• Published 27th Apr 2019
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The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds - Kamahido



Twilight accidently brings a human from Earth to Equestria. Will he be able to coexist with the equine inhabitants of this new land?

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Chapter 9 - Intervention

Arc and Tempest step out of the portal. She looks around the small house before them.

“Where… are we?! “

Arc recalls his gauntlet and gets a fire going in Ember’s fireplace. “The Dragon Lands. This is where Ember lives, or I guess lived would be more accurate.”

“It’s a lovely place!”

“I suppose it is. Your happy demeanor is really starting to creep me out though!”

Tempest looks confused. “Oh? Don’t your friends usually act like this?”

“They do. But… I’m used to your snarls of anger and rage-filled eyes!”

Tempest frowns as Arc sighs.

“My apologies. I’m used to Tempest the warrior. Not so much Tempest the mare next door!”

“I’m sorry about… everything. I know I’ve been a terrible pony to so many.”

Arc nods. “That you have. Well, I should get moving. Can you stay here? I don’t want to risk the dragons getting what you have!”

Tempest sits down in front of the fire. “I understand. Just don’t be too long now!”

She smiles and winks at him.

“Oh boy, you’re getting worse! Look, just… try to keep yourself under control, okay?!”

Tempest shakes her head in an effort to clear it. “You’re right! Please hurry! I shudder to think what might happen if I…”

Arc heads quickly for the door. “Keep it together, Tempest! Remember your training! I’ll come back as soon as I can!”

He leaves the house and heads for the Throne of the Dragon Lord. The dragons he passes give him a wide berth. Arc chuckles to himself.

“They CAN learn!”

In a short time, Arc arrives at his destination. The Dragon Lord appears confused.

“IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, MY FRIEND! I CAN SENSE YOUR POWER HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE LAST WE SPOKE!”

“It’s good to see you too, Dragon Lord! I apologize for not visiting more regularly, but I’ve been busier than ever lately!”

“I HAVE HEARD THE STORIES OF YOUR MORE RECENT EXPLOITS… LORD REGENT!”

Arc shakes his head. “I’m just the Hero of Light again. The princesses are again ruling Equestria after all!”

“FROM WHAT HAS REACHED US, YOUR TENURE AS RULER OF EQUESTRIA WAS FRAUGHT WITH ADVENTURE AND INTRIGUE!”

“It was certainly busy… and tiring! You stay well informed!”

“MORE SO THAN MOST! EMBER WRITES TO ME REGULARLY OF HER COMINGS AND GOINGS!”

The Dragon Lord smiles.

“YOUR OWN ADVENTURES ARE THE HIGHLIGHT OF HER CORRESPONDENCES! WHILE I DO ENJOY HEARING ABOUT WHAT MY FRIEND HAS BEEN UP TO, I DO WISH SHE WOULD MORE REGULARLY TELL ME OF HER OWN EXPLOITS!”

“She’s been busy as well, sir!”

The Dragon Lord laughs! “DURING THAT TIME, SHE ALL BUT STOPPED WRITING ABOUT HERSELF TO FOCUS ON YOUR DAY TO DAY AFFAIRS! IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, I’D THINK SHE HAD BEEN ON GUARD DUTY DURING YOUR REIGN!”

“She did do quite a bit of that.”

Torch narrows his eyes and appears upset! “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! THE DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON LORD REDUCED TO A COMMON GUARD! THIS IS UNTHINKABLE!”

“Please hear me out, Dragon Lord! Before Ember was banished, what did she do in your court?”

“SHE WAS OFTEN BY MY SIDE WATCHING HOW I DID THINGS!”

“Do you think that was a good idea? Wouldn’t it have been better for her to be out fighting or traveling?”

“SUCH THINGS ARE INDEED NECESSARY! HOWEVER, I WANTED HER CLOSE AT CLAW TO LEARN WHAT IT MEANT TO LEAD! “

“Well sir, as my personal bodyguard she was present during all my adventures and meetings. There was nothing I kept from her during that time! While I made hard choices and ruled on matters of the citizenry, she was there watching me! I knew she would one day have to lead this nation in your stead, and was concerned that she thought being the ruler was all about ordering others around or being the biggest and strongest.”

