//------------------------------// // Barnyard Brawl // Story: On Duty // by The Sumareian //------------------------------// Bastion looked up, he knew he was dreaming because he was at the one place he swore never to go back to. It was the one place where he experienced so much pain, so much suffering, but at the same time triumph and a cold sense of pride. He looked up to the Tiga mountains and took in a calm breath, he was in Tiglaias, or more specifically the monastery of the weeping stripes He turned his head to see an old tiger in silk robes staring daggers at him through his one good eye. "You dare come here and challenge me." He watched as the decrepit tiger got to his paws. Bastion knew that he may have been old but that he could take on a dozen of the royal guard with a paw behind his back and still win, then again it was this same tiger who taught him the lunar claw forms. "Master Bengalus, I have no wish to fight you," He watched as his master started stalking around him, waiting for an opening. "But if I must defend myself so be it." He mirrored the tigers low predatory stalk, only instead of circling him he waited. "You never did learn anything he taught you." The heat of another tigers breath kissed his right ear. **** "I'm tellin you Twi, whatever did this must have been mighty fierce." Applejack commented running her hoof over the claw marks that one f her apple trees now sported. Bastion had gone with Twilight when Applejack showed up in the library earlier asking about some claw marks. "Hmmm..." Twilight looked at the marks with the same intensity as Fetlock Holmes. " We still cant rule out timber wolves, but then again they don't sharpen claws on trees." Bastion focused on everything else around them quietly surveyed the area, he did find the marks appearing on one tree really fishy. As his turned his head back to the two mares who were investigating the marks, his eyes fell on a little slip of white in the grass two trees away. "Well, if it is timber wolves we won't be able to harvest this part of orchard till they move on." Applejack angrily flipped over a rock. "No, not timber wolves," Bastion said to the two mares, keeping the white slip in the corner of his vision. "They wouldn't venture this far from the forest at night. A manticore maybe, but." He trotted up to the tree and looked carefully at it, whatever it was it wasn't sharpening its claws since the gnashes in the tree were too clean for that. "But manticores wouldn't go this far away from the Everfree," He heard Twilight gulp nervously. "Would they?" "Tell you what ladies," Bastion looked at the two mares and smiled. "You two should head on back to the farm, and I'll find what did this and shoo it away for you." Bastion hoped that playing of their paranoia would get them to clear out, he didn't want to risk their safety if she was here. "Are ya sure Bastion? I could get Big mac to help you out." Bastion smiled to Applejack. "No need, and besides," He started stretching his shoulders, "I could use the practice.I don't want to get rusty after all." "Then be careful Bastion," Twilight pointed her hoof at him. "I don't want to explain to the Princess how one of my guards became a manticores snack." Bastion chuckled. "Will do Princess Twilight." He saluted her as he let his laughter die down. ** Bastion waited a few minutes after the two left before he headed over to the strange white thing he saw a few trees away. As he got closer to it, he noticed that it wan't some random piece of paper but rather an origami swan. "So, Bastion who are the new mares?" He jumped slightly at the voice. As he looked around for its source, the faint sound of purring filled the air. "I mean after all, there was no way you could be content with just one pony for the rest of your life." "They aren't any of your concern here," Bastion angrily glanced around himself half expecting anything to jump on him from anywhere. " I thought, we settled this in Manehattan." "Ha, you cheat me out of my birthright and say we're even," Bastion heard a loud thud behind him. Turning around he came face to face with one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. "And you, know the old saying. Once a tiger sets her eyes on her prey she wont stop until she or her prey is dead." The tigress plodded out of the shadows of the apple trees, her brilliant orange and black striped coat were complemented by her dark blue eyes that were focused solely on him, as she flicked her tail the entirety of which was a dark grey. Bastion knew those eyes, though beautiful and kind, those were the eyes of a power hungry killer. On her neck dangled two pearls one red the other yellow. "Tell me, Stonetail. Do you really want that treasure that bad." Bastion started to circle her. "That treasure would connect me to the empress of Tigalas." She locked her eyes on Bastion watching his ever move, counting his breaths and