Chapter 7 - A Woundrous Clue
The next morning Arc, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash walk down the corridor toward the familiar room. Stopping outside Arc turns to Rainbow Dash.
“I’ll wait for you and Scootaloo out here.”
Scootaloo steps forward. “That might not be necessary, Big Brother.”
Rainbow Dash nods. “Yeah. By now I’m sure Fluttershy has told her mother about your scheduled visit this morning.”
“Well, just for safety’s sake I’ll wait out here.”
“Okay. This won’t take long.”
The pair enter the room together. A few minutes later Scootaloo sticks her head out and motions for Arc to enter the room. Doing so he spies both of Fluttershy’s parents sitting up, albeit weakly. Fluttershy is the first to speak.
“Good morning, Arc. I hope you slept well.”
“Pretty good, yes.”
He turns to her parents and sheepishly waves.
“Hello again sir. Ma’am.”
Mr. Shy smiles warmly. “Please, sir… call me Cloud Sweeper.”
Mrs. Shy giggles softly. “And I’m Strawberry Shy.”
Fluttershy walks over to Arc as he kneels down. She looks to him sheepishly.
“I… told both of them about us.”
“How much?”
“Everything. I hope that was okay.”
“Yes, it’s fine. After all, they have a right to know.”
Arc stands and turns to the mare and stallion lying in their beds.
“And are you two… okay with this?”
Cloud Sweeper nods. “Yes, sir. Fluttershy spoke very highly of you to us.”
Strawberry Shy smiles. “She told all about what’s been going on between you and her friends in Ponyville.”
“So… just for the sake of clarity, you DO know the whole idea?”
Fluttershy nods. “Yes, Arc. And they approve of it.”
Cloud Sweeper chuckles. “That we do. But to be completely honest with you, we never dreamed that somepony so powerful would take an interest in our daughter.”
Strawberry Shy nods approvingly. “It is nice to know someone so Kind will be looking after her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Cloud Sweeper turns to his wife. “Admittedly we were quite surprised to hear the news.”
“Yes. But Fluttershy couldn’t stop talking about you once she got started.”
“Frankly it’s the first time somepony has held such a place in her heart.”
“And we’re thrilled!”
Arc smiles. “That’s good to hear.
Cloud Sweeper looks past him to Rainbow Dash. “She also told us about your plans too.”
Rainbow Dash looks away nervously. “O-oh?”
Strawberry Shy smiles warmly. “Yes. And we were quite surprised to learn that you had fallen for another stallion.”
Cloud Sweeper’s ears droop. “Especially after you’ve pined for our son Zephyr Breeze for so long.”
Rainbow Dash turns to Fluttershy’s mother sheepishly. “Are you… mad?”
“Not exactly, no.”
Cloud Sweeper groans. “But you should talk to Zephyr about it as soon as possible.”
Fluttershy rolls her eyes. “Yes. He’s always been the one with the… special needs.”
Strawberry Shy frowns. “Well, you know his condition, dear. He’s not as… emotionally strong as you are.”
Scootaloo tilts her head to one side, confused. “So he’s… sensitive?”
Cloud Sweeper nods fervently. “Oh, very! It’s extremely hard to talk to him sometimes.”
Strawberry Shy looks Rainbow Dash in the eyes as she speaks. “But we know you’ll do what’s best for your old friend, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash groans. Fine. “I’ll have a talk with him and my parents.”
Cloud Sweeper gasps. “Wait! You mean they don’t know yet?!”
Arc shakes his head. “No. They were so impressed with your son the other night that I think Rainbow Dash here was too afraid to say anything.”
“Well, maybe not ‘afraid’. More like… ‘cautious’.”
Fluttershy nods soberly. “He has to know though.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “Agreed. Otherwise he’ll keep thinking you and him are an item.”
Scootaloo narrows her eyes. “Leading him on isn’t very nice, Rainbow Dash.”
“I know. But it wasn’t the best time to say something.”
Arc looks to her. “We’ll tell them together if you’d like.”
“Thanks. That really would help.”