“MOST OF BEING THE DRAGON LORD IS RULING THROUGH SHEER INTIMIDATION!”

The Dragon Lord looks to those assembled.

“AGREE WITH ME!”

All the other dragons nearby immediately begin nodding their heads and telling the Dragon Lord how right he is.

“All well and good for one as big and mighty as you are, sir! But Ember doesn’t have that same… I don’t know… size aspect going for her.”

“MARK MY WORDS! ONE DAY SHE WILL!”

“Maybe. But that day is a long way off, is it not? What if she had to take your place sooner?!”

“HMMM… YOU MAY HAVE A POINT THERE, ARC!”

“I’m not saying intimidation doesn’t have its place in leadership! Just that there are other ways to accomplish your goals other than through sheer force.”

“VERY WELL! YOU MAY TEACH MY DAUGHTER AS YOU SEE FIT! BUT I WANT TO HEAR OF HER DOING BATTLE AS WELL!”

“I can’t promise anything in that regard. But one never knows what the future holds.”

“I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR EMBER’S THOUGHTS ON THESE MATTERS! WHERE IS SHE?!”

Arc sighs. “Ember is the reason I’ve come to see you, sir. I… um… might the two of us speak in private?”

“HRM… THAT IS A RATHER ODD REQUEST!”

“I wish to speak with you alone, so we can talk warrior to warrior and father to father.”

The Dragon Lord appears to be considering Arc’s request.

“VERY WELL! COME WITH ME!”

He leads Arc to his cave. The pair enter and sit down in the center of his Dragon Horde. A lifetime of gathering lies all around them.

“YOU MAY SPEAK FREELY HERE, ARC! NONE DARE COME ANYWHERE NEAR MY HORDE!”

“Thank you. I… wanted to keep this just between us for now. It’s about Ember.”

“IT IS STRANGE TO SEE YOU HERE WITHOUT HER BY YOUR SIDE! TELL ME, HOW IS MY DAUGHTER FARING THESE DAYS?!”

“Um… not too well right now. She’s in the hospital at the moment with some kind of unknown illness.”

The Dragon Lord appears suddenly angry! “WHAT?!”

“In fact, that’s why I’m here. There’s some kind of sickness going around Ponyville right now that makes those who catch it… um… act strangely. The other symptoms that come with it are mild by comparison. However, every case that I’ve seen requires the patient to be physically restrained! All but one, that is.”

“AND EMBER WAS ABLE TO HANDLE IT?!”

“No. She too had to be tied to a bed to prevent her from… um… let’s just say… doing something with someone that might… uh… bring shame to both you and her.”

“THEN WHY AREN’T YOU THERE?!”

“Because she… wanted me to… um… do things with her. Rather inappropriate things…”

He laughs! “IMPOSSIBLE! MY DAUGHTER IS FAR TOO YOUNG TO BE HAVING SUCH FEELINGS FOR ANOTHER DRAGON! MUCH LESS A NON-DRAGON! YOU MUST HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD HER INTENTIONS!”

“With all due respect, sir, she made it very clear what she wanted! Now our town doctor has been unable to cure any of these cases. He believes that some kind of ancient magic is responsible for this! Sadly, no one in Equestria knows anything about this kind of thing!”

“AND SO, YOU CAME TO ME IN HOPES I COULD HELP!”

“Yes.”

“VERY BRAVE OF YOU TO TELL ME OF THIS, ARC!”

“So… you’re not angry?”

“OF COURSE I’M ANGRY, YOU FOOL!!!”

Arc jumps up! “Then help me help her! She’s not getting any better and neither is anyone else!”

“VERY WELL! I’LL NEED TO SEE ONE WHO IS AFFLICTED! IN THAT WAY I WILL KNOW WHICH SPELL DID THIS!”

Arc looks to him, wide-eyed! “You mean… there’s more than one?!”

“NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR FOOLISH QUESTIONS, ARC! RETURN TO ME WITH ONE AFFLICTED WITH THIS ILLNESS AT ONCE!!!”

Arc calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. “I’ll be right back!”

He rushes back through the portal to Ember’s house. Tempest is sprawled out on the rug in front of the fireplace seductively. She smiles at him!

“You certainly took your sweet time! But I guess the wait makes this all the better!”

Arc quickly approaches Tempest. “The Dragon Lord wants to see you!”

Tempest looks up at him playfully. “Oh? And what does he want?”

“He needs to take a look at you to determine which ancient spell did this! Now come on!”

Arc reaches down to help her stand. To his surprise, she grabs his hand and pulls him down! Kneeling over Tempest as she wraps her hooves around his neck, Arc blushes.

“Tempest! We don’t have time for this!”

She pulls him down, kisses his cheek and whispers in his ear.

“For a mare like me, you can make time!”

Arc breaks her grip and stands up, quickly becoming irate! “The Dragon Lord is waiting for us!”

Tempest lunges at him with a hungry look on her face. “Let him wait!”

She catches Arc off balance. The pair fall backwards into the sofa and overturn it! Arc uses the momentum to throw her off of himself! Tempest hits the wall hard! A framed picture of Ember’s father takes the blow and crashes to the floor! She lands upright, grinning maniacally at him!

“So you wanna play rough, huh?!”

Tempest lunges at him again! This time, however, Arc is able to get clear in time! Tempest smashes into an end table, reducing it to splinters!

“Calm down, Tempest! You’re going to destroy the whole place!

Tempest pulls off her armor in one swift movement and throws it aside. “Who cares?!”

Two male dragons walking by hear the commotion inside. They turn and grin at each other.

“Sounds like the Dragon Lord’s daughter finally founds someone, eh Garble!?

“Yeah, Charcoal! And from the sounds of it, he must be a real animal!”

Charcoal looks at the house as another round of something breaking can be heard. “That is one lucky dragon! Say Garble! Didn’t you have your sights on Ember a while back?”

“Nah! She’s WAY too much trouble for my tastes!”

“Trouble?! The Dragon Lord’s daughter?! WOW!”

Garble shrugs. “She’s pretty and all, I’ll give her that! But her standards are REALLY high! Remember when the Dragon Lord called for candidates for her mate? I don’t think any of them even registered with her!”

“Oh yeah!”

They look back as the sound of something fragile breaking can be heard. Charcoal looks to Garble with a sickened look on his face.

“You think it was the weird looking animal she came here with back then?”

“Nah! I didn’t get the idea he wanted to be her mate! Besides, her old man already said no.”

Charcoal looks back as the sound of splintering wood can be heard emanating from the house. “Someone said they saw him heading for the Throne of the Dragon Lord earlier!”

Garble folds his arms over his chest and frowns. “So?!”

“Maybe he found a way to change the Dragon Lord’s mind!”

Garble rolls his eyes. “Come on! No one’s ever been able to do THAT!”

“I don’t know. You remember when he tricked the big guy into letting him fight for Ember? The Dragon Lord played right into his claws!”

Garble looks back as another crash rings out. “Maybe you’re right! If anyone’s smart enough to pull the wool over her old guy’s eyes it’s him! Some guys get all the luck!”

Meanwhile, Tempest chases Arc into Ember’s room! She spots the bed!

“Now you’re on the right track!”

She pounces, catching Arc squarely in the chest as he turns around, the pair fall onto the bed! Tempest lands and jumps toward Arc one last time. A look of pure joy on her face!

“This game of cat and mouse is OVER!!!”

Arc reaches over to the nightstand and grabs the lamp! As Tempest lands on him he swings with all his might! The lamp’s body explodes into a million pieces as Tempest’s head absorbs the impact! She falls onto the bed next to him! They both lie there breathing heavily for a few moments. Tempest rolls over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling.

“You’re… pretty good, Arc.”

