//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Pep Talk // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Arc appears on the sigil just outside the Crystal Castle. Chuckling, he looks at the very surprised guards on duty as they hurriedly salute. “As you were.” They part to allow him access to the castle. Heading to the Audience Chamber he announces his desire to speak to Princess Cadance to the officer on duty. Hurriedly they motion for the guards to tell the princess of him. Returning a short time later they salute and motion for Arc to enter. Doing so, he heads for the throne as Cadance hurries toward him with Shining Armor following closely behind. Cadance is the first to speak. “Arc! Is there trouble?!” “Sort of. But not the kind you’re probably used to.” Shining Armor grimaces. “Is it Princess Celestia?!” Cadance sighs. “Perhaps we should just let Arc tell us.” Arc explains the situation at hand. Cadance gasps. “So Brightwing was a human all this time?!” Shining Armor groans. “And Auriel’s mother as well.” “So it would seem.” Cadance bows her head. “Tell me, how is she doing?” “Auriel or Maria?” “Both actually.” “Auriel seems happy to finally be able to meet her mother. Maria is still pretty weak though. From the transformation back or whatever we don’t really know.” Shining Armor turns to Arc. “But the doctor says she’ll be fine, right?” “Yes. With some rest, that is.” Cadance raises an eyebrow. “While I am happy to hear that, I am still a bit confused on how exactly the Crystal Empire can help.” “I actually came here to see about asking Rose to help me infiltrate a hospital.” Shining Armor appears confused. “Infiltrate a…?” “Yeah, I know it sounds weird. But she and I have done this before.” Cadance facehoofs. “While that actually made it sound worse, I believe you, Arc.” “Thanks, I think.” Shining Armor gestures with a hoof. “In any case, I can escort you to the tower.” “Tower?” Cadance nods. “Yes, Rose suggested moving her research there for safety purposes.” Shining Armor grimaces as the trio head for the door together. “After what happened to Auriel it seemed like a good idea. She is okay, right?” Arc sighs as the group approaches the guard in charge. “I asked her that very question not long ago. “ Cadance looks to the commanding officer on duty. “Audiences will be taking a short recess. I’ll be returning in about an hour or so.” “Yes, your highness.” They head down the corridor together. Arc looks around as they do so. “I see you have less guards patrolling the halls than Canterlot Castle.” Shining Armor frowns. “Cadance doesn’t like how it makes the castle seem like a fortress.” “It makes those seeking audiences a bit uneasy.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “How so? I mean, no one in Canterlot seems to have a problem with the extra security that I’ve seen.” “I asked the same question when I took over. Cadance told me it was because of the country’s past.” Cadance sighs. “Yes. Many years ago the land was ruled over by the wicked King Sombra. He held the citizens in a constant state of military law.” “Nopony had freedom of movement or any kind of voice in the government. Sombra controlled everything and everypony with an iron hoof.” “For that reason I’ve done my best to see to it that the minimum number of guards are present.” Arc frowns. “But doesn’t that mean you’re less protected, Cadance?” Shining Armor grins. “It’s why I’m constantly by her side.” Cadance smiles at the stallion next to her. “Yes, but we both know that’s not the only reason.” Shining Armor looks around and lowers his voice. “That I do.” “Um… is something wrong?” “Aunt Celestia recommended that we keep our relationship quiet for the time being.” Shining Armor sighs. “Yes. However I don’t really understand why at this point.” Arc frowns. “You might want to talk to her about that.” Cadance appears surprised. “Oh?” “Her mind may have changed. At least slightly.” Shining Armor turns to him. “Did something happen?” “Princess Celestia had Applejack and I undergo a rather… interesting experiment.” Cadance frowns. “Might I know what exactly she did?” Shining Armor smiles nervously. “If it wouldn’t be prying, that is.” “Celestia and I had a disagreement. She questioned my motivation for forming a herd and didn’t believe my feelings for them were real.” Cadance raises an eyebrow. “So what did you do to prove such a thing?” “She told Applejack to go out on a date with me. This was right after she had invited me to dinner at her orchard sometime in the future.” Shining Armor smirks. “And you agreed?” “Yes. I had already agreed to date everyone there. And I had just accepted a