The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

Chapter 10 - Into the Breech

Arc looks to the Gates of Tartarus before turning back to the others.

“Anyone want out of this?”

No one speaks. Eventually Arc chuckles.

“Me either.”

Twilight nods bravely. “We can do this, everypony.”

Rainbow Dash grins. “Yeah! So let’s go already!”

Fluttershy looks around nervously. “Wha-what’s the rush?”

Rarity puts a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “Think of it this way, Fluttershy. The sooner we get started, the sooner this’ll be over.”

Applejack walks over to one of the wagons and hitches herself up to it. “Right. Now then, let’s get this show on the road.”

Pinkie giggles. “It’ll be like a carnival ride! Over before you know it!”

Aurora raises an eyebrow. “Carnival?”

Auriel sighs. “Hopefully it’s that simple.”

Sereb turns to Arc. “Shall I go first?”

Arc shakes his head as he removes his cape from the ring. “No. I’ll do that. Take your position, Fluttershy.”

Gulping, the frightened pegasus flies over to the Gates of Tartarus with the cape.

“Now what do I do?”

“Put it over yourself and fly into the barrier. The energy should be blocked by the hydra scales, allowing us to pass through.”

Fluttershy does so. A small opening forms in the barrier as a result. Arc steps forward and through the Gates of Tartarus to stand on the red dirt of the hellish landscape. He looks to the capital city of Vengeance as the others bring the supplies through. Auriel walks over to him along with Aurora whom gazes out at the bleak landscape.

“What a barren wasteland.”

Twilight turns to her. “Aurora?”

“For the first time since the Consciousness gained… consciousness, we do not sense the warmth of nature.”

Fluttershy gulps. “Nothing really grows here. So that’s to be expected.”

Auriel looks to the city. “Yes, well… it shouldn’t be long now.”

Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Agreed. Your father is very… prompt.”

“Not exactly the word I would have used, Arc.”

About ten minutes later they see movement from the capital. Ars squints.

“Here he comes.”

Fluttershy gasps. “But not just him!”

“My father always has guards with him.”

Rainbow Dash grimaces as she calls out. “Well, this looks like more than just what’s needed for protection.”

Applejack turns to Arc. “You don’t suppose he’s coming for a fight, do you?”

“Hopefully not. After all, he’s already lost to me more than once.”

Pinkie smiles wickedly. “Yeah! Arc’s got this!”

Rarity nods, her horn aglow. “As do we!”

Arc waits until the king halts his forces before stepping forward alone. King Malevolence calls out to him.

“ARC! WHY HAVE YOU COME TO MY DOMAIN?! “

The king looks to Auriel with a pained expression on his face.

“YOU KNOW MY DAUGHTER IS BANISHED, YET YOU HAVE BRAZENLY BROUGHT HER HERE!”

Rainbow Dash points a hoof angrily. “Hey, buster! That’s LORD Arc to YOU!”

“WHAT?!”

Auriel nods. “Yes, father. He’s currently the legitimate ruler of Equestria.”

King Malevolence clenches his fist angrily.

“HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! HAVE THE PRINCESSES BEEN VANQUISHED?!”

Arc shakes his head. “No. They are merely busy with another task. One that requires their full attention. As such, they abdicated and appointed me as Lord Regent.”

“WELL THEN… FOR WHAT REASON HAVE YOU COME TO THIS PLACE?!”

“As you know, my friend Twilight here has taken Auriel into her home. They’ve been working on a very special… project together.”

“OH?!”

“The one we spoke of last time we met, father.”

“I SEE! AND YOU NOW HAVE A SOLUTION?!”

Twilight motions with a wave of her hoof. “Here in these carts, yes.”

Arc nods. “We’d like permission to travel to the old Vile Tribe’s hideout and set it up.”

“AURIEL HAS ALREADY TOLD ME OF HER PLANS!”

“Have you made preparations then, father?”

“YES! EVERYTHING IS READY!”

Arc appears hopeful. “Does that mean we can…?”

“YOU MAY ENTER, YES! HOWEVER, YOU MAY ONLY GO STRAIGHT TO YOUR DESTINATION! I WILL SUPERVISE TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING AMISS!”

He looks to his forces.

“RETURN TO THE CITY AND AWAIT FURTHER ORDERS!”

They turn and march away as the king returns his gaze to Arc and his friends.

“LET US BE OFF!”

Walking towards the walled structure in the distance, Arc and Auriel walk side by side with the demon king. He looks over his shoulder at the mares pulling the wagons.

