The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

Chapter 15 - Post Interview Conversations

Channeling his power into the pendant, Arc opens a portal and steps through. Reappearing in his quarters within Light’s Hope he leaves the building and heads down the path toward the Little Hooves Orphanage. Spotting his old armor, Eidolon’s Ward, out front watering the flowers he hurries over to it and calls out.

“Cherry!”

Turning to him, the armor raises a gauntlet and waves.

“Good evening, Arc. It’s good to see you again.”

“Sorry I haven’t been around lately. Been really busy.”

“That’s what I’ve heard, yes. After all, it’s certainly not easy overthrowing a corrupt government, reuniting the country, and rebuilding an entire town.”

Arc grins sheepishly. “It sounds like a lot more when you say it like that.”

Cherry giggles. “Just trying to put things into perspective.”

“I’m just glad all that stuff’s behind me now.”

“As am I. But I’m guessing you didn’t come here just to see me.”

“You’d be wrong then.”

“Huh?”

“I did come to see you.”

Cherry facepalms. “Arc... you can’t do things like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have fiancées to think about now. How would they feel if you were caught hanging around with me?”

“Truthfully, they wouldn’t mind. But I wanted your help dealing with something back on Earth.”

“You do?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t see how I could be of any help. After all, this old suit of armor isn’t exactly what I’d call ‘battle ready’.”

“True. But it’s not that kind of matter. I need to go see Minerva about some information she may have. Figured since you and her have a past it might be easier to do if you came along.”

“Ah! I see now. That and it would be better if Minerva saw you in your traditional armor versus the new one.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. But you are right. So what do you say? Want another trip inside my head?”

“Okay. But only if you’re certain that your marefriends wouldn’t mind.”

Arc nods. “That I can say for sure, yes.”

Opening up, Eidolon’s Ward allows Arc to step inside it. Closing around him, Cherry lets out a contented sigh.

“I’ve missed this.”

Arc smiles. “So have I.”

“They say you never forget your first love.”

“That I can confirm.”

“Well... why don’t we get a move on?”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Pulling the Rainbow of Light from his ring again, Arc powers it up and opens a portal back to Earth. Stepping through, he finds himself on the roof of Minerva’s apartment. Cherry calls out to him.

“I do hope she’s in.”

“Considering the time, I would hope so.”

Walking over to a specific place in the roof, Arc looks down and Blinks inside the apartment. Looking around he frowns.

“Lights are all out.”

“Maybe she went to bed early?”

“Either that or she’s not in.”

“Want me to go check her bedroom?”

Arc nods. “Please do.”

Opening, Eidolon’s Ward allows Arc to step out. Pulling a magic cloak from his ring, Arc dons it and turns back to his armor.

“There. Not sure why I didn’t put this on beforehand though.”

Cherry giggles. “And here I thought you were getting good at thinking ahead, Arc.”

Arc shrugs. “Well, none of us are perfect.”

“I’ll see if she’s asleep now.”

“Alright. I’ll wait here.”

Eidolon’s Ward makes its way down the short hall to the bedroom. However as it does so the bathroom door opens and Minerva steps out in the nude. Seeing the heavy armor in the poor lighting she instinctively lets out a scream. Turning around, the young woman moves to rush back into the bathroom. However Cherry reaches forward and wraps her arms around her friend in an effort to comfort her. Sadly, she had also forgotten to reform the front of the chestplate and accidently pulls Minerva inside the armor.

“Minerva, please calm down! It’s me! It’s Cherry?!”

Gasping, Minerva looks at her current position. Resting her head back against the inside of the armor she sighs.

“Um... hi, Cherry.”

“Hey. Uh... sorry about the scare.”

“Is... is the Hero here too?”

Cherry nods. “Yes.”

Minerva slowly moves to cover her chest with her hands. “I’m... not exactly dressed to impress at the moment though.”

“Um... how about we go to your room so you can get some...?”

“Cherry?”

“Yes, Minerva?”

“Do you think I could... um... wear... you?”

“You mean the Hero’s armor?”

“Yes. If it wouldn’t be weird for you, that is.”

“It’s fine. Go ahead and put your arms and legs through.”

Minerva repositions herself inside the armor. When she is ready she calls out again.

“Okay... I’m ready. Um... what do I do now?”

“Nothing. I’ll do the rest.”

The armor closes around Minerva’s body with small clicking sounds. She grimaces as it does so. Unmoving, Cherry calls out.

“Uh... Minerva?”

“Yes?”