Strawberry Shy turns to Arc. “Very good. But now I have something important to tell you, sir.”
“Me?”
Cloud Sweeper shudders. “Yes. My wife overheard something during our captivity.”
Strawberry Shy nods as she speaks. “Our captors usually whispered when they spoke, but I distinctly heard them talking about ‘the academy’.”
“What’s that?”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “Not the Wonderbolts Academy!”
Scootaloo looks to her. “I’m not familiar with that. What is it?”
“The Wonderbolts are the country’s most elite fliers! Only the best of the best are allowed to train there!”
“A military facility?”
Cloud Sweeper nods. “Officially, yes. However the Wonderbolts haven’t been called into action in generations.”
Strawberry Shy points a hoof out the window at the clear skies. “These days they’re stunt fliers.”
Fluttershy shudders. “But if the need ever arose, we could certainly use their help.”
Scootaloo grits her teeth. “Like when we take on Decimus and his cronies?”
Arc sighs. “Yes, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
He turns back to the couple before continuing.
“Are you suggesting they might have been compromised?”
Cloud Sweeper shrugs. “It is possible, yes.”
Strawberry Shy grimaces. “Especially since our own leaders were taken along with us.”
Rainbow Dash turns to Arc. “It would make sense to take over the Academy. One less group to worry about if things ever got REAL!”
Arc looks out the window. “We should probably head over there and check on things then.”
Fluttershy gasps. “Be careful over there, Arc!”
Scootaloo grins wickedly. “I don’t think they could stop Big Brother from inspecting the base. He is still the Hero of Light, after all.”
Cloud Sweeper sighs. “That may be. But you have to understand that the Wonderbolts are very staunch supporters of Princess Celestia and her administration.”
Strawberry Shy looks to Arc soberly. “Right. They won’t look upon your visit kindly, sir.”
“So I should probably go in quietly and do some reconnaissance before I start anything serious.”
Rainbow Dash bows her head. “That might not end well for you, Arc.”
Fluttershy nods. “They’re very secure over there. Nothing even gets close without being detected.”
Arc clenches a fist. “Leave that to me.”
Scootaloo frowns. “You’re not thinking of going in there alone are you, Big Brother?!”
“Nah.”
“Good.”
“You’re coming too.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “Sounds like fun.”
Rainbow Dash takes flight and shadowboxes. “When are we going?!”
“The Scarlet Filly and I will head over there tonight.”
“What about me?!”
Cloud Chaser shakes his head. “It’d be best if you stayed here.”
Strawberry Shy smiles. “Yes. We don’t want you getting hurt over this.”
Fluttershy puts a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “That and I think we’d just be in the way.”
Arc turns to Scootaloo. “We really need a small infiltration team on this. Just myself and someone to watch my back.”
“No backup?”
“Oh, I didn’t say that. I’ll have my troops standing by just in case things go south.”
Fluttershy appears hopeful. “Why not take Rose or Sereb? After all, they were instrumental in searching the Rainbow Factory.”
“True. But that was with permission. This is a military base that’s loyal to Celestia and Decimus.”
Scootaloo sighs. “I don’t think they’d take kindly to discovering any of us over there. Much less non-military personnel.”
Rainbow Dash hurries over to Arc. “How about me?! I could…!
“You stay with your parents.”
“But…!”
“They need you right now.”
Fluttershy looks to Rainbow Dash evenly. “That and we don’t want to worry about you getting into trouble with the organization you’ve always dreamed of joining.”
“Well… I guess that makes sense. But you two be careful over there!”
“I’ll watch out for Big Brother. You can count on that.”
Later that day, Arc stands in his room with Scootaloo. With a bit of concentration and a wave of his hands, the sun lowers and moon rises. Finishing his task he turns to the filly before him.
“Ready?”
Scootaloo stands on her back hooves and holds her cloak in front of her face. “The Scarlet Filly is always ready for action!”
Arc chuckles. “Sounds like you’re getting into the role.”
“It’s growing on me.”
“Good. Let’s get underway then. Rainbow Dash said this academy was south of Cloudsdale and that we couldn’t miss it.”
