Chapter 5: Royal Duties

Tyr's eyes snapped open. The sun was streaming into his room, and he held up a hand to block the brightness. As he moved, a mass on his right moved too. He looked over to find Luna curled up against his chest, one arm draped over his stomach. She was breathing softly, her delicate body rising and falling in time with Tyr's own breathing. He ran his hand along her back, taking in the feel of her skin while also letting a shiver run down her back. She snuggled closer to him, her hair tickling his chest. He lay there for a while, simple watching her sleep, tracing the outline of the moon symbol in the middle of her back. After a few minutes, she finally woke up. Her cerulean eyes opened slowly, blinked a few times, and finally focused on him. He smiled. "Morning, Princess."

She sat up on her elbows a bit, rubbing at her eyes. Her hair cascaded down around her shoulders. "Tyr… this is not my home, is it?"

"No, you're at my house. Remember?"

Luna took a moment to think. "I spent the night here and…" Her memories of last night came back to her, and she blushed heavily, dropping down to bury her face in the pillow. "We… We had sex…"

"You don't seem happy."

"I am! Truly I am!" She looked up at him, then blushed fiercely and hid her face again. "I just… I feel as though my behavior was inappropriate…"

"Really?"

"I… invited you so shamelessly…"

He laughed. "If I didn't like it, I would have stayed downstairs." Tyr reached out to run his fingers through her hair.

Luna leaned into his touch with a soft sigh. "You were so gentle…"

"I didn't want to hurt you too much."

Luna giggled, something Tyr hadn't heard before. It was cute. "I truly enjoyed it," She said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. As she moved back, Tyr took hold of her face and drew her in for a real kiss, and she didn't resist. They kept their lips locked for a long moment before a sound at the door broke them from their little world.

"Ahem."

"Sherry!" Luna panicked, pulling the sheets up to cover herself. "Y-you…"

"I do live here," She said teasingly. Then she got a strange look on her face as a thought occurred to her. "It may be a good thing I'm a heavy sleeper…"

Tyr laughed nervously. "You…didn't see anything, did you Sherry?"

"Only my dad making out with his girlfriend." Sherry rolled her eyes. "So are you guys eating breakfast or am I going to be eating alone?"

Luna's stomach rumbled on cue. "I… would like something to eat."

Tyr nodded, and then glanced over at the chair on the wall of his room. Luna's ruined clothes lay on top of it. "Ah… Sherry. You have a skirt Luna can borrow?"

Sherry frowned, wondering why he would ask. "I do, but…" She noticed the clothes, and her eyes widened. "Ah… I think I have a something she can use…"

Luna blushed. Sherry left the room, and Tyr got up finally, grabbing some underwear and a pair of jeans. He pulled out a large t-shirt and tossed it to her. "It's probably too big for you, but it'll have to do until I get you home."

Luna nodded wordlessly, pulling on the shirt. It almost looked like a dress on her. "This is indeed too big…"

"You can say that again." Tyr turned away. The sight of Luna in his shirt was oddly erotic. Probably because she didn't have any underwear on under it. "Um… your underwear?"

"Oh!" She slipped into her panties just a few seconds before Sherry came back.

"It's a short skirt, but not too short," she said, handing it to Luna. She took it gratefully. "I'll uh, be downstairs."

She left. Tyr pulled on a shirt, and turned back around. Luna, seated back on the bed, was looking down at her lap. "Something on your mind?"

"Just something I want to confirm," Luna said quietly. "Tyr… am I your girlfriend? Am I correct to assume that you have chosen me?"

Tyr walked over and knelt in front of her. He kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue. Caught off guard, Luna lost her balance and fell back onto the bed. Tyr kept kissing her for a bit before letting go. "Yes. I've chosen you, Princess."

She smiled breathlessly. "Then, your princess orders you to go make breakfast."

