Chapter 3: Necessary Heroics

Tyr heard the whine even before he saw its owner. "But I don't want to go to school!"

Sherry came around the corner, a frown on her face. She was dressed normally, except she carried a sling bag over her shoulder. Tyr smiled. Sherry was starting school now, as the second week of August was rolling around. Along with the cold weather, he thought ruefully. However, as a thank you gift for helping out so much, Rarity had sent him two hand-made winter coats, one for him and one for Sherry. And they were warm. "You knew this was coming, love."

"But that doesn't mean I want to go…"

"Don't worry, all your friends are going there too. I'm sure you'll make new ones too."

"…Okay." Sherry sighed.

"Now come on. Eat breakfast quick so you don't miss the bus."

"Fine…"

Before long, Tyr was waving to his daughter as she rode the bus to school. "Guess I'm on my own for a while," He sighed. Having no jobs to do was boring. "What to do… well, I guess I'll hop on Destiny. It's been a while since I played."

With that, he went upstairs and into the game room. He logged in and immediately a notification popped up. "A friend request? From who?" He looked over the gamer tag and chuckled softly to himself. Nightmare M00n seemed a bit familiar. With a smile, he accepted it.

-Hello, Luna.

-Tyr. The reply was almost instantaneous. –How did you guess it was I?

-Your profile name.

-I suppose that is fair. Are you available to play?

-Sure. I just saw Sherry off to school. You wouldn't happen to have voice chat, would you?

-I do not believe so.

-That's fine. I'll call you. Tyr pulled out his cell, hooked in his headset, and set it to dial Luna. Before long, he heard her voice over the line. "Yes?"

"It's Tyr. When did you get the system?"

"Last Tuesday. It was a bit of a splurge, but I really wanted to have my own system to play."

"You're always welcome to play over here, Luna."

"I appreciate that. But it is no fair to you if I am simply… mooching off of your good intentions."

"Well, if that's how you feel. Let's play, shall we?"

"Yes, let's."

Tyr noticed Luna's level was low, so he picked an easier mission to start off with. "So, killing time until it's time for work?"

"Yes, I find there isn't much to do during the day."

"Why didn't you get a day job? That way you could spend your evenings playing instead of working so late."

"I considered it, but… I was naturally nocturnal. My daytime hours are… usually restful."

"I get it. I'm thinking of getting a job myself."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Income from my part time repair work is decent, but was better when I was living alone. It's been a few months, and I think I'll need steady pay."

"That is commendable. You do quite a bit for young Sherry."

"I have to take care of her. And plus, I get bored too."

"I completely understand."

They played on for a few more hours before Luna said she was going to sleep for a bit before she had to work. Tyr said good bye and got off himself. "I suppose I could go out and get some groceries," He figured. A way to kill some time. He was on his bike a minute later and in town by ten. As he went into the supermarket, he noticed a pair of familiar faces.

"Hey, look, it's Tyr!"

"Hello Rainbow Dash," Tyr said, replying to the enthusiastic greeting. "Hello, Fluttershy."

The shy girl smiled softly. Despite having known him for a few months now, Fluttershy still drew back a bit whenever he addressed her directly. "H-hello, Tyr. Are you shopping too?"

"Just stocking up. Same with you guys?"

"Flutters wanted to make me dinner," Dash said, rolling her eyes. "Says I've been eating unhealthy."

"Dinner date, huh? Sounds like fun."

Tyr gathered up a few necessities as they walked and talked. Dash was excited about her participation in an upcoming triathlon. Fluttershy stayed mostly silent, providing commentary only when directly spoken to. She was picking out mostly organic foods as they went along, and Tyr found himself picking similar foods. Guess Equestrian girls might as well classify as vegetarians. "You don't eat meat around Sherry?" Dash asked.

"No, I didn't eat it much to begin with though. I figured eating something she didn't like around her wasn't particularly nice, so I adjusted."

"That's nice," Fluttershy said. They approached the checkout line, Tyr letting the two girls go ahead of him. As they stood there for a minute, he noticed something was off. The line wasn't moving. Dash had caught on as well.