Scootaloo giggles as they walk toward the balcony doors. “If it’s anywhere near as big as this town, we should be able to find it.”
Pushing open the doors Arc looks to the moon with Scootaloo. Transforming into their Crimson forms, the filly hops into Arc’s arms as they change into mist together. Floating away, they fly high into the sky. A short time later they spot what appears to be a floating airfield and make their way over to it. Heading for what assumedly is the main building they enter and flow over to a broom closet. Rematerializing, Arc carefully sets Scootaloo down as he puts his ear to the door. Scootaloo looks up to him and whispers as she does the same.
“I don’t hear anything, Big Brother.”
“Neither do I.”
“Should we get moving then?”
Arc nods as he dons a magic cloak. “Yeah. You got my back?”
“Sure!”
She turns to mist and seeps under the door. A few moments later Scootaloo calls out to Arc.
“All clear.”
Cloaking, Arc slips out the door quietly and looks around.
“No one.”
“Which way, Big Brother?”
“Pick a direction. I’ll follow you.”
Scootaloo makes her way down the corridor with Arc following silently behind her. Walking for some time Arc calls out to her.
“Hold on a minute.”
“Something wrong, Big Brother?”
“Quite a bit actually.”
“Like why it’s so quiet?”
“More so than that. We haven’t seen or heard anything or anyone since we got here nearly an hour ago.”
“Well, we have been sticking to the corridors.”
“Even so, we should have seen some sign of activity.”
Scootaloo sighs. “There has to be some way of checking for signs of life other than going through rooms though.”
Yeah. And I think I know just how to do that. This way.
Turning around, he heads back the way they came. Coming to a set of closed double doors Arc taps them lightly with a gauntlet as he calls out to Scootaloo.
“Check this room.”
“Okay.”
Making her way under the door, Scootaloo inspects the general area before calling out to Arc again.
“Clear.”
Arc pushes the doors open and enters. Looking around he frowns and heads for a swinging door nearby.
“Now this one.”
“Is this really the time, Big Brother.”
“Yes it is. Now get to it.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Fine.”
Doing as she is told, Scootaloo calls out the all clear again. Entering, Arc decloaks and turns on the lights. Scootaloo groans.
“Big Brother…”
“I have to be sure of something.”
Walking over to the large table in the center of the room Arc kneels down and looks it over carefully as he decloaks. Running a finger over it, he looks at it and sighs. Removing his cloak, he wraps it around his hand and uses it to wipe down the entire table. Pulling back, he examines the black cloak for a few moments before frowning and touching his earring.
“Arc to Equinox.”
“Lemon Hearts here, sir.”
“Tell my troops to report to the deck sigil immediately and standby for potential deployment.”
“Yes sir. Anything else?”
“Nothing at the moment. Tell them to be ready for anything though. Arc out.”
Closing the channel, Arc calls forth his sigil gauntlet and opens a portal. About ten seconds later Rose and Sereb emerge and look to him as Scootaloo rematerializes next to Arc. Rose is the first to speak.
“How can we help?”
Arc motions around them. “Scan in all directions for life signs.”
Rose closes her eyes and concentrates for a few moments. Frowning, she turns to Arc.
“There appear to be sensor dampeners active throughout the base.”
Scootaloo frowns. “Is that normal?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not to the best of my knowledge. Sereb, start sniffing.”
“Very well.”
Putting his nose to the floor the wolf begins walking around the room. Sniffing, he leaves the kitchen and heads out to the cafeteria.
“There has not been anyone here in some time.”
Arc frowns. “Agreed.”
He holds up his cloak.
“I found a slight layer of dust on the kitchen prep table.”
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “What does that prove?”
Sereb growls. “That nopony has used it to prepare food in days.”
Arc nods as he puts the cloak back in his ring. “Right. But since there’s been no word of a mass evacuation of the base it stands to reason that they’re still here.”
Rose looks around. “Agreed. Let’s see what we can find.”
Leaving the room, Sereb leads them down a corridor. Entering a stairwell he sniffs and looks around.
“This spot is… interesting, Arc.”
