• Published 27th Apr 2019
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The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds - Kamahido



Twilight accidently brings a human from Earth to Equestria. Will he be able to coexist with the equine inhabitants of this new land?

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Chapter 11 - Hotplate Havoc

Arc and Ember stand on the beach overlooking Damocles Base. The light of the sinking full moon being the only thing illuminating the sand around them. Ember turns to him and frowns.

“Arc?”

“Yes, Ember?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Agreed.”

“Then why are you...?!”

Arc cuts her off. “You already know why, Ember.”

“Shelly?”

Arc nods as Ember grits her teeth and nods as she turns to look across the water to the base.

“And that’s the only reason I’m not physically stopping you from going.”

Arc chuckles. “Are you sure you could at this point?”

Ember cracks her knuckles. “Care to find out?”

“Not really, no.”

“Then you’d better get going. Before I change my mind.”

Nodding, Arc looks up at the moon. Turning into his Crimson form he looks to Ember and puts a hand on her shoulder before speaking again.

“Hey.”

Ember groans. “What?!”

“This.”

Grabbing her, Arc pulls Ember in close for a passionate kiss. Wide eyed, Ember does little for the first few seconds. Eventually though she gets over her initial shock and leans into the embrace. Pulling back, Arc smiles as Ember looks into his glowing red eyes and speaks.

“What... was that for?”

“For caring.”

Without another word, Arc winks at her and changes into a mist. As he floats toward the base Ember raises a hand weakly as she whispers.

“Um... see ya later. I hope.”

Turning around, she walks toward the tree line. Meanwhile, Arc floats over the base’s outer wall. Drifting slowly along the ground so as not to draw attention to himself, Arc makes his way toward the large building before him. Spotting some crates outside of it, he makes his way behind them and rematerializes. Cloaking, he slowly steps out from behind them and looks around. A large number of turrets point out in all directions, including up. Sighing, he sits down on an ammo crate and leans back.

“Now... the wait.”

Arc watches as the moon sets and the sun begins to rise. As its light snakes across the ground Arc smirks as he pats his magic ring.

“A vampire whom is immune to the effects of sunlight. Still can’t believe Auriel was able to convince her father to let me use the Telepathy Ball for something like this. Let alone take it away from their homeland.”

Meanwhile, Mustang and Diva sit in his office looking over the security monitors. A knock rings out as the general calls out.

“Come!”

Opening, a middle aged man enters and steps over to the general. Saluting respectfully, he speaks.

“Reporting as ordered, sir.”

“Good morning, Colonel Langrisser.”

Diva frowns. “Hello, overhead.”

Langrisser scoffs. “I could say the same for you, Diva.”

“What?!”

“Tell me, what is it you do here again?”

“Train and lead my squad, you idiot!”

“Of which it appears you have but one sergeant left.”

“You just worry about your security measures, imp!”

Mustang chuckles. “In that he is quite capable.”

Diva gasps. “Are you KIDDING ME?! This base has been broken into HOW MANY TIMES NOW?!”

“Several, yes.”

Langrisser bows his head. “I take full responsibility for such things, sir.”

Diva grins. “Do you now?”

“Yes. They got in every time by finding a security flaw.”

Mustang smirks. “And you’ve patched each hole as it’s exposed?”

“I have, sir.”

The colonel turns to Diva as he continues.

“However I must point out that every time the base has been infiltrate I have been away tending to the needs of our other base. That and this shadowy fiend is beyond cunning.”

“Nevertheless, he still keeps coming! Had we not known your location via satellite I’d have accused you of being our infiltrator!”

“True. But I’d also like to mention that once he’s inside the base it’s YOU whom is supposed to apprehend him, Diva.”

“Why you little...!”

Mustang cuts her off. “He’s right, Diva.”

“But I...!”

Mustang holds up a hand for silence. “Your squad has been depleted, I know. However they were able to do little to stop him last time. Even when united and fighting as one.”

Langrisser folds his arms over his chest. “Perhaps if you had been there to do your job, Diva, they might have fared better.”

“I had my orders, colonel!”

“As did I.”

Mustang nods. “Yes. The materials you oversaw the transportation of have proven very useful in our latest project. And it was I whom ordered Diva to stay by my side, Colonel Langrisser.”

Diva frowns. “Then whom is at fault, sir?!”

“No one.”

Langrisser steps forward. “Sir, if I may be so bold, how does this amount to less than a massive security problem?”

“Everyone has their role to play in this. You, Diva, and even our infiltrator.”

Diva grits her teeth. “THEM?!”

Mustang nods. “Yes, Diva. They were kind enough to render us quite the service on numerous occasions.”

He looks to Langrisser before continuing.

“His actions showed you where our base is vulnerable.”

Putting a hand on Diva’s shoulder, the general smiles at her.