"Hey, can you move it along up there?" She demanded. There was a hooded man at the front of the line leaned over the register. He shot a glance back towards the rainbow haired girl, but quickly returned his gaze to the cashier. Desperation. Tyr was moving before his mind completely registered the look in the man's eyes. "Tyr…?"

He was on top of the man before he realized he was there. "Back off man," The hooded man warned, turning to face him. A bulge in the pocket of his coat made Tyr pause slightly. "I don't want to have to use this."

"Then walk out if you don't want a concussion," Tyr replied smoothly. He needed that hand out of the pocket. He motioned for everyone behind him to not move.

"You know what this is, don't you?" The man hissed. "Take another step."

"You really prepared to kill someone?" Tyr asked, his voice low. No one was panicking yet, probably due to not realizing what was happening. The only one freaking out was Fluttershy, but Dash was holding onto her. Guess the hotheaded girl could keep her cool in situations like this. "Try me."

That was the trigger. The man snapped his hand out of his pocket, brandishing the gun in full view for the whole crowd to see. Someone screamed, and others began to run. "Tyr!" Fluttershy cried out in warning, but her friend was in motion again. In the instant the gun was pulled out, its barrel was pointed away from anyone it could hurt. Tyr slammed into the man, pushing the gun off to the side. With an iron grip, he grabbed the gun hand and pulled it up. Even surprised, the gunman was putting up a struggle. Tyr's focus was on trying to keep it aimed away from people. A single gunshot rang out, and Tyr prayed it didn't hit anyone. He slammed his elbow into the man's throat, choking him and letting Tyr pull the gun away. With practiced precision, he unloaded the gun and pulled it apart, tossing it aside. Now disarmed, the man tried to run. However, Tyr was too close. He tripped him up and pinned him to the floor.

It had only taken a couple minutes, but it had felt like seconds to Tyr. He let out the breath he had held in, and glanced around. "Someone call the police," He said calmly.

"Tyr that was awesome!" Dash and Fluttershy were at his side almost instantly.

"You were so calm," Fluttershy said in awe. "How did you know what to do?"

"I was in S.W.A.T.," He said. "That's essentially the elite police force trained to deal with situations like this."

"Well!" Dash playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Guess we can rely on Tyr to stay calm in the face of danger!"

"Ow," Tyr said, rubbing his shoulder. He adjusted his stance to keep the man below him pinned with his knees, then noticed his hand came away with blood. "…That's not good."

Fluttershy fainted.

-x-

"You've been shot before?"

Tyr smiled slightly at Dash's energetic question. "Yeah, it was an occupational hazard."

"Sorry about fainting like that," Fluttershy said timidly. "The sight of blood always freaks me out."

The three of them sat in the town hospital, Tyr lying in the hospital bed with his shoulder bandaged up. According to the doctors, the bullet had passed through because of the close range and managed to miss anything important. Thank goodness for that, Tyr thought. Now all he had to deal with was the pain. "I can't believe it," Dash was saying. "Why would someone rob a grocery store?"

"Less security," Tyr offered. "No real big threat of a random security guard catching on."

"Well, lucky for that store, Tyr was around."

Tyr smiled and rotated his injured arm. It still pained him, so he left it alone. "Does it still hurt?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Tyr admitted. "It'll work itself out in time."

"Tyr!" Several voices cried out. Three figures rushed into the hospital room and rushed to his side.

Tyr blinked in surprise. "Twilight? AJ? Rarity? What are you guys doing here?"

"Dash messaged us and told us what happened," AJ said. "That was mighty brave of you, Tyr, taking on that hooligan all by your lonesome."

"When we heard you were hurt we came rushing over, darling," Rarity said.

"Was the wound serious?" Twilight asked.

"It was a through and through, so no surgery needed," Tyr replied. "I was more worried about someone else getting hurt, to be honest."

"Good. We were worried."

Tyr looked around at the five girls. He had been injured in the line of duty before, but back then the people who checked in on him were his squad mates. "I didn't think I warranted this much worry," He said jokingly.

"Of course you do, darling!" Rarity admonished. "You are our friend, and we always worry about our friends!"

