Chapter 1 - Unforeseen Circumstances
Luna walks over to Arc. “I appreciate all you have done for Equestria in the past, and what you do now. Sorry if we've been neglecting you.”
Arc looks to her confused. “Now why would I feel that way?”
“Well, Cadance and I never write or call. It seems the only time you ever see us is when you’re making a report of some kind of wrongdoing.”
He nods. “I understand you two are very busy, what with Princess Celestia gone. Any headway on that, by the way?”
Cadance nods, hope in her eyes. “We've been able to eliminate an entire continent from our search.”
Arc smiles! “Great! Only six more to go!”
Luna’s neck snaps over to Arc. “Wait! Earth has SEVEN CONTINENTS?!”
He looks to her, confused. “Um, yes. What’s the problem?
“Our initial magical scans of your world showed there to be only two! We started with the larger of them, so we figured we must be getting close!”
Arc thinks for a moment. “Do you have any maps of the continent you scanned? Maybe I can help.”
Cadance heads for the door. “Right this way.”
Luna and Cadance lead Arc to another wing of Canterlot Castle. They enter a rather large room with many large monitors and desks lined up. Many white robed ponies scurry about quickly. Luna turns to Arc.
“Welcome to the Canterlot Castle War Room, Arc. Look familiar?”
“It reminds me of a more advanced version of my own War Room back at Light's Hope.”
She nods. “Right. If there was a conflict of some kind, there would be military officials staffing it. However right now the search for Princess Celestia is our top priority! Our best sages are working around the clock to try and solve this enigma.”
Luna leads them toward an office. “Let me introduce you to our Lead Sage.”
They walk toward a large office off to one side, it looks a bit smaller than Arc's own office, however that may be due to it being filled with a large assortment of books, scrolls, magical items, the stallion behind the desk wears a large blue robe, he does not look up as they enter. Arc puts his helmet back on.
Cadance looks over to him. “Arc? What are you doing?”
“Better safe than sorry. Those piles most certainly do not appear secure.”
The stallion sitting at the cluttered desk mutters to himself. “If we start with quadrant four... should take about a week... assuming the weather...”
Luna coughs loudly. The stallion looks up. “Oh! Forgive me princesses! I was lost in my work there!”
Cadance looks to Arc. “Arc, this is our Lead Sage, Sunburst. Sunburst, I would like you to meet Arc, Equestria's Hero of Light”
He appears confused. “Oh? What happened to the last ones?”
Luna sighs. “They… retired.”
Sunburst steps out from behind the desk to shake Arc’s hand. “Forgive me for not staying up with current events, Hero of Light. My job keeps my pretty busy.”
Arc looks around the cluttered office. “Yes, I can see that.”
Luna frowns. “Sunburst. I thought I told you to clean up your office the last time I was here?!”
“But I did!”
Cadance makes a sweeping motion with her hoof. “Then what do you call all this?!”
“Well, the three of you made it to my desk safely. Don't you remember the last time?”
Luna narrows her eyes. “All too well. It took the guards over an hour to even find me under all this!”
Cadance narrows her eyes. “And another two hours to safely dig you out!”
Luna rolls her eyes and sighs. “In any case... Sunburst, Arc here has come to talk to you about your scans of Earth.”
“Ah! It's going quite well! We finished scanning the larger of the two continents and have nearly completed scans on the smaller continent to the north! We should have something to report very soon!”
“That's actually what I came here to talk to you about. You see, Earth has seven continents, not two.”
Sunburst’s jaw drops and he appears to be in shock!
“Sunburst! Snap out of it!”
He shakes his head as if to clear it.
“That's... just not possible! No world could possibly be THAT big!”
“Well Earth is. It would have to be to hold over seven billion people.”
Sunburst appears ready to faint! “SEVEN BILLION?!”
Cadance nods. “We came here to see a map of the land mass that has been scanned.”
He attempts to regain composure as they leave the office. “Y-yes! Follow me.”
Sunburst leads them to a large map on the main meeting table.
“As you can see, this is what we have scanned so far! Quite impressive if I do say so myself. It's by far the largest undertaking I’ve ever seen!”
Luna looks over the map. “How big is the continent?”
“Roughly three million square miles! The continent to the north appears to be much smaller though.”
Arc nods as he looks at the map thoughtfully. “Can I see a picture of it?”