dinner invitation from Applejack a sentence or two ago.” Cadance nods. “Did she have any stipulations on what could or could not be done?” “A couple. First, everything had to be consensual. Second, we could do or go anywhere we wanted. And third, the date would end when we returned to the Royal Gardens.” Shining Armor frowns. “Strange regulations.” “I’m sure she had something special in mind with all of that.” “She did. When Celestia led me to my date I found that Applejack had been turned into a human woman.” Shining Armor gasps. “What?!” “That was done for reasons that were made clear a few minutes later. Celestia had us believe that she had sent us back to Earth for our date. However we were merely transported into the Celestial Realm.” Cadance giggles. “So she could watch everything unfold.” “And control it to a degree.” Shining Armor sighs. “She instituted trials?” “In a manner of speaking, yes. Events popped up every so often that forced me to take certain actions.” “Can you give us an example?” “At one point she made Applejack sick with a bit of the flu. I cared for her until she felt better.” Shining Armor chuckles. “You must’ve gotten her better pretty quick then.” Cadance nods, clearly impressed. “All this in an evening?!” “We were in the Celestial Realm for roughly one week.” “Ah! The time disparity!” Shining Armor turns to Cadance, confused. “Time what?” “Aunt Celestia is able to control everything in the Celestial Realm. Even the perceived flow of time. She simply made a week fit into an evening.” Arc smirks as he looks to the monarch. “That cleared it up.” Cadance sighs. “I don’t understand how she does things like that either. However I do hope things turned out well for you two.” “Kinda. Celestia eventually just kinda walked in on us.” Shining Armor’s pupils shrink. “Walked… in…?” Cadance gasps. “In the middle of you two…?” Arc interrupts. “We were in bed, yes. But not doing that, no, as neither of us was truly ready.” “But she chose to end the experiment on her own?” “That she did.” “Interesting.” Shining Armor frowns. “Cadance?” “As long as I’ve known her, Aunt Celestia has never done such a thing. She prefers to allow events to run their course naturally.” Arc sighs. “How was any of what happened natural though?” “Perhaps that wasn’t the right word. What I meant was that she typically waits for either failure or the subject to willingly give up before intervening.” Shining Armor appears hopeful. “So you think that Princess Celestia realized that the experiment would never fail on its own?” Cadance nods. “That’s the best I can come up with, yes.” “By that time I had figured out we weren’t on Earth though.” “How so?” “A few things weren’t as they were supposed to. In that reality she made my friend Shelly better. Probably so that I wouldn’t be worried about her and try to spend a lot of time with my friends over Applejack.” Cadance smirks. “Balancing.” Shining Armor turns to her. “Huh?” “Sorry. It’s a word she’s used in the past to try and stabilize an experiment artificially to attempt to get a fair result.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a contradiction of terms though?” “I suppose it is. But in science sometime things have to be done to make sure a legitimate outcome is witnessed.” Shining Armor laughs. “Now you’re talking like Twily.” Arc chuckles. “Yes, well… that’s in the past. And we were able to convince Celestia that Applejack and I’s feelings for one another were indeed real.” Cadance giggles. “So you’re doing well with your little herd?” “That we are. In fact, near the end of the experiment, I actually asked Applejack to marry me one day.” Shining Armor grabs Arc’s hand and shakes it. “Congratulations, Arc!” Cadance grins uncontrollably. “Indeed! I know you’ll be very happy together!” “As of now there’s her, Rarity, and Derpy.” Shining Armor appears conflicted. “What about Twilight?” “We haven’t had the time to properly go out and bond yet.” “But you will, right?” Arc nods. “Oh yes. After all, we can’t fall in love without knowing one another.” Shining Armor smiles. “I’m sure Twilight will give you a fair chance.” Cadance grins. “And ask you a million questions.” They laugh together for a time. Eventually Arc addresses the statement. “In truth, I’m actually looking forward to that.” “You may not be if Twily starts shotgunning.” “Starts what?” Cadance sighs. “A term I came up with when she was a filly. Twilight would sometimes ask many questions without allowing the recipient even a moment to actually answer them.” Shining Armor shrugs. “Especially when she gets excited.” “Well, it’s just part of whom she is. And if we do hit it off and