He lets out a sigh of relief. “Sorry…”

Tempest puts a hoof to her head. “It… it’s okay. You did what you had to.”

She sits up slowly.

“We… uh… should probably go see the Dragon Lord now.”

Arc looks over at her. “Let me take care of your head first! That’s a nasty cut!”

Tempest laughs! “Give it a few more seconds!”

In but a few moments the wound stops bleeding and disappears. Tempest wipes away the blood with a hoof.

“There! I’m fine again!”

“That’s handy! But I don’t think I could handle the cost of such power.”

Tempest gets up and walks toward the bedroom door soberly. “We all do what we have to, Arc.”

The pair leave the bedroom together. As they do so they stop dead in their tracks as they survey the damage! Tempest looks side to side.

“Wow! We really did a number on this room!”

“You mean YOU did a number on this room!”

Tempest rolls her eyes! “Yeah right! Like you’re innocent in all this!”

“I am! All I did was try to get away!”

Tempest stops to look around again. “Did I… really do all this in an attempt to…”

“This is what happens when you get so focused on your goal that you forget to think about those around you.”

“Those around me?!”

Arc sighs. “Pretend the furniture had been other ponies.”

“I see what you mean!”

Arc turns to her as they leave the house. “When Ember recovers, I am completely blaming this mess on you!”

“Fair enough.”

The pair make their way back toward the Throne of the Dragon Lord. Tempest turns to him.

“Tell me, Arc. Is the Dragon Lord as big as the rumors say?”

“Seeing as I don’t know the rumors, let’s just say he’s the size of a VERY large building and leave it at that.”

“Any advice?”

Arc nods. “Just one thing… don’t make him angry.”

“I’ll try. No promises though! He can’t be THAT big though! Can he?”

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

In short order they arrive back at the Dragon Lord’s horde. Tempest’s pupils shrink.

“Woah!”

“Told ya!”

The Dragon Lord appears to be napping. Tempest looks to Arc nervously.

“Uh… do we wake him… or what?”

Arc sighs. “Probably not a good idea, but let’s do it anyways.”

He clears his throat loudly. Tempest rolls her eyes.

Tempest rolls her eyes. “Are you joking with that?!”

“You have a better idea?”

Tempest shrugs. “I dunno. Hit him?”

“Great idea! And after you finish, he’ll turn you into glue!”

Tempest second guesses herself as she looks at the Dragon Lord’s claws. “Okay. Let’s not do that!”

Arc looks around for inspiration. He picks up a rock the size of a softball.

“He won’t even feel that!”

He winds up. “Oh, trust me. He will!”

Arc lobs the rock. The pair watch as it sails past the Dragon Lord.

“You missed! Give you a target big enough to have its own gravitational pull and you MISS?!”

Arc watches the rock sail through the air. “Wait for it…”

A moment later the rock lands in a pile of gold coins, upsetting them. The Dragon Lord awakens with a start”

“WHO DARES…?!”

“Sorry, that was me. You dozed off, so I…”

“I DID NOT DOZE OFF! I WAS MERELY… CONTEMPLATING MY PAST GLORIES!”

Arc frowns. “Are you sure?! Because from where I was standing…”

“I WAS VERY FOCUSED AT THE TIME!!!”

He chuckles. “Okay, have it your way.”

Tempest clears her throat loudly.

“In any case, this is Tempest Shadow. She’s afflicted with the illness I spoke of earlier.”

Tempest waves a hoof at the Dragon Lord and smiles. “Pleased to meet you, sir! I’m Arc’s arch-nemesis!”

Arc facepalms. “I think I liked her better when she was trying to steal my soul.”

The Dragon Lord looks at Tempest before turning to Arc.

“ARE YOU CERTAIN?! WHILE I DO SENSE A VERY STRANGE MAGICAL ENERGY COMING FROM HER, THE SYMPTOMS DO NOT MATCH!”

“Trust me, she has it.”

“HOW CAN YOU BE CERTAIN?!”

“Before we came over here, she… chased me around Ember’s house.”