“Our scans are still in the early stages, but it appears to look something like this...”
Sunburst grabs a blank piece of paper and hastily makes a drawing, he places the picture above the map.
“It’s roughly there.”
Arc looks over the map and sighs. “This is… not good.”
Cadance looks to Arc. “What is it, Arc?”
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll show you.”
Picking up a paper and pencil and starting to draw, a few minutes later he sets the paper in front of Sunburst.
“Alright. Please forgive the crudeness of this drawing. An artist I am not.”
Arc points to the continent that has already been scanned. “This is Australia. It's actually the smallest by far of Earth's continents!”
“WHAT?!”
Arc writes on the crude world map as he talks. “The rest of the continents are as follows... Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and finally Antarctica.”
Sunburst staggers back, overwhelmed! “How...? How do you KNOW all of this?!”
“I grew up on Earth.”
“Wait! You mean…”
Arc removes his helmet. “Yes. I’m a human.”
Sunburst falls into a chair! “I... think I need to sit down now. A human... in Equestria. And he's the Hero of Light too?! I really need to get out of my office more often!”
He shakes his head.
“Forgive me Hero of Light, but the thought of a human being here is rather... unsettling.”
Luna frowns! “Sunburst! Arc has already proven his loyalty to Equestria by performing numerous selfless and heroic acts. He’s even gone so far as to become a legal citizen! Cadance and I trust him completely! Please apologize to him!”
Arc turns to Luna. “It's alright. I think I understand how he feels.”
Cadance looks confused. “Arc?”
“I too was rather frightened when I was brought to this world. The image of the pastel ponies before me was not what I was accustomed to.”
He turns to Sunburst. “You are a stallion of logic, correct?”
“I suppose you could say that, yes.”
“It's quite logical to be afraid of the unknown, is it not? Whether that is an unknown place, unknown substance... or even an unknown creature. For what it's worth, you don't need to be afraid of me. Somehow I doubt that makes you feel any better, but it's all I can do right now.”
“I... guess that makes sense. My apologies Hero of Light. I will try to have more faith in whom our princesses choose to protect us.”
Arc nods. “Please Sunburst, I am fine with you calling me Arc.”
“Very well, Arc. Now if all of you will excuse me, I must get back to work. With luck, I can use the information provided to locate Princess Celestia!”
Cadance smiles! “That's wonderful news! How long do you think that will take?!”
Sunburst picks up a clipboard and hastily does some calculations. “Let's see here... if all goes well, I should have her located in a decade or two!”
“WHAT?!”, the trio shouts in unison!
“I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but Earth is just so darn BIG! Not to mention the sheer number of inhabitants and the fact our magic is weaker there. If we just had some kind of clue where to start.”
Luna turns to Arc. “Arc? Do you have any suggestions where to start looking?”
He nods. “I do have a few ideas.”
Arc picks up a pencil and makes a number of circles around the world map.
“Start from the west and make your way to the east, Sunburst.”
Cadance looks at the locations circled on the map. “What’s so special about these places?”
“These are all the countries I can think of that would have the money and resources to open an inter-dimensional portal. They are known on Earth as ‘First World Countries’.
Luna nods. “I admit, it's a start. But that's still quite a lot of ground to cover. Can you narrow it down any further Arc?”
Arc thinks for a moment. “Hmmm… I got it! Start here!”
He points to North America.
“This country. Start here!”
Cadance looks at Arc’s selection. “Really? It doesn't appear to be the biggest player on the field.”
“Very true. However, they spend three times as much on their military than the next most powerful country!”
Luna nods skeptically. “While that is certainly... interesting, why would they have my sister?”
“If they discovered she has magic, they would do their best to figure out how it works! Magically infused soldiers, magic weapons, magic body armor... perhaps even, magic bombs! Nothing the other countries have would be able to stop it.”
Luna shudders at the thought! “That's a frightening idea. Do you think they would try to dominate the entire planet?”
Arc shakes his head. “Logically speaking I would say no. However, I wouldn't risk it! We MUST save Princess Celestia in order to protect BOTH worlds!”
“Arc... they wouldn't actually... hurt my sister, would they?”
“No. They would protect her with everything they had! But let's not waste any time, Sunburst! How long would it take to scan just that one country?”
