The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

Chapter 14 - On the Telly

Arc appears on the roof of the hospital as the sun is setting. After Blinking down to the ground below he makes his way inside and heads to the now familiar room. Entering, he spies Shelly sitting up in bed with will just turning on the television.

“How’s it going over here?”

Lily turns and smiles excitedly. “Arc! “

Shelly giggles. “Perfect timing!”

“We were about to watch the news!”

Arc chuckles. “It must be a pretty good story considering just how excited you two are.”

Lily nods. “Well... it was certainly a surprise.”

“Surprise?”

Lily pulls Arc toward the chairs next to the bed. “Shush! It’s starting!”

The local news logo pops onto the screen as the anchor begins speaking. Arc turns to Shelly.

“Uh... this seems like really normal stuff to me.”

Shelly smiles at him. “Give it time.”

They continue watching together in silence. About twenty minutes in, the anchorman turns to another camera to signify starting a new story.

“A local business is in the headlines today. Shelly’s Kitchen, which has been the center of gatherings for many years, has seen an uptick in business as of late. This is in part due to the managerial skills of the former leader of the Shards, Frank Fontaine. A childhood friend of the proprietor, Mister Fontaine and his gang have taken up running and staffing the restaurant after the titular owner was admitted to the hospital. Our very own Minerva Moore spoke to Miss Shelly earlier.”

The screen shifts to that of Minerva slowly walking into the hospital room as Lily stands and helps Shelly sit up. The pair are wearing their traditional work uniforms for the occasion.

“Good morning, Shelly.”

Shelly smiles weakly. “Hello.”

Minerva points to her outfit. “I see you and Lily are dressed for work.”

Shelly nods as she speaks. “We are. But it’s been a very long time since I was able to do much of anything. Well, other than run the cash register, that is.”

“You look very tired.”

“It’s my illness.”

She puts a hand on her chest before continuing.

“There’s... a lot wrong with me inside.”

Lily takes over to let her friend catch her breath. “But Shelly’s been really good about not letting it keep her down.”

“If I may, might you tell our viewers what exactly is wrong with you, Shelly?”

“I’m patient zero for a disease without a name. My organs have been slowly shutting down since I was a teenager.”

“People here in Angel Grove know you and Lily as the two gals whom took over Hooper’s after his passing. How exactly did you come to do something like that at such a young age?”

Lily answers. “We worked for Mister Hooper after graduating from high school. He was like family to us.”

Shelly nods. “He taught us all about how the business ran since I had hopes of one day owning my own restaurant.”

“I remember you talking about that a lot when we were kids, Shelly.”

Minerva smiles. “Did he also teach you how to cook?”

Shelly shakes her head. “No, that was done by a very dear friend of ours named Arc.”

Lily grins. “We grew up in the Farburg Orphanage together.”

“Is he a chef as well?”

“Oh, no. Arc’s pretty good at cooking for himself. However he just taught Lily and I the basics along with a few recipes.”

Lily puts a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Shelly was the one whom really took what he taught her to the next level. Before I knew it she was experimenting and formulating her own recipes.”

“What was your first success in that regard?”

Shelly giggles. “I wanted to make the best pancakes. Now I know that sounds strange, since they’re really just flour, baking soda, salt, and milk. But I learned that size, temperature, and using real butter to grease the pan can make or break them.”

“Sounds like it was a lot of trial and error.”

“Yes, it was.”

Lily turns to her friend. “I still remember Arc’s kitchen table covered in numbered plates and notes.”

“It wasn’t enough to be able to make the best pancakes. I needed to take detailed notes so I could replicate my results.”

Minerva nods. “And things branched out from there?”

“That they did. Afterward, Shelly perfected her French Toast recipe for those whom wanted something similar but different.”

“Shelly nods. “Another recipe that isn’t really that complicated, but is a big favorite with our customers.”

“Due to a secret ingredient?”

“Not really. It’s the pure vanilla extract along with a bit of nutmeg that really makes the flavors pop.”

“And the real butter, just like the pancakes.”

Minerva continues. “And from there you branched off into lunch?”

“Not quite. I wanted to master breakfast foods first. Pancakes, French Toast, Bacon and Eggs, Muffins, Omelets, and Sausage.”

Lily sighs. “But I told Shelly we couldn’t make ends meet by just cooking breakfast foods.”

“We had some recipes left behind by Mister Hooper and Arc gave us a few of his own to get us started.”

“Shelly couldn’t do both though. So while she practiced and refined her breakfast foods I did my best to perfect lunch items.”

“What was your first big success, Lily?

“I wanted to make the perfect burger. It involved having the perfect patty size along with fresh produce that is sliced just in time for assembly.”

Shelly groans. “Admittedly I was a bit concerned that she might have gone overboard on the size. After all, I’d personally never seen a burger that large before.”

“I liked it while Shelly had her reservations. So we needed a third party.”

“Lily made one and served it to Arc.”

“He really liked it. So that matter was settled.”

“However we needed a catchy name. Something that made it our own.”

Minerva nods. “And what did you settle on?”

“I wanted to call it a ‘Whataburger’. But Shelly thought that was a bit much.”

“Fortunately we didn’t go with that. Neither of us knew it at the time, but there was already a company by that name.”

“So I decided to name it after my best friend and call it a ‘Shelly Burger’.”

Shelly grins. “They really hit it off too.”

Minerva smiles. “I’ve seen pictures that some of your customers have posted online. It’s quite a large burger.”