"As you wish," He said with a smile. He got up and headed downstairs. Sherry was eating an apple when he reached the kitchen. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay." She smiled. "You and Luna are cute together."

"And what would you know about who looks good together?" He teased, running his hand through her hair playfully.

"I know you've liked Luna since she first started coming over here," she countered. "And when she was angry at you, it really got to you."

"That is… true." Tyr shrugged. "I personally am surprised I fell in love so easily."

"You don't think you love her?"

"No, I know I love her. When she needed me the most, I rushed to her side without much second guessing. To be honest, I didn't even remember when I locked the door." Tyr made a simple breakfast of eggs and toast, making sure to make extra for Luna. He set a plate out for each of them before sitting down.

"I locked it," Sherry said, beginning to eat. "When you rushed out, it woke me up. When I realized you were gone, I locked the door."

"Ah… good job."

Luna came down then, her long hair brushed and covering one side of her face. She still seemed a little embarrassed at Sherry walking in on them this morning. When she saw the plate of food set out for her, she shot a questioning glance at Tyr. He nodded. She sat down and slowly began to eat. The three of them ate in an awkward silence. Tyr glanced at the clock. "Sherry, you aren't going to be late, are you?"

Sherry looked up at the clock. "Oh no! I've got to run!" She grabbed her things and ran to the door. As she reached it, she paused.

"Something the matter?"

She turned and looked directly at Luna. "Take care of my dad, okay?"

Luna blinked in surprise. "O-of course."

"Well, I'm leaving. Bye!" she ran out of the house, leaving Tyr and Luna in a stunned silence. After a moment, Tyr began to laugh.

"What seems to be funny?" Luna asked.

Tyr grinned. "That girl is a lot more mature than I give her credit for."

"That is true."

They finished eating. Tyr put up the plates. "So what do we do now?" He wondered.

Luna didn't say anything, but she got up, went over to the living room couch, and sat down. She turned on the TV. Tyr went over and joined her, sitting beside her. They stayed that way for a bit. Over time, Tyr noticed Luna scooting ever closer to him. Every minute or so, he felt her move over. Then she was resting against his shoulder. Then with an exasperated sigh, she stood up, moved in front of him, and sat down in his lap.

"Um… Luna? Is something up?"

"I want… you to be affectionate with me."

"So you sat in my lap?"

"I do not know how this whole 'girlfriend' thing works!" She cried, out, exasperated. "I know what it means to be one, but not what I must do!"

Tyr slipped his arms around her to comfort her. "Hey, you don't have to know everything. Part of being in a relationship is to work together."

"I… I see. Very well then." She shifted slightly. "Tyr… um… something is poking me…"

"You didn't think you could simply sit on my lap and not have anything happen to you, did you?"

"Oh! Oh my…"

-x-

"It's nice to see Pinkie is back to her usual self," Rarity said. She grimaced a bit as she realized what she said. "Is it too much to ask for her to be a little less… I don't know, Pinkie?"

"You know that's not possible," Twilight said. "After everything that happened yesterday…"

"Has anyone spoken to Tyr or Luna since then?"

"No, I haven't heard from either of them."

"Think we should… check up on them?"

"We should!" Pinkie suddenly appeared. "I've still got to apologize to Luna and Tyr for all the trouble I caused!"

"Well, we can go to Tyr's house first. It's on the way to Luna's anyway."

"Okay! And we can pick up Fluttershy and Rainbow and AJ on the way too!"

Rarity frowned. "Why are we getting them too?"

"Because when someone is feeling down, the best thing to do is surround them with friends!"

"That's… actually true."

"But…" Twilight looked around. "I have to prepare for…"

"We need to get you out of here, darling!" Rarity said. "You've been running yourself ragged in here!"

"But… my preparations…"

"Your preparations can wait. You're the Princess of Friendship, right? Isn't it your job to make sure your friends are alright?"

"I mean… well, yeah, but…"

"Just go already!" Spike said, rolling his eyes from the library's main desk. "Jeez, you think the place will burn down with you not here."

