The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

Chapter 1 - Final Preparations

On a clear, cool, sunny morning a couple days later, Arc, Sereb and Ember make their way to the Hammer’s Blacksmith shop. Ember holds onto Arc’s waist as they ride on.

“I’m certainly glad to be out of that hospital bed!”

Arc nods. “I’m just glad everyone made it!”

Ember grins slyly behind him. “Sorry Arc, but I have to ask. Did you REALLY sleep with Tempest?!”

Arc looks down at his faithful steed. “SEREB!”

The large wolf makes a rather strange sound as Arc raises an eyebrow.

“Are you… laughing at me?!”

Sereb shakes his head stoically. “No. Just… a little wheezing.”

The continue on for a few moments in silence. Ember decides to change the subject.

“So… how’s Brightwing doing in Canterlot?”

Arc shrugs. “I’m not sure. One of these days I’ll have to head over to check on her. She’s really… um… special to the Dragon Lord, isn’t she?

Ember chuckles. “Right. Special. It’s also worth pointing out that she doesn’t seem to be growing. Physically or mentally! In fact, my father tells me Brightwing showed up not long after I was born!”

Arc looks confused. “So Brightwing is older than you are?!”

Sereb looks over his shoulder. “How is that possible?”

Ember shrugs. “Who knows!”

“I think there’s more to Brightwing than meets the eye. Maybe one of these days we can look into it further.”

They arrive at their destination shortly. Steel Hammer and Silver Hammer are waiting out front of the shop for them.

“Good morning Arc… Ember… Sereb.”

Ember smiles. “Morning!”

Sereb nods in acknowledgment as Arc hops down.

“You two ready to go?”

Silver Hammer nods. “Yes. We just got Platinum Valve off to school. She knows we might not be home in time for supper.”

Arc calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. “Alright. Here we go!”

Everyone steps through the portal. Meanwhile, at the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight descends the basement steps.

“Good morning Auriel!”

“Good morning?!”

“You’re up early!”

Auriel yawns “I… think I’ve been up all night. Not sure what time it is. Or what day, for that matter.”

Twilight sighs. “Auriel, you really should rest more often!”

She nods as she continues to go over her notes. “Uh huh. One more experiment to go. How was the field trip?”

“It was okay. I’ve been to the castle numerous times in the past, so I didn’t really see anything new.”

Auriel does not look up from her experiments as she continues. “Then why did you go?”

“I just wanted to help out. That and I always loved school! Sorry for leaving you here alone for so long.”

She looks up from her work with a confused look on her face. “So long?”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “We were stuck there a whole extra day due to the trouble in Ponyville!”

“There was trouble?!”

“Yes! Some kind of illness. You didn’t hear about that?!”

Auriel goes back to her experiments. “I think I remember a Royal Guard coming to the door saying something about that a while back. Although I was really out of it at the time! I think I passed out shortly thereafter. Is it under control now?”

Twilight nods. “It is! Arc came to Canterlot Castle to bring us home yesterday evening.”

“I must have been more out of it than I thought! Didn’t even hear you come in!”

“Yes, well… I went to the hospital to check on my friends first. They… brought me up to speed on what was going on.”

Twilight’s ears droops as she looks down.

“That and… Pinkie almost… died.”

Auriel drops her clipboard! “My goodness! Is she okay now?!”

“Yes. She’s set to be released tomorrow.”

“Well, I’m glad everything worked out! But if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ve reached the end of my strength.”

Twilight smiles as the red demon slowly walks to the stairs. “Go ahead and rest now, Auriel. I’ll make us some breakfast after I look in on my own experiments.”

Auriel goes upstairs to bed as Twilight makes her way over to Auriel’s Plant Elemental Essence Liberator. She looks at the magical essence that is sitting in the cup, waiting to be used. Thinking for a moment as the pink liquid stares back at her! Twilight picks up the cup and looks at it for a long time.

“Could it have been...”

She sets the cup down and paces the floor, muttering to herself.

“This doesn’t make sense! It didn’t work on him! How could it have caused all this trouble?! And for everypony else, no less!”

She spots the book from Cadance on Star Swirl’s failures. Picking it up, she begins to read.

“I have to make this up to him as soon as possible! And I think I know just how to do that!”

Meanwhile, Arc and company step out of the portal near the newly coined Redemption Village and make their way toward the Town Hall. As they pass, the local townsponies they stop whatever it is they are doing to bow at Arc’s feet.