watching how his muscles moved under his skin. "So you, destroyed the weeping stripes just for power." Bastion, knew that she would come for him again, she was just like that persistent. Then again the last time she they met was the night before his wedding with Topaz, he only survived that encounter because Whiterun tackled her right before she could deliver a finishing blow. He cursed his luck this time around since his partner was on a date with Pastures. "Correction Bastion, you are the last member of the weeping stripes." She pointed one of her claws straight at him. "You were the one master trusted with the blue pearl. You were the one he wouldn't allow to undergo the rituals of denial." She started to purr as she dug her claws into the soil. "You were the one who never learned the Astral paw forms." With that she charged at him, the soft dirt was being tossed up every time her deadly paws slammed into the ground. Bastion braced himself as she barreled right into him, sending the two of them rolling through the orchard. Stonetail viciously clawing at him every opportunity she had as the two began to slow down. The two stopped as Stonetail slammed Bastions back on the ground, as she raised her paw to strike him down Bastion quickly brought his hind legs up and bucked her straight in the air. He then quickly rolled out of the way, as the stunned tigress crashed to the ground. "Raghhh!!!" She sprang to her paws and swiped at his head once again. When she missed however she dug her striking paw into the ground and pivoted her entire body on it, giving Bastion a vicious strike from both of her back paws. Bastion felt three new cuts cross his left cheek as he was thrown by her punishing move, his flight was cut short however when a bush caught him. "Give up Bastion, your idiot friend isn't here to save you this time." Stonetail, panted as she made her way over to the grey stallion. As she grew closer to him she noticed the that not only was Bastion smiling, but laughing none the less. "You know, Stonetail," He chuckled as he turned his head to look at her. "Whiterun may be an idiot sometimes." With speed Bastion barely knew he could achieve he shot backwards, in a cartwheel letting his his hoof strike the tigress squarely in the chin. Gracefully landed he kept his eyes locked on her as she fell to her back. He knew he wouldn't get another good blow like that on her for a while. "But, no pony calls him that but me." He smirked to himself, knowing now that he had made her angry. She sprang back to her paws, and fixed him with a frenzied stare. In an instant she was tearing through the air her razor sharp claws glinting elegantly in the sunlight. Bastion sidestepped hoping to avoid her deadly leap. He felt a painful streak across his side as he quickly noticed he moved to slow. He curled up and fell over, the pain was utterly unbearable. As Stonetail landed with a loud thud, she started to cackle like a hyena. "Don't tell me that that wife of yours slowed you down," She turned around, a calm twisted smile shown on her face. "Last time we fought you were... Shall I say a bit more agile. She really must have fattened you up then." Her eyes filled with a manic drive as she plodded up to him. "Or maybe today, is the day I get to become Empress." She smiled as she raised her paw each of her claws now with the slight reddish tint, that Bastion guessed was his own blood. "Bastion!" Both of them paused as they turned their heads to the new voice. Bastions eyes widened in horror as he quickly recognized the pony staring at the two of them, her light blue coat and darker blue mane sending a shiver up his spine. Even Stonetail shuddered for a moment as she fixed her angry green eyes between the two of them. "Hey there," Bastion felt a lump form in his throat like uttering her name would unleash something that even the gates of Tartarus could hold. "Honey." Stonetail flicked her tail in annoyance as she returned her stare to him. "Good, I thought just killing you would make for a rather bor-" She was cut off as a hammer struck her in the side of the head. "Look here missy," Topaz trotted up to the tigress, who was still reeling from the blow from the hammer. "I don't know who you are, or what you want. But when you sit there and call my husband fat." She titled her neck over her shoulder resulting in a few loud cracks. "You crossed the bucking line." Bastion struggled to get back to his hooves."Honey, she's not your ave-" "Can it," She turned her head back to him. "We'll talk about this later, but right now. I have a kitty who needs to be taught a few things." both of them turned their heads as the tigress started to chuckle. Stonetail, who was now getting back up. She fixed the two of them with the wildest bloodthirsty gaze, her fangs gleamed in little sunlight that was now going through the trees. "So, this is your wife Bastion?" She smiled wickedly as she