"But…" She sighed. "Fine. At least let me comb my hair and tail…"

"I'll handle that, let's just go!"

They met up with Applejack and the other two girls almost immediately. "Oh, hello everybody," Fluttershy said as they all met outside of a restaurant.

"What are you girls doing?" Dash asked, frowning.

"We're going to go see Tyr!" Pinkie said.

"Now why're y'all going to do that?" AJ asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Rarity said with a slight chuckle. "That is a bit a story to tell…"

AJ was partly aware of what happened, so the recap was more for Dash and Fluttershy's benefit. "Oh my," Fluttershy said once Twilight had finished. "Luna must have been really upset…"

"But you guys aren't together, right?" Dash asked Rarity. She shook her head. "So then what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is Luna thought Tyr lied to her," Twilight said. "I wonder if he ever managed to talk to her…"

"Well, we're going over to see him, right?" Dash asked. "So let's ask him when we get there!"

"He'll probably be really surprised," Fluttershy murmured.

"Surprises are always good!" Pinkie assured her.

"We should get moving," Twilight said.

The other girls agreed and they walked the rest of the way to Tyr's house. As the only one who had actually been over, AJ led the way. "I've never seen his house," Fluttershy said quietly, looking up at it in awe.

"It is pretty big," Dash admitted. "But isn't it just him and Sherry living here?"

"That's all I reckon," AJ said. "Applebloom said he's got enough room for a family of five in there, with guests."

"It is big," Twilight said. "Come on, let's not waste time—"

"Heeeeeey!" Pinkie was already at the door. "Tyr, are you guys—hey, it's open!"

They all came over to their pink friend and found that the door was indeed open. Pinkie pushed the door open and then they could hear voices. "Tyr, stop!"

"What, does that tickle?"

"No… well, yes it does, but it feels funny…"

"Not good?"

"No, it feels good… But at this rate… I thought we were going to take a break?"

"Did you want to?"

"Eek! My, your libido is immense…"

"Tyr!" Pinkie cried out, before anyone could stop her. But it wasn't Tyr who sat up from the couch.

"Pinkie Pie?" Luna sat up in shock. She was still wearing Tyr's shirt.

"The hell…?" Tyr sat up too, forcing Luna to shift back a bit.

"It seems you are indeed quite… manly," Rarity said, looking over his shirtless chest.

"I told you he'd be surprised!" Fluttershy squeaked, blushing and hiding her face.

"Seems we didn't have much reason to worry," Twilight said flatly, narrowing her eyes. "Whatever happened to make you guys make up so quickly?"

Luna and Tyr shared a look. "You guys may want me to put a shirt on first," He said with a sigh.

"That would be nice," Twilight said.

"Hey, you could always just show off that body of yours for us," Dash teased.

Luna fixed her with a glare. "Tyr belongs to me now, Dash." She said quietly.

"I'm just teasing!"

Luna kept her serious look for a moment longer, before breaking into giggles. "I was only joking, Rainbow Dash."

"W-what? Luna was teasing me?" Dash blinked. "What did you do, Tyr?"

The man stood. "I didn't do anything. Well, apart from loving her."

He moved over to the foot of the stairs. Suddenly, everyone gasped. "Tyr… what in the world…?" Twilight murmured.

"What? Luna, you didn't leave scratch marks on my back, did you?"

"That is no scratch mark," Luna said, full of wonder.

Tyr went into the downstairs bathroom, pulled out a hand held mirror, and moved so he could see his back. The girls had followed, and everyone saw his face when he finally saw what it was. Just below his right shoulder blade was a shield emblem with a moon emblazoned in the middle of it. "…Where did this come from?"

"You're not Equestrian, so how do you have a Cutie Mark…?"

