The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

VOLUME FINALE - Chapter 25 - Making Things Right

Arc and company sleep peacefully. The Lunar Destiny flies through the night and reaches Canterlot Castle just as the sun peaks over the horizon. As the first rays of dawn shine through the window Arc opens his eyes. He sits up and stretches.

“Another day.”

Sensing movement next to him, Arc pulls back the covers to see Ember lying next to him. She puts a claw in front of her face.

“Just… just five more minutes.”

“What are you doing here, Ember? I thought we were past this.”

She sits up, grinning. “Nah! It’s just been too long!”

“Ember… you just don’t give up, do you?”

“Nope!”

Arc sighs as he pulls back the covers. “I guess I should give you points for persistence.”

He looks down to see Rose curled up next to him. She opens her eyes and smiles.

“Good morning you two. Did you sleep well?”

Arc looks confused. “Rose?! Why are you…?”

“You looked cold last night, so I decided to recharge over here next to you.”

Ember raises an eyebrow. “Recharge?”

“I expended a large amount of energy yesterday during the battle and needed to replenish it.”

Ember smiles mischievously. “I guess it’s a good thing we have such a large bed, huh Arc?”

Arc swings his legs out over the side of the bed. “Ha, ha. I’m going to take a quick shower before we wake up the others.”

Rose smiles at him. “Do you want me to…?”

Arc interrupts as he picks up fresh clothes from a nearby dresser. “Stay out here this time, please!”

Ember frowns and raises an eyebrow. “This time?!”

“The first day I came to Light’s Hope, I followed Arc into the Bathroom and helped him bathe.”

“Really?!”

Ember looks over at Arc. An expectant look on her face.

“Is it my turn today?!”

Arc rolls his eyes as he heads for the Bathroom. “No Ember.”

Ember frowns as she gets up. “Then why did Rose get to…?!”

Arc interrupts her as he closes the Bathroom door. “Because she wasn’t supposed to!”

Ember turns to Rose and smiles. “You lucky girl!”

Rose looks away, sadly. “Yes, well… he didn’t seem to enjoy me being in there, so I don’t think I’ll be repeating that experience anytime soon.”

Meanwhile, Arc turns on the water and steps into the shower. He sighs.

“I sure hope the Dragon Lord is in a good mood today.”

He begins washing himself and thinks.

“I wonder how Brightwing did… whatever it was she did. This is something I need to talk to the princesses about. We wouldn’t have made it without her help back there. That and Wiseman. What… what IS he?!”

Arc finishes showering and puts on fresh clothes. Stepping out of the bathroom he looks at the pair waiting for him.

“Sorry for the wait you two.”

Ember grins. “It’s fine. Rose and I were just talking about you and her in the shower together.”

Arc rolls his eyes. “Not this again…”

Rose looks to Arc apologetically. “Sorry! But she seemed genuinely interested in hearing about it.”

“Of course she did.”

Ember nods. “We’ll have to try that sometime, Arc.”

Arc sighs as he heads for the door. “How about not. In any case, let’s get the others and head over to the Infirmary.”

They leave Arc’s room together and walk over to the other VIP suites. Rose turns to Arc.

“What for?”

Arc sighs as he knocks on Twilight’s door. “A change of bandages would be in order.”

A moment later the door opens. Twilight and Auriel step out. Auriel smiles at them.

“Good morning everyone.”

Ember turns to Sereb. “Sleep well?”

“Very.”

“Brightwing sleep like dead animal!”

Twilight giggles. “An interesting way to put it.”

Arc nods. “Very! In any case, we should probably get over to see Nurse Redheart. How are you holding up Auriel?”

Auriel winces. “I’m a bit sore. But nothing too bad.”

Sereb turns to Arc as they make the short walk to the Infirmary. “Need another checkup, Arc?”

“Just want to make sure Auriel, Twilight and I are healing.”

Twilight smiles. “I feel fine.”

“Let’s just have her take a look at you as well. Just to be sure, okay?”

“If that’s what you want.”

They enter the Infirmary. Nurse Redheart is sitting at a lab table going over some papers. Rose calls over to her.

