Greetings again from the Library! Another Friday, another chapter. As always, I am happy to receive your comments, and thanks for the encouragement. As long as inspiration strikes me, I will always continue writing. With the thought that someone out there will enjoy what I write, I will continue.
Chapter 21: Coincidental Accidents
"That actually happened?" Luna asked in surprise. It was a typical morning in the Hymir household, with Tyr preparing breakfast while his girls slowly worked their way downstairs. Luna had come down first, since Tyr had woken her up, and now the two of them were waiting on Chrys and Sherry to get up. Luna didn't mind being alone with Tyr, as watching him make breakfast was… interesting, to say the least. Perhaps she simply just loved watching him in general. She tried to keep the conversation going so she wouldn't get too distracted.
"According to what Tia told me," Tyr said. "Ace and Scootaloo are in the hospital for minor injuries. Nothing too serious."
"Well, that is always good. It would be terrible if something happened to them."
"You can say that again. Ace is my friend, and I kinda wish I had been there for him."
Luna smiled softly and got up, going over to her boyfriend and putting her arms around his waist. "You worry quite a bit about those you care about."
"Of course I do," He said with a smile. He glanced back at her. "Especially those I love."
A yawn from upstairs alerted them as Chrys came down. "Good morning Chrys," Luna said.
"Morning." Chrys pushed her hair out of her face as she came down to the counter. "I woke up because I smelled food."
"But you don't even…" Luna paused as a playful grin crossed Chrys's face. She frowned. "…Oh."
"Oh, go ahead. Don't mind me…"
"Fine then," Tyr said, suddenly turning and pulling Luna close. She had wanted to retort at the smug Changeling but before she could even react, he had leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Deciding to spite Chrys, Luna eagerly threw her arms around her lover's neck and enjoyed the kiss, letting her mouth do all the talking in a different way.
"And now this in the morning?" Sherry's voice muttered. "Come on, dad…"
"Morning baby," Tyr said with a chuckle, breaking away from Luna to smile at his daughter. Sherry had come down while they were… distracted, and had screwed up her face at the sight. Luna chuckled nervously as she felt a blush coming on.
Sherry moved over and sat next to Chrys. She glanced over at the Changeling, a frown on her face. "You didn't ask them to do that, did you?"
"No, I did not," Chrys clarified. "But I most certainly did not mind."
Instead of pressing the issue, the young girl decided to change the subject. "So are we going to the hospital today?" Sherry was obviously worried about Scootaloo.
"Course dear. But you have to get dressed first."
"Okay."
"I have a request, Tyr." Luna said, as Sherry went back upstairs. Chrys had gone hunting for Snow, and the small white kitten ambushed her legs as she passed the couch.
"Hm?" Tyr glanced at her.
"Could you… help me with my hair?" She blushed slightly. "Sherry was informing me of the calming qualities of having someone else brush your hair for you."
"I mean, I don't mind…"
"I would like to try that as well," Chrys said eagerly, picking up Snow in her arms.
Tyr frowned at her. "Wait your turn."
Chrys sat back instantly, adopting an obedient pose. "As you wish, my Master."
Tyr sighed. He had somehow managed to be living with the Princess of the Moon, a masochistic Changeling, and a budding culinary master. Not the life he had imagined two years ago…
"About time you two showed up," Dash said, frowning as Tyr, Luna and Sherry arrived at the hospital. She, her five friends, Flash, Celestia, and the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were out in the waiting room, talking. The three younger girls gathered together as the adults began to talk.
"Now Dash, that ain't a way to speak to somebody," AJ gently admonished. Dash sighed.
"Right, right…" she smiled weakly. "Thanks for coming guys."
"How is he?"
"They're fine," Celestia said, coming over. "Rainbow Dash is freaking out for another reason."
"Why?" Luna asked. "If Ace and Scootaloo are alright, why would Rainbow Dash be 'freaking out'?"
Tyr suppressed a chuckle at the way Luna said the phrase. Celestia simply smiled at her younger sister. "I believe it is due to the other things that have happened."
"What else has happened?"
Twilight, sitting on AJ's other side, spoke up. "Flash and I brought Ace's sister here."
Tyr frowned. "Ace has a sister?"
"A younger sister," Flash said. "She was pretty distraught when I told her Ace was in the hospital."
"Sounds like my sisters…"
"Speaking of her…" Celestia murmured, glancing down the hallway. Everyone turned to look as the sound of wheels rolling across the linoleum floor echoed. A young, snow haired woman in a wheelchair was coming towards them, a soft smile on her pale face. "Here she comes now."
Dash seemed to freeze at that, and didn't move until the girl was only a short distance away. She surveyed the room with her crimson eyes, her smile growing. "I didn't intrude, did I?" She asked softly, her voice sounding like music.
"Not at all," Celestia said smoothly.
"Good! Oh, I should probably introduce myself, shouldn't I?"
"I reckon that would help, sugarcube," AJ said with a chuckle.
Pinkie bounced up and down. "Ooh, ooh, let me guess—"
Rarity clamped her hand over Pinkie's mouth before she could go any further. "I think it may be best for her to just tell us, Pinkie dear."
"Mmkmy!"
"I think she said okay," Twilight said, chuckling softly as Pinkie nodded vigorously.
The snow-haired girl giggled. "My brother knows a lot of interesting people. My name is Heart Song, although I would like you all to simply call me Song. Or, you could call me by my nickname, Beat."
"Oh, I get it," Fluttershy said softly. "Like a heartbeat, or the beat in a song."
"Exactly," Beat said with another smile.
"Let me introduce everyone," Celestia offered.
"Thank you very much, Princess."
Celestia ran through everyone's names, giving Beat a chance to learn them. When she got to Tyr and Luna, the girl paused. Her red eyes widened a bit up meeting his, and they stared at each other for a long moment. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he smiled awkwardly. "There isn't anything on my face, is there?"
"Oh!" Beat blushed heavily and looked away. "I apologize, I didn't mean to… it's just your eyes are the most beautiful shade of silver…"
"I usually get weird looks because of my eye color," Tyr said honestly. "Never had someone admiring them."
"Beat is a painter," Flash said with a smile. "Colors are her thing."
"Considering I have almost none," Beat joked. "Although my Cutie Mark says otherwise…"
Tyr noticed the symbol of a pure white heart with a single quarter note in its center on the back of her hand. "You sing?"
Beat nodded. "Yes, I have been told my singing has a healing quality to it."
"I would love to hear that," Luna said.
"You're… or you were a unicorn?" Twilight asked.
Beat nodded again. "Yes. I got it from my mother's side. Ace got his wings from our dad. Although ever since the Merge, Ace has essentially been my parent." She smiled sadly and looked down at her legs. "I haven't been the most helpful, considering my condition."
"Condition?" Fluttershy asked.
"I can't really walk. Well, to be more precise, I can walk, but not for any real length of time. It causes me a lot of pain when I do. So I'm confined to a wheelchair most times, and Ace usually carries me for anything else. I don't weigh a lot, and my brother is really strong."
"Your eyes…" Twilight murmured. Beat glanced at her, and she realized what she had said. "Oh, I didn't mean…"
"It's alright," Beat said, giving her a comforting smile. "It's a familial trait. Big brother wears colored contacts because people have told him that its disconcerting with eyes like ours."
"Ah, I noticed his eyes the other night." Celestia nodded. "Although it is strange to see them like that, I have to admit I find them quite beautiful."
"I think he'll be happy to hear that, Princess Celestia. He really does admire you." Beat blushed a little. "As do I."
"C-can we go in and see him now?" Dash asked nervously.
"Oh!" Beat gasped slightly, hand coming up to cover her mouth. "That's what I had come out here to tell you all. When the doctors told Ace you all were here, he asked me to come let you all in."
"Well, we should go see him then," Twilight began, but barely had she finished her sentence before Dash had lived up to her name and hurried past Beat. "…Dash?"
"I swear, that girl has no tact," Rarity said with a sigh.
"Of course she doesn't have tacks, silly Rare-bear!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "Why would Rainbow Dash be carrying those around?"
"Pinkie-winkle, I said tact. T-A-C-T."
"That doesn't sound as fun as jacks."
"Jacks? Why on earth are we talking about… oh never mind."
