Sometime later Arc enters the Infirmary. Walking over to Auriel and her father he clears his throat to get their attention.
āI received word that you two needed to speak to me.ā
Auriel nods fervently. āThat we did!ā
King Malevolence sighs. āIndeed. You seeā¦ā
Auriel and her father tell Arc of what transpired during their conversation with Maria. Arc appears confused as they finish.
āSo let me just see if Iām understanding this correctly, Auriel. Youāre saying that your mother, upon hearing my name, nearly had a heart attack?ā
āShe was extremely agitated, yes.ā
Malevolence frowns. āPerhaps not the best word to use. However my queen seemed to be most interested in speaking to you post haste, Arc.ā
āWhat about though?ā
Auriel shrugs. āWe donāt really know.ā
āYes, she passed out before divulging that information.ā
Arc looks toward the bed. āAnd she hasnāt woken up since?ā
Auriel shakes her head. āNot since that episode, no.ā
Malevolence points to the IV bottle. āThe doctor gave her medicine that would also make her sleep.ā
Arc shrugs. āIām sure Doctor Whooves knows what heās doing.ā
Auriel sighs. āWhile I do agree, I still wish we could have heard more.ā
Arc sits down. āAll we can do now is wait then, I suppose.ā
Malevolence raises an eyebrow. āButā¦ donāt you have official duties to perform?ā
āDuties, yes. Official, no. I actually just came from brunch with Derpy, Dinky, and her little friends.ā
Auriel gasps. āYour date!ā
Malevolence appears confused. āHis what now?ā
āArc was on Earth vacationing with his daughter and another of his future wives!ā
Arc nods. āThat I was.ā
āThen what are you doing here?ā
āDoing as a good friend wouldā¦ being here for Auriel when she needs me.ā
Arc gestures to the bed with a wave of his hand before continuing.
āAnd I canāt really think of a time when sheās needed me more.ā
Auriel giggles. āHow about when I passed out from using the Bloodstone back on Earth?ā
āOkay, that might be a close second.ā
Malevolence chuckles. āThatās my girl.ā
A few hours later a groan rings out from the bed. Auriel jumps up and hurries over to the bedside.
āMother! Can you hear me?!ā
Maria nods as she slowly opens her eyes. āY-yes.ā
āCan I get you anything?!ā
āJustā¦ lower your voice please. I have a splitting headache.ā
Malevolence chuckles. āThe girlās just glad to see you awake, my dear.ā
Auriel smiles nervously. āSorry!ā
āWeāre youā¦ able to get aholdā¦ of Arc?ā
Auriel nods. āYes, heās right here.ā
āHelp me sit up.ā
Auriel picks up the bedside remote and presses a button. The bed slowly raises Maria up to an upright position. King Malevolence motions for Arc to step forward. Doing so as the pair step aside Arc turns to the woman as she looks him up and down.
āArc? Is that really you?ā
āLast I checked, yes.ā
āYouāre a bit older than the last time I saw you, naturally. But the facial features and smile donāt lie.ā
Arc raises an eyebrow. āHow exactly do you know me?ā
āYou donāt recognize me?ā
Arc shakes his head. āShould I?ā
āI would hope so. But right now I need to know something.ā
āOh?ā
āTell me, how isā¦?ā
Maria takes a deep breath and pauses as if working up the courage to say the word.
āā¦Shelly doing?ā
Arc frowns. āHow do you know that name?!ā
āI need to know! Please!ā
Auriel turns to him. āArc, please tell her!ā
Malevolence folds his arms over his chest. āAgreed. Maria canāt take the stress of an argument right now.ā
Arc groans. āFine. Sheāsā¦ in the hospital.ā
Maria appears hopeful. āSo sheās alive then!?ā
āAlive, but not doing very well.ā
āGood, good! That means that thereās still time!ā
āTime for what, mother?ā
āTo help her!ā
Arc sighs. āIād like that too. But every doctor thatās looked at her case has said the same thing. And that is thereās nothing medical science can do for her.ā
āBut you donāt believe that, do you?ā
āThey canāt all be wrong.ā
āI meanā¦ you havenāt given up on her yet.ā
āLook, Shellyās case is hopeless. Lily and I have just been trying to make her last bit of time moreā¦ā
Maria interrupts him. āWhat if I told you there could possibly be a way to help her?ā
āIād say that youāre either a miracle worker or crazy.ā
Auriel gasps. āArc!ā
Arc shrugs. āShe asked the question and I answered it.ā
Malevolence chuckles. āNice.ā
Arc turns his attention back to Maria before continuing.