"Seems some of our magic came over with us," Luna murmured, reaching up to touch the mark. The shield was silver in color, while the moon was a dark violet. "It's the same shape as mine…"

"I guess that settles that," Rarity said, walking out of the bathroom. The other girls and Tyr followed.

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked.

"What Tyr's destiny is." She smiled knowingly. "It seems our dear Princess of the Night has a new bodyguard."

Tyr glanced over at Luna. She seemed deep in thought, before looking up at him. "…If that is the case, I could choose no better companion."

"But you still haven't told us the story of what got you two together!" Pinkie said.

Tyr sighed. "You still haven't let me get a shirt to put on…"

-x-

After Tyr was sufficiently clothed, Luna retold the story, starting from when She left the library. After leaving for work, she had noticed a group of people following her, but she had assumed they were not related to her at all. It wasn't until she found them waiting on her after her shift was over that she suspected something to be wrong. She had managed to send off the text to Tyr before they had grabbed her. Luna had tried to escape, but they cornered her. Then, it was just hoping he came. "So Tyr came riding up like a knight in shining armor, huh…" Rarity said dreamily. "How romantic."

"Not sure how you get romantic from all of that, sugarcube," AJ said dryly.

"What, you don't? Well, that doesn't surprise me. You don't have a romantic bone in your body."

"Human bodies have romantic bones?" Pinkie squealed excitedly.

AJ ignored her, instead focusing on Rarity. "Well, we seem to be hearing a lot about love from someone who hasn't found it yet."

"I believe we are in the same boat in that regard," Rarity snapped, frowning at her southern friend.

"Girls, stop," Twilight said. The two stopped speaking, but continued to glare at one another. "Goodness. Well, I'm glad you're both safe. You didn't get hurt too bad, did you Tyr?"

"Just a few bruises. Nothing that won't heal though."

"You threw yourself into danger like that without worry…" Fluttershy said quietly.

"I was mostly thinking of Luna at the time," Tyr admitted. Luna grabbed his arm and moved closer to him.

"Well, that's still awesome in my book," Dash said with an appreciative nod.

"Glad I've earned Dash's approval," Tyr said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey! My approval is awesome!"

"If you say so…"

Twilight sighed. "Can any of my friends resist teasing the others…?"

"We probably should go," Rarity said shortly, breaking off her staring contest with AJ. "We don't want to impose on Tyr and Luna's… private time."

"Oh that's right!" Twilight jumped up. "I still have a lot of preparations to do!"

"So do we!" Pinkie sang, falling into AJ's lap.

"What are you two doing?"

"There's a big party planned tomorrow, and we're catering!"

"Sounds like a lot of work," Tyr said.

"It's not that big of a shindig," AJ assured him. "It was more like a banquet for some big important types."

"Still a party!"

"I believe a banquet requires a finer touch, Pinkie," Rarity said.

"What, you don't think I can't plan a fancy party?"

"Not that, but… no games?"

"Course not, silly! I'm not planning it, I'm catering. I just have to provide the best cake ever baked!"

"I suppose that's true…"

"Well, we should still get out of here," AJ said, seeing Twilight politely take her leave. "Come on, Pinkie. We gotta go work."

They got up and left too. Fluttershy stood up. "Dash, we should be going too," she said quietly.

"Come on, Flutters," Dash said. "We can't just hang?"

"No, you two can just watch Luna and I be lovey-dovey with each other," Tyr joked, pulling Luna into his lap and resting his chin on her head. His midnight princess giggled. Although he got obvious eye roll from Dash, Fluttershy's reaction was different than expected. Instead of blushing and looking away, she suddenly looked sad. "Fluttershy? Is something wrong?"

Fluttershy looked at him with a pained look before looking away. "It's… nothing you need to worry about. Dash, I'm leaving."

With that, she left. "Wait, Flutters!" Dash called after her. "Shy, wait!" She went running off after her.

That left Tyr, Luna, and Rarity. "Those girls," Rarity said with a sigh. She glanced over. "Tyr! What happened to the coat I made for you?"