Lily grins. “That’s what propelled us to come up with matching sides. In terms of quality and quantity, that is.”

“And you’ve maintained that status for years now.”

Shelly looks out the window sadly. “Yes. However that’s all thanks to Lily and the Shards these days. I just don’t have the strength to do much anymore.”

Lily takes Shelly’s hand. “At the moment just Frank and his guys though, as I’m staying with Shelly here in the hospital 24/7.”

“Lily’s promised to be with me to the end. Which is coming soon.”

Minerva gasps. “You mean...?”

Shelly nods. “Yes... I’m not long for this world, I’m afraid.”

“I... I’m very sorry to hear that!”

Shelly shakes her head. “No need for that. I’m very happy with the life I’ve been able to live.”

She looks to Lily before continuing.

“And the friends whom have shared the good times as well as the bad.”

Lily squeezes her hand. “We’ll be there for you.”

Minerva nods soberly. “You’re a very brave young woman.”

Shelly shrugs. “It’s not so much that I’m brave. But that I’ve accepted the fact that my road is coming to its end.”

“Is there anything you two would like to say to our viewers before we close?”

“Yes. Don’t take life for granted. Enjoy your friends and family’s company when your healthy and strong. Don’t wait to do so until the doctor gives you bad news.”

Lily smiles as she looks to Minerva. “None of us really knows what the future holds. So we try to do our very best with the time that we have.”

“I was able to spend pretty much all of my adult life working side by side with my best friend here. And I enjoyed every minute of it too. I’ve loved making customers smile and listening to them when they’re going through tough times. But right now I’d like to say something to someone I can’t exactly call on the telephone, if that’s alright.”

Minerva nods. “Yes, of course.”

Shelly turns and looks to the camera before speaking.

“I’ve said my farewells to my friends and those whom I care about. But there’s one individual that I’d really like to speak to one last time. Angel Grove’s very own armored warrior from the news.”

Minerva appears confused. “The Hero?”

Shelly nods. “Yes. Sir... if you can hear, this please come see me here at the Angel Grove Hospital. I’d like to see you one last time and say a few things... face to face.”

Minerva chimes in. “If you need directions, Hero, you can find me at one of our normal meeting places.”

Shelly smiles shyly. “I look forward to seeing you again.”

“This has been Minerva Moore coming to you from the Angel Grove Hospital.”

Lily presses the ‘Power’ button on the remote. The screen goes black as Arc turns to Shelly.

“That was a really nice story they did on you, Shelly.”

Shelly smiles. “I liked it too.”

Lily groans. “Sorry for not calling you about it, Arc. I thought it was supposed to air tomorrow.”

Shelly giggles. “Miss Moore called us just before you walked in to say that there’d been a last minute change in the lineup.”

“Well, I’m glad I came when I did then.”

Shelly smiles warmly at them. “It was nice watching it with you two.”

She yawns before continuing.

“But I think I need to get some rest now.”

Arc stands and helps her lie down as Lily pulls the covers up to Shelly’s chin. Smiling, she looks up at them.

“Do you think that the Hero will hear that?”

Lily sighs. “I sure hope so.”

Arc chuckles. “Considering what he was able to accomplish in the past, probably.”

Shelly appears confused. “What do you mean, Arc?”

“Well, he has a team that fought with him, right.”

“Yes. What about it?”

“That and there’s that big flying vehicle that he got away in. So he has even more help than we know about.”

Shelly smiles sleepily. “So he must have a large number of people monitoring things around here?”

“It’s a good bet, yes.”

Lily grins. “If so, I’m sure someone will see to it he gets the message.”

Shelly turns to Arc. “Do you... think he’ll come?”

“I sure hope so.”

“Me too. See you in the morning, Lily.”

“Good night, Shelly.”

Arc leans down to give her a hug. “Sleep well.”

Shutting her eyes, Shelly quickly falls asleep. Lily motions to Arc to follow her out into the corridor. Closing the door softly behind them she turns to him.

“Thanks again for coming, Arc. It means a lot to Shelly and I that you come visit so often.”

“So often? I thought I wasn’t coming nearly enough.”

“Shelly and I understand that you’re very busy these days, what with raising Daisy with your cousin.”

Arc looks away nervously. “Y-yeah. She’s a handful.”

“Well, I’m just glad you could be here with us to watch the interview.”

“Lucky break.”

Lily lowers her voice before continuing. “Do you think that the Hero really heard that broadcast?”

“Probably. But I suppose time will tell.”

He looks at his watch before continuing.

“In any case, I should probably be getting home.”

Lily nods and smiles. “I understand. It’s probably coming up on bedtime for Daisy.”

“Right. I’ll come by and see you two again when I have time.”

“Okay. We’ll be waiting.”

Giving Arc a hug, Lily turns and heads back into the room as Arc leaves the hospital. Blinking back up onto the roof he sighs and opens a portal. Stepping through, Arc reappears back on the sigil in his parent’s room. Walking over to the bed he sits down and puts a hand on his forehead as he muses to himself.

“Shelly wants to see the Hero again. I can easily make that happen, of course. But why does she want to see him again?”

Groaning, he flops down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling.

“I mean, I guess I could have asked. But that would have seemed a bit strange since they don’t know I’m the Hero. Or would it?”

Shaking his head, he lies there a short time before continuing.

“While I’m certainly going to see Shelly as the Hero, I should probably try and get some more information on this before acting.”

Sitting up, he grins and pulls the Rainbow of Light from his ring.

“And I think I know just where I to start.”