Chapter 2 - A Link to the Past
Sometime later Arc awakens to someone poking him. Slowly opening his eyes he looks up to see Hammer gazing down at him with her trademark cheesy grin.
“Now, don’t you look comfy.”
Arc smiles sleepily. “Anyone would on this mattress.”
“Don’t I know it! But that wasn’t what I meant.”
She points to his bedmate. Auriel lies curled up next to him smiling contentedly as she sleeps. Arc gently pushes a stray bit of hair from her face and looks down at her.
“Auriel really showed me something special last night.”
Hammer chuckles slyly. “I can only imagine what you saw in that shower.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I just wanted to have a bit of fun.”
“Should I let her sleep?”
Hammer shrugs. “Maybe. After all, you two were up a big chunk of the night.”
Arc sighs. “I’d like to, but I know she wants to see her ancestral home.”
Tapping Auriel’s cheek lightly, Arc calls out to her.
“Auriel?”
She slowly opens her eyes and looks up.
“Arc?”
“I think it’s time to get up.”
Auriel looks up at him, confused. “But we just lay down.”
Hammer laughs. “That was over an hour ago.”
The young woman turns and looks to the door as she grins and continues.
“But… I understand if you two want a little more… alone time.”
Auriel lays back down on Arc’s chest. “Thank you.”
Arc sighs. “Come on, Auriel. Let’s go.”
“Do we have to?”
“I do. You can stay here if you want.”
Auriel shakes her head as she gets up with him. “Thanks, but I’d rather stay with you.”
Hammer chuckles as she takes Arc’s arm. “That I can understand.”
Auriel smiles as she latches onto his other. “Let’s go!”
Arc leads the pair out of the room and down the corridor. Entering the Cafeteria the trio finds everyone just sitting down. Hammer calls out.
“I got em!”
Applejack grins. “We thought you’d have a bit of trouble doing that.”
Arc smiles at all assembled. “Nah. I’m sure Auriel and I are just as hungry as everyone else.”
Auriel puts a claw to her belly. “Maybe more.”
They sit down together with the others as Auriel’s father turns to her.
“How are you feeling this morning, my dear?”
“A bit sore. But otherwise fine, father.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Perhaps Nurse Redheart could…”
Ember interrupts. “Nah! Auriel’s hard core!”
Hammer laughs. “Right! Even I didn’t think she had it in her to save Arc like that though!”
Rainbow Dash grins slyly. “Right, cupcake.”
Applejack nods approvingly. “She sure proved herself back there.”
Auriel blushes shyly. “Thank you, everyone.”
Pinkie turns to her. “Were you scared?!”
“Oh yes.”
Fluttershy gasps. “Then how did you…?”
“Because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life without Arc by my side.”
Arc puts a hand on hers and smiles. “Thanks.”
“Speaking of last night, how are you feeling, Big Brother?”
“Like Auriel, a bit sore.”
“And the other thing?”
“As soon as the ‘Telepathy Ball’ was out of my possession I felt myself changing back.”
“I know that much. But any lasting effects?”
Arc shakes his head. “Fortunately no.”
He turns to Applejack.
“By the way, these pancakes are delicious.”
“How’d you know it was me whom made these?”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “Are you psychic now, Arc?”
Arc chuckles. “Yes, it’s a side effect of the gas.”
Twilight gasps. “We need to get you to Nurse Redheart right away, Arc!”
Hammer groans. “I’m pretty sure he’s joking, princess.”
Arc grins. “That I am. But to answer Applejack’s question, I remember these apple pancakes from breakfast at the farm.”
Twilight blushes slightly as King Malevolence laughs heartily and smacks the table with a large hand.
“A good jest, Arc!”
Sometime later they finish eating and descend the gangplank together. Arc turns to Twilight.
“I’d like to go on record as saying that I think this is too big a risk.”
Twilight continues to look straight ahead. “Noted.”
Sereb groans. “Arc is correct. It is not wise to have you and the Element Bearers out in the open like this, your highness.”
Scootaloo looks around nervously. “Yes. So many things could happen!”