“Good morning Miss Redheart.”

She looks up. “Good morning everypony. Any complications?”

Arc shakes his head. “Not really. I just wanted you to look us over and change these bandages before we disembark.”

“Right away, sir.”

She quickly gets to work removing yesterday’s wrappings and looking over their wounds.

“Everything seems to be coming along nicely. Seek medical attention immediately if you have any pain or your wound becomes inflamed. The tests for infection came back negative yesterday, but one can never be too careful.”

Auriel nods and pulls her sleeved down over the fresh bandages. “Thank you, nurse.”

“And how are you feeling, Twilight?”

Twilight smiles at the nurse. “Great! No pain at all!”

“That’s good to hear. But please stop by Ponyville Hospital when you return home and have a full physical examination as soon as possible.”

“I will.”

“I still can’t believe you went from likely paralyzation and grievous wounds to walking and talking!”

Ember shrugs. “Neither can we. And we were here.”

Redheart turns to Arc. “Don’t do anything too strenuous now, Arc. We wouldn’t want you to reopen any wounds now.”

“I’ll try.”

“All of you should have a nice breakfast and do your best to take it easy today.”

Twilight nods. “Thank you, Nurse Redheart.”

Arc collects his damaged armor and puts it on. The group leaves the Infirmary and heads for the Main Hatch. Ember looks to Arc.

“So… what next?”

“You and I really should talk to the princesses before we leave, Ember. Auriel and Sereb can head back to Light’s Hope for breakfast.”

“Brightwing will head to Ponytown with friends!”

Auriel looks to Brightwing, confused. “But how would you get back?”

“Brightwing will just fly away! I will come back later! Tell pretty pink princess Brightwing will come back when she is ready!”

Arc nods. “I suppose we could do that.”

He opens a portal back to Light’s Hope. Auriel, Sereb, and Brightwing step through.

Ember frowns. “Aren’t you going back with everyone, Rose?”

She shakes her head. “I should come with you. The Dragon Lord will expect me to be there, won’t he?”

Arc nods. “I suppose he will.”

He looks at his pocket watch.

“It’s about time for the princesses to have breakfast. We can talk to them about what happened on our mission before they leave to hold audiences.”

Twilight nods. “Good idea.”

They disembark and head for the Dining Room. The Royal Guards step aside to allow them access. The princesses stop eating as they enter. Luna looks up, wide-eyed.

“Arc! Good to see you… oh my!”

They stare in awe at Arc’s heavily damaged armor.

“Sorry. I guess I must look a fright.”

Cadance’s looks at Arc, clearly worried. “Are… are you all right?!”

“I have a few extra holes in me right now, but I’ll be fine.”

Luna shakes her head in disbelief. “Was the temple truly that dangerous?!”

Twilight nods. “Kinda. We quickly learned magic doesn’t work inside its walls.”

Cadance’s eyes grow wide. “Goodness! We’re certainly glad to have all of you back in one piece!”

Luna nods fervently. “Were there any other injuries?!”

Twilight sighs. “Me… kinda. But I’m fine now!”

She points to the Dragon’s Tear around her neck.

“Thanks to Arc putting this on me anyways.”

Luna steps forward for a closer look. “I can feel its power from here!”

Cadance nods as she joins Luna is examining the relic. “Amazing that it’s held up so well through the centuries.”

Arc nods. “It was very weak when we found it. I was able to give it a jump start though.”

Luna looks confused. “How?!”

“We should probably sit down. It’s kinda a long story.”

They sit down around the spacious table as servants bring extra food from the kitchen. Arc and company bring the princesses up to speed on the events of the past day.

“That is quite the tale you tell!”

Ember chuckles. “Frankly I’m amazed we’re all still breathing, Princess Cadance.”

Rose nods as she drinks a glass of water. “It really was touch and go for a bit.”

Luna looks to Arc. “And Brightwing?”

“She went to Ponyville with the others for breakfast.”

Twilight nods. “She’ll be back later. But I don’t know if you really want her here anymore.”

Cadance frowns. “Why’s that?”