“What is it?”
“There are many scents here.”
Rose raises an eyebrow. “But it’s a stairwell. Many use it daily, I would assume.”
“Indeed. However the scents are all the same… intensity.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “What does that mean?”
“That everyone walked through it at roughly the same time.”
Arc looks to Sereb. “Could it have just been everyone reconvening at the end of the day?”
“Unlikely.”
He points a paw before continuing.
“The scents lead down to the lower levels.”
Scootaloo looks over the guard rail. “What do you suppose is down there?”
Rose turns to Arc. “According to standard military design, the lower levels of any such base should consist of storage, the brig, and/or highly sensitive security rooms.”
“That’s not encouraging.”
Sereb growls. “Agreed. While it is possible they went down there for a meeting or other such legitimate reason, I recommend exercising extreme caution.”
Scootaloo looks up at Arc. “I can scout ahead.”
“Do it.”
The filly returns to her mist form as Arc calls forth his armor and spear. Rose deploys her R-Cannon and L-Blade as Arc looks down the stairs and waits. A short time later Scootaloo calls out to Arc telepathically.
“All clear.”
Arc motions to the others to follow him down the stairs. Coming to a door at the bottom they enter into a dimly lit corridor. He turns to Rose.
“Sensors?”
“Still being blocked. Sereb?”
Sereb sniffs the air. “There were a large number of ponies down here.”
Scootaloo rematerializes and frowns. “But where are they?”
Arc points down the corridor. “Let’s start walking.”
Making their way to the end, they walk into a large storage room. Arc looks around.
“A lot of stuff down here.”
Rose nods. “It’s most likely the base’s main storage.”
Scootaloo chuckles. “So no secret labs?”
Sereb sighs. “I would hope not.”
Rose shudders. “This facility is supposed to be purely for training purposes, of course. But let’s not jump to any conclusions.”
Walking along with Sereb in the lead, he stops in front of a large rack of crates. Growling, he turns to Arc.
“The trail ends here.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Ends?”
“Perhaps that was not the best word for it. How about the trail ‘leads’ here?”
Rose points. “Let’s check these boxes then.”
Grabbing several crates, they open them. Scootaloo calls out.
“Blankets.”
Sereb frowns. “Blue and yellow uniforms.”
Rose pulls out a plastic case. “Emergency rations.”
Arc sighs. “Camping supplies.”
He looks around at the labels on the other boxes before speaking again.
“Everything here looks like it should be here.”
Scootaloo frowns. “Were you expecting to find them in these crates?”
“Fortunately not.”
Sereb sniffs the floor again. “Interesting.”
“What is it, big guy?”
The wolf puts a massive paw on one of the crates and shoves it aside. Sniffing, he approaches the back wall.
“The scent continues on toward the wall.”
Scootaloo gasps. “Could there be a secret room back there?!”
Rose nods. “Possibly. It could be a ‘panic room’ of some kind.”
Arc looks around. “How would we open it?”
Scootaloo joins Arc in looking. “Is there a switch or something nearby?”
Rose frowns. “Probably. However for security purposes, once locked down a panic room cannot be opened from the outside.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “They would have to open it for us?”
“Correct.”
Arc groans. “How would they know we’re out here though?”
“Standard procedure is to allow for full use of the base’s security cameras from there. They could easily see when the danger had passed and open the doors.”
Scootaloo puts a hoof on the heavy metal door. “Maybe I could mist in there and tell them to open up.”
Rose shakes her head. “Impossible. Panic room doors are airtight.”
Sereb turns to Rose. “But they must have a source of oxygen coming from somewhere.”
“Logically, yes. However searching for that hole in the walls may take hours or even days.”
Arc grins. “So we take the direct approach then.”
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “Which is…?”
“Take the wall down.”
Rose sighs. “This rack appears to be fastened to the wall. It’s most likely part of the exterior of the panic room itself.”
Arc cracks his knuckles. “Then we start there. Sereb, lend me some magical might?”
“Indeed.”
Rose turns to the crates. “And me?”
“Grab the racks and pull as hard as you can.”