Twilight sighs. “While I understand everypony’s positions, this matter as a whole is very delicate.”
Auriel appears confused. “It is?”
“Yes. It’s my first diplomatic excursion since taking the throne.”
Malevolence grins. “I do hope it goes well for both of us, princess.”
Rainbow Dash appears crestfallen as they head for the palace ruins. “This place is falling apart!”
Applejack pokes at a fallen brick with a hoof. “Darn right.”
Pinkie frowns. “Is it really safe to go inside?!”
Fluttershy shudders. “Probably not.”
Rarity turns to Twilight. “It’s her call though.”
Twilight looks to King Malevolence. “What do you think?”
“Our kind build things to last. It may look old and run down to you. But there’s still a bit of life left in this place.”
Auriel appears hopeful. “I’d like to see the inside more in depth as well.”
Ember shrugs. “Well, I guess that settles it.”
Hammer turns to Arc. “Does it?”
“Kinda. But I do believe we should all stick together just in case.”
Scootaloo grits her teeth. “Agreed.”
Walking up the steps together, they enter the palace. Looking around everyone marvels at the detail of the architecture. Rainbow Dash is the first to speak as she hovers and looks up.
“Woah! Demons don’t do anything halfway!”
Auriel giggles. “So I’m told.”
The king nods approvingly. “That is true. Back when we inhabited this land our race was one with nature. Everything taken from the land had to be returned to the land in one way or another.”
Twilight turns to him. “Can you give us an example?”
“Leftovers from a kill could not be left to rot in the sun. Instead we used everything we could in any way we could before either properly burying or burning whatever was left. That involved both animals and plants.”
“You did mention that to me as a child, father. But could you elaborate on that?”
“While we had plenty or resources at our disposal it was viewed as being an affront to the land to waste even a scrap of what we were given. Fat was rendered and combined with dried meat to make pemmican. Bones could be crafted into tools, weapons, and other implements we needed. Hides were treated to make coverings of fur and leather as well as insulate homes. Teeth and claws were sometimes used to make blades. And the organs were rendered for their own inner fat to make soap.”
Rainbow Dash wrinkles her nose. “Gross.”
Applejack glares at her. “Rainbow Dash!”
“What?! Can you imagine wearing some other creature’s SKIN?!”
Fluttershy puts a hoof to her belly. “Admittedly it is a bit… unsettling.”
Rarity sighs. “I’m with them on this one, I’m afraid.”
Pinkie gasps. “But they were just using what they had!”
Hammer shrugs. “No shame in that.”
Twilight appears conflicted. “What do you think, Arc?”
“Better than letting it rot and letting young ones freeze.”
Ember chuckles. “Yeah. Skin’s soft too.”
Auriel turns to her. “How would you know, Ember?”
“Remember that leather coat I had back on Earth?”
“Oh… right.”
Scootaloo speaks up. “But ponies use leather for some things.”
Applejack nods. “Right. It’s not a huge industry, mind you. But some things just can’t be made with cloth.”
Malevolence gestures to an open field nearby. “Indeed. What little we couldn’t use was pulverized and worked into the soil which we used to grow various herbs.”
Twilight turns to the king. “You farmed the land too?”
Malevolence shakes his head. “Not for food, no. Most of our diet consists of meat. We do enjoy fruits and vegetables found in the wild, of course. But our stomachs can only digest so much of it.”
Applejack narrows her eyes. “What kind of herbs were you growing then?”
“Medicinal mostly.”
Rarity raises an eyebrow. “Mostly?”
“We did have a fondness for certain, shall we say… recreational herbs.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “Medicine for fun?”
“I don’t understand either, father.”
“They gave a certain euphoric high when taken internally.”
Arc looks to Twilight. “We have things like that on Earth too. They’re sometimes used as medicine, but can be abused too.”
Twilight frowns. “I’m not sure I approve of such things.”
Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. “Why not? I mean, they weren’t hurting anything, right?”
Rarity sighs. “That may be. But such things can lead to some rather foolish decisions.”
Fluttershy groans. “I’ve found cats whom have gotten into wild catnip before. It’s not a pretty sight sometimes.”