"Take a guess," Tyr replied.

Rarity only had to think for a moment. "Oh! I apologize. But it is nice," She said, murmuring.

"What?"

"That I helped you. I mean, it wasn't much to be sure, but it did take some of the hits for you."

"It was very warm," Luna added.

"And that! Oh, I was a part of new love!" Rarity giggled. "Now, if only Tyr had a handsome brother…"

"Only sisters, sorry," Tyr told her.

"Drat. Oh well. My knight in shining armor will come eventually."

"Be careful with that. Injuries are almost a guarantee."

Rarity smiled and picked up the destroyed jacket. "I'll repair… make you a new one. Free of charge, of course."

"…Thanks, Rarity."

"No problem, darling! However, do you have dress clothes for the banquet?"

"Um… what?"

"You are aware you're going, right?"

"Why am I going?"

Luna looked up at him. "As my date, of course. I was a princess, remember?"

Rarity had a sparkle in her eye. "If you don't have anything…"

Tyr sighed. "…Damn it."

-x-

"You look good; I don't know why you're complaining." Luna said with a soft laugh.

"Don't you think this is a bit much? I feel overdressed." Tyr tugged at his tie. It had been a long time since he had had to wear a suit, and this felt off to him.

"You'll get used to it in time, my beloved." Luna stood up a bit to kiss him. Tyr smiled and pulled her close.

"As long as I have you, I should be." Tyr looked over the woman he could call his own. She was dressed in midnight blue off the shoulder dress with silver tones, and silver moons decorated the hem and neckline. Tyr noticed she wore a lot of moon related jewelry, such as earrings and a necklace. Her long hair was left to freely roll down her back and around her face, while her tail was braided and tied with a silver bow.

Tyr on the other hand was wearing a solid black three-piece suit with a moon decorated tie, moon shaped cufflinks, and a shield pin on his lapel. "I don't even know where Rarity finds this stuff…"

"Come. We should go in."

The town hall was a decently sized building, decorated with gothic designs and tall marble plinths. Tyr felt Luna slip one arm into the crook of his as they walked inside. With the midnight beauty on his arm, Tyr felt a proud smile grow on his face. They entered the front hall and there were a few well-dressed couples there, but most were walking towards the ballroom. "This really is high class, isn't it?" Tyr whispered.

"Such occurrences are not unheard of amongst nobility."

"My town isn't too small, but I didn't expect this many people here," Tyr admitted as they entered the ballroom.

"Most of them aren't from around here," A cheery voice told them. They both turned to find Pinkie Pie standing there in a bright pink and yellow dress. She smiled widely. "Rarity says that this is more like a central point for the locals to meet!"

"Sounds about right," Tyr admitted. "So… how's it going, Pinkie?"

"Wonderful! AJ's enjoying herself in the kitchen and Rarity… Except for Rarity. She's trying to get… um… 'in' with the high class people."

"Oh, Rarity," Luna sighed. A short ways away the seamstress was showing off her bejeweled dress to a group of upper class. "Always trying to better herself…"

"What is this whole thing about anyway?" Tyr asked.

"I believe it was a banquet put on in my honor," a gentle voice said with the hint of a laugh. "Although, I don't think I merit that much attention."

Tyr turned around and found himself face to face with a tall, impossibly brilliant woman with marble white skin, soft violet eyes, and long flowing hair made up of multiple different morning time colors: light pink, baby blue, bright green and soft cerulean. She had a curious smile on her face, like she knew a joke that she wasn't telling. "W-who are you?" Tyr stammered, unable to process how this woman had managed to sneak up on him. Especially in that bright gold and white dress!

A sparkle ran through her eyes. "I should be asking you that, given that you are my little sister's date tonight."

Tyr shot a worried glance at Luna. "Your… sister?"