“I SEE YOU’VE SUBJUGATED THE MASSES!”

Arc shakes his head. “Nah. I just asked for help.”

Rainbow Dash glares at the demon king. “Yeah! We’re nopony’s slaves!”

Applejack nods angrily. “Darn right!”

Pinkie looks at her back. “Some of us like these harnesses Arc had us wear!”

Everyone stops and looks at her, their mouths agape.

“What?! I’m enjoying being hitched up for him!”

Arc clears his throat. “Let’s just… table that statement for another time.”

Twilight blushes. “Y-yes.”

Auriel shrugs. “If that’s what you want.”

She looks to her father.

“Cultural differences.”

“I DON’T SEE THE PROBLEM!”

“Equestrians are not as… open about their sexuality as most demons are, father.”

Auriel gestures to Pinkie.

“With some exceptions, that is.”

“THEY SHARE THAT TRAIT WITH YOU, I ASSUME!”

“For the most part, yes. But tell me something, father. Is everyone still upset regarding what I did?”

“YES, AURIEL! THANKS TO YOU WE LOST A PERFECT CHANCE TO ESCAPE THIS PLACE!”

“But I…!”

“YOUR REASONS ARE… UNDERSTANDABLE THOUGH!”

Fluttershy calls out softly. “So she can come home again?”

“NO! HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IN AURIEL AND HER HEART!”

Sereb growls. “How kind of you.”

“THAT IS THE ONLY REASON I’M ALLOWING THIS EXPERIMENT TO PROCEED!”

“I didn’t get this far on my own though, father. Twilight here was instrumental in many regards.”

“Thank you. But the real idea was yours, Auriel.”

Arc smiles. “Working together you two could probably accomplish anything.”

King Malevolence chuckles. “ARE YOU PERHAPS LOOKING FOR WORK, PURPLE UNICORN?!”

Twilight shakes her head nervously. “N-no thank you, sir.”

Arriving, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly up and over the wall. Finding the release, they open the gates to allow the others inside. Entering, the king looks around.

“WHAT A DUMP!”

Rarity sighs. “I admit, it is a bit run down.”

Rainbow Dash frowns as she points to the king. “Yeah! But I get the feeling that’s YOUR fault!”

Fluttershy gasps. “Rainbow Dash!”

“YOU ARE CORRECT, LITTLE ONE! THE PONIES WHOM ONCE LIVED HERE WERE NOT ALLOWED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF VENGEANCE!”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “That… doesn’t make sense.”

Arc clears his throat loudly. “Everyone, ‘Vengeance’ is the name of the capital city.”

Sereb growls. “It sounds… aptly named.”

“THANK YOU, BEAST! I SENSE THAT YOU AND I HAVE MUCH IN COMMON!”

“Do we?”

“MOST LIKELY! TELL ME, DO YOU CRAVE THE THRILL OF BATTLE AS I DO?!”

“To a degree. However it would depend on what I was fighting for.”

“FIGHTING… FOR?!”

Arc steps toward Sereb. “He’s like me in that regard. We’ll fight if we need to. But would rather do so for a good cause.”

“NEITHER OF YOU MAKE ANY SENSE!”

Auriel sighs. “Hopefully you’ll understand that someday, father.”

“I WISH THE SAME FOR YOU, AURIEL!”

Twilight looks to Aurora for guidance. “Where should we set up?”

“A central location with somewhat level ground would be preferable for us.”

The king looks to Aurora, clearly confused.

“I STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE!”

Arc looks to the king. “That’s Aurora. She’s going to be staying here to… oversee the artificial sun.”

“I DID NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR SOMEONE TO OCCUPY THIS FORT PERMANENTLY!”

Rainbow Dash flies into King Malevolence’s face. “No Aurora, no sun! Pick one!”

The king growls at her menacingly.

“DO NOT PUSH ME, LITTLE ONE! I’VE DEFICATED THINGS BIGGER THAN YOU!”

Arc steps forward. “Like me?”

“YOU ARE A TRUE WARRIOR, ARC, AND WORTHY OF RESPECT! UNLIKE THE OTHERS WHOM YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH!”

“Remember, these are the mares whom helped me and the Vile Tribe escape Tartarus. Don’t take them lightly due to their size.”

Malevolence looks to his daughter. “I SUPPOSE THERE IS WISDOM IN YOUR WORDS, ARC!”

Auriel looks to him. “Can we use that location near the fire pit, Arc?”

“Yes, that’s where the communal meals were cooked.”