āBut if you have some ideas Iād be willing to listen.ā
āI do indeed. However Iād need to see her chart for myself.ā
Arc puts a hand to his chin. āThat shouldnāt be too hard to do. A simple matter of walking in andā¦ā
Auriel interrupts him. āYou shouldnāt take it, Arc. After all, the hospital staff probably needs it to properly treat her.ā
āI was going to say taking pictures actually.ā
Malevolence raises an eyebrow. āPictures?ā
Arc nods. āWith a camera.ā
Auriel pats her fatherās arm. āIāll explain it to you later, father.ā
Maria sighs. āThat would help, yes. But Iām afraid that I need more than just whatās available in her room.ā
Arc raises an eyebrow. āWhat else could youā¦?ā
Maria interrupts him. āI need everything.ā
āHer entire medical history?ā
āThink of it as the whole picture.ā
āHow am I supposed to get that though?!ā
Auriel giggles. āA properly made plan would be in order.ā
āWell, I guess there isnāt anything a plan canāt make easier. But itās not like they just leave their computer records available to anyone walking by.ā
Maria turns to Auriel. āDo you have experience dealing with computers, my dear?ā
Auriel nods. āI do, yes. However I suggest someone a bit more adept with human technology.ā
Malevolence frowns. āWho?ā
āRose.ā
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. āShe is familiar with computer systems, yes. But Iām not actually sure where she is right now.ā
Auriel turns to Arc. āThe Crystal Empire.ā
āHuh?ā
āShe was helping me research ways to reform the Crystal Heart. I asked her to keep trying when I was injured.ā
Maria gasps. āAre you all right, my dear?!ā
āIām okay now, mother. After all, every decent scientist has experienced a few good explosions.ā
Maria smiles. āYouāve been reading my books.ā
Malevolence nods. āSheās very studious, Maria.ā
Arc sighs. āThat Auriel is. But I donāt know if Rose would be willing to help me infiltrate a hospital again. Last time things didnāt go so well.ā
Auriel appears hopeful. āIām sure you could convince her, Arc.ā
Malevolence shrugs. āAt least ask.ā
āVery well. Worst case scenario, she says no.ā
He turns back to Maria before continuing.
āIn any case, I need to talk this over with the powers that be.ā
āVery well. But just be aware that time is a factor to me.ā
āWhy? You have somewhere else to be?ā
āNot really. However Shellyās situation is certainly precarious. Act with all due haste.ā
Arc narrows his eyes. āYou still havenāt told my how you know about her OR me.ā
āAll will be revealed in good time, Arc. Trust me.ā
Frowning, Arc turns and leaves the room. Auriel looks to her mother.
āWhy did you DO that?!ā
āAuriel?ā
āIt sounded almost like you were trying to blackmail him!ā
Malevolence grins. āIndeed. And I found it absolutely amazing.ā
āDonāt worry, Auriel. I only did so because I need Arc to help me with this. That and I can guarantee that I can make his efforts worthwhile.ā
Meanwhile, Arc heads for the Audience Chamber. Arriving he motions to Twilight and Luna from the back of the room with a wave of his hand. Nodding, Twilight looks down at the audience before her.
āWeāll have to return to this matter at a later time.ā
āYour highness?ā
Luna nods. āIt would appear something very important has come up.ā
The stallion bows and turns to leave. As he does so Arc approaches the thrones. Waiting for the doors to close behind him, Twilight and Luna step down from their places and walk over to him. Twilight smiles warmly as he kneels down for a hug.
āThank you for coming, Arc.ā
āOh?ā
Luna smiles. āI assume youāre here to check up on how weāre doing.ā
Arc shakes his head. āNo, no. After all, both of you are fully capable of doing your jobs without me trying to micromanage you.ā
Twilight motions with a hoof. āIn that case, I want to thank you for suggesting to Luna that she could help with audiences.ā
Luna smiles. āYes, itās been quite a while since I had such a good time doing this task.ā
Arc frowns. āUh oh. Did you and Cadance not get along or something, Luna?ā
āIt wasnāt that we didnāt get along so much as the fact that we had little to no contact outside of our official duties.ā
Twilight nods soberly. āBut that wasnāt the only reason, was it?ā
Luna sighs. āNo. I also viewed her as a replacement Celestia brought in to fill my role.ā
āMakes sense. But you donāt feel that way about Twilight, right?ā
āNot anymore, no.ā
Twilight smiles. āWe talked through it some time ago.ā
Luna puts a hoof around Twilightās shoulder. āAnd now we understand each other that much better.ā
āGood. Iām glad things are working out so well amongst you two.ā
He looks around before continuing.
