with the airlines.”
Minerva turns to Arc. “That’s when they made the request of you?”
“Yes, indeed. When she asked me if I could accommodate her needs I knew that I could easily do so.”
“This bed, for starters?”
Ember taps it with her foot. “Bolted to the floor. Same as all the other furniture in here.”
Arc continues. “We also have private quarters for Shelly and Lily as well as an Infirmary which is staffed by a full-time nurse.”
“And you already had this before the request?”
“That we did. Well, other than the bed there, that is.”
Ember shrugs. “Considering all the trouble we seem to get in, it’s more like an investment.”
“We do try to be careful. But even the best laid plans don’t always hold up.”
Minerva nods. “Can you tell our viewers more about where we currently are?”
“Right now we’re flying southwest over the country of Equestria on the planet Equus.”
Shelly smiles as she points to the window. “It’s really pretty down there too!”
Minerva grins. “Agreed. We were just shown one of the land’s natural wonders.”
She turns to Dave before continuing.
“Transition to footage of the rainbow falls.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “Their the Winsome Falls, remember?”
Minerva writes a note. “Thank you. It appears I forgot to mention that on the tape.”
Lily giggles. “We were all pretty busy staring at them, that’s for sure.”
Minerva turns to Arc. “Can you tell us how such a thing occurs, Hero?”
“Just the cliff notes, actually. You see, when sunlight shines through water at just the right angle you can see a rainbow through it. Whether it’s a garden hose or rain from far away the basic concept is the same. However here in Equestria the rules of physics are slightly different. The rainbow light can permeate that water in the clouds and transfer down into the precipitation falling into the waterfall.”
“I did notice that the colors faded away at the base of the waterfall though.”
Ember shrugs. “Something about the colors sticking around only when they’re in constant motion. At least that’s what I remember from asking one of the sages back in the capital.”
Lily looks to Arc. “Does it only do that at the Winsome Falls?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, anywhere there’s a good amount of water falling with the sun hitting it just right. I’ve witnessed it a few other places in my travels. However those falls we saw were the most pronounced version I’ve seen yet.”
Shelly smiles “It looks like a very nice place for a picnic. When the weather’s warm, that is.”
“Oh, it is. I’ve done that myself twice.”
Minerva turns to Shelly. “Did you have any other questions about this land, miss?”
Shelly appears confused. “Me?”
“Yes. This is your interview, after all.”
“Well... I was wondering what the people that live here are like. They’re not humans, right?”
“Right. I only had them transform earlier to put you at ease. In truth they’re small equines.”
Lily raises an eyebrow. “Equines?”
“Horses. But they don’t like to be called that.”
Ember nods. “Call ‘em ponies instead.”
“Right. It’s a very general term as they are actually three races living here in Equestria.”
Minerva frowns. “You mean breeds, right?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. Species. They’re roughly evenly populated between the races as well.”
Shelly smiles. “Can you tell us about them?”
“First you have Earth Ponies. They’re most similar to regular horses back on Earth. Strong and hardy, they grow a lot of the food eaten here. Next you have Pegasi. Ponies with wings whom fly through the air. And lastly there’s the Unicorns.”
Lily gasps happily. “Unicorns?!”
Ember appears surprised at the sudden outburst. “Woah! Excited much!”
“I’ve always believe they were real!”
Shelly giggles. “Lily’s been fascinated by them since we were children.”
“Can we see one?!”
Arc chuckles. “Actually, you already did.”
Ember smirks. “Nurse Redheart and Moon Dancer are both Unicorns.”
Minerva appears confused. “I didn’t see any horns though.”
Arc shrugs. “They vanish when undergoing transformation.”
Lily gasps. “The horns come back though, right?!”
“Oh yes. Also, in human form they’re unable to cast and spells. The lack of a horn problem.”
Minerva nods. “Can you tell us about the process by which the transformation occurs, Hero?”
“It’s a spell that requires an anchor subject, the species were turning someone into, and the target creature.”
Ember chimes in. “If we wanted to turn me into a human I’d have to stand next to the Hero as the spell is cast. He’d be the anchor and I’d be the target.”
Minerva appears confused. “But aren’t you already a human?”
Ember shakes her head. “Nope. Not even close.”
Arc puts a gauntlet on Ember’s shoulder. “She’s actually a dragon.”
Shelly giggles. “I wondered about the name.”
Lily looks Ember over. “So you’d need to have a dragon as the ‘anchor’ to change back?”
“Nah. Just someone whom knows the spell to cast the counter spell.”
Arc nods. “A counter spell is basically casting the spell in reverse.”
Shelly leans forward. “Can we see?”
“You want to see me as a dragon?”
“I would, yes. That is, if you’re comfortable doing it.”
Ember turns to Arc. “Hero?”
Arc shrugs. “It’s your call.”