Ember sighs. “My dad sent her here to keep an eye on everyone.”

Rose nods. “Like a spy.”

Luna puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “That would explain his desire for an emissary. But why now?”

Arc shrugs. “I’m not sure. But if he’s in somewhat of a good mood today I’ll ask him. In the meantime, Brightwing did fight bravely by our sides yesterday.”

“And that strange power she displayed?”

Arc sighs as he goes back to eating. “Your guess is as good as mine on that one, Princess Luna.”

Twilight considers this. “That puzzles me too. I’ve never read ANYWHERE about a dragon displaying that kind of magical ability. Or whatever it was.”

Ember nods. “Brightwing has always had powerful magic. For a dragon, that is!”

Rose sighs. “And a baby no less.”

Cadance points a hoof to the Dragon’s Tear around Twilight’s neck. “In any case, you should get that over to the Dragon Lord as quickly as possible.”

Luna nods. “Do be careful though. He’s as moody as he is crafty.”

Arc stands. “I will. Thank you for your time.”

The group stands up and heads for the door together.

“Twilight?”

“Yes Cadance?”

She walks over to her childhood friend. “Be careful over there, okay?”

“I will.”

The pair exchange hugs before they part ways. The doors close behind Arc and his group as Cadance turns to Luna.

“Who knew that temple could be so dangerous?!”

“My sister most likely.”

Cadance frowns. “But why would she have created such monstrosities?!”

Luna sighs as she sits back down. “Some things need to be kept safe at any cost. After all, there is more in there than even I know of.”

Meanwhile, Arc, Twilight, Rose and Ember leave the Dining Room and head down the corridor. Arc sighs.

“I guess there’s no putting this off any longer.”

Ember frowns. “Here’s to hoping my father’s not too angry.”

Arc opens a portal back to Ember’s small house. They quickly make their way to the Throne of the Dragon Lord. Arc, Rose and Twilight stand back as Ember approaches her father.

“We have returned with what you asked for, father!”

“I ASKED FOR NOTHING! DEMANDED WOULD BE A BETTER WORD, EMBER!”

Ember shrugs. “Call it what you will.”

“SHOW IT TO ME! QUICKLY!”

Twilight turns to look at Arc. He carefully removes the Dragon’s Tear from around her neck and approaches the Dragon Lord.

“I have it right here, sir!”

“GIVE IT TO ME!”

“Before I do that, I have but one question.”

“A QUESTION?!”

Arc looks at the item in his hand. “Why do you want this so badly?”

Rose nods. “Begging the Dragon Lord’s pardon, but your life is already quite long.”

Ember sighs. “To say nothing for the fact you’re already the biggest and strongest in all the land. So why do you want the Dragon’s Tear, father?”

“IT IS… COMPLICATED, EMBER! NOW BRING IT TO ME, OR SUFFER MY WRATH!”

Ember takes the Dragon’s Tear from Arc and walks toward her father. “Very well. But only if you promise to tell me at least why you want it.”

The Dragon Lord narrows his eyes. “ARE YOU CERTAIN YOU’RE READY FOR SUCH KNOWLEDGE, EMBER?!”

Twilight looks confused. “Ready?”

“THE TRUTH IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE, MY DAUGHTER! SOMETIMES… IT IS RATHER GRAY!”

Ember holds the Dragon’s Tear to her heart. “You can’t protect me like this forever, father!”

“VERY WELL! I SUPPOSE YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE TRUTH!”

He steps down from his throne and heads toward his treasure horde.

“ALL OF YOU COME WITH ME!”

Arc, Ember, Rose and Twilight follow the Dragon Lord to his horde. He stops just outside the entrance.

“INSIDE YOU WILL FIND THE BLOODSTONE SCEPTER, EMBER! BRING IT TO ME!”

Ember does as she is told. A few minutes later she emerges with the scepter in her claws and presents it to her father.

“Now what?”

He takes the miniscule scepter in his claw and looks at it for a moment. “YOU WILL SEE!”

The Dragon Lord looks at the Bloodstone Scepter for a few moments before channeling his magic into it. The scepter grows in size to match that of the Dragon Lord himself. Arc looks on, amazed.

