//------------------------------//
// A Moment Of Peace 
// Story: Strength And Honor 
// by dudenotactive 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy hovered through the streets, her face still wore a distressed look. She was still searching for Skaarl, and yet found no signs of the adorable lizard. Her search would lead her to the public park where many creatures would gather around just to relax and enjoy their day away from work. Fluttershy would've continued with her quest, but an odd sight caused her to stop on her tracks. 

It was a very peculiar sight indeed, standing under the shade of a lonely tree in the middle of the park was a tall creature in a long white cloak.  They were facing away from Fluttershy, so it was impossible to make a description of their face from her angle. Curious, the pegasus had opted to approach the strange mysterious creature. 

The stench of paint became apparent as she grew closer. It was then she would notice that in this creature's left hand was a palette with paint on it. Some colors were smeared on one side of the palette. And as expected, on their opposite hand was a brush that was dipped in red.

"Art is beautiful, no?" The creature suddenly spoke even though he did not look at her. "We express ourselves in many ways, unique and special, yet the meaning is all the same." His voice was smooth and the way he spoke was just spine-tingling. His stance was also important to note, his feet were firmly planted on the grass and his back was straight. Only his right arm moved like he was some kind of mechanical doll. He was perfect in a way. 

"S-sorry, I need to go." Fluttershy attempted to leave, but then he made one simple gesture, he turned to face her. She gasped, a white mask stared down at her cowering form. 

"You've just got here, Fluttershy, and I would like it if you were to witness my work." He moved away with a single step to reveal what was on the canvas. 

Her eyes widened, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. On the canvas was a painting that depicted a woman in a bed of flowers. Where would Fluttershy even begin to describe this piece? It was just outstanding, the colors were bright but they did not sting the eyes. The flowers were beautifully designed, and the woman looked so real. 

Her heart skipped a beat, unconsciously Fluttershy approached the strange creature to admire the canvas even closer. "It's... amazing..." She whispered, deeply enthralled by the piece. She didn't even realize that he knew her name, though she is a hero and people know of her. 

"I am glad you thought so. I have more if you like."

And as he said, he did have more. They were placed in a row, all leaned towards the tree for support. Fluttershy couldn't help but notice the first one, a man in red was shrouded in shadows. His steel mask was quite intimidating. The most interesting part was that the whole canvas was a dark shade of blue, which made the shadows pop out of the art. Seeing that she was interested, the creature carefully moved his work and separated them so she could see it all. 

It was breathtaking. Different kinds of art, portraits, landscapes, a few with strange beasts. All were just amazing, it was as if Fluttershy was falling in love with material objects. But then her eyes landed on a particular piece, she took a closer look and gasped. It was a picture of her, she stood in a grassy field, roots growing out of her chest which crawled down on her hooves and to the ground. And on her head was a crown of flowers with petals flowing with the wind. The face was a look of calm, unbothered, still like a statue. 

"Do you like it, dear Fluttershy?"

"It's... I don't know how to express myself, it's just so... W-who are you?" 

He chuckled. "I am Khada Jhin, a pleasure to meet a hero such as you, Fluttershy."




"We go left!" Kled shouted. 

"Ryze said we head towards the north! That isn't north Kled!" Poppy argued. 

"You go north! I'm gonna go look for Skaarl! She's been gone for too long! And I'm startin' to worry that she deserted me."

"But Kled, at times like these we have to stick together. I'm sure Sk-"

"Don't you say her name, Demacian!" Kled hissed. "I don't want you to ruin it with your fancy city folk tongue!"

"You are just impossible! I wished I was with Darius instead of you." 

"Darius!? What does that Ionian lookin' squint-eyed blockhead bastard even got that I don't!? I'm stronger, better, and plus I'm a yordle! Blueberry man actually made the right choice! Now we go left and that's final."

"You wanna go left? Fine! We go left."

Before Kled could even say another word, Poppy swung her hammer around and slammed it into Kled. The older yordle was launched into the sky and towards a town in the distance. It only took a second for Poppy to understand her mistake. 

"Uh oh."

As Kled flew, Poppy ran after him. He couldn't do anything other than scream through the air. His arm flayed around in an attempt to grab onto something. After so much air time, the yordle crashed into the ground giving Kled a mouthful of dirt and grass. 

"Kled, you alright?" Poppy rushed to his side and knelt by his motionless body. "Kled?"

Kled suddenly lunged at Poppy and proceeded to wrap his hands around her neck. "I knew you'd backstab me! I should just kill you now and feed ya to Skaarl!"

"Get off!" Poppy was much younger and physically stronger, it was apparent as when she pushed Kled off of her with ease. "It was an accident, okay!?"

Kled glared at her and snarled. "Accident!? Your face is an accident!" But just as he was about to pounce on her, he froze on the spot and his nose started twitching. "I know that smell! That's Skaarl!"

"You're drakalops?" Poppy said as she rose back to her feet. 

"She's here! And..." He paused, something else was in the air, a familiar stench. "Blood, I smell blood..."

