It had been two days since Baen’s startling admittance of an incoming threat. The princesses had taken it slightly well, though; they had later made a decree that if anypony saw anything at all out of the ordinary to report it immediately. Discord had taken it upon himself to establish a floating platform with telescopes aimed in every single direction, and angle. Baen on the other hoof, he had taken to a minor isolation. The many ponies he had made friends with over the course of his awakening were understandably worried. He neglected them, barely spoke, and trained or ran errands. In a sense, he had almost gone back to the way he had been before. At the moment, the barbarian in question was sitting in his home pouring over the Book. He was searching for anything at this point to aid him in the inevitable coming battles.
*Knock Knock*
Baen shook his head and thumbed through the books pages. His eyes narrowed in concentration. Surely there had to be something he overlooked, anything at all that could lea-
*KNOCK KNOCK!*
Baen sighed in anger and stomped across the room to his front door and threw open his door with a loud, “WHAT?!”
Shining Armor stared calmly at him.
Baen blinked, “Shining? I didn’t know you were in town.”
“I just got in,” he stated with a tone that matched his gaze, “is there a reason my little sister is writing me a letter saying that you’ve become a recluse again?”
Baen looked to the side, “Hrm.”
Shining stepped forward, “Baen. Talk to me, we’re friends here.”
“I don’t know Shining,” Baen looked at the stallion who noticed that the barbarian had bags under his eyes, “I just feel like…I need to find a way. Even if there isn’t one, there just has to be.”
Shining shook his head for his friend. Visibly the barbarian appeared as he usually did, but being a guard captain trained to note the health of his troops, Shining could see things not many could. He could see that Baen had either not gotten enough sleep or just hadn’t slept at all. This was further enforced due to his sudden mood changes and slightly wobbly standing. He was distressed mentally and physically, mostly due to the almost glazed look in his eyes. Shining trotted to his friend and placed a leg around his neck.
“Come on Baen,” he smiled warmly, “how about you go take a nap. I’ll clean up and keep an eye on things, then we can go down to Ponyville,” he tapped the barbarian’s chest plate, “and we can show ponies you’re completely fine and in shape.”
Baen mumbled to himself before his inhaled slowly then nodded, “Alright…”
Baen took a few steps away…before falling on his back and snoring softly.
Shining shook his head with a chuckle and levitated the twitching barbarian to the couch. A bit of drool trailed from Baen’s mouth as he slept. Shining then went about straightening up. Baen’s right hindleg twitched as he mumbled in his sleep.
“Yes Lucretcia…..that’s what your *snore* warrior likes…..”
Baen rolled over and his mumbles became incoherent.
Shining finished his cleaning quickly and sat down on the floor, shrugging, he pulled a comic from Baen’s shelf and started reading it.
*
When Baen awoke a few hours later, he was bright eyed and bushy tailed. He hopped to the floor and cracked his back.
“Ah! That’s just what the healer ordered,” He glanced at Shining who had just finished a novel, “Hm…so it seems book worming runs in the family.”
Shining glanced up and chuckled as he shut the book, “Only fantasy for me. Afternoon sleepy head, you have a good nap?”
Baen nodded, “Yeah, listen I-“
“Don’t worry about it Baen,” He smiled, “I understand stress.”
Baen smiled, “Running a kingdom comes with its drawbacks eh?”
Shining nodded, “Dude, you have no idea. I actually think Cadance wasn’t joking when she said she found a white hair in my mane.”
“Shining,” Baen snickered, “you’re mostly white.”
Shining scrunched his face as both stallions laughed.
Soon they stood and ventured outside.
“So,” Shining asked, “what’re you thinking of doing?”
Baen tapped his chin, “Well personally I wouldn’t mind a chocolate tart.”
Shining thought for a moment, “Sounds good to me.”
Soon the two stallions appeared in Ponyville and beheld an unusual sight. The streets were empty. Only the sound of the early afternoon breeze greeted them as the slowly cantered through the town. The creaking of swinging planters, window shutters, and the steady pattering of the water from the towns fountain greatly unsettled the duo.
“Shining,” Baen glanced around, “Where is everypony?”
Shining narrowed his eyes when he noticed a silhouette in a window dart out of sight, “I’m not sure. Though for some reason,” he stopped, “I did notice everypony was in a bit of a hurry today.”
Baen halted his stride, “How long ago did you get here?”
“The train pulled in around ten this morning, why?”
Baen narrowed his eyes as they looked to every blind spot and corner, “Something isn’t right.”
Shining took in his surroundings and noticed that the hoof prints upon the ground seemed a little tighter grouped, almost like….
“It looks like there were a series of struggles.”
Baen glanced to his friend, “What do you think?”
Shining glanced around and noticed another shape dart into the shadows, “I think we’re being watched.”
“We need to get back to my home, or some form of building,” Baen’s tone was absolute and to the point.
“Wow,” Shining glanced at his now serious friend, “so this is what you’re like when you’re serious.”
Baen turned to Shining, “We best make haste lest we run into-“
When Baen had turned back around, he as staring into a pair of familiar maroon eyes, “GAH!”
“BWAH!”
Both he and the other fell backwards on the ground.
Baen stood up and glared slightly at the interloper only for the glare to soften, “Rainbow Dash, what in Tieg’s name are you doing? You scared me half to death.”
Rainbow chuckled, “Sorry, I was just searching the skies when I saw you two, so I popped on down to see what’s up.”
