Chapter 15: Light as a Feather

"Summer time!" Sherry proclaimed happily, bursting into the game room. She leapt into her father's chest as he sat on the couch. "No school!"

"Someone seems to be greatly excited," Luna pointed out. She, Tyr and Chrys had been all on the couch, playing Dungeon Siege 3. Tyr had picked up the game sometime after Christmas, and with Luna's console hooked up to a TV, they were doing three player co-op.

"Of course! Because of school, I don't get to see you guys all that much!" She pouted. "I miss being with dad, playing games with you and Chrys…"

"What is so special about summer?" Chrys asked.

"It's only like, the best season ever!"

"I personally prefer winter time," Luna said softly. "I enjoy the long nights."

"I don't have much in the way of a favorite," Tyr said thoughtfully. [Chrys?]

"Neither do I." She and Tyr had been utilizing their newly formed Bond ever since it had been formed. After all, they had had almost two months to get used to it. Although they could only hear each other's thoughts if they directed the thought at the other. Despite that, the emotional connection they now shared made them very aware of each other's feelings. Mainly because they now felt those feelings.

"No fun," Sherry said, frowning.

With the coming of Summer, or at least the beginning of it, life in town had changed a bit. Tyr was getting more requests for repairs, mainly for air conditioning units. He didn't have to wear his jacket any more, which he didn't like, but now Luna was beginning to wear more short skirts thanks to the influence of Rarity, which he did like. Rarity had begun making special clothes specific to those who had wings, allowing them to be extended without destroying their clothes. Thus unrestricted, it was a lot easier to tell how many Pegasii were in town, as they could now fly to and fro from place to place. With more Pegasii flying, the chill of cold had given way to the warmth of summer much quicker than usual. Luna and Chrys, despite having wings of their own, still preferred to ride on Tyr's bike. He hadn't told them yet, but he had been saving his money from all the jobs and his guard job in order to buy something.

A new car.

It had been on his mind for a while; given his little family had doubled in size in such a short time. So he really did need a car, or even a truck for that matter. Plus, it would help with carrying larger tools for repair work… "Beloved," Luna said softly. "You seem deep in thought."

"I was just thinking about—"

"Thrice damned random number generator!" Chrys cursed. "Can not a single enemy in this game drop decent loot?"

"…Don't mind me," Tyr said with a chuckle. "I think Chrys is having worse luck."

Luna frowned. "I believe you may be correct."

"There is some hidden thing in this game that is preventing me from getting anything decent," Chrys growled.

"Oh come now. It cannot be that bad."

"Says the woman that has already gotten a rare staff and armor!"

Tyr chuckled softly as the two girls began to argue again. It was common enough that he wasn't worried. Luna's playful nature balanced out Chrys's seriousness, while Chrys was competitive enough that it challenged Luna. They had quickly become friends even without him to be the keystone of their relationship. Having Sherry mediate at times helped out too.

Chrys had also become somewhat friends with the other girls, mostly AJ, Rarity and Pinkie. Rarity and Pinkie mainly because Rarity loved the fact that she could use Chrys for a model, while Pinkie just loved making friends. Tyr had been more surprised to hear that Chrys and AJ had become somewhat close. From what he heard, Chrys had gone with Sherry to Sweet Apple Acres to help with getting the farm ready for spring and planting season. Chrys had helped out as best she could, which earned the respect of 'that crazy strong barbarian woman' as Chrys called her. AJ only took offense at the barbarian part. They still regarded her with a bit of suspicion, but it was beginning to wane.

Tyr had become friends with his co-workers, all except for Night Watch. The man still shot glares at him and longing looks at Luna, but a sense of respect had grown between them after the events at Celestia's public speaking incident. Night had protected his girlfriend, while Tyr had proven himself to be highly dangerous, and competent in a fight. They had come to a sort of mutual respect. Speaking of Celestia, the current leader of the Equestrians had taken to dropping by his house to visit her little sister randomly, or playing pranks on her and weird times. According to Luna, while she was quite fun loving herself, Celestia had a silly streak a mile wide and loved joking with people she was close with. On the other hand, Celestia also proved to be a shrewd leader. Since Equestria had worked off a gold currency, she had—in the space of a few months—gathered up what gold pieces her subjects had left, melted them down into bars, and sold them. In a single move, she had made herself the richest woman in three countries, and she had wasted no time investing it, since the bits weren't useful as currency. She had hired half dozen new guards and set Ace as the captain. She still paid him handsomely, though.

"I have an idea!" Sherry said.

"For?" Chrys asked.

"For what we can do during the summer!" She grinned. "Sure, staying home is cool, but we should go somewhere with all the others!"

"And where would that be, little one?" Luna asked.

"We could go to the beach!" She smiled. She was always adorable when she was excited. "It's bound to be even warmer near the ocean!"

The beach. It wasn't so bad an idea, Tyr figured. Especially with everyone there. Plus, he would be able to see— "Wouldn't we need swimsuits?" Luna asked.

Something about the idea of Luna in a swimsuit was more erotic than her completely naked. [Seems you have been, as they say, 'turned on', my Master]

Tyr shot her a dark glare, and the Changeling giggled softly. Sherry didn't notice. "That is true," She said. "I know! If we tell the girls we can all go shopping together!"

Chrys felt a wave of dread roll off of her Master, and she looked over at him concerned. [Are you all right?]

[Women and shopping usually doesn't bode well for me] Tyr thought. [I have three sisters, after all]

"I have never been shopping," Luna said.

"Neither have I," Chrys agreed.

"Then we should ask someone for help."

"We can ask Rarity!" Sherry suggested.

"I suppose that is a good idea," Luna said. She glanced over at Tyr. "Will you come with us, dear?"

"No, this seems more like a girl's night out anyway. And I have something I need to do."

"Something you need to do?"

"And that's how you ended up with the day away from your girl?" Flash asked. He, Tyr, and the other two original guards were at the town's only car dealership, since Celestia was being watched by the others. Tyr had called Ace about buying a truck, and for some reason, he had brought the other two. Didn't bother him much, though. The company was always nice.

"Well, essentially." He went over to a smaller sedan that was colored gold. Too small for him, he thought.

Flash shrugged. "Well, as much as I hate having Twi away from me…"

Ace rolled his eyes. "You two and your relationships."

"Hey man, if you had one you wouldn't be complaining."

"And who am I supposed to be asking out?" Ace narrowed his eyes. "I mean, yeah, I can probs pick up a girl pretty easy, but I want something that will last, you know?"

"Like the car I'm looking for," Tyr mumbled.

"Yeah, like a car—wait, what?"

Tyr waved a hand to get the attention of the dealer. "You guys have any extended cab trucks?"

"Uh, yeah, we do." The dealer walked off briskly.

"Extended cab?" Flash frowned. "What do you want with one of those?"

"You don't carry that much crap around, do you?" Ace asked.

"I highly doubt that," Night snorted. "Unless he's planning to drive that bike around with him."

"Course not," Tyr rolled his eyes.

"Then why?"

"Well, partly because the girls wanted to…go…" He trailed off.

The three men stared at him for a long moment. "…Where do they want to go?" Ace asked.

Tyr coughed. "…The beach."

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US."

"It just happened today!"

"Hm," Flash seemed thoughtful. "Twi was kinda excited when I saw her this morning."

"They're swimsuit shopping," Tyr said, holding Ace away from strangling him.

"SWIMSUITS TOO?"

"What, you expect them to swim naked?" Night chuckled. "If only we could be that lucky."

"This bastard was planning to be the only guy there!"

"No, I'm pretty sure Flash would have been asked to come…" Tyr offered.

"I thought we were friends, man!"

"Look, if it helps, I'll ask the girls if you can come." He glanced over at Night. "You want to come too?"

Night shrugged. "Why not?"

The dealer drove over, with a pretty big silver four door truck. "This what you're looking for?" He asked.

Tyr smiled. The truck wasn't too big, but it was large enough that he could, in theory, carry his bike if necessary. "I like it."

"Never pegged you for a truck man," Flash joked.

"What can I say? I like them." Tyr and the dealer quickly settled on a decent price, for the truck had been preowned. Before long, they were actually pulling his bike onto the truck bed.

"Told you," Night muttered as they locked it down.

"Ha ha." Tyr frowned. "Since I can, I'm going to run this back by my house. Thanks for hanging out with me, guys."

"Well, my girl is hanging out with yours, and Ace and Night are single…" Flash teased.

"Well, maybe after this beach trip I won't be!" Ace huffed. "There will be plenty of girls there, right?"

"I mean, well… yeah," Tyr couldn't bring himself to burst Ace's bubble.

"You'd think it be easy in a race where the men are outnumbered 20-1," Night muttered. "But no…"

"Well, be ready this weekend," Tyr said, hopping up into the cab of the truck. It was pretty spacious, and comfortable.

"What beach are we going to anyway?"

"Celestia said she'd handle it."

The three men shared a look. "Well, I suppose if the Princess is handling it…" Ace muttered.

"We'll see you Friday then."

Tyr nodded and drove off. For once, he didn't feel the rush of wind as he drove, which is something he'd have to really get used to. Well… the sacrifices for the ones you love, right?

