Militis Corde

by Sanguine Eyes

Bonus Chapter: Present I

"She's most certainly not a Nikur" Earl looked even more tired than normal looking up at Tyrin as he hobbled about the house only just barely able to put things back together.

"Yeah... She's a changeling." Tyrin struggled to get the walls back up and while it would take a lot of effort, then even more to get the holes filled, he was sure he would have his house back in just a few days.

"No... I mean, she didn't even try to trick me or eat me or anything... She's just a scared little filly. It was nothing but non stop crying and worrying. I told her that you wanted her to come up with me. I practically had to drag her along. And why did you get me to drag her along?" Earl's demeanor hadn't changed, he still buried his nose in his book. And while Tyrin was endlessly happy for such a stranger to go so far for him, he had the feeling that the foreign pony had his fill of foalsitting. "She would not have done well on the island"

"Well, she's here now, clearly I made a good choice. By the way... how far did you get before the royal guards caught up with you?" He struggled with one of the loose timbers, his body might as well have still been in tatters.

"About to the spot where we first met. I'm happy they asked nicely, I was afraid I would have to fight them. I may be capable but I don't want to pick fights with guards of any kind." He lay back in the remains of the kitchen and to Tyrin's surprise he lay his book over his eyes instead of going back to read it.

"Well, not to speak ill of our nation's finest, but the guards here are a joke. Save for those special forces guys. I mean, I can take em... but I'm a catbird... I can do things like that." He struggled to finally line the broken walls up and whispered to them with a smile, a smile that grew when what looked to be dark mist pulled the walls perfectly into line.

"You still got that thing?" Earl peaked out from under his book before resting his eyes again.

"Yeah, I don't know what to think of it. It's power that belonged to a pretty bad guy. But he's long since gone, I'm surprised I have it, but I'll live a lot better with the power, and longer. I want to be around when my Iris is all grown up." He smiled thinking of her, remembering the height of the Changeling queen he faced down. He wondered how tall his little Iris would become.

"It's good then?" Earl's tone was flat, but it was always flat. He was an utter anomaly to Tyrin, but nevertheless Tyrin was overwhelmed with gratefulness that the strange pony stuck around.

"Did you at least get to the capital fast?" Tyrin stopped his repair, mostly out of dire need to rest. Slowly limping back to the nest that he put back together and with a happy hum he lay next to the sleeping Iris.

"Yeah, totally not what I expected, but hey... it's good. Some weird... um... I guess I can call them ponies... But hey, Equestria is a strange place." He snuggled into the spot a little more comfortably and Tyrin looked to the rest of the nest.

"Hey, there's room here..." He snuggled into the sleeping Iris and gestured to the other side of the nest.

Earl seemed to hesitate uncomfortably for a moment before sighing. Without even poking out from under his book he simply replied in even more of a tired tone. "I don't do snuggles. Physical contact makes me ill. I appreciate the offer, but no thank you."

Tyrin shrugged. "Suit yourself."He rested his head over Iris, overjoyed with her safety. He didn't know what he would do without her. As odd of a pony Earl was, he was willing to put himself at risk for her. He hardly knew the guy, but he was alright in his book.

To Tyrin's mild surprise, Earl spoke again, still not peaking up from his book or even moving. "What are you going to do next?"

"Well, I'm going to fix my house, then Imma try and help you get a house thing figured out if you'll let me. Then I have to see if I can start work, I have some debts to pay off, then... I guess I will try and bet my hands on some fine moon tushy..." He grinned, his eyes still closed, but he swore he could feel lightning roiling up ready to strike him.

"Moon tushy?" Earl finally budged looking up just a little.

"Oh... Luna... I kinda like her, and teasing her is one of my pastimes."

"Luna? The princess? The Goddess of the moon?"

"The one and only..." He smirked really feeling the hours lag on, weighing on his eyes.

"Maybe it's just me as I am a foreigner, but that sounds like an astronomically asinine idea." He waved his hoof weakly in the air almost dismissively.

"Yeah... it totally is..."

Earl's hoof slumped and he grumbled. "You're weird."

"Yeah... I know..."

Tyrin smiled, drifting off to sleep. Earl was an odd one, but there was a good friendship in the future. Even if he gave the unicorn a thousand years of favors, he still wouldn't feel like he had payed him back well enough. Earl was odd, but Tyrin would either be his friend or die trying.

With a new friend snoozing in his shattered kitchen, a snuggle bug Iris napping in his nest, and a Luna to tease, likely found in his dreams. Dreams that would be free of the endless hell that was the influence of the dark king. He could not ask for a finer ending to his own story. He didn't even expect to have a past or present, but he would have a happy future, with friends and a family.