//------------------------------//
// Security 
// Story: Three More Things! 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	Jackie smiled as he finished relating the tale of his acquisition of the Horse Talisman to Jade and the other girls.  As usual, they were completely enthralled in the story, more than eager to hear every little detail.  However, as they followed Captain Black to the vault, Jackie noticed Apple Bloom looking worried about something.  "What's wrong, Apple Bloom?" Jackie asked curiously.

Apple Bloom shifted awkwardly on Audrey III.  "It's...it's nothin'," she offered, glancing away.

Jade, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Captain Black all immediately turned to face her, disbelieving looks on their faces, though Captain Black resumed his attention on his path shortly after.  The girls, however, were not so ready to give it up.

Sighing, Apple Bloom voiced her concern.  "It's just...ya think Tohru's gonna be okay?" she asked worriedly.  "Ah mean, ya took his shirt in sub-zero weather just before he got covered in snow.  What if he got sick?"

Jackie's eyes widened in shock.  "Wha?  What brought this on?"

Jade tilted her head.  "Yeah, Apple Bloom!  Tohru's the bad guy, remember?"

Apple Bloom looked away.  "Just cause he's bad don't mean he's bad..." she mumbled sorrowfully.

Sweetie Belle rested her hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder.  "Don't worry so much, Apple Bloom.  Tohru's a giant, and he's got a huge amount of chi in him, even for someone his size.  Even if he does get sick, his immune system's top notch, and he's sure to be fine before long.  You don't need to worry, okay?"

Apple Bloom nodded, smiling gratefully at Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo glanced back and forth between everyone in confusion.  "Did I miss something?"

"We'll talk back at the shop later," Sweetie Belle explained.

Captain Black shrugged the conversation off, leading the group into the vault, where the Talismans they'd collected so far were stored.  Jade and Scootaloo both paid close attention to the security, though they weren't so audacious as to try and crack it.  Once in the vault, Captain Black turned to Jackie.  "Ready to put horsey in his stable?"

Jackie blinked in surprise.  "The Horse Talisman?  Uncle still has it.  He's still-"  He stopped himself, knowing how Captain Black would react to the rest of that sentence.  "Well, you know Uncle."

Captain Black sighed.  "Indeed I do..."





Once back at the shop, Uncle let the group know that he was still working on the Talisman runes.  Taking the opportunity, Sweetie Belle pulled Jade and Scootaloo aside.  "For Apple Bloom's sake, I think we should avoid saying anything bad about Tohru."

"Why?" Jade demanded irritably.  "Why is she suddenly so concerned about him?"

"Does it have something to do with that fusion spell?" Scootaloo asked curiously.

Sweetie Belle nodded.  "I went over what Uncle researched about it.  When they were fused like that, the three of them basically shared a single consciousness that was made up of the most prominent portions of the core of their minds.  Apple Bloom saw into the depths of Tohru's heart...and he into hers.  Some sort of connection was made, and it's still there now that they're separated."

"You mean...like a really big brother or something?" Scootaloo clarified, trying to understand.

"Something like that," Sweetie Belle confirmed.  "She's probably still trying to figure it out herself.  The books on the spell mentioned 'long term effects' of being fused like that, and stated that having anyone who wasn't an adult fused could be...well, could be bad."

Jade and Scootaloo both glanced over to where Apple Bloom was settled on Audrey, gazing out a window thoughtfully.  "We need to help her through...whatever it is," Jade said firmly.  "What can we do?"

"For starters, not talk bad about Tohru, or make her feel guilty for being concerned about him," Sweetie determined.  "Beyond that...don't make a fuss about it."

"We can do that," Scootaloo agreed.  "Or...not do that."

"And distract her," Sweetie added.

"Uncle has translated inscription on the back of the Talisman!" Uncle called out.

"Like that," Sweetie chuckled as everyone gathered around Uncle.

"A very perplexing riddle," Uncle explained, showing Jackie what he'd written down.

Jackie read it carefully.  "If activated, the Noble Horse expels all alien forces from within.  Hmm..."

Glancing over at Apple Bloom, Jade decided to try being a little silly to cheer her up.  "I bet those alien forces inside the Talisman fly out and latch onto human brains and turn them into mind control zombies to take over the world!" she proclaimed, gesticulating to act out her words playfully.

Everyone turned to stare at her.  Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"The...alien forces signal the mothership to begin the invasion?" Jade suggested nervously.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.  "Jade, back in the days the Talismans come from, they didn't even have the concept of other planets, let alone life on them.  Anything that 'came from the stars' woulda been called Celestials, probably."

"Oh," Jade replied, chuckling nervously.

Uncle patted Apple Bloom on her head.  "Very good!  You remember your studies well."

"So...not the Martian Talisman, then?" Jade asked playfully.

"There is no such thing as Martians!" Uncle insisted firmly.  "Chi fields are all wrong for life to have developed there of any sort, even Stone Elementals."

Just as Jackie was about to speak about that, his phone rang.  "Hello?"

"Jackie, the mainframe located another bogey," Captain Black told him.  "Pack your toothbrush.  You're going to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota."