An Alternate Arc

by Hye

A Different Fight

The tribe’s defenders rushed to their places, the others threatening to throw the demons with them into a cage. They were quickly dissuaded by the ponies surrounding them protectively.

“It’s your funeral, idiots! Let’s find out what they want!”

What the ones outside wanted, turns out, was their lives, as a sudden sickness was spreading through the town. There were no leads whatsoever but given that the lack of leads could be considered one, they automatically assumed the Vile Tribe was behind it.

Their attempt at threatening an answer out of them, however, was severely lacking. They were all weak, confused, and with severe fever. Even the giant of a king was there but dressed in the simplest of clothes and crying with desperation while holding his near-motionless daughter.

“P-p-please… A-A-Anything! We will do ANYTHING! JUST LET US LIVE! LET MY DAUGHTER LIVE!!”

A quick discussion was held, with Arc, after asking for confirmation from Mystic, arguing that as the status quo was in their favor, if there was anything they could do, the demons would have to keep their soon-to-be sworn word of not troubling them forever.

“I’ve been training with and getting to know him for a while. Let’s go for it.”

“A hydra’s humor.”

That instantly turned the Tribe’s feelings around, with them only too glad to let the demons die and the aboveground ponies being confused. As explanations were given and minds were changed, it was decided that Ember and Arc were to go to the swamp and get as many as possible. When Twilight demanded to be allowed to come, it was only Arc and Derpy’s swift intervention that kept her head attached to her body.

As she was cowering in the forges’ corner with Ember roughly roaring every profane insult she could think of, it came to an abrupt and alarming end when she began choking and shaking, eyes rolling up and mouth foaming. When they checked her eyes, they backed off with a terrified shout, as the little they could see of her pupils were green and the rest graying. Honor was the most terrified, making eye contact with Arc.

“Arc? Go. Now!”

Without a word, he gathered his reinforced armor along with Derpy’s spear, Hope, stopped to quickly explain to the desperate, astonished, and equally despairing crowd, and continued atop the wagon at top speed. The instant he reached just outside the swamps a little over thirty minutes later, he stopped and took a few calming breaths, beginning his search in a grid-like fashion while politely calling out.

It was rather rudely interrupted midway through by the whole ground erupting, a massive creature the size of a small skyscraper towering over him.

“WHY HAVE YOU DISTURBED ME, INSECT!?”

He took a deep breath before kneeling. After all, it’s hard to speak having no breath in your lungs after getting knocked to the ground.

“MR. HYDRA, SIR. I HAVE COME TO BARGIN FOR YOUR HUMOR!”

“STRAIGHT TO THE POINT AND POLITE! I LIKE YOU ALREADY! SPEAK QUICKLY AND WE’LL SEE IF-!”

“AAARRRRRRRRRCCCCCCCCCC!!!!”

Quite literally out of nowhere, Ember appeared, her eyes a bright, neon green. Dripping down her tail is a clear liquid, the smell accompanying her pervasive, to say the least. Locking her eyes on the human, her already fragile grip on Courage failed. She then attempted to grab him, but he was able to throw the ill dragon off with his spear’s shaft and legs as they fell backward.

“WHAT THE HELL, EMBER!? WHAT’S-?!”

“HOLD STILL SO I CAN TAKE OFF THOSE NEEDLESS CLOTHES AND YOU CAN BREED ME SILLY, HUMAN!”

With another dive, she came within an inch of grabbing him, Arc grabbing her spear in addition to his own. The only other sound is the hydra’s astonished hum of observation. As Arc held the amorous dragoness back with the blunt ends of both spears, he spared a side glance at the Hydra while shoving her back.

“ARE YOU QUITE DONE OBSERVING ME, OR-?!”

“MOVE.”

With a quick and gentle movement that shouldn’t’ve come from such a huge creature, he traps her under a massive claw. At the same moment, another occupant of the Vile Tribe comes galloping up, one breathless and terrified Mystic Honor.

