//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: Invasion // Story: Pearlwort, Unintentional Villain // by Halira //------------------------------// "Invaded?! Invaded by who? There aren't any foreign nations anywhere near us," I exclaimed. "I just got the messenger about it and he only said that they were attacking from the air in really big airships. Only these airships had no balloons like our airships. They are raining bombs down on the troops in Tidewater now," Pinkie explained, clearly upset. She looked ready to cry. "Peridot.." Mera said, springing off the bed. "I have to go protect my sister." Pinkie got a stern look on her face, which looked very unnatural and scary coming from her. She lit up her horn and enveloped Mera in a telekinetic field, and lifted my wife back onto the bed. "No, you need to stay here," Pinkie said harshly. It was shocking enough that it even stunned Mera into being still. "You two are important, and can't be risked. Plus we still need you making sure ponies don't get sick." "But Peridot is out there in all that. I can't stay here when she could be killed. You need to let me go protect my sister," Mera pleaded. "Your little sister needs to be with the other guards trying to fight back the invaders, and protecting the citizens out there. This is what she signed up to do when she became a guard," Pinkie said in more sympathetic voice. "I know it is scary thinking that she can get hurt, but she has a job to do and so do you. Your sister is really tough, like really tough, she can take care of herself out there. You need to keep helping by keeping ponies from getting sick, and let her do what she is trained to do." "How am I supposed to do that when I am worried about her? Drug or no drug I can't do what I need to keep charging the Heart when she might die in some bomb blast," Mera said, now crying. "You'll just have to do the best you can do. A lot of ponies are depending on you, even your sister when you think about it. If you stop keeping the Heart charged up they might start getting sick again, and that includes your sister. She is out in the area that was getting sick. If you stop she might get sick and go all blank stared too. If she does that she will get hurt, because she won't try to get out of the way of a bomb. She'll be a sitting duck," Pinkie explained further. What Pinkie was saying made sense, but that wasn't going to soothe Mera, or me for that matter. Every fiber of my bean told me to run off and protect. Mera might be feeling it even more intensely. I agreed with my wife that it would be near impossible for us to do what we needed here when a loved one was in perilous danger. There had to be something else that could be done. "Pinkie, can the Heart be powered by just the focus stones we have stored away?" I asked as the idea came to me. "Yes, it could, but if you die there aren't going to be any more of those. We can't let that happen," Pinkie answered. There had to be an answer. I looked at Mera and saw worry and defiance warring with one another on her face. Another idea came to me, one that I didn't like, but one that might work. "What if just Mera goes to protect Peridot and I stay here?" I asked in a low voice. It hurt just to suggest it, but might be the only way for one of us at least to go. Mera looked at me with confusion and hurt. "How is that any better? How are they going to get your magic without me?" Mera asked. "They can get my magic, they have done it before, or at least Starlight has," I answered. "You can go protect Peridot and fight because there are other ways that can replace you harvesting my magic. At least then one of us can be doing something." Mera looked conflicted. The idea of leaving me without her while she went off to fight had to be as bad as the idea of her leaving Peridot to fend for herself. I was just as upset at the idea that I had proposed. Mera could get seriously hurt, or die doing this. "Why is it so important that you go anyway? What is one more Thestral even going to accomplish?" Pinkie demanded. "I am among the best fighters there are in all the Realm. If there is fighting going on near my home I should be there in the thick of it. I need to try to make a difference there, not sit around here," Mera said as quietly as I had spoken. Then , she looked at me. "Pearl are you sure? I don't like the idea of being separated from you. I can bring a few stones with me to keep me charged with your magic, but the bigger issue is I am not going to be close by to protect you." I gave Mera a hug and a kiss. Trying to let my feelings be reassuring, but I felt torn myself. "I will be okay, it is safe here. You need to do what you feel is right. There aren't any good choices. It is probably best if we both stay here, but you won't be able to accomplish much here worrying. Out there you might help some ponies," I said, I was crying at the thought that she might also get hurt. Thoughts of how my mother went off to war and didn't return couldn't stop entering my mind. Mera undoubtly picked up on all this and gave me a hug back. "I will return to you. Nothing is going to stop me from getting back to you. I will see to it Peridot is safe, and when this is all over we will have Pinkie's stupid party together," she said from my shoulder as she gripped me. "Hey! Parties aren't stupid! This coming from a pony that used to pray to