Luna nodded, surprise on her face as well. "Tyr… meet Celestia, my older sister. Tia, this is Tyr, my… my…"

"Tyr is her boyfriend!" Pinkie exclaimed, unable to control herself. Celestia raised one delicate eyebrow.

"Boyfriend?" Celestia's face changed to one of disappointment. "Luna, I do not approve…"

Tyr felt his heart sink. Only a few minutes into this meeting and already Luna's sister didn't like him? Part of him almost wanted to tell her he didn't care, but he held back. "Sister…!" Luna's eyes widened.

Celestia kept her stern look for a moment longer before breaking into a wide grin. "—I don't approve of you not telling me before-hand! I mean, my little sister falling in love…!"

Tyr felt the weight on him lift. Luna seemed relieved as well. "So… you like him, Tia?"

"I can only go by appearances for now," her sister replied, looking over Tyr. "But I will be watching," She added with a wink.

"I guess that's okay…" Tyr muttered. Luna shot him a look, but Celestia laughed softly.

"It seems it's not only Twilight Sparkle that can surround herself with interesting people," She said.

"Tyr's been like really cool since he met all of us!" Pinkie said excitedly. "He even saved Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Luna!"

"Saved…?" Celestia looked over at Tyr, curiosity on her face.

"It wasn't anything special," Tyr said nervously.

There was a soft clinking of glass as a speaker rose at the front to welcome everyone to the banquet. "Hm, it seems we'll have to postpone our little discussion until later," Celestia said.

"Is there room at our table for Tyr?" Luna asked suddenly. Tyr realized he hadn't thought about seating arrangements.

"There's always room for another," Celestia said with a nod. "However, the company we keep may not be as… clear cut as Tyr is."

Tyr sighed. He hated dealing with rich people. It was even more evident as they took their seats around a large circular table. He sat on Luna's left while Celestia took her sister's other side. Any hopes of Rarity joining them were dashed when she sat down at a table full of older gentlemen and their wives. Pinkie was off in the kitchen, and now Tyr was left with a table full of upper crust. "Who is this man?" One such affluent gentleman demanded as Tyr sat down. "I do not believe I recognize him."

"Mister Hartmann," Celestia said smoothly. "Tyr is a local resident."

"Now why on earth would they let him in here?" The woman to Hartmann's left said. "Sure, he cleans up well, but doesn't anyone…?"

"Tyr is my… boyfriend," Luna murmured softly. All eyes turned to her. Instead of surprise at her words, it sounded like they were more intrigued by her.

"Oh, Celestia, I didn't know you had a sister." Another man said. He gave Luna an appreciative look. "A fairly attractive young woman, to be sure."

"She almost looks like a doll!" A woman said.

Tyr felt a little heat rise in his cheeks. Celestia gave him a worried a look before addressing the man. "Irons, wasn't it? Yes, this is my younger sister Luna."

Hartmann frowned. "You said you were a princess. If that's true…"

"In Equestria, my sister and I ruled jointly."

"How did that work, exactly?"

"I held court during the day, while Luna held court at night. It helped keep us both rested."

"Hah! A fine arrangement." Irons said. "But who was really in charge?"

"Yes dear, tell us!" another woman said.

"Neither Celestia or myself held ultimate authority," Luna said, picking her words carefully.

"Equestrian politics sounds extremely interesting," Hartmann said, almost completely cutting Luna off.

"Two Princesses, how interesting!"

"We actually had four," Celestia admitted. "Although only Luna and myself held any authority over Equestria."

"My…"

The talks continued, and a number of other 'important figures' came to the table to talk to Celestia. As she was the de facto leader of the Equestrians in the human world, it wasn't too surprising they all wanted to suck up to her or make sure she knew them. Luna was ignored even when she spoke up, and Tyr was feeling the small girl beside him become even smaller as she retreated into herself. He himself was hearing the whispers that he had no business being there. In the sea of all the upper crust, they were lost. Celestia tried to get her sister involved, but after the first instance, had tried to divert attention from her sister who had retreated into herself like the moon at dawn. Only a crash from across the hall seemed to draw her out for a moment.