“You can move now.”

“I might need some help doing that.”

“Give it a try first.”

Nodding, Minerva takes a deep breath. Lifting her leg, she is surprised at how easily she is able to turn around.

“This is amazing! It’s so... so LIGHT?!”

Cherry giggles. “That’s to be expected. I haven’t eaten anything in over a year.”

Minerva gasps. “Armor eats?!”

“It was a joke, Minerva.”

“Oh... right. Um... where did you say the Hero was?”

Arc calls out from the other room. “At your kitchen counter at the moment.”

“You can hear us?!”

Arc nods. “Yup.”

“HOW?!”

Cherry sighs. “Um... the armor... isn’t soundproof.”

“It isn’t?”

“He’s talked to you while in it before, remember?”

“Oh...”

“In any case, why don’t you head over and join the Hero now, Minerva?”

“Well... okay.”

Slowly making her way out of the bathroom, Minerva spots Arc sitting at her kitchen counter. Walking over to him she sits down and turns to him nervously.

“Sorry about, um... the whole armor thing.”

“It’s fine. Since Cherry’s okay with it, that is.”

Minerva looks down at the gauntlets as she moves the fingers. “I have to say, I’ve never felt more secure before.”

Cherry giggles. “That’s good. I was kinda worried you’d feel claustrophobic inside me.”

“Not in the least, no. But, um... is it really okay for me to be in here without clothes?”

Arc shrugs. “I don’t know. Never tried it.”

Cherry quickly calls out. “The Hero is a very modest man.”

“In any case, I should get to the reason for our visit.”

Arc clears his throat before continuing.

“First I should probably apologize for just kinda showing up. Now and in the past, I mean.”

Minerva shakes her head. “No, no. It’s fine. “

Cherry calls out. “Maybe next time we could knock.”

Arc sighs. “That might not be the best idea. After all, I don’t know exactly what the neighbors would say about seeing an armored or robed individual standing at the front door.”

Minerva nods. “Yes. Please just let yourselves in as you normally do. However that is, I mean.”

“Alright. Now then, I wanted to talk to you about your interview with the proprietor of Shelly’s Kitchen.”

Minerva bows her head. “It’s a real shame. That young woman’s a figurehead to pretty much everyone here in Angel Grove.”

“She said at the end of that segment that she’d like to meet with me. Do you have any idea what this is in regards to?”

“None at all. It was just as much a surprise to me as it was to you.”

Cherry sighs. “Could you guess?”

“Pretty much our entire interaction was aired. There wasn’t much that was cut from the footage Dave took.”

“I see. And you didn’t know her before the interview?”

“Well, I knew OF her. I mean, who doesn’t? Dave and I saw her a number of time when we stopped in there for lunch over the years.”

Cherry calls out to Arc. “It looks like you’re going to have to just see for yourself what she wants, Hero.”

“Guess so.”

“I can tell you one thing though, Hero.”

“What’s that, Minerva?”

“You shouldn’t wait too long. The interview, at Shelly’s request, was first thing in the morning. However as we wrapped it up Shelly appeared to be nodding off already.”

Cherry gasps. “She’s that sick?!”

Arc frowns. “So it would seem.”

“Um... could I ask you something, Hero? As long as you’re here.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“How... did things go on your mission inside that military facility?”

Cherry sighs. “I don’t think he can talk about that, Minerva.”

“Right. I can’t give you the details. Believe me, it’s for your own safety.”

“It’d be off the record though. And I promise I wouldn’t tell a soul. This is just for my own peace of mind.”

“Well... let’s just say that we all made it home safe and sound.”

“And your troops?”

“Injured, but otherwise fine.”

Cherry nods. “They’re all back to active duty now.”

Minerva breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. To be honest with you, I never dreamed I’d ever be a war correspondent.”

Arc shrugs. “That did kinda get out of hand, yes. But I’m assuming you got some nice shots of the battle.”

“We did, yes.”

Cherry giggles. “I’m hoping it helped you out, Minerva.”

“Helped me?”

“Realize your goal of moving up in your profession.”

Minerva sighs. “It did. A bit too much actually.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “How so?”

“After the story broke, Channel 7’s phones were ringing off the hook for days at a time.”

Cherry gasps. “They were?”

Arc groans. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what did they want?”

“A number of things. Some wanted to know if this was some kind of sick joke. Others asked where exactly this was happening. A few even called to tell us to stop spreading conspiracy theories.”

Arc puts a hand to his chin. “That’s not so bad.”