“ARC! I, I HA-HAVE T-TH-THE RE-REST OF THE C-C-CURE! J-JUST THE H-H-HU-HUMOR, AND WE’RE ALL SET!”

Skidding to a stop, he gives him one of several bottles and drops to the ground, panting heavily as the dust clings to his sweaty coat. Staying completely quiet, the hydra observes the situation, noticing that a now crying Ember is now frantically trying to escape his grip.

“M-MY MATE! P-PLEASE RUN! PLEA-! LET ME GO, YOU VICIOUS BEAST!! NONE SHALL HAVE MY ARC BUT ME!! RUN, ARC! RUN!!”

Wordlessly, he lowers several tendrils, which Arc quickly cuts off all at once. Getting directions from a hoarse Honor, he quickly mixes the cure from one of them, during which he takes the time to calm down while also calming a still struggling Ember.

“Ember? Relax. I’m fine, you can see-.”

“Physically, yes, but I’m not under you, getting pregnant! LET ME GO, YOU!”

“… What if I told you that everything was to get a potion that would allow us to have children? After all-.”

“We’re different species. GIMME!”

Shaking his head, he opened the bottle and poured a bit into a scarily eager Ember, whose smell was now overpowering and causing some rather risqué thoughts to invade his mind. Quickly getting out of her personal zone as she was silenced by a now intrigued hydra, he sat back and drank the water that Mystic brought with him.

“How the hell did you get here so fast?”

“I had finally mixed most of the cure and put it into my saddlebags along with the rest of the equipment so that I could meet you sooner and have the cure ready when we got back to base. However, this dragon broke out of her bonds, grabbed her spear, and flew off. I was just barely able to hold on to her legs as I claimed I wanted to be there to give both of you some, ahem, ‘Amplifying Potion’.

When we were just outside the swamp, she roughly dropped me and flew off, yelling over her shoulder, ‘Follow me! I can follow my mate’s smell!’ And the rest you were here for. Well, not the rest, as you weren’t with me as I ran-.”

“Either way… Thanks, Mystic.”

“From both of us.”

They looked as one to the freed, cured, and contrite Ember, who was nervously shuffling in front of them. Quickly getting up, Arc approached while looking her over.

“You alright? Nothing broken, hurt, or sprained?”

“N-no. J-J-Just aching eyes, a slightly sore groin, and… S-s-still hopeful thoughts, if we’re being honest.”

“… We’ll talk about that later. Right now, we need to move. Those demons aren’t getting better.”

“DEMONS!? DID YOU SAY… THAT YOU’RE GOING TO CURE… DEMONS?! YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE TO EXPLAIN, AS I’VE PROMISED!”

He quickly does, starting with how he was forced into Equestria and then Tartarus, ending by going into detail the deal he could make with the demons. He then spoke of how not only him, who he learned was called Marquis, would benefit from a clean start by again doing good, but the ponies could do the same by getting out altogether, with the chance of Marquis joining the escape party only if he gave them a chance.

“… YOU MAKE A COMPELLING ARGUMENT, ARC! WHEN DO YOU PLAN ON LEAVING?!”

“Tomorrow at noon, Sir!”

The silence fell like a ton of bricks. It nervously stretched to the point where only the bellowing breaths signified that Marquis was alive.

“… YOU DRIVE A HARD BARGIN. IF THIS ‘MYSTIC’ IS WILLING TO SUFFER HARM FOR MY OLD FRIEND’S DAUGHTER, AND SHE’S SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH YOU…! VERY WELL! I’LL COME WITH YOU AND WAIT TIL TOMORROW OUTSIDE YOUR HIDEOUT!’

Then, much to their confusion, he looked them over and spoke.

‘IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL NEED NEW TRANSPORTATION, ANYWAY! I OFFER MYSELF.”

It turns out that in her sexual rush, Ember had accidentally destroyed the cart, leading her to blush in embarrassment and hide her face behind her wings the whole trip home.

When they arrived, it was too late for some, their families’ and friends’ sobbing cries piercing the heavens. Quickly dismounting and going into the crowd as some struggled to either flee or defend themselves, they gave the sickest ones a few sips. When it became clear that they were helping, the rest of the crowd accepted, the weakest first. There were those close to the dead who were too out of it to accept, choosing to die and being forced to drink.

As everyone was cured, with the king going last, he knelt in front of the strange trio, vowing to keep any promises that wouldn’t harm his people.

“Tomorrow at noon, everyone, pony and non-pony, inside this building will be leaving Tartarus through the gate. We want your explicit promise that neither you OR your family OR your army OR ANY of your people, will stop us, try to sneak out with us, or hold any of us hostage in any way, shape, or form, whether that’s through physical force, coercion, deception, ‘just because’, or persuasion.”

The ones who heard him were shocked at the thorough points of his promise, none more so than the demon king. Gritting his teeth with a few tears falling, he slit his hand and let a few drops of blood fall on the ground while repeating, unnecessarily loud, the terms of the promise word-for-word. Leaving as one, it turned out that there was someone left behind, that being the king’s daughter.

Before the Vile Tribe could say a word while trying to stop the ringing in their ears, she fell on her knees, a piece of obviously royal paper held out in front of her.

Skeptically grabbing it, Arc read it once, looked at her, then passed it to Ember and Esther, who read it twice before passing it to Mystic, them staring at her. When he had read it thrice, he threw it over his shoulder in disbelief, where Applejack caught it with her hat and read it while he whispered.

“Ember, Arc?”

Arc was the one that spoke up.

“… Esther?”

“You asking me whether they’re being truthful? I honestly wouldn’t-.”

“They are.”

Everyone turned as one to the farmer pony who was staring at the princess, the letter from her and her father in her hoof.

“I have an Aura of Honesty. Comes with being the Bearer of the Element of Honesty and having been on the wrong side one too many times when I was younger. I used ta lie, cheat, and steal in ways that foals shouldn’t hear, before the Orange side of mah family straightened me out.

Long story short? There ain’t no way this letter is lying. She want’s ta start over, and the only way to do tha’ is to leave this blasted place.”

Arc approached her, then stretched out his right hand, which she nervously shook, quickly dropping it and running to Esther’s side. As everyone reentered the hideout, the packing started in earnest. Abruptly, a sizable pile of Marquis’ scales was dropped into its center.

“IF I MAY INTERRUPT FOR A LITTLE BIT! I WANT THOSE SCALES TO BE CREATED INTO NEW ARMOR FOR ARC AND HIS NEW MATE! SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT HIS JOURNEY WITH EMBER ISN’T OVER YET!”

The abrupt silence was deafening, before Pinkie Pie whipped out her Party Cannon with a gleeful shout and fired, the whole square suddenly decorated for an engagement/wedding/moving party, the couple in question dressed for the occasion, and everyone, including Marquis, wearing a top hat, suit, bonnet, and dress, depending on their sex.

The shock at the whole thing quickly wore off with an explanation as everyone except Twilight approached the still shocked and stuttering couple, congratulating them. The only other pony missing was Mystic, who waited until the party got into full swing to drag them towards the forge to make their armor, with Rarity being a surprising help.

“Of course, Darlings! You don’t think I got to where I am today by not expanding my horizons!?”

Twilight was able to chip in only after she begged, having memorized various nigh alicorn-level spells for defense, offense, and magical/physical healing, while helping everything go much faster for both suits. Rarity advocating for her extensive depth of magical knowledge mostly helped. At the end, they were sweaty, tired, and wanted to collapse into their beds.

Unfortunately for them, there was only the one in Ember’s room, a couple soundproof spells having been cast. With twin glares, they were removed, but being too tired to say anything else, they fell asleep with their clothes on.