"Let's just go in," Applejack suggested, laughing quietly. Everyone else agreed, and they all headed down to the hospital room. As Fluttershy passed by Beat, she paused.
"Um…" She began, not completely sure how to address the girl. "B-beat?"
Beat looked up at her, her red eyes hiding some kind of hidden laughter. "Yes?"
"Do you… need someone to… um… roll, er… push you?" Fluttershy blushed heavily. Despite spending so much time with the honest and personable Applejack, she still found it hard to speak to people she did not know. Those red eyes didn't help matters either.
"I can handle it on my own," Beat said with a soft smile. She held up her hand to show the mark there. "I was a Unicorn in Equestria, and I can manage well enough. Although thank you for the thought."
"Oh, no problem."
Ace had a huge grin on his face as all his friends entered the room. "Nice to see I'm so loved!" He said jokingly.
"Yeah, I'm obligated to make sure you haven't killed yourself," Flash said, punching his friend in the shoulder. "How are you holding up?"
"Scootaloo and I have been hanging out," Ace said, glancing over at the girl. She was surrounded by her three friends, Sherry and Applebloom watching while Sweetie Bell hugged their tomboyish friend tightly.
"From what I hear you were quite gallant," Rarity said.
"I believe he was attempting to be a…" Celestia frowned slightly. "What is the word…"
"Badass?" Scootaloo asked.
"Language, young lady," Ace said, laughing. Scootaloo stuck out her tongue at him.
"Oh dear, he's trying to be a role model," Flash muttered. "Someone call the doctor and make sure this is actually Ace."
"Be nice, Flash," Beat admonished. She wheeled herself over to her brother. "this is my loving brother, and I'd know him anywhere."
"I'm so glad you're alright, Scootaloo," Sherry said.
"I'm tough, don't worry!" Scootaloo grinned. "Oh! Right, you guys gotta see this!"
"See what?" Applebloom asked. Instead of replying, Scootaloo simply rolled over onto her side and shifted the back of her shirt up. The three girls gasped in surprise at seeing her Cutie Mark. "Oh! You got your Cutie Mark too!"
"Too?"
"Oh…" Applebloom blushed. "I um… got my Cutie Mark yesterday…"
"You too!?" Sweetie Bell cried. "I got mine too!"
"We all got our Cutie Marks yesterday?" Scootaloo remarked, surprised.
"I already had mine," Sherry said, smirking. The other girls shot her flat looks before breaking out into giggles.
"I'm glad we all got our Cutie Marks," Sweetie Bell said. "I was afraid you guys would be upset I got mine before you did…"
"Why would we be upset?" Applebloom asked. "I mean, I reckon I would have tried a lot harder to get mine… But we're friends, right?"
"Friends till the end!" Scootaloo chimed in.
"I told you that you didn't have to worry," Tyr said with a smile.
"I am so happy to see you little ones have finally found your talents," Celestia said with a warm smile.
"And now we don't have to worry about y'all doing anything dangerous anymore," Applejack said.
"We still wanna have fun, big sis!" Applebloom pleaded.
"Nothing dangerous," Rarity asserted. The Crusaders let out a collective sigh and nodded.
"By the way," Beat said suddenly, glancing over at Dash. She had sat down next to Ace on his bed, and was awfully close to him… "You two seem close."
"I was just wondering that," Twilight said. "You did run back in here once Beat told us we could come in."
Dash glanced at Ace. He simply shrugged. "I suppose it's fair to tell you guys…" Dash muttered.
"Tell us what, darling?" Rarity asked. Dash blushed slightly and looked down at her hands. "My dear, you're acting as shy as Fluttershy!"
"And that's something," Fluttershy murmured.
"Let me," Ace said, putting a comforting hand on Dash's back. She simply nodded. "Well, everyone, Something great happened."
"Uh huh," Flash murmured. "Stop trying to prolong it."
Ace grinned. "I proposed to Dash."
"You. Did. What!?" Rarity exclaimed.
Dash smiled sheepishly as everyone in the room gasped in shock. "I said yes."
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Pinkie squealed. "I totally have to throw you a congratulations-on-getting-married party!"
"I wasn't expecting that," AJ said, shock still on her face. "You actually said yes, huh?"
"I mean, I have kinda been running away from commitment," Dash said sheepishly.
"So you decided to marry Ace?" Twilight frowned. It was obvious she was still skeptical about the whole situation. Despite how happy she felt she should be about Dash and Ace getting married, she still couldn't shake the feeling this was all too fast. "Don't you think that you're being a bit… quick?"
"Yeah, I am. But you know me, once loyal, always loyal!" Dash grinned.
Considering that, Twilight changed her opinion completely. Even if Rainbow was rushing things, she'd never betray Ace's feelings. "I guess you're right. I hope you two are happy together."
"Well, as long as Ace doesn't screw anything up," Flash joked.
"Oh, shut up!" Ace said with a laugh, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder. "You're just jealous I'm getting married before you and Twilight."
Both the librarian and the guardsman blushed slightly at hearing that. "W-well, it's not like we haven't thought about it…" Twilight began.
"Oh, darling, you two must simply get on with it!" Rarity complained. "You know we're all waiting!"
"W-whatever!"
Tyr chuckled softly, although there was a bit of trepidation in it. Marriage had been a concept that had been on his mind for a while now. Glancing over at Luna, he tried to read her expression upon hearing the idea of marriage. She was smiling, but it was difficult to tell if it had bothered her or affected her in some way. He turned back before she could look at him.
Luna caught the sideways glance Tyr had shot over at her. "Is something the matter?" She asked softly.
"Hm?" He glanced back over at her, seeing a look of concern on her face. He smiled warmly back to assure her. "I'm alright. Just relieved Ace didn't get himself killed."
"It would have been an honorable death!" Ace said grandly, pounding his hand against his chest. He winced. "…Ow."
"You're such an idiot sometimes, big brother," Beat said with a playful giggle.
"A lovable idiot," Ace said, pulling Dash into a one armed hug. The athletic girl grinned and kissed his cheek.
"Well, I reckon y'all were made for each other then," Applejack said with a chuckle. "Two lovable idiots."
"I really have to get started on this party!" Pinkie squealed again.
"Pinkie-winkle, don't you have work?" Rarity asked, tapping Pinkie on the shoulder.
"Oh! Well… planning can come later then."
"Hey, can we come too?" Sweetie Bell and Applebloom asked suddenly.
"You two hungry or something?"
"Nah, we wanna help Sherry bake some stuff for Scootaloo!"
"Oh, that sounds like fun!"
Sherry smiled softly. "I guess I can show you guys my new recipes."
Pinkie bounced up and down happily. "Then what are we waiting for? There's sugar waiting to be baked!"
A stream of confetti followed Pinkie as she led the three girls out of the room. "I guess we should be leaving as well, darling," Rarity said, brushing some confetti out of her hair. "You both keep yourself healthy, alright?"
"Kay," Ace and Scootaloo replied.
"We'll meet up later," Tyr said, waving as they moved to the door with the others. Ace waved back, he and his little sister getting into a conversation.
"So what do we do now?" Luna asked once they were out in the hallway.
"I guess we drop Sherry off. And then…" He smirked. "Wanna go home and play around?"
Luna blinked, and then blushed deeply. "I… um…"
Tyr laughed, realizing what Luna had thought. "I mean play a game, Moony. Like, on the PS3?"
"Oh! Oh… right. Oh, stop laughing at me!"
-x-
"We need another chocolate cake!" Mr. Cake called from the front counter.
"Coming~" Pinkie said, balancing a cake on her head, and two others in her hands. Bouncing along, she passed by Sherry and her friends working at cleaning a messy counter. "Oh ,you guys made a big mess! Why didn't you invite me?"
"It was unintentional!" Sweetie Bell protested, dusting flour off her face. "My… um… whatever I was making exploded!"
"I still can't figure out how you made dough explode," Applebloom said, shaking her head at Sweetie Bell.
Sherry giggled as she pulled a tray of cinnamon rolls out of the oven. "I think you may have put too much yeast in it."
"How much should I put in then…?"
Pinkie put down the cakes on the front counter. "I'll show you!" She sang, bouncing back over. Sherry smiled as she took the tray of cinnamon rolls up to the counter.
