• 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 7 - Paradox


Late that night Arc sits alone in front of the campfire. Derpy stumbles out of her and Dinky’s tent.

“Arc?”

Arc says nothing as he continues to stare into the flames. Derpy walks over to him and smiles as she puts a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… Hammer, she…”

“She what?”

“Head over heels in love with me!”

“What?!”

Arc sighs. “It’s true. Hammer wants us to have a real relationship.”

“Are you sure?”

Arc nods sadly as Derpy continues.

“But you don’t want that, do you?”

“That’s the worst part. I… kinda do.”

“But what about Twilight and her friends?”

Cherry sighs and calls out. “Especially Rarity.”

Arc sighs. “I know, and I feel terrible about what I’ve done.”

“For falling in love?”

Arc shakes his head. “No. For leading Hammer on initially. Back then she was just a means to an end. A source of information for me to exploit. But now that I’ve seen her in a new and different light, I…”

He sighs before continuing.

“…I know I’m not worthy of her love and affection.”

Derpy shakes her head. “Arc. You not being worthy is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“After what I did?”

Cherry sighs. “Nopony is perfect. We both made a mistake and are now paying for it with heartache. That alone shows repentance.”

“Feeling bad for this doesn’t change what I did.”

Derpy smiles at him. “Dinky and I know you wouldn’t have done such a thing if you didn’t feel it was very important, after all.”

“Yeah? Well if she knew the truth, I don’t think she’d still feel the same way.”

Cherry sighs. “You still have time to come clean to her, Arc.”

“Right. Your mission isn’t until tomorrow night, after all. Now come with me and get some sleep.”

Arc groans as he stands and heads to the tent with Derpy. “At this point I don’t really think there IS a way to tell Hammer the truth.”

The next morning Arc and his family awaken at dawn with the birds. Arc sits up as Derpy and Dinky do the same.

“Good morning, dad.”

“Did you sleep well, sweetheart?”

Dinky nods happily. “Yeah. But you sure stayed up late last night.”

“Your father had to work through some problems in his head, sweetie.”

“For the mission?”

Arc looks away. “Not… exactly.”

He stands and heads for the mouth of the tent.

“Come on. Let’s get packed up and head for home.”

“Arc? What’s the hurry?”

“I… there’s something I want… no… NEED to do this morning.”

“Can mom and I help?”

Arc nods as his squad steps out of their tent. “I’d like that, sweetheart.”

He looks around.

“Anyone seen Ember, Auriel, or Rose?”

Xenos points toward the woods. “Last I knew they were still planning to sleep on the beach.”

Hugh nods. “That makes sense. It was pretty hot last night.”

Viktor looks to him. “Shall we fetch them for you, sir?”

“No thanks. I’ll do it myself.”

He makes the short walk to the nearby beach. The first rays of sunlight are just peeking over the horizon. Spotting Rose standing on the shore looking out at the sunrise Arc heads over to her.

“Rose?”

“It’s… peaceful here.”

“That it is. Um… what are you doing?”

“Listening to the sound of the waves mostly.”

“Anything else?”

“Thinking.”

“What about?”

“My place in the world.”

“Have you figured it out?”

Rose sighs and shakes her head. “No. Truth be told, until just last night, I hadn’t given it much thought. Lately I’ve been busy helping you with things.”

Arc sighs. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. That was my choice, remember?”

“Thanks for sticking around though. It really helped. Um… have you seen Ember and Auriel though?”

“They rose a short time ago.”

“Really?”

Rose nods. “Yes. They went behind those rocks. I originally thought they were taking the opportunity to urinate, but… let’s just say I voluntarily chose to disable my more sensitive auditory sensors.”

“I’ll go see what they’re up to. We’ll be leaving soon.”

“Alright.”

Arc heads for the rocks as Rose heads back to the camp. Approaching he calls out.

“Ember? Auriel? You back there?”

“Yeah, Arc.”

“We are.”

“Can I come over?”

Ember chuckles. “Sure. We were just finishing up our conversation anyways.”

Arc rounds the stones to see the pair sitting together.

“Everything okay?”