Sereb looks confused. “What are they doing?”

Arc shrugs. “You got me.”

Ember grins! “They must REALLY respect you now, Arc!”

Silver Hammer smiles at Arc “I wonder how that happened.”

He frowns. “Oh, come on! I didn’t do THAT much!”

Steel Hammer chuckles. “I would certainly call rescuing them and future generations from Tartarus to be noteworthy!”

Ember nods. “He’s got you there, Arc.”

Arc sighs. “Well, let’s just get to Mythic Honor and see what he can do.”

As they reach the Town Hall, Mythic Honor comes rushing out to meet them! He bows low in front of Arc!

“Y-your majesty! To what do we owe this visit?!”

Arc helps Mythic Honor stand up. “I’m not the Lord Regent any longer, Mythic Honor. You don’t need to do that.”

“You’re not?”

Ember shakes her head at the confused unicorn. “No. Arc saved the princesses and restored them to their thrones.”

“It was a team effort. I can’t take all the credit!”

Mythic Honor smiles! “Well, I’m sure you played the biggest part than, Lord Arc!”

“It’s just ‘Arc’ again.”

“Well okay! But you gotta admit that Lord part really rolls off the tongue! So, what can I do for you today?!”

“First, let me introduce you to a couple friends of mine. This is Steel Hammer and his wife Silver Hammer.”

Steel Hammer shakes hooves with the elder pony. “A pleasure!”

“Pleased to meet you!”

Arc looks back to Mythic Honor. “They’re the smiths from Ponyville.”

Mythic Honor grins! “Oh! You mean like me?!”

Ember rolls her eyes. “No one is like you!”

He laughs! “You got that right! Many have tried! All have failed!”

Arc clears his throat. “I was hoping the three of you could put your heads together to upgrade my helmet.”

Mythic Honor frowns, confused. “Upgrade?! How can you upgrade perfection?!”

Silver Hammer pulls the helmet out of her saddlebag. “Arc was looking to install a faceplate. We don’t have the tools or the know-how to do this job though.

“Let me have a look at it!”

She gives the helmet to him and he studies it carefully. Steel Hammer whispers to his wife.

“I don’t see what the problem is with this stallion.”

Silver Hammer nods. “I don’t either. He seems okay to me.”

Mythic Honor looks over the helmet for quite some time before suddenly looking up at them.

“I got it! It’s a helmet! Right?!”

Ember facepalms! “Of course it’s a helmet! One that I helped you make!”

“Really?! Are you sure?!”

“Very!”

“So, you want a plate on this huh? Well I have a couple dinner plates I could part with! Wouldn’t help its looks though…”

Steel Hammer steps forward. “I can make a faceplate. The problem is I’m not sure how to fuse it to the existing structure of the helmet.”

Mythic Honor holds up a hoof for silence as he goes back to studying. “Hold on a second, youngster! I’m still working on this!”

The old unicorn picks up a small stick with his magic and pokes the helmet with it.

“You know Arc, we should put something over the face of this helmet! You could get hurt!”

Sereb turns to Ember. “Is he serious?”

“Very.”

Arc nods. “That’s a… a good idea Mythic Honor. Do you think you and my friends here could do that?”

“Nope! “

Ember glares at him angrily! “Then why did you…?”

Mythic Honor suddenly looks at her. “Ember! How long have you been here?!”

“ARGH! I’ve been here the whole time!”

“Well you should have spoken up!”

“I DID!!! Now, are you going to put a faceplate on this helmet or not?!”

Mythic Honor looks at her, confused. “What helmet?”

Ember appears ready to explode in a fit of rage! Steel Hammer points a hoof.

“The one in your hoof, sir.”

Mythic Honor looks at the helmet again. “Oh yes! Of course! I can do this with the proper tools!”

Arc nods. “What do you need?”

Mythic Honor begins going through his saddlebag. “The first thing I need is my old Magic Blacksmith’s Hammer! Fortunately, I have it right here!”

Silver Hammer looks excited! “I’ve never seen such a thing! This should be a treat!”

After digging around in his saddlebags for a minute or two he pulls out a dead fish.

“There it is!”

Sereb shakes his head. “Sir. That is not a hammer.”

“Of course it isn’t, silly! I was talking about finding the source of the bad smell in my pack!”

Ember looks to Sereb. “Remind me never to get old!”