“And you were made aware of your squad’s... shortcomings.”

Langrisser frowns. “Yes sir. However that does nothing to address the fact that he’s still out there somewhere.”

“That is true. However eventually he will return and slip up. Then we will have him right where we want him.”

Langrisser straightens up. “I shall continue to fortify the outside of the facility against such a thing, sir.”

“Very good, colonel. You are dismissed.”

Saluting, the colonel leaves the room. As he closes the door Diva looks to Mustang and frowns.

“Uh... you forgot the whole reason you called for him, sir.”

Mustang smiles innocently. “Did I now?”

“Yes! You were going to tell him of Arc’s current infiltration!”

“Oh, I don’t think that information would be of use to him.”

Diva smirks. “As much as I agree that Langrisser is a waste of resources...”

“But he isn’t, Diva.”

“HOW?!”

Mustang stands and walks over to the monitors. “Because there’s nothing here.”

“You said earlier that Arc was here though!”

“And he is.”

“Where?!”

“Inside the base.”

“Care to narrow it down?!”

“Heading for the labs.”

Diva walks quickly toward the door. “I’ll head him off with Stingray! Together...!”

Mustang grabs her wrist. “No, you won’t.”

“But we have a perfect opportunity to...!”

“...sit back and watch the show.”

Diva glares at him. “Just how long are you going to let this go on then?!”

Mustang smirks as he puts a hand under Diva’s chin and leans in close to her ear.

“Until the time comes when he is ready to join us.”

Diva scoffs. “When pigs fly!”

“Keep your eyes on the sky then. Because that day IS coming, my dear.”

Meanwhile, Arc rides the massive elevator into the base. Entering a grille in the wall he makes his way through the ductwork until he spies a small storage room. Passing through the grate, Arc rematerializes by the door and stands there silently for a long moment. Hearing nothing on the other side of it he decloaks and reaches for his ring. Pulling out a small box Arc slowly and carefully puts a hand on the top.

“I sure hope this worked.”

Unfastening the clasp, Arc opens the lid as he kneels down. Reaching inside, he cautiously wraps his fingers around the small doll-like figure of Rose inside of it. Laying her down on the floor, Arc casts the Matter Compacting counter spell. Returning to her normal size, Arc takes a deep breath and presses the mole under her eye. A few sounds emanate from her for a few moments before Rose slowly opens her eyes and looks up at him.

“Did it... work?”

Arc smiles and nods. “So it would seem.”

Helping Rose up, he looks her over before continuing.

“Are you... okay?”

“Diagnostics are ongoing. However tentative reports show that my systems are functioning normally.”

Arc appears relieved as he pulls a magic cloak from his ring and hands it to her. “Good.”

He watches her slip it on over her armor and sighs.

“But I still didn’t like doing that.”

Rose smiles. “If you recall, that was my idea though.”

Arc sighs. “True. However the whole time I was waiting to get in here I couldn’t think of anything other than you in my ring.”

“Your ring’s pocket dimension was a very interesting place.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “How do you know that? I mean... you were shut down for safety the whole time, right?”

Rose nods. “True. However I brought this...”

Holding up a small device, Rose continues.

“It recorded some generic data regarding the inside of your ring.”

“Like an external black box?”

“Exactly. Mother will be very interested to see whatever data it collected. But we can talk about that later. Right now we have a mission to accomplish.

“Agreed. Are your sensors picking anything up in regards to the machine?”

“I can’t scan for that as I’ve never encountered the device or its distinct energy signature.”

“Ah! That makes sense.”

“And it’s probably not functioning anyways.”

“Ready to move?”

Rose nods as she pulls the hood over her head. “I’ll lead the way.”

Cloaking, Arc and Rose leave the room together. Making their way down the corridor, they come to Doctor Rieper’s quarters. Arc calls out to Rose.

“Is he in there?”

“I don’t detect any life signs beyond this door. Shall I attempt to force the door?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Returning to his mist form, Arc makes his way under the door. Reforming, he turns and unlocks the door to allow Rose inside. The pair decloak as he closes it behind her. Arc turns to Rose as he speaks.

“Simple enough, I suppose.”

“Moreso than trying to pick it or force the door.”

Arc looks around the room. “It’s not likely that Rieper left the files in here, naturally. But I wanted to check anyways.”

“And see if he was here too?”

Arc shrugs as he heads over to a laptop sitting on the nearby desk. “That too. At least now we know he’s probably in the lab.”

Rose sighs as she walks over to Arc’s side. “With the device and data most likely.”

“One problem at a time. This laptop is password protected.”

“Should we take it with us then? I can probably hack it in a few...”

Arc presses a myriad of keys as she speaks. The desktop appears as access is granted. Rose raises an eyebrow.

“How did you guess the password?”

Arc points to a post-it note stuck to the wall nearby. “A little birdie told me.”