Everyone else nodded, showing their agreement. "Plus, y'all were looking after a couple of our own," AJ said, motioning to Fluttershy and Dash. "Why would we not be worried, sugarcube?"

"I…I suppose that's fair," Tyr said, smiling. "Thanks you guys."

"No, we should be thanking you," Twilight corrected.

Fluttershy laid a soft hand on top of Tyr's. "You were very brave, Tyr. Thank you for protecting us."

Tyr felt his cheeks warm at Fluttershy's touch. She was extremely beautiful, even with all the other girls, including Rarity, there to compare. Plus, that soft voice… He shook the thought off. "It's no problem, Fluttershy."

"Has anyone told Sherry yet?" Twilight asked.

Tyr froze up. Sherry. She should be getting out of school right about now… "I brought her!" Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared at the doorway, skipping inside. Sherry followed behind, and the young girl froze upon seeing her guardian.

"Dad…" She stammered, eyes drawn to his wound.

"It looks worse than it is—" He managed to say, before Sherry leapt into his arms, crying softly. "…Sherry…"

"When Pinkie told me you were hurt, I was so worried…!" She buried her face in his chest, tears staining his shirt. He moved his good arm around her to comfort her.

"I'm fine, Sherry. The wound will close up and heal in a few days. I just can't do anything too strenuous for a while."

"Your dad here protected us," Dash said, grinning. "You should be proud to have such as awesome guy looking after you!"

Sherry giggled softly, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

"So how long are you staying in the hospital?" Rarity asked.

"Just until the doctors clear me. Which shouldn't be too long," Tyr said.

"We can stay with you," Twilight offered.

"No, that's fine. You all have your work to do, right? Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You better be!" Pinkie said. "I have a whole Tyr-is-back-from-the-hospital party all planned!"

"Does that actually warrant a party…?"

Dash rolled her eyes. "Pinks will throw a party for any reason."

There was a knock on the door. The doctor came in a moment later. "My, someone is a lucky man," he joked, looking around at all the women crowded around his patient.

Tyr rolled his eyes. "What's going on, doc?"

"Just came in to tell you visitation is over. Don't want to get you excited and tear the stitches."

"I'm avoiding moving my arm around, but that's understandable. Sorry girls."

"It's no issue," Twilight assured him. The other girls agreed and got up to leave.

"Just focus on getting better, darling," Rarity told him.

They all filed out, Sherry pausing to plant a kiss on his cheek. "See you later, Dad."

"Sherry," Fluttershy was the last to leave. "You could always come with me to the veterinarian until your dad is okay to leave."

Sherry turned back to Tyr. "Is that okay?"

"Go ahead," He said with a smile. "Have fun."

She grinned and nodded, skipping out the door in a Pinkie Pie imitation. "I'll take care of her," Fluttershy assured him.

"You've got that aura about you," He said. "I'm not worried. See you, Fluttershy."

She gave him a small wave before leaving as well. The doctor nodded to Tyr before going out. The room felt much emptier now that they were all gone. "That's friends for you," He said with a chuckle. "The moment they're gone you feel the lack." He decided to drift off to sleep then, until his phone, set on the bedside table, suddenly made a noise. It was a text from Luna, he discovered. –Just off work. Are you available to play?

He smiled. –Sorry Luna, can't play. I'm a bit indisposed atm.

-A pity. What are you doing?

-I'll tell you later. I'm tired, so goodnight.

-Very well. Enjoy your sleep, Tyr.

He'd tell her everything when he saw her next. With a small yawn, he went back to sleep.

-x-

He was discharged pretty early the next day. With no complications, the doctors let him go with a joked warning about being a "knight in shining armor". As He left, he checked his phone. It was well past time for Sherry to be heading off to school, and he surprisingly had two text messages, one from Fluttershy and one from Luna. Luna's message was just another question about what had happened the other day. Tyr was really surprised at the text from Fluttershy. Apparently according to her text, Rainbow had stuck hers and Fluttershy's number into his phone yesterday. Her text said that she was having breakfast with Rainbow, and was inviting him to her place. With a smile, he sent her a message that he'd be happy to come, but he'd need—

"Yo, Tyr!" Rainbow skid to a stop beside him. "Out of the hospital?"