"Oh, so those are the famous cinnamon rolls?" A musical female voice asked. Sherry looked up to find a young woman with long, silky straight black hair and piercing green eyes. Her skin was pale, yet her slender, womanly body gave her a refined air about her. A simple black off the shoulder dress accented her features, and a pale white jacket covered her shoulders. A black sunhat sat atop her head, adorned by a black rose. A raven necklace hung low as she leaned over to smell Sherry's baked goods. "They smell wonderful."
"T-thank you…" Sherry stammered. The woman was incredibly beautiful, and Sherry found herself unable to look away.
"Dear, it seems we have the right place."
The woman was addressing the man to her right, an average height man with long black dreads. He was dark skinned, more than likely darker than Tyr, and his eyes were a dark violet red. He was wearing a black trench coat, and his hands were shoved in the pockets. As Sherry met his eyes with hers, she could see what looked like laughter in them, the same kind of look he saw on Pinkie Pie's face whenever she was being silly. "Well, hello there," He said amicably. He smiled softly. Despite his somewhat imposing presence, he gave off a kind aura.
"Um… hello." Sherry swallowed. "Are you… um… here for something to eat?"
"Ah, you're offering?" The man grinned slightly. Sherry stared at him in confusion for a long moment. The woman in black nudged him with her elbow. "What? I'm only teasing, Mercy."
"I'm well aware, Jehu." Mercy frowned.
"…What my wife is saying," Jehu said with a chuckle, turning back to Sherry. "We heard about some famous cinnamon buns that were sold here."
"We were passing through, so we decided to see if the rumors were true," Mercy added.
"I don't think they're good enough to warrant being called famous," Sherry said modestly. The two adults before her smiled warmly.
"A modest heart is always refreshing," Mercy said with a soft laugh. "Regardless, we would like to try them for ourselves, if you please."
"Um… yes, please!"
Jehu and Mercy sat down at a nearby table while Sherry hurried back to retrieve some of her cinnamon rolls. She spared a dough covered Sweetie Bell a confused look before continuing on to grabbing the rolls. She put a pair on two plates before going back out. Jehu and Mercy were talking quietly, looking up when she approached. There was a strange cube on the table between them that was covered in strange runes. Jehu shifted it over as Sherry came over. "Ah, that smell is heavenly," Mercy murmured.
"I can agree with you there, love." Jehu grinned as Sherry set the two plates in front of them.
"P-please enjoy…" Sherry said. Why was she so nervous? Sure, she normally didn't serve customers, but why did this feel so… hard? As she was contemplating that, a comforting hand alighted atop her head. She looked up to find Jehu's hand gently rubbing her head.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Jehu told her. "We won't hurt you."
Mercy nodded, delicately cutting one roll into pieces and putting one piece in her mouth. Sherry hadn't seen anyone eat that delicately except for Rarity. "I understand my husband seems threatening, but he's just a big softie inside."
Jehu shot her a glare. "Hey, I have four daughters. I kinda have to be a softie."
"You have four daughters?" Sherry asked in surprise.
"Yeah, four loving girls." Mercy smiled. "Only one of them isn't mine."
"Our youngest is a girl we've technically adopted," Jehu explained, seeing the surprised look on Sherry's face. "Her mother asked us to take care of her."
"Oh…" Sherry thought for a moment. "I was… I mean I am adopted."
Jehu and Mercy's eyes widened at that. After a long moment of silence, Jehu smiled softly. "Are you happy with your new parent?"
Sherry brightened at that question. "Yes! I love my dad a whole lot!"
"Then that is good enough in and of itself," Mercy said with a smile.
"I agree. Plus, there's Luna and Chrysalis at home too, so I have a family that loves me very much."
"Well, that's always good," Jehu said. He grinned widely. "Family is always important."
"Mmhm!"
Jehu glanced down at the table. "Well. I was not expecting that."
Sherry frowned, not understanding what he meant. "Mr. Jehu?" She followed his gaze down to the table. To her shock, she found her hand resting atop the cube. "…What?"
"It seems we were correct," Mercy said, a frown deepening on her face. "Although I was not expecting her to be drawn to it so…"
"What's going on…?" Sherry asked, frightened. The cube had begun to glow, and a soft dark violet light emerged from the runes. Her panic was beginning to grow by the second.
"Now, I need you to not panic," Jehu said calmly. "What you are experiencing is resonance with a very old relic that has the ability to affect reality based on the whims of its owner. It seems that you are its owner."
Sherry stared at him. "Owner?"
"Wielder, possessor, blah, blah… You're the one it decided it to react to." Jehu shrugged. "So now what happens…?"
"You don't know!?"
Jehu shrugged. "No. I brought that thing with me on a whim. I didn't expect this at all. Although it is kinda a good thing."
"How!?"
"Um… dear," Mercy said slowly, glancing out the window as she dapped a few crumbs off her lips. "It seems we have very little time to explain."
Sherry looked out of the window to see a scene of abject terror. A crowd of people, human and Equestrian alike, were fleeing from massive creatures made of stones bearing the same symbols. Her mouth fell open as the creatures shifted and transformed into a myriad of shapes, from lions and bears to even massive serpents. The sounds of panic could be heard even from inside the shop. "What in Celestia's name is going on?" Mrs. Cake cried, freezing in the middle of the shop.
"This got out of hand really fast," Jehu said with a low whistle. He stood up, grabbing his cinnamon roll and munching on it as he faced the window. One of the stone creatures, in the shape of a tiger, turned and looked at him. With a loud snarl, it leapt through the window at him. Mrs. Cake screamed.
"Mr. Jehu!" Sherry cried. The dark skinned man didn't move as the stone tiger closed in on him. He was going to die—
"Now that's not polite at all," Jehu said with a wicked grin. Just before the stone tiger could close on him, he stepped to the side, letting it pass by harmlessly. Then, with his right arm, smashed it into the ground with a savage blow. The tiling on the ground shattered, and shards of stone and tile scattered like broken glass. Jehu straightened up as the stone creature shattered into pieces. He dusted his arm off. "Well then."
The voices of the other customers reached Sherry then, most expressing distressed at what was going on outside while others were remarking at the scene they had just missed. "What's going on out here, everybody?" Pinkie asked, peeking out from the kitchen. "Did I miss something fun?"
"Nah, I just broke something," Jehu said, glancing at the pile of stones on the floor. "Do I have to pay for it?"
"It's not from the shop, is it?" Pinkie asked, coming over. "If it isn't, you don't have to pay."
"…It's not from the shop," Jehu said with a grin.
"Then you don't have to pay!" Pinkie said cheerily.
"Wonderful!"
"Jehu," Mercy murmured softly. "There are quite a few more."
"Well, we should do something, huh?" Jehu walked over and put a few bills on the counter and then went back over to his wife. Mr. Cake stared down at the small wad of cash on the counter top.
"Um…" He stuttered a bit.
"Yes?" Jehu turned slightly.
"This is t-too much, sir…"
"Hm. Well, I didn't really count it out, did I?" Jehu thought for a moment. "Well, take out the cost, and then give the rest to her." He jerked his thumb towards Sherry.
"M-me?" Sherry said, incredulously.
"Consider it a gift." He grinned. "We did just change your life."
"Darling," Mercy said, a little roughly. "We may need to go outside."
The outside street was in chaos. Stone creatures were running rampant, attacking everyone on sight. The street was littered with injured and Jehu could easily see there were some dead. He bit his lower lip in consternation. "Well, this is well outside of our expectations…"
"I'm beginning to regret not bringing the girls with us," Mercy muttered.
"Aw, this way we have more fun!"
"…Can you ever not consider how fun things are?"
"Hey, life is fun."
"Honestly, I don't know how I put up with you."
"You love me, of course!"
A trio of Equestrian girls ran past, pursued by a massive stone snake. Mercy glanced at her husband. "…Shall we?"
"We SHALL!" Jehu roared victoriously, leaping out of the store and smashing into the side of the stone snake. To the horror and amazement of the people in the store, the impact knocked the snake off course, grinding it into the side of a nearby building. In a shower of stone and wood, the snake fell to the ground. Jehu emerged from a hole in its side, a wild grin on his face as he ripped out a glowing violet stone from its core. A wash of violet light exploded from inside the stone beast, a screech of a violent sound piercing the air. The snake fell apart into a myriad of smaller stones. Jehu looked surprised, and glanced back at his wife. "I think I broke this one."