"I'm so sorry!" Pinkie Pie was apologizing profusely to a well dressed woman. She was vainly trying to scrape a piece of cake off the woman's dress.

"This is what we get with local help!" The woman screeched, causing Pinkie to recoil.

"It was an accident! I didn't see you…"

"Obviously not! I'm so much above you after all!" The other rich folk laughed at that, and Pinkie shrunk back. Her trademark curly hair began to deflate. "I knew we should have hired professional help for this occasion."

"It wasn't my fault!" Pinkie said, trying to stand up for herself. She glanced over and saw Rarity standing nearby. "Rarity! You saw, didn't you? I didn't do it on purpose!"

Eyes turned to the seamstress. For once, Tyr saw Rarity look nervous under the spotlight. "Pinkie—er, Pinkamena…" Rarity said slowly. "You… really should have watched where you were going…"

Pinkie stared at her friend for a long time. Then, with a sound like air rushing out of a balloon, her hair fell as straight as a knife edge. Luna rose from her seat. "Pinkie Pie…!"

"…I see." Pinkie said quietly. She picked up her discarded tray of cake slices, dusted off her dress, and straightened up. "Well then. I'm sorry to have disturbed you all."

She turned sharply on her heel and went back into the kitchen. Silence reigned for a bit before the woman from before laughed quietly. "Middle class. All you have to do is put them in their place and—"

"I've heard enough," Tyr said sharply. He stood up from his seat, everyone looking towards him. "I'm getting sick and tired of listening to all of this."

Hartmann rose, glaring at him. "Look here, young man, we've tolerated your presence this whole night—"

"You've ignored me," Tyr corrected. "And Luna too. I could have dealt with it if it was just me you were belittling, but I will not stand for you disrespecting Luna. She's Celestia's sister damn it; and you've treated her like she didn't exist right next to her!"

"You have no right to talk to me like that!"

Tyr left his seat and stood directly in front of Hartmann. "I have the right to speak any way I damn well please, and you have no right to think your money protects you in this town. You'll bite off a lot more than you can chew."

"Yo Tyr!" A big man in a chef's outfit walked out of the kitchen. He was followed by several others of varying ethnicities and builds, all in kitchen attire. "What's going on out here?"

"Reminding the outsiders what kind of town this is," Tyr said quietly. "How's the family, Marcus?"

"Good. Yvonne wanted to invite you over for dinner." He grinned. "You can bring that cute one with you," He nodded towards Luna.

"Wouldn't leave her behind for the world."

Silence reigned for a long minute. Luna moved up beside Tyr and tugged on his sleeve. "Tyr. Let's go."

"You sure?" Tyr glanced over at her.

"As much as I would like to unleash my demon," She said with a soft smile, "I believe you have done enough, love."

Tyr backed off. "Disrespect another of my friends, or my girlfriend, or my town again, and you will be seeing me again." He shot a wave off at the kitchen staff. "See ya, Marcus."

Marcus nodded and led his crew back into the kitchen. Luna slipped her arm into Tyr's and they made to leave. "Luna, Tyr, hold a moment," Celestia said. She rose as well. "I would like to speak to you two."

She joined them as they went out into the foyer. It was quiet there, and Tyr let out a breath as he realized he had gotten so riled up in front of Celestia. He was prepared for her to chew him out, say Luna didn't need an impulsive man…

She laughed.

It was a soft chuckle at first, before growing into a full laugh that almost had her doubled over at the waist. Luna and Tyr looked at her in shock before the laughter became contagious and the three of them were laughing together. After a minute, they finally recovered. Celestia was wiping a tear from her eye. "You're more of a man than I imagined, Tyr," She said.

"Thank… you?" Tyr smiled. "But why did you let that happen? It was a powder keg, just waiting to blow."