“Fine then. But we’ll need Sereb to cast the counter spell.”
Minerva raises an eyebrow. “Who?”
Arc turns toward the corridor. “My faithful steed. One moment please.”
Clearing his throat, Arc calls out.
“Sereb!”
A few moments later the sound of footfalls echoing down the corridor rings out. Sereb steps onto the Observation Deck and walks over to Arc.
“Everyone, this is Sereb.”
He turns to the wolf before continuing.
“You can address them now.”
Sereb looks to Shelly. “Good evening, miss.”
Shelly gasps. “He can TALK?!”
Sereb nods. “Yes indeed.”
Minerva’s eyes grow wide. “Amazing! Speech AND magic?!”
Sereb motions with a paw. “If you will turn your attention to my forehead, you will see that I have a horn.”
Arc clears his throat. “In any case, Shelly wanted to see a dragon. Can you cast the counter spell on our friend here?”
Sereb nods. “Very well.”
Turning to Ember, Sereb’s horn glows slightly as he casts the counter spell. In a flash of light Ember returns to her dragon form. Removing her helmet, she holds it to her side as she looks to Shelly.
“There... my true form.”
Minerva gasps. “Amazing!”
Ember shrugs. “I am what I am.”
Shelly grins. “Um... can I see you up close?”
“Sure.”
Walking over, Ember stands next to Shelly’s bed. The young woman slowly holds out a hand. Ember extends a claw and allows Shelly to put her palm in hers.
“Be mindful of the claws.”
“Your skin is so smooth!”
“They’re scales.”
Lily looks to her. “Do all dragons look like you do?”
Ember shakes her head. “They’re as diverse as humans are. We come in all shapes, sizes, and colors too.”
She looks back to Shelly before continuing.
“Want to see the rest of me?”
“Rest of you?”
“Without the armor.”
“Oh, would you?!”
“Sure.”
Recalling her armor, Ember spreads her wings and grins.
“Ta-da!”
Minerva looks Ember over. “Very impressive!”
Lily giggles. “I always thought dragons would be huge though.”
Ember shrugs. “I’m kinda young and have a lot more growing to do. One day I’ll probably be as big as what you imagine.”
Minerva chimes in. “So that’s why the Hero always referred to you as ‘Dragon’.”
Arc nods. “Right.”
“I have a real name, of course. But let’s just stick with ‘Dragon’, okay?”
“Certainly.”
Lily looks Ember over. “Your scales are a bit bigger on your back.”
“That’s because they’re thicker. You want to feel them?”
“Only if that’s okay with you.”
Ember turns around. “Go for it.”
Lily leans forward and carefully strokes Ember’s back as Shelly does the same. Ember continues talking after a few moments.
“The scales on my belly are smaller and softer to allow it to expand and contract. Mostly for breathing and eating big meals though.”
Shelly looks down at Ember’s midsection. “Yes, they are a lot smaller.”
“You can touch them too if you want.”
“Oh no! That’d be inappropriate!”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Uh... how?”
“Because... um...”
Arc interrupts her. “She’s talking about female anatomy, Dragon.”
“I still don’t...”
Arc clears his throat causing Ember to face him. As she does so he motions to his chest.
“Ah! Right! Humans have breasts.”
Shelly giggles nervously. “Yes, we do.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“Huh?”
“Dragons aren’t mammals, so we don’t have those things. So it’s completely okay if you want to touch my chest or belly.”
“Um... are you sure?”
“Yup.”
Taking a deep breath, Shelly puts a hand on Ember’s chest and moves her hand downwards.
“It’s very smooth. I can’t hardly feel the individual scales.”
“That’s from regular showering.”
Lily appears confused. “Oh?”
“Dragon culture doesn’t see us using water to clean ourselves very often.”
Minerva frowns. “How do you stay clean then?”
“Lava pools.”
Shelly gasps. “You can bathe in lava?!”
“It’s our national pastime. Lava sports.”
Arc clears his throat. “We should probably move on though, Dragon.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
She turns back to return to Arc’s side, but stops. Reaching around, Ember grabs a loose scale and gives it a good tug. Pulling it out, she holds it out to Shelly.
“Souvenir?”
Shelly smiles widely as she takes it. “Thank you!”
Ember chuckles as she returns to her seat next to Arc. “You’ll be the only gal on Earth whom has one.”
Arc nods. “Did you have any other questions, Shelly?”
Shelly looks to Sereb. “Can you tell us more about yourself, um...”
“Sereb. I come from a tribe of warriors in the Dragon Lands. We pledge ourselves to warriors worthy of our strength and ferry them in and out of battle.”
Minerva appears confused. “Worthy?”
“A trial by combat.”
Lily gasps. “You mean he had to FIGHT you?!”
“That is correct, miss.”
Shelly shudders. “I do hope you went easy on him!”
Sereb shakes his head. “Such is not permitted. For the battle to be legitimate one might fight with everything they have. However even so I was unable to lay a paw on him.”
Minerva grins. “Very impressive! Can I assume he used his magic to that end?”
“Yes. However his victory was won purely through strategy and perception.”
Arc shrugs. “Ultimately I outsmarted him.”
“Indeed.”
Ember smirks. “The Dragon Lands is home to his tribe and a few other...”
Arc cuts her off. “However we can’t comment on the others for diplomatic reasons.”
Shelly nods. “How about Equestria then? Do any other creatures call this land home? Other than the ponies, I mean.”
“Yes. There is a small griffon population here.”
Minerva raises an eyebrow. “Griffons? As in half bird, half lion?”
“Something like that, yes.”
Lily grimaces. “Are they... intelligent?”
“As much so as the ponies are, yes.”
Shelly appears hopeful. “Do they get along with the pony races?”
“More or less. Their arrival has only been the last year or so though.”
Minerva nods. “Where did they emigrate from?”
“The Griffon Kingdom far across the sea to the east.”
Ember chimes in. “Equestria recently signed a treaty with them.”
Lily smiles. “A peace treaty?”
Arc nods. “That and a trade agreement.”
Shelly looks out the window. “So this land does have an official governing authority?”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “A what?”
“She mean an official hierarchy, Dragon.”
Arc turns to Shelly as he continues.
“Yes. Equestria is ruled over by the four princesses while the Griffon Kingdom is led by a king and four lords.”
Minerva looks to Arc. “Can you tell us more about this country’s diplomatic ties?”
“Equestria has official treaties with the Griffon Empire and a tentative one with Abyssinia. It’s another country that borders the griffons.”
Shelly giggles. “Are they griffons too?”
Ember shakes her head. “Cats.”
Lily grins. “CATS!”
Sereb nods. “Bipedal cats, yes.”
Arc chuckles. “They’re ruled over by a king and queen.”
Lily leans forward, clearly interested. “How big?!”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Roughly as tall as I am. Why do you ask?”
Shelly looks to her friend as she smiles. “Lily is a cat person.”
“Right. But being so busy with the restaurant, and all that came with it, I never had time to own a pet.”
She looks to Arc before continuing.
“I don’t suppose there are any of them on the ship?”
Arc shakes his head. “Just ponies.”
Looking up at the clock nearby, Arc stands.
“It would appear that we have arrived at our destination.”
Lily appears confused. “Destination?”
Shelly turns to look out the window. “It can’t be as wonderful at that waterfall...”
She stops talking and stares. Minerva walks over to a window and motions hurriedly for Dave to join her.
“Get a shot of this!”
Lily gasps. “What... is that?!”
Ember grins. “Canterlot Castle.”
Arc nods. “The seat of power of Equestria. It’s surrounded by the capital city of Canterlot.”
Shelly’s eyes remain glued to the window. “It’s... gorgeous!”
Minerva nods, clearly dumbfounded. “But how could ponies build something so grand?!”
Ember shrugs. “A lot of planning probably.”
Sereb looks to Ember. “I believe she meant it literally.”
Arc chuckles. “That was a question I asked when I first saw it. The answer... cooperation.”
Lily appears confused. “Cooperation?”
“The three pony races working together. Earth Ponies are strong and Pegasi can move things through the air with ease. However it also took the magic of Unicorns doing the work that took great amounts of manual dexterity to make this structure a reality.”
Shelly turns to him. “None of them could have built something like this alone. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Right. It took everyone working toward a common goal to take this building from a blueprint to a reality.”
Minerva appears hopeful. “Can we... see the inside?”
Arc shakes his head. “Sadly, no. This was as close as the princesses were willing to allow you.”
Sereb nods. “Admittedly it was significantly more that I thought would be allowed.”
Ember chuckles. “I still can’t believe it was approved at all. Well, not that the Hero needs their permission to do anything mind you.”
“True. But I do respect that this is their workplace and home.”
Shelly nods. “I certainly wouldn’t want someone bringing strangers into my home without asking my blessing first.”
Lily sighs. “Agreed.”
The ship circles the structure for some time before Arc notices Shelly nodding off.
“I believe it’s time to return Shelly to the hospital.”
“Yes, I’m just about due for my next set of treatments.”
Lily looks at the horizon. “And it’s almost dawn.”
Minerva turns to Arc and smiles as she extends a hand. “Thank you for giving us this in-depth look into the workings of your world.”
Arc takes it and nods. “You can thank Shelly for that. After all, this was her idea.”
Lily lowers her voice. “Yes well... you’ll have to save your thanks for later.”
She motions to the young woman whom has fallen asleep. Arc smiles as he opens a portal and turns to Shelly.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to the hospital.”