“Likewise.”

Arc looks at the fish before him. “What were you doing with a fish?”

“I forget!”

Ember sighs. “Saw that one coming!”

He roots around in his packs until he finds his hammer.

“There it is!”

Arc looks at it, slightly confused. “It looks just like a normal hammer.”

“It does, doesn’t it! I inherited it from the previous tribal leader! He told me it was made that way on purpose so the demons wouldn’t pay any special attention to it! Although he might have told me that so I wouldn’t lose it!”

Arc rolls his eyes. “Anything else you need?”

“A few extra hooves!”

Steel Hammer nods. “My wife and I can help.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Do you two know anything about blacksmithing?”

Arc nods. “As I said, they run the smithy in Ponyville.”

Mythic Honor nods. “So no, huh? Well, don’t worry! I’ll show you how it’s done!”

“Um… thanks?”

“Ember! I’ll need your magical fire breath to make the forge hot enough!”

“Finally! That I can do!”

Mythic Honor turns back to the Town Hall. “Good! Now all I have to do is stoke the fire in my Magical Forge…”

He stops walking. Arc sighs.

“Is there a problem?”

“Funny thing! I just remembered something! I accidently LEFT my forge in Tartarus! Whelp, I guess that’s that! Sorry!”

Steel Hammer looks to Mythic Honor. “Can we construct another?”

“Sure!”

“Really?!”

Mythic Honor nods. “Yes! As long as you know how! Can you teach me?! Cause I sure don’t!”

Arc facepalms. “Oh, for the love of… look, can I just get your forge from Tartarus and bring it back here?!”

“Sure! How strong do you feel?! It was the large add-on to the Town Hall in our old base, remember?!”

“I’ll bring it back here for you.”

He pulls the rest of his armor from his ring and gives it to Mythic Honor.

“Could you give the rest of my armor an inspection while I do this? I need it in prime condition for my next mission!”

“I can! Just one question!”

“Yes?”

Mythic Honor eyes his suspiciously. “What will YOU be doing in the meantime?!”

Arc turns to the Hammers. “Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”

Steel Hammer nods. “Of course! But, are you going into Tartarus without armor?!”

He turns toward the Gates of Tartarus. “After what transpired the last time I was there, I don’t think I’ll need it.”

Ember frowns! “Well, I’m going with you!”

Sereb nods soberly. “As am I.”

“Okay. We shouldn’t have any trouble though.”

“Arc, this is TARTARUS we’re talking about! The name itself is trouble!”

Arc calls forth his Spear of Righteousness as he mounts Sereb. “Fine! Have it your way.”

He turns back toward the Hammers as Ember calls forth her own armor and spear.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can! “

Silver Hammer nods. “Take care of yourself!”

Steel Hammer looks over to Mythic Honor who appears to be trying the juggle the various pieces of armor. “We’ll keep an eye on your friend here. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Arc sighs. “Thanks.”

Sereb run off towards the Gates of Tartarus with Arc and Ember on his back. The guards part to allow them to pass. Ember frowns as the Gates of Tartarus loom before them.

“Arc, I just want to go on record as saying this is a dumb idea!”

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, I’m going!”

They pass through the barrier and survey the scene around them. Sereb sighs.

“What a desolate place.”

Arc nods. “It used to be home.”

“That was a lifetime ago, Arc!”

“Yet the memories are still fresh in my mind. Head northeast, Sereb.”

“On our way.”

They rush toward the old Vile Tribe compound as Ember looks around.

“It’s quiet around here.”

Sereb sniffs the air nervously. “Should we expect an ambush?”

Arc shakes his head. “Nah. After I trounced the Demon King… yet again, his minions are probably too scared to approach.”

Ember sighs. “I hope you’re right!”

“So do I… for their sakes!”

They arrive at the base. Arc Blinks them through the closed gates. Ember looks around the base.

“Home sweet home.”

Sereb looks confused. “You two lived here?”

Arc nods. “With the others from the village, yes.”

“It wasn’t much fun.”

Sereb looks around for himself. “I can imagine.”

“Head for the largest building. That’s the Town Hall.”

“Right.”

In a short time, they look at the ruins of the building before them.

“This place looks like a bomb hit it.”

Arc nods. “It did.”

“Yeah. We blew it up last time we were here.”

“Why?”

“It was that or let the demons have it. This was one of Mythic Honor’s good ideas! In any case, let’s see if we can salvage the forge!”