Applejack turns to the king. “By ‘euphoric high’ you mean that it made them feel tipsy, right?”
“Something like that, yes.”
Scootaloo frowns. “Like alcohol?”
“It led to a different experience. While the individual might be considered out of sorts, it was not the same kind of impairment one gets from fermented liquids.”
Twilight sighs. “I’m familiar with the feeling of intoxication.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “Really?”
Auriel gasps. “When did YOU get drunk, Twilight?!”
Arc chuckles. “I remember. That’s how I got to Equestria.”
Twilight nods sadly. “Yes. I had far too much cider than I should have.”
Arc turns to look around. “It’s in the past though, Twilight. No use worrying about it now.”
Malevolence motions to the mountain. “Indeed. But please allow Auriel and I to take you on a small walk around the palace.”
Auriel grins. “Please forgive our dust though.”
Arc smiles at her. “Yes, we understand that you haven’t had time to clean.”
They laugh together as the group walks through the old hallways together. Coming to a large double doors they stop. King Malevolence turns to them before speaking.
“This is the Throne Room.”
Auriel grins expectantly. “Good! I’ve always wanted to see it!”
The kings turns and pushes the doors open. They are immediately blinded by an intense light within. Arc is the first to speak as they slowly enter.
“What… is that?!”
“Solis Crystals. The walls here are made almost entire of them. Give your eyes a moment to adjust to them and you’ll feel much better.”
Rainbow Dash’s squints as she looks around. “It… feels almost like real sunlight!”
Auriel giggles. “That’s what I was told they were intended to do.”
Malevolence nods. “Yes. I was in my chambers here for much of my day. It is… was… difficult for our kind to be separated from the fresh air and open spaces provided by nature. Therefore I ordered my sages to create a crystal to mimic sunlight.”
Twilight gestures to a fallen crystal on the floor. “And these were the result?”
“Yes. It made life so much easier.”
Rainbow Dash grins as she picks one up. “They hard to make?”
“Very easy actually. These crystals are naturally occurring in these mountains, after all.”
Rarity looks one over. “What makes them glow then?”
Auriel taps the wall. “An enchantment cast during the affixing process.”
Applejack gasps. “And they shine this brightly… forever?”
“Only when properly affixed to the walls or ceiling. Others require regular recharging with magical energies. Observe.”
Picking up a fallen crystal the king casts a strange spell on it. The gem immediately comes to life with an intense light as he does so.
“They last for weeks with only a single charge.”
Pinkie grins. “Was that Dark Magic you used to do that?!”
Auriel nods. “Yes, it’s the main school of magic demons use.”
Ember frowns. “That’s not possible!”
Hammer folds her arms over her chest. “Right! How you can you make light with darkness?!”
Scootaloo steps forward. “I think I understand.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes light up expectantly. “Really?!”
“Yes.”
“I knew you’d figure it out!”
“There are many schools of magic from what I’ve been told. Alteration, restoration, destruction, and alchemy being the most widely known.”
Sereb nods. “That is true, yes. But what about Dark Magic?”
“I’m coming to that. In addition to what I’ve already listed there is also illusion, conjuration, and enchanting.”
Twilight nods. “Those last three aren’t very well studied.”
Arc appears surprised. “Why not?”
Rarity shrugs. “Because nopony has the desire to do so I would suppose.”
“Maybe. But there’s also Dark Magic which Big Brother and I can use in our Crimson forms.”
Rainbow Dash tilts her head to one side, confused. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at though, Scarlet Filly.”
Ember frowns. “Me either.”
Scootaloo turns to Arc as she speaks. “We’ve been able to help so many ponies by using our Dark Magic. More so than I would have thought possible. Therefore I was able to come to the realization that our powers, or magic if you will, aren’t evil.”
Hammer raises an eyebrow. “Uh… but it’s DARK!”
Pinkie gasps. “Yeah! But they’re using it for good!”
Applejack sighs. “Kinda seems like a contradiction of terms to me too.”
Auriel nods. “She’s right. Demonic powers, unicorn magic, dragon magic, Crimson magic… it’s neither good nor evil. It’s just power.”