Mercy shook her head, but a small smile was on her face. "Sherry? Stay close. They will more than likely come after you."
"Why?"
"Because you're holding the cube. Obviously, they're either after it, or…" She trailed off. "Or they're trying to eliminate all threats they perceive…"
"Who are you two…?" Sherry asked timidly, holding the cube close to her. She didn't know what it was, what it did, or where it came from. But something in the back of her mind told her to hang onto it, constantly reminding her that she needed to keep it close.
"Us?" Mercy thought for a moment before smiling softly. "We're just travelers."
She dashed out of Sugarcube Corner, Sherry following a moment after. Jehu had vanished further into town, but the sounds of fighting could be heard from further away. "Miss Mercy, what are we going to do?"
"Jehu will attempt to draw them away from any civilians while I hunt for those that stray. You simply stay beside me and stay safe. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes!"
"Good girl." Mercy held out her left arm, and a black metal bow of an elegant design formed in her hand. Her clothes rippled and flowed, changing into a pure white blouse accompanied by a frilled skirt that fell just past her knees. She smiled, eyes glowing ever so softly. "Now. We hunt."
-x-
"I didn't know you were into these kind of games as well, Tyr," Luna said quietly, watching her beloved play Rome Total War on his computer in the game room. Tyr was expertly maneuvering his units around the videogame battlefield, outsmarting the computer and easily snatching victory. He smiled triumphantly as he leaned back in his seat.
"I play a lot of different things," Tyr said honestly. "Whenever I see something interesting, I try it out. The Total War series fit my love of strategy games."
"It seems difficult."
"It's because you don't know how to play. See, if I taught you, it wouldn't seem so bad."
Chrys glanced over from tickling Snow's stomach. "Isn't that true of most things?" She asked lazily.
"I suppose that is true," Tyr agreed with a chuckle. "In my case, I just like ancient military history. Especially things like siege equipment. I guess that's the engineer in me."
"Hm…" Luna looped her arms around Tyr's neck. "Well, whatever you enjoy, I simply enjoy being able to enjoy it with you."
Tyr turned his head enough so that his lips could meet hers. As he was once again reminded of how soft Luna's lips were and how much she smelled lightly of blueberries, He felt Chrys's gaze on them. [Does this bother you?] He thought.
[…Not particularly]
[If it does, you can tell me]
[I'm fine]
[Chrys. Your Master demands you tell him what's bothering you]
[…I feel left out]
Tyr and Luna ended their kiss. "Left out?" Tyr muttered, glancing past Luna to look at Chrys. She wasn't looking at them, instead watching Snow trying to squeeze between the couch cushions.
"We would like it if you two didn't hold conversations while we are kissing you," Luna said, narrowing her eyes at Tyr. He smiled back apologetically.
"Heh… sorry Moonie."
Luna turned to Chrys. "And you. What do you mean you feel left out?"
Chrys was silent for a long moment, obviously attempting to search for the proper words to say. "I… as much as I do not need sex to live, you can understand if I feel a little frustrated."
"…Frustrated?" Luna could see where this was going. Unbeknownst to both Tyr and Chrys, she had been using her magic at night to look through dreams, as she used to in Equestria. Chrys's dreams had mostly entertained the idea of her, Luna and Tyr spending the night together. Tyr seemed a bit more out of the loop, but as he explored his Bond with Chrys, he could feel what Chrys was feeling. Suddenly, all three of them were blushing.
Chrys let out a small breath. "…I want… to at least… relieve… my stress," She said slowly.
"Oh god," Tyr muttered, resting his face in his hand.
Luna's blush deepened. "You want to have s-sex with Tyr?"
Chrys's blush deepened as well, but she tried to keep a straight face. She unconsciously started messing with her collar. "I mean, I actually am repulsed by the idea of it being anyone but my Master…"
"As much as I can understand that…" Luna began, before pausing in thought. "…I may be spending too much time around you. I am actually considering this…"
Tyr suddenly sat up in his chair. Chrys grinned at the motion. "Getting excited, Master? Looking forward to having two Luna's?"
Luna stared at the Changeling in shock. "You haven't let go of that… ridiculous idea!?"
"Well, I haven't heard Master refuse it yet…"
"Shush, you two," Tyr said, holding up a hand. The two girls stopped talking and fell silent. "Do you… do you hear screaming?"
"Yes, I do believe I do," Chrys said, sitting up. "Also, I distinctly taste fear."
They jumped up and rushed out of the game room, quickly leaving the house and emerging outside. They froze upon seeing the devastation before them. A large number of people were fleeing from a pack of stone wolves. "What on earth…!" Tyr breathed.
"We need to help them!" Luna declared.
"Well, considering the… creatures we face, I don't think I can really help much," Tyr said. The rocky exterior of the creatures would more than likely resist a bullet.
"I believe you have sold yourself short, Master," Chrys said, hands glowing with dark green light. "Have you forgotten about your own magic?"
"I've barely managed to master levitation!" Tyr protested. "And now you're expecting me to use it in a combat situation?"
Chrys went over to him and pushed her face into his. "Perhaps having your life on the line will hurry your mastery."
"Remember beloved," Luna said softly. "Your magic is shaped by your thoughts. Focus."
Tyr sighed. "…Alright. I can't sit by while my town is under attack anyway." Tyr focused his mind on activating his latent magic, managing to at least activate it. The silver glow almost seemed digital in nature, looking like pixels of energy wafting off of the aura.
A roar distracted them then, and they turned to look. A massive stone beast in the shape of a huge boar was charging towards them. "Oh dear," Chrys murmured.
Luna's magic surged forth, and she launched a salvo of dark blue magic towards the stone boar. The bolts of energy smashed into its hide, chipping off stone but causing no serious damage. Luna leapt aside as the boar continued its charge, using her wings to quickly get out of the way. "It is a lot tougher than it looks," she murmured.
Screams from behind them distracted Tyr for a moment. The wolves were chasing a group of girls towards them. He recognized Bon-Bon and Lyra in the group. "Master! Careful!"
Tyr whirled on the spot to see the stone boar bearing down on him. He leapt aside, barely managing to dodge out of the way in time. The boar's charge took it into a nearby house, levelling it. "Such indiscriminate destruction…" Luna muttered, incredulous.
"Lyra!" Bon-Bon screamed as her blonde friend tripped. Lyra turned over in time to see a stone wolf leaping for her throat. Fangs slashed down, but impacted something hard.
"Wh-what?" Lyra breathed, looking up at the wolf. A suit of silver armor stood between her and the stone beast, a shield of silver energy holding the beast back. She looked back to find Tyr, his arm outstretched and glowing with his silver aura. "H-how…?"
"Move!" Tyr commanded, shocking the musician to movement. She stumbled to her feet just as Bon-Bon rushed over to drag her away. Now, with a new threat, the stone wolves turned to Tyr. He smiled nervously. "I didn't mean you…"
They charged him. "Tyr!" Luna cried out, but the boar was charging at her and she had to fly out of the way again.
"Figures all I can think of is video game stuff," Tyr said ruefully as the wolves closed in. "PHALANX!"
A squad of silver armored soldiers with long silver pikes formed around Tyr, weapons lowering just as the wolves reached him. The stone creatures broke apart against the wall of points. The wolves that survived quickly retreated, regrouping a short distance away. Tyr dismissed his soldiers, eyes drifting to the aura around his hands. "He can make constructs…?" Chrys murmured, surprised.
"CHRYSALIS!" Luna called out sharply. The changeling turned, and came face to face with the boar.
"Oh." Chrys frowned. "Hellfire and damnation—"
She didn't get to finish the curse, as the boar head-butted her clear across the street into a nearby building. She smashed through a window and into the inside, slumping to the floor, unmoving. "Dear night, is she alright?" Luna asked, horrified.
"She's alive," Tyr said, facing down the stone boar. The runes along its body glowed ever so softly. Chrys was alive, but that blow had knocked her unconscious. The power this thing had was immense, and he was sure one blow would knock him out as well. Or worse, kill him outright. "…Luna—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, he felt the mark on his back flare to life, burning like a brand. Both he and the stone boar turned at the same time.
"Wait, what?" Luna blinked as both the massive stone creature and her boyfriend came charging at her. Tyr reached her first, wrapping his arms around her as the boar closed in. "T-Tyr!"
"Tortoise," Tyr muttered, and his magic flared to life in response. A shell made of pure silver shields manifested around them, held in place by armored figures. The shields locked into place just as the boar hit them. To Luna's shock, the impact shook the shell, but did not break it. The boar, deflected by the defense, slid to the side, its charge taking it right into the side of Tyr's home.
"Oh no…!" Luna said, horrified. The impact had torn a huge chunk out of the left side of the house, knocking a hole into the kitchen.
Tyr was momentarily distracted with the sight of his home being destroyed by this strange beast, and felt his control over his magic waver. The boar, sensing its opportunity, spun on the spot and charged back. Tyr was barely able to shore up his defenses for the second attack. The boar kept pushing, trying to break the small, silver turtle shell in front of it. "I can't hold this up forever," Tyr groaned. Despite quickly grasping the concept of using his magic, he still couldn't maintain it as well. Luna looked up at him. He was visibly struggling, and from the looks of it could not hold out much longer. Without saying a word, she placed her hand over the center of his chest and concentrated. "Luna, what are you… whoa!"
He could feel Luna's magic flowing into him, shoring up his weaknesses and calming him like a quiet moonlit night. The silver of his magic darkened a bit, incorporating a bit of Luna's royal blue. "I am always with you," Luna said softly.
Tyr smiled down at his princess. "Thanks love. Porcupine!"
The silver soldiers making the turtle drew spears, and thrust them outwards, stabbing into the stone boar. Chunks of stone broke off, revealing a glowing violet core. "That must be its core!" Luna said hurriedly.
"Smash it!"
Tyr dismissed one of the soldiers, opening a hole that exposed the glowing core. Luna broke her connection to Tyr, gathering up her own magic into a massive ball that she hurled into the beast. The conflicting magic clashed, and then detonated in a spectacular fashion, scattering the rune stones everywhere. Once the blast had receded, Tyr let his magic fall away, the silver soldiers vanishing. He staggered a bit, and Luna caught him before he could fall. "Are you alright, beloved?" She had a concerned look on her face. As far as she knew, the human body wasn't accustomed to using magic, so using it probably had exhausted him. She helped him sit on the ground.
"I'll be fine," Tyr muttered, letting out a heavy breath. "I didn't realize magic was so… tiring."
"It is like your body, right? The more you train it, the more endurance you'll have."
"I suppose that's true. Thanks for helping me out back there."
"That's what it means to be in a relationship, right?" She smiled, remembering the words he had told her back when they had first started dating. She reached out and gently ran her hands across his cheek. "We work together."
Tyr smiled and kissed her. "Of course, my dear. Now, we should go check on Chrys."
"No need," They heard the Changeling call. They turned around to find Chrys coming over to them, one eye closed and a small stream of blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. She was holding her arm and limping a slight bit. "I assume everything has been dealt with?"
"Jesus, Chrys!" Tyr jumped up and went over to her, taking her face in his hands. "Are you alright?"
"Nothing that won't heal," Chrys said, a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong with your arm?" Luna asked, coming over. Worry was on her face as well.
"I believe it is sprained."
"Does it hurt?"
"Only If I move it…"
Tyr frowned. "We should get that cut over your eye looked at. It looks deep."
"I'm a nurse," A woman called, coming over. Tyr turned to look and found himself face to face with a young, attractive redhead Equestrian woman, her blue eyes full of concern. She brushed her hair back and swiftly tied it into a ponytail. "Would you like me to take a look?"
"That would be helpful, Miss…?" Luna frowned, not able to recognize the girl.
"Saving Grace, princess Luna," The woman bowed slightly.
"A pleasure, Saving Grace. If you would…?"
"Please, call me Grace." Grace moved over to Chrys, lightly pushing Tyr out of the way. She placed her hand up near Chrys's wound, revealing the caduceus symbol on the back of her hand. But instead of the usual rod that the twin snakes coiled around, there was a sword. The whole symbol sat over a red medic's cross. Grace's hand glowed with a soft pink aura. As Tyr watched, the cut above Chrys's eye began to close and heal. After a moment, the cut was closed. "There we go. You'll have to get the blood off yourself."
"Thank you," Chrys said.
"I've never seen magic like that," Tyr murmured.
"I've never seen magic like yours," Grace countered, undoing her pony tail to let her hair fall about her shoulders. "Creating magical soldiers? That's a new one."
"I'm getting used to it myself anyway."
"You…" She trailed off, glancing past Tyr. Her eyes ran over him before stopping just short of his waist.
"Staring at his rear end?" Chrys asked playfully. Grace turned as red as her hair.
"N-no! I was wondering about his tail!" She glanced at Tyr. "You aren't Equestrian?"
"No, I'm human." Tyr replied.
"Then how…"
"Tyr!" Lyra and Bon-Bon ran over to him. Both girls were exhausted, but safe.
"Lyra, Bon-Bon, I'm glad you two are okay."
"So am I," Bon-Bon said, "But look!"
Everyone looked back in the direction of the main part of town. Smoke was rising up from a couple fires, and the sounds of panic could be heard all the way out there. "Dear Celestia…" Grace murmured.
"We have to go help," Luna said, just as a groaning noise came from behind them. They all whirled just in time to see the supports of Tyr's home gave way and the entire structure collapsed with a loud crash. Everyone stood there in mute shock.
"Damn," Grace murmured.
"Our house…" Chrys murmured, before suddenly gasping. "Snow!" She flew towards the wreckage, panic on her face. Her magic flared to life, and then she was flinging debris any which way. She uncovered the couch from the living room. "Where… no, he can't be…"
A soft meow came from the couch, and the little kitten pulled itself out from between the cushions. Chrys stared down at the kitten in pure shock while Snow looked up at his owner with playful eyes. "Freaking ninja cat," Tyr muttered with a soft chuckle.
"Oh, little Snow! You had me worried!" Chrys scooped up the kitten and left the ruins of Tyr's home, rejoining her master and his girlfriend. "He's okay!"
"Thank goodness," Tyr said. He had felt the fear from Chrys when she had gone in to look. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if that kitten hadn't been found.
"What about the town!?" Grace asked, trying to get everyone back on track.
"We can't fight whatever those things are!" Lyra protested. "It was all we could do to run away!"
"We can," Tyr said resolutely, standing up. He was still a little shaky, and Luna immediately voiced her concern.
"Tyr, you can't fight in this state! You aren't used to your magic yet!"
"I'm not talking about that," Tyr corrected, smiling softly. "We need to get Twilight and the girls. They can help us, right?"
Luna brightened up. "Y-yes, that's right! Twilight Sparkle and her friends may already be fighting these creatures!"
"Then we should hurry and help them," Chrys murmured. "If we had this much trouble with one…"
"Then who knows what kind of trouble the girls are in," Tyr finished. "Let's get going."
-x-
"What are these things made out of!?" Dash snarled, kicking away an eagle shaped stone creature. The rune creatures had swarmed her as she, Twilight and Flash were flying home from the hospital. The stone eagle smashed against a wall and fell apart, only to reform and come back after them.
"I don't understand," Twilight murmured, blasting a stone eagle away with a stream of violet energy. "Where did they all come from…?"
"I don't think it matters," Flash said, swatting an eagle away from its attempt to claw out his eyes. "I think we should probably try to find out how to stop them."
"The only thing really working is Egghead's magic," Dash snapped, "And even THAT is hit or miss!"
"We need to find Princess Celestia," Twilight assured her. "She'll know what to do."
A massive crash from below them caught their attention. An elephant creature was marching down the street, moving directly towards the vet's office. "Fluttershy!" Dash gasped, realizing that was where her friend was.
Down below, Marilyn and Fluttershy were watching the approach of the massive stone creature with undisguised fear. "What is that thing!?" Marilyn gasped.
"I-I don't know!" Fluttershy squeaked. The two women pushed further back into the building as the stone elephant came closer. But before it could smash into the building, a bolt of violet energy smashed into its back, distracting it. She looked up to find her friends flying above the stone creature, Twilight glowing with her magical aura. "Twilight!"
"Fluttershy, get out of there!" Dash called, flying in front of the elephant. It tried to swat her out of the air, but missed by a wide margin.
"B-but the animals!" Fluttershy protested, glancing back to the scared animals in their cages. She couldn't just leave them in there.
"We can find out how to stop this thing," Twilight murmured to herself. She looked down at the massive stone creature, shifting into her state of mind she used for studying. It was covered in runes that didn't make sense to her, and they were glowing a soft violet. The other creatures were covered in the same kinds of runes, but there were so many varieties. The commonality between them all was their resistance to physical damage, as only her magic seemed to really have any lasting effect. But the ones they had managed to break only ended up reforming. How were they supposed to destroy these things…? "Twilight, watch out!"
Flash slammed into his girlfriend from the side, wrapping his wings around her to protect her from the sudden swarm of stone eagles that attacked. Flash grunted in pain as several sharp beaks stabbed into his back. "F-Flash!"
"I know you're trying to figure them out, but don't get so distracted!" Flash hissed, flapping his wings powerfully. The force of the motion blew the eagles off of him, and he let her go.
"Y-your back!"
"I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse."
"We need to stop this thing!" Dash called.
"I know, I know!" Twilight chewed at her lip. "But I don't know what to do…!"
"Twilight!" Dash was exasperated, but in her panic had turned away from the main threat. The stone elephant caught her with its trunk, smashing her down into the ground with a sickening crunch. The sound caught everyone by surprise.
"Dash!" Twilight cried.
"Dashie!" Fluttershy cried out in horror.
"Oh dear Celestia…!"
Dash was motionless, one wing twisted at an awkward angle and a lot of blood scattered about. The three Equestrians looked on in horror. The stone elephant moved over and raised one leg to crush the unconscious Pegasus girl. The suddenly a stern voice broke the silence. "DON'T. YOU. DARE."
All eyes fell to Fluttershy, a fierce look on her face as she flew slowly out of the vet's office and towards the stone creature. "Fluttershy, no!" Marilyn said, still terrified.
"How DARE you hurt my friend!" The normally shy girl had flown up directly into the stone creature's face, blue eyes stern. The stone elephant actually shrunk back a bit in a form of surprise. "I don't care if you're bigger, or stronger, or whatever! That does not give you the right to go around hurting people!"
"What the hell…?" Flash murmured, landing on a nearby rooftop. He could do nothing but watch in surprise as Fluttershy stared down the massive beast. The elephant moved its trunk to try and swat her away, but it's beady violet eyes were trapped in Fluttershy's blue ones.
"The Stare…" Twilight murmured in awe, landing beside her boyfriend.
Fluttershy stared down the stone beast, slowly forcing it back away from her fallen friend. "Now you just turn right around and get out of here, or you don't know WHAT I might do to you!"
The stone elephant hesitated for only a moment before turning as fast as it could and tromping off down the street. As it retreated around a corner, everyone sat there in silence as Fluttershy slowly floated back to the ground. "By Celestia's name, that was impressive," Flash said, shaking his head. "How in the world did you do that?"
"She used the Stare," Twilight explained. "I don't know how it works, but it does."
A groan from Dash brought everyone's attention back to their fallen friend. Fluttershy was by her side in an instant, Twilight and Flash flying down to join them a moment later. "Dashie! Are you okay?"
"Battered, bruised, and beaten," Dash muttered, sitting up with Fluttershy's help. "But I guess I'm still alive."
"You look rough," Flash told her.
"Whatever. Applejack hits harder than that." Dash spit on the ground. "Did you guys take it out?"
"Fluttershy drove it away," Twilight clarified. "She stared it down."
"Ah. Ugh," She winced, feeling the pain in her wing. "Oh, damn…"
"It should recover," Fluttershy assured her. "But we should set it. Come on inside."
"We can bandage your wounds as well while we're at it," Twilight said, looking over at Flash. He grunted in response.
"I am totally petitioning Princess Celestia to let the Guard have swords…"
-x-
"What's goin on out there?" Applebloom asked.
"I dunno," Sweetie Bell said. The two of them were standing at the window, peering out at the destruction the stone creatures were causing. No one was telling them anything, and not even the Cakes could tell them where Sherry had gone. All the information they had was in the reddening sky and the smoke trails rising up. Neither girl had to say that they were confused and worried.
"Girls, get away from the windows," Mrs. Cake said.
"But Mrs. Cake, nothing is going on," Sweetie Bell complained.
"Just… stay away from the windows, okay?"
Applebloom snorted softly. "Ain't like nothing will happen."
"Look out!" someone screamed, and the two girls turned back to the window to see a large stone bull covered in runes like all the other stone creatures. The bull huffed and pawed at the ground. Sweetie Bell screamed.
Just before the bull could charge, a mass of confetti and streamers smashed into it, knocking it aside like someone had kicked an empty can. Everyone turned around to see Pinkie standing behind a large cannon, confetti raining down her like she was having her own victory party. "SURPRISE!" She sang, giggling wildly.
"My goodness!" Mrs. Cake gasped. "Pinkie Pie, what on earth…?"
"That was amazin'!" Applebloom said.
"I think it only made it mad!" Sweetie Bell pointed out. The stone bull was recovering, shaking itself free of the party decorations. It huffed once more before charging towards the store.
"Hold on there, partner!"
A rope tied into a lasso came flying out of nowhere, hooking around the stone bull's neck and pulling taut. The pull forced the bull off course and it crashed into a parked car. As it struggled to rise, a large piece of debris floated over and dropped down onto it, burying it. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell looked to see who their saviors were, although both were almost certain of who they were before seeing them. "Such dreadful design," Rarity was saying as she and Applejack walked over. "Such a dull brown simply does not go with violet!"
"I reckon I wouldn't know much about all that," AJ said dryly. "I'm just more worried about all these… things suddenly showin' up all over."
"Applejack!"
"Rarity!"
The two girls were suddenly embraced by their younger sisters, interrupting their conversation. "Oh, I'm so glad you are all right," Rarity said, pulling Sweetie Bell into an embrace.
"We came rushing over when all this happened," Applejack explained. "Wanted to make sure y'all young'uns were alright."
"Although I do not see Sherry anywhere," Rarity murmured, looking around. "Is she inside?"
"She's—" Sweetie Bell began, but Applebloom cut her off.
"It's getting back up!" She cried, pointing. Applejack and Rarity looked back to find the stone bull pulling itself out of the rubble. AJ whistled.
"Whoo wee! Seems that thing is about as tough to crack as a frozen walnut!"
"How unnecessarily… brutish," Rarity murmured.
The bull roared and came charging at them, horns lowered. Without missing a beat, Applejack hooked her lasso around the bull's neck again, pulling hard. This time the bull turned sharply, hooking around to charge at her. "Be careful!" Applebloom warned her sister, but AJ had a confident look on her face. She rushed forward, leaping up onto the beast's back.
"YEEHAW!" Applejack cried, hooking her legs into the stone creature as it began to buck.
"Oh, that girl!" Rarity huffed. "Always trying to show off!"
"Trying to—show—off—isn't—what—I was—trying to do!"
One of Applejack's legs came down hard, and smashed a small hole in the side of the beast. Rarity spotted the glowing violet gem inside, the same color that radiated from all over the creature. "That gem… is it controlling it?" She asked herself.
"Whoa nelly!" AJ was tossed from the back of the bull with one powerful buck, and she landed roughly a short distance away. She was back on her feet in a second. "That thing's got some fight in it."
"I believe I know how we can stop it," Rarity said. "You see that gem?"
"Rarity, this ain't no time for…" AJ's eyes fell on the revealed glowing gem. "You mean that thing?"
"Yes, I do. I believe if we were to remove it…"
"…the whole thing comes apart. But how are we gonna get to it?"
"I believe I have an idea. Or at least, a hyper active girlfriend."
"…Come again?"
"Ole!" Pinkie called out. She was dressed in complete bullfighting attire, including the iconic red cape.
"What in tarnation…?"