"I like to play with fire," Celestia said with a smile.

"Tia, you know you shouldn't do things like this!" Luna said between laughs. "I was afraid of Tyr hitting that man!"

"He would have deserved it," Celestia answered with a nonchalant shrug. "I would have done the same, had he not done so. No one disrespects my sister."

"Tia…"

Celestia turned to Tyr. "You are a good man for my sister, Tyr. I feel like it is safe to leave her in your care."

"You have no idea," Luna murmured, moving closer to him. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"That… really means a lot, Miss Celestia."

"Oh no, none of that!" Celestia smiled. "Considering how smitten Lulu is with you, you may as well call me Tia."

"Tia!" Luna blushed.

"Oh, I said your nickname, didn't I?" She stuck out her tongue. "Oops."

"You did that on purpose!"

While the two sisters bickered, Tyr noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A certain blonde was talking quietly with a pink ghost. It was AJ and Pinkie. "Lulu, I'll be right back," Tyr said. He headed over to his friends.

"Ah, okay," Luna said, seeing him go. "Hey, wait!"

"Hey you two," Tyr said, coming up to the two girls. "Pinkie… you okay?"

The deflated pink balloon smiled softly at him. "I heard what you said from the kitchen," she said. "It was… pretty cool."

"I was sick of the way they treated us all," Tyr admitted.

"I was fixing to come out and give em a piece of my mind too, sugarcube," AJ said.

"It's not that," Pinkie said. "I've dealt with people like that before. It doesn't bother me… much.

Tyr frowned. "…Let me guess. It was Rarity?"

Pinkie looked up at him. "Why? Why would she say something like that? I thought we were friends…"

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity came running—walking quickly, as she was wearing heels—over to them. "There you are! I thought you had gone home already!"

"I'm just leaving," Pinkie said flatly, turning away.

"Pinkie…" Rarity cooed, catching her friend's shoulder. "You know I didn't mean that, darling. It's… a mask I have to wear at things like this."

"A mask?" Pinkie turned back around. Her eyes were dead. "So how am I supposed to know if you're wearing one right now?"

The words cut Rarity visibly, as she flinched back. "Pinkie dear, you know that's not…"

"I always thought we were friends, Rarity. That you weren't just another person only in it for the fame and fortune." Pinkie turned away. "I don't want to talk to you any more, Rarity. So… go back to your masquerade ball. That's one party I don't want to be part of. Bye AJ. Bye Tyr."

She left. Rarity looked like she was going to call out after her, but AJ cut her off. "I think you've said enough, Rarity."

"I need to apologize—

AJ slapped her. Not too hard, but hard enough. Rarity looked at her in shock. "I can't understand you sometimes sugarcube," AJ said evenly. "You take on these… personas of yours just to make nice with the rich folk. I understand that's what you have to do, but as a friend, I can't right accept what you did to Pinkie tonight. You hung her out to dry."

Rarity looked down at her feet. "I'm… I'm sorry…"

"The one you shoulda said that to is already long gone." AJ sighed. "I gotta get back to work. Gotta cover for Pinkie now that she's gone. See ya, Rarity. Night Tyr."

She left too. Tyr was left with Rarity. She looked over at him. "I… I haven't lost your friendship, have I, Tyr?"

"…No Rarity. But I don't know what to do here. I've only known Pinkie for a little while, but I've never seen her like this. I can't do much here."

Rarity let out a deep breath. "I'll… go back in then." She left, heels clicking softly as she left. Luna came over as he was trying to figure out what he could do.

"Tyr."

"Yes Luna?"

"Is everything okay?"

"…Not particularly."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"…I don't know."

"Then we should go talk to Twilight."

Tyr glanced over at her. "Why? What could Twilight know? What, she has a book on 'How to mend broken friendships'?"

"No… but she is the Princess of Friendship."

"…The what of what?"