fall in love that’ll be another aspect of her that I’ll have to accept.” Cadance looks away. “It won’t be easy having multiple spouses, of course.” Shining Armor nods. “Especially with them having such… diverse personalities.” “True. But that’s why we’re taking this slowly and carefully. Don’t want anyone agreeing to do something they’re not ready for, after all.” Cadance smiles approvingly. “Very commendable. And I have every confidence that you’ll come to logical and well thought out conclusions on these matters.” “Please do, Arc. After all, this is my sister’s future we’re talking about.” “Don’t worry. I’ll take extra care not to do anything to her that she doesn’t want AND is ready for.” Shining Armor appears relieved. “That last part was what worried me.” A short time later they come to a spiral staircase. Ascending, the trio arrives in a spacious room overlooking the city. Rose sits at a table writing in a notebook. Next to her on a pedestal lie the fragments of the Crystal Heart. She stands and looks over at the group with a look of confusion on her face as they approach. “Hello everyone. Please forgive the mess as I wasn’t aware you were coming.” Cadance smiles as they step forward. “That’s quite all right, Rose. After all, we’re the ones whom arrived unannounced.” Shining Armor gestures to Arc. “Sorry for interrupting your work, but Arc here wanted to talk to you about something.” “Yes. It’s about…” He brings her up to speed on the comings and goings recently. Rose sighs and bows her head as he finishes. “And now you’re going to the hospital to get the medical records of your friend back on Earth?” “Right. However I don’t think I can pull this off without a bit of computer hacking.” “A skill you don’t possess.” “Exactly.” Cadance nods. “That and I believe you could use a bit of a break from your current task.” Shining Armor looks around the room. “You must be going stir crazy in here after all this time.” Rose bows her head as she speaks. “I… don’t know if me coming along is such a good idea, Arc. You remember what happened last time, don’t you?” “It could have happened to anyone in your position.” “I let you down.” “You helped as best you could. And I’m proud of you for that.” He puts a hand on her shoulder before continuing. “Without your directives I can’t actually make you come with me. And even if I could I don’t think I would want to.” Rose appears confused. “Huh?” Cadance speaks up. “What Arc means is that he wants a willing partner to assist him.” “Right.” Shining Armor gestures to the room around them. “And we’ll seal this tower so no one can get up here.” Cadance nods. “That we will. As well as secure the shards in our vault.” “I’m still not sure this is a good idea. There’s a good chance I might just let you down again, Arc.” “Well, I have faith in you, Rose.” Rose sighs. “So did father.” Shining Armor appears confused. “Miss?” “What happened to her was my fault, you know.” Arc frowns. “What are you talking about? Auriel never said anything about…” Rose interrupts him. “…about the explosion? No, of course she wouldn’t have.” Cadance raises an eyebrow, confused. “Rose… what are you saying?” “That what happened… was my fault.” Shining Armor frowns. “How could it have been…?” “…anything other than an accident?” Cadance points a hoof to Rose’s head. “Yes. The video you shared from your own memory banks showed that very thing to be true.” Rose bites her lip. “But it wasn’t the truth.” Arc frowns. “Rose?” “My father… she… made a mistake.” “Mistake?” “In the calculations before her most recent test on the Crystal Heart.” Cadance looks to the gouges in the floor. “And you think that led to the explosion?” Rose nods sadly. “Yes.” Arc looks to Rose again. “But how would that be your fault?” “Because I… I saw the error and did nothing to correct her.” Shining Armor appears confused. “Why though?” “My father is a very… talented scientist like mother is. She is very careful to compensate for any and all variables.” Arc shrugs. “So Auriel missed something. Mistakes do happen. However I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have told her about it.” “Up until that point, I… I viewed her, as well as mother, as being… beyond such things.” Cadance bows her head. “So you believed her to be correct in her calculations?” “No. However I could not bring myself to see her as being… incorrect.” Shining Armor sighs. “That doesn’t make much sense.” Arc nods. “I think I get it.” Cadance turns to him. “You do, Arc?” “Yes. People whom put those they look up to on a pedestal can sometimes view them as being beyond certain negative actions. Even in the face of irrefutable evidence, they still hold to the idea that their hero did no wrong.” “But it caused father to be injured.” Cadance smiles at Rose. “That may be true, yes. However I don’t believe that Auriel held it against you in the least.” Shining Armor nods. “Yes. In her first waking moments in the hospital the doctors reported that her first words were to ascertain your well-being over her own.” Rose sighs. “While it is a comfort to know that she wasn’t permanently harmed… I’m not sure that her continued compassion for me is warranted.” Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “Rose… love isn’t about being worthy, nor is it something a parent withdraws if a child makes a mistake.” Cadance puts a hoof on Rose’s other shoulder. “Indeed. And you should talk to Auriel and Twilight about your feelings.” Shining Armor smiles. “They do care about you and your future, after all.” “But what good is an assistant whom doesn’t do all they can to aid their…?” Arc interrupts. “It isn’t about you being perfect, Rose. If anything we’re all flawed in some way.” Rose frowns. “Mother and father are not!” Cadance sighs as she bows her head. “Auriel... I can say with perfect candor that they are. Well, Twilight is.” “You’ve known her for a long time, have you not?” “Yes indeed. Since she was a filly.” Shining Armor chuckles. “Cadance used to watch Twilight as a foalsitter.” “Mother did mention that. Tell me, was she not a perfect foal?” Cadance shakes her head. “Far from it. She had many very… strange ideas.” Shining Armor puts a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. “Like trying to make cookies without flour.” Cadance groans. “Or bathing once a week for two hours rather than every day.” Rose raises an eyebrow. “But she was simply testing theories, was she not?” “I suppose so. However, she would continue with such tests long after it was proven to be a lost cause.” Shining Armor grins. “It was really cute though.” Cadance nods. “Agreed. However even the most green of scientists know that to test a theory the same way twice and expect different results is folly.” Arc puts a hand to his chin. “I didn’t know that about Twilight.” “She was a rather… difficult baby sister sometimes.” Cadance quickly chimes in. “But we always loved her nonetheless.” “Yes, of course. And I’m glad to see that she learned from her past mistakes.” Arc chuckles. “Most do, of course.” Rose sighs. “While I am certain that everyone is correct I am still having trouble imagining mother or father making a mistake.” “Well, you witnessed Auriel making one that literally blew up in her face.” “That I did. However…” Cadance interrupts. “Rose, I believe a bit of an experiment is in order.” “An experiment?” “Twilight programmed you with vast amounts of knowledge. However you are certainly not perfect.” “I would like to be though.” Shining Armor smiles. “To be like how you perceive Twilight and Auriel?” “Yes.” Cadance nods. “Then I suggest you learn about mistakes.” Arc appears confused. “Cadance?” “Go with Arc and look for mistakes in humans, nature, and even those you hold in the highest regard.” Shining Armor turns to Cadance, clearly confused. “So you want her to learn… how to fail?” “In a manner of speaking, yes. After all, there are things you certainly can’t program.” Arc nods. “I’d be willing to help you with that, Rose. Even if you decide not to help me with my mission.” “Well… I suppose I could give it a try.” “That’s all I can ask of you or anyone else.” “But what if I fail? It might cause you to get in trouble.” “Worst case scenario we could always retreat back to Equestria.” “What about the records though?!” “I’d come up with something.” Cadance giggles. “That you would.” Shining Armor turns to him. “Can we support you in some way, Arc?” “Probably not. After all, I need to keep this circle small.” Rose nods soberly. “You’ll need stealth above all.” “Right. But I can’t be invisible and do this. At least not on my own.” “Then I’ll come.” “Thanks. We’ll do our best to come up with a plan before heading in, of course.” Cadance smiles at him. “While I know you’re on a tight schedule just remember that failing to plan is planning to fail, Arc.” Shining Armor pipes up. “Maybe Twilight could…” “Mother is far too busy ruling the nation to help with this.” Arc nods. “Agreed. That and I’ve already told her everything that’s happened.” Cadance grins. “And you have her approval? Not that you need it legally, of course.” “Yes. She understood that this needs to be done to help Shelly.” Rose looks to Arc sheepishly. “While I am not completely sure of my own abilities, I do know where we can enlist the aid of more help.” “I’m listening.”