Even though it was a strange stone construct, the bull reacted to the cape, lowering its head and preparing to charge. Pinkie pulled the cape off her arm and waved it teasingly. The bull snorted, and rushed forward, only to have Pinkie pull the cape out of the way at the last second. The momentum carried the bull past, only for it to spin quickly to face its opponent. Pinkie smiled slightly and held out the cape again. Thus taunted, the bull came charging back only to be miss the party girl. Another pass, another dodge, another pass, and another dodge; it really began to seem like Pinkie was having fun. The wild grin on her face was nothing short of ecstatic. The bull reared up and made one last charge, missing Pinkie once more. However this time, the bull's charge caused it to smash into a brick wall, stunning itself on impact. Applejack seized her chance and lassoed the creature again, quickly running over and hogtying it. It was truly a testament to her famer life that she managed to tie it up. The beast struggled, but with its legs tied up it had no ability to escape. Rarity walked over and called her magic to her. With a quick gesture with her hands, she yanked the violet gem from inside the creature, causing it to fall to pieces on the spot.
"Well, that's that, I reckon," Applejack said, retrieving her rope.
"Yes, quite." Rarity sighed. She glanced at the gem in her hand. After being removed from the creature, it had lost most of its glow and luster. She tossed it aside, wanting nothing to do with a gemstone that had come from something attempting to kill her. "Although I must ask… Pinkie, where on earth did you get that outfit?"
"I bought it after my bullfighting lessons!" Pinkie said happily, bouncing over to them.
"You took bullfightin' lessons?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup! I had a lot of fun!"
"Well," Rarity said slowly. "I suppose it did come in handy…"
"That was amazing you guys!" Sweetie Bell cried as she and Applebloom came running over.
"Yeah! You showed that thing what for!" Applebloom chiming in, proud of her sister.
Applejack chuckled. "Well, I suppose that is true. But it was just one of em. There's bunches all over the place."
"So are ya going to go fight them too?"
"As much as I dread doing so…" Rarity began, only to get a sharp look from AJ. "…We need to. Who knows what kind of damage these dreadful things can cause."
"What should we do?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"…Stay here with the Cakes. I do not wish any harm to come to you, sister."
"But…"
"No buts now, y'hear?" Applejack frowned. "Y'all are too young to get mixed up in this. So you stay here until it's over, okay?"
Applebloom and Sweetie Bell looked extremely disappointed, but answered, "Okay…"
The two young girls walked slowly back into the shop. Their older sisters felt a small twinge of sadness at the looks on their faces, but it was in their best interest to keep them out of the way. "So where should we go?" Rarity asked.
"I reckon we should…" Applejack trailed off as a low growl came from behind them. The trio turned slowly to find a large stone gorilla looming over them menacingly. "…Horse-feathers."
"You wouldn't have anything to do about this, would you Pinkie dear?" Rarity asked nervously as they backed up together.
"N-no," Pinkie stuttered, grabbing Rarity's hand and squeezing it. "I didn't think I'd need the gorilla-fighting classes!"
"Then we go with our next best plan."
"Plan B?"
Rarity nodded. "We run!"
-x-
"Miss Mercy," Sherry spoke up after almost ten minutes of silence between her and the black haired woman as they made their way through the city. Mercy had kept them moving along side streets and alleys, narrowly avoiding any encounters with the stone creatures that seemed to be hunting her. Or at least, hunting her for the cube she now carried. At the sound of her voice, Mercy paused, turning her head to look at her.
"Yes?" She asked quietly, interest in her eyes. "What is it?"
"What are those things?"
Mercy thought for a moment. After a minute, she motioned for Sherry to follow her into an abandoned building. She closed the door behind them before finally speaking again. "Jehu and I call them Rubriks. They're magical constructs that are tied to that cube you're now holding."
"Rubriks…? But why are they after me?"
"That, I can't tell you. They could be anything, like a defense mechanism, a test of sorts, or maybe even just a random occurrence that has nothing to do with you. There's dozens of possibilities."
"So… why are you protecting me?"
Mercy smiled gently. "No matter if it's just some cosmic joke being played on you or fate pulling the strings, we never sit by and deny our help to someone in need."
"…Thank you."
"You don't have to thank us. But you're welcome."
"So… what do you think the Rubriks are?"
"Probably some kind of magical AI," Mercy said thoughtfully. "Perhaps connected to the cube in some way…"
"Connected to the cube…" Sherry mused quietly. If the Rubriks are connected to the cube…
"We should go," Mercy said. "From the sound of things, all of the Rubriks are converging on Jehu. There shouldn't be many left out here…" They walked out of the building, emerging back into the shaded sun. Sherry noticed their danger a moment before Mercy did.
"Miss Mercy, watch out!"
Mercy hardly had any time to process the warning before a roar from her right caught her attention. A massive bear shaped Rubrik was standing over her. She sighed. "Oh, damn it."
The bear swiped one powerful paw at her, smashing her into a nearby wall. The force of the impact cracked the concrete wall, and Mercy fell to the ground. "Miss Mercy!"
"Stay back!" Mercy hissed, jumping up to her feet quickly. She had moved like she wasn't too hurt, but the small stream of blood trickling out of the side of her mouth showed that she was in fact hurt. But as she faced off with the Rubrik, Sherry noticed something strange about Mercy. Her sun hat had fallen off, and in its place were—
"Cat ears?" Sherry murmured incredulously.
Ears twitching, Mercy faced down the stone bear. She was crouched low, looking like a waiting hunter while the bear was eyeing her like its next meal. Without warning the Rubrik bear attacked again, but Mercy moved like lightning. She leapt past the bear, landing against the wall before vaulting past it. The bear whirled as quickly as it could, but Mercy was much faster than the lumbering beast. "I hate having to deal with these things up close," Mercy mumbled, her bow melting down into a long spear. She vaulted up above the bear and came down hard. The lance stabbed into its open mouth, smashing the violet gem inside. The stone bear fell to pieces. Mercy twirled her lance in a wide flourish before standing at attention. She let out a breath. "All done."
Sherry was still frozen in shock. She managed to gain her voice just as Mercy came back over to her. "What… what are you?"
Mercy frowned at that, before noticing her hat lying on the ground. Her ears twitched a bit as she realized what Sherry was asking. "In common terms, I am an Anthromorph. Part animal, part… well. Let's just go with the whole 'I'm a magic animal' thing."
"You're magic?"
"Of a sorts. Magic is different between worlds."
"Between…?"
Mercy laughed softly, retrieving her hat and placing it back on her head. "Listen to me, talking about things you can't truly understand yet. Well, all in time, however. Come, we should go find my husband. No doubt he has gotten himself into a lot of trouble."
Mercy began walking, Sherry falling into step alongside her. It was a couple minutes before Sherry finally spoke up again. "Miss Mercy?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask a question?"
"…Yes, I do have a tail. I keep it under my skirt. It's a lot easier to hide than my ears."
Sherry glanced back at her own tail. "Tell me about it."
-x-
Jehu was enjoying himself. It had been quite some time since the last time he had fought anything, and he was loving every moment. He ducked under the claw of a stone dragon as it tried to take his head off and backhanded the offending limb, smashing it into dust. A stone wolf attacked, only to be viciously smashed into the ground. The ground around the man was littered with stone fragments, a testament to the unending battle he was waging alone. Not that he minded. He particularly enjoyed—
A beam of golden light tore through a line of stone wolves, shattering them and destroying the inner gems in one fell swoop. Jehu looked up in time to see Celestia alight nearby, hands glowing with magical power. "Hello again, Jehu. It has been a while."
Jehu casually backhanded a Rubrik rhino into a building, smashing it in the process. He grinned. "Why, it's awfully nice to have royalty remember me."
"How could I forget?" Celestia raised a hand and blasted a cloud of Rubrik eagles away. "You made such a good first impression."
"I seem to remember a certain drunk kitten of mine fawning all over me at the time."
Celestia giggled softly. "So how is Mercy doing?"
"Not drunk at least."
"I see you're keeping busy?"
Jehu looked around at all of the Rubriks gathered there. They were keeping their distance, wary of Celestia's power. "I've had such great company."
"Mind if I join you?"
Jehu made a very extravagant bow. "I would be honored, milady."
"COMING THROUGH!" Jehu and Celestia turned to see Flash, Twilight and Fluttershy rushing towards them, chased by a giant stone scorpion. As they ran, Twilight fired several ineffectual blasts of magic back at the creature, only for it to shrug off the attacks and rush forward faster.