Ember nods. “Right!”

They go around to the other side of the ruined building. The forge is largely untouched! Arc looks it over closely.

“It looks like it’s in one piece!”

Ember nods. “Not sure how! That explosion was MASSIVE!”

“Let’s not waste time thinking about it here. I want to get this thing back to Mythic Honor soon.”

Sereb looks around again. “Are you worried about an attack?”

“Worse! I’m worried Mythic Honor will drive the Hammers crazy!”

Ember sighs. “He does have that effect on others.”

Sereb nods. “He does mean well though. Right?”

Arc shrugs. “Probably.”

“So, how do we want to do this? Dismantle it?”

He thinks for a moment. “I have a better idea.”

Arc carefully casts the Matter Compacting spell on the forge. It slowly shrinks down to the more manageable size of a couple feet tall.

Sereb smiles. “That’s handy.”

Ember kneels down to pick up the forge. “Great! We got what we came here for! Can we leave now?!”

“Yes.”

They walk toward the gates on foot with Ember carrying the forge carefully. Arc looks to her.

“You want me to carry that?”

Ember shakes her head. “I got it! You keep an eye out for demons!”

Arc raises his spear. “Deal.”

As they approach the gate, Arc Blinks them through it. Once on the other side he stops dead in his tracks. Ember, unable to see over the forge in her arms, keeps walking.

“I can’t wait to get out of here! Every time we come back to Tartarus, I have a TERRIBLE time getting this smell out of my armor!”

She looks over at Arc as he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Why did you stop?”

Arc points to something in front of them wordlessly. Ember turns her body to see what he is pointing at.

“Oh come on! How bad could it…”

The Demon King stands before them in all his unholy glory! Ember sets down the forge carefully.

“Okay! That is quite the roadblock!”

Arc approaches the king as Ember calls forth her spear. “Wait! Let me handle this!”

Sereb bares his teeth at their opponent. “Are you crazy?”

“Like a fox!”

Arc approaches the Demon King and buries his spear in the ground.

“Yes, King Malevolence?”

The king plants his own weapon into the ground next to him. “ARC! YOU MAY FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT I DID NOT COME HERE TO FIGHT!”

“Arc! This is a trap!”

“I got this, Ember. If that’s true… why ARE you here?”

“MY SENTRIES SPOTTED YOU AND YOUR COMPANIONS AS YOU ENTERED MY DOMAIN! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”

“Just picking up something we left behind last time. So unless you want yet another trouncing, we’ll be on our way. “

“WAIT! I ONLY WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU!”

Ember rolls her eyes. “Really?! What’s with the armor and weapons then?!”

“I ALWAYS CARRY THEM! WHAT OF YOURS?! “

Sereb nods. “Good point.”

Arc sighs. “Is this going somewhere?”

“IT IS! I… I WANTED TO ASK YOU HOW… HOW AURIEL IS HOLDING UP IN YOUR PRISON?!”

Ember raises an eyebrow. “Prison?”

Arc shakes his head. “She’s not locked up. In fact, she’s currently living with a friend of mine. Remember that purple unicorn you almost tore apart?”

“I DO!”

“Well, the two of them are busy from sunup to sundown with various science experiments. She’s very happy in Equestria!”

“I SEE! BUT WHAT CHOICE DOES SHE HAVE?! BEING A DEMON, SHE PROBABLY HAS NO OTHER OPTION THEN KEEPING HERSELF INSIDE AND AWAY FROM OTHERS!”

Ember shakes her head. “Not really! While it’s true she doesn’t get out much, Arc went out of his way to introduce her to the town during a party in his honor. They’ve accepted her into their community.”

“SO, SHE IS DOING WELL THEN?!”

Arc nods. “Happy as a clam! Tell you what, King Malevolence. The next time I come this way, I’ll bring her to see you.”

The king looks at Arc suspiciously. “WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?!”

“Don’t worry, big guy. It’s not because I like you in the least. But because it would make Auriel happy.”

“VERY WELL! I SHALL LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY!”

“Have you sentries watch the gate. When I bring her, I’ll wait there for your arrival.”

“GOOD! I WILL SPEAK TO HER THROUGH THE GATE! DO NOT BRING HER THROUGH THE BARRIER!”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“THANK YOU, ARC! NOW LEAVE MY REALM AND DO NOT RETURN AGAIN WITHOUT AURIEL!”

