As the griffons in the stands begin filing out of the arena two griffon guards step forward with a special gurney. They pick Galena’s limp form up and put her in a body bag as a nearby medic fills out a report as he speaks.
“Time of death... 12:30 P.M. Cause... execution by lethal injection.”
The officer overseeing the endeavor is handed the forms. Looking them over for a few moments he eventually signs the top one and hands them back to the medic. Gestal and Ashe fly down from their places in the VIP box and walk over to Twilight whom is being consoled by Arc. Ashe is the first to speak.
“Um... my father and I came to see if we could... be of any help to you.”
Twilight shakes her head sadly. “Thank you, but this matter is... concluded.”
Gestal nods to the gurney. “Not quite, Princess Twilight. The accused must still be buried.”
Twilight appears hopeful. “Might I be allowed to come to her ceremony?”
Gestal shakes his head. “I’m afraid that will not be possible, your highness.”
Ashe sighs. “Griffon law states that anyone executed is not permitted to have such a thing.”
Arc frowns. “Seems a little harsh.”
Gestal sighs. “The law is the law, Lord Arc.”
“We do have a request though, sir.”
“What is it?”
“As you know, Galena’s egg was taken to the Little Hooves Orphanage in Equestria. One day, when they learn the truth about their true origins along with their mother’s fate, they may wish to visit her grave. Might I ask that we be allowed to take her body back to Equestria for burial there instead?”
Ashe turns to her father. “It seems fair to me. After all, the unborn youngling did nothing wrong.”
“I suppose not. Very well, Lord Arc. You and Princess Twilight may take the body with you.”
Nodding to the guards, the gurney is pushed over to them as Arc opens a portal. Ashe takes the handle and pushes it through the swirling energies as Gestal turns to Twilight and bows his head as he speaks.
“Forgive us for the way this matter turned out, your majesty. It was never our intent to involve others.”
Twilight nods. “I know, sir. But... as my teacher told me in the past, ‘things don’t always go the way that you planned them’.”
“Hopefully next time we meet it will be under better circumstances.”
“Yes, I’d like that too, Lord Gestal.”
They shake talons/hooves as Arc waits patiently. A few moments later Twilight steps back and bows respectfully before speaking again.
“Thank you for your aid, Lord Gestal.”
Turning toward the portal, she enters as Arc looks to Gestal.
“I’ll see to it personally that Galena is properly laid to rest.”
Gestal nods soberly. “Thank you, Lord Arc. Although she was certainly guilty of contributing to the violation of many griffon females, in this case I do wish we could have extended mercy to her, given the circumstances surrounding this matter.”
Arc frowns as he turns away. “So do I.”
Stepping through his own portal, Arc allows it to close behind him. Ashe is just hanging up his bedside phone as she turns to him.
“I’ve notified Nurse Redheart of the situation. She’ll come right over to take Galena to the cooler in the Infirmary.”
Arc nods. “Good.”
Twilight walks over to the gurney and puts her hooves on the railing. Looking down silently at the bag, she is joined by Arc and Ashe whom stand by her side for a few minutes. A knock rings out before the door opens slowly. Redheart steps into the room levitating a small black bag and a clipboard. Walking over to the other side of the gurney she unzips the body bag and puts her stethoscope to Galena’s chest. Sighing and shaking her head the nurse steps back and begins filling out a form as she speaks.
“Such a shame.”
Ashe grimaces. “Yes. Galena, she... wasn’t really at fault. At least I don’t think she was. Not that it matters now.”
Arc steps toward the nurse and pulls a package from his ring. “Nurse?”
Redheart looks up from her clipboard. “Yes sir?”
“I was asked to give this to you.”
Handing the package to her, Redheart opens it and pulls out a piece of paper. She reads it and pulls a small case from the packet. Opening it, she removes a syringe and steps forward. Injecting Galena with the contents, Redheart looks to Arc.
“Sir, what was that all about?”
“Well, you see...”
He is cut off as Galena suddenly starts coughing violently. Twilight hurries forward along with Ashe.
“Galena?!”
“You’re alive?!”
Galena looks around weakly, clearly confused as Redheart sets her clipboard aside and begins looking the young griffon over. Turning her gaze to Twilight, she speaks.
“Where...?”
Twilight takes her talon. “You’re safely aboard The Equinox!”
Ashe gasps. “Twilight, how is this possible?!”
Twilight shrugs. “I have no idea! But it’s a welcome surprise!”
Redheart looks up from the patient quickly. “We need to get her to a hospital immediately for a full physical, Princess Twilight.”
“Shall I open a portal to Ponyville Hospital?”
Redheart nods. “Yes, that would be wise, sir.”
Nodding, Arc does so. Ashe and Redheart quickly push the gurney through the swirling energies as Arc and Twilight follow behind them closely. Finding themselves in Ponyville Hospital, Twilight looks to the nurse at the front desk.
“We have a medical emergency!”
“Follow me!”
She leads them into Treatment Room #1. As they enter the desk nurse picks up a nearby phone and pages Doctor Horse. He arrives momentarily and looks to Redheart.
“What can I do for you today?”
“I have a patient here whom I was ordered to inject with an unknown substance.”
The doctor frowns. “Do you have a sample?”
Redheart holds out the empty syringe. “Right here.”
Doctor Horse accepts the syringe and picks up the phone. He speaks as he dials.
“I’ll have someone from the lab come and...”
The door to the room suddenly opens and Celestia enters. Twilight gasps and runs over to her.
“Princess Celestia?! What are you doing here?!”
Celestia smiles at Twilight. “I was sitting in the waiting room.”
“Are you ill?!”
“No, Twilight. Truth be told, I just came to talk to Doctor Horse.”
She turns to him before continuing.
“There is no reason to have that substance analyzed.”
The doctor appears confused. “Your highness?”
“It was personally mixed by Doctor Whooves, the Royal Physician.”
Ashe eyes the syringe quizzically. “But... what was it?!”
“An ancient and all but forgotten formula that acts as a countermeasure.”
Arc frowns. “To what?!”
“The first shot.”
Galena appears confused. “First shot, your highness?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. The one that I sent over to execute you with, my dear.”
“Wait! You mean...?!”
“Yes. Believe me when I say that you’re very much alive, Galena.”
Redheart reaches for her black bag and pulls out her stethoscope. “But I’m certain that I heard no pulse!”
“That is correct. You didn’t hear it because the lethal injection lowered her heartrate to almost nothing.”
Celestia levitates the empty syringe to herself as she continues.
“And this second one countered that.”
Galena appears hopeful. “Will... will I live, Princess Celestia?”
Celestia nods. “Yes, indeed. There are a few side effects to this concoction, naturally. However, they pale in comparison to death.”
Arc frowns. “I knew you were up to something.”
“Up to what?”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “It sounded kinda strange to me that Equestria, a land which so seldomly executes a prisoner, would have a perfected method by which to do so.”
Celestia smiles. “Truth be told, we do. It’s completely painless and works one hundred percent of the time. However, the syringe that was sent to the Griffon Kingdom for Galena was an altered version.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Altered how, Princess Celestia?”
“Around five hundred years ago, a noble of Canterlot murdered his wife and foals. I sentenced him to death for his crimes naturally. However, the night before he was to be executed I chose to visit him in the dungeon.”
Ashe appears surprised. “For what purpose, your highness?”
“To ask him ‘why’. After all, it’s far from normal for somepony to kill those whom they are closest to. However, when I arrived at his cell I found him in high spirits.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Someone about to be executed was happy about it?”
“Yes, he was. When I asked him what the reason was, he told me that soon he would be a free stallion.”
Twilight shrugs. “Maybe he meant free in death?”
“I thought the same, yes. However, I was unable to shake the feeling there was more to his words than that.”
Galena shudders. “So... what happened to him?”
“The next day the sentence was carried out. I personally watched as he was injected by the royal physician and saw his eyes close. Ordering the official on hoof to confirm his death, I waited as he was examined and summarily pronounced dead. But, with his words still weighing heavily on my mind, I ordered a second shot administered and the first one analyzed before sending his body to the morgue.”
Arc nods soberly. “You thought the first was adulterated?”
“Yes. And it was.”
She holds up the syringe before continuing.
“And the mortician was found to have one like this.”
Twilight gasps. “An antidote?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. The stallion would have been brought to him to be embalmed and prepared for burial after his execution. But he intended to be injected with this and revived before making his escape.”
Arc frowns. “So you’ve been sitting on this for centuries?!”
“I have, yes.”
Ashe grimaces. “But why...?!”
Celestia gestures to Galena. “Because when you’re as old as I am, you understand the potential future need of everything.”
Galena shrinks back nervously. “So... what happens to me now?”
Twilight gasps. “We need to hide her! If the Griffon Kingdom ever found out she was still alive...!”
Arc interrupts as he turns to Celestia. “But they won’t, will they?”
Celestia shakes her head. “You are correct. The griffon known as Galena can never be seen or heard from again.”
Doctor Horse’s eyes grow wide. “But griffons are a rare sight in Equestria, your highness! Hiding one would be nearly impossible!”
Ashe groans. “Even if she were to be placed on house arrest eventually someone would catch a glimpse of her.”
Galena bows her head. “I’m trapped.”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe. But I’d imagine that Princess Celestia wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble without a fully thought out plan.”
“That is correct, Twilight.”
Celestia turns to Galena before continuing.
“As I stated earlier, the griffon named ‘Galena’ can never be heard from again. To that end, I’ve already sent for a very special doctor to be ferried to Canterlot Castle to help with that endeavor.”
Galena shudders. “What kind of doctor, your majesty?”
“A plastic surgeon, my dear. He will alter your body to make you appear to be a different individual entirely. At the very least, enough to be able to convince others that you’re somepony else, that is.”
Ashe frowns. “But such a procedure would still leave some very light scars, your highness. There’s still the chance of someone noticing them and raising questions.”
“Not to worry. I’ve already come up with a back story to explain them.”
Celestia walks over to Galena. Pointing a hoof at several places on the young griffon’s face, she continues.
“The scars most prominent would be here, here, and here. They are typical for any plastic surgery, I’m told. However, the same could be said for reconstructive surgery as well.”
Arc nods. “Like on someone who’s been in an accident?”
“Precisely. Galena will simply tell those whom notice that she was a victim of the recent rebel attack in Griffonstone.”
Ashe sighs. “My exploding carriage?