“Did not see that one coming!”

Ember sighs. “My father’s never been one to keep his royal scepter with him.”

She looks over at Arc and smiles.

“Much like another former ruler I know of.”

“You remember that, huh?”

Ember looks to Arc, fondly. “Yes. It sticks out in my mind.”

Dragon Lord Torch makes a circle in the ground with the tip of the now enormous scepter. Rose turns to Ember.

“Now what is he doing?”

“I have no idea.”

They watch as the circle is completed. The Dragon Lord raises the scepter above his head. In a flash of light he along with Arc and friends are teleported. Arc and company look around as they reappear in some kind of cavern. Arc frowns.

“What the heck?!”

Rose turns to him. “Odd… my scanners are unable to determine our location.”

Ember turns to her father. “Dad? Where… are we?”

The Dragon Lord sighs as he lumbers down the cavern’s wide corridor. “YOU WANTED TO KNOW THE TRUTH, EMBER! IT IS HERE THAT YOU WILL FIND IT!”

He turns to Arc, Rose and Twilight.

“YOU MAY SEE FOR YOURSELVES! PROVIDED YOU DO NOT TELL ANYONE ELSE WHAT TRANSPIRES HERE TODAY!”

Arc nods. “Very well, sir. I promise.”

“As do I.”

“Me too.”

“VERY WELL! ALL OF YOU FOLLOW ME!”

He leads the group to the end of the long tunnel. A massive but ancient looking door stands before them. Torch sighs as he puts a large claw on it.

“IT HAS BEEN CENTURIES SINCE I LAST CAME TO THIS PLACE!”

There is silence in the cave as the Dragon Lord just stands there.

Rose looks to Arc. “What should we…?”

She is cut short by Arc holding up a hand for silence. A short time later the Dragon Lord puts both claws on the doors. With a mighty groan the doors open wide. Twilight’s eyes grow wide as she whispers under her breath.

“Oh… my… Celestia…!”

They enter the cavernous room. Before them on a large ornate slab lies a massive dragon. It is nearly as large as the Dragon Lord himself.

“EMBER! GAZE UPON THE MAJESTIC CREATURE THAT LIES BEFORE YOU!”

“My… my mother?”

“HOW… DID YOU KNOW THAT?!”

“The princesses told me that she was buried somewhere far to the north of Equestria. Is that true?”

“IT IS!”

“But… you never said a word before.”

“AND WHAT IF I HAD?! WOULD YOU HAVE RUN OFF IN SEARCH OF HER?!”

“I… may have.”

She looks at her mother for a long moment.

“What was her name?”

“CINDER!”

“She… looks kinda like me!”

BEFORE NOW, I HAVE TREATED YOU AS A WHELPLING! A WEAKLING THAT CANNOT MAKE HER OWN DECISIONS! TODAY I NOW KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR MOTHER!”

“How long…?”

“CENTURIES INNUMERABLE HAS SHE LAIN HERE! YOU WERE BROUGHT ALONG AND LAID AT HER SIDE!”

“How did I survive?! No egg is viable for that long!”

“THIS CAVERN IS MAGICAL IN NATURE! ANY CREATURE THAT RESIDES HERE WILL REMAIN ALIVE IN A SORT OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION!”

“So, is it true what I was told? Did ponies… kill mother?!”

“YES… AND NO!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

Torch turns from Ember to look to his mate. “HER DEATH WAS… ULTIMATELY BROUGHT ABOUT BY PONIES, YES! HOWEVER, I BROUGHT HER HERE IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE HER LIFE!”

“How?”

“IN THIS CAVERN, SHE WOULD SLEEP UNTIL I COULD DISCOVER THE LOCATION OF THE ONE ITEM I KNEW COULD ONE DAY RESTORE HER TO US!”

Arc nods, understanding. “So that’s why you wanted the Dragon’s Tear so badly!”

“CORRECT! I KNEW THE PRINCESSES WERE IN POSSESSION OF THE DRAGON’S TEAR! HOWEVER, THEY WERE LOATHE TO PART WITH SUCH A POWERFUL ARTIFACT! I WAITED MANY, MANY YEARS FOR AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO INSERT A SPY INTO THEIR MIDST!”