Auriel nods. “Oh yes.”

Ember grins. “The two of us were just having a nice chat.”

“Girl talk?”

Ember shrugs. “Something like that.”

“We were talking about you, Arc.”

“Oh?”

Ember nods. “Yeah. Auriel’s really taken a liking to you.”

“Yes, she mentioned that a while back.”

“We were discussing her joining your herd.”

Arc sighs. “That again? Ember, you do remember that I said I was only considering that idea, right?”

“Well, if you decide to do it, we’ll be ready!”

“Um… thanks. We’re packing up now. You two ready to go?”

Ember grins. “Anytime.”

Auriel stands. “Yes, indeed.”

They each latch onto one of Arc’s arms as he leads them back toward the campsite. The squad is busy taking down their larger tent as Derpy and Dinky step out of theirs in fresh street clothes.

“You found them, dad!”

Derpy giggles. “Did you two sleep well out there?”

Ember grins. “Like a whelpling!”

Auriel nods. “Yes. It was very relaxing being lulled to sleep by the sound of the water.”

Xenos calls out. “We’ll have this tent packed up in five minutes, sir.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He turns to Auriel and Ember.

“Why don’t you two get dressed?”

Ember puts a hand on her shapely hips and grins. “What’s wrong with what we have on?”

Arc rolls his eyes. “Very funny, Ember. That swimsuit isn’t something you can just walk around town in.”

“Fine. Let’s go, Auriel.”

“Okay.”

Arc sighs as they pass him and enter the remaining tent. A short time later the camp is packed up and the fire doused. Arc looks to the others.

“Everyone ready to go home?”

Dinky sighs. “I’ll miss this place.”

Derpy smiles. “So will I.”

Ember grins. “Well, I for one miss a fully stocked fridge.”

Xenos laughs. “That sounds like something the commander would say!”

Hugh nods. “Right!”

Arc rolls his eyes as he calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. “Funny. Let’s go.”

They step through the swirling energies and find themselves back in Arc’s basement. Xenos and Hugh set their packs down as Viktor heads for the washing machine with yesterday’s clothes and bathing suits. Arc looks toward the bunks as he calls out.

“Up and at em, Max. We…”

He stops as he sees the empty bunk.

“Max?”

Xenos looks over. “Something wrong, sir?”

“Max isn’t here.”

Ember frowns. “Do you think something happened to him?”

Auriel gasps. “I hope not! He’s a very nice stallion!”

Hugh walks over.

“That’s odd.”

Derpy turns to Hugh. “What is?”

“His bunk isn’t made.”

Dinky frowns. “Is that a clue?”

Viktor calls out from the washing machine. “Kinda. Max is always careful to make sure his bunk is made before doing anything else.”

Xenos nods. “We all do that. It’s a military thing.”

Arc shrugs. “Makes sense. But at the very least we know he made it home safely last night.”

Dinky looks nervous. “Are you sure he didn’t just forget to make his bed?”

Rose shakes her head. “No, Dinky. Up until today he had a 100% perfect record for doing just that. From previous experience he would not have forgotten to do so unless something important came up.”

Viktor looks down at the dirty clothes pile. “Well, his clothes from yesterday are here in the wash. So he was definitely here.”

Auriel frowns. “What does that prove?”

Ember looks to Auriel soberly. “That something major must’ve come up.”

Arc heads for the stairs. “Let’s look around the house.”

Rose sighs. “I do not detect him anywhere on the property, Arc.”

“In any case, let’s get upstairs. Maybe he left a note, or something.”

As they enter the kitchen Arc glances out the window. He frowns.

“What the…?!”

Ember looks to him. “Something wrong, Arc?”

“The garage door is open and my Jeep is gone.”

Auriel appears confused. “So Max went for an early morning drive?”

Derpy nods. “It looks like it.”

Arc turns to Xenos. “Does Max ever do things like this when I’m gone?”

Xenos shakes his head. “No sir. He always tells someone before he leaves, and never at night.”

Viktor sighs. “Where would he have gone this early though? Pretty much all the shops are still closed.”