“FOR WHAT PURPOSE?!”

“Use your imagination, sir.”

The Dragon Lord is silent for a time.

“DARE I ASK HOW YOU STOPPED HER?!”

Tempest looks up happily. “With a lamp to the head."

“Tempest… the way you say things. You don’t have to be so darn happy about it.”

She grins maniacally at him. “Go ahead Arc! Hurt me!”

“I think she has another ‘episode’ coming on, so if you could do… something, Dragon Lord…”

The Dragon Lords stands up. “I CAN THINK OF ONLY ONE COURSE OF ACTION!”

Arc breathes a sigh of relief. “Good! Up until just now, I thought I was going to be stuck with…”

The Dragon Lord knocks Arc across the cave with his magic and, bringing down a sizable claw, pounds Tempest into the ground. Arc gets up quickly.

“What?! WHY?!”

“BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THOSE WHOM ARE INFECTED WITH THAT PARTICULAR ILLNESS, ARC!”

“By KILLING them?!”

“AS MERCIFULLY AS POSSIBLE, YES! BUT I THOUGHT SHE WAS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY! FRANKLY I’M AMAZED YOU HADN’T DONE THAT YOURSELF! PERHAPS YOU ARE NOT AS POWERFUL AS I ORIGINALLY…!”

The sound of laughter can be heard emanating from the crater as Tempest pushes her way back to the surface. She giggles as she dusts herself off and climbs out of the hole.

“Oh trust me Dragon Lord. Arc has certainly tried in the past.”

He looks back at Arc, his eyes narrowed. “YOU… REALLY DO HAVE A PROBLEM ON YOUR CLAWS, ARC!”

“Tell me about it. I couldn’t kill Tempest if I wanted to! To say nothing for my other friends who have this! Tell me, is there ANYTHING else to be done?!”

“THIS IS WHAT THE PONIES OF ANCIENT TIMES DID! THEY DID OF COURSE ATTEMPT TO FIND A CURE! SADLY, THEY WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL!”

“How did they stop its spread then?!”

“BY ERADICATING ALL KNOWLEDGE OF ITS EXISTENCE! IT TOOK QUITE A WHILE, AS ONE WOULD GUESS! I MYSELF HAD FORGOTTEN IT EVER EXISTED UNTIL YOUR VISIT TODAY!”

Tempest composes herself. “Well, how did an outbreak begin then?”

“A SPELL WAS CAST ON A PREDETERMINED TARGET TO ACT AS THE FOCUS! FROM THEM THE SPELL WOULD SPREAD TO OTHERS OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER, AS IT WAS MUCH MORE EFFICIENT THAT CASTING THE SPELL ON A LARGE MULTITUDE OF TARGETS!

Arc frowns. “Our sages were under the impression that this spell needed to be channeled in order to maintain its effects.”

“THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER SPELLS THAT HAVE SIMILAR EFFECTS! THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FOCUS AFTER CASTING! FOR THAT REASON ALONE, IT WAS DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS TO BE ALLOWED TO EXIST!”

Tempest frowns. “One problem at a time! So, how do we figure out who the focus is?! I assume they didn’t just go around killing ponies at random.”

“THEY DID NOT! A SPELL WAS DEVELOPED TO AID IN LOCATING THE LUCKY INDIVIDUAL!”

“Lucky?!”

“NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS MAGIC HAS AS MUCH… SELF-RESTRAINT AS YOU DO, MY FRIEND! IN FACT, WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WOULD SOMETIMES HIRE THOSE WITH THE MAGICAL APTITUDE TO INTENTIONALLY CAST THE SPELL ON THEM!”

Tempest looks confused. “Why would anypony want…?”

Arc interrupts her. “Would you happen to know this locator spell, sir?”

The Dragon Lord nods as he levitates a small compass from his horde over to himself and casts a spell on it. “I DO!”

He levitates the item toward Arc.

“THIS COMPASS WILL NOW POINT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SPELL’S FOCUS! USE IT TO LOCATE THEM AND CONTAIN THIS OUTBREAK!”