āUmā¦ might I ask where the others are?ā
Twilight gestures toward the large double doors at the end of the room. āThey took todayās paperwork to the Conference Room to deal with.ā
Luna nods. āMore room there for five mares to work, after all. But in any case, what can we do for you today, Arc?ā
āWell, you seeā¦ā
Meanwhile, the rest of the Mane 6 sit around the conference table working. Rainbow Dash glances around angrily.
āSo do none of you want to do ANYTHING about what I said?!ā
Rarity continues going over the papers. āThat is correct.ā
Pinkie groans. āYouāre just too focused on Arcās actions, Dashie!ā
Applejack nods. āRight. Heād have told us if there was something going on between him and Princess Luna.ā
Fluttershy turns to Rarity. āNot that there isā¦ right?ā
āItās not likely, no.ā
Rainbow Dash scoffs. āAnd why not?!ā
Applejack rolls her eyes. āFor starters, they donāt have anything in common personality-wise.ā
Pinkie points a hoof. āExactly!ā
Fluttershy sighs. āThey almost seem to be like polar opposites to me.ā
Rarity giggles. āYes. Heās so open and warm. And Princess Luna isā¦ā
She looks around and lowers her voice before continuing.
āā¦so closed off and distant from everypony else.ā
Rainbow Dash slams her hooves on the table. āThat might be why she wantās Arc though!ā
Applejack frowns. āWhat are you getting at, sugarcube?ā
āThink about it! Princess Lunaās been alone for a thousand years, right?!ā
Fluttershy shrugs. āAnd?ā
āSo maybe she wants something to warm up her frozen heart!ā
Rarity groans. āWeāve been over this, Rainbow Dash. Princess Luna isnāt interested in Arc for his heart.ā
Pinkie grins slyly as she elbows Rarity.ā Well, maybe she wants something else warmed up!ā
Rarity blushes slightly. āButā¦ but that would be SCANDALOUS!ā
Applejack frowns. āAnd it would trash her reputation!ā
Fluttershy looks out the window as she speaks. āTrue. But sheās already seen as something of an enigma.ā
Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. āSo she has nothing to lose!ā
Fluttershy gasps. āBut Arc does!ā
Rarity raises an eyebrow. āWhat could Arc lose from such a thing, Fluttershy?ā
āHis own reputation!ā
Applejack puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. āWell, I suppose it would kinda make him look bad if word got out about him being with Princess Luna.ā
Rarity shudders. āTrue or not, yes.ā
āCome on, everypony. You donāt really think Arcās doing that, do you?ā
Pinkie taps the table. āNah. Butā¦ā
Fluttershy interrupts. āā¦even if they arenāt doing anything, this could still tank Arcās reputation if it started making the rounds with the staff!ā
Rainbow Dash nods matter-of-factly. āExactly!ā
Rarity groans. āBut us trying to stop that could do the opposite.ā
Fluttershy gasps. āYou mean we could make it worse?ā
Applejack sighs. āRight. I mean, everypony in the castle knows about US wanting to be with Arc.ā
Pinkie nods fervently. āAnd how we want to form a herd too!ā
Rarity leans back in her chair. āIām still not sure how that happened though.ā
Pinkie raises a hoof. āOh! Oh, I know!ā
Fluttershy turns to her. āHow then?ā
āBecause I told two of the Hoof Maidens all about it!ā
Applejack frowns. āYou did?ā
Rainbow Dash groans. āWhy would you do that though Pinkie Pie?!ā
āBecause they seemed really interested in doing so with a few other mares!ā
Fluttershy raises an eyebrow. āA stallion and how many mares?ā
Pinkie shrugs. āNo idea! Heck, it didnāt sound like they were interested in a particular stallion inasmuch as they just wanted to be extra close with each other!ā
Rarity facehoofs. āWhat have we started?!ā
Fluttershy sighs. āItās probably all over the castle now.ā
Applejack shrugs. āWell, we canāt do anything about that now.ā
Rainbow Dash takes flight angrily. āBut we can do our best to safeguard Arcās reputation!ā
Rarity nods. āWe have to! He deserves better than having it tarnished by our actions!ā
Pinkie jumps on top of the table. āSo what are we going to do?!ā