She gestures up at the glowing crystals overhead before continuing.
“Arc, would you agree that you’re powerful enough to pull down those larger crystals in the ceiling if the need arose?”
“I suppose so.”
“How would you accomplish that?”
“At the moment, by using my Dragon Magic to cast a Telekinesis Spell.”
“And if you were in your other form?”
“My Crimson Magic could be used in much the same way, I suppose.”
Malevolence frowns. “But why would Arc do such a thing?”
“He wouldn’t, father. However, let us now reverse the question. Arc… if the ceiling were to suddenly come crashing down on its own what would you do?”
“Cast a Barrier Spell, I suppose.”
Auriel turns to Hammer. “And would you accept Arc’s aid?”
“Uh… yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“What if he was using Dark Magic to do it though?”
Everyone is silent for a time. Eventually Sereb speaks.
“Perhaps Equestrians are warned to stay away from such things due more to past prejudices rather than actual facts.”
Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. “You mean that the reason unicorns here don’t use Dark Magic is because they’re afraid of it?”
Twilight puts a hoof on her chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps ‘afraid’ isn’t the best word, Rainbow Dash.”
Rarity shrugs. “I just always thought it was against the law.”
Twilight turns to Rarity. “Technically no. For starters, there aren’t a lot of books on the subject. Mostly due to a lack of demand rather than being banned by royal decree. Second, such magic is generally not culturally accepted.”
Fluttershy looks to Twilight. “As a non-magic user I don’t really understand that. I mean, how did we get to this point?”
“Every foal is taught the history of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Some of the greatest threats to this land have come from magic users wielding Dark Magic.”
Applejack frowns. “Is that really so wrong though? What kind of magic they used, I mean.”
Ember shrugs. “Probably not. After all, Dragon Magic draws upon our emotions to grant power in a similar manner as Dark Magic users.”
Scootaloo nods. “And dragons aren’t considered evil, are they?”
Fluttershy puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Not to my knowledge, no.”
Rainbow Dash grins. “A bit cranky or hard-headed, maybe.”
Hammer turns to Ember. “I suppose that does make sense. After all, you’re always in full control of your actions, right?”
“Yeah.”
Twilight frowns as she puts a hoof on the wall. “Dragons, ponies, humans… any one of us could go too far. Be blinded by our goals and emotions.”
Malevolence sighs. “For many long centuries in Tartarus we demons did the same. Allowing ourselves to be consumed by thoughts of revenge or retribution against Equestria and its princesses. And where did that lead us? Ultimately toward a never ending cycle of hate and bigotry.”
Auriel nods as she puts a claw on her father’s arm. “True. But we now have a chance to end that cycle here and now.”
Arc looks to the king and then to Twilight. “Agreed. However…”
Sereb sniffs the air and growls.
“There is someone here!”
Arc appears surprised. “Who?”
“Unknown scent! Shall I hunt them down?!”
Malevolence nods fervently. “Yes! No one else other than us are allowed in my palace!”
Sereb turns to Arc for direction. He nods and sighs.
“Bring them here.”
“Very well.”
Ember turns to follow. “I’ll come too.”
Hammer pulls her gun. “Let’s go hunting!”
“Very well. Hop on you two.”
The wolf hurries out the door with the pair on his back. Auriel turns to Arc.
“Who could possibly have followed us all the way out here?!”
Arc frowns. “I can think of a few possibilities. None of whom I want to see right now.”
A short time later the trio returns with a group of stallions. Auriel gasps and turns to Arc.
“These are…!”
“Yeah.”
Ember points her spear at the group. “We found these guys going through some rooms.”
Hammer nods as she levels her gun at the group. “Yeah. And they weren’t being too kind to the stuff in those rooms.”
Sereb growls. “Indeed.”
King Malevolence looks at them sternly before speaking. “What are you DOING here?!”
“Looking for our cheat of a boss!”
“Yeah! He didn’t pay us for nothing!”
“We thought this place was abandoned!”
Applejack mutters under her breath. “Kinda is.”
Pinkie grins. “Yeah! But now that the king’s here, it isn’t!”