Scootaloo walks over to join Rose. “I’ll help too!”
Rose smiles down at her. “That might not be necessary though.”
Arc turns to Rose. “You have a better plan?”
“Yes, Arc. If we could somehow focus damage on one spot it’s possible we could weaken the door enough to put a small hole in it. From there Arc could cast the Matter Compacting Spell on someone, put them through the hole, and have them release the door locks.”
Scootaloo grins. “Or allow one of us to Mist Form our way inside.”
Arc shrugs. “Okay, let’s go with that. Uh… how should we go about making that hole?”
Rose grins. “Like this.”
She begin slashing at the door with her L-Blade as Arc and the others watch from a safe distance. Sometime later Rose steps back, clearly winded. Arc hurries forward to help steady her with Sereb.
“We have you!”
“Are you alright, Rose?!”
Rose nods as she regains her balance. “Yes. I was able to form a very small hole in the door. Hopefully it is enough.”
Scootaloo grins as she plants her hooves firmly. “One way to find out.”
She turns to mist and heads for the hole. It takes a few minutes, but Scootaloo is able to fit herself inside slowly bit by bit. The filly calls out telepathically as she rematerializes.
“I’m in.”
Arc turns to Rose. “Now what?”
“Look around for a large, red button that says ‘door release’.”
Turning her head from side to side she eventually spots a control panel. Jumping up on a box across the way from it she sees a panel with the a fore mentioned button.
“I see it, but can’t reach it.”
Arc nods. “Want me to come in and do it?”
Scootaloo grimaces. “Let me try something first.”
Returning to her mist form, Scootaloo drifts over to the panel. Hovering above it for a few moments she rematerializes and falls onto the console. Her hoof hits the button and the door swings outward. She looks up from the floor as the others rush inside. Arc helps her stand up.
“Good job! Let’s go!”
Scootaloo wrinkles her nose. “What’s that smell?!”
Sereb growls. “We must hurry!”
Hurrying through a secondary door into the panic room’s interior Arc casts a Light Spell along with Sereb. The stench of urine and feces permeates the room. Spotting a number of cages they look inside to see unresponsive mares and stallions dressed in flight suits and other military garb lying on one another. Arc turns quickly to Rose.
“Analysis!”
“Everyone here is in critical need of rehydration!”
“Sereb, you and Rose get those cages open!”
Holding up his gauntlet Arc opens a portal. His forces charge through, led by Ember and Hammer, weapons at the ready. They line up and gasp at the sight of Rose slicing through the bars of a cage as Sereb slashes at another. Arc closes the portal and opens a new one as Ember calls out to him.
“What the…?!”
“Everyone get those ponies out of there and through this portal now!”
Hammer looks to Arc’s forces. “You heard him! MOVE!!!”
Arc maintains the portal as his forces pair up and unceremoniously carry them through. A short time later Scootaloo hurries over.
“That’s the last one!”
“Good! Sereb, you and Rose stay here and explore the base! Make sure there isn’t anyone else in the academy along with my troops!”
Turning, Arc, Scootaloo, Ember, and Hammer hurry through the portal and vanish from sight.
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great chapter
Thats a lot of hostages to control Spitfire with?
why am i not surprised... military elite pah.
I'm just gonna come out and say that Celestia is not aware of anything happening with her subjects, and that's because she's gotten the Canterlot Wedding treatment already. So, if we actually see Celestia again, it's highly probable we're just seeing Queen Chrysalis disguised as her.
Somehow I don't think the guy is going to take no for answer considering he hasn't even noticed that rainbow has not been into him in awhile.
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You'll have your answer in the next chapter. Just posted it and hope you enjoy how it all goes down.
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If Arc wants Celestia back he's going to have to fight another uphill battle to get her. Fortunately he'll be far from alone in such a task.
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Considering that they're supposed to be the best of the best in the show, they seem to fail an awful lot.
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She's still trying to recover in the hospital so she's not there. Lucky her.
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Glad you liked it.
Things come to a head for better or worse in the next chapter. Just posted it so everyone can take a look for themselves.