The stallion looks over the map again carefully. “I would say a year at absolute most! We will do our very best on this end. You just make sure there is an Equestria left for her to come home to! Frankly I'm amazed we haven't been attacked yet! Equestria's enemies have to know by now that Princess Celestia isn't really on a diplomatic mission!”
“If they know, why haven't they invaded yet?”
Luna looks sober. “I can think of only one reason. Equestria has something they don't have... something they fear.”
Both princesses look at Arc.
“ME?!”
Luna nods. “Yes Arc. You may be the only thing standing between Equestria and all-out war!”
“Okay, I admit I do have some power, but even I can't fight an entire army!”
Cadance chuckles. “That's not what the rumors about you say! Word gets around pretty fast when a single warrior defeats an entire demon army with a single blow!”
“But... I didn't do that alone! Twilight and her friends were there as well, along with a large percentage of Ponyville. That and the Heroes of Light themselves held the front line!”
“All of the surrounding countries are quaking in their boots at the moment. As long as they continue to hear tales of your deeds of extreme valor, Equestria will be spared needless bloodshed.”
Sunburst nods. “No pressure.”
Arc sits down heavily in a nearby chair and rests his head in his hands. “It's... all so overwhelming... what should I do?”
Luna walks over and rests a hoof on his shoulder. “Just keep doing what you've been doing. Protecting and serving. The other nations will take notice and won't risk a battle with a true hero!”
“I… will do my best.”
Cadance nods. “That's all we can ask for really.”
Sunburst turns back to his office. “Well, I should get back to work. If you will excuse me...”
Luna nods. “Of course! Let us know if you find anything!”
Arc stands up. “Well, I should probably get back to Light's Hope. There's always something to do!”
Luna nods. “Don't forget to rest when you can! Remember, a tired warrior is soon a dead one!”
Cadance chuckles. “You're one to talk, Luna. I haven't seen you rest since... you know.”
Luna sighs. “It is as Arc said. There is always something to do.”
“Well, we don't have any audiences. Why don't you take it easy for the rest of the day Luna?”
She shakes her head. “I cannot. There is far too much paperwork that needs doing!”
“I can handle it. Please, take some time to rest! You could use a short reprieve and you know it!”
Arc nods! “Why don't you come to Light's Hope, Princess Luna? We can enjoy a cupcake and cup of tea together. There are a few rather pressing matters I need to discuss with you anyway.”
“I can call you if there is any trouble. Arc can teleport you back at a moment's notice should the need arise!”
Luna puts a hoof to her chin. “Well... I suppose that is true. And I could use a change of scenery. Very well Arc... I accept!”
“Wonderful. We can go right now, if you’re ready!”
“I suppose I am. Shall we be off?”
Arc opens a portal back to Light’s Hope. He puts his helmet back on and gestures to the portal.
“After you, princess.”
Luna enters the portal.
“Arc, take good care of Luna please.”
He nods his head and walks through the portal himself. The pair appear on the sigil in the Main Hall. Raven is busy working at her desk.
Arc recalls his armor and turns to Princess Luna as they walk toward the desk. “This is the Main Hall. But I guess you already knew that.
Luna smiles. “Yes Arc. I was actually very involved in the design of your base. Truth be told, I had hoped to build it for the previous Heroes of Light. However they didn't want to be of any trouble.”
“We'll I thank you for this facility. It has certainly come in handy a time or two already. Oh! I want you to meet my secretary. Raven I want you to meet...”
Raven looks up and rushes to stand, her eyes wide. “P-P-P-Princess Luna?! Please forgive me! Had I known you were coming...”
Arc interrupts. “It was a rather last-minute decision. Princess Luna, this is Raven Inkwell. She's responsible for the day to day paperwork that keeps Light's Hope running. I'd be lost without her!”
Luna smiles and nods. “It is a pleasure to meet you Raven. Um... you can stand up now.”
Raven returns to a standing position. “Yes, your highness!”
She does so, albeit a bit wobbly as Arc turns to Luna. “Are you hungry?”
“Now that you mention it, yes I am!”
Arc sniffs the air. “Well, it smells like Saffron is ready for us. Shall we?”
“Lead the way!”
As Arc and Luna walk toward the Cafeteria, Raven shakily walks back to her desk and calls Saffron. She answers momentarily.
“Kitchen.”
“Saffron, this is Raven! Princess Luna HERSELF is heading toward the Cafeteria with the commander!”
“WHAT?! Are you serious!”
Raven nods! “Very! You only have a few minutes!”
“Okay, thanks for the heads up! I gotta go!”
Saffron hangs up the phone and prances in place.
“Oh dear! What do I DO?!”
She quickly attempts to prepare something special. Meanwhile Arc and Luna enter the cafeteria. Luna’s eyes grow wide!
“Oh my! I don't believe I have ever seen so many foals in one place before!”
Arc nods. “They’re doing well here. Let me introduce you.”
He clears his throat before speaking.
“Can I have everyone’s attention please. We have a very special guest here today.”
The foals turn to look at Arc. Their eyes widen as they see the rather large mare standing with him! Coco Pommel hobbles forward as quickly as she can and bows! The foals quickly follow Coco Pommel's example and line up behind her! They too kneel although they are confused as to why.
“Little ones, this is Princess Luna. She’s one of the three rulers of Equestria.”
Pipsqueak looks up. “So... is she your boss, Mr. Arc?”
Coco Pommel looks over to him quickly! “Pipsqueak, hush!”
She looks over to Luna a bit embarrassed.
“Please forgive him, your Highness! The orphans aren't familiar with the protocol of meeting a princess!”
“It’s alright.”
Luna turns to Pipsqueak.
“Pipsqueak was it? To answer your question, no. It may sound a bit odd, but Arc here is probably the only individual in Equestria that I CAN'T give an order to! He pretty much acts on his own. Now I don't want to interrupt the mealtime of growing foals, so why don't you all go back to eating.”
“Coco Pommel stands up slowly. “Say thank you, little ones!”
“THANK YOU PRINCESS LUNA!”
The orphans hurriedly go back to their seats and continue eating. Luna looks to Arc.
“Is this the mare you told me about before?”
Arc nods. “Yes. This is Coco Pommel.”
“I see. Please, Miss Pommel. I want you to resume eating as well. Arc has informed me of your... condition.”
“Th-thank you Princess Luna!”
She hobbles back to her chair and sits down.
Arc looks to Luna apologetically. “I'm sorry for such a loud Cafeteria. Foals will be foals.”
He looks around the cafeteria.
“That’s odd… I don’t see any sign of Saffron anywhere.”
“Who?”
“Sorry. She's my chef. Usually by now she out here checking up on the buffet. Would you like to sit out on the patio? The weather today is lovely, and it would certainly be less noisy.”
Luna nods. “Yes. It will give us a chance to talk! Just give me a moment to sample some of your chef's handiwork.”
She levitates a plate at the buffet and takes an assortment of fruits, a bit of grain and a hayburger. Arc follows behind her and fills his own plate with an assortment of fruit and nuts. Luna looks over at Arc’s plate.
“Not very hungry today?”
“It's... complicated. I'll explain after we sit down.”
Arc leads Luna out the Cafeteria side door to the patio tables. They sit down with their food and begin to eat.
“Princess Luna, I just wanted to say thank you for showing mercy to Trixie earlier today. She isn't really all that bad a pony. Just a bit... misguided.”
Luna nods. “Yes, I felt the same way about her. I hope she has learned her lesson.”
“As do I.”
“In any case... about our earlier conversation regarding your meal there?”
“Oh right! From the beginning I told Saffron to serve food geared toward keeping my forces fighting fit. The only problem with that is I am unable to eat a good portion of pony food.”
Luna appears confused. “Can you elaborate on that?”
“Well, let's take a look at your plate. I can eat most of that fruit other than the apple cores, the pineapple skin and the melon rind. Your hayburger is also out of the question. In addition to not being able to digest it, I don't think I could even chew it!”
Luna nods. “And the grain?”
“I can eat that, but only if it is ground and made into something like bread. In its current form... well, let's just say it would come about looking about the same as it went in.”
Luna frowns. “So, what do you eat then?! I can't imagine you survive on what is before you!”
“Saffron usually brings me a plate of fish or cockatrice. Or whatever meat she has on hand. Not sure what's keeping her today though...”
Saffron comes rushing out of the Kitchen levitating a covered silver serving dish. Prancing in place frantically, she looks around.
“P-Princes Luna?!”