started to circle the two of them. " Real shame. I always thought you could do better, with your little fling Star Talon." Her paw snapped a twig. "Honey, we should get back to the barnyard." Bastion looked around the clearing they were in, he knew that it was too small for him to make sure Topaz wouldn't get caught in all the fighting. He was taken out of his tactical thoughts as his wife pressed up on his side. He looked over to his wife, he wasn't sure who was scarier at the moment, the crazed tigress who he had trained with when they were younger or his wife who was wearing a calm face her eyes fixed on her stalking adversary. Her horn lit up, he noticed the air crackle slightly as magic filled the air. "Silly pony," Stonetail stopped moving. "You think I don't know how to counter your magics." She scoffed at the two of them. "Unicorns really, so reliant on a ability that is more show than it is potent." She raised her paw casually flicking the dirt caught in her claws. "Ever wonder, how we Tigers get our names." She flicked her tail, the grey tip of her tail seemed to be getting bigger. "It's because your name reflects some ability that is unique to your family." Topaz let her horn glow with a bit more intensity, "So tell me something. How ignorant do you think I am?" And with a blinding flash both her and Bastion were gone. Leaving an extremely annoyed and slightly bloodied tigress in their wake. ** Bastion smiled nervously as his wife, who for the last minute was pressing him for information about what he has been up to for the last three weeks. "And who was she?" She pointed to the orchard. Bastion looked out there knowing that at any moment Stonetail would burst out of there. "She.... she ," Bastion looked down at the wooden floor. He still had to make sure Twilight, her friends family and more importantly his marriage was not in danger because of something his parents forced him into doing. He knew he had to at least tell his wife about that chapter of his life. "When I was younger my parents went to Tiglaias with one thing in mind." He felt his throat run dry as Topaz raised her eyebrow. "They wanted a son who could redeem the Stonewall houses name among the Canterlot nobility," He looked up to his wife. "We both know there are only two ways to do something like that." Topaz nodded,Bastion hated to admit it, but him joining the guard and becoming a commander for one of the princesses units was his only choice. Unlike his wife who grew up as a noble because her family had wealth and influence in parliament, he remembered when he found out how rich she actually was, and when she discovered his families less than reputable history of piracy and in some cases treason just to get a fraction of what the other noble houses such as hers had in terms of wealth and power. "So at the urging of my grandfather I was sent away to train in a tiger monastery, in hopes that when I returned I would become possibly one of the best guards in the History of Equestria." He looked back to the trees where a group of birds scattered in the distance. "But that doesn't explain her though." Topaz followed his gaze to the trees. "We were... friends for a while, but when she discovered that she was the Empresses daughter. She went mad, for the last twelve years shes been hunting for a piece of evidence to prove her birthright." A ferocious roar tore through the air as another group of birds scattered, "A piece that I happen to have." "Then why haven't you given it to her?" Topaz looked at the barnyard, granted that she too was a member of the royal guard; a decision that didn't sit well with her father. She didn't see any way that the two of them could fend her off. Bastion sighed as the sound of angered growling started to faintly reach their ears.Trotting down the stairs he used his magic to pick up a rake, inspecting it he started to wish it was his spear. "Honey, you should go inside with the others." Bastion grabbed the rake with his hooves. "Did you forget something Bastion." She trotted up next to him a determined look on her face. "Sickness and health." "I don't remember there ever being anything about a tiger though." He smiled to her, which prompted a jab to his side. "Ouch." "Bastion!" Stonetail roared as she burst into the front of the Apple families barnyard. A frenzied manic look in her eyes, as she scanned the area for her prey. Bastion whistled over to her as he reared up on his hindlegs the rake gripped in both his forelegs. He smiled cockily at her, she was losing it which meant even with the few bumps and bruises she had gave him, he had the advantage. Adjusting his stance slightly so he could keep his balance a few moments longer, he got ready to fend off the deranged tigresses onslaught. "Rrraaaaa!!!" Bastion felt time itself slow down as Stonetail made her furious charge to him, He had a brief flashback to Manehattan, where the same thing was