Applejack taps her hoof on the table. āTalking to Twilight about this over supper tonight would probably be the best course to take.ā
Rainbow Dash grins. āYeah! Sheās really smart AND close to Arc too!ā
Fluttershy looks around at the others. āBut weāre all in agreement that Arc isnāt cheating on us, right?ā
Rarity waves a hoof dismissively. āOh, heavens yes!ā
Applejack nods. āArc wouldnāt do that to us.ā
Pinkie giggles. āYeah! And even if he did want to add somepony to the herd Iām sure heād have told us right away!ā
Rainbow Dash grins. āDarn right! Arcās not a cheater! But I still donāt trust Princess Luna any further than I can hoof her!ā
Fluttershy groans. āNow, now. Thereās no need for violence.ā
āIf sheās trying to take Arc for herself there will be!ā
Applejack sighs as she looks to Rainbow Dash. āBut we canāt justā¦!ā
āTwilight can!ā
Rarity raises an eyebrow. āShe can doā¦ what exactly?ā
āTell off another princess!ā
Pinkie nods happily. āIf sheās being bad, yes!ā
Fluttershy sighs. āHoweverā¦ all of this is just speculation right now.ā
Applejack looks to her hovering friend. āRight. We need to keep our accusations private. Unless there were some kind of proof, that is.ā
Rainbow Dash grins wickedly. āProof, huh? Then thatāll be MY job!ā
Rarity frowns. āTo do what though?ā
āFollow Princess Luna around and see what she does!ā
Applejack rolls her eyes. āI donāt really think thatās necessary though.ā
Rarity nods. āRight. Twilight could justā¦ā
Rainbow Dash interrupts her. āThereās no more time for talking! We have to ACT!ā
Flying out the door, Rainbow Dash slams it behind her as the others sigh. Rarity turns to Applejack.
āThis will not end well.ā
āAgreed.ā
Fluttershy looks at the now closed door. āWe should probably tell Twilight about it sooner rather than later.ā
Pinkie gasps. āBut Princess Luna is with her now!ā
Rarity sighs. āThen thereās only one thing to do.ā
Applejack turns to her. āWait for her to be alone after supper?ā
āThat and the paperwork.ā
Fluttershy frowns as she pulls down a page and looks it over. āI do wish Rainbow Dash had waited until this was done.ā
Pinkie shrugs. āYou know how much she hates this part of the job!ā
Applejack grits her teeth as she reaches for a quill. āProbably why she ducked out.ā
Rarity shrugs. āPartially, yes. However I get the feeling that she honestly believes that Princess Luna is trying to get into the herd.ā
Fluttershy sighs. āWell, thatās not really our business.ā
Pinkie gasps. āYes it is!ā
Applejack looks to Rarity. āLike Arc said before. Anypony joining the herd would have to be approved by the others beforehoof.ā
āIām not sure weād be able to have somepony like her around.ā
Fluttershy shudders. āAt least not as a member of the herd anyways.ā
Pinkie grins. āSheās probably just fine when you get to know her!ā
Rarity rolls her eyes. āWhich no one really does.ā
Applejack smirks. āArc and Twilight do. Well, better than anypony else that is.ā
Pinkie giggles. āSo letās go to Twilightās room after supper and talk to her about it!ā
Fluttershy puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. āAgreed. But we canāt just lead with that.ā
Rarity nods. āRight. We need to be a bitā¦ coy about it.ā
Applejack raises an eyebrow. āUhā¦ wouldnāt it just be easier to come right out and tell Twilight exactly whatāsā¦?ā
Pinkie interrupts her. āNot at ALL! This has to be handled DELICATELY!ā
Fluttershy sighs. āI think we should just get her alone and say exactly whatās on our minds. Twilight will understand and know what to do about it.ā
Rarity smiles. āWhile I doubt Rainbow Dash would agree with that, I too agree with Pinkie. We need to word this correctly.ā
Applejack rolls her eyes. āWhatever you say, Rarity. Iām fine with whatever as long as we eventually get to that part of the conversation.ā
Meanwhile, Arc wraps up his explanation with Twilight and Luna. Twilight is the first to speak.