"Good job babe, you made it angrier," Flash said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Be quiet," Twilight snapped. Her eyes fell upon her teacher. "Princess!"
"Twilight?" Celestia frowned. Jehu rolled his eyes.
"It was probably about time for something like this," He mumbled.
"Time for what?"
"Sister!" Celestia turned away from Jehu to see Luna, Tyr and Chrys running towards them. A pack of wolves chased after them. Almost simultaneously, AJ, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie came running over as well, the giant gorilla following them. In a matter of moments, they were backed into a circle against the encroaching Rubriks. "What are these monstrosities?"
"They are called Rubriks," Jehu said, matter of factly. "I don't know where they came from, what they are exactly, or what they want. Well, they want to kill us, so there's that."
"Well, I'm against just letting stuff kill me," Tyr muttered, readying his magic.
"Tyr…" Luna warned.
"Leave it to me," Chrys murmured, placing her hands on Tyr's back. Her hands glowed with a green aura as she channeled it into her master. "How does that feel, Master?"
"Good, Chrys. I should be able to last for a bit."
"…Anything for you, Master."
Jehu chuckled softly, and Celestia glanced at him. "Something funny?"
"Nah… just remembering something from long ago between me and Mercy."
"What are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked in a voice no louder than a whisper. She was probably afraid that if she spoke too loud, it would prompt the Rubriks to attack. The stone creatures were milling about, watching them and growling.
"Remember the Alamo," Jehu said with a small chuckle.
"What does that mean, darling?" Rarity asked.
"I believe it's an expression that means 'prepare for the worst'," Celestia said.
"I reckon we're about to get the worst," Applejack said.
The Rubriks gathered closer, before a roar from a massive lion shaped one spurred them into action. The small circle braced themselves to fight, right before a voice broke through the air.
"RUBRIK! HALT ACTION!"
The stone creatures stopped on a dime just short of the group. The Rubriks stayed frozen on the spot, even when Flash poked one with his finger. "What in the world…" Twilight murmured.
"Seems like we arrived just in time."
"Daddy!" Tyr turned at the voice, surprise appearing on his face as his daughter came running over to him. The two of them embraced while Mercy took her time walking over.
"Hello love," Jehu said once she came over to him. The two of them shared a short kiss. "Enjoy yourself?"
"I got smacked into a wall by a bear," Mercy said flatly.
"Did you kill it?"
"Of course."
"Good girl." Jehu patted her head, earning a blush from Mercy and for her to lean in close to him.
"Don't do that in public," She hissed, just low enough for just him to hear. "You know they're sensitive."
"It's why I do it." Jehu grinned.
Mercy shook her head but didn't say anything. "Where were you?" Tyr asked, pulling his daughter out to arms-length. As he looked over her for injuries, he noticed the cube hanging from a chain around her neck. "…and where did you get that?"
"Mr. Jehu… gave it to me," Sherry said, frowning a bit. "He said it belonged to me."
"And considering that she shut down the Rubriks…" Jehu added.
"She shut them down?" Twilight frowned. "How on earth did she do that?"
"I got the idea when Miss Mercy said the Rubriks are like an AI," Sherry said. "And I figured since I have the control unit I should be able to give them commands."
"Which worked like a charm, it seems," Luna murmured.
"C-can you tell them to go away?" Fluttershy asked. She was curled up underneath the outstretched claws of a large stone scorpion.
"Um… I think so." Sherry reached up to touch the cube. "Rubrik. Go to standby mode." The cube glowed bright violet, and then the stone constructs fell apart, dissolving into dust and violet light that was quickly absorbed by the cube. "…There."
"Well!" Applejack said with a deep sigh. "It has been a long day! I'm plum tuckered out by now."
"Yes, I believe I have had enough excitement for one day," Fluttershy squeaked. AJ went over and hugged the shy girl comfortingly.
"I believe we all have." Celestia smiled warmly. "We should all go home and get some rest."
"Home, huh…" Tyr frowned. "That might be a problem."
"Why?"
Luna bit her bottom lip. "A large stone boar attacked us outside of Tyr's home. It smashed through several of the supports and brought the whole thing down."
"…Our house is destroyed?" Sherry asked, fear in her voice.
"Unfortunately yes, sweetie," Tyr said. "But the fact of the matter is that we're all safe. We can find somewhere else to live."
The cube began to glow again, becoming a bit brighter before fading away. "What was that?" Chrys asked. Snow picked that moment to push his way out through the top of her shirt to meow cutely.
"I don't know," Sherry answered honestly. "I still don't understand everything about this thing."
"Well, I guess we should at least try to salvage what we can," Tyr said.
"Why don't we all go help?" Twilight offered. The others agreed, save Jehu and Mercy.
"We actually have to be on our way," Jehu said. Mercy moved up beside him and took his hand in hers. "We'll try to come back and visit."
"It was cool meeting you two," Sherry said.
"It was a pleasure, little one," Mercy said, smiling.
Jehu looked surprised. "My wife, actually pleased to meet someone? How unusual!"
"Oh, stop." The raven haired beauty rolled her eyes. "Let's just get back to the Library."
-x-
"I don't believe this." Tyr muttered. "Despite the fact that I'm looking right at it, I can't believe it."
"I cannot believe my eyes either, beloved," Luna said. "But… it is there. We cannot deny it."
"Mr. Jehu said the cube affected reality," Sherry offered. "Maybe it was the cause…?"
"It's a CASTLE!" Pinkie squealed. On the spot where Tyr's home used to be, a tall, castle like home now stood. It was at least four floors high, with stone walls and even crenellations and small towers along the top. Instead of a gate, there were a pair of double doors at least a couple feet taller than even Celestia, although a smaller door was located in it. It was quite impressive, and solidly built.
"This is quite the occurrence," Celestia murmured. "A castle, suddenly appearing?"
"It's big," Fluttershy murmured.
"That's an understatement, sugar," AJ said with a chuckle. "And I thought Tyr livin' in that older house with just the four of them in there was ridiculous…"
"You've probably got enough room in there to throw like, two parties!" Pinkie said, still giddy and excited. "No wait, like FOUR parties!"
Ignoring Pinkie's excited ranting, Tyr led his small family and all his friends into the castle. The inside was decorated in a modern style, with actual carpet once they were past the foyer. There were no pieces of furniture, however. It was quite bare. "It has a kitchen," Fluttershy said, moving over to a side door. "Or at least… where you'd put a kitchen."
"There are quite a few bedrooms, Master," Chrys called from up the stairs. "And these stairs go all the way up to the top floor."
"And bathrooms and the like," AJ said.
"It seems it's a castle in all but the interior," Celestia said with a chuckle. "I believe you'll have some jealous neighbors."
"I do not believe we have neighbors anymore," Luna murmured sadly. "The other houses nearby were destroyed it seems…"
"I hope everybody got out alright," Rarity said. "We haven't even seen the full extent of the damage yet."
"That isn't even taking into account what happened in the main part of town…"
"Don't worry," Tyr said. "The town has a tendency to band together at times like this. We'll pull through. All of us."
"Just like Ponyville," Fluttershy said.
Celestia smiled. "You have a very optimistic view, Tyr."
"Optimistic? I guess you could say that."
"It doesn't bother you that your grandfather's home got wrecked?" AJ asked.
Tyr thought for a moment. Sure, it bothered him that his grandfather's home had been destroyed, although his family was safe. They had a house to live in, minus any sort of comfort items or furniture. "…No. It was probably time anyway. Considering that boar didn't take too much out of the building before it collapsed, I'm just happy none of us got caught in it."
"I GOTTA GO PLAN!" Pinkie suddenly screamed, rushing out of the house.
"Pinkie! Oh, Pinkie-winkle!" Rarity chased after, calling Pinkie's name. "Oh, you hyperactive pink maniac, stop!"
"Some things still don't change, huh?" Tyr asked with a laugh.
Greetings, dear readers! It is I, Jehu Striate, Arbiter of Chaos, current head Librarian of the Sleeping Library. What a doozy of a chapter, huh? I'm still getting dust off my jacket! For the time being, I will be taking over footnote duties and possibly causing some mischief in the process. The next chapter in in the works (despairing the fact I'm not in it), and I hope you will be waiting with baited breath. Stay safe, safe content, and remember:
The Library accepts all.
Ciao!