-x-x-

"I still can't believe you bought a truck," Luna said, watching Tyr load up their things. She was wearing a sundress of sky blue and a sun hat with a large sun emblazoned onto the side. Tyr smiled. He always thought Luna looked prettier in dresses.

"Well, I had talked about getting a car for a while now, so I decided to go ahead and do it."

"Fair enough…" She glanced over as Chrys and Sherry came out, the latter in a tank top and shorts and the former wearing a sundress as well.

"Well, there are all my lovely ladies," Tyr joked. "You two ready?"

"As ready as I can be to bake under the sun," Chrys said dryly.

"Hey, just sit under the umbrella then." He looked over at Sherry and Luna. "You guys got your swimsuits?"

"Yes!" They both replied.

"Sunscreen?"

"Yes!"

"Spare clothes?"

"Yeas!"

"Enthusiasm?"

Chrys rolled her eyes. Sherry grinned widely. "Yeah!"

Tyr ruffled her hair. "Good. Everyone in!"

"So what beach are we going to?" Sherry asked as they all climbed into the truck. Luna got into the front with Tyr while Sherry and Chrys got into the back.

"Tia says Cadance and Shining Armor are living on a secluded stretch of beach. She said they'd love to have us all there." He pulled away from the house. It was about an hour and a half drive to the beach, so Tyr settled in.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Sherry said.

"You're awfully excited about this," Chrys murmured.

"Of course! Applebloom and Sweetie Bell kept talking about it, and I've never been, so…"

"You've never seen the ocean?" Luna asked.

"Never up close. I've only ever seen pictures."

"It is quite the beautiful sight."

"This coming from the moon princess," Chrys teased.

"How hilarious."

"Oh come on you two, get along," Tyr said with a laugh.

"This is us getting along," Chrys said.

"I see."

The two girls giggled. "It is sweet of you to want us to get along though," Luna said.

"Just want to make sure this drive is somewhat peaceful."

"We'll be good," Chrys purred. [Promise, Master]

[Yeah, whatever]

"Do you know where this place is?" Sherry asked.

Tyr smiled. "I've got a map, no worries."

Even with the help of the map, it was still almost two hour drive to Shining and Cadance's home. It was a wide, two story condo that was built atop a small cliff that overlooked the sea and looked like the top floor had one large window as a wall to one side. As Tyr pulled up in the wide driveway, he noticed AJ's van was already there. "The girls beat us," Luna said thoughtfully.

They all got out of the truck, Tyr moving to grab their things. He heard an engine behind him, and a black car pulled up beside them. He recognized Ace at the wheel and Flash sitting in the passenger's seat. "Yo!" Ace greeted him as they got out. Celestia and Night got out of the back.

"You guys must have started later than us," Tyr said, bumping fists with his friend.

"That would be my fault," Celestia said. "I had them come get me as well."

For once not in business attire, Tyr had the pleasure to see Celestia in a casual dress for once. "Princess," He said respectfully. That got a laugh out of her.

"You don't need to call me that unless you're defecting," She said.

"Hm. Do I get to keep Luna if I do?" He shot a playful glance back at Luna, who blushed.

Celestia looked like she was considering it. "I suppose that is fair enough. I expect four nieces or nephews."

"Tia!" Luna blushed even harder.

"One," Tyr countered.

"Three," Celestia shot back.

"Two, final offer."

"Fine, but I expect one to be named after me."

"Middle name."

"…Acceptable." They shook hands.

"Oh, you two!" Luna complained, embarrassed.

Celestia and Tyr laughed while everyone else simply shook their heads. "Oh, calm down, Lulu," Celestia said. "We were simply playing around."

"You and your jokes," Luna muttered, heading to the house. Everyone else gathered their things and joined her. Before they could knock, the door swung wide open, revealing a bright and cheery Cadance.

"You all made it!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. Her smile lessened a bit when she noticed Chrys, but it was easily missed. "Come in, come in, and put your stuff down! Everyone else is already down at the beach!"

She hurried them inside. "Jeez, excited much?" Tyr muttered.

Cadance had a sparkle in her eye. "No reason~!"

[She wants to see your reaction when you see Luna's swimsuit] Chrys thought.

[What, why?] Tyr thought back. He and the other guys set their bags in a pile near one wall, a short bit away from a similar pile of bags that probably belonged to the girls.

[…I believe I made something called a 'Pinkie promise']

[What is that?]

[I do not know, but I was threatened with a cupcake in the eye if I broke it. You will have to wait]

"Boys, you can go change in Shining's room," Cadance said. "Girls, follow me!"

She led all the others upstairs. Tyr and the guys shared a look. "…Where is Shining's room?"

They found it, after a few minutes of searching. It was decorated with sports paraphernalia and workout equipment. The four of them quickly changed into their swim shorts. "Jeez Tyr," Ace said, glancing over as Tyr packed his stuff up. "How much do you work out?"

"Hm?" Tyr straightened up. "Not that often. Mostly on weekends when I don't have much to do."

"Here I was thinking you'd say every night…"

Tyr rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd think that."

"Can't you keep your mind clean for like ten minutes?" Night complained.

"Nah," Ace said with a grin. "You'd guys hate me if I kept quiet."

"Well, he was quiet on the ride here," Flash muttered.

"Celestia was in the car!" Ace said. "I can't have her think I'm some perverted letch."

"Who's a pervert?" Cadance suddenly stuck her head into the room.

"Agh! Princess Cadance!"

"You guys done or not?" She glanced at Tyr. "…Oh my,"

Tyr frowned. "What?"

She looked him up and down. "Luna wasn't joking, huh…"

"Okay, if you're done molesting me with your eyes…"

Cadance grinned. "If you've got it, flaunt it. Now get out here!"

The four guys came out, only to find Cadance already in her swimsuit, a pink and white two piece that crossed across her back and had a heart shaped ring holding the front together. Tyr couldn't help staring for a moment. "Oh my," He said, meeting her eyes.

"Like I said," She said, turning away and shaking her hips seductively. "If you've got it…"

"You're crazy."

"Better be careful," She winked at him. "Do anything, and not only will Shining kill you, but you'll have two Princesses after you too."

"Jeez, you're a serious flirt!"

"That's my Cady." Shining emerged from a side room. "Do you have to tease my friends, love?"

"I can't help it!" She giggled, hugging him. "Tyr plays along!"

Tyr shrugged. "So I've got two jokester princesses. Wonderful."

"She's relatively harmless," Shining said with a laugh. "Come on, everyone's waiting on you guys."

"I'll go on ahead," Cadance said. "Wouldn't want you boys to not get a good look before I go."

She walked off, swaying noticeably for the following men. "…You're one lucky bastard, you know that Shining?" Ace said.

"I'm well aware," Shining said with a grin. "Come on, let's head down."

The five of them made their way down a long wooded walkway to the beachfront. The sea was bright and shining, and it was a beautiful summer day. The sand felt warm beneath his feet, Tyr noticed, but it was soft and gave way with every step. He basked in the sight for a moment before a voice called out to him, softly, yet for him it could have been someone yelling his name.

"Beloved."

Tyr lowered his gaze to see Luna coming towards him. She was dressed in a dark blue two piece swimsuit; crescent moons styled into the fabric, and was tied behind her neck. He stared, dumbstruck. "…Luna," He managed to reply.

[Ooh.]

[Not the time, Chrys]

[Your body is quite honest, I see]

Tyr shot the Changeling a sharp look, only to find her clad in a string black bikini. […damn you.]

Chrys giggled. "I apologize for keeping it a secret, Master."

Ignoring the confused looks of the others behind him, Tyr moved to meet Luna. The smile on her face at seeing him turned into an embarrassed one as she looked away. "…Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Tyr smiled. "I love it. You look… amazing."

"Good. I took a long time to pick it out."

"No kidding!" Sherry suddenly came over, in a frilly pink swimsuit. "She was the last one to get hers!"

"It's cute," Tyr said. "So is yours."

"Hey!" Twilight's voice called. "Are you guys going to come over or what?"

"Guys…" Ace said as the five men came back together. "I believe I've died and gone to heaven."

Night snorted. "The hell?"

"You realize we're on a beach surrounded by half naked women, right?"

"You realize three of us are taken," Flash pointed out. The girls were rushing out into the water, while the guys set out blankets and umbrellas.

"Oh come on man! You can still admire."

As Flash shook his head, Shining laughed. "So you actually plan to sit here and admire all the girls."

"Well, duh. I'm a man. Come on guys, I could probably run you through each of the girl's selling points."

"Why don't you indulge us," Flash said dryly.

"First, those of us with girlfriends/wives can't get defensive when we get to your significant other. Second, you have to play along."

"Fine."

"Alright," Tyr agreed.

"Fair enough," Shining said. "As long as you don't rag on my sister."

"I think he'd prefer to 'shag' her, I believe," Night snickered.

"Oh, screw you," Ace snapped.

"Let's just get on with it," Tyr suggested.

"Alright!" Ace said happily, clapping his hands together. "Who to do first…"

"You just can't help it can you?"

"Why don't we consider Applejack first?"

"AJ?"