“There were many injured griffons. Galena will pretend to have been among them to make her story plausible.”
Twilight gasps. “But I told Lord Gestal that we would bury her here in Equestria! What if he makes inquiries as to where the grave is?!”
Arc turns to Ashe. “Would he though?”
“That isn’t very likely, but still a possibility nonetheless.”
Celestia smiles. “Not to worry. Our treaty has the solution to that problem.”
Redheart appears confused. “Your highness?”
“As everypony knows, it allows for free trade between our two nations. Goods can now easily move back and forth to improve both economies. The medical community here in Equestria has been very interested in importing some griffon cadavers to study for some time now. I asked Luna to write up a request for a dozen such bodies to be delivered to Canterlot Castle for dissection. Including a very special addition to the list. One female griffon whom is roughly Galena’s size and has similar feather colors.”
Arc smirks. “She’ll be buried in a plot with Galena’s name on the headstone, and no one will be the wiser.”
Twilight grins. “Even if the casket is exhumed sometime in the future, the body will be unrecognizable due to decomposition.”
Ashe nods. “The perfect coverup.”
Celestia looks to the griffon on the gurney. “Indeed. That is, if Galena will cooperate.”
“Yes, your highness. I will do whatever you say.”
“Very good. Shall we be off?”
Doctor Horse gasps. “But the patient still needs to be examined, Princess Celestia!”
Redheart nods. “Agreed. We need to make sure that she’s going to be alright.”
Celestia turns to them. “That will be done by the Royal Physician and later by the surgeon I’ve called for. Rest assured that Galena will be in the very best of care for the duration of her treatment time. However, now I would like to get her under wraps to avoid any future issues stemming from this matter.”
Arc turns to Galena. She nods and he opens a portal back to his quarters in Canterlot Castle. Ashe pushes her through with Arc as Twilight and Celestia follow closely behind. Arriving, they head for the door. However, Twilight gasps and calls out.
“Wait!”
Arc turns back, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t let anypony see Galena right now! It could potentially get back to the Griffon Kingdom!”
Celestia nods. “Twilight is correct. She should stay fully under wraps until the operation is completed.”
Ashe frowns. “But this is Lord Arc’s personal room!”
Arc shrugs. “Galena can stay in it.”
Galena gasps. “Sir?”
“I don’t even use it that often. Besides, I have several others elsewhere. One aboard my ship, another in Ponyville, and a third in my base.”
“Well... if you’re sure it won’t be an inconvenience.”
Celestia walks over to the phone. “I shall call the Infirmary and have Doctor Whooves and the plastic surgeon report here at once.”
Ashe sits down on her haunches. “Then I’ll stay here and wait for them as well.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Ashe?”
“Remember, I’m the griffon ambassador to Equestria. And as such, it’s my duty to see to it that this Griffon Kingdom citizen is properly cared for and represented.”
Galena appears relieved. “Oh, thank you!”
Twilight smiles. “I’ll stay with you as well, Galena.”
“Thank you, Twilight. But don’t you have duties, or something?”
Celestia smiles at her student. “That you do, Twilight.”
“But I need to be here for...!”
“Believe me when I say that she’s in capable hooves.”
“I’m sure she is. However I do want to be present for the doctors’ analysis of her condition as well as hear her options going forward.”
“That will take a day or so.”
Ashe appears surprised. “It will?”
Celestia nods. “I’ve already had a consultation with the surgeon regarding this. He will need to study Galena’s body first in order to figure out what is and is not possible in her case. Then they must present their ideas to Galena herself whom will be given every available option one at a time. Finally, when all the decisions are made, they will need to gather materials for the operation and set up a time and place in which to do it.”
Arc frowns. “It won’t be done here in the castle?”
“The Crystal Empire has the best facilities for such a thing. However, we need to set up a plan to get her to the operating room without being seen.”
Twilight sighs. “And that too will take time.”
Celestia smiles at her former student. “Now you’re coming around, Twilight.”
Twilight sighs as she heads for the door. “Yes, well... I’ll go check with Luna on how things went while I was gone.”
Arc steps forward. “I’ll come with you, Twilight.”
Twilight turns to him as she puts a hoof on the handle. “That just leaves the matter of finding you a place to stay.”
“Like I said, I can just go to...”
Twilight interrupts him. “No, no. It’s Canterlot’s responsibility to make sure you’re properly housed and provided for at all times, Arc.”
Celestia grimaces. “Twilight, what are you...?”
Twilight grins widely. “I know! You can stay with me in my room!”
Celestia frowns. “That’s not exactly the best...”
Twilight takes Arc’s hand as they leave the room. “Come along! And I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer!”
Groaning, Celestia watches as the door closes behind them. Walking down the corridor together, Twilight latches onto his arm. Turning to her, Arc smiles.
“I don’t think your mentor was very happy with your decision there.”
Twilight sighs. “Yes, well... I do need to start showing her that I’m my own princess now.”
Arc chuckles. “That takes guts.”
“Please understand that I care about Princess Celestia very much. But in her lessons on ruling, she told me that I needed to start being more independent in my way of thinking. To stop agreeing with her on each and every little thing.”
“That’s understandable. After all, that would just make you appear to simply be an extension of her.”
“Right. And I’ve thought about what she taught me long and hard. However, it was just a few minutes ago that I decided how I’m going to start becoming my own mare.”
“Good. How’s that?”
“By standing with you, Arc.”
Arc appears confused. “Me?”
Twilight nods as she smiles up at him. “Right. As you know, Princess Celestia doesn’t respect you. Well... humans in general, I suppose. So I’m going to show her that I disagree with her opinion in this matter.”
“I really don’t want to be a subject of contention between you two though, Twilight.”
“That’s up to her. She can either try to get to know you better, or... well...”
She is silent for a time before continuing.
“Honestly, I... haven’t actually figured out what the alternative would be.”
Arc sighs. “Please give it a great deal of thought before you act, Twilight. After all, I don’t want to come between you and your mentor. Well, more than I have already, I suppose.”
“Believe me, I will think of something. But shouldn’t you call somepony?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Who?”
“Remember, we did just leave the Griffon Kingdom without saying a word to my brother.”
Arc gasps. “Ah! Right! One moment.”
Touching his earring, Arc speaks.
“Arc to Lemon Hearts.”
“This is Lemon Hearts. Go ahead, sir.”
“Notify General Shining Armor that he is to recall all of our forces to The Equinox. As soon as that is completed, radio the powers that be over there for immediate permission to take off. The ship will be returning to Canterlot at once.”
“Yes sir. I’ll pass on your orders to both General Shining Armor and Captain Soarin. Will there be anything else?”
“Connect me to the general. I have additional instructions for him.”
“Right away, sir.”
The line goes dead for a few moments before they are connected.
“General Shining Armor here, sir.”
“What’s your current location?”
“Overseeing the roll call on the deck of The Equinox.”
“Good. I want the ship in the air the moment everyone is accounted for. Twilight, Ashe, and I have just returned to Canterlot with Galena’s body.”
Shining Armor lowers his voice. “How’s Twilight doing?”
Arc instinctively looks away nervously. “She’s... making her peace with what happened.”
“That’s good. I mean, good that she’s recovering!”
“I’ll stay with her until I feel she’s okay to be alone again.”
“Thank you, sir. Let Twilight know that I’ll come see her when I get back to Canterlot tomorrow.”
“Sure. Let me know if anything comes up on that end though.”
“Yes sir.”
“Very good. Arc out.”
He touches his earring, severing the connection as he turns to Twilight and smiles.
“Your brother sounded pretty worried about you.”
Twilight smiles. “I’ll put his mind at ease when he comes back.”
“You going to tell him about our, uh... little secret?”
“When the time is right, yes.”
“Oh?”
Twilight shudders. “I don’t want him bucking you into a mirror again.”
Arc chuckles. “Somehow I think we’re past that.”
“Just in case, I think I’ll wait on sharing that news with him for a bit.”
She smiles seductively and stops walking as she pulls Arc down and whispers in his ear.
“But we should tell the others as soon as possible.”
“Agreed. You want to set something up in the near future?”
“I was actually thinking about tonight.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Tonight?!”
Twilight appears confused. “Something wrong with that?”
“Not really, no. It’s just really sudden, that’s all.”
“I suppose it is. But they deserve to know.”
“Alright. Where should we do this?”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. It’d have to be a pretty big place to hold all of us, after all.”
“Like the Dining Room here in the castle?”
“Right. But I don’t want to have to drag everypony here every time we want to have a meeting.”
“Well, we could always...”
A familiar voice rings out from down the corridor.
“Wait up!”
They turn around to see Hammer jogging toward them. She smiles hugely and salutes as she approaches.
“Welcome back you two!”
Arc grins. “Hey, Hammer.”
Twilight approaches her. “How did things go for you as Acting Captain of the Royal Guard while we were gone?”
“Not too bad. Hardest part was signing my name on documents with that title about a million times.”
Arc shrugs. “It is a mouthful, admittedly.”
Twilight giggles. “Well, Colonel Flash Sentry should be back tomorrow morning. You’ll be off the hook soon enough.”
“Great! I don’t mind filling in, but I don’t think I’d like to do this job permanently.”
She looks around and lowers her voice before continuing.
“Uh... could I talk to you for a minute, Arc?”
Arc motions to Twilight. “Um... we’re kinda in the middle of trying to organize a little get-together.”
Twilight motions to the young woman. “I can do that, Arc. You can go with Hammer.”
“Alright. But only if you’re sure.”
Twilight nods. “Yes, I am. Go on and I’ll catch up with you later.”
Hammer takes his arm as Twilight steps back. “Thanks, princess!”
“No problem.”
Hammer smirks. “Come on, Arc. Let’s go talk somewhere... private.”
“You have somewhere in mind?”
“That bed in your quarters is pretty...”
Twilight interrupts. “You’ll have to find somewhere else!”
Hammer appears confused. “Twilight?”
Arc smiles nervously. “My room is currently... um...”
Twilight cuts in. “Part of an ongoing top secret... operation.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Say what now?”
Arc sighs. “Sorry, but we really can’t say any more about it right now.”
“Why don’t you head over to Light’s Hope with Hammer, Arc? You have a private room there, after all.”
“I guess that would work. And I can check in on the others too.”
Hammer grins. “That does sound good, yeah!”
Arc turns to her. “Shall we be off?”
Hammer nods enthusiastically. “Let’s go!”
Holding up his gauntlet, Arc opens a portal before turning back to Twilight.