āThatās quite the story, Arc!ā
āAgreed. However we should use this to our advantage.ā
Twilight frowns. āLuna! Thatās Arcās friend sheās trying to save!ā
Arc sighs. āSheās right though. I do my part to help Shelly and Aurielās mother might be willing to spill the beans on The Organization.ā
āWe do need information on them, Twilight.ā
āYes, I know that we canāt just let this opportunity pass us by. But I canāt help but wonder if the doctorās story isnāt just a little too good to be true.ā
Arc sighs. āIf she does have some ideas I have to help bring them to fruition, Twilight. I owe Shelly that much.ā
āTwilight is correct though, Arc. Tread carefully, as there is no guarantee that she is not leading you into a trap.ā
Twilight frowns. āFirst she asks you to infiltrate the hospital. Next she might have you gathering supplies. After thatā¦ who knows?ā
Arc shrugs. āIt stands to reason that sheāll need things to make her plan work though.ā
āI believe Twilight simply meant that her tasks will most likely become more and more difficult or time consuming.ā
āYes. That and we have a potential war on the horizon.ā
āWeāre still trying to go the diplomatic route though. While weāre not likely to be successful itās still better than dragging the country into a long, drawn out conflict.ā
Arc sighs. āGood. While Iām not against a war at this point, it should still be our last resort.ā
Twilight smiles. āWeāll keep on trying to make this work here. You go and do what you must to help your friend.ā
āSo does that mean I have your blessing, Twilight?ā
āMyā¦ what?
āArc is hoping youāll agree with his actions before setting out.ā
āBut you donāt need my permission, Arc.ā
āTrue. However as a potential future herdmate I still value your opinion. That and I might need Equestriaās help on this one.ā
Luna nods. āWe will do what we can. Within reason, of course.ā
āYes, the countryās security must come first though.ā
āUnderstood. Iāll take a sigil over to the Crystal Empire at once and see about talking Rose into helping me with this.ā
Twilight giggles. āTell her you have my approval and she probably will.ā
āFrom what Iāve seen of the young lady that will not be necessary, Twilight.ā
Arc chuckles. āWell, itās up to her. Wish me luck.ā
Holding up a gauntlet, Arc opens a portal and steps though. Luna turns to Twilight as it closes.
āArc mustāve really been in a hurry.ā
āHow so?ā
āHe didnāt even thank us.ā
āI know he appreciates the aid weāve pledged though.ā
āTo me I read his actions differently.ā
Twilight appears genuinely interested. āOh?ā
āArc was just anxious to get the ball rolling on this matter. He wasnāt trying to slight us.ā
Twilight turns to Luna as they head back to their thrones. āDo you think his friend might yet be saved?ā
Luna smiles. āWhile I donāt know for certain what the future holds, I am sure that if such a possibility exists Arc is sure to find it.ā
I'm not sure why the idea of Luna joining the herd is such a horrible thing. I'll admit they don't know her well but not many people have tried to know her. Twilight is the only person who understands her besides maybe arc. Right now they are friends if the girls keep acting jealous when Luna hasn't done anything beyond be nice they might lose him. The fact is he is going to wait until marriage to do anything. If he has a friend that female well if they can't trust him to do right by them then how can he trust them.
Well, that explains why Mustang was having Dr Rieper work on Shelly. Kings Prawn to BBQ.
The value of results discovered is in direct proportion to the cost of equpment destroyed?
11421557
So why is the idea of Luna joining the herd so awful.
11424488
Everyone on 'the herd list' thus far has been kind(ish), personable, relatable, etcetera. The others didn't even bat an eye when Hammer came around, even though she's a human, since she quickly showed that she was of the same mindset. That and she was willing to be accepting of the others, and overall a good person. However, Luna is none of the above things. That and the fact that she's perceived as being a higher level of royalty, what with being a princess longer. Ultimately, the Mane 6 (mostly Rainbow Dash) is just scared of someone new that they don't actually understand. If Luna was going to be part of the herd she would be at an extreme disadvantage due to her lack of experience dealing with 'commoners'. While I'm sure Twilight would do her best to tutor Luna, it would be an uphill challenge for everyone involved. That and it would just be an absolute nightmare to write.
Just for the record though, Arc and Luna's relationship is purely platonic as neither of them are attracted to the other romantically.
11424869
Luna is nice she just shy and socially awkward. Being 1000 years out of date and nobody ever bother to appreciate before causes her to hide from others. Plus twilight is a princess and nobody is hating on her being part of the herd. Luna just appears cold to those who don't know her. Twilight before the nightmare moon thing might have appear the same way from someone else's point of view.