All the foals look to her and point their hooves out the window. Saffron rushed out the door and breathlessly runs over to where Arc and Luna are sitting!
“Please forgive me... Princess Luna. Had I known you were coming I would have made something better!”
Saffron sets the covered dish down in front of Luna after using a hoof to push her original dish to one side. She uses her magic to remove the lid.
“I hope you like it!”
A beautiful Grain and Apple Omelet sits there waiting to be eaten.
“This... looks delicious but... isn't it a little odd to eat this for lunch?”
Saffron looks over mortified!
“I'm sorry! It was just the first thing that came to mind! Please forgive me!”
She moves to remove the plate from before Luna.
“No, no, it's fine! Thank you for the food. But... what about Arc?”
“Huh?”
Saffron looks over to Arc’s plate and sees a pitiful meal of fruit and nuts.
“C-commander! Please forgive me! I was about to start cooking your food when I learned that there was a princess on their way here for lunch!”
She runs back toward the door, looking over her shoulder breathlessly.
“I’ll get to work making you something right away!!!”
Arc looks to Luna apologetically. “Sorry about this. She's usually so efficient and on the ball. I guess your visit has thrown her off. In any case, I hope you enjoy that omelet.”
She looks down at the omelet, a bit sad.
“Is something bothering you?”
Luna sighs. “Arc, the chefs back at Canterlot Castle would call the contents of the first plate ‘commoner food’ or ‘swill’. I've spent years eating the finest foods from the best chefs in all the land. But, to be completely honest with you I prefer simple foods... like hayburgers to five star dining any day!”
He nods. “Saffron just wanted to make something special for you. It's not every day she gets to cook for royalty.”
Luna looks down at the plate and frowns. “I understand that, and am grateful for the effort she put into this. But just for once I wish everypony would treat me like a normal pony!”
“Well, you ARE a princess. It's only natural for them to fall all over themselves to please you.”
She looks up at him. “Well, what about you Arc? You've never once bowed to either myself or Cadance. Even before you became the Hero of Light, I could see that you looked at us the same way as you did Twilight and her friends. You didn't appear to be trying to impress us or put up a strong front!”
“It's like I said before, you and Princess Cadance are flesh and blood just like I am. You may have a fancy title and a crown, but you still have the same feelings as any other would! Human or pony.”
Luna smiles at Arc. “Thanks for the pep talk Arc.”
She turns her gaze to the omelet before her. “I guess I should eat this. After all, she put so much effort into it.”
Luna picks up her silverware with her magic and proceeds to cut her food. Arc quickly grabs the plate and pulls it toward himself.
“Arc? What are you doing?”
“Forgive me Princess Luna, but this food could be poisoned! But don't worry, I will test it for you!”
He picks up the omelet and eats the entire thing in but a few bites.
“Nope. No poison here!”
Arc looks down at the now empty plate with a fake sense of surprise on his face.
“Oh dear. It appears I’ve eaten it all! I'm sorry Princess Luna, but I guess you will have to be satisfied with your first plate.”
Luna smiles. “I guess I will. Thank you Arc! But I thought you couldn't eat grain like that.”
“I can eat it, I just can't digest it. Let's just say this isn't something I want to do every day.”
Saffron approaches with a plate of fish for Arc. He leans toward Luna.
“Tell her it was delicious.”
Luna nods.
“Here you are Commander! Sorry for the wait!”
As Saffron turns to bow to Luna, the plate bows with her! Arc grabs the plate before she dumps the contents!
“It's alright! I mean... I know how busy you are.”
Saffron looks at the empty plate in front of Luna. “Oh my! You must have been hungrier than I thought! Shall I make you another Princess Luna?”
“No thank you. It was quite good, but I would like to finish my other plate now.”
Saffron bows. “By your command.”
She returns to the kitchen as Arc sets his plate down. Noticing Luna’s face in unchanged as she eats, he speaks up.
“Well, that’s unexpected.”
Luna looks up. “Hmm?”
“Most ponies who see my food are immediately disturbed by its appearance.”
“I've entertained numerous delegates from foreign lands over the years, so I am used to the sight of dead animals.”
She smiles at him.
“Although I am pleased to see that you insist on COOKING your meat prior to ingesting it! But I digress... I believe you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about earlier?”
The orphans have finished their meal and run out into the field to play. Coco Pommel follows slowly at a distance. She lays down in the grass to rest and watch the foals play. As she makes herself comfortable in the warm summer sun, she can’t help but sigh contentedly.
“Ah… paradise!”
Meanwhile, back at Canterlot Castle, two Royal Guards bring Trixie to the prison wagon. The hardwood floor is mercifully covered in straw. Upon entering the covered wagon her legs are shackled. There is only one other prisoner in the wagon. A rather large stallion wearing a large device that engulfs his head! The Royal Guard turns to her as he locks the door of the wagon.
“Alright you two. Keep it civil back there.”
The guard signals to the two Royal Guards who will be pulling the wagon. They begin to move.
A voice rings out behind him! “Wait!”
They stop as Princess Cadance herself runs up to the side of the wagon and peers through the bars at Trixie.
“Trixie? I need to ask you something before you go!”
Trixie looks up surprised! “P-princess? What…?”
“When you were found guilty you didn't yell or protest in any way? Why?”
She looks away, clearly ashamed. “I've... done a lot of thinking since Arc... stopped me. Had time to think about my past choices.”
Cadance narrows her eyes. “One last thing... have you REALLY changed? Forgive me, but I can't help but feel that this is all just an act!”
Trixie lies down on the floor of the wagon and sighs. “I... I don't know. We'll see in a year, I guess. Princess could you do me a favor please?”
“What is it?”
“Just tell Arc... thanks, for me. Thanks for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. That's all...”
“I will.”
Cadance nods to the Royal Guards as she steps back. The wagon moves slowly down the road. She watches it for a short time as it drives away.
“I guess we'll have to wait and see how much difference a year makes...”
Stats
Page generated in 0.173 seconds
Total duration
660 users online
975,708 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
9699237
Well responded.
I did notice that, and I loved that fact about your story.
Well thought out and well done.
(You did say I shouldn't have deleted my last comment. So I gave you a more in-depth one on the second.) 😎
The Monk
"Knowledge is power and power corrupts, so study hard and be evil." - Reykan
9700295
You'll have to keep reading then. :-) The next volume... let's just say things aren't all rainbows and unicorns. :-)
9700917
It is one of his strengths, yes. :-) That and his ability to think ahead has come a long way since "Half Baked Plans!"
Did she just repeat this in it's entirety due to stress or it's an accidental copy-paste during editing?
Cadence states that Arc could teleport Luna back from his base at a moment notice, but couldn’t Luna simply teleport herself back to Canterlot on her own? The Alicorns have teleported great distances before but has been taxing depending on distance, but Ponyville is close to Canterlot so it should be that much of a drain on Luna.
10814519
She could have teleported herself back, yes. However as a princess she has to keep up appearances. Most things are done for the princesses that they could theoretically do themselves. They can fly, but generally are flown where they need to go by chariot. Celestia is a masterful pancake chef (in the show), but is generally cooked for by the staff. And the princesses (should) be powerful enough to take care of the problems that arise in the show, but generally send the Element Bearers off to deal with them.
I did make Canterlot quite a bit further from Ponyville than it appears in the show. It's roughly a three hour airship ride.
Sunburst steps out from behind the desk to shake Arc’s hand. “Forgive me for not staying up with current events, Hero of Light. My job keeps my pretty busy.”
*me
She looks up at him. “Well, what about you Arc? You've never once bowed to either myself of Cadance. Even before you became the Hero of Light, I could see that you looked at us the same way as you did Twilight and her friends. You didn't appear to be trying to impress us or put up a strong front!”
*or
The orphans have finished their meal and run out into the field to play. Coco Pommel follows slowly at a distance. She lays down in the grass to rest and watch the foals play. As she makes herself comfortable in the warm summer sun, she can’t help by sigh contentedly.
*sighing
She looks away, clearly ashamed. “I've... done a lot of thinking since Arc... stopped me. Had time to think about my past choices.”
*I had
11716337
Fixed.
The last one, however, was written as intended.
It's done that way so I can avoid two sentences next to each that both start with the word 'I'. 
Decided to change the third one to read...
"The orphans have finished their meal and run out into the field to play. Coco Pommel follows slowly at a distance. She lays down in the grass to rest and watch the foals play. As she makes herself comfortable in the warm summer sun, she can’t help but sigh contentedly."