Rainbow Dash groans. “Well how were they supposed to know that?!”
The stallions turn to the alicorn nearby nervously.
“Princess… Twilight?”
“Y-yes?”
“Um… what’s going on here?”
Malevolence makes a fist and yells at them. “I will ask the questions here!”
They shrink back, clearly frightened, before the king continues.
“You are in MY domain, and will answer to MY judgment!”
Rainbow Dash gasps. “But they’re ponies, not demons!”
Applejack sighs. “He’s right though. This is his land.”
“Princess Twilight, please!”
Twilight sighs. “King Malevolence is still the ruler of these lands. And this is his palace.”
Fluttershy appears concerned. “You can’t do ANYTHING for them?!”
“Just plead their case.”
Twilight turns back to the king before continuing.
“King Malevolence, it doesn’t appear that these stallions meant any real harm in coming here. After all, searching for their employer is hardly a danger to you or your daughter.”
“That may be! But an example must be made!”
He looks them over before putting a claw to his chin thoughtfully.
“Or perhaps… perhaps something else could be worked out.”
Pinkie frowns. “Uh oh! This doesn’t sound like it’s going to be good!”
Rarity waves a hoof. “Shush, Pinkie!”
“Princess Twilight… I’m sure you’d like your citizens returned unharmed.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And I’d like my own brethren to be able to come home safely as well.”
Applejack narrows her eyes. “You’d better not be hinting at what I think you are!”
Malevolence frowns. “And what’s wrong with that? Equestria AND The Great Demon Kingdom can both gain from this.”
Rarity frowns. “But that’s coercion!”
“Mayhap. However…”
Auriel steps forward. “Father?”
“Yes, Auriel?”
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Can’t you see? This is a perfect opportunity.”
“I know. And I’m taking it!”
Auriel shakes her head. “No, father. I mean we now have a chance to show a princess of Equestria just how much the demons have changed.”
“What do you suggest I do then?! Roll over a be a lapdog to them?!”
“No, father. Show Twilight that you’ve embraced the concept of mercy and forgiveness by releasing their citizens safely.”
Arc cracks his knuckles. “While I suppose I could easily force you to do this, I’d rather see you do it yourself.”
King Malevolence looks from the prisoners to Auriel to Arc to Twilight to the others assembled before turning and walking away.
“Take them, Princess Twilight. They are free to go.”
Nodding, Twilight looks to Arc. Raises a hand, he calls forth his gauntlet and opens a portal before turning to the stallions.
“Take this portal to the Crystal Empire.”
“But… what would we do there?!”
Fluttershy smiles nervously. “Stay alive.”
Hammer nods as she motions to the portal with her gun. “Right. Do try to be good now.”
They hurry through the portal. Arc closes it behind them as Auriel walks over to her father. Putting a claw on his shoulder, she smiles and speaks.
“I’m very proud of you, father.”
Malevolence sighs. “Our only bargaining chips just walked through that portal though. What hope is there for our land and citizens now?”
Twilight walks over to him and looks up into the king’s eyes.
“That was very impressive, sir.”
“Oh?”
Twilight nods. “Yes. Before today I never would have dreamed such a thing to be possible. I see now that you’ve changed since that day we freed Arc from Tartarus.”
Turning, she motions for Auriel and her father to follow her. Leading them over to the throne she turns to King Malevolence.
“Please have a seat, your majesty.”
Malevolence looks to the throne. “For what purpose?”
Auriel smiles. “Please trust her as I do, father.”
Nodding, the king sits down. Twilight clears her throat before speaking.
“King Malevolence. As the Princess of Friendship and current ruler of Equestria, I hereby declare your banishment to Tartarus over and you sentence complete. You have proven yourself to be fair and just in your demeanor. Let the past be the past and help those whom share your feelings of peace also return to their ancient ancestral home.”
Auriel smiles excitedly. “Twilight! You… you mean…?!”
Twilight nods. “Yes, Auriel. Your father and every demon whom is able to pass through the Gates of Tartarus is now free to do so. Go now with Equestria’s blessing.”
Malevolence narrows his eyes. “But what of Celestia?”