Rose sighs. “Brightwing?”

“YES! THROUGH HER EYES I SEARCHED CANTERLOT CASTLE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM! FINDING NO TRACE OF IT’S MAGIC THERE, I WAITED FOR SOMETHING TO COME UP!”

Ember’s eyes grow wide. “Twilight breaking the treaty!”

“I COULD NOT HAVE HOPED FOR A BETTER OPPORTUNITY! WITH CELESTIA OUT OF THE COUNTRY, THERE WAS NO ONE TO OBJECT TO MY REQUEST! AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, THEY EVEN PROVIDED SOMEONE OF SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO RETRIEVE IT!”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “I’m feeling kinda used over here.”

“IT WAS NOT PERSONAL, ARC! UNDERSTAND I WOULD NOT HAVE SENT EMBER ON A TASK THAT I BELIEVED SHE COULD NOT COMPLETE! UNDER YOUR GUIDANCE, OF COURSE!”

Twilight looks at the dragon before her. “Now that you have what you wanted, how is it going to help?”

“IT IS MY HOPE THAT THE POWER IN THE DRAGON’S TEAR WILL BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE HER TO HEALTH! I WILL HAVE MY MATE BACK AND EMBER WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO MEET HER MOTHER!”

Ember nods. “I was told that Princess Celestia brought me to you after she retrieved me from this cave. Why was I here in the first place?!”

“FORGIVE ME, BUT AT THAT TIME, YOU WERE BUT A CONSTANT REMINDER OF THAT WHICH I HAD BEEN UNABLE TO PROTECT! MY PLAN WAS TO FIND A WAY TO RESTORE HER, AND THEN ALLOW YOUR EGG TO HATCH! IN THAT WAY IT WOULD BE LIKE NOTHER EVER HAPPENED! THE THREE OF US WOULD THEN BE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR LIVES TOGETHER!”

“But… that’s not how it worked out, huh?”

“PRINCESS CELESTIA TOOK YOUR EGG BACK TO HER ACCURSED CITY TO ‘RESCUE’ IT! SHE THEN BROUGHT YOU TO ME, HOPING TO GAIN MY FAVOR! I WAS FURIOUS AT HER MEDDLING AND DECLARED WAR ON EQUESTRIA ON THE SPOT! SHE SEEMED CONFUSED AT MY RESPONSE TO WHAT SHE HAD BELIEVED TO BE A SIMPLE ACT OF GOODWILL!”

Rose frowns. “There’s no way she could have known about your plan, sir.”

“I KNOW! THAT IS WHY EQUESTRIA STILL STANDS! SHE REMINDED ME THAT IF I WERE TO RAZE HER COUNTRY, I WOULD INADVERTANTLY DESTROY THE ONLY ITEM THAT COULD GIVE ME WHAT I TRULY WANTED!”

Arc shakes his head. “So, you’ve been cooking this plan of yours since Ember was born?”

“HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO RESTORE A LOST LOVED ONE TO LIFE, ARC?! HOW MUCH WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO RISK?!”

“Everything.”

“WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE DONE TO GET THIS FAR! THE TIME SINCE I SENT YOU BACK TO YOUR LAND TO RETRIEVE THIS HAS BEEN THE LONGEST WAIT OF MY LIFE!”

Torch turns to Ember.

“NOW THEN, EMBER! GIVE ME THE DRAGON’S TEAR SO THAT I MAY HAVE BACK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!”

Ember looks at the gold chain in her claw then over at Arc.

“Is… is that okay with you?”

“If it brings your mother back to you, yes. Equestria will cooperate in this matter.”

Ember walks over to her father and holds up the Dragon’s Tear. He reaches down and takes it as he looks over to Arc.

“THE PROCESS OF CHANNELING THE NECESSARY POWER TO MAKE THIS A REALITY WILL MOST LIKELY DESTROY THE ARTIFACT! DO YOU ACCEPT THIS, ARC?!”

Arc nods. “Yes. Do what you will with it, sir.”

“THANK YOU!”

Dragon Lord Torch waves the Bloodstone Scepter over the Dragon’s Tear. A massive amount of magical energy can be felt emanating from the Dragon Lord as the process goes on. After a short time the glow from the Dragon’s Tear begins to fade. Eventually the gem turns black as the pendant falls to the ground with a thud. Torch holds the Bloodstone Scepter toward his mate as he focuses his energies.

“AWAKEN, CINDER! AWAKEN MY LOVE, AND STAND BY MY SIDE ONCE AGAIN! AID ME IN LEADING OUR NATION AND RAISING OUR DAUGHTER!”

A moment later the sleeping dragon stirs ever so slightly. Rose turns to Arc.

“I… I can’t believe it, but I think it’s working!”

Ember slowly steps forward slowly. “M-mother?! Can… can you hear me?!”

As the Dragon Lord finishes casting Cinder opens her eyes, albeit weakly, and raises her head slightly.

“T-TORCH… WHERE… WHERE IS THIS PLACE?!”

Torch tosses the Bloodstone Scepter to the side as he approaches his mate. It returns to its normal size before hitting the ground.

“FEAR NOT, MY LOVE, FOR YOU ARE SAFE! MANY LONG YEARS HAVE PASSED, AND THE THREAT TO OUR SHORES HAS BEEN SILENCED!”

Cinder nods and responds in a tired voice. “GOOD! WHERE IS… OUR EGG?!”

“I… I’m right here, mother.”

She smiling weakly at her daughter. “EMBER! YOU’VE GROWN!”

Ember smiles broadly! “I… I guess I have!”

“WHEN YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH, WE SHALL RETURN TO THE DRAGON LANDS AND HAVE A GREAT FEAST IN YOUR HONOR MY LOVE! THEY WILL TELL TALES OF THIS GRAND DAY FOR GENERATIONS!”

Cinder sighs and shakes her head. “I… I AM AFRAID… IT WILL NOT LAST!”

“CINDER?! WH-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!”

“LONG HAVE I SLUMBERED IN THIS PLACE ALONE! SADLY, YOUR EFFORTS HAVE ONLY GIVEN ME A BRIEF RESPITE FROM THIS DREAM!”

Torch appears shaken! “I… I WILL FIND ANOTHER WAY! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING I CAN…!”

Cinder holds up a claw to the Dragon Lord. He takes it.

“JUST HOLD ON TO HOPE, THAT I WILL COME THROUGH FOR YOU!”

Cinder smiles up at him. “YOU ALWAYS HAVE, TORCH! BUT NOW… NOW YOU HAVE TO BE THERE FOR EMBER! AS I AM UNABLE TO GO ON MUCH LONGER!”

“SHE HAS BEEN TRAVELING THE LAND AND GAINING EXPERIENCE FROM THE STRANGEST OF CREATURES!”

Arc steps forward.

“Hello, ma’am. My name is…”

“YOU ARE ARC, ARE YOU NOT?”

“How did you know that?!”

“AS MY BODY SLEPT IN THIS CAVERN, MY SOUL WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL THE LAND AND WITNESS MANY TERRIBLE AND WONDROUS THINGS!”

“Like what, mother?!”

“I SAW YOUR EGG TAKEN BY THE EQUESTRIAN PRINCESS KNOWN AS CELESTIA! SHE SENSED YOUR LIFEFORCE IN THE EGG AND SOUGHT TO RESCUE YOU FROM THIS PLACE! I HAVE WATCHED YOUR EVERY MOVEMENT SINCE YOU WERE BORN, MY DEAR!”

“HAS OUR DAUGHTER’S ACTIONS PLEASED YOU, MY LOVE?!”

Cinder nods weakly. “MORE SO THAN YOU KNOW! SHE HAS MANY IN THE MAGICAL LAND OF EQUESTRIA THAT CARE FOR HER! EVEN THOUGH SHE IS NOT ONE OF THEM!”

She looks over at Arc.