"Apparently," Tyr said, smirking. "What are you doing here?"

"Flutters sent me. Figured you wouldn't know the way to her place." She grinned. "Wanna lift?"

In a moment of pure ignorance, Tyr spoke the one phrase he would regret all day: "Sure, why not?"

-x-

When Tyr finally felt his legs under him again, he felt more relief than he had ever felt in his life. "Rainbow," He murmured. "I am never riding with you again."

"Aw, come on! I'm sure you go faster on that motorcycle!"

"Yeah, but I don't drive recklessly."

"Oh, whatever." Rainbow hooked her bike up to a nearby post and shrugged.

Tyr looked up at the building they were in front of. A tall apartment building stood in front of him. "Fluttershy lives here?"

"Flutters and I both do," Rainbow said, going inside. Tyr followed her. She led him up to the top floor and stopped in front of a simple door decorated with butterflies. "Yo, Fluttershy, I brought him!"

Moments later, the door opened, and the shy girl greeted them. "Hey Rainbow. Hello Tyr. Please, come in."

The apartment was well kept, and several dogs and cats roamed freely about. A couple parakeets were chirping in their window side cage as well. "You have a lot of pets," Tyr remarked, following the girls into the dining room.

"Flutters had always had a thing for animals," Rainbow said.

"Only fitting she works as a veterinarian then," Tyr said.

Fluttershy blushed. "Oh, I'm nothing special as all that…"

They sat at Fluttershy's dining table while she went into the small kitchen. She returned a moment later with a platter of pancakes, eggs, and sliced fruits. "That all looks really good," Rainbow said, licking her lips.

"I might have made a bit much," Fluttershy said, blushing. "I know how much Dashie and I can eat, but I didn't know if you were a big eater or not, Tyr."

Tyr smiled. "I'll eat whatever is put in front of me. Plus…" He shot a glance over at Rainbow. "Dashie?"

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "Don't you start. Only Flutters calls me that."

"Okay, okay." They began to eat then, mostly sharing small talk and jokes. Rainbow was beginning to look like less of a jerk to Tyr, especially when she brought up the pair's childhood.

"Never knew pegasii were so…" Tyr searched for the right word.

"Brutal?"

"Aggressive is the word I'd choose," Tyr said, laughing at Rainbow.

"A lot of Pegasus are very competitive," Fluttershy said. "I um… wasn't one of them."

"And I'm guessing Dash is?"

Rainbow puffed out her chest proudly. "I hardly lose."

"Doesn't surprise me."

"Um…" Fluttershy spoke up. "If you guys are done eating, I'll wash the dishes…"

"Ah, let me help you," Tyr said, grabbing his plate and standing. "I'm a guest, least I can do."

"Um… I mean, you don't have to… okay."

"I'll be in here," Rainbow hopped over to the couch and turned on Fluttershy's TV. "Don't mind me."

Fluttershy's kitchen was small, but large enough that the two could stand side by side at the sink. However, as Tyr began to wash, He could tell Fluttershy was trying to give him as much space as possible. But as they worked, small movements made them bump into each other, and Fluttershy blushed at each one. Tyr tried to focus on what he was doing, but found himself drawn to the girl's small, slender hands. Well, not just those. Fluttershy had a very womanly body, and working in such close quarters didn't give Tyr much room to look anywhere else. She was keeping her small mouth zipped tight, so no distracting conversation. After a few quiet minutes, Tyr finally found something he knew she'd respond to. "…How was Sherry?"

Fluttershy stared at him for a moment. "Sherry? Oh! Um… She was very good." She smiled, remembering something comfortable. "She was very good with the animals."

"She wasn't a handful?"

"No, not at all! She was very sweet, and helpful." She blushed and looked away. "Um… I enjoyed her company."

"Good." Tyr nodded. "I'm glad." He reached for a plate—Rainbow's, if he remembered correctly—and instead found his hand over Fluttershy's. Her head snapped up just as he glanced over at her. Their eyes met for a moment before Fluttershy snatched her hand away. "Uh… sorry."