Tempest frowns. “Wouldn’t that be dangerous to Arc?”

“IT WOULD NOT! THE FOCUS IS CLEARLY A STALLION, AS ALL THOSE AFFLICTED ARE MARES!”

Arc looks at the compass still floating in front of him. “Makes sense. But how do we dispel this magic when we find him?”

Tempest turns to Arc. “Dispelling magic is fairly simple, Arc. Any unicorn should be able to do it.”

“Can I assume we couldn’t just dispel this from my friends in the same way?”

Dragon Lord Torch shakes his head. “YOU CANNOT!”

Arc sighs. “Great. Well, I guess we had better get started. If I could borrow that compass for a while…”

“DRAGONS DO NOT GIVE THINGS AWAY WITHOUT GETTING SOMETHING OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE IN RETURN!”

Tempest nods. “Sound reasonable to me.”

“Oh boy. What do you want?”

“I DESIRE A REPRESENTATIVE OF MY CHOOSING TO RETURN WITH YOU TO EQUESTRIA!”

Tempest turns to Arc. “That’s actually quite reasonable. The fact that he hasn’t eaten you yet is also quite remarkable.”

“Me?! What about you?!”

Tempest smiles wickedly! “I’d give him heartburn.”

“SO WHAT DO YOU SAY, HERO OF LIGHT?! DO WE HAVE A DEAL?!”

Tempest laughs. “You are a tough negotiator, Dragon Lord!”

“I suppose I don’t really have a choice in the matter. I agree, on the condition that the emissary follows all of Equestria’s laws and respects their customs!”

Dragon Lord Torch releases his hold on the item and allows it to float down to Arc. “VERY WELL! I’M AFRAID THIS IS ALL I CAN DO TO AID YOU IN THIS MATTER! THE REST IS UP TO YOU, ARC!”

He takes the compass in his hand. “Thank you, my friend!”

“I WILL HAVE MY CHOSEN EMISSARY MEET YOU AT EMBER’S HOUSE WITHIN THE HOUR! DO NOT LEAVE THE DRAGON LANDS WITHOUT THEM!”

“Very well. We’ll wait for them.”

“I TRUST YOU ENOUGH NOT TO TRY AND DOUBLE-CROSS ME, ARC!”

The Dragon Lord looks over to Tempest suspiciously.

“YOUR COMPANION, NOT SO MUCH!”

Arc sighs. “I don’t exactly want you coming after me, or burning Equestria to the ground either.”

“YOUR SKILLS OF FORESIGHT AND DIPLOMACY HAVE BEEN WELL LEARNED!”

“If I may ask, Equestria and the Dragon Lands have been cut off from each other for longer than anyone can remember. Why do you suddenly want an emissary?!”

“THAT IS THE BARGAIN, ARC! TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!”

He puts the compass in his ring. “We accept. I’ll see to it whomever you send is properly housed and fed.”

“VERY GOOD! NOW RETURN TO EMBER’S HOUSE AND WAIT FOR THE EMISSARY!”

“Thank you sir. Come Tempest.”

Tempest nods and looks to the Dragon Lord. “It was nice meeting you sir! Perhaps one day we can have round two?”

“BELIEVE ME! I COULD FIND SOME WAY TO MAKE YOUR DEATH PERMANENT, BUG! OR AT THE VERY LEAST, MAKE YOU WISH IT WAS!”

Tempest laughs. “Good luck with that!”

The Dragon Lord watches them leave with a smile on his face.

“ARC… YOU ARE MOST WISE IN CHOOSING YOUR FRIENDS! AND NOW IT WOULD SEEM, YOUR ENEMIES. ALTHOUGH I CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER IF EVEN YOU HAVEN’T BITTEN OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW, AS YOU CANNOT SEE THAT WHICH IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!”

The pair make their way back to Ember’s house. As they enter Tempest smiles at Arc.

“That went well!”

He pulls out the compass and looks at it. “I suppose so. At least we have some kind of lead now.”

“What now?”

Arc sets up the couch. “We wait for the emissary. And while we wait, you’re going to help me clean up this mess.”

Tempest walks over to a broom in the corner. “Fine. It will be quite a change of pace.”

Arc stands up the end tables that survived the onslaught. “Oh?”

Tempest smiles at him as she sweeps. “It will be nice to work side by side with the one I lo… you know what? I’m gonna shut up now.”

“Yeah.”

“So, who do you think the Dragon Lord will send?”

Arc sighs. “Hopefully someone at least partially agreeable! From my limited experience with them, I’ve found that dragons can be moody at best, and downright bloodthirsty at the very worst.”

“Are you sure this was a good idea?”

Arc shrugs. “No, but what choice did I have?”

“None, I suppose.”

A short time later there is a knock at the door. Arc sighs as he moves to answer it.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Arc opens the door and stares at the dragon in anger and disbelief.

“YOU?!”

Garble stands before him with a look of boredom and disgust.

“Hey! This wasn’t MY idea!”

Arc frowns. “What was the Dragon Lord thinking?! Sending Garble of all dragons!”

“Ease up! This wasn’t my choice!”

Tempest walks over. “What’s the problem, Arc?”

He points a thumb at Garble as he turns to Tempest! “This guy… I don’t know! He just rubbed me the wrong way the first time we met!”

Garble growls! “WHAT?! You knocked me to the other side of the island!!!”

Arc doubles up his fists. “Well I’m a lot stronger now! Bet I can punch you all the way back to Equestria now!”

Tempest stands between them. “Give him a chance, Arc! I mean, it’s not his fault the Dragon Lord is sending him to Equestria!”

Garble looks confused. “Sending me, WHERE?!”

Arc rolls his eyes. “Equestria. Land of the ponies? Heard of it, Mr. Emissary?!”

Garble laughs! “Emissary?! You numbskull! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Good!”

“I was just told to escort ‘this’ over here right away!”

Garble steps to the side to reveal the real emissary. Tempest looks confused.

“What is that?”

Arc nods! “This is definitely a step up from you, Garble!”

A small dragon flutters over to Arc happily!

“FRIEND! Brightwing happy! Your aura is brighter than last time!”

Arc chuckles as Brightwing lands in his arms. “I missed you too, Brightwing! How have you been?”

“Eating… sleeping… flying… playing!”

Tempest frowns! “What kind of answer is that?!”

“You get used to him. Her? I actually don’t know which Brightwing is!”

Garble rolls his eyes. “Well whatever it is, they’re YOUR problem now! Now why don’t you do us all a favor and get that freak out of here!”

Brightwing flutters to Garble. “Ohhh… scary!”

Tempest pushes past Arc and Brightwing. “Hey now! Leave the little dragon alone!”

Garble laughs as he pokes a claw at Tempest’s face! “Oh?! And what is a namby-pamby pony like you gonna do about it?!”

Without another word Tempest does a backflip! Her back hooves hit Garble squarely in the jaw! He flies over the houses across the street… and the tree line. Brightwing giggles!

“Scary lady, strong!”

“Scary?! Arc, you don’t think I’m scary, do you?”

Arc closes the front door. “Not in the least. But I can see why others would be unnerved by you.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Arc sighs as he walks toward the sigil. “Your reputation precedes you. How many ponies and other creatures has Special Agent Tempest killed now?”

“Innumerable.”

Arc calls forth his gauntlet. “There’s your answer!”

Brightwing giggles! “Don’t worry! Be happy!”

Tempest sighs as Brightwing lands on her back. “I’m not sure if that’s good advice or bad.”

“Both, I think. Well, shall we be off?”

Tempest gestures with a hoof. “What about this mess?”

“We’ll come back another time! At least I will!”

Tempest looks over her shoulder at the dragon on her back. “Arc, if I may, how are you planning on explaining this to your friends?”

As they make their way over to the sigil, he looks over to Brightwing and sighs. “I have no idea.”

“YAY! Brightwing looks forward to new adventure with friends!”

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