Derpy appears nervous. “Arc, I’m a bit worried about him. Could we go…?”

Rose interrupts. “Your Jeep is approaching, Arc.”

“It is?”

Turning to look out the window Arc spots his vehicle driving down the street toward them. Dinky appears relieved.

“Looks like he’s okay!”

Auriel smiles. “That’s good!”

Ember nods. “I’m looking forward to hearing where he went though.”

Xenos grins. “Yeah.”

Arc frowns. “Me too.”

A short time later Max walks in through the back door. He stops, clearly surprised to see everyone waiting for him in the kitchen.

“Oh! Um… hi everyone. You’re all back early.”

Viktor frowns. “Where the heck were you?!”

Hugh nods angrily. “And how hard it is to write a note?!”

Arc holds up a hand for silence. “Let’s let him explain. I’m sure Max had a good reason for whatever he did.”

“I… I do, sir. But… might I speak to you in private?”

“Sure. Let’s head upstairs.”

“Begging your pardon, but might we go somewhere a bit more secluded?”

Ember raises an eyebrow. “Someone’s paranoid.”

Xenos nods. “Max, we aren’t going to tell anyone whatever it is you have to say.”

Arc shrugs. “Fine.”

He turns to the others as he opens a portal.

“Hit the showers, everyone. I have a little excursion for us this morning when I get back.”

Arc and Max step through and vanish. Dinky looks to her mother.

“What’s going on, mom?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

Rose grimaces. “I detected extreme discomfort in Max before he left.”

Auriel gasps. “Is he hurt?!”

“Physically, no.”

Ember frowns. “Well he was sure acting weird.”

Viktor shrugs. “In any case, the commander will get to the bottom of this.”

Xenos laughs. “Yeah, and help Max get whatever it is off his chest.”

Hugh sighs. “I sure hope so. Truth be told, I’ve never seen him like this before.”

Derpy takes Dinky’s hand. “Come along, sweetie. Let’s get cleaned up like your father said.”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Arc and Max step out of the portal. Max looks around to see nothing but trees. Arc motions for him to follow.

“Let’s head to the beach. I want to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind from yesterday’s party.”

Max nods and does as he is told. Coming to the shore they look around for a few moments. Arc is the first to speak.

“Looks like we got everything.”

“Yes sir.”

He turns to Max soberly.

“Now then… we’re miles from town in the middle of nowhere. Is this private enough for you?”

“Yes sir. I… need to tell you something.”

“Is it about yesterday?”

Max nods. “You see, Miss Lily cooked up a wonderful lasagna with all the trimmings. Rolls, vegetables, jello with whipped cream… everything!”

“Was there anyone else there?”

“Sir?”

“I mean were there any other guests?”

Max shakes his head. “No, sir. It was just the three of us.”

Arc chuckles. “Sounds like Lily did it again. She has a habit of overcooking for what she calls ‘special company’.”

“Oh. That explains it.”

“Keep talking.”

“Well… after supper Miss Lily and I did the dishes together and then headed to the living room to chat with Shelly.”

Arc nods and waits for Max to continue.

“The three of us had a really long chat about the past, sir.”

“Mine or theirs?”

“Both actually. They really like you, sir.”

“And I like them too. Lily and Shelly are like little sisters to me.”

Max pulls a small pendant out of his pocket and holds it up.

“Shelly gave me this.”

Arc raises an eyebrow as he looks the pendant over. “Really?! That’s something Shelly was wearing when they brought her to the orphanage as a child! You take good care of that!”

Max nods as he puts the pendant back in his pocket.

“Yes well… it got rather late. Almost midnight actually. Lily said they almost never stay up that late, what with them having to open the restaurant early in the morning. Seeing she really was quite tired I offered to help Shelly to bed.”

“Um… okay. She doesn’t usually let those other than Lily and I do that though.”

“We sat on the edge of her bed and talked for a little while longer after Lily’s light went out. Shelly started to fell asleep as we talked, so I helped her lay down and turned to leave.”

Max looks down at the ground silently before continuing.

“As… as I did so she took my hand. Looking back to the bed, Shelly told me she had something to tell me. I knelt down, as her voice was almost a whisper at that point.”