"It's okay!" Fluttershy moved even further away. "You can get that one."

"…right. Sorry." Tyr had to admit, it was the softest hand touch he had ever had to apologize for. He finished up the dishes and went back out into the main room. Rainbow was watching some cop drama, and hadn't heard anything. "…Hey, Fluttershy," Tyr glanced back. Fluttershy was staring down at her hand. Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice.

"Y-yes?"

"I really enjoyed breakfast. But, I don't want to abuse your generosity, so I'll be heading home."

Rainbow snorted. "Yeah, if you're going to abuse someone's generosity, go bother Rarity."

"What do you mean by that, Dash?"

"She's the Element of Generosity. Being generous is her thing."

"Seems legit. Well, I'll you girls around."

"See ya."

Tyr headed outside and was at the elevator when a soft voice stopped him. "Tyr."

He turned to find Fluttershy at her door. "…What is it, Fluttershy?"

"Um… it was… um… nice to have you over."

Tyr smiled. "Maybe I'll come by to visit with Sherry. If that's okay."

"That would be nice," Fluttershy smiled. "Well… be safe going home, Tyr."

"Thanks." Tyr gave her a wave before heading out. Another day with not much to do, he realized. The walk back home was pleasant enough, though. As he finally reached his front door, he almost called out to Sherry before remembering she was at school. He sighed. He really needed a job. As he sat down on his couch, he noticed another text from Luna. –Are you home?

-Yeah, I'm home. What's up?

-I'm coming over.

-What? Tyr frowned. Luna hardly came over when it was this early, especially if Sherry wasn't home. Maybe she wanted to talk about the other day? She didn't respond, so Tyr was forced to wait until she arrived. When he opened the door, she walked in without a word. "Um… Hey?"

"Will you please explain to me why I found out from Twilight Sparkle that you were in the hospital?" Luna whirled on him, eyes narrowed with anger.

Called it, Tyr thought to himself. What was worse, Twilight had told her. "I didn't think Twilight would tell you…"

"So you did not want her to tell me? Were you planning to keep it from me?"

"No! I was going to tell you, I figured you'd want to hear it from me personally," Tyr said, frowning.

"You could have told me the other day. Instead, I hear from Twilight that you were shot!"

Tyr touched his injured shoulder. "It wasn't that serious of a wound. I was released this morning."

"This morning? Then why were you just getting home earlier?"

Tyr paused, the let out a long sigh. He really didn't like lying to people he considered friends. "…I had breakfast with Rainbow and Fluttershy today. They claimed it was repayment for protecting them."

Luna looked away. "…I see. I can understand why you'd rather spend time with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy is quite attractive, no? And Rainbow Dash is an athlete, and probably more fun than me…"

"Luna." Tyr's voice was soft and gentle. "Why would you think I enjoy spending time with someone else more than you? I like having you around."

Luna sat on the couch. "I… I apologize for my behavior. I was worried, and my current circumstances do not do well for my mood."

"Circumstances?" Tyr sat beside her. "Something up with your sister?"

"No. Tia is fine. But… I have sensed someone watching me."

Tyr felt a chill run down his spine. "…Watching you?"

Luna nodded. "I believe someone has been following me when I leave work."

"A stalker… Have they done anything else?"

"No, just… following. Is this normal?"

"Not particularly. Do you want me to do anything?"

"If you want. I see no harm in them just following…

"Are you working tonight?"

Luna was taken aback by the seriousness in Tyr's eyes. "Y-yes, I am."

"You call me if anything happens, alright?"

"Only if you do the same." Luna fixed Tyr with her eyes. "I do not wish to hear of my friend being hurt from another. The next time something happens to you—anything—I want you to tell me."

"…Alright, I promise."

Luna stood up. "Good. I will speak with you later."

Tyr smiled. "You're a good friend, Luna."

"I… I have not had many friends," she said softly. "So I do the best I can with those I have."

"Be safe, Luna."

She nodded and headed out. Tyr sighed. He was glad the misunderstanding was cleared, but now with the whole stalker situation, he had a whole new set of worries…