"Yeah, come on. She's a hard working farmer girl who's still got some great hips on her. Plus, that orange bikini top and jean shorts is just too good."

Night shrugged. "Fair enough. Although the thought of a girl who could lift me over her head with ease is kinda a turn off."

"So you'd rather be with someone gentle like Fluttershy then?" Shining asked.

"Ah, the ever shrinking violet that is the pretty Fluttershy," Ace said. "Although she hasn't taken off that wrap of hers, you can clearly see she's got quite the curves on her."

"I think Fluttershy would be too shy for you guys," Tyr offered. Apparently the fact that AJ and Fluttershy were together was still a secret.

"So what, you expect Ace to ask out Pinkie?" Night chuckled.

"She's crazy, but still pretty hot. I mean, I would hazard a guess she's got the biggest front end out of all of them!" Ace said. He grinned. "I mean, that pink bikini isn't doing much to keep them from bouncing…"

"To be honest," Shining said, scratching the back of his neck. "I think Rarity is pretty attractive."

"That off the shoulder one piece does show off her body pretty well," Ace agreed. "She looks good in white." He smiled a bit at his own dirty joke.

Now Tyr felt like that one friend in the group that knew something all the others didn't. Thankfully, Ace was persuaded to continue. "So what about Rainbow Dash?" Night asked.

"Hm. Tight body, athletic build, slim figure… not bad. She sure picked those boy-short bottoms and that tight racing top for good effect."

"She's super competitive," Night said. "I can respect that, but I wouldn't date her."

"Well, what about Twilight?" Ace tried, shooting a glance at Shining."

"Total bookworm, cute though."

"Yeah, Twi has always been one of those," Shining said with a laugh.

Flash shrugged. "She's surprisingly innocent about some things, and I love her for it."

"Who's next?" Ace asked.

Shining sent a smile Tyr's way. "How about Luna?"

"Well…" Ace glanced over at Tyr.

"Go ahead," He told him.

"Well… She's got a small chest, but her body shape makes it work for her." Ace said thoughtfully. "Nice hips for her size, and quite the pretty face. Plus, I just have a thing for girls with long hair."

"I can understand that," Tyr murmured, watching his beloved playing in the sand with Sherry. They were building a sand castle with Applebloom and Scootaloo. It was coming along pretty well, minus Scootaloo's part, which looked like mush.

"What are you all talking about?"

The guys looked up to find Cadance and Celestia standing over them. Tyr found himself staring up at the bottom of Celestia's chest. "Oh my, Tyr," Celestia said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing. She looked good in her white bikini.

"Oh don't you start," Tyr grumbled, looking away.

"You guys were looking at the girls inappropriately, weren't you?" Cadance declared, sitting in Shining's lap.

"Well…" Ace said sheepishly. "Yes and no…"

"I assume you haven't gotten to us yet, have you?" Celestia asked.

"Um… No."

The princess of the sun smiled. "Go ahead then."

She looked to Ace expectantly. As the poor guy stammered and tried to make an excuse, Tyr felt a tap on his shoulder. Chrys was standing behind him. "What's up, Chrys?"

"Luna wished for your presence, Master," She said.

"Well, I can't refuse an order from my princess, now can I?" He stood up.

"Tyr…" Cadance said, frowning.

"What?"

"Dude," Ace said, surprised. "You've got a Cutie Mark?"

"Oh, that." Tyr glanced over his shoulder. "Well… kinda."

Celestia rose and came over to him. She touched the mark lightly, her soft touch making Tyr jump a bit. "When did you get this?" She asked.

"I found it there the day after I confessed to Luna."

"How could you have gotten it…?"

"Maybe the magic of Equestria is seeping back slowly?" Cadance asked.

"Perhaps."

"It started to burn a bit when those Scarecrows attacked," Tyr said. "And then I just felt that Luna was in danger."

"You sensed Luna was in danger?" Celestia asked.

"I guess you could say that."

"Hm. Also… Master?"

Tyr frowned, and then sighed. "I'll explain later." He put a hand on Chrys's back and led her away.

"Did I cause you any undue problems, Master?" She cooed playfully.

"Oh don't start or you won't get hugs for a day."

"…I'm sorry."

They joined Luna and Sherry helping Applebloom shore up a side of her sandcastle. "There you are, beloved," Luna said, coming over to hug him. "What were you all talking about?"

"We were just joking around," Tyr replied.

"Hm. If you say so…"

[You could always tell her you're more aroused by her than the other girls] Chrys thought.

[Chrys… just stop] Tyr sighed. Luna looked at him curiously.

"Is something the matter, beloved?" She asked.

"No, I'm alright."