Arc nods. “That happens if she gets too tired. What did she say?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“Nothing?”

“She… Shelly just put her hand behind my head and… pulled my lips to hers.”

Arc frowns. “Wait, what?”

“It’s true. When I stepped back she passed out though.”

“She fell asleep… kissing you?!”

“Yes sir. I… didn’t know what to do so I just kinda… ran back home, took a shower, and went to bed.”

Arc nods. “We saw your bed was unmade, yes.”

“And rather… disheveled, sir?”

“Was it?”

“Yes sir. I… couldn’t sleep.”

“First kiss?”

“That it was, sir.”

“And your mind was all jumbled?”

“Sir, how did you know…?”

“We all go through it. But I’m assuming you eventually calmed down enough to sleep.”

Max shakes his head. “No sir. I… didn’t.”

“You mean… you’ve been up all night?”

“Not… exactly, sir. At 3 A.M. I… couldn’t take it anymore!”

“Is that why you were driving up early this morning?”

“Yes sir.”

Arc looks to him warily. “What did you do?”

“I… went for a drive, sir.”

Arc breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. Where to?”

“Shelly’s Kitchen.”

“…what?”

“I used your key to the upstairs apartment and… just kinda let myself in.”

“What?”

“Knocking at Shelly’s door yielded no answer so I walked in. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and she opened her eyes.”

“What?!”

“She smiled up at me, pushed back the covers, and slid over before beckoning me to lie down next to her.

“WHAT?!”

Max smiles dreamily. “She was just so soft. So… warm.”

Arc clenches his fists. “So you SLEPT with Shelly?!”

“Yes sir. I…”

Max is cut off as Arc’s fist meets his gut. He doubles over as the wind is knocked out of him. Arc grabs him by the front of his shirt and lifts him off the ground.

“This was supposed to be REALLY SIMPLE, MAX! What did I tell you to do from the beginning?!”

Max gasps. “Not… not to get too close?”

“And what did you do?!”

“I got too close?”

“YOU GOT TOO CLOSE!”

He throws Max to the sand where he lies on his back still attempting to catch his breath. Arc drops to his knees over his subordinate and again grabs his shirt.

“What is SHE supposed to do when we leave tonight, Max?! HUH?!”

“I… I don’t know, sir.”

“That’s right! YOU DON’T KNOW!”

He roughly pushes Max back as he rolls off of him. Arc sits in the sand with his face in his hands. Neither speak for a time.

“Sir, I… um… want you to know that I didn’t violate Shelly in any way. I swear to you that we just held each other and fell asleep. I know you want her to be with a human male someday, but…”

Arc grunts. “Max, I… I didn’t say all of that because you’re a pony.”

“Was it because I’m a common soldier, sir? Because I’m not good enough for Shelly?”

Arc shakes his head. “No, Max. Because you’re perfect for her.”

Max gasps. “S-sir?”

Arc sighs. “I knew Shelly would like you, Max. You’re certainly everything she’s ever wanted in a man.”

“Sir, I… I don’t understand.”

Arc frowns. “Shelly’s life isn’t going to go on much longer. I’m sure you’ve noticed she’s been having more and more bad days lately.”

“Then you should want her to find happiness, sir!”

“Yes. But at what cost?”

“Cost?”

Arc nods as he continues. “She’d have to leave behind anyone that fell in love with her. Like you, Max. I… I know what that feels like all too well when Cherry…”

“I… understand, sir.”

“You shouldn’t have to go through what I did. Feel what I felt. Grieve as I did.”

“Sir?”

“Yes, Max?”

“I think I need some time to think.”

Arc stands up. “Yes, you do that.”

He calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal. The pair step through and find themselves back in Arc’s basement.

“I want you to make your bed, lie down on it, and think about how to make this right.”

“Yes sir.”

Max does as he is told as Arc heads back upstairs. He sighs as he straightens the sheets and blanket before lying down. After a time he pulls the pendant from his pocket and holds it to his heart.

“Make it right? But… to me at least… it already feels right.”

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