Shining glanced around as Dash flexed her wings a few times, “You wouldn’t by chance know where everypony is would you Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow chuckled, “Oh there around, everypony is just busy,” she then started staring at Shining.
Baen glanced around some to take in the area; he sniffed the air, and then paused.
Shining raised an eyebrow, “Dash…you seem distracted.”
“Oh,” Rainbow snickered, “I’m not distracted, I’m just taking in the sights.”
Baen then turned around sharply, “Shining. Get away from her.”
Shining glanced up at Baen, “What? Why?”
Rainbow got a tad close as Shining backed up, “You know, how you’re related to Twilight is still shocking to me. I mean she’s an egghead, and you’re,” she licked her lips, “so well built.”
Shining’s eye twitched, “And married.”
Rainbow visibly blushed as she poked a hoof into his chest, “Is it an open marriage?”
Baen was behind her in an instant and his front hooves were around her head much to her surprise, “Hey! What’s the big ideGRAK!”
Baen sharply turned her head to the right and a crack was heard as she collapsed, he tongue sticking out.
Shining stared in horror, “BAEN! What have you-“
“Relax Shining,” he pointed to her chest as it rose and fell, “She’s still breathing. What I did was a trick I learned from my friend A’dare. He used to be the head of an assassins guild, ironically he was a body pain easier.”
Shining raised an eyebrow, “You mean a massage therapist?”
“I suppose,” Baen shrugged, “To be brief, the move is to cause a calmed, almost sleep like state. The upside, if she had a crick in her neck, it will be gone.”
Shining glanced down at the incapacitated pegasus, “Um….what is wrong with her?”
“Are you dense?”
Shining snorted.
“She’s in heat.”
Shining’s pupils shrank to pinpricks….
“Shining, stick close to me,” Baen glanced around, “as long as we’re vigilante, we can survive.”
“SWEET CELESTIA HELP MEEEEEE!”
Shining glanced around and saw a stallion explode around the corner like a fire had been set alight on his tail. The stallion was known as Caramel and he was currently fleeing a rampant looking Rarity.
Baen placed his axe on the ground, “Shining. Wait here.”
Rarity levitated Caramel off his hooves as he ran in mid-air, “Oh come now dear Caramel, running will only make it worse for you.”
“Rarity!”
Rarity turned to behold a firm standing Baen, “Drop him.”
“Oh Baen darling,” she smiled, “though I appreciate stallion callers. I’m afraid I have a previous engagement. So if you would be so kind as too-“
“Last chance,” Baen stated darkly, “drop him, or I drop you.”
Rarity was taken aback, “Why I never! Who are y-“
Baen was already approaching her at breakneck speed. She gasped as he then dropped to the ground, slid along it on his side, and then delivered a swift front jab to her barrel. Rarity squeaked, and then fell like a sack of potatoes as Baen stood up.
Caramel stared up in awe as the barbarian stood, “Who are you?”
“Baen,” he offered him his hoof, “Come with me if you want to live.”
Caramel nodded quickly and took his hoof as they joined Shining, who was currently tying Dash to a post with a magic binding.
Shining was muttering to himself, “Heat Week, Celestia, how could I have forgotten. To overlook something like this,” he glanced at Baen and magiced the axe to its owner, “What’s the game plan?”
Baen fixed Shining with a gaze, “First, what in The Void’s name is going on here?”
Caramel spoke up, “Heat Week.”
“Heat Week,” Baen asked quizzically
Shining nodded, “It’s the two days out of a week of this month when every mare in Equestria goes into Estrus. For some it’s mild, for a place like Ponyville…”
Caramel trembled, “It’s a nightmare.”
Baen nodded with a stoic expression, “All right, here’s what’s going to happen. We are not going to get separated, we are not going to panic,” he pointed toward Sugarcube Corner, “we are going to march in there, use it as an outpost and ride this out.”
Shining actually saluted the veteran warrior as Caramel nodded.
As they broke into a run, they slammed through the doors of Sugarcube Corner and found two ponies inside.
“OH! Hi Baeny!”
“Pinkie Pie,” Baen spoke the name like it was the most frightening one in existence.
Pinkie waved, “I’m so glad you’re here, I was talking to Big Mac here about his plans today. Turns out this smarty pants was going to take a train to his cabin up in the woods until Heat Week ends. But I told him he didn’t have too and-“
“Pinkie, you’re in it bad aren’t you?”
“Eeyup, she is.”
Pinkie looked to a calm Big Mac who was munching on strawberry shortcake in the far corner, “I told him he could chill out here and have something to eat before he went to the train.”
Baen was on her in a minute, he was holding her by the tail and mane and brining her across the floor, “It’s nothing personal Pinks, but we’re going to have to use Sugarcube Corner for two days as our sanctuary.”
“Okie dokie lokie. I don’t mind,” she stated with a smile, “Just to warn you though, I won’t be held responsible for what I do later,” the last bit was almost like a song the way she said it.
“Understandable,” Baen nodded, “You want anything before I cast you out?”
Pinkie pulled a plate of doughnuts from her mane, “No thanks, I’m good.”
“Alright then,” Baen then cast out the pink mare.
Baen then slammed the door as Shining magiced the windows shut and mass sealed the locks.
Baen nodded as he sat at a table, “Gentlestallions, now we wait.”
Big Mac nodded as he finished his cake, “Eeyup.”