"What does beloved mean?" Applebloom asked, peeking over a wall of sand she was shaping. Tyr was amazed at the girl's constructive ability. She had made a shoulder high wall of sand that was topped with ramparts and towers, all just with sand.

"It is a sort of affectionate nickname," Luna said after a moment of thought. "It means 'one who is loved'.

"Do you have a nickname for Luna, Tyr?" Sweetie Bell asked, coming over.

Tyr thought for a moment. "…I don't," He said. "I don't think I ever thought of one."

"My sister says that nicknames show how close people are," Sweetie Bell continued. "It's why she calls Pinkie Pie 'Pinkie-winkle'."

"That sounds silly," Applebloom said.

"Yeah, I agree!" Scootaloo appeared behind another wall.

"Oh, don't start, Scoots," Spike said, shaking his head.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

Tyr wasn't paying much attention to them, instead thinking about what Sweetie Bell had said. He hadn't come up with a single nickname to call his beloved princess, and he didn't consider 'princess' to be one. It was her actual title, after all. "Dad?" Sherry asked, concerned.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine." He smiled.

"If you say so…"

"Hey!" Rainbow called. "How about a game of volley ball?"

"I'm always up for a game." Ace asked. "How're we deciding teams?"

"Girls vs. Guys," Rainbow said with a smile. "Five on five."

"Of course, since there are only six guys around…"

"I'll pass," Spike said.

"S-same," Fluttershy squeaked.

"Come on, let's get going!" Rainbow said, holding a volleyball over her head. "AJ, Twilight, Pinkie, come on!"

"I'll be inside," Chrys muttered.

Cadance watched her walk the path back to the house. "…I'll go see if she needs any help." She followed after.

"I suppose I will join in," Celestia said, standing up. "Don't go easy on me, boys."

-x-

The volleyball game lasted well into the evening, the scores staying tied for the majority of the game. Celestia was surprisingly agile, although Tyr and Shining made it difficult for the princess to score. Despite the tie, everyone was so tired they decided to call the game. Tyr spotted Fluttershy out in the water with Sherry, watching the girl as she floated in an inner tube. "I'm tired," Twilight complained.

"You've never been one for physical activity," Flash joked. He got a swat from a violet wing in response. "Ow."

"There's some lemonade in the house," Cadance said, coming back out, Chrys following her. At the prospect of a cool drink, most everyone went inside.

"Ready to go in?" Fluttershy asked Sherry. The pink haired girl thought for a moment.

"I kinda wanna stay out here…"

"I'll watch her," Tyr offered, coming over. They were kinda far from shore, but it wasn't that far.

"Oh, thanks Tyr." Fluttershy swam over and pulled herself out of the water. Her canary yellow bikini was surprisingly modest for all the covering she had been doing.

"Don't mention it."

She went back to the house, Tyr taking a seat on the shore to watch his daughter. She was admiring something swimming around her feet. "Hey dad?" She said suddenly.

"Yeah? What's up Sherry?"

"You won't… you won't ever leave me, right?"

"Leave you?" Tyr frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you and Luna love each other, right? And… and maybe one day you'll have kids and…"

"Sherry. No matter what, you'll always be my daughter. And I will never stop loving you."

Sherry looked down at her feet. The distance between them was long, if only physically. "…Sorry."

"I understand. Freyja was like that when Sif was born. She was afraid I'd stop being her big brother to be Sif's."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Freyja was always the baby, and then Sif was born. She thought we'd stop giving her attention. We didn't."

"Oh…"

"So you don't have to worry." He smiled.

Sherry smiled. "Okay."

"Alright, I think it's time for you to get out, okay?"

"Okay—wait, I think I kicked something."

"…Kicked something?"

"Yeah, hold on." She started to fumble around in the water, reaching for whatever it was.

"Hey, Sherry, be careful, okay?"

"I will, I will… I got it!" She held up a small fist sized cube with strange markings etched into it. Tyr glanced at the object for only a split second, before looking worriedly towards his daughter. She was balanced precariously over the inner tube.

"Sherry…"

"Agh!" Sherry tipped over into the water. She flailed about, trying to stay above the water. "Daddy!"

"Sherry!" Tyr yelled, watching his little girl dip below the water. He was rushing out in an instant, diving into the water after her. She was much further out than he thought, as he swam directly for her. She had sunk pretty deep, and was trying to hold her breath as best she could. Damn current! Tyr cursed mentally. It was pulling her further away, and he pushed his strokes faster to reach her. She couldn't hold her breath for much longer, could she?

