CHRISTMAS EVE SPECIAL - Chapter 33 - Reunion
Lily groans and opens her eyes. They are unfocused and require several moments of blinking to remedy the problem. Turning, she spies Shelly lying next to her. Smiling, Lily reaches over and gently pats her face. With a groan, Shelly reaches up and takes the hand in hers.
“Is that you, Lily?”
Lily nods sleepily. “Yes, Shelly. I’m here.”
“Is this... heaven?”
“Huh?”
“I feel as though I’m floating on a cloud.”
“Shelly, I... I don’t...”
Rubbing her eyes, Lily looks all around in an effort to try and get her bearings with her limited vision.
“This place... looks familiar.”
Shelly smiles and lets out a contented sigh. “I’m still guessing that we’re resting on clouds.”
Lily continues looking around as her vision continues to clear. Looking off to one side she spies Arc and Frank sitting in chairs and smiling at them silently.
“Arc? Frank?”
Arc nods. “We’re here, you two.”
Frank smiles. “That we are.”
Shelly groans. “I... can’t see either of you.”
“It might take a few minutes.”
“Just give it time.”
Lily appears confused. “Where... are we...?”
Gasping, she quickly cries out.
“Are we safe?!”
Frank nods warmly. “Very.”
Arc chuckles. “There’s nothing within a thousand miles that could hurt either of you.”
Shelly smiles. “My vision’s starting to clear.”
She looks around and gasps.
“I know this place!”
Lily turns to her. “What is it?”
“The Hero’s ship!”
“What?!”
Frank nods. “The Observation Lounge to be precise.”
Shelly looks around. “What are all these machines doing here then?”
Arc chuckles. “The medical staff relocated the Infirmary to the Observation Lounge just for you two.”
Lily appears confused. “But... but why?”
Frank gestures to the large windows all around them. “So you two could wake up to a beautiful sight. Open skies and fluffy snow.”
Shelly turns to Arc. “Is the Hero... here?”
“That he is, Shelly.”
Lily grins. “Can we see him?”
Shelly smiles. “Yes, I’d like to thank the Hero for all he did.”
Arc stands. “First things first though.”
Frank picks up his cane as he gets to his feet. “Let’s see if we can get you two sitting up first.”
Arc takes Lily’s hand and pulls her into an upright position as Frank puts a pillow behind the young woman in an effort to prop her up. Moving on to Shelly they repeat the process before Arc speaks.
“Comfy?”
Shelly sighs contentedly. “Very.”
Lily turns to him. “Arc?”
“Yes?”
“What’s going on? I mean... how are you and Frank here?”
Shelly giggles. “Did the Hero pick you up to keep us company?”
Frank clears his throat loudly. “Why don’t we start with what you remember, Lily?”
“Well... I remember coming back to Shelly’s room with the Hero after our outing. He left so Shelly and I could get some sleep. The next thing I remember was Shelly’s doctor coming into the room with some other hospital staff.”
Shelly chimes in. “That’s pretty normal though.”
Lily frowns. “Not really. I remember one of them injecting you with something, Shelly. Before I could ask any questions about what was going on one of them jabbed me with a needle.”
“WHAT?! WHY?!”
Lily shrugs. “No idea. I blacked out a few seconds later. The next thing I knew I was in what looked like some kind of holding cell.”
Frank grits his teeth. “Did they hurt you in any way?”
“I don’t think so. My only interaction was when they brought me food and water a couple times. But the conversations were one sided, as they never spoke to me or answered any of my questions.”
She looks to Shelly before continuing.
“And you, Shelly? What do you remember?”
“The Hero putting me in bed. I fell asleep shortly thereafter. Next thing I knew I felt you touching me, Lily.”
Arc nods. “Anything else, Lily?”
“Well... I remember Dragon breaking me out of that cell and beating the guards up. She grabbed my hand and we ran to a room with the Hero’s vehicle in it. That’s when Arc and a bunch of other people showed up along with more soldiers. Shelly was there on a gurney. It looked like she had just been broken out, same as me.”
Shelly appears confused. “I was a prisoner?”
Frank nods soberly. “That you were, Shelly.”
Lily puts a hand to her forehead. “I think Frank was there. Were you?”
“That I was, yes.”
“And I know Arc was there. But I don’t remember seeing the Hero anywhere. We were ushered into his vehicles and a lot of crashing and banging rang out. Not sure what happened though. Next thing I knew it felt like we were moving. A woman whom looked like a doctor was working on Shelly. Her... her heart stopped. I was scared. Things get really hazy until we reached our destination.”
Shelly looks to her friend. “Which was where exactly?”
Lily shrugs. “I don’t know. The building was unfamiliar to me. It looked like a lab of some kind with a bunch of weird looking machines. The doctor’s assistant ran to get a big device running as the doctor worked on you, Shelly. Your heart had stopped again and they couldn’t get it going for what felt like the longest time. Then another woman pulled out a syringe with a massive needle on it. The doctor took it and... and put it into your chest. Things got kinda hazy at that point. The next thing I knew there was this big flash of light. I ran to you and took your hand before everything went dark. And that’s all I remember. Before waking here, that is.”
Shelly appears confused. “I don’t understand. You said Arc was there facing the soldiers with Dragon. What was he doing there? And Frank too.”
“Yes, Arc. Where was the Hero when all this was happening?”
Arc takes a deep breath and stands. “He was there.”
“But where?”
Arc looks to the pair soberly. “Standing right in front of you. Like he is... right now.”
Both women look to Arc silently as his words sink in. Eventually Lily speaks.
“Arc... you mean...? Are you...?”
“Yes, Lily. I’m the Hero.”
Frank nods. “It’s true.”
Shelly smiles at him. “I believe you, Arc. However... could you please show us?”
“Sure.”
Touching his ring, Arc calls forth his armor and weapon. Resting the Spear of Righteousness’ butt on the floor next to him, he reaches up and pulls his helmet off. Shelly smiles and nods.
“It makes perfect sense.”
Lily grins. “All those things the Hero did for the town and for us... it was you all along, wasn’t it?”
Arc bows his head. “Yes. I’m very sorry for not saying anything sooner.”
Shelly sighs. “But why not?”
Frank chimes in. “To protect you two.”
Lily frowns. “How?”
Arc recalls his armor and speaks as he walks towards them. “If anyone knew I was close to anyone they’d be a target for my enemies.”
He looks to Shelly before continuing.
“The only reason I allowed you and Lily aboard my ship is because you were dying, Shelly. I couldn’t refuse your request for a tour and interview.”
Frank grits his teeth. “But that also brought the attention of the military.”
Arc nods. “Rieper must’ve found out you were gone and freaked out.”
“That’s why he kidnapped you two and brought you both to that military base. So you could be kept safe while he worked on you.
Shelly gasps. “Doctor Rieper did that?!”
Lily puts a hand to her forehead. “But he was always so kind to us!”
Arc frowns. “Believe me, Rieper is FAR from kind!”
Frank nods soberly. “He’s guilty of numerous kidnappings!”
“And a lot of other things you’re better off not knowing about.”
Shelly stammers. “B-but he was working so hard to try and cure me!”
Lily nods fervently. “That he was!”
Arc grimaces. “He’s also the one whom is responsible for Shelly being sick in the first place.”
Shelly groans. “How though? I mean, it’s a genetic disorder.”
“Which he caused when you were conceived.”
Lily raises an eyebrow. “Conceived?”
Arc nods. “Yes. You were the product of invitro fertilization, Shelly.”
“But that wouldn’t have caused me to develop this disorder.”
“True. However back then Rieper was trying to figure how to infuse humans with magical powers.”
Lily points. “Like Frank has?”
Arc sighs. “Exactly. The sperm and egg cell that made you were infused with magic to try and create a child whom could be born with magic. It passes on a gene to your cell’s DNA that should have allowed you to have magic powers.”
“And that made me sick?”
“Only because it didn’t work. Such caused your cells to malfunction which led to your hormone levels being messed up. That’s what caused your condition.”
“And now?”
Frank sighs. “We aren’t fully sure yet. Tests are still pending.”
Lily gasps. “But Shelly was so sick back there. I mean, her heart stopped multiple times.”
Arc looks to his friend. “And how do you feel now, Shelly?”
“Tired. But other than that... okay, I suppose.”
Frank turns to Lily. “Do you remember that big machine in the lab?”
“Yes? What about it?”
“That’s what saved Shelly’s life.”
Arc grins. “The machine was able to alter your DNA to fix the problem.”
“Fix my DNA?”
“Alter it so that everything would be balanced. It did it all at once too.”
Shelly gasps. “Amazing!”
Arc looks to Lily.
“There was a flash of light that made us all close our eyes. But when we opened them we saw you hunched over Shelly’s bed, Lily.”
Frank nods soberly. “What were you doing?!”
“I... I thought... that Shelly was going into the light. And I just wanted to hold her hand as she passed.”
“So Lily was also exposed to the treatment?!”
Arc sighs. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Lily leans back into the pillows. “Am I... okay?”
Frank nods. “So far, yes.”
Arc motions to the machines. “The medical staff here have been monitoring you and running tests to make sure of that fact. However they’ve discovered something you need to know about.”
Frank takes Lily’s hand. “You entered the treatment area at the critical moment. When the machine was altering Shelly’s DNA.”
Arc sighs. “And... it appears that you’re DNA was also affected.”
Shelly takes Lily’s other hand as she speaks. “Will she live?!”
Frank nods. “It appears so, yes. However the doctor wanted to run a very special test to verify something.”
Arc looks to Lily. “For both of you, that is.”
“What do we have to do?”
Arc walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a box. Returning to the bed he stands at the foot of it and pulls out a single tissue. Looking at Lily he dangles it in front of him.
“Pull this to yourself.”
She leans forward as Arc continues.
“With your mind.”
Lily raises an eyebrow. “With my... what?”
Frank nods. “Try to pull the tissue to yourself by thought alone.”
“Um... okay. But how?”
Arc smiles at her. “Hold out your hand and focus on the item.”
Lily does so as Arc continues.
“Now then, reach out with your mind and will it to come to you.”
“I’ll try.”
Concentrating, the tissues slowly falls out of Arc’s hand and onto the bed. Frank encourages her.
“Keep trying, Lily.”
Nodding, Lily holds out her hand again. Very slowly the tissue rolls a few inches toward her. She gasps.
“How... how did I DO that?!”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “A side effect of your DNA being augmented by the procedure. You now have the gift of magic, Lily.”
Lily gasps. “Just like Frank?!”
Frank smiles and nods. “Yes, Lily.”
Shelly puts a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Congratulations!”
Arc turns to her. “Now it’s your turn, Shelly.”
“Huh?”
“Pull the tissue to you with your mind.”
Frank nods. “Just do what Lily did.”
Shelly takes a deep breath and holds out a hand. Concentrating, she grunts. The tissue flows easily toward her and into her hands. Grinning ear to ear she turns to Arc happily.
“I have magic too?!”
“So it would seem, yes.”
Lily grimaces. “This is... kinda scary!”
Shelly turns to her friend. “Lily?”
“I’m not sure I want power like this.”
Frank takes her hand. “It’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Arc nods. “Right. Magic is just another skill to be mastered and used properly.”
Shelly turns to him. “The Hero had such powers. Does that mean you can cast magic, Arc?”
Arc nods as he picks up Frank in his chair with a Telekinesis Spell. “Yes, I can.”
Frank chuckles as he floats there. “But Arc’s magic is a lot more powerful than my own.”
Lily giggles. “How powerful, Arc?”
“I can pick up pretty much anything imaginable with enough focus and time. Remember on the news when the Hero picked up that tank and smashed it into a plane?”
Shelly’s eyes grow wide. “Oh my!”
“That’s an extreme case, of course. But it’s just something I can do after a LOT of practice.”
Lily looks to Frank. “I’m kinda scared to have power like this. Does it ever... hurt?”