“But that’s only part of it. The next day I started getting calls with job offers from all over the country.”

Cherry gasps. “But why?”

“Like I told you a while back, my story was reported and rebroadcasted all over the country. Pretty much every station wanted me to come work for them to increase their ratings. After all, everyone wants to hear more from the reporter whom covered the nation’s first alien invasion.”

Cherry scoffs. “But we didn’t INVADE!”

Arc chuckles. “Kinda did.”

“My face has been all over the television since then too.”

Cherry calls out. “Is that... good?”

Minerva shrugs. “Sort of. It really made my career.”

“But doesn’t that mean you accomplished your dream of becoming like Walter Cronkite?”

“Not really. I mean, it’s nice to get some recognition for what I do. But at the same time now I can’t hardly walk down the street without people recognizing me.”

Arc sighs. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. After all, it’s what I wanted.”

Minerva groans before continuing.

“But now that I have it, I know it isn’t what I want.”

“So what are you going to do, Minerva?”

“I decided to stay here in Angel Grove and keep working for Channel 7 news.”

Cherry gasps. “I thought you wanted to go national though.”

“Yes, well... it’s here that I’m the happiest. After all, who wants to live in some big city somewhere and report on the big stories?”

Arc chuckles. “Had you asked me that before I would have said ‘you’?”

“The old me, yes. However Cherry showed me that there was another path. One that led to me finding what I was truly looking for in life.”

Cherry giggles. “And what’s that?”

“Happiness.”

Arc nods approvingly. “A wise choice.”

“I’d still love to cover anything related to the Hero though. After all, it would certainly help your image.”

Cherry sounds confused. “Image?”

“The way the citizen’s see me.”

Minerva nods. “Right. I’ve already spoken to my editor, and he’s given me the go-ahead to pursue any stories related to either the Hero or his exploits.”

“So you’re okay with us calling on you again in the future?”

“Of course. Anytime you want me to fly around and give narration for something just let me know.”

Cherry sighs. “Hopefully we won’t be doing anything else violent around here. But it would be nice to have someone broadcasting it for posterity, Hero.”

“I’d like that. After all, if there’s a video recording of what I do then no one will be able to make up stories about what I’m doing.”

Minerva grimaces. “They will be able to, yes. There’s any number of theories regarding what it is you did before.”

“Like what?”

“Some say that it was a failed attempt to take over that base. Others say that you were trying to blow it up and just couldn’t pull it off.”

“I know what I did made me look bad, yes. However at least what people saw on their televisions was me doing what had to be done. They can’t prove anything other than what was shown irrefutably.”

Minerva nods. “Right. And it’s probably for the best that you keep your identity hidden. If anyone ever found out whom you really are, well... let’s just say that a lot of people in black suits would be banging down your door to have a talk.”

Cherry sounds confused. “Suits?”

“She means the government.”

“Ah!”

Minerva shudders. “They’ve even called me and asked where they could find you.”

Arc groans. “Great. What did you tell them?”

“That I didn’t know. Which was the truth.”

Cherry gasps. “Are you in any danger, Minerva?!”

Minerva shakes her head. “I doubt it. After all, the media has limited immunity to prosecution here. That and if I were to disappear it would make national headlines.”

Arc smirks. “It’d look like some big coverup.”

“Exactly.”

Cherry giggles. “So your fame is keeping you safe?”

“For the moment, yes.”

Arc stands. “Hopefully it stays that way. But we should probably be moving on.”

Cherry groans. “Hero?”

“Minerva doesn’t know anything that would help us. That and it’s getting late.”

“I suppose we should let her get to bed soon, yes.”

“Um... I would like to know something before you go, Hero.”

“Yes?”

“Are you... planning to do as Shelly asked and go visit her?”

“I am, yes. Why do you ask?”

“Because she’s such a kind-hearted individual. If you were on the fence regarding what to do I was planning to try and talk you into it.”

“No need for that. She’ll get a visit later tonight.”

Cherry gasps. “So soon?!”

Arc nods. “Yes, Cherry. After all, time is of the essence here.”

He looks to Minerva before continuing.

“I’m sure I already know the answer to this question, but have you heard anything more about that base from before?”

Minerva shakes her head. “Nothing official, no. And every attempt to learn more through official channels has been stonewalled.”

“That figures.”

“But I know they’re up to something.”

Cherry gasps. “Minerva?”

“I can smell it.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“There wouldn’t be that level of secrecy if it wasn’t something major.”