happening, only instead of on the roof one of Equestrias most prosperous banks, with his partner hanging on the edge for dear life. He smiled as he used his his legs to spring up into the air. As he somersaulted in the air he saw Stonetail land flat on her face. Landing right behind her he grabbed her tail with his magic and flung her towards the pigpen. He smiled to himself as she once again landed face first into the wet mud. As she scrambled back up to her paws, mud now tarnishing her stripped coat she huffed a angry breath to him. "Surprise." Topaz popped out of her teleportation a few feet in the air giving her the chance to buck Stonetail in the side, causing both of them to land in the muddy puddle. Before the tigress could recover from the blow Topaz had jumped on to her and was trying to do a headlock, to no avail. Bastion trotted up to the edge of the pigpen where his wife and former childhood friend were struggling against each other. "A little help, here honey." Topaz called out as she was flung around in the air, she manged to get her hooves on the ground long enough to roll Stonetail down to the ground. "And miss the chance to see my wife mud wrestle for free?" He smiled as she glared daggers at him, her horn lighting up for a brief moment before a wad of thick mud hit him in the face. "It really isn't the time for this Bastion," She said as Stonetail tackled her to the ground, her hooves the only thing from keeping the tigress from mauling her to death. As Bastion started to charge into the pen as she flicked her tail, which was now a slightly darker grey than his coat. He ducked as her tail zipped trough the air to were his head was. He bumped Topaz in the flank, before looking up to her eyes and smiling"Miss me honey?" as Topaz rolled her eyes Bastion pressed his hind legs into Stonetails belly, and shouted. "Come on push, you can do it." Bastion gritted his teeth as he pushed with all his might once more, lifting the tigress several inches above the ground. "Hey Stony, looks like you could afford to loss a few pounds yourself." He hissed as he lit up his horn, preparing a stun spell. All the tigress did was lift up her back right paw and kick him in the face, causing his spell to misfire and hit Topaz. His eyes widened in horror as the tigress rolled over to the side. As he got back to his hooves he looked over to Stonetail, his wife dangling limply in her vicious jaws. "Looks like I win this time Bastion." She said as she dropped Topaz in a heap at her paws. "Try anything and her death will be on your shoulders. Now give me the scroll." Bastion looked at his wife, wondering how he messed up so bad, but more importantly why he had let her get involved in this. He looked at Stonetail, she had nearly killed him on multiple occasions, he knew that she would hurt anypony just to get at him. "Fine," He relaxed his pose, knowing that no matter what he tried Topaz would get hurt before he even got close to Stonetail. "I'll give the scroll." He lit up his horn causing an old ornate scroll to matterialize in the air, it bore the seal of the Empress on it. "You do know why master kept this from you." Stonetail sniffed the air and smiled wickedly at Topaz. "Do you know what your wife has been keeping from you." "What do you mean?" Bastion looked over to Topaz as Stonetail calmly plodded over to him. "Oh, nothing. Now give me what is mine." She reached out with her paw. "The master kept this from you because." He flashed back to his dream, quickly realizing something horrifying. "Because what?" Stonetail asked impatiently as the scroll touched the pads of her paw. "He was... was your father, and he feared who would try to hurt you for that scroll. But more importantly how it would hurt you." Bastion looked his onetime friend in the eye. "He didn't want your mother to find out you were still alive." He felt the world fall out from underneath him as he looked into her eyes, a look of shock filling them. "Y... your lying." She said defiantly as she broke away from his stare. "I...I must go," She shuddered for a moment. "And claim my birthright." Bastion turned and watched as the tigress disappeared in the trees, wishing her well one her quest. Looking back to his wife he tiredly trotted to her, nudging her in the side with his muzzle. "Mmmm.... five more minutes." She mumbled as she curled up and quietly started snoring. "Bastion, are you okay." his ears perked as he heard Twilight call out from the porch. He had almost forgotten about her and Applejack, heck they probably saw the whole fight. He waved over to her. "What in tarnation was that about?" He turned his head to see Applejack and her brother follow Twilight out of the house. He waited for the them to get a bit closer, not wanting to shout and possibly wake Topaz up. He smiled as they got closer, standing back up and saluting the two mares. "Well for starters, it was not a manticore."