“That’s rather sloppy of him.”

“And surprising considering the security he has on his safe in the lab.”

“Want me to go over the laptop for you? I can probably do it a lot faster.”

Arc nods and stands. “Sure. I’ll look around while you do.”

Switching places with him, Rose gets to work. Arc’s red eyes roam around the darkened room, which is only illuminated by the laptop screen. Spying something on the nightstand he walks over and picks it up. Rose calls out as he does so.

“Find something?”

Arc nods soberly. “Yeah. A sock.”

“Well, these ARE his personal quarters.”

“But these aren’t his.”

“How can you tell?”

“One... because they’re small. Two... they’re Shelly’s.”

“Are you certain?”

Arc nods as he picks up the sock. “Yup. Last Christmas I accidently dropped a spoon that had sauce on it. They splattered on Shelly’s sock and left a stain.”

“As capable as you are, I don’t think even you could recognize such a random pattern, Arc.”

“Normally I would agree with you. However Lily pointed out that the stains reminded her of the ‘Big Dipper’.”

“Big... what?”

“It’s a star constellation. We even looked it up later and found that she was right.”

He holds up the sock before continuing.

“I’m completely sure this is hers.”

“But how would he have gotten ahold of that?”

“Only place I can think of. The hospital laundry.”

“Why a sock though?”

“It’s easy to lose. After all, a mono-colored sock isn’t something that would normally be missed. But that’s not the biggest concern of mine.”

“There’s more?!”

“Yes. Either Rieper broke into the laundry to get this or he transferred to the Angel Grove hospital.”

“It’s likely the second idea is true.”

Arc grits his teeth. “We have to help Shelly get out of there!”

“But how? She won’t want to leave and Lily won’t speak for her to do so.”

“I could break her out as the Hero of Light.”

“It would look like a kidnapping though.”

Arc sighs. “Would technically be one too, as I wouldn’t have Shelly’s permission.”

“Let’s focus on getting the information for Doctor Knowles then. If she can find a way to help Shelly then she can go home with Lily.”

“Yeah. That’s all we can do right now.”

“What do you suppose he wanted her sock for anyways?”

“I’m hoping it’s because he misses his daughter. But I’m thinking it also could be a sick kink of his.”

Rose sighs as she looks over her shoulder. “Nothing over here on Shelly. It’s just mundane personal data.”

“Alright. Put it back the way you found it and we’ll get moving to our next objective.”

Doing as she is told, Rose looks to Arc as she stands.

“And what about... that?”

She points to the sock in his hand. Arc clenches it tightly as he speaks.

“I want to get it away from that sicko!”

“But then he’d know someone was in here, Arc.”

Arc groans. “I know, but... I just really don’t feel comfortable leaving something of hers here for him to...”

Rose interrupts. “You know what you have to do, Arc.”

“Yeah. And so do you.”

Nodding, Rose heads for the entrance. She listens for a few moments before opening the door. As she heads out Arc looks down at the sock in his hand for a few moments before putting it back on the table where he found it. A short time later Rose calls him over his earring

“Rieper is in his lab.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Good. Now we just need to start the next phase of the plan. Standby.”

Looking around the room, Arc spots a hot plate with a few pans around it along with several packages of instant noodles.

“That’ll do.”

Grabbing a nearby newspaper he tosses one edge onto the hotplate. Flipping the switch to ‘on’, Arc puts up his hood and leaves the room. Joining up with Rose outside the lab he puts a hand on her shoulder and whispers.

“Now we wait.”

“What for though?”

“The fire department to show up.”

“Down here?!”

“Trust me.”

Sometime later the sound of running boots can be heard echoing through the facility. Arc and Rose step aside to allow them to pass. Pushing a button on the intercom, the commander of the group calls out.

“Doctor Rieper!”

A few moments later the doctor responds.

“What?!”

“Forgive the interruption, but there’s been a reported fire in your quarters, sir!”

The door to the lab flies open and the doctor hurries out.

“Let’s go!”

Running down the corridor, the door slowly swings shut. A quick motion from Arc’s foot holds it open for them. Letting themselves in they look around the lab at numerous mechanical devices scattered around workbenches. Clipboards and notes lie next to trays of parts with bright overhead lights shining down on the specimens. They decloak and look around as Rose turns to Arc.

“Looks like whatever this was has been taken apart down to the last nut and bolt.”

“I’ll say. But this is definitely Mio’s machine.”

“How can you tell?”

Arc points. “There’s the outer housing in the corner.”

“Ah!”

“What do you think, Rose?”

Rose looks around. “That we’re not going to get anywhere by taking these parts.”

“I guessed as much.”

“With luck Mio’s blueprints are around here somewhere.”

Arc glances at the door. “Then we’d better hurry and find them. No telling when Rieper will be back.”

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