“I NOTICED IT IS ALSO THE LOCATION OF THE TOWN’S WELL!”

Auriel grins. “Perfect!”

Twilight looks to the wagons. “Let’s get everything set up.”

Rarity turns to Auriel. “Can we help?”

“Yes. The crates are arranged numerically. If we unpack in order everything should go smoothly.”

Aurora looks to Arc. “Might we see the Source of Life?”

Pinkie looks confused. “The… what?”

Fluttershy smiles. “You mean the water?”

Aurora nods. “Yes. Nothing can live without it.”

Rainbow Dash flies over to the well and looks down it. “Kinda far down there.”

Applejack frowns. “Yeah. How’s this supposed to work?”

Twilight picks up a clipboard. “We’ve taken that into account. Go ahead and open box number one.”

Pinkie does so. She turns to the others, her face aghast.

“We’ve been robbed!”

Arc gasps. “What?!”

“The machine parts were stolen and a bunch of pipes left in their place!”

Auriel rolls her eyes. “Those are for irrigation. My plan is to connect them to make a pipeline for a constant flow of water to the rest of the system.”

Aurora nods. “Sunlight, fertile soil, and now water. We should have no problem sustaining life as it stands.”

Twilight pokes her head into a crate. “Agreed. However our goal isn’t so much to just sustain the plants, but to allow them to thrive.”

Applejack appears suddenly interested. “What exactly are you going to grow first?”

“Before anything else, Aurora says she needs a… what was it called again?”

“An Enclave.”

King Malevolence growls. “A WHAT?!”

Aurora looks at him evenly. “Somewhere for The Consciousness to reside.”

Arc shrugs. “Think of it like a Town Hall, I guess.”

Aurora tilts her head to one side, confused. “While that term is not understood, we will accept it.”

Rainbow Dash pulls two pipes out of the box. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s get this thing going!”

The pegasi work on running the pipes as Twilight and Auriel get to work on the pump nearby. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie begin unpacking the rest of the boxes and laying their contents in a row. King Malevolence turns to Arc.

“THINGS GO WELL!”

“Indeed.”

“TELL ME SOMETHING! IS AURIEL HAPPY IN EQUESTRIA?!”

Auriel looks over. “I’m fine, dad.”

Arc nods. “What she said.”

“A PRIVATE CONVERSATION IS RATHER DIFFICULT AS IT STANDS! MIGHT YOU REMEDY THAT FOR ME?!”

“Sure. One moment.”

Reaching out a hand, Arc casts the Matter Compacting Spell. The king shrinks down to roughly Arc’s height.

“How’s that?”

“Much better.”

Arc gestures with a wave of his hand. “How about we take a walk?”

“Very well.”

Sereb quickly steps forward. “Shall I accompany you?”

“No thanks. Stay here and help with the assembly as needed.”

“Are you certain you will be alright?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Arc and King Malevolence turn to leave. Rainbow Dash looks over her shoulder and grits her teeth.

“Somepony should follow them.”

Fluttershy sighs. “Arc knows what he’s doing.”

“But…!”

“You want him to trust you, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then you need to trust him too.”

Rainbow Dash frowns. “Fine… but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Meanwhile, Arc and the king walk through the town together.

“Very… run down.”

Arc nods. “Lack of anyone living in buildings will do that.”

“How did you survive out here?!”

“What other choice did we have?”

“Live or die. I suppose anyone would want to continue breathing. But it is a bit easier surrounded by a palace.”

“Let me show you something.”

He leads the king over to a small building. Opening the door they walk inside. The king looks around before speaking.

“Not much here. Some kind of domicile?”

“Mine actually.”

Malevolence chuckles. “You and Ember?”

“Sometimes.”

King Malevolence grins wickedly. “Tell me, is she as wild in bed as she is on the battlefield?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh?”

“While we’ve slept together many times, I’m not interested in her sexually.”

“You don’t find her attractive?”

“I do, yes. But she’s my friend, and I want to keep it that way.”

“That is a new concept to me. You see, our culture has always been one of carnal pleasure. Eat, drink, and be merry.”

“Always?”

King Malevolence sighs. “For as long as we’ve been here, yes.”

“I’m told there was a time you and your people were different. One with the land if I recall correctly.”

“We may have spoken of this at our breakfast in your base.”

“Yes, we did.”

“That was a very… interesting experience for me.”

“Seeing the sun and sky again?”

“And Auriel. She looked so happy.”

“She is.”

The king frowns. “Do you take me for a fool?!”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“I can see how my daughter looks at you. The hunger in her eyes.”

“She’s… already mentioned wanting to become one of my wives.”

“While such a ceremony is unnecessary, I am confident that Auriel is capable of bearing you many strong offspring, Arc. Brave, intelligent, crafty…”

“So you’re okay with that?”

“Yes. The strongest deserve the best mates, after all. And I can’t exactly say you aren’t worthy, having been beaten by you on several occasions.”

The king chuckles before continuing.

“That and you seem to make her very happy. If her mother were here, I’m sure she would approve of you, Arc.”

“Thanks.”

“More so that you’re a human.”

“Huh?”

“Maria worried that our daughter would be alone forever, being a halfling and of royal blood. That does not bother you, does it?”

Arc shakes his head. “No. She’s really very pretty in either form.”

“What do you mean?”

“I took her to Earth some time ago.”

“Earth?”

“The human homeworld. For the sake of safety, I ordered a spell cast to allow her to appear as a full-blooded human.”

“How did she take that?”

“Very well. Auriel was enamored with Earth. In all honesty, I think she wanted to stay there.”

The king nods soberly. “Arc, I… have a request of you.”

“What is it?”

“Might I be allowed to see my daughter as a human?”

“I suppose that would be okay. As long as Auriel approves, that is.”

Leaving the hut, the pair return to the center of town. They spot everyone working diligently to get everything assembled. Auriel waves to them happily.

“It’s coming along nicely.”

Applejack grins. “This is pretty easy!”

Twilight nods. “We didn’t want maintenance to be difficult, so we kept the design as simple as possible.”

Pinkie giggles as she juggles several smaller crates. “It’s like playing with blocks!”

Rarity sighs as she looks over the diagrams with Auriel. “Maybe not quite THAT simple.”

Fluttershy looks over. “The pump is assembled and ready to go as soon as it’s powered.”

Rainbow Dash cocks her head to one side. “By what? Magic?”

Auriel beams with evident pride. “My sun will power it.”

Sereb raises an eyebrow. “How is that possible?!”

“I originally planned for a magic battery to keep the pump running. However I learned about an interesting human invention called ‘solar power’ back on Earth. It was a simple matter to find some diagrams on the Internet and integrate them into the pump’s systems.”

The king chuckles. “It sounds like you have it all figured out, Auriel.”

“Hopefully, yes.”

Arc clears his throat. “In any case, can we see you and Sereb privately, Auriel?”

“Oh! Um… I’m kinda busy right now.”

Twilight turns to her. “We can handle things here if you need to step away.”

Pinkie nods. “Yeah! Twilight will make sure we don’t screw anything up!”

“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can though.”

Auriel and Sereb join Arc and the king. Together the four of them walk back to Arc’s hut. Stopping in front of it, Auriel turn to him.

“Now then, what is it you want of me?”

“I had a request, Auriel.”

“You do, father?”

“Yes. Arc tells me you’ve been to see your mother’s homeworld of… what was it again?”

Arc nods. “Earth.”

“Yes, well… I’d like to see you in your human form.”

“Oh… okay. Sereb?”

Sereb turns to Arc. “Shall I?”

“Yes. But let’s go inside first.”

King Malevolence frowns. “Is there a problem?”

“Kinda. You see, Auriel is a bit… bigger in her human form. Those clothes won’t fit her as they do now. Sereb and I will change her into a human and give her something to wear before she comes out.”

“Very well.”

Arc, Auriel, and Sereb enter the hut. Closing the door, Arc turns to her as he pulls some clothes from his ring.

“Sorry I don’t have any women’s clothes with me. Just some of my spares.”

“It’s fine.”

Arc turns around and faces the door. ”In any case, you don’t want to keep your dad waiting.”

“I suppose not. But you don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Look away. I mean, you’ve seen everything before.”

“Just trying to be a gentleman.”

“Very well.”

Disrobing, Auriel tosses her lab coat and other garments onto the nearby bed before putting on Arc’s clothes and turning to Sereb.

“I’m ready.”

Turning around, Arc and Sereb see the rather baggy looking clothes hanging off of her.

“As soon as you transform those should fit a bit better, miss.”

Auriel giggles. “I hope so. Right now I’m drowning in them.”

Arc stands next to Auriel as Sereb takes his place in front of them.

“Ready?”

Auriel gasps. “Just a moment.”

Touching Arc’s hand, she looks to him pleadingly.

“Please?”

Arc smiles. “Sure.”