At least they tried to, and when the silence got overwhelming...

“Ember?”

“… Yes?”

“Kiss me.”

“… Why?”

“I want to make sure I’m dreaming. Why in the hell-?!”

Ember threw her claws up in disbelief.

“That’s what I’m wondering! What I’m even more curious about is how we just stood there and let it happen. What happened to our sanity?!”

“Got blasted out of our skulls with Pinkie Pie’s Party Cannon. Also, don’t ask about her. Seriously, don’t. I tried asking Twilight about some of her stranger abilities after we first met, and in return got a torrent of words that included, ‘melting minds’, ‘self-hatred’, ‘obsession’, ‘cupcakes’, ‘padded room’, ‘party dungeons’, and either ‘lobotomy’, ‘brainwashing’, or both.

Oh, and drooling. Lots and lots of drooling.”

Her face of astonishment slowly transformed into the urge to laugh, but that was quickly shut down by the memory of that early afternoon’s impromptu party. The weak laughter that did escape transformed into a moan that she muffled by burying her face into Arc’s shoulder.

“… To tell you the truth, I was going to ask you to become my mate a couple days from now, when I saw those scales. But it was going to consist of us fighting basically to the death, so that when you defeated me and we’ve both aged a few hundred years, we would actually have this celebration, only more… Draconic. And sweaty. And-.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take the initiative and impregnate you now?”

He got up with a sly smirk, not even off the bed when the sound of spells was cast, the outside ambient noises suddenly silenced. Lying down with a self-satisfied smirk, he smelled the same scent on Ember she emitted in the swamp as she whimpered.

“I… I’m not supposed to show w-w-weakness in front of any creature… B-but…’

She took a deep breath.

‘You mentioned that neither of us are the same species. What are the biggest differences from what you’ve told me?”

“Well, there’s our-.”

“Don’t care. Next.”

With growing confusion in his voice.

“We’re also very-.”

“Doesn’t matter. Next.”

With visible confusion.

“We age very-.”

That part was cut off by a passionate and desperate french kiss. During it, she attempted to strip him naked, the only thing preventing her being too rough and finishing was his innate fragility and him, with gentle firmness, pushing her away.

“I don’t care that we might never have children, nor your weaknesses, nor your all-too-brief lifespan! I want you as my mate!”

She fell on and hugged him, begging from the bottom of her heart, tears flowing like a waterfall.

“We’ll figure out a way, my dear. We’ll figure out a way,’ with a small grin, ‘my mate-to-be.”

First her ears, then her eyes flicked up, hope shining from them as she had a giant smile.

“Together?”

He caressed her cheek and gently kissed her lips, then hugged her.

“Together.”

Comments

[rikithemonk]

Arc, the Warrior of Light and the closest to being a saint.

And that was the problem with the original story.

closest to being a saint

He became obnoxious. I warned the original Author to give the OC some sort of flaws, what he chose to do was give his character a out of character hissy fit, then went right back to writing a absolutely perfect character that I, rightly compared to Mister Rodgers.

Original writer couldn't take good advice. Will you ask the six questions of good writing or will this be a rehash of the story of uncle perfect?

If knowledge of his story is heavily advised, then this wont be worth reading because you wont change anything. No one wants to read Mister Rodgers in Equestria. Not for more than ten chapters anyway. It gets old very very quick. (and I warned him, over and over and over)

Monk

[Hye]

11761203
So I'm assuming you hadn't read the first chapter?

[rikithemonk]

11761214
Yours?, no not yet. His, yeah, Ive read about 50ish chapters. I intend to give you a fair shot, but the fact that you say knowledge of the original is advised, is not a good sign.

To be honest I have two other stories that I promised the Authors I would read first, but I will give yours an honest shot and its on my list. I'm not a jerk, I will give you an honest review.

Monk

[Hye]

11761219
Yeah, I meant mine. And not to worry. You'll see the other differences quickly.