Sherry was struggling. She had held her breath as long as she could, but she couldn't anymore. Her mouth opened just slightly, and then water rushed in. She saw Tyr swimming to her, but the water…

Tyr reached her and pulled her into his arms. The small girl had already swallowed some water, and they were too deep. He cursed to himself. He was not letting her drown. He pressed his mouth to hers, forcing his breath into her. Her eyes widened as she realized what he was doing. As soon as he broke away, she clamped her mouth shut. Wrapping her arms around him, Tyr began to swim back to the surface. Then suddenly, he felt his chest tighten. All that movement during the game had tired him out. Almost involuntarily, he felt his mouth open. As he felt the water start rushing in, he reached out for the only lifeline he had.

[Chrysalis!]

-x-

Tyr woke up to a pair of concerned blue eyes. "Tyr! Oh, thank goodness you're alright."

He spit up some water and sat up. As soon as he moved, he was embraced by his daughter. "Daddy!" She sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Tyr looked around to find Chrys and Fluttershy nearby, both kneeling beside him. "You got Fluttershy…?" He asked, coughing again.

"I do not know how to swim," Chrys admitted, looking away. "And Fluttershy was the first one I found."

"I had to um… give you mouth to mouth," Fluttershy said, blushing deeply.

"Ah… well, thanks." Tyr gave his daughter a comforting hug. "I'm just glad Sherry is okay."

Fluttershy smiled. "Well, I'm just glad Chrys called me and got out here in time."

"Thanks, Chrys," Tyr said. The Changeling smiled ever so softly.

"You called for me, Master, so I came," She said. "It is as simple as that."

"We should get back to the house," Fluttershy suggested. "The others may be worried about us."

With Chrys and Sherry's help, Tyr got up onto his feet. With his daughter clinging to his waist and his Changeling following, they went back to the house. As they entered, they found everyone in the living room. "Oh, there you are!" Rarity said. However, once she got a good look at them, her expression fell. "What happened to you, darling?"

"You're soaked!" Applebloom said, pointing at Sherry.

"A couple towels would be good," Tyr said.

"I got you, bro," Shining said, hopping up and going to a nearby closet. He tossed a couple of towels Tyr's way. Tyr quickly wrapped Sherry in a towel before drying off himself.

"Thanks dad," She said, pulling the towel close.

"What happened to y'all?" AJ asked.

"I fell in the water," Sherry explained. "Dad had to come get me."

"Sherry told me she couldn't swim," Fluttershy said. "Tyr had to give her air, and then I had to pull him out."

"And give him CPR," Chrys murmured.

"Lucky guy," Dash said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, AJ," Fluttershy said hurriedly, but the farm girl shook her head.

"It's fine. You were trying to save his life, right? I ain't gonna fault you for that."

"You were only doing what you had to," Luna said quietly.

Tyr glanced around at the empty plates and soda cans scattered around the room. Cadance noticed and stood up. "There's food in the kitchen. Follow me."

Tyr nodded. He glanced back at Chrys. [Take care of Sherry for me]

[Of course] Chrys replied. She moved over to help the girl dry off. Tyr followed Cadance into the kitchen. As she had said, there was a lot of salad and other vegetarian foods scattered about, along with several cans of soda. Cadance quickly whipped up a plate.

"Take that to your daughter and then come back," She said with a playful wink. Tyr raised an eyebrow, but did just so. He went back into the kitchen to find Cadance holding a pair of sodas. She held one out for him.

"I guess you want to talk," Tyr stated, popping open his can of soda. It fizzed quietly as he waited for Cadance to speak. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face, deciding to take a sip of soda before saying anything. With nothing else to really look at, Tyr found himself looking at the Princess of Love. Cadance had tied her hair into a loose braid after being outside for so long, and she was still in her bikini. Even as much as he tried not to look, his masculine instincts kicked in. She was extremely beautiful, a trait the Princesses seemed to share, and her lithe frame and the way she carried it seemed to accentuate that. However, a weird feeling in the back of his mind seemed to remind him that she belonged to someone else, and—even stronger—his heart belonged to Luna. His skin prickled. He frowned, trying to figure out where the feeling came from.

"So you can notice it," Cadance murmured. Her cream colored wings flared ever so slightly before folding back.

"What, the feeling of something nagging me about staying true to Luna? Or my skin prickling?"

"That might be just you, or the influence of my magic." Cadance smiled.

"Your magic?"

"I'm the Princess of Love. My inherent ability was to facilitate and build upon love. I don't do it consciously since I lost my magic, but it seems I still do it naturally."

"So that means…"

"It means at least you can identify magic when you feel it," She said. "Something I don't think humans naturally do."

"So what, am I not human then?" Tyr chuckled. "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I'm human."