“I’VE SEEN… MY DAUGHER FALL IN LOVE WITH ONE AS SMALL AND FRAIL AS YOU ARE, ARC! WHILE I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY AT FIRST, AS I CONTINUED TO BEAR WITNESS TO YOUR MANY DEEDS OF HEROISM, BRAVEY AND… SACRIFICE!”

Her gaze returns to Ember.

“YOU WISH TO MAKE ARC YOUR MATE, DO YOU NOT?!”

Ember nods with conviction. “More than anything!”

Her mother smiles. “YOU’VE NEVER FELT LIKE THIS ABOUT ANYONE BEFORE!”

“Yes! But he is not a dragon and cannot one day join me is succeeding father.”

Cinder turns her gaze to her mate. “TORCH… THIS HUMAN IS CERTAINLY STRONGER THAN ANY DRAGON THAT CURRENTLY WALKS THIS LAND! PERHAPS HE COULD EVEN GIVE YOU A GOOD WORKOUT!”

Arc shudders at the thought. “Let’s not find out, shall we?”

“PERHAPS! HOWEVER…!”

Cinder interrupts him. “ALL I WANT AS EMBER’S MOTHER… IS TO SEE HER HAPPY! NOW PLEASE GRANT MY FINAL REQUEST… AND ALLOW OUR DAUGHTER TO BE WITH THE MATE SHE TRULY DESIRES!”

“VERY WELL!”

He turns to Ember.

“EMBER! AS DRAGON LORD, I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO TAKE A NON-DRAGON MATE FOR YOUR OWN! WED WHOMEVER YOU WISH, MY DAUGHTER!”

Ember’s eyes light up. “Th-thank you father! I… I will!”

She runs over to Arc happily and takes his hands.

“Isn’t this wonderful, Arc! We can finally be together… forever!”

Her smile suddenly fades as reality sinks in. She looks down, sadly.

“But… his lifespan is so short.”

“I WILL USE THE POWER WITHIN THE BLOODSTONE SCEPTER TO GREATLY INCREASE HIS LIFESPAN! WITH THAT, HE WILL LIVE ROUGHLY AS LONG AS YOU WILL, EMBER!”

Ember wraps her arms around Arc’s midsection as tears of joy flow freely.

“A full life with Arc! This is like a dream come true!”

She takes his hands in her claws and looks him in the eye as she smiles through her tears.

“Arc! I may never be as pretty or as smart as Cherry Jubilee was! But if you’ll have me, I’d love to spend the next thirty thousand years or more by your side! We can be together and rule this land with Equestria as our ally!”

The Dragon Lord chuckles. “WELL THEN, ARC, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO MY DAUGHTER’S OFFER?!”

Arc thinks for a moment before responding.

“Your daughter is… quite the catch. She’s honest, kind, loyal, strong and… I’ll admit, very pretty to look at.”

Ember turns away and blushes happily. Cinder frowns.

“BUT…?”

Arc sighs. “But I… I can’t! I’m sorry, Ember, but I have so many things to do before I can settle down and take a wife.”

“PRINCESS CELESTIA’S RESCUE?!”

“Among other things, yes ma’am!”

He returns his gaze to Ember.

“Now I’m very sorry to say this Ember, but… I think there’s someone else out there who can care for you better than I ever could.”

The Dragon Lord appears suddenly angry. “EMBER! JUST SAY THE WORD AND I WILL CRUSH HIM LIKE A GRAPE!”

Ember looks down at the ground and closes her eyes as she smiles and shakes her head.

“No father. Arc has answered my proposal truthfully, honorably and bravely. It’s not just anyone who can turn down such a grand offer, you know.”

She leans forward and gives Arc a loving kiss on the cheek. Smiling, she draws back.

“Maybe someday, Arc?”

Arc nods and closes his eyes. “Maybe. Sorry, but that’s the best I can do right now.”

Ember steps back with a happy smile on her face. “As always… it will have to be enough.”

“EMBER! THERE ARE A GREAT MANY THINGS THAT I HAD WANTED TO TEACH YOU! HOWEVER, IT APPEARS I WON’T BE ABLE TO DO THAT!”

“IS… IS OUR TIME REALLY THAT SHORT?!”

“IT IS! TORCH, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE OUR DAUGHTER BECAUSE OF HER SIZE! THERE IS A FIRE THAT BURNS WITHIN HER THAT SHINES BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN!”

Torch nods. “I KNOW, MY LOVE! I’VE ALWAYS SEEN THAT IN HER! BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL VERY RECENTLY THAT I WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THAT!”

“Thank you for your kind words, mother. I’ll do my best to make you and father proud of me in the future!”

Her father smiles. “YOU ALREADY HAVE, EMBER!”

“STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF, MY DAUGHTER! DO NOT FALTER AND DO NOT GIVE UP! AS MY LIFE ENDS, YOURS WILL GO ON!”

Cinder looks to her mate.

“PROTECT OUR LAND AND CITIZENS UNTIL EMBER IS READY TO TAKE OVER FOR YOU, MY LOVE! I… I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN THE GREAT BEYOND!”

“IS… IS THERE NOT MORE TIME?! I LOST YOU ONCE LONG AGO! DO I NOW HAVE TO LOSE YOU A SECOND TIME?!”

She sighs. “AS OUR DAUGHTER SAID EARLIER, IT WILL HAVE TO BE ENOUGH!”

Cinder looks over at Arc.

“REGARDLESS OF WHAT PATH YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE, PLEASE LOOK AFTER MY DAUGHTER AS YOU ALWAYS HAVE! SHOW HER THE WAY AND PROTECT HER UNTIL SHE IS READY TO STAND ON HER OWN!”

“I will, ma’am. You have an absolutely amazing daughter! I’m proud to know her and prouder still that she counts me among her friends!”

“I KNOW YOU WILL NOT FAIL HER, OR THIS WORLD PONIES AND DRAGONS SHARE, ARC!”

Cinder holds out a claw to her daughter. Although it is much larger than she herself is, Ember takes it and holds it as her father stands by her side. Cinder looks Ember and Torch in the eyes and smiles.

“I’M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO SEE YOU BOTH WITH MY OWN EYES… ONE LAST TIME! NOW… BE STRONG… BE BRAVE… AND MOST IMPORTATNLY… BE… YOUR… SE… LF…”

Cinder breathes her last as the light fades from her eyes. Tears well up in Ember’s eyes.

“Mother? Mother?! MOTHER?!”

Ember holds her mothers’ claw and collapses, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Dragon Lord Torch roars in sorrow next to his daughter.

Arc sighs as he turns to leave the chamber. “Rest now, ma’am. I’ll watch over your daughter as long as I am able.”

He motions for Rose and Twilight to follow him. Rose slowly walks over to Arc and puts an arm around him as they leave the chamber.

“Arc? What just happened here?”

“Which part?”

“This emotion that I know only as… loss.”

Twilight sighs. “I guess even I couldn’t program your emotions perfectly.”

Rose puts a hand to her chest. “It feels as if something inside this unit is… being pinched.”

Arc sadly nods. “That’s the pain of losing a loved one, Rose.”

“But you and I just met her.”

“Very true. But Ember is suffering the loss of her mother, and we’re her friends.”

“I don’t understand.”

Twilight puts a hoof on her side. “Rose. When a friend suffers, we suffer with her. Now come. We should leave them alone for a bit.”

Arc, Twilight and Rose head back the way they came to wait, while Ember and her father grieve the second passing of their loved one.

Comments

[Kamahido]

10175043
Indeed. But what was he really up to? I mean, he had to have some kind of endgame... right?

[Booster Spice]

RIP Cinder.

The next non deific entity to peeve Torch wont even leave a smear of ash in the resulting lava filled trench?

[Kamahido]

Indeed. Which leaves one to wonder... will Arc ever attain enough power that he's capable of taking on Torch?

Or I suppose a better question would be, would he ever have to?

[Kamahido]

10175754
Nearly every chapter has a lesson to be learned from it. See if you can figure them all out. The Blog section has journal entries for many of the Volume-Chapter lesson answers.

[Hye]

...
YA CRAZY AND SILLY HUMAN!