“Her own ruling still stands and has been followed to the letter. Any creature whom repents of their past crimes may pass freely through the Gates of Tartarus and return to society. You are free to return to Tartarus and lead those whom share your mindset back here to your lands.”
A familiar voice rings out behind them.
“A very wise ruling, Twilight.”
They turn to see Wiseman standing in the doorway. Twilight frowns.
“Who… are you?”
Wiseman shrugs. “Just someone whom wants to see peace return to the land. Arc can vouch for me.”
Arc frowns. “I can vouch for the fact that this guy is a pain!”
Auriel steps forward. “Sir, for what reason have you come here now?”
“My presence is twofold. First, I wished to see the restoration of the Great Demon Kingdom with my own eyes.”
Rainbow Dash glares at him. “What else then?!”
Applejack plants her hooves firmly. “Yeah! You’re kinda creeping us out here!”
“That and I wanted to give something special to Arc here.”
Arc rolls his eyes. “More headaches?”
Wiseman shakes his head. “No. This.”
Holding out a gloved hand, Wiseman extends a strange looking dark crystal to Arc. He accepts it and looks the gem over before responding.
“What… is this?”
“A jewel that is capable of holding vast amounts of magical energy.”
Rarity raises an eyebrow. “But what is Arc supposed to do with it?”
Sereb growls. “More of your chores I would assume.”
Scootaloo grits her teeth. “We’re kinda busy right now.”
Wiseman continues. “After being fully charged this crystal will be able to power the device I gave you early this morning, Arc.”
“But what is it?”
Wiseman chuckles as he fades away. “Ask the king.”
No one speaks for a time. Eventually Pinkie calls out.
“Um… did that really just happen?!”
Twilight nods. “Yes. But I don’t really know what it was about.”
Hammer steps forward. “Arc? What was he talking about?”
“When Auriel and I were at those ruins last night we saw Wiseman there.”
Malevolence frowns. “Where?”
Auriel sighs. “He was inside what appeared to be the main vault.”
“How did he get inside?!”
Arc shrugs. “No idea. But he had a strange looking device with him.”
The king seethes. “HE STOLE IT?!”
Auriel shakes her head. “No, father. He gave it to Arc and told him to hold onto it.”
Twilight appears confused. “What was it though?”
Arc shrugs. “No idea. But he did say that King Malevolence would know.”
The king steps forward. “Show it to me.”
Nodding, Arc pulls the device from his ring. The king raises an eyebrow, confused.
“This is a magic dispersion unit. Largely useless.”
Fluttershy appears confused. “What does it do?”
“We developed it in an attempt to counter Equestrian unicorns in the past. You see, we were being hampered by their Barrier Spells and needed an equalizer for them. This device was capable of being fired at a unicorn shielding their allies to disable their barrier.”
Ember frowns. “To allow you to attack through it?”
“Yes. However it was too large to be carried by our warriors whom were fighting on the front lines.”
Auriel taps the device. “And this was as small as you could make it?”
Malevolence shrugs. “Sadly. Had it been perfected, that war so long ago may have ended very differently.”
Twilight looks the device over as she speaks. “Did it work on a small scale trial?”
“Yes. However as I said before portability was the real issue.”
Arc grins. “You think this could be useful in taking down the barrier surrounding Light’s Hope, Twilight?”
“This device, no.”
Auriel sighs. “The barrier around your base is MUCH more powerful than a standard Barrier Spell, Arc. However that doesn’t mean the technology couldn’t be adapted for such a purpose.”
Hammer rolls her eyes. “That’d take some crazy amounts of amplification. To say nothing for the size it’d have to be in order to work.
Ember groans. “We’d have to build that in front of the base!”
Rarity grins, her horn aglow. “Either that or find a way to teleport it there.”
Rainbow Dash holds her front hooves aloft. “How about a really big sigil?”
Fluttershy appears hopeful. “That sounds like it could work.”
Applejack sighs. “But Princess Celestia would feel magic THAT powerful coming a mile away.”
Pinkie giggles. “What if we disguised it?!”
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “As what?”