“You’re right about that, yes.”

Minerva instinctively leans forward. “So... what IS down there?”

Arc groans. “Trust me, you’re better off not knowing.”

“Now I REALLY want to know.”

“I doubt you’d believe me even if I told you.”

“Try me.”

Arc sighs. “Fine. But this REALLY needs to stay between us AND off the record. Believe me, it’s for your own good.”

“You have my word that it won’t go any further.”

“Good.”

Arc takes a deep breath before continuing.

“The facility is known as ‘Damocles Base’. They’re working on researching ways to grant magical powers to humans.”

Minerva smirks. “Very funny.”

Arc looks at her wordlessly for a few moments. Minerva’s smiles slowly fades as Arc’s words sink in.

“This... this isn’t a joke, is it?”

Arc shakes his head. “No, it isn’t.”

“But it’s impossible! No one can...!”

Arc stretches out a hand and lifts Minerva a few feet into the air.

“WOAH!”

Cherry cries out. “Hero?!”

“Just making a point.”

“Okay, okay! I get it! You can put me down now!”

Arc carefully does so. Minerva groans as she lands back in her seat.

“Any questions?”

Minerva nods. “A million now!”

“Trust me, you’re better off not knowing the answers to any of them at the moment.”

“I...!”

“Minerva, please! Trust the Hero!”

“Fine. But I would like to know more later.”

Arc frowns. “I’ll... think about it.”

“Please do. Rest assured that this is only for the benefit of my own curiosity. However... on a side note, it might be in your own best interest to give me an interview.”

Cherry sounds surprised. “What for?”

“So he can tell his side of the story. Plead his case before the public.”

“Why though?”

“To put people’s thoughts at ease. Remember, it wasn’t so long ago that you and your forces fought against our military. That makes some people wary. Especially since you were able to evade them so well.”

“So you want me to say what exactly?”

“A tell-all story.”

Cherry cries out. “What?!”

“Hear me out on this. Now then, if this matter is that important, then the public should know about it.”

Arc raises an eyebrow. “But how would knowing about magical research help?”

“The Hero’s right, Minerva. They’d just think you were crazy, or something.”

Minerva grins. “Anyone else would be considered a lunatic for doing such a story. However if this comes from the Hero himself AND it’s reported by me than it’ll be listened to. Admittedly not everyone will believe it. But it’ll be a step in the right direction.”

Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “It would make things more difficult for them to keep under wraps.”

Cherry giggles. “The citizens might even demand that their leaders confess to what’s going on too.”

“I’ll give this matter some thought. But no promises.”

Minerva nods. “That’s all I can ask for.”

“Like you said though, we should probably get moving, Hero. It’s getting really late. That and I believe you have somewhere very important to be.”

Minerva grins. “Oh? Another mission?”

Arc shakes his head. “Nothing quite so exciting. But I have other things to do. And I’m guessing you have to work in the morning.”

Minerva nods. “That I do. Um... but I do thank you two for coming. And I’m sorry I didn’t have anything to add to what you probably already knew.”

“No, Minerva. Thank YOU.”

“What for, Hero?”

“Doing such a nice piece on Shelly. She deserved it.”

Minerva groans. “I only wish I could have done a more in-depth one. However, as I said earlier, she was very tired by the end of what we did do.”

“Thankfully you ended it when you did then.”

“Maybe I can do a follow up story another time. If she’s feeling up to it, I mean.”

Arc nods as he stands. “I’d like watching that.”

Cherry calls out. “Can I escort you to the bedroom, Minerva?”

“Yes please.”

She looks over her shoulder before leaving the room.

“I look forward to seeing you again, Hero.”

Arc nods wordlessly as Minerva enters her room. Closing the door, Eidolon’s Ward opens and allows her to step out. Turning back to her friend, Minerva smiles at the armor.

“Thanks for coming, Cherry. I do enjoy your company.”

“And I yours. Hopefully next time we’ll have time to talk more. But I need to return with the Hero now.”

Nodding, Minerva wraps her arms around the armor and hugs it.

“I understand, Cherry. I really do.”

Breaking the embrace, Eidolon’s Ward puts a gauntlet on Minerva’s bare shoulder for a moment and nods to her. Turning, they leave the room as the young woman sits down on the bed and sighs.

“Next time, Cherry. Next time we’ll be able to spend more time together. I hope.”

Comments

[origami]

How many more chapters are gonna get posted today?

[Kamahido]

11453435
That's it for today. Wife and I need to read more so I can translate more.