“When I got my powers there were some magical imbalances. However, Arc brought me here to this land to get help from the Unicorns. I was taught how to responsibly and safely use my powers and balance them.”
Arc nods. “You two will be fine, as we have the proper instructors to help you.”
Shelly smiles. “Thank you, Arc.”
Lily takes her friend’s hand. “And we’ll learn this skill together.”
Shelly sighs as she turns to look out the window. “I’d like that very much, Lily. But... I think we both know that it won’t last.”
A voice rings out from the doorway.
“So certain of that, are you?”
They look over to see Maria approaching them. She walks over to the bedside and looks down at the pair.
“You both appear to be doing well.”
Arc gestures to the doctor. “Shelly... Lily... this is Doctor Knowles. She’s partially responsible for curing Shelly. “
Maria nods. “How do you feel?”
Lily grimaces. “A bit... strange actually.”
“Strange?”
Lily puts a hand to her belly. “Like a weird case of indigestion.”
Shelly sighs. “And I’m still kinda tired. But nothing like I’ve been lately.”
Maria nods as she writes on her clipboard. “That’s to be expected. After all, you’ve both gone through some very... new changes internally.”
Lily looks to her friend as she speaks. “How’s Shelly doing though?!”
“The medical staff and I have done numerous test on Shelly these past few days, and...”
Shelly gasps. “Few days?!”
Arc nods. “You two have been out for quite some time, yes.”
Frank chuckles. “A pair of Sleeping Beauties.”
Maria continues. “Believe me, that’s normal. It’s your body’s way of completing the transition.”
The blood drains from Lily’s face. “Please! What does that mean for Shelly?!”
“As I was saying, the test results are in and have been looked over carefully by myself and other medical experts here. And we can say with certainty that Shelly’s body is in full remission.”
Shelly grins widely. “You mean...?!”
Maria smiles and nods. “Yes, my dear. It would appear that you are now fully cured.”
Lily leans over and wraps her arms around Shelly and holds her close as she reciprocates the hug.
“Oh, Shelly! I was so worried about you!”
Shelly smiles as she closes her eyes. “I got my wish.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “A wish?”
Shelly nods as she looks to him. “Yes, Arc. The same one I’ve made every day since I was little girl. “
She holds out her hands to Arc and Frank. As they take them she continues.
“I wished that we could all be together forever.”
Lily giggles. “And now we can be!”
Maria nods. “Yes. While you are certainly not anywhere near being fully recovered, your body is quickly regenerating itself.”
Frank turns to the doctor. “How long until they can get up though?”
“Now, I believe.”
Arc appears surprised. “So soon?!”
“With help, of course. Arc, please help Lily stand up.”
Nodding, Arc stands and leans down. Lily carefully swings her legs over the edge of the bed and wraps her arms around Arc’s neck. Putting his arms around her, Arc carefully helps her stand. A bit wobbly at first, Lily continues holding onto Arc as he turns and takes hold of her arm.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”
Nodding, Lily take a few steps as she clutches Arc’s arm with both hands.
“I just feel so... stiff.”
Maria nods. “That’s normal after days in bed and what your body endured, yes. Just keep moving around and you’ll loosen up.”
A few minutes later Lily sits back down on the bed and grimaces.
“That... really wore me out.”
“A good first stretch. However you’ll need to keep at to regain full mobility.”
Frank looks to Shelly. “And what about you?”
Shelly appears confused. “Me, Frank?”
“Can you get up?”
“I... don’t think so, no.”
Maria frowns. “You need to try, miss.”
“Well... could you help me, Arc?”
“Of course!”
Walking around the bed, Arc leans down and puts his arms around Shelly. Carefully helping her stand she puts her arm around his neck as he puts his around her waist.
“I got you, Shelly. How do you feel?”
“Like my legs are made of jelly!”
Maria nods soberly. “They’re atrophied from your extended hospital visit as well as years of not being able to walk properly due to your condition.”
Shelly takes a step. “Then... I have some work to do.”
Taking small but deliberate steps, Shelly slowly makes her way around the bed and over to Lily. Grinning, she holds out a hand to her old friend.
“Come on, Lily. Let’s head over to the window.”
Nodding, she slowly stands with Frank’s help. Slowly and cautiously they head over to the window together. Looking out as the snow falls they both gasp in amazement.
“It’s wondrous!”
Shelly grins. “Even more beautiful in the daytime.”
Frank chuckles. “That it is.”
Arc gestures to the capital city below them with a wave of his hand. “Welcome to Equestria you two.”
Lily gasps. “Is it really okay for us to be here though?”
Shelly grimaces. “Yes, we didn’t bring passports or anything.”
“I have permission from both Princess Twilight and Princess Luna for you to be here, yes.”
Maria clears her throat loudly. “Be sure to keep moving or at the very least standing as much as possible to strengthen your legs. You two need the exercise.”
Frank nods. “We’ll see to it that they do, ma’am.”
Maria continues writing as she heads for the door. “Very good. Now then, I’ll leave you four alone then.”
Shelly turns around. “Doctor?”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say... thank you. “
Maria smiles. “You’re welcome, dear. Now then, enjoy yourself and have a nice holiday.”
Maria leaves as Lily turns to Arc.
“Holiday.”
Arc appears confused. “Something wrong?”
“Did we... miss Christmas?”
Frank shakes his head. “You did not, no.”
Arc grins. “Truth be told, it’s actually Christmas Eve today.”
Shelly giggles. “So we didn’t miss it!”
“But we didn’t have any plans anyways.”
“Then we can make some!”
Arc smiles at them. “I’ve actually already planned out the holiday already.”
Frank looks down at the city as he speaks. “Here on Equestria no less.”
Lily appears hopeful. “Can we come?”
Arc nods. “Of course! I wouldn’t think of leaving either of you out of the celebration. But there’s a few things you need to know about this land’s customs.”
Shelly raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Like what?”
“As I told you during the interview, this land is inhabited by small horses known collectively as ‘ponies’. They have their own holiday known as ‘Hearth’s Warming’.”
Lily nods. “What’s it about?”
Frank smiles. “They celebrate the three pony races joining together to form Equestria by epitomizing friendship and family.”
Arc chuckles. “In that regard it’s very similar to what we celebrate back on Earth.”
Lily grins. “And it’s okay for us to celebrate with your pony friends, Arc.”
“Completely, yes.”
Shelly claps her hands excitedly. “I can’t wait to see these ponies!”
Arc clears his throat before speaking. “Yes, well... before we go any further though, I need to say something very important to you, Shelly.”
“To me?”
“Yes. But I’d like you to lie back down first.”
Shelly grimaces. “Sure. My legs are really tightening up anyways.”
Helping Shelly back to the bed, Lily sits down in the chair next to Frank as Arc sits on the bed with Shelly and helps prop her up with a pillow before speaking again.
“Comfy?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. One moment though.”
Turning, he calls out.
“It’s time.”
A few moments later footfalls ring out from down the corridor. Sereb enters the room with a robed individual. They approach Arc and stand there silently as he turns back to Shelly.
“Listen, Shelly. A long time ago, I... I made a mistake.”
“No one is perfect, Arc.”
“This was a big one though.”
“Oh?”
“The Hero was planning to attack the military base. You saw it on television with Lily, I’m sure.”
Lily nods. “The next morning anyways.”
“As you know, I’m the Hero. So it was me that did all of that.”
Shelly smiles. “I understand.”
“Before we left for the attack though, I... I drove Max over to your place... to the diner, and... and I ordered him to break up with you.”
Shelly frowns. “So you told him to make up the ridiculous story?!”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Shelly. I told him to break up. How he did it was entirely up to him.”
Lily gasps. “But why?!”
“Because we were all probably going to die during the attack. I didn’t want Shelly to sit around waiting for him to come back if we didn’t make it.”
“He could’ve just told me the truth then!”
Arc groans. “Shelly... he did.”
“What?”
“Max told you he was from another world and that night he had to go back to it forever. What he told you... all of it... was completely true.”
Shelly’s eyes grow wide. “Wait! So... so Max is...?!”