me? That hurts," Pinkie exclaimed angerly. "Forgive me Pinkie, I am just really stressed right now. I am sure it will be a great party and we will all have fun. We will need something to cheer us up after this is done," Mera said as she glanced at the Pink Alicorn. "It will be a great party. I am already planning a big suprise. You better not get hurt though, otherwise you'll ruin the party before it starts," Pinkie huffed. "If any pony can keep themselves safe it is Mera," I asserted, hugging my wife. Mera smiled at me as we released. Mera hopped down from the bed again, and then went over to the corner of the room where we had our life packs setting aside. She began digging out focus stones that she had filled with magic previously. I was actually surprised at how many she still had despite regular shipments and giving more over to Starlight before the Alicorn of Empathy had left. I had always been casually aware of her filling more stones than she was required, but only now did I wonder exactly how many of the things she had stockpiled at this point. After leaving out a sizeable pile, that I stoped counting around fifty, she finally stopped pulling more out. She then closed her life pack again and slung it over her back, before turning back to me. "Here is enough to last over two moons. I am pretty sure that I won't be gone that long, but just in case I have a lot here until some pony can get to making more without me," Mera explained with a gesture at the pile. "What about for yourself? What are you going to do if you run out of my magic? You need those to keep yourself healed, and to recover from injuries faster. Even if you keep safe you need them to maintain your immortality," I said with horror as I looked at the pile. "Pearl, I know you have always just let me take care of all aspects of producing these, so I understand that you don't realize I have more than enough still. Even with what I gave the Alicorns and these here I have hundreds of filled stones still. I am not going to run out," Mera said with a smile. "How?" I asked in astonishment. She definitely had time to fill them all, but based on what she had told me in the past about costs of stones that kind of thing would strain even our finances. "I worked out a deal a long time ago with a regulator supplier. We have been buying stones at a small fraction of the usual cost. Being a regular customer who buys in bulk has cut the cost of them tremendously and I have been stockpiling for years, as you see," Mera explained. When Mera got back I really needed to go over what she had been doing in full. She hadn't been hiding this from me, but she hadn't been telling me about it either. Not knowing was my fault for never really taking any direct involvement. Now was not the time to figure out the extent of what she had been up to in the background. I at least could be satisfied that she wasn't going to run out of my magic. "I'll keep Peridot safe and be back before you know it. You keep yourself safe. I expect extra snuggles and kisses to make up for the ones I'll be missing out on when I return," Mera said after walking back near the bed. She gave me a quick kiss. "My Birthday Party Brigade will keep her safe, don't you worry," Pinkie said confidently. My own fears spiked a bit at that statement. No offense intended to Pinkie Pie, but her guard seemed completely unguardlike. Mera didn't look so certain either, and fresh doubt appeared on her face. She shook her head and gave me another final kiss before heading out the door. I watched her exit and felt nothing but worry. She didn't even know what she was going out to fight. She was among the best there was, but without knowing what she was fighting there was no knowing if that made any difference. I didn't know what I would do if I lost her. "Don't have such a long face. Well, do have a long face, because you are a pony, but don't look so sad. I am certain she will be alright," Pinkie said with a quick few bounces in place. I looked at the pink Alicorn with confusion. Just a few minutes ago she had been complaining that we couldn't go because it was too risky and we could get killed, now she was saying that Mera would be alright with confidence? She was probably just trying to lift my spirits a bit, that was her thing afterall. It was kind of ineffective after she had just gone through the effort of warning us not to do something like this. The sudden change just took away all credibility. "I am going to go make some early party arrangements now. The Birthday Party Brigade will be outside ready to help you with anything you ask," Pinkie said. Then she looked at the stones, and grabbed one up in her magic. "I should probably take one of these and go give the Heart another charge first. Never know when something might delay it. I'll see you soon, Pearl." And with that the pink Alicorn departed. I didn't really care that she left me alone. The only pony I wanted to see again soon was Mera, safe and sound. Until she returned I didn't think I would have the interest to talk to any other pony unless it was news about Mera. I rolled over in bed and pulled the covers over myself, intending to just sleep as much as possible in Mera's absence. Hopefully it would make the time seem to go by faster. It took a while, but after several hours of laying there alone, clutching a pillow close to me, I fell asleep.