“I’ll see you later.”
Twilight steps forward. “Arc?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
“Everything.”
Smiling, he kneels down and kisses Twilight’s forehead tenderly. Standing, he nods and turns back to the portal as Hammer follows him through. As it closes behind them Twilight continues on her way. Meanwhile, the pair reappear in his room inside Light’s Hope. Hammer latches onto his arm and heads for the door.
“Come on!”
Arc appears confused. “But I thought you wanted to talk to me.”
“We can do that on the way, silly! Now let’s go!”
“Hammer, wait!”
“What is it now?!”
“Can you give me a few minutes before we go?”
Hammer chuckles. “Why? Gotta take a leak, or something?”
“Just wanted to check up on someone real quick.”
“Now?!”
Arc nods. “It’s important.”
Hammer groans. “Fine. Just don’t take too long!”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
Stepping back onto the sigil, Arc powers it up and vanishes. Reappearing in his quarters aboard The Equinox he heads for the door. Walking down the corridor he turns to a door and knocks lightly before standing back to wait. A few moments later it opens and Flash Sentry’s face comes into view. Saluting, he speaks.
“Good afternoon, sir!”
“Hi. Um... I just wanted to come by and see how Raven’s doing. Is this a good time?”
Flash Sentry nods. “Yes sir. Please come in.”
Opening the door, the stallion steps back to allow his commanding officer into the room. He spies Raven lying on her back on one of the beds staring up at the ceiling. Flash Sentry calls out as he closes the door.
“Raven, the commander is here to see you.”
Raven sits up and looks over to him. “H-hello, sir.”
“Hey. How are you holding up?”
“I’m feeling a lot better after seeing Goldstone impaled.”
Flash Sentry nods. “You slept very well last night, I might add.”
Raven blushes slightly. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be doing that, dear.”
Arc shrugs. “No problem from where I stand. After all, I do remember saying some time ago that I was okay with you two sleeping together at Light’s Hope.”
Flash Sentry grins. “Yes sir, we do so regularly now.”
Raven smiles sadly. “It’s helped with the nightmares.”
Flash Sentry looks to Raven. “Which I must point out that you didn’t have last night.”
“For the first time since the incident, yes.”
Arc nods. “I think you’re on the road to recovery, Raven. Just be sure to keep seeing your therapist as needed and talk through any problems you have with them or Flash Sentry.”
“Yes sir, I will. However, since Goldstone isn’t alive any longer I do feel more at peace. Before it kinda felt like he could have jumped out from anywhere. While I know that’s a silly notion, the thought of it kept me awake at night for some time.”
“If you need to take some time off to process all of this, I completely understand. Flash Sentry too if needed.”
Flash Sentry shakes his head. “Emerald Dream cautioned against that when we spoke to her after returning to the ship yesterday.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Raven sighs. “She said that I need to do my best to maintain a normal workload if at all possible. It’s supposed to help me move on.”
Turning to Flash Sentry she smiles before continuing.
“That and we need to start saving up our bits for a simple wedding.”
Flash Sentry quickly adds. “Not anytime soon though, sir.”
Raven nods. “Right. We’re not quite ready yet.”
“It’s fine. Whenever you two are ready to tie the knot I’ll see to it you both get some time off for it.”
Flash Sentry grins. “Thank you, sir.”
Raven puts a hoof on her fiancé’s back. “For everything.”
She smiles widely before continuing.
“I can’t thank you enough for all you and the princesses did for me.”
Flash Sentry nods. “Both of us, really.”
Arc shrugs. “All I did was see to it that justice was done. And now you and the other victims can try to move on with your lives. That goes for me too though.”
Raven appears confused. “Sir?”
“This was one of the things I really wanted to see through to its end before my retirement. And as a result, we’re one step closer to bringing peace and stability to the nation as well..”
Flash Sentry salutes soberly. “And I’ll be there to help you with the rest, sir.”
Raven giggles. “As will I.”
Arc smiles. “Thank you. Now if we can just bring the changeling threat to a close, then things will be more or less taken care of.”
Flash Sentry nods soberly. “Yes sir. I’m looking forward to it.”
Arc chuckles as he raises his gauntlet. “As am I. But I think I should let you two get back to what you were doing before I intruded.”
Raven calls out after him. “Sir?”
“Yes, Raven?”
“I just wanted to say... that I hope you find happiness with your own special somepony someday soon.”
Nodding, Arc raises a gauntlet and opens a portal. Stepping through he returns to his quarters inside Light’s Hope. Spotting a roaring fire in the fireplace he walks over to the couch. Hammer lies on her side seductively with her uniform shirt completely unbuttoned and her bra exposed. Grinning, she looks up at him.
“Welcome back, stud.”
Arc chuckles. “Comfy, Hammer?”
“More or less.”
She licks her lips and gives the center of her bra a small tug downward before continuing.
“Wanna help me out of this thing?”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Is this your idea of us having a talk?”
Hammer grins. “Kinda. You wanna do it?”
“Now’s not really the best time, Hammer.”
“You know you want to!”
“Can’t argue with that. But there’s a lot of work to do right now.”
Hammer sighs and sits up as she buttons her uniform up again. “Yeah, yeah. So let’s get to it.”
Standing, Hammer takes Arc’s arm and leads him over to the door. Stepping out into the corridor they spy guards patrolling. Arc turns to Hammer.
“I thought my base was empty.”
“It was. So I decided to send some guards here to watch over the place while you were gone.”
“What for?”
“To keep the place up maintenance-wise. That and we shouldn’t just be leaving military facilities vacant, after all.”
“I suppose that’s true. But I prefer to have my troops in a position to protect the citizens over the security of a lone building.”
“They can do both, you know. After all, with your base here, and staffed, who’s going to be stupid enough to try and attack Ponyville?”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Well... I suppose when Decimus burned the town down my base was vacant.”
“Right. Now I’m not trying to say that they could have outright saved the town. But it could have certainly been a different story had they been here.”
“Well then, thanks for staffing it.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She motions to the Training Room as they pass.
“As you can see, or in this case hear, the troops are busy readying themselves for the upcoming war.”
Arc sighs. “Hopefully it will be a quick and decisive victory.”
“Yeah. I don’t like the idea of this peaceful country being at war any longer than absolutely necessary.”
“Well, I should probably let you get back to the castle.”
“It will be fine for a bit longer, Arc. There are other officers there, you know. That and there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s about blue.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash?”
Hammer nods hugely. “Yup. Remember, I promised to help you plan out a date with her before Christmas. Well... Hearth’s Warming, I guess. You know what I mean.”
“I figured you were too busy to do that with the extra duties.”
“For the most part, yes. However, I spent a few minutes every day brainstorming, going over pamphlets, and other advertisements for things she might like.”
“What did you come up with?”
Hammer reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. She hands it to Arc as she speaks.
“A variety of things in a number of towns. Guessing you have sigils in at least a few of them.”
Arc nods as he looks over the paper. “The ones I don’t aren’t out of reach though. After all, The Equinox will be back in Canterlot tomorrow morning.”
“You could have them fly you around the country to make sigils if you wanted to.”
Arc taps the paper with the back of his hand. “Great ideas here, Hammer.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“Have you mentioned this to Rainbow Dash?”
Hammer shakes her head. “Naw. Well, I did tell her that I was going to give you some tips on how to take her out. But that was months ago, and I didn’t say when.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “Now that I have some ideas all I need to do is pick out a date and time for the event.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“That’s kinda short notice, Hammer.”
“I know it would be kinda rude to do that to anyone else. But you gotta remember this is blue we’re talking about. She loves spontaneity almost as much as Pinkie Pie does.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive!”
“I’ll talk to her about it when we get together soon.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “You planning to go visit her, or something?”
Arc chuckles. “Kinda hard to do, what with her house literally being a cloud in the sky. No, I was planning to call a... um... meeting with her and the rest of the herd.”
“Something up?”
Arc sighs. “Sorta. That and I want to touch base with everyone. See how they feel about how things are progressing.”
“Progressing? Ain’t nothing happened yet.”
“I suppose that’s true. But just like any kind of relationship, communication is key. And I’ve been neglecting that for some time now.”
Hammer nods soberly. “We understand why though. You were needed to take care of that Goldstone freak over in the Griffon Kingdom.”
Arc appears surprised. “You heard about that?”
“Pretty much everyone did, as Princess Luna ordered it broadcasted on all frequencies all over the country. Heck, I heard that Matron Coco Pommel stopped classes when it came on so that the students could hear what she called ‘history in the making’.”
Twilight shrugs. “We did our best, of course. But in the end everything sorta just fell into place.”
Hammer looks at her watch. “Speaking of the school, classes should be getting out in a few minutes. Wanna head over and see your family?”
Arc nods. “That sounds great!”
They leave the building and make the quick walk down the path. The sight of numerous foals running toward Ponyville as they laugh and call out to one another plays out before them. Entering the building, they see Dinky walking out Miss Cheerilee’s classroom with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo. They hurry toward Arc as Dinky leaps into his arms and throws her small hooves around her father’s neck.
“Dad! You’re back!”
Arc chuckles as he reciprocates the hug. “That I am, sweetheart.”
Apple Bloom hops up and down excitedly. “We all heard you at the trial!”
Sweetie Belle grins. “I was on the edge of my seat by the end!”
Scootaloo smirks knowingly. “How did the Battle of Truth go, Big Brother?!”
Dinky grimaces. “Yeah, dad. Miss Cheerilee said we couldn’t listen to that one.”
“Very well, actually. Neither myself, Princess Celestia, or Arbiter Ghaleon were hurt beyond a few bumps and bruises. However, Lord Goldstone was killed.”
Apple Bloom gasps. “Who did it, Arc?! You?!”
“Princess Celestia heavily wounded him with a spear to his midsection. But the killing blow was technically from himself.”
Sweetie Belle appears confused. “Huh?”
“He betrayed his partner at one point and knocked him into a statue overhead of the first king of the Griffon Kingdom. Then later in the fight that very same statue fell on him from above and pierced him with its own blade. While crushing him, that is.”
Scootaloo smirks wickedly. “Sounds like he got what was coming to him. At least if what we heard at the trial was to be believed.”
Hammer nods happily. “Darn right!”
Arc sighs. “Yes, well... that matter is finally done and over with.”
Dinky appears hopeful. “So does that mean you’ll be in town for a while, dad?!”
“Maybe. Not really sure if I’ll be needed in Canterlot to help with the war preparations.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “But there’s lots of time for that!”
Apple Bloom looks out a window as she speaks. “It may not look like it, but spring will be here before we know it.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Right. And our nation needs to be ready for the invasion.”
Hammer shrugs. “Well, I think we can handle the logistics part of it, Arc. Why don’t you take some time off to spend with the family? And the herd too.”
Dinky gasps happily. “Yeah, dad! Mom and I were going to Shelly’s new restaurant for supper tonight along with the others! You could come too!”
Arc appears surprised. “It’s already open?!”
Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “Not yet, no.”
Apple Bloom grins. “They invited the Apple family too!”
Scootaloo steps forward. “Lily said that she wanted a large group of ponies to try her and Shelly’s new recipes before they officially open to the public. So she invited all of your friends, Big Brother.”
Dinky grins. “We were just going to wait out here in the Main Hall for mom to finish putting the orphan’s supper in the oven before we headed over there together.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I really would like to check in on them. After all, I haven’t even had time to call Shelly and Lily since I left for the Griffon Kingdom.”
Hammer grins. “Then it’s settled.”
Arc chuckles. “Guess so.”
Derpy walks into the Main Hall and spies Arc. Walking quickly over to him, she embraces Arc as he kneels down to her level.
“Welcome back, Arc!”
Arc smiles at her. “It’s good to see you too, Derpy.”
Dinky chimes in. “Dad’s going to come with us to Miss Shelly’s new place for supper, mom!”
Apple Bloom nods happily. “He can get caught up on everything that’s been going on over there!”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “I’m sure Rarity will be happy to see him too.”
Scootaloo looks toward the window. “As will the others, I’m sure.”
Arc breaks the embrace with Derpy. “Right. Just give me one second.”
Touching his earring, he speaks.
“Arc to Lemon Hearts.”
“Go ahead, sir.”
“I need to speak to Princess Twilight about a bit of a personal matter. Can you get me a line to her?”
“Yes sir, I’ll contact the castle immediately.”
“Thanks. Arc out.”
Derpy looks surprised as Arc severs the connection. “You’re going to invite Twilight too, Arc?”
Arc nods. “I’m going to try to. After all, it won’t be much of a herd meeting if everyone isn’t there.”
A few minutes later Arc’s earring chirps. Touching it, he speaks.
“This is Arc.”
“Hi there. Um... this is Twilight. I’m told you wanted to talk to me.”
Arc nods. “Right. At the moment I’m at the Little Hooves Orphanage. Dinky told me that Lily invited everyone over to their new restaurant to try out their recipes. Kind of like an informal herd meeting, or something.”
Derpy calls out. “It’s probably because she already knows all of us.”
Dinky shrugs. “Somepony has to tell them what tastes good to a pony, after all.”
Arc chuckles. “You want to come, Twilight?”
“I’d love to! Just let me inform Luna and I’ll be ready for a portal!”
“Alright. Give me a call when you’re ready.”
Twilight giggles happily. “I will! Twilight out!”
The line goes dead as Apple Bloom smirks.
“She sounded excited.”
Sweetie Belle sighs wistfully. “If I were a princess, I’d be looking forward to any excuse to get a break too.”
Scootaloo frowns. “I guess that makes sense. But with her here who’s in charge of Equestria?”
Hammer gulps as she takes a step back. “Don’t look at me! I can’t lead an entire COUNTRY!”
Arc chuckles. “Relax, Hammer. Luna is still in the castle so she’ll be in charge while Twilight is gone. Just like when she and I were in the Griffon Kingdom.”
Hammer facepalms. “Oh... right. Not sure what I was thinking there.”
Derpy appears confused. “That and won’t you be there too, Hammer?”
Dinky smiles at the young woman. “Right. You’re going part of this herd someday too.”
Hammer shrugs. “Guess I should come then. As long as it’s okay with our hostesses, that is.”
Arc puts a hand on Hammer’s shoulder. “I’m sure it will be. After all, it sounds like they were trying to get everyone together anyways.”
A few minutes later Arc’s earring chirps again. Touching it, he grins.
“You ready, Twilight?”
“Yes! I’m standing in your quarters awaiting a portal!”
“Alright. Here goes.”
Holding out his gauntlet, Arc opens a portal. As it forms Twilight rushes through it at top speed. In fact, she runs so fast that she trips over her own hooves and falls to the floor. Arc gasps and rushes forward.
“Twilight!”
Hammer joins him. “You okay, princess?”
Twilight looks up sheepishly as she puts a hoof to her snout. “Y-yes. Just a bit of a bloody nose.”
Derpy gasps. “Let’s get that cleaned up in the kitchen sink, Twilight.”
Nodding, Twilight puts her head back to keep the blood from dripping everywhere as she follows Derpy into the Cafeteria. The fillies giggle as they do so. Dinky is the first to speak.
“Miss Twilight must’ve been REALLY excited to come, dad!”
Arc nods as he tousles her mane. “That she was.”
Apple Bloom grins. “Maybe she just missed you, Arc.”
Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “No way! They were together the whole time over in the Griffon Kingdom!”
Scootaloo turns to him. “Were you, Big Brother?”
“Pretty much, yes. But I think Twilight’s equally interested in seeing all of our friends again.”
A short time later Derpy and Twilight return to the Main Hall together. Twilight is dabbing at her nose with a tissue held in a magical aura. Smiling nervously she turns to Arc and speaks.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Derpy smiles sheepishly. “Right. I do feel kinda silly myself after grabbing the first aid kit.”
Dinky tilts her head to one side, confused. “Why’s that, mom?”
“I completely forgot that alicorns can regenerate.”
Twilight puts the tissue in a nearby waste basket. “My nose had pretty much stopped dripping by the time we got there.”
Apple Bloom trots over to the front doors. “Let’s get going then!”
Sweetie Belle gasps. “Wait for me!”
Dinky runs after them. “I’m coming too!”
Arc and the others laugh happily as they head out the door together. Walking towards town, they soon come to the restaurant. Dinky and her friends reach it first and knock lightly on the door with their small hooves. Lily opens it a few moments later and steps aside to allow them to enter. She smiles as Arc comes into view.
“Welcome back, Arc!”
“It’s good to be back home again. I’m sorry to drop in like...”
Lily interrupts him and smiles as she closes the front door. “Don’t be, Arc! After all, you put up the money for this place.”
“Just to give you two a nice start in Equestria. How are things going over here?”
“We haven’t been able to do much other than write out recipe ideas on paper since you left. The new stove will change that though.”
Arc chuckles. “Looking forward to tasting your cooking again. Griffin cuisine is a bit too... rich for my taste.”
Derpy turns to Twilight as Arc tells Lily about a dish he ate. “How did it go over there?”
Twilight giggles. “Mission accomplished!”
Dinky gasps. “Were you scared over there, Princess Twilight?!”
Twilight shakes her head. “Not for my own safety, no.”
Apple Bloom points a small hoof. “Remember, she had Arc there to protect her.”
Twilight nods approvingly. “And he did a wonderful job at that.”
Sweetie Belle appears suddenly serious. “Did anypony try to hurt you?”
“Once, yes. An assassin shot a crossbow at Ashe and myself.”
Scootaloo grins. “And Big Brother stopped them dead, right?”
“He shielded us, yes. Then the soldiers went after the guilty party and captured them.”
Derpy’s ears droop as she sighs. “I hope they’ll be properly punished for what they did.”
Twilight grimaces. “Believe me when I say... that they won’t be able to hurt anypony for quite a while. To say nothing for what happened to Goldstone in the Gladiator’s Arena.”
Lily breathes a sigh of relief as she overhears the end of the conversation and walks over to join them with Arc.
“That’s good! Shelly and I were beyond worried when we heard that terrible griffon call out during the trial for the... what was that fight called again?”
Hammer scratches her head. “The Battle of Truth, I think.”
Arc nods. “Yup, that’s the one.”
Lily scoffs. “It’s silly to think that someone could get away with a crime by fighting a battle to prove their innocence.”
Arc shrugs. “Earth had something like that a long time ago.”
Lily appears confused. “We did?”
“Yup. We learned about it in history class. But I believe it was called a ‘Trial by Combat’.”
“I think I dimly remember that now, yes.”
Twilight steps forward as she smiles nervously at Lily. “Sorry for barging in unannounced like this.”
Hammer groans. “Yeah, me too.”
Lily smiles. “You’re welcome here anytime, Princess Twilight. And you as well, Hammer.”
Twilight waves a hoof dismissively. “Please, please. It’s just ‘Twilight’.”
Apple Bloom looks around. “Where’s Miss Shelly?”
Lily gestures to the door behind the counter. “In the kitchen. The Hammer’s just finished installing the custom stove earlier today and we’re anxious to try it out.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Uh... I don’t believe I had anything to do with installing anything here.”
She puts a hand to her forehead before continuing.
“Unless I’ve been working so hard that I can’t remember doing it!”
Arc chuckles. “Steel Hammer and Silver Hammer are the town’s blacksmith and jeweler respectively.”
Derpy nods. “Right. They’re typically just called ‘the Hammers’ though, as you seldom see one without the other.”
Hammer appears relieved. “Oh... that makes sense.”
Sweetie Belle looks to Lily. “Can we help in the kitchen?”
Derpy giggles. “Yes, it must be difficult to cook for so many.”
Lily shakes her head. “It’s fine. Shelly and I really just wanted to test out some small batches of things we came up with this week. The full meal is going to be put through one of the pony-sized bread ovens that we asked to be kept operational for tonight’s supper.”
Dinky grins. “What is it, Miss Lily?!”
“Pizza.”
Arc smirks. “Really?!”
“Yes, Arc. Truth be told, it actually looks more like a pizza oven than something that makes bread.”
Derpy looks to the kitchen door. “Can we see it?”
“Sure. Everyone, follow me.”
Lily leads them behind the counter and through the swinging double doors. Inside they spot Shelly standing at a large counter measuring out ingredients. She smiles as they enter and makes her way slowly over to them. Arc steps forward and takes her hand to help steady her as she puts an arm around his shoulder affectionately.
“Glad you could make it, Arc!”
Lily giggles. “He came back for us, Shelly!”
Arc chuckles. “Kinda feels like I did.”
Derpy feigns disappointment. “And here I thought you came here to see Dinky and I, Arc.”
Dinky grins. “Miss Shelly’s doing a lot better, dad!”
Shelly looks around. “That I am! But where’s Max?”
Arc motions out the window to the east. “He’s still aboard The Equinox. They’re flying back to Equestria as we speak.”
Shelly smiles wistfully. “It was great having him here every day before you two had to ship out.”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “You must miss him, Miss Shelly.”
“Oh, I do! But I understand that he has a job to do aboard Arc’s ship.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Actually, that job’s done. The extra security aboard my ship is probably just kinda eating and sleeping now that Twilight’s no longer aboard.”
Apple Bloom grins. “So he isn’t really needed over there then?!”
“Right.”
Arc turns to Shelly before continuing.
“Want me to get him for you?”
Shelly smiles happily. “Yes, please! That is... if it won’t get him into trouble.”
Twilight giggles. “I think Arc could convince his commanding officer.”
Derpy appears confused. “But I thought Max was Arc’s... employee.”
Dinky shakes her head. “He’s his ‘subordinate.”
Scootaloo nods. “Right, mom. Big Brother was just making a joke.”
Derpy blushes slightly as she looks at Arc.. “Ah! Sorry for ruining it!”
Apple Bloom giggles. “I still laughed!”
Sweetie Belle snickers. “Me too!”
Arc raises a hand to his earring. “Now that the fun is out of the way, let’s get him over here.”
Touching it, he speaks.
“Arc to Lemon Hearts.”
“Lemon Hearts here. Go ahead, sir.”
“Have my squad report to my quarters aboard ship. I need them back in Ponyville right away for a... very special mission.”
“Yes sir. Will there be anything else?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, that should do it. Arc out.”
He touches his earring, severing the connection as Lily turns to Shelly and grins slyly.
“Looks like you’ll be able to cook for your boyfriend after all.”
Shelly giggles as she blushes happily. “That I will. Still getting used to having someone special like him in my life though.”
Twilight puts a hoof on Arc’s side. “As am I.”
Derpy appears surprised. “You’ve never had a stallionfriend before, Twilight?”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, I was always too busy reading and learning to form any serious attachments.”
Apple Bloom bows her head. “Sounds lonely.”
“Oh, believe me it was. But I didn’t realize just how much so until Arc came into my life.”
Derpy nods soberly. “I felt the same way. After all, I was physically and emotionally alone before I met Arc here.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Me too. Back in Knothole Village, neither of us seemed to fit in. So we became the most unlikely of friends.”
Sweetie Belle grins widely. “Rarity’s never been happier!”
Apple Bloom giggles. “Applejack too!”
Lily smiles warmly at Arc. “I understand that. He just kinda... um... brings out the best in everything.”
Shelly nods. “That he does. And Max too.”
Arc chuckles. “I’m glad to be of help. But if we’re going to talk about Max he really should be here to hear it.”
Raising a gauntlet, Arc opens a portal. A few moments later Max and the rest of the squad walk through. They stand at attention before Arc and salute silently as he addresses them.
“Good job on that last mission. Now then, how about some shore leave?”
He motions around them before continuing.
“And supper.”
Max grins as his eyes drift over to Shelly. “That sounds great, sir!”
Hugh nods. “I’m in!”
Viktor sniffs the air hungrily. “Me too!”
Xenos laughs heartily. “Guess that settles it.”
Arc smirks as he salutes. “Well then... dismissed.”
Max immediately turns and runs over to Shelly. Kneeling down she wraps her arms around his neck as he nuzzles her face. The others look on in approval. Xenos is the first to speak.
“Nice!”
Hugh nods approvingly. “Good job, Max!”
Viktor turns to his commanding officer. “Thanks for making this happen, sir.”
“No problem. After all that fuss in the Griffon Kingdom, I figured we could all use a bit of time off.”
Lily walks over to the stove and picks up a spoon as she calls out. “Why doesn’t everyone sit down in the dining area now? I’ll start plating the food so that we can eat as soon as the others arrive.”
Shelly turns to the stove. “Right. Lily and I will be right out with...”
Lily interrupts her friend. “No, no. You sit down and rest, Shelly. After all, you’ve been going pretty hard all day to make this happen.”
Max smiles up at her as he extends a hoof. “Come on, Shelly. I’ll help.”
Shelly giggles. “Thank you. But how, Max?”
Dinky looks Max over. “He is a bit shorter than in human form.”
Apple Bloom gasps happily as an idea hits her. “How about turning Max here into a human again, Arc?!”
Derpy nods. “We could all be humans!”
Scootaloo shakes her head. “Naked humans, mom.”
Sweetie Belle puts a hoof to her chest and giggles. “Fur coverings are just kinda something we don’t think much about.”
Hugh shrugs. “Until we don’t have them anymore, that is.”
Xenos shivers instinctively. “Yeah, that was kinda cold.”
Max looks up at Shelly. “Put your hand on my head. You can lean on me.”
“Are you sure?”
Max nods. “Completely.”
She smiles and puts her hand on top of Max’s head. Taking a step, they walk out the door and toward the tables together. Shelly turns to the others whom are following them.
“We had all new booths made up that are large enough to accommodate ponies as well as average sized humans.”
Dinky giggles as she slides into a booth with her parents and Scootaloo. “That means my dad and I can eat together!”
Derpy giggles. “I was kinda worried that he wouldn’t fit.”
Twilight smiles as she takes a seat in the booth across the aisle with Hammer, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Well, it’s a nice surprise.”
Max stops at a couple’s table. “Is this alright, Shelly?”
Shelly nods happily. “Yes, it’s fine.”
Xenos pulls out a chair for Shelly as Hugh helps Max sit her down. Smiling at them she speaks.
“Thank you. I might have pushed myself a bit too far today.”
Xenos smiles at her warmly. “No problem, Miss Shelly.”
Hugh nods. “Yes, we’re happy to help.”
Viktor points a hoof at a nearby booth. “It okay if we crash here, Max?”
Max appears confused. “Um... I guess so. But why ask me?”
Xenos grins as he slides into the booth. “We just wanna to watch.”
Hugh smirks. “And learn.”
Viktor chuckles. “Mind if we take notes?”
Max rolls his eyes. “Jokers...”
Shelly giggles. “They want to be just like you someday, Max.”
Xenos nods fervently. “Right! Have somepony to love!”
Viktor grins. “And date!”
Arc looks over as he calls out. “There’s an ample amount of single mares to go out with right here in Ponyville.”
Xenos sighs. “Maybe someday they’ll be time for that.”
The door opens and the rest of the Mane Six along with Ember and Auriel walk in. Arc stands and smiles at them as Pinkie bounces over to him
“Hey, Arc! Nice job in the Griffon Kingdom!”
Applejack nods approvingly. “We heard the play by play on the radio.”
Fluttershy shudders. “It was scary to listen to!”
Rarity groans. “That it was.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “I knew you’d be able to pull it off!”
Scootaloo smirks as she looks to the rainbow maned pegasus. “Yeah? I seem to recall somepony being on the edge of their seat the whole time.”
Fluttershy smiles at her. “And falling off of it twice.”
Auriel appears confused. “Oh? Whom was that?”
Rainbow Dash glares at them. “That only happened once though!”
Applejack chuckles. “So you finally admit that it happened?”
Ember smirks. “That’s surprising.”
Rarity giggles. “Back then I recall a certain somepony just brushing it off as them tripping when standing to use the restroom.”
Hammer laughs heartily. “That’s our blue!”
Arc looks to Rainbow Dash. “In any case, thanks for worrying.”
Rainbow Dash looks away and blushes slightly. “I... I knew you could do it.”
Twilight nods. “We all did, Arc.”
Lily emerges from the back with a large tray of dishes. The others sit down in available booths and at tables as she passes out the appetizers. They try them one by one and give their honest opinions, feedback, and suggestions. Afterwards, Lily heads back to the kitchen to retrieve their main course. She returns a few moments later carrying a truly massive pizza pan. Everyone looks at it, with their eyes wide, as she carefully sets it down on a serving stand that sits strategically in the middle of the floor. Arc is the first to speak.
“Um... Lily?”
“Yes, Arc?”
“What... IS that?!”
Lily appears confused. “Pizza.”
Rainbow Dash salivates. “That thing is HUGE!”
Auriel gasps. “Oh my!”
Twilight giggles. “You said it, Auriel! I didn’t even know such a thing was possible to cook evenly!”
Shelly calls out from her table. “You can thank Steel Hammer and Silver Hammer for that.”
Hammer groans. “There’s those names again!”
Ember laughs as she picks up a massive slice. “I was waiting for this!”
Lily nods to the kitchen. “They came up with the idea of retooling the bread oven to add an extra setting.”
Dinky appears confused as she turns to her father. “Setting?”
“I’m curious about that too, sweetheart.”
Derpy looks to Shelly. “How does it work?”
“Normally unbaked bread is put into pans and slowly run through the oven on a conveyor belt.”
Applejack chimes in. “And you had the speed of the belt adjusted?”
Lily nods. “And they added automatically opening and closing doors to help hold the heat in.”
Pinkie gasps. “That would make them cook EXTRA fast!”
Ember smirks. “Hot as dragon’s breath I would guess.”
Shelly grins. “We have the cooking time down to five minutes per pizza.”
Fluttershy giggles. “Smart! After all, nopony would want to wait around when they’re hungry.”
Derpy looks to the pan. “That’s really impressive!”
Dinky licks her lips. “Yeah! When we make a pizza at home it feels like it takes forever to cook!
Apple Bloom grins. “Well, let’s see how this one tastes!”
Sweetie Belle nods as she salivates. “Uh huh!”
Everyone reaches over and grabs slices as Lily passes out oversized plates. They talk and laugh together as they eat. The mares bring Arc up to speed on their various activities while he was gone overseas while Dinky and her friends do the same. As they all finish eating Lily looks around the tables as she speaks.
“So how was everything?”
Rainbow Dash takes flight excitedly. “Great! Awesome! Stupendous! Uh... super! Can’t think of any other words though.”
Pinkie jumps up on top of the table. “How about amazing, serendipitous, and awe-inspiring?!”
Rarity giggles as she dabs at the corners her mouth with a napkin. “I would say it was along the lines of ‘magnificent’.”
Applejack nods approvingly. “That pizza was really good! Loved the sauce!”
Fluttershy smiles. “It was a wonderful meal, truly!”
Twilight looks to their hosts warmly. “I think pretty much every word that could have described this mean was used already. But I do want to say that I too thought the flavors were perfect.”
Hammer pats her belly. “Almost as good as Roberto’s back on Earth!”
Auriel turns to Arc. “Was that the place you ordered from when I was there?”
Arc nods. “Yup. It’s a family favorite.”
Shelly giggles. “You used to order it when we lived with you too, Arc!”
Max looks to Shelly. “That place was pretty good. Just like yours is.”
Xenos grins. “Yeah! It’s hard to say which is better though.”
Viktor taps the table with a hoof. “The cheese, sauce, and toppings were quite good, yes.”
Hugh shrugs. “I thought the crust was a bit soft though. Tasted good, of course. But that’s my only critique.”
Ember smirks. “Would’ve been better with meat, I bet.”
Hammer raises a hand. “I second that!”
Arc nods. “I suppose so. But I’m sure they wanted to make something everyone could enjoy.”
Lily smiles. “Right. We understand that the ponies of this land are herbivores.”
Shelly chimes in. “But we’ll still try experimenting with some of this land’s meats for you, Arc.”
“Thanks!”
Hammer grins. “Looking forward to trying some of that!”
Ember looks to Lily. “How about cockatrice meat?”
“Cockatrice?”
Twilight nods. “It’s a chicken/lizard hybrid that can turn ponies to stone.”
Shelly gasps. “Oh my!”
Ember licks her lips. “But they taste REALLY good!”
Hammer laughs. “I second that!”
Auriel turns to Hammer, confused. “How many ‘seconds’ can you make, Hammer?”
“You know it’s good!”
Auriel giggles. “Yes, can’t argue there.”
Arc sighs. “Agreed. However, there aren’t any farms that raise them.”
Derpy looks out the window. “You have some in your freezer back at Light’s Hope don’t you, Arc?”
“Yup. They’re from the annual hunting expedition into the Everfree Forest.”
He turns to Lily before continuing.
“I’ll see about bringing you a bird one of these days.”
“Thank you, Arc.”
Twilight stands and flaps her wings to get up on top of the counter. “Now that we’ve all eaten our fill, I have an announcement to make regarding the mission to the Griffon Kingdom.”
Apple Bloom appears confused. “Twilight?”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Scootaloo waves a small hoof. “Shh! Let her talk!”
Arc stands and joins Twilight. “Right. It wasn’t all diplomacy and fancy royal gatherings, you know.”
Twilight shudders. “I admit that I was scared more than once during that trip. But Arc was by my side the whole time to help keep me on track.”
“However, one evening while we were waiting for action to be taken in our case, I asked Ashe to recommend some kind of outing for Twilight.”
Derpy looks confused. “Outing? Like a field trip?”
Twilight nods. “Something like that. She told him about a very special facility where the rich and powerful of the Griffon Kingdom go to relax.”
Hammer frowns. “Wasn’t that dangerous though?! I mean, you’re a tempting target!”
Auriel nods soberly. “Yes, you would have been in extreme danger the whole time, Twilight!”
Twilight waves a hoof dismissively. “Normally, yes. However, believe me when I say that this place was fully secured inside and out.”
Arc chuckles. “Right. Twilight and I were very safe during our time there.”
Fluttershy appears interested. “What sort of things did you do there, Twilight?”
“Well... first we had a nice supper in a private, and very cozy, Dining Room. After that we decided to try out their public baths.”
Applejack raises an eyebrow, confused. “A what now?”
Arc chimes in. “Think of it kinda like the Ponyville Spa, but much larger and much fancier. Servants were everywhere to deliver anything you wanted to eat or drink as well as give massages as requested.”
Rarity gasps excitedly as her eyes light up. “It sounds wonderful!”
Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “You would like something like that, Rarity.”
Hammer shrugs. “I’m with blue on this one. Not really my thing either.”
Auriel attempts to keep the conversation moving. “Did you enjoy it though, Twilight?”
Twilight nods. “Very much so, yes.”
Ember grins. “So you two took a bath together. Then what?”
Arc pretends to roll some invisible dice. “We hit the casino.”
Derpy appears confused. “What’s a casino?”
Twilight giggles. “It’s a place where you can gamble. They had a number of games such as slots, roulette, and a card game which I may have forgotten the name of.”
Arc fills in the missing word. “Griffcard.”
“That was it.”
“It’s kinda like Texas Hold ‘em back on Earth.”
Hammer grins. “I’ve played that one a few times. Not the greatest at it, mind you. But I was able to beat Stingray and Mio.”
Ember turns to her. “How do you win?”
“By having the best cards.”
Auriel puts a claw to her chin. “So it’s a game of chance?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Partially. There’s a bit of probability, naturally. However there’s also the art of bluffing.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “Bluffing?”
Dinky sighs. “Tricking others.”
Scootaloo grins. “That does sound like fun.”
Arc shrugs. “It is. Sometimes, if you don’t have particularly strong cards, you can try to convince the others to drop out by tricking them into thinking you have a good hand by betting big.”
Apple Bloom appears confused. “Betting bits?”
Twilight nods. “Right.”
Derpy looks to Arc. “But if you don’t have much chance of winning why lose bits over it?”
“The goal isn’t necessarily to have the best cards. It’s just a matter of trying to be the last one standing. Then you win it all.”
Ember smirks. “Sounds kinda like a battle.”
Auriel grins as she takes up a battle ready stance. “If you’re weaker than your opponent, you can try to make them think that you’re not such an easy target.”
Fluttershy shudders. “I don’t think I’d be very good at that game.”
Rainbow Dash trots in place happily. “Maybe not! But I’ve always wanted to try my hoof at the casinos of Las Pegasus!”
Rarity giggles. “I wouldn’t mind trying the roulette tables myself.”
Sweetie Belle groans. “Mom!”
Rarity smiles lovingly at the filly. “Just for a little while, dear. After all, I’m not looking to lose everything on such a silly thing.”
Applejack scoffs. “You do what you want with your bits, Rarity. But I’m not throwing mine away on games.”
Fluttershy nods. “Me either. Well... not that I have many to do so with anyways.”
Max looks to Arc. “We soldiers have some card games we like to play.”
Xenos shrugs. “Yeah. They sound really similar to what you’re describing, sir.”
Hugh chuckles. “It’s a good way to pass the time when off duty though.”
Viktor grins. “One just has to be sure not to lose their month’s pay.”
Pinkie hops up and down excitedly. “Slots would my thing!”
Ember licks her scaly lips. “Eating would be mine!”
Hammer smirks. “You can watch me at the card table, blue.”
Rainbow Dash lands in front of the young woman. “I’d take you on!”
“Bring it!”
Auriel looks to Twilight. “Maybe we could try an informal game amongst ourselves sometime to learn the rules and nuances.”
Twilight nods. “Right. It doesn’t have to be for bits.”
Arc grins. “We could just use chips and play for fun.”
Derpy gasps happily. “Could I watch?”
Apple Bloom jumps up and down. “Me too!”
Sweetie Belle raises a hoof. “Me three!”
Scootaloo grins. “I’d like to play as well.”
Lily calls out. “That does sound like fun, yes. However, we should probably let Arc and Twilight finish telling the remainder of their story.”
Shelly nods. “Right. I want to hear the rest.”
Twilight clears her throat and continues. “After that, we went downstairs to see the cage matches. They were one-on-one battles with safe weapons between two combatants.”
Arc chuckles. “The nobles apparently like to bet on the outcome of the matches.”
Ember grins. “Sounds like my kind of place!”
Hammer’s eyes light up. “Yeah!”
Fluttershy cowers back fearfully. “Sounds scary to me!”
Applejack looks to Twilight. “Anypony get hurt bad?”
Twilight shakes her head. “They do have a full medical staff on hoof there as well as non-lethal weapons though.”
Lily shudders. “It still sounds rather dangerous.”
Twilight sighs. “While I’m sure all precautions are taken to protect their... performers, it does stand to reason that sometimes bad things would happen.”
Derpy grimaces. “Did you see any?”
Arc nods. “One, yes. A smaller than most gladiator won the right to challenge the champion, but was soundly defeated.”
Twilight frowns. “But the champion kept beating on him even after the match was won.”
“I guess he expected more of a battle, because he started taunting those around him to send someone in to fight him that was a challenge.”
“Then he wanted to take on Arc due to his... physical differences.”
Scootaloo smirks wickedly. “Not a smart move on his part.”
Arc shrugs. “I turned him down flatly though. But he was insistent, and threw something at Twilight and I. So I decided to humor the guy and teach him a lesson in manners.”
Pinkie gasps. “You got into a cage with him?!”
“That I did.”
Auriel’s eyes grow wide. “But why?!”
Arc shrugs. “Just got tired of him running him mouth mostly.”
Twilight nods matter-of-factly. “Arc showed him a thing or two though.”
Apple Bloom grins. “What happened?!”
“I took him out in such a way that he was utterly humiliated in front of the onlooking nobles.”
Twilight giggles. “And then, when the officials came forward to give Arc his winnings, he threw them at the champion.”
Arc chuckles. “It was to show that I was above such foolishness.”
Sweetie Belle laughs. “I bet he felt really silly after that.”
Max chuckles. “I’ll say.”
Xenos smirks. “Yeah. What happened after that, sir?”
“Twilight and I left.”
Twilight shudders. “We had finished our snack by that time, so there was no point in sticking around. Especially after what had just happened. So we went to see the symphony elsewhere in the building.”
Rarity’s eyes light up. “A live symphony?!”
Derpy appears confused. “A what?”
Dinky turns to her mother. “A large group of musicians playing a song together, mom.”
Applejack lowers her hat and closes her eyes as she leans back in her chair. “That would have put me to sleep.”
Arc shrugs. “It was a nice way to wind down the evening though.”
Twilight nods. “Yes. We listened for a time before Arc asked me to dance.”
Viktor raises an eyebrow. “I thought it was just supposed to be a listening experience.”
Hugh gasps. “They had a dance floor too?”
Arc nods. “That they did. We were in a private VIP balcony at the time though. But all it took was an elevator ride down to reach the ballroom floor.”
Twilight grins. “Arc taught me a few simple dance moves.”
Arc looks to Derpy. “Kinda like what we did on our date back on Earth.”
Derpy smiles. “That was really fun! Moving to the music with somepony special, that is.”
Twilight blushes slightly as she recalls the memory. “Yes, well... I had only ever danced with my foalsitter Cadance in the past. And that was as a filly, of course. So I just did what I did back then. Admittedly it must’ve looked rather silly to those around us. So Arc stopped me and taught what he knew so that I could enjoy it.”
“It gave us a chance to talk about Twilight’s fears over the outcome of our mission as well.”
Hammer gives them a thumbs up. “Business with pleasure. That’s tops in efficiency, Twilight.”
Ember frowns. “Take a night off once in a while though!”
Auriel shrugs. “Well, it’s better to talk through things rather than letting it bottle up inside.”
Scootaloo grins. “And Big Brother is really good at talking through things.”
Derpy giggles. “And coming up with solutions too.”
Pinkie jumps back down into her seat. “So what did you say, Arc?!”
“I just kinda gave her a pep talk to convince her that she was doing all she could mostly.”
Twilight nods. “It really helped though. However, by that time it was getting really late. So I suggested that we do something a bit... outside my comfort zone.”
Auriel appears surprised. “What was that, Twilight?”
Twilight blushes heavily. “That Arc and I... get a room together.”
“They gave us the best one in the place too. It was at the very top of the building and gave amazing views of the city below.”
“Once we were truly alone I had the chance to talk to Arc privately about certain... mare topics.”
Apple Bloom giggles. “Like what?!”
“Well... things... that are... um...”
Arc interrupts her. “...probably best not brought up with foals present.”
Sweetie Belle throws her head back and cries out. “Aw, come on!”
Scootaloo taps the table with her hoof. “I’m assuming it was either about having foals or other related topics.”
Twilight nods. “Something like that, yes. I just wanted to get Arc’s perspective on a few things that had been bothering me, that’s all.”
“I just answered her Honestly and did what was asked of me.”
Rainbow Dash smiles slyly. “Definitely want more details on THAT later!”
Hammer nods approvingly. “Cut me off a slice of that action too!”
Ember smirks. “Oh yeah!”
Auriel leans forward. “Me too! For research purposes, of course!”
Arc laughs. “Are you sure it’d just be for ‘research’, Auriel?”
“Business and pleasure... that sort of thing.”
Rarity giggles. “Now, now. Little ears.”
Twilight waves a hoof to move the conversation along. “We can talk about that more later. But after that conversation, I did ask Arc a very important question. One that has been on my mind for a long time now.”
Arc takes her hoof as she continues.
“I asked Arc... to marry me.”
Hammer fist pumps. “Hell yeah!”
Auriel grins widely. “What did you say, Arc?!”
“I told her ‘yes’.”
Derpy giggles. “Congratulations, you two!”
Dinky throws her hooves up happily. “Our family is getting even bigger!”
Applejack smiles warmly. “We’ll have to talk more about plans for a wedding soon.”
Rarity puts a hoof to her chin. “And living arrangements too.”
Rainbow Dash looks to Twilight. “Plenty of time for that though, right?!”
“Yes. We haven’t talked any more about this since that night.”
Arc nods. “After all, it didn’t seem right to go any further with plans without first telling everyone about it.”
Shelly smiles. “I’m very happy for you two!”
Max grins. “Right.”
Lily grimaces. “Um... are you really sure this is a good idea though, Arc? I mean... having so many wives will be a lot of work.”
“That’s why we’re taking this slow, Lily. To make sure everyone involved is certain that they want this.”
Hammer shrugs. “I’m thinking it’ll all work out.”
Rarity giggles happily. “Yes. As long as we’re all honest with each other on our feelings and plan together.”
Applejack raises a hoof. “I might have had a bit of an idea regarding that.”
Twilight looks to her. “What is it?”
“Now, I want to start off by saying that this is just a suggestion. But what Lily said a moment ago does make a lot of sense. Marriage between your average couple really is a lot of work. After all, you’re both used to doing your own thing and making decisions for yourself. Suddenly you have to try and agree with somepony else on things that you used to just make decisions for on your own. It could make for a lot of friction if done too fast.”
Arc appears confused. “What are you suggesting then, Applejack?”
“I think... that a bit of a test run is in order.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “A what?”
Pinkie raises a hoof as she pulls a number two pencil out of her mane. “Oh! Oh! Will it be multiple choice?!”
Applejack continues. “As you all know, Arc and I are the only ones whom have cohabitated romantically in the past.”
She looks to Derpy before continuing.
“Um... kinda.”
Derpy nods. “I agree with you, Applejack. It is very different than just having a roommate, I admit. But Arc and I haven’t really had time to talk about any of this in great detail yet. That and we haven’t really done much of anything relationship-wise other than to cuddle at night. So I think you’re ahead of me in terms of actually living together.”
Applejack continues. “Now I know that it was just a week, mind you. But that experience really opened my eyes to some of the things involved with living with somepony. Sharing living spaces and working to keep things neat and tidy.”
Arc chuckles. “You and I are pretty similar in that regard though.”
Fluttershy giggles. “Agreed. Both of you are hard workers, strong, brave, and tidy though.”
Ember frowns. “Sounds really compatible when you put it like that.”
Applejack sighs. “Yes, well... not all of us are wired that way though. Now I’m not saying any names here, but I know that it’s going to be kinda tough for some personalities to live together after the wedding.”
Rarity appears confused. “But we’re all already friends.”
“True. However, none of us have ever lived together, Rarity. Remember what happened when you, Twilight, and I had that impromptu slumber party at her library when that big storm was rolling through?”
Rarity looks away nervously. “Um... kinda.”
Auriel appears genuinely interested. “What happened?”
Hammer grins as she folds her arms over her chest. “This should be good!”
Applejack groans. “Rarity and I didn’t really get along that night. Each of us thought things should be done a certain way and would butt heads whenever it didn’t go our way.”
Twilight quickly chimes in. “But it wasn’t anything life changing though. Bedding use, games, and a lot of passive aggressive behavior if I recall correctly.”
Rarity sighs. “It all boiled down to our methodology, I believe.”
Applejack bows her head. “That and each of us doing our best to try and control the narrative. So it’s not like we haven’t done something like this before.”
Fluttershy puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “And that was just a sleepover for one night. Living together permanently would involve a lot more comingling than that.”
Rarity groans. “Agreed. The issue was that I wanted her to do things a certain way, and Applejack wanted me to do it her way.
Applejack nods. “Right. But the best thing was actually each of us doing what we were best at. I worked on stopping the rain from coming in while Rarity did her best to protect Twilight’s belonging from water damage.”
Twilight smiles nervously at Applejack. “It did work out in the end, yes. But that was a very... stressful time for me.”
“Which leads me to my idea on how to help make the transition as smooth as possible.
Applejack turns to Rarity before continuing.
“We all agreed that Rarity should be the one to... uh... try and have foals with Arc first.”
Rainbow Dash grins slyly. “With me second, you mean!”
Hammer turns to her. “You mean US second, right blue?”
“I figured that was implied, cupcake.”
Fluttershy waves her hooves slightly. “Please everypony. Let Applejack finish.”
“I think that it might be best for everypony if Arc and Rarity were to get married first and move in together.”
Sweetie Belle giggles as she looks to Dinky. “Then we’d be real sisters!”
Dinky grins. “And Scootaloo too!”
Scootaloo folds her hooves in front of her chest. “I have to admit, that would be really nice. But you two are forgetting something very important here.”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “They are?”
“Yes. What Big Brother and Rarity want.”
Rarity looks around nervously. “I... can’t deny that I would like to marry Arc and begin living together, of course. However, what would become of Derpy?”
“I think I’d be okay living with Dinky and Scootaloo in my home.”
Dinky smiles. “We could all sleep together if that would help you, mom.”
Scootaloo nods. “Right. But I too would miss having Big Brother around.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “It’s not like you’d never see him again.”
Hammer shrugs. “Right. He’d just move in with Rarity at her shop.”
Sweetie Belle chimes in. “I do see what Scootaloo is saying though. And while I’d love having him live with Rarity and I, it seems to me that the others need him too.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Everyone does raise good points, yes. However, I do think I have a bit of a solution.”
Auriel appears hopeful. “What is it?”
“A place of my own. Big enough for everyone, that is.”
He turns to Rarity before continuing.
“Everyone would still keep our own properties, naturally. However, at the end of the day those involved could return to my place to eat supper together, talk, and retire to their own private room there at the end of the day.”
Rainbow Dash appears skeptical. “So just so I’m understanding this correctly, we’d all have a room to ourselves there?”
“Right.”
Applejack raises a hoof. “Could it be set it up the way we want?”
Arc nods. “Of course. After all, I don’t expect anyone to stay somewhere they aren’t happy or comfortable.”
Ember frowns. “What about the rest of the house?”
Arc shrugs. “We’d have to cross that bridge when we get to it. I’d like for it to be set up in a way that makes everyone happy. However, I understand that such a thing probably isn’t possible.”
Twilight gestures toward a window with a wave of her hoof. “You should probably talk to Hard Hat about housing options here in Ponyville then, Arc. Get some drawings made up for everypony to look at and talk over.”
Lily nods approvingly. “I do like the idea of you getting married to a single mare, Arc.”
Shelly smiles at him. “As do I. While I do understand your reasoning behind this, the idea of having multiple wives is still foreign to us.”
Arc sighs. “Yes, that might be what’s best. Starting off with a single spouse, I mean.”
Applejack appears hopeful. “And adding us one by one?”
“That could be the plan, yes.”
Derpy grimaces. “What would our relationship be to you in the meantime though, Arc?”
“Assuming Rarity and I got married first, you and Applejack would still be my fiancées, of course.”
Dinky frowns. “But wouldn’t that make things kinda... weird, dad. I mean... you’ll be married to Miss Rarity, living together, sleeping together, and trying to have foals together I would imagine.”
Rarity bows her head as her ears droop. “I have to admit, while I would like to be wed to you as soon as possible, Arc... your daughter does raise a very valid point.”
Sweetie Belle nods soberly. “Agreed. I’d love for Arc to marry my mom and become my dad, sure. But it would probably make things weird between my friends and I.”
Auriel groans. “So what’s the solution?”
Ember shrugs. “I say we all just get together a couple at a time in a bedroom and start...”
Hammer puts a hand over Ember’s mouth. “Small ears, Einstein!”
Auriel chimes in. “Ember may not have said that as eloquently as she could have, of course. But I do think that it may be best for Arc to begin expanding his relationships with Rarity, Derpy, Applejack, and Twilight.”
Pinkie appears confused. “Expand?!”
Auriel nods. “Begin the process of becoming more... intimate with them.”