Poppy looked at him with a bit of guilt. "Well, you did hit the ground very hard. I think we should patch you up if you're bleeding."

"It ain't my blood I smell! It's the blood of a killer!" A manic grin curled his lips. He took a long drag of the scent, breathing in the stench of blood, and death made Kled even more excited. It was an addicting feeling, one that would only be found on the battlefield. "Hoo boy, and here I thought I'd have to wait!"

Eager for a fight, Kled had forgotten his previous hatred for Poppy and ran straight into town. Poppy tried to stop him, but he was too quick for her to catch. One that would definitely cause a ruckus. If the goal was to not attract any attention if possible, then they have already failed. As Kled ran, he shouted profanities and insults in an attempt to bring out his prey.





Applejack felt sick in her stomach, Skaarl did nothing but run around town for a whole hour. Rainbow Dash tried to stop the beast, but Skaarl proved too strong for the pegasus to stop. Now Applejack was but a hostage, forced to ride a gut-churning rollercoaster. There were a few attempts where Applejack simply jumped off the saddle, only for Skaarl to scoop her back to place. Dash even thought she could pick Applejack off the drakalops only to start a tug-of-war with the beast. Applejack thought she was about to be split into two. And now she was alone, Dash had lost sight of her at some point and Applejack was left helpless on the drakalops. 

But as if fate had decided, a hero would come to separate Applejack and Skaarl. And that hero was-

"Skaarl!" Both the farmer and the drakalops looked towards a short fuzzy creature who was none other than Kled himself. "Who the hell is that!?"

Skaarl skidded to a halt, a look of surprise on both Applejack's and Skaarl's faces. Apple jack froze, her eyes now on the odd creature who was as tall as Twilight. His scar-riddled face, his jagged teeth, that one good eye. All of his features were quite intimidating. And that was before she noticed Kled's halberd. 

"Wait, is this your lizard?" Applejack asked as she attempted to get off of Skaarl. 

"That lizard is indeed mine! She is the pride of Noxus and my first Lieutenant of the Noxian Delta Force that was stationed in the northern borders!" He said proudly. 

Applejack wanted to relax, but the fact that Kled stared at her with hungry eyes was enough for the farmer to feel tense in her joints. He had a dangerous aura, one that was cloaked with hatred and blood, it was so powerful that Applejack felt pressure on her back. As if spirits are warning her of the threat in front of her. Though he was slightly shorter than her, and honestly he would've looked cute if he wasn't so ugly. 

"What's wrong?" Kled chuckled creepily. "Cat got yer tongue?"

Applejack swallowed a lump in her throat, her lips were dry as a dessert, and she was still a bit queasy from the ride. "Listen here, Ah don't want any trouble... Let me just hop off this thing and y'all can be on your way."

"Sorry, I just don't like it when someone touches what's mine," Kled smiled viciously, his halberd shined under the sun as he brandished it. The light glared over Applejack's eyes just for a second. 

Applejack looked around for a way to defend herself, she could tell that this guy meant business. Skaarl still didn't allow Applejack to leave, she was still at the drakalops' mercy. This time, a white-furred creature was now threatening to take her life. 

Dash was nowhere to be seen, Applejack was alone. She was also in a position that wouldn't help her in a fight. And it would seem that diplomacy was out of the window. 

"But..." Applejack relaxed just a little bit when Kled lowered his weapon. "I can forgive you if you help me out."

"S-sure, what do you need?" This was a better alternative to a fight, Applejack was unarmed so she had the disadvantage. If a fight did happen, then she would've certainly lost, she doesn't know it but Kled is a seasoned soldier. He would've chopped her up into minced meat. "But can you help me off your pet?"

"Skaarl! Drop that horse now, you've already betrayed me you stinkin' lizard and I ain't gonna forgive you just yet! You're lucky that you're just a dumb lizard or I would've turned you into stew." 

And just like that, Skaarl bounced Applejack off the saddle. As much as AJ was happy to be finally free, she just wished she didn't land on her head. On the bright side, hitting the ground helped her feel just a bit better. As if her head cleared up some of the dizziness she was feeling. 

"Right," Applejack stretched her limbs and made a few pops in her joints. "Thanks again stranger, now what do you need help with?"

"Well, I wanna know if you've seen anythin' strange. Like I don't know, a killer?" An odd question, Applejack was curious to say. It was odd that someone would ask about killers, but then again, he has the appearance of a battle-hardened soldier. 

"Can't say Ah have stranger, nothin' had been going on for a while now. And the only thing strange Ah seen is that pet of yours." Applejack said. 

Kled huffed. "I know they're here somewhere. Just need to look for one." Kled climbed up on Skaarl. The two now together once again, ready for battle. United, Kled will finally have the advantage in a fight, if Skaarl doesn't run away again. "Guess I'll have to look for them myself."

With that, their interaction ended, and AJ's "hero" rode off deeper into town with a lust for blood in his one good eye. Applejack watched as Skaarl sped through countless ponies, causing a few to tumble away from her path. It was odd AJ thought, it was the first time a scarred warrior like him had rolled into Ponyville. 