Taking Auriel’s claws in his hand, Arc motions for Sereb to begin. His horn aglow, the spell is cast. Auriel changes into her human form as her claws soften into fingers and her features become that of a woman. Arc turns to her as the process completes.

“There you…”

Auriel suddenly doubles over in pain. Arc gasps.

“A-Auriel?!”

“H-help!”

Sereb’s eyes grow wide. “What is wrong?!”

“Shirt off! Hurry!”

Arc pulls the tunic over her head and tosses it aside. He quickly spots the problem.

“Your bra!”

“Get it off!”

Reaching around her Arc attempts to unclasp the hooks, but to no avail.

“It’s too tight!”

“Rip it!”

Nodding, Arc grabs the bra between Auriel’s breasts and pulls down hard. A slight tearing sound is heard as it breaks at the weakest point. Tossing it aside he pulls the frightened Auriel in for an embrace.

“Are you okay?!”

Auriel nods. “Y-yes, I am now.”

Sereb groans. “Why did you leave that on?”

“I didn’t think I grew in that area too much as a human.”

Arc sighs. “Well, your entire body is larger as a human. ”

“Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem.”

Turning, he picks up the tunic and puts it back over Auriel’s head. Taking her by the hand, he gestures to the door.

“You ready to show your dad just how pretty you are?”

Auriel smiles and nods. “Yes.”

Opening the door, Arc leads Auriel through it and over to the king. She stands before him nervously.”

“How… do I look?”

The king smiles widely. “Just like your mother, my dear.”

“Was she pretty?”

“As pretty as you are now, Auriel.”

He takes Auriel’s hand and turns to Arc.

“Take my daughter and make her happy.”

Auriel gasps. “Father?”

“You may join Arc as one of his wives. That is, if he’ll have you.”

Arc looks away nervously. “I’m still kinda busy for marriage right now.”

“Then perhaps in the future. When things are more stable for you.”

Auriel blushes. “I’d like that.”

“In any case, I’m looking forward to holding my grandchildren.”

“Dad?!”

Sereb clears his throat loudly. “We should probably get back to the others now.”

Arc nods fervently. “Yes. Let’s do that.”

Returning to the center of town everyone looks at Auriel, clearly surprised. Twilight is the first to speak.

“A-Auriel?”

Fluttershy gasps. “Is that really you?”

“Yes, it’s me!”

Rainbow Dash grins. “Lookin’ good!”

Applejack nods approvingly. “That you are!”

Rarity looks the young woman over carefully. “Very nice!”

Pinkie smiles slyly. “Wowie, Auriel! I don’t know how Arc’s holding back right now!”

The king turns to Twilight. “In any case, how is assembly coming along?”

“We just finished.”

Auriel smiles, clearly impressed. “That was fast!”

Applejack chuckles. “When we all work together anything’s possible.”

Rainbow Dash looks at the device. “So let’s fire this thing up!”

Aurora takes a step back. “F-fire?!”

Fluttershy puts a hoof on her backside. “It’s just an expression.”

“Oh.”

Arc turns to Auriel. “Should we start the process?”

“Yes. Is the essence loaded?”

Twilight nods. “It is. I was very careful not to spill any.”

“Good. All we have to do is press this button and the machine will take care of the rest.”

She turns to Arc.

“Would you like to have the honors, Lord Regent?”

Arc shakes his head. “No. That belongs to you and Twilight.”

Twilight steps forward to stand with Auriel. Putting her hand on the button, Twilight gently lays her hoof on it and together they press. A low whirl is head within as the essence is fed into the main storage container. Aurora looks at the machine before turning to Auriel.

“How long will this take?”

“Only a few minutes thanks to the data we took from the prototype’s launch.”

A short time later Twilight presses a button. The inert artificial sun stands before them waiting to be lit. Arc holds up his hands.

“Think we can do this on our own?”

Rarity’s horn glows. “I’ll lend my magic.”

Auriel nods. “As will I.”

Aurora shakes her head. “That will not be necessary.”

Rainbow Dash looks confused. “It won’t?”

Sereb frowns. “What do you mean?”

“The Consciousness will take care of it.”

Twilight looks at the young woman. “Aurora?”

Turning to the sun, Aurora holds out her hands and lays them on the cool surface of the hard sphere. Concentrating, she channels her energy into it. An intense light cascades across the surface and the reaction begins. Auriel gasps.

“It’s… it’s done!”

The king’s eyes grow wide. “Breathtaking!”

Pinkie looks upward as she eats a bag of popcorn. “Do we raise it now?!”

Applejack chuckles. “Probably should.”

Rarity’s eyes sparkle excitedly. “Let everypony around see it!”

Arc nods. “Go ahead, Twilight.”

Pressing a lever forward, the emitters deploy and push the sun upward until it is high overhead. Auriel presses several more buttons to open the solar array. The sound of water pumping can be heard nearby. Aurora smiles as a massive stream of water flows over the ground.

“This will do nicely.”

Arc turns to the king. “It’s going to take some time, but this place will be green before you know it.”

Aurora nods. “That it will. However, first I have to form the Enclave.”

Fluttershy turns to Aurora. “How long will that take?”

“You will see.”

Looking at the ground, Aurora kneels down and makes a small hole with her hand in the dirt. Opening her mouth, she sticks out her tongue to reveal a small object inside. The king frowns.

“What is that?”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “I… think it’s a seed.”

Allowing it to roll off, Aurora drops it into the hole. With a wave of her hand she covers it with mud and walks over to the others again.

“Everyone please step back.”

They do so as Aurora holds her hands out and appears to concentrate. For a few moments nothing seems to be happening. Suddenly the ground shakes and splits as a large green vine snakes out at breakneck speed. As it grows in height it also increases in width. The green fades and is replaced with hard brown bark. Branches extend in all directions and leaves spring forth from them. In a few more moments the limbs cover the entire compound. Arc gasps in surprise.

“A-Aurora?”

“The Enclave is now complete.”

Rainbow Dash gasps. “What… is it?!”

“A physical manifestation of The Consciousness. This will be our home from now on, after all.”

The king nods, clearly shocked. “Extraordinary!”

Sereb sniffs the air as he turns to Arc. “I believe we’re about to have company.”

“Demons?”

“Indeed.”

Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. “Bring em on!”

Auriel nods soberly. “Yes, we shall do that.”

Rarity appears confused. “We will?”

Arc nods. “She’s right. Open the gates.”

Fluttershy cowers behind Twilight. “Wha-what?!”

Twilight looks to the king. “Everypony here deserves access to this place.”

King Malevolence nods. “Agreed.”

Rainbow Dash flies to the lever and pulls it. The gates swing open to a throng of curious demons. They look around, confused, as the king beckons them to come closer.

“Enter! Come forth and bask in the glory of nature everyone!”

He gestures to Aurora.

“This is Aurora. She, along with the Lord Regent of Equestria, have brought life to our dead land!”

Putting his claws on the massive trunk, King Malevolence smiles and continues.

“From here the green will spread across the land until it covers everything. It will provide us with food and joy. Two things that have always been difficult to obtain here.”

Auriel reaches into the final crate. “If I may, we’ve brought a number of seeds to start the process.”

Holding out a bag to Aurora, she walks over to a break in the leaves where some light from the artificial sun shines through. Pulling out a seed, she plants it and stands up. Waving her hands, a small plant emerges and grows quickly. Soon small green orbs form on its vines and quickly turn red. Reaching down to pick one, Aurora offers it to the king. He accepts it and tosses it into his mouth.

“It has been centuries since I last tasted a tomato. Just as tasty as I remember them.”

Auriel picks a few and offers them to the nearby demons. They take them cautiously and slowly eat them. Their faces beam with joy as the juices flow down their chins. The king turns to them.

“Go now and tell everyone of what you have seen here today. Together, we will rebuild our nation… one plant at a time.”

The demons turn and hurry to carry out his orders as King Malevolence looks to Arc.

“Thank you, Lord Regent. Thank you for giving my people hope for a brighter future.”

“Don’t thank me. Auriel and Twilight did all the work. I just authorized it.”

Auriel appears hopeful. “Do you think this will make our people happy, father?”

“Yes, Auriel. In time everyone will know the glory of nature once again. Today you have made me very, VERY proud of you.”

“You… you mean…!

“This land will once again be open to you.”

“Th-thank you, father. But to be honest with you, I would like to return to Equestria with Arc and the others.”

“Very well. Do whatever makes you happy, my dear.”

Comments

[Booster Spice]

This would be the third created magical sun? Hopefully the non magical design will be more resiliant to magical fluctuation side effects?

[Kamahido]

10985720
Second actually. The first was the one that accidentally created Aurora. And not to worry, as all the bugs have been worked out of it.

[Ghost Alvasa]

Are we going to see any changelings in this story?

[Kamahido]

10986881
Yes, indeed.