The Demon King stands aside and allows Arc and company to pass. Ember turns to Arc as they make their way back to the gate.

“You aren’t really going to bring Auriel back to see her father, are you?”

“If she’s up for it, yes. I get the feeling she does care for him and he for her.”

Sereb frowns. “But he is a demon.”

“And?”

Sereb growls. “And what?”

“You remember what happened when Tempest accidently hurt Cerulean Skies, right?”

Ember nods. “I certainly do.”

“She may be a terrible pony with a record of doing heinous things to others, but she still cares for her family.”

Sereb frowns. “And you think the Demon King is the same way?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You should have seen his face when he banished her from Tartarus, Ember. He looked genuinely sad.”

Sereb sighs. “I suppose all fathers care for their children.”

Arc clenches a fist. “Other than Derpy’s, that is!”

“What was that, Arc?”

“Derpy’s father threw her out when she got pregnant. I mean, he was never really a father to her. But when she needed him more than ever, he told her to leave!”

Sereb shakes his head. “That’s awful.”

“Yes. That’s why I looked after her and Dinky. I don’t want her to have to go through the same things Derpy did! Neither of them deserves it anyways.”

Ember nods. “That’s very Kind of you, Arc!”

“Yes. But not surprising.”

The trio makes their way back to town without further incident. They find Mythic Honor and the Hammers at the Town Hall going over his armor. Ember sets the forge down as they enter.

“Mythic Honor! We’re back!”

He walks over to them quickly. “Welcome back! How did it go?!”

Arc gestures to the forge on the floor in front of Ember. “Mission accomplished.”

Mythic Honor walks around the forge. “Hmmm… it’s a bit smaller than I remember it!”

Ember rolls her eyes. “That’s because we shrank it! How else were we supposed to get it back here?!”

Arc nods. “This was the quickest and easiest way. Now if you’ll tell me where you want it, I’ll bring it back to normal size.”

Mythic Honor leads them out the door. “This way!”

Arc picks up the forge as they follow him toward the side of the building. He walks over to a window.

“Put it right here!”

Steel Hammer looks confused. “Right next to that window?”

“Yup!”

Silver Hammer puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “But won’t that spoil the view of that room?”

“Nah! That’s just my bedroom! This way I can roll out of bed and be at the forge instantly!”

Ember facepalms. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or madness!”

“Both actually!”

Arc sets down the forge and steps back. “Okay! Here goes!”

He casts the Matter Compacting counter spell. Slowly but surely the forge returns to its normal size. Mythic Honor looks it over fondly.

“Magnificent! It’s just like the one I had in Tartarus!”

Ember glares at him! “What?! But…”

Arc puts a hand over her mouth. “Glad you like it. Do you have everything you need now?”

“Sure do! What would you like the faceplate made out of?! Something really strong, I’d wager!”

Arc looks to Steel Hammer. “What do you think?”

Steel Hammer reaches into his saddlebag and pulls out an ingot. “I have just the thing right here.”

Mythic Honor’s eyes light up happily! “Ohhh!!! Adamantium! I haven’t worked with that before!”

Silver Hammer smiles at him. “We’ll show you how, if you show us how to work with Hydra Scales.”

“Deal!”

Mythic Honor turns to Arc, Ember and Sereb.

“We should be able to take it from here! Why don’t you three head to the Inn and rest? I’ll come get you when we need some dragon’s breath!”

Ember nods. “How long will it take?”

“We should be ready by sundown!”

Arc nods. “Alright. Thanks for doing this!”

Steel Hammer, Silver Hammer and Mythic Honor walk toward the Magic Forge together as Arc and his friends head for the Inn.

“Did you feel that?”

Silver Hammer nods. “Yes. This individual is no ordinary unicorn. Of that much I am certain.”

Meanwhile, Ember looks to Arc as they walk across the town square.

“So… what should we do now?”

Sereb yawns. “A rest might be in order. Especially for Arc.”

“Why me?”

Ember nods. “Well, you have been going non-stop for quite some time now. I don’t want you passing out again!”

“That and it’s not like we can help with anything right now.”

Arc sighs. “You may have a point. I don’t really want to leave town without the Hammers!”

Ember nods as they walk toward the town’s Inn. Yeah! Being around Mythic Honor can drive anyone over the edge!”

They enter the building. The pony behind the counter quickly steps out and bows before Arc!