Picking the young woman up, he follows Lily through the swirling energies. Arriving back in the familiar hospital room he carefully lays Shelly down as Lily covers her with the blankets. Turning to him, she grins widely.
“Thank you so much for granting Shelly’s request, sir.”
Arc sighs. “Yes well... I do wish I could have done more for her.”
“We all do, sir.”
“All the magic and talent back in Equestria and even we can’t do anything for her that isn’t being done here.”
“You’ve done more than you know though. Shelly’s been wanting to fly since we were kids. Thanks to you that dream became a reality for her. That and she got to see some amazing sights. Things that no one else on Earth ever has.”
“But they will. At least when Minerva’s story airs.”
“I suppose so. However seeing something on a television is one thing. Being there to see it in person is quite another.”
Arc nods. “Well... I should probably let you get some rest too.”
“Thank you. It’s been a busy night.”
Stepping forward quickly, Lily wraps her arms around Arc and squeezes tightly. Arc returns the hug for a time before she steps back and blushes.
“S-sorry! I just kinda...”
“No need to apologize. It’s fine.”
Lily appears hopeful. “Will we see you again?”
“I, uh... don’t really know.”
“Shelly wanted me to pass on an invitation.”
“Oh?”
“She said... that she’s be very happy to have you at her funeral.”
Arc grimaces. “Hopefully not soon.”
Lily sighs. “This is the strongest I’ve seen her in a long time. The idea of her going flying really breathed new life into her. And for that I thank you. However... she’s going downhill faster than I thought she would.”
“Tell Shelly... that I’ll come. But so as not to cause a fuss I’ll be cloaked.”
Lily smiles sadly. “Thank you. That will lift her spirits.”
Nodding, Arc removes the sigil from the floor. Walking over to the window he opens it and turns back to Lily.
“Good night.”
Blinking outside, Arc makes a second Blink up to the roof. Groaning, he opens a portal back to the Observation Deck. As he enters he spies Minerva and Dave packing up the last of their equipment.
“You two about ready to head back to Earth?”
Minerva nods. “I am, yes.”
Dave stands and throws a strap over his shoulder. “Sure thing.”
Ember waves. “Take care you two.”
Sereb nods. “Farewell.”
Arc pulls the Rainbow of Light from his ring and powers it up. Stepping through with the pair, he reappears on a sigil in Minerva’s Living Room. Dave looks around as the portal closes.
“We’re back?”
Minerva grins. “Quite the way to travel.”
“I’ll get to work editing this footage first thing in the morning, Minerva.”
Arc chuckles as he looks at the clock. “Maybe you should do it second thing. It’s pretty much morning now.”
Minerva nods. “Right. And you still need to go home and get some sleep, Dave.
She looks out the window before continuing.
“That could be an issue though.”
Arc turns. “Coming down pretty good out there.”
“Uh... mind if I stay here for a bit? Just until it lets up, that is.”
“I have a Guest Room if you’d like to get some sleep. After all, it’s going to be dangerous to drive for some time.”
“Well...”
Arc calls out from the window. “You might want to take her up on that. Looks like the snow’s turning to rain.”
Dave sighs. “I guess I don’t have much choice.”
Minerva points. “It’s down the hall and to the right.”
“Thanks. See you in the morning. Well, later morning.”
Arc chuckles as Dave leaves the room.
“Well, I’ll see myself out then.”
“Wait, Hero!”
Arc turns back to her. “Yes?”
“I... just wanted to thank you for giving this interview. Shelly’s request or not, it meant a lot to me.”
Cherry giggles. “And I’m glad that someone I can trust will be breaking this to the public.”
“We’ll edit the footage later today. Would you two like to screen it before it airs?”
Arc shakes his head. “That won’t be necessary as I trust your judgement. However I would ask one thing of you.”
“Name it.”
“Please think of Shelly and Lily when you put together that segment.”
Minerva nods. “I will.”
Cherry calls out. “They deserve the best, after all.
“Agreed. However I’m still a bit nervous about releasing something I shouldn’t.”
Eidolon’s Ward raises a gauntlet. “I could help you with that.”
“Oh?”
“If you’d like, I could stay and help with the editing. That is, if the Hero will let me borrow his armor again.”
Arc nods. “Of course. It’s your armor at the moment anyways.”
Eidolon’s Ward opens to allow Arc to step out. He turns to Minerva as it reforms.
“There you are. One representative of Equestria at your disposal.”
“But you’d best get to bed now, Minerva. Remember, you’ve been up all night.”
Minerva rubs an eye. “That’s true. But what about you, Cherry?”
“I’ll just sit here and watch the rain. Or snow if it changes again.”
Arc chuckles. “Wish I could stay and join you, but I have to get home myself.”
“Say ‘hi’ to the family for me.”
“I will.”
Opening a portal with the Rainbow of Light, Arc steps through as Cherry helps Minerva to her room.