Arc nods as he turns to the figure next to Sereb. He lowers his hood to expose his face. Shelly gasps as she lays eyes on him.
“M-Max?!”
Max nods as a small smile spreads across his face. “Yes, Shelly. It’s me.”
“Max along with Viktor, Hugh, and Xenos were assigned to me as my personal squad when I became the Hero of Light. They accompanied me to Earth to gather intel on our mission to locate Equestria’s missing princess.”
Lily’s hand flies to her mouth. “Wait! So... so Max is...?!”
Arc looks to Sereb. “Do it.”
His horn aglow, Sereb turns to Max. The young man closes his eyes as the counter spell is cast. Max kneels down as he transforms to allow the robe to engulf him. Finishing his task, Sereb steps back and sits down next to Frank and Lily to watch. Shelly eyes the lump under the robe as she leans forward.
“Max...?”
“I’m still here, Shelly. But... I don’t think you want to see what’s under here. It’s not... pretty.”
Shelly shakes her head soberly. “No... no, I have to see you for myself, Max. Please.”
Sighing, Max pushes the robe off of himself. It falls to the floor with an audible thump to expose his body. Shelly’s eyes grow wide as she sees his dark coat and leathery wings. No one speaks for a moment as she just stares at him. Max bows his head and turns to leave.
“I’m... sorry.”
The sound of his hooves clopping slowly away ring out in the otherwise silent room. Shelly calls out to him.
“Max, wait!”
Stopping, he turns around.
“Yes?”
“I...! I don’t want you to leave!”
Max appears confused. “But... but why not?”
Shelly smiles. “Because... because I... I...”
“Shelly?”
“...I love you, Max!”
Max gasps. “Wha-what?!”
Shelly holds out her arms. “Please... please don’t go!”
Max slowly walks over to Shelly as Arc helps her sit up. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and looks him up and down.
“How... can you love me, Shelly? Even by Equestrian standards I’m a bat-winged freak!”
Shelly reaches toward him and puts a hand on his cheek. “All I see... is the wonderful individual whom I love.”
“But I’m not...!”
“A human?!”
“Right.”
Shelly smiles happily. “Max, I don’t care if you’re a human or a pony or even a bug! I love you SO much, and want to be with you! That is... if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did and said that night.”
Max nods with tears in the corners of his eyes. “I... I do, Shelly! I love you so... SO much!”
Leaning forward, Shelly falls to her knees in front of Max. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls herself close. Carefully as not to hurt her, Max puts his front hooves around Shelly and holds her close. They embrace as the tears flow freely between both of them. Shelly buries her face in his mane and cries openly.
“I’m so sorry for not believing you, Max! I’m so... so sorry!”
Max gently strokes her hair with a hoof. “It’s okay, Shelly. Everything... everything is... is okay.”
He looks to Arc over Shelly’s shoulder. Smiling, Arc gives him a thumbs up. Mouthing the words ‘thank you’, Max begins nuzzling the top of Shelly’s head as the pair continue holding one another happily.
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With all the fuzziness going on, I know this is only a prelude to the hard times ahead..... All the same, I'm glad to finally have a conclusion to the cloak and dagger Arc has had to endure for his friends safety!
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Conclusion? Oh no, that's tomorrow.
Arcsw locked inside a fortress, but he sneaked in a key to open any door. A Dragon.
I wonder if Embers natural form has guardanium teeth and claws, depending on energetics of firebreath?
At the rate you are pumping out chapters, you are going to hit the 1000 chapter limit soon!
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Is there actually a limit to how many chapters you can include in a story?
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From what I have been told yes. 1000 is the limit
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Interesting. I never really thought about there being a limit to the number of chapters for a story. Then again, I don't really plan on writing any 1,000+ chapter stories either.
Woo! finally! we get the confession!
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I contacted the powers that be at fimfiction and they confirmed that a 1,000 chapter limit is hard coded into the website.
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And more confessions to come.
aw who turn'd the waterworks on again
what nice ending for this chapter(spezial)
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Glad you liked it. This has been a long time coming.
Looks like you're almost caught up again.
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Ooo...