"Kled!? Kled!?" Applejack turned around to see a blue creature walking about with a name on her tongue. This creature was looking for someone, and Applejack believes that she could help. Though she was also armed with a large warhammer, she looked much friendlier than the previous one. 

"Howdy there!" Applejack called out to the creature. 

She turned to face Applejack and quickly approached the farmer. "Yes!?" She said eagerly. "Hello, I'm Poppy! Do you know if a... short man had passed through here?" There was some hesitation when Poppy described the person she was looking for.

"Is that what he was?" Applejack hummed.   "About your question, is it a white-furred creature with a scar?"

"White furred?" Poppy was perplexed. "Wait, he isn't using glamour?"

"The what now?"

"N-nothing." Poppy cleared her throat. "Anyway, can you tell me where he went?"

"He went-" 

An explosion in the distance cut Applejack off. Poppy snapped towards the source, her knuckles turned pale as her grip tightened around the handle of her hammer. With haste, Poppy went towards the explosion to investigate. Applejack followed the yordle. Unbeknownst to the two, a raven watched them with a careful eye. It flew high above the town and was nearly knocked out of the air by a flash of rainbow. Curious, the raven flew towards the blast.




Fluttershy dared not to move, she was still as a statue. Jhin stood a few feet away from her, a brush in his hand. He glanced over to her before returning to his work. His move along the blank canvas creating a new world. 

"Thank you once again Fluttershy for modeling, I had dreamed to create portraits of you and the others." He said as he continued on the canvas. 

"It's no problem, I am happy to help you. And I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be eager to do this as well." Fluttershy said. 

She had completely forgotten about her previous task. Fluttershy had tried to leave so she could look for Skaarl, but Jhin wanted to make a painting in her honor. He had told her that it was his dream to do so. Now that she thinks of it, she had wondered if Dash had found Skaarl yet, or maybe she would never see her again. The idea was disheartening, she was very ecstatic to meet Skaarl and was ready to shower her with love and affection. Never before had she met a drakalops, a curious species who Fluttershy wanted to learn more about. 

Speaking of meeting new creatures, Jhin was very fascinating. He was so nice and cool, something about him was just so calming, so much that Fluttershy felt relaxed around him. But there was something that was bothering her, a feeling that she is unsure of what it is. It was in the back of her head, and it was whispering to her unintelligible words. What Fluttershy doesn't know is that this was her instincts speaking to her. Warning her of a threat that is near her. 

Jhin smiled devilishly under his mask, he reached a hand behind and towards the knife he hid on his belt. His eye was focused right on Fluttershy's smiling face, an inspiration for his latest art. Such beauty, so fragile. He thought to himself. All Jhin needed to do was flick his wrist and his project will be complete, there will only be a few witnesses in the park but it will suffice. 

Then boom, the tree where all his work was on had just exploded into a million pieces. Shards of wood flew all around, Jhin quickly pulled his canvas towards the blast and had protected both him and Fluttershy from any unwanted splinters. A few shards had given him a few cuts, but he and Fluttershy were alright. Jhin would rather not ruin his next subject of interest, no, she will be beautiful once he is done. But for now, he needed to deal with whoever had disturbed his work.

As for Fluttershy, she was completely frozen out of fear, the explosion had come out of nowhere. And the voice in her head was finally screaming at her, telling her to run. Yet she didn't listen. 

"Mistah J~!" The voice of a girl sang out. Jhin looked over his shoulder and there stood just a few feet away, was a pale and scrawny girl. A large intimidating rocket launcher on her shoulder and a grenade in her right hand. "I finally found you Mistah J! Fart Man said you shouldn't be this far from the arena, something about how he can't keep an eye on you!"

"Jinx," Jhin tossed the damaged canvas aside and pulled out his knife. Glaring at the blue-haired girl, Jhin had decided to get rid of her so he could go back to his work. "I am truly sorry dear Fluttershy, let me just deal with this pest."

"Fart Man said I can break your bones if you don't comply because he can just fix them. And trust me buster, I want to break your bones so much!"

Fluttershy whined, but she was struck with fear to do anything. She wanted to run to safety, she really did. Sadly she is at the mercy of Jhin and she hoped that he could stop whoever that woman is.

"I found you!" Someone else bellowed, both gunners turned to see who it was, and imagine their surprise when a yordle on a drakalops rolled up into the scene. "Ha!" He laughed. "What luck, I found me some Ionian to chop up!"

Jinx gasped with her eyes wide. "OMG! Another fluffy buddy! Wait, you can see him right?"

"A yordle, here? There is one back in the arena, but you are different." Jhin said. 

"Enough with the yammering!" Kled brandished his weapon at them. "I'm 'ere to make some broth out of yer bones!"

Jhin grinned, an evil intent flashed in his eye. "I see, a hero has entered the scene, marvelous!" He chuckled deeply. "Once I am done with you both, this world will see the beauty of art."