“Greetings sire! Do you require lodgings?”

Arc nods. “Yes. But I’m not the Lord Regent anymore.”

The innkeeper, an elderly mare, looks up at him and smiles. “You will always be a Lord in our eyes, sire!”

“Very well. We do. But just for the day! The three of us should be getting back to Ponyville before nightfall. Do you have a room available for us?”

The innkeeper straightens up. “We don’t have the most extravagant rooms, sire. But we will give you the best we have.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

“Please follow me!”

She leads them down the hallway to the last room on the left. Unlocking the door, she pushes it open to reveal a simple room with a large bed, a table and chairs, a wood stove and a small bathroom.

“Here you are sire! I’m sorry we don’t have anything nicer!”

“It’s just fine, thank you. We really just need a place to rest for a bit.

“I’ll be at the front desk if you need anything.”

Arc nods as she leaves the room. Sereb lies down in front of the door.

“Not as nice as the castle or your base, Arc.”

Ember chuckles. “Getting soft, Sereb?”

“I think we all are. It will be good for us to live like normal citizens for a change.”

He looks toward the bathroom.

“Why don’t you take a shower, Ember? I’m sure you’d like to get the smell of Tartarus out.”

Ember nods. “That I would! Care to join me, Arc?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself.”

She closes the door behind her as Sereb looks to Arc.

“She certainly is… optimistic.”

“That’s one way to put it. “

A short time later Ember emerges.

“It’s all yours, Arc.”

“Thanks! I won’t be long!”

He closes the door and removes a spare set of clothes from his ring.

“Good thing I planned ahead.”

He steps into the shower and attempts to cleans himself off

“Ember was right. That sulphur and brimstone smell really sticks to you.”

As he showers, Arc can’t help but feel uneasy.

“I must be getting paranoid.”

He finishes cleaning up and dresses. Leaving the bathroom, he sees Ember lying on the bed.

“Care to join me, Arc?”

“Well, I am kinda tired.”

He lies down and closes his eyes.

“Comfy?”

Arc sighs. “Get some rest, Ember.”

“Aww… you’re no fun!”

They lie there for a time, dozing. Suddenly Arc bolts upright!

“What was that?!”

Ember sits up. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Sereb raises his head. “Nor did I.”

“What did it sound like?”

Arc puts his hand to his forehead. “Like… someone crying out for help, I guess.”

Sereb frowns. “Anyone you know?”

Arc shakes his head. “I don’t know. But they sounded terrified!”

Ember gently pushes him back down. “Look Arc! You’ve been through quite a bit now. It’s just your nerves.”

“But I’m telling you, I can still hear it!”

Sereb shakes his head. “Arc. My hearing is significantly better than yours and I hear nothing of the sort.”

“You see? Please get some rest. You’re worrying me!”

Arc closes his eyes. “I’ll try.”

They rest for several more hours before Arc sits up and looks around. He mutters to himself.

“What IS that sound?!”

Arc stands up and puts his boots back on as Ember opens her eyes.

“Arc?”

“I just need some air. You and Sereb stay here.”

Ember nods and closes her eyes. “Don’t go far…”

“I won’t.”

He leaves the room and walks back to the front desk. The innkeeper is sitting in front of a warm fireplace rocking peacefully.

“Can I help you, sire?”

“Maybe. Have you heard anything strange today? Like a strange sound?”

“No sire.”

“Okay. If my companions wake up and come looking for me, tell them I’m going for a walk around town.”

“As you wish, sire!”

Arc leaves the Inn and looks around.

“It’s out here too.”

He makes his way slowly around town trying to find the source of the mysterious sound. Eventually giving up, Arc heads toward the Town Hall as the sun begins to set. Steel Hammer, Silver Hammer and Mythic Honor are hard at work on his armor and helmet. Mythic Honor nods as Steel Hammer begins attaching the faceplate to the helmet.

“Just like that! We’ll need Ember’s dragon breath to finish joining the two though! I’ll go get her!”

Mythic Honor walks quickly past Arc.

“We’re almost there! Just need a bit of extra kick to finish the job! Be back in a minute!”

Steel Hammer looks up at him. “Did you enjoy your rest?”

Arc puts a hand to his forehead. “Kinda. Say, have either of you been hearing things this afternoon?”

Silver Hammer looks confused. “Like what?”

“It’s hard to explain. Like someone crying, I guess.”