Ember facepalms. “Let me guess. A party cannon?”
“It could work!”
Auriel speaks as she looks over the device. “That could do it.”
Rainbow Dash frowns. “Come again?”
Rarity gasps. “You really think disguising it would…?”
“No, no. I was talking about the amplification idea.”
Twilight turns to Auriel. “We’ll have to look the inner workings over before committing to anything.”
Arc clears his throat loudly. “Yes, well… I think you two are forgetting something.”
Scootaloo nods. “That device doesn’t actually belong to either of you.”
Ember sighs. “Much as I hate to say it, I think you’ll need King Malevolence’s permission before doing anything.”
“Father?”
Malevolence chuckles. “You’d like to try, wouldn’t you?”
“I would, yes.”
“Very well. Take the device and do with it what you will, my dear.”
Twilight smiles as Auriel accepts the device. “Thank you, sir. Now then, while I’d love to stay here and hear more about demon culture I’m afraid we need to return to Equestria.”
Hammer grins. “Yeah. And figure out a way to soup up that barrier thingamabob.”
Arc nods. “We’re one step closer to facing Celestia and Decimus.”
Twilight shudders slightly but says nothing as they all leave the Throne Room together.
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I hope Celestia realizes how far down the wrong path she strayed because of her unwilling to listen and lose her prejudices.
hehe item fetchquest completed
I have to point this out, Arc is the hero of light for Equestria and has the same authority as and a bit above the ruling body but he does not have the authority to stand against a foreign nation’s authority. It seems to me that he thinks his status as the hero of light automatically lets him do whatever it is that involves ponies, like in this instance. He cannot actually just stop proper punishment from the ruling body of the country he’s in without proper clearance.
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Please do not take offense, but I do not agree. I don't think that his status as the Hero Of Light has gone to his head, letting him do anything without repercussion. I think you might be misinterpreting the line:
Arc cracks his knuckles. “While I suppose I could easily force you to do this, I’d rather see you do it yourself.”
I can understand how you might come to the conclusion that maybe Arc is letting his Hero status go to his head, I think what was meant, is that Arc has defeated the Demon King multiple times at this point - with brute force, with guile and trickery, and with quick wits. Add to that, he now possesses his grandfather's armor, which grants virtual immunity to magic in general. Arc, frankly speaking, knows he can overpower King Malevolence and force the demon to do as Arc pleases. But Arc would much prefer King Mal to choose to take mercy on the interlopers, rather than beat Auriel's father into submission, then force him to forgive the trespassers.
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I can agree with you on every point you've stated with him and King Mal as even the Demon King acknowledges Arc's cunning and overall power but at the same time, I still stand by my first statement. I didn't mean his status as the Hero of Light of Equestria, I was actually referring to his position as the Hero of Light as he sees himself. He has stated that it's his job to protect and do what's best in the interest of the innocent, whether it be on earth or in the dimension of Equestria. I can understand why he does what he does but at the same, he is reaching and I am using that term very very loosely. Many of the situations he is involved in usually involve the Council of Shadows members either directly or behind the scenes pulling strings. This situation is no different as I have a VERY good idea of who it was who commissioned our dear Callberon to go after the idol.
I wouldve thought one way to create a massive sigil in front of someone while they were watching would be to use a trick from Good Omens.
The M25 motorway has a very intresting shape, demonically.
Not their fault the gala floats happens to scribe the pattern into the town roads?
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I suppose this could be taken either way as it is written. During the translation process I changed the flow of this conversation. Originally Arc didn't say anything but allowed the matter to be deferred to Twilight as it's more along the lines of something she should be handling as a princess.
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Such a thing is rapidly approaching. In the words of Tyrael... a 'reckoning is at hand'.
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Honestly, I think he should've thought to himself and seen what she was going to do and then if she didn't would've had Arc step in. It still makes for an interesting take though. Arc refers to himself as the Hero of Light and he is technically the hero of the entire world of Equestria as a whole as Clopicus made reference to his grandfather's armor and he also inherited the Rainbow. So, he is technically the Hero of both worlds by blood inheritance but at the same time he is still pushing his use with the name Hero of Light