"Maybe exposure to one of the most powerful people from our world has… affected you."

"…Maybe."

Cadance sighed. "But that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

"So the real reason?"

"Chrys apologized to me."

"Chrys?" Tyr frowned. "What did she… oh."

"She apologized for what she did to me," Cadance continued, "For imprisoning me and brainwashing Shiny."

"Did you forgive her?"

"…I don't know. I said I would try to drop what animosity I had towards her, but…"

"She's being truthful," Tyr said. "She doesn't want to jeopardize what she's found."

"And what is that?"

"She found friends. Isn't that something you guys always stress? Friendship is Magic, and all that?"

Cadance frowned and turned to look out of the window. "Yeah… I guess."

"You guess?"

"I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. But only because of you, Tyr. You bring out the best in her."

"I'll accept that. Just give her a chance."

"Alright." She turned back to him and smiled. "You're a wonderful friend, Tyr. I'm a little jealous that Chrys has you all to herself."

"Well, if you lived in the same town as us…"

She giggled. "And interfere with your little family? I would never!"

Tyr smiled. "Come on, let's go back to the others."

"They might be going off to sleep," Cadance said thoughtfully. "Since it was so late, I figured everyone would stick around and stay the night."

"Ah, I see." Tyr and Cadance reentered the living room, with the majority of their friends still there. Oddly enough, Luna was absent.

"Lulu said her stomach wasn't feeling well," Celestia said, noticing Tyr looking for her sister. "She went off to the guest room."

"Hopefully it wasn't something from the food…" Cadance murmured.

"Same here," Shining said.

Tyr glanced over at Chrys. [Yes?] She thought, meeting his gaze.

[Cadance said she appreciated what you did] Tyr went over to her.

[…She did?]

[Yeah. Good girl.] He reached out and stroked her hair. She blushed, but a genuine smile crossed her face.

"Well, it's late," Twilight said with a yawn. She smiled over at the four sleeping Crusaders plus Spike. "I think all our little ones are all tuckered out too."

"I'm plum-tuckered myself," AJ said, stretching. She glanced down at the sleeping Fluttershy in her lap. "I'm sure Shy here could use some rest too."

"You guys are free to use wherever," Shining said. "Our house is your house for the night."

Everyone slowly moved off to find space in the house. Celestia came over to Tyr. "Lulu is in one of the guest rooms," She told him.

"I'll take care of Sherry," Chrys assured him softly, holding the dozing girl in her lap.

That earned her another pat. "Thanks Chrys." He smiled as she purred ever so softly. He went over, grabbed a shirt from his bag and put it on as he went to go find his Princess. It didn't take long, as he spotted her sitting in the window of a room facing the sea. With the darkness of the night rapidly deepening, and the soft back and forth of the sea below, it was almost like he had stepped into a painting. Upon hearing him enter the room, she turned to look at him.

"Hello, beloved," She murmured, smiling.

"Hey… Moony," He said. His sudden creation of the nickname surprised both of them.

"…Moony?" She giggled a little in spite of herself. Tyr went over and sat beside her.

"It just came to me. I was thinking about the whole nickname thing…"

"You didn't need to make a nickname for me, beloved. I am simply happy you say my name and even look at me."

"Why wouldn't I look at you?"

"I have… done horrible things in the past. I tried to bring upon eternal night, simply out of jealousy." Luna frowned and rubbed her hands together. "I was jealous my sister was more loved than I."

"Was she?"

"I was banished for 1000 years on the moon because I grew jealous and fought her," Luna said dryly. "All because I was upset the day was more loved than the night."

"But isn't the night comfortable?" Tyr asked, looking outside. "I don't think anyone could really stay awake at night when it is this soothing."

They sat there in silence, listening to the sea. "I wish I had had you to talk to back then," Luna murmured. "Perhaps I would not have made such a rash decision."

"Well, we all have things in our past we regret. But we just have to look forward to the future, right?"

"You are correct," Luna said with a happy nod.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier, although I still feel a little sick."

"Well, some rest will help."

"You are most likely correct again, beloved. Let us retire." She made to move to the bed when Tyr laughed. "What do you find so entertaining?"

"The diction you use," Tyr said, smiling widely.

"I was banished for a thousand years! I apologize if my way of speaking offends you!" She blushed deeply.

"No, I find it adorable. I quite like it."

"…You don't find it strange?"

"No. I love it."

Her blush deepened. "I suggest we go to bed now, before all the blood rushes to my cheeks."

"Alright love."

Gotta love those obligatory beach scenes. And I have to personally admit, Chrysalis is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters to write. Expect her to get a LOT more screen time.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and be waiting on the Library to wake up again to post. ^_^