“No. Haven’t heard a thing!”

“Nor have I. Then again, running a forge isn’t exactly quiet work.”

Arc sighs. “Maybe Ember’s right. I have been working awful hard lately. It’s probably just in my head after all.”

A short time later Mythic Honor returns with Ember and Sereb. Steel Hammer looks to her.

“The forge is as hot as we can make it! You ready Ember?”

“I am!”

Mythic Honor smiles. “Just do it like when we forged this armor and this will be done in no time!”

Ember takes a deep breath and breathes a stream of white-hot flames into the forge. The sound of sizzling metal fills the air. Arc looks around feverishly.

“What?! Where is it…?”

Sereb looks to him, concerned! “Arc?”

“Can’t anyone hear that?!”

Silver Hammer turns around. “Hear what?”

“Those cries?!”

Sereb shakes his head. “There is nothing like that anywhere near here, Arc. Of this I am certain.”

Mythic Honor watches the forge intently. “We’re almost done here Arc! Then you can go back to resting if you’d like!”

Arc sits down and holds his head in his hands. “Thanks, but I’ll… I’ll manage.”

A short time later Mythic Honor pulls the finished helmet out of the forge and drops it into a barrel of water.

“That should do it! As soon as it cools, I’ll dry it off and you can try it on!”

“Thanks.”

Ember walks over to him. “Feeling better, Arc?”

“Y-yes. The sound appears to have ceased.”

Sereb sniffs the air. “I wonder what it was.”

“I don’t know, but I think I had better get a checkup tomorrow morning!”

The helmet is removed from the barrel and subsequently dried before being handed to Arc.

“I think the adamantium bonded quite nicely to the Hydra Scales!”

Arc looks it over. “Yeah! But how am I supposed to see?! There’re no eyeholes!”

Mythic Honor chuckles! “That was my own addition! It’s an ancient enchantment that allows the wearer to see through a particular solid object as if it weren’t there!”

Ember raises an eyebrow. “Come again?”

“Arc will be able to see through the helmet as if he wasn’t wearing one! But no one else can see IN!”

Sereb nods. “Handy.”

Arc puts on the helmet and looks around. “This is amazing! It’s like my helmet isn’t even there! Great job you three! What do I…?”

Suddenly a strange visage appears before Arc! He rips off the helmet and throws it across the yard! Silver Hammer looks to him, concerned.

“Arc! What’s wrong?!”

“I… I suddenly saw… SOMETHING in front of me!”

Ember eyes the helmet a short distance away. “Something?”

“It kinda looked like a… figure of some kind. But I can’t be sure! It all happened so fast!”

Steel Hammer frowns. “No one here but us.”

Sereb sniffs the air. “I do not detect anyone else in the area.”

“But… but it was so REAL! Someone or something was here!”

Ember takes Arc’s hand as Sereb retrieves the helmet and put it in his saddlebag. “Let’s get you back to Ponyville, Arc! I think a trip to the hospital is in order!”

Arc nods, breathing heavily! “I… I think you’re right!”

He turns to Mythic Honor and the Hammers.

“What do I owe you for the work?”

Mythic Honor shakes his head. “It was a great honor to work for you, sire! No charge!”

“Nothing, Arc. You brought our Platinum Valve back to us safe and sound yet again the other day!”

“This one’s on us! You just get checked out! We can’t have you cracking up like this on a mission!”

The rest of Arc’s armor is loaded into Sereb’s saddlebags except his sigil glove as Arc gives Mythic Honor a small bag of bits.

“Could you please give this to the innkeeper? I don’t feel right not paying for our room.”

“I’ll see to it! Hope you feel better soon!”

Arc opens a portal to Ponyville Hospital. “Let’s go everyone. I don’t feel right. Not at all…”

Mythic Honor waves a hoof after them. “Good luck!”

As the portal closes behind them, he walks back toward the forge.

“Could it be? No, that’s impossible! Even if he had been trying, nopony could be so… attached to their armor as to…”

Comments

[rileyknudson]

So I vaguely remember there being mention of a cult that worships chaos or something way back near the beginning of the story. it was just a random thought but id love to see some kind of interaction between discord and Mythic Honor. Methinks it would be hilarious.

[Kamahido]

11654780
I may have made mention of Discord at some point. The only cult I can remember though is the one that 'worships' Princess Luna called the 'Nightborn'.