Rainbow Dash groans. “I want in on that too!”
Fluttershy grins. “As do I. Well... maybe not as much as some admittedly. But...”
Applejack interrupts her. “That does sound really nice. Having Arc start doing... you know what to us. However, Rainbow Dash did bring up a good point just now. Such a thing isn’t really fair to those whom aren’t yet officially engaged to Arc at this time.”
Max puts a hoof on Shelly’s hand as he speaks. “I know it would make me feel bad to try and put one mare in front of another like that.”
Shelly nods. “Yes, it’s not really fair to anyone. You, Arc... or your fiancées.”
Lily sighs. “I hate to say it, but you might actually be better off marrying everyone at once. Well, everyone whom feels they are ready to join the herd, that is.”
Apple Bloom raises a hoof. “Um... can I suggest something?”
Arc turns to her. “Huh?”
“I think I might have an idea.”
Applejack sighs as she narrows her eyes. “Apple Bloom, I don’t think you quite understand what it is we’re trying to figure out here.”
“You all want him to be with you intimately. But at the same time nopony wants to hurt the others.”
Hugh chuckles. “Sounds like she figured it out.”
Xenos smirks. “Yeah.”
Viktor pats Apple Bloom’s head. “Smart little cookie.”
Arc nods. “Go ahead, Apple Bloom.”
“Why not just keep your relationship with everypony non-sexual?”
Ember scoffs. “Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
Auriel turns to her. “Maybe not. But it would help keep everyone on a level playing field in this regard.”
Hammer appears hopeful. “What about sleeping together though?”
Dinky looks to her mother. “Just my two bits here, but as long as that’s all your doing I don’t see any problem here. What do you think, mom?”
“Such a thing would be fine with me, yes.”
Rarity smiles. “I’d agree to it as well.”
Applejack sighs. “While I have to admit this kinda bums me out, I do understand the logic behind something like this.”
Twilight looks around the group. “Then we all agree. The four of us will make no sexual advances toward Arc.”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “What about the rest of us?!”
Arc looks to her. “When I and the individual in question believe the time to be right, they will be asked to officially join the future herd. But there is one thing I would like to add to this conversation.”
He blushes slightly before continuing.
“Regarding what was spoken about... intimacy. What should be done if... I and one of you were to come together and... and go too far?”
Pinkie grins. “You mean accidently have sex?!”
Arc groans. “Not really ‘accidently’, I guess. More along the lines of doing something in the heat of the moment.”
Rarity smiles nervously. “Such as if you and I were to go on another date, have an amazing time, and instead of going to sleep...”
Arc interrupts her. “Right.”
Applejack shrugs. “I don’t really see that happening though. I mean... I do want to, but...”
Derpy bows her head and looks away sadly. “When the hormones take over, it may be too hard to stop. Believe me, I know.”
Arc nods nervously. “Y-yeah. I mean, if we both wanted it, mind you.”
Scootaloo frowns. “That sounds a little bit like what my dad did to my mom though, Big Brother.”
“Not quite, Scootaloo. Both myself and the female in question would, of course, have to be willing to go that far.”
Twilight smiles. “You’re just worried about the effect it would have on the rest of us.”
“Right.”
Applejack puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Well... I suppose if it did happen, we should call an emergency meeting of everypony right away. Or as soon as possible, that is.”
Rarity nods. “Agreed. Arc and the mare in question would need to be honest about what they had done behind our backs.”
Derpy sighs. “It does seem pretty fair to me. After all, accidents do happen.”
Dinky shakes her head. “But a relationship needs to be built on trust to succeed.”
Apple Bloom looks around the room. “So they should inform the others as well as apologize to them right away.”
Sweetie Belle grins. “That thought should also help everypony remember not to go too far.”
Arc appears relieved. “I never thought I’d have to bring this up. But I am glad that I did.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Why though, Arc?”
“Huh?”
Rainbow Dash smirks. “Yeah. You’ve have the chance to get with pretty much all of us at one point or another. But you always did the right thing and didn’t take us up on it.”
Ember smirks wickedly. “Something you’d like to tell the group, Arc?”
“I suppose I should.”
He looks around the room at everyone before continuing.
“We’ve been through a lot together. However, most of the time our relationship was purely that of friends. Platonic. But you’ve all opened my eyes to new possibilities. New... ideas.”
Auriel smiles at him. “As have you, Arc.”
“I have?”
“Before I met you, I never dreamed I’d fall in love. You changed me. Helped me to be all that I could. Made me consider other... things.”
Hammer nods fervently. “Yeah, I get that too. Never thought I’d find a man to call my own. Heck, I never even considered forming a relationship with a bunch of others though either.”
Ember shrugs. “Same here. It’s all just so... mind-boggling to me just how much I’ve changed since meeting you, Arc.”
Arc nods. “And I’ve changed too.”
Fluttershy appears confused. “You have?”
“Yes, I have. I never thought I’d have considered a mare as anything more than a friend. But now... now I’ve given a great deal of thought to marriage as well as... intimacy with several of you.”
He turns to Rarity before continuing.
“And to be completely Honest with you, I... I would really enjoy trying to make a foal.”
Rarity’s eyes light up excitedly. “Really, Arc?!”
“Yes, Rarity. You’re smart, sweet, and very lovely to look at. It’s not easy for me to admit, but...”
Taking a deep breath, Arc continues.
“...I do find the idea of us going all the way very appealing lately.”
“But why now, Arc?”
“Because none of us are getting any younger here, Rarity. Because I do want us to get even closer. And... and because I Honestly love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life.”
Rarity turns away as she smiles and blushes. “Oh, Arc! I want that too!”
Ember rolls her eyes. “So what’s stopping you two?! If you see something you want that much, then go for it!”
Auriel puts a hand on Ember’s shoulder. “I think Arc’s just trying to think of everyone’s feelings in this matter.”
Hammer licks her lips. “Well, I wish he’d just up and ‘feel’ my...”
Arc interrupts. “Right, Auriel. I mean... if it was just Rarity whom was interested in getting married I don’t think I’d be too worried about spending the night with her.”
Derpy appears suddenly nervous. “Is it me and Dinky, Arc?”
“Yes, Derpy. But not just you. It’s everyone really. And to be Honest, that’s okay with me.”
He smiles and looks Derpy in the eye before continuing.
“I’m willing to wait for all of us to be on the same page before taking any action.”
Applejack looks him in the eye. “Are you sure, Arc. I mean... we could keep trying to figure something out here.”
Rarity nods. “Yes, I’d be willing to adapt. You and Applejack really bonded during your time together back on Earth. If it would help things, you could have her be your first instead of me.”
Applejack grins widely. “You mean that, Rarity?!”
“I do. After all, you and Arc really are cute together.”
Apple Bloom giggles. “And I’ve never seen you so happy before, big sis!”
Arc shakes his head. “The one who’s first isn’t really the main problem in my mind. If something changes though I’ll certainly be sure to tell everyone, of course. But right now I feel that I really need to resolve matters on my end before I can even start to think about our futures together.”
Twilight sighs. “The changeling threat to Equestria?”
“Among other things, yes.”
Hammer grins as she clenches a fist. “You aren’t alone in that though. I’ll help you any way that I can.”
Max stands. “As will we, sir.”
Xenos salutes. “Yeah, we will!”
Viktor chuckles. “Not that we have much choice though.”
Hugh nods. “It’d be an honor to stand with you, sir.”
Ember brandishes her claws. “I’m here to help too!”
Auriel grins. “As am I!”
Twilight smiles. “We have no shortage of those wanting to help out with that matter. But there is much to do here and now.”
Fluttershy appears confused. “Twilight?”
“I think there is something else Arc needs to say regarding the herd.”
“That I do.”
He turns back to the group before continuing.
“I’ve gone out with most of you at least once now. Some dates ended with a proposal. Others didn’t. However, I want to state here and now that such a thing doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in you. Just that the timing wasn’t right. We still need to get to know each other better, that’s all. But I’d like to take the opportunity to ask someone here a question.
Looking to the mares one at a time, Arc speaks.
“Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow Dash appears surprised. “Y-yeah?”
“Would you like to go out on a date?”
Rainbow Dash gasps happily. “You mean it’s finally my turn?!”
Twilight giggles. “So it would seem!”
Rainbow Dash looks away as she absentmindedly examines one of her hooves. “Oh, I’m not sure that I have time. Have to check my schedule and see if...”
She is cut off as Hammer smacks the back of her head.
“I mean... sure! When?!”
“As soon as you have time. Remember, I’m not really doing much until early spring, mind you.”
Hammer chimes in. “How about tomorrow then?”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “Wait! Tomorrow?!”
Arc nods. “That would work for me. If that’s too soon though I completely understand.”
“It... kinda is! After all, I still have to figure out... I mean... put the finishing touches on my plan for the perfect date for us, Arc!”
Hammer grins. “Not to worry, blue. I already did that for you.”
“You did?”
“Yup.”
Arc pulls out a paper. “She gave me this. Said it was a bunch of ideas for things you’d probably like.”
Applejack chuckles. “So you can go then since all the planning sounds like it’s been done already.”
Rainbow Dash wrings her hooves nervously. “Well... I... uh...”
Hammer groans. “Blue!”
“Alright, alright! Tomorrow is fine!”
Twilight smiles widely. “Say around noon?”
Rainbow Dash appears confused. “Twilight?”
“Just trying to help.”
Arc nods. “That would work for me. How about you, Rainbow Dash?”
“Um... I guess so. But isn’t that a bit early for supper?”
“I suppose it is. But Hammer came up with a lot of things for us to do other than just eating. But if you’d like we can just stick to...”
Rainbow Dash cuts him off as she shakes her head vehemently. “No, no! Noon it is!”
Ember grins. “That wasn’t so hard now was it?”
Hammer puts a hand on her rainbow-maned friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, blue. I’ll help you get ready.”
Rarity stands. “As will I!”
Fluttershy giggles as she clops her hooves together. “Me too!”
Applejack smiles at her friend. “And I’ll coach you!”
Twilight nods. “The castle staff will see to it that you’re made ready, Rainbow Dash.”
Pinkie giggles nervously. “You’ll have a nice time! I’m sure of it!”
Ember gives her a thumbs up. “That you will!”
Rainbow Dash smiles strangely as she listens to her friends encourage her. Sighing inwardly, she muses to herself.
“What have I gotten myself into?!”