Greetings from the Library, readers new and old. For those of you that have never read anything from me before, this group of stories is related to my first major work, Light of the Moon. If you want the entire backstory, you might want to read that. For those of you that read LotM, I welcome you back to the first of the short side stories I'll be putting out in the intervening weeks until I get the first chapter of Lunar Legacy ready. There are plans for four of them, so even if Lunar Legacy gets posted before these are done, I'll finish them off.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or review, or any thoughts on Lunar Legacy. All opinions and suggestions are taken into account. And now, onto the first of our shorts:

The Rewards of Generosity

Rarity slowly opened her eyes. There was a piercing bright light above her, almost blinding her. Was she dead? Oh, that would be so unfortunate if she was dead. The last thing she remembered was getting hit in the chest with a crossbow bolt… She glanced down at that memory. Do scars persist through death? Hopefully not. She took quite a bit of pride in keeping her appearance near perfect, and a scar…

Her eyes were greeted with white fur.

Now that's unexpected. She didn't remember if the Princesses had completed their spell or not, but given that she was back in her pony body, she had to assume they had. She looked down her body to find it was also wrapped in a number of bandages. So she had lived? How… unexpected. Apparently someone had been able to save her life once they were back.

Closer examination showed she was lying in a clean bed, in a very noticeably clean room. She sat up, finding that yes indeed, she was a pony again. In a hospital. She didn't know whether to feel elated or disappointed. "I suppose I should be happy," She said out loud finally. She rubbed a hoof against her side. "At least I'm… safe."

Rarity let out a soft sigh and slowly slid out of bed. Standing up on four hooves was… weird, to say the least, and she did stumble a bit at first. But after several tries, she got back into the hang of it. "Well, I suppose I should see what the damage is…"

She wandered into the bathroom, taking each step slowly so as to not trip and fall. She made it with little incident and pushed herself up to the counter. The sight that greeted her almost made her slip and fall. Her normally elegant purple mane was ragged, and her fur was dirty and scuffed in several places. The trio of diamonds on her flanks were dull as well. There were bags under her eyes as well, and her hooves were worn. The bandages covering her body were the least of her hurts. However, she didn't react like she normally would, screaming bloody murder at the damage to her appearance. But she just felt… weary. The damage to her mane and tail could easily be repaired in time. Her coat could be washed, and sleep would fix the bags in her eyes and the headache that was creeping up.

"Perhaps I should go back to sleep," She muttered, exiting the bathroom. She was halfway back to her bed when she realized somebody—er, pony—else was in the room. She glanced over to find a very surprised pink pony standing there. Her bright pink mane bounced as she began shaking. Rarity blinked. "…Pinkie Pie?"

"RARE-BEAR!" suddenly, all Rarity could see was pink as Pinkie Pie slammed into her and sent them both rolling across the floor. When they finally came to a stop, the pink pony began bombarding the white unicorn with kisses, all the while trying to talk.

"I thought you were gone for good Rare-bear because you didn't wake up at first and all the doctor ponies said you had a real bad ouchie and that they weren't sure you'd be okay so I've been visiting you every day for two weeks hoping you'd wake up and when I came in today I saw you walking around but you didn't see me at first and then you went into the bathroom and then you came out and you saw me and you said my name and I was so happy that I started shaking and then I—!"

Rarity gently yet firmly managed to kiss her excited marefriend. The act caused the other mare to calm down immediately, giving Rarity a chance to breathe. They broke the kiss, and the white unicorn touched Pinkie's face with her hoof. She smiled. "I'm happy to see you too, Pinkie-winkle."

Surprisingly, Pinkie remained calm. "…I'm so glad you're awake, Rarity."

"How long did you say I was out?" Rarity had been trying to follow what Pinkie had said, and that one thing had piqued her interest.

Pinkie was a little sheepish. "Um… two weeks?"

"Oh goodness…" Rarity let Pinkie go and moved to sit on the bed. The pink mare followed her over and sat beside her. "Were we… where are we?"

"Canterlot hospital," Pinkie replied. "Apparently everyone that was in the other world ended up nearby, and now we're here!"

"So Twilight and the others…?"

"All safe! Twilight's in the castle with Applejack and Fluttershy, but everypony else is in the hospital too."

"Nopony was hurt too badly?" Rarity spoke slowly, trying to get used to saying 'nopony' and 'anypony' again. On top of that, she was still somewhat in pain. One hoof went to her forehead, slightly brushing against her horn. Oh yes, that was back too. Somewhat explained her headache.

"Um… besides you and Dashie? Just a little bit."

Rainbow Dash…? Rarity's mind shot back to the last thing she remembered. She had been shot with a crossbow bolt and blacked out. But before that, she had witnessed a warrior almost cutting of Rainbow's wing… "Is Rainbow Dash alright? She didn't lose her wing, did she?"

Pinkie shook her head quickly. "No, It was only partly cut, but she can't fly for a while. The doctors said that she's lucky it wasn't cut off all the way."

Rarity let out a heavy sigh. "If only I had been faster…"

"That's my line," A tomboyish voice said with a laugh. The two mares looked to the door and found a blue pegasus mare rolling in on a wheelchair. Rainbow Dash was just as beat up as Rarity, albeit with many more bandages. However none of the confidence was gone from that smile of hers.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Pinkie freaking out so I figured you were awake." The rainbow maned mare rolled herself further into the room, that familiar grin on her face. "You alright, Rarity?"

"Could be better," The seamstress admitted. "But we are alive, and that is what matters, no?"

"Yeah, I guess. Everypony was pretty banged up after… you know." Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Well, except for Twilight and the other Princesses, but that's no big deal."

"And… Ace?"

Rainbow blinked. "Oh, Ace? I… He's alright. Banged up but you know him."

"That's good to hear," Rarity said with a nod.

"I guess being born to kill gives him a tough body. He healed a lot faster than the rest of us."

"Grace did too!" Pinkie said. But then she looked thoughtful. "But she knows healing magic, so maybe she just used it on herself?"

"That's a good point," Rarity admitted. She glanced over at Rainbow. "So Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack are alright?"

"AJ's tough, and Fluttershy and Twilight weren't near the fighting," Rainbow explained. "So they are just fine."

"…And Princess Luna?"

The room fell silent for a while. Neither Rainbow or Pinkie wanted to answer at first. It seemed like the answer was a bit too hard for either of them to say. Finally, Rainbow spoke up. "She's… alright, I think."

"You think?"

"She hasn't left her tower since Twilight and Princess Celestia found her out in the forest," Rainbow said. "She's… not speaking to anyone."

Rarity couldn't find it in her to be surprised. Luna had just lost the only person—er, pony? Man?—that she loved, and now he was gone. Lost forever in another world, his ultimate fate a complete mystery. And now forced to live without him… "I hope she… I hope she'll be alright."

"I hope all of us will be alright," Rainbow muttered ruefully, before turning her wheelchair and rolling back out of the room. "Hope you're back on your feet… hooves before long, Rarity."

"Likewise, darling," Rarity mumbled. The room was silent again while the two mares sat. Neither knew what to say. So finally, Rarity spoke again. "I… suppose I should get some sleep."

"Can I stay here with you?" Pinkie asked softly.

The white unicorn leaned over and kissed the pink mare on the cheek. "Of course, Pinkie-winkle," She told her with a smile.

-x-x-

"That dress looks wonderful on you, darling!" Rarity said, smiling proudly as the brown mare before her tried on another of the many dresses the white unicorn had in her Canterlot based boutique. Ponyville and the area surrounding the town had been overgrown by the Everfree forest, leaving it uninhabitable. There were reclamation efforts underway, but only time would tell if they could push back the forest enough for the town to be lived in again. For now though, the former residents of the town were living in Canterlot. Rarity was one of the lucky few to have a way of sustaining herself. By selling dresses, naturally! Just like the dress she was now waving out of the door. As she went back to her work room, she thought for a moment just how fortunate she was to be doing what she loved once more. Twilight and the others were living in the castle, and the Princesses were taking care of them. The only ones that Rarity needed to look out for were herself and Pinkie.

Well…

"Mommy!" A bright and cheery voice squeaked. Rarity winced for what came next. A little pink ball came rolling down the stairs into her workroom. It kept going until it hit a rack full of cloth and knocked them all down. Rarity looked over the dress she was working on to the pile of fabric. To both her relief and dismay, a little pink head popped out of the pile. A wild pink and black mane sat atop the little foal's head, and her mismatched silver and blue eyes shined with delight.

"Jubilee?" The seamstress muttered in surprise. A moment later, Pinkie appeared in the door with another foal on her back. That one was a grayish white just like Rarity, and her mane was violet and white.

"Sorry Rarity!" Pinkie said, looking worried. "I was looking after Jubilee and Exuberance and then Bibi ran off from me…"

Rarity's horn lit up and she picked up the little pink foal and levitated her over to her. "Oh, my little sunshine, must you always get into trouble?" She asked, nuzzling Jubilee. The little pink foal giggled at her mother's affection. "She's so much like you, Pinkie."

"Of course!" Pinkie grinned. "I want her to grow up and be my super-duper party planner assistant!"

"I just hope they grow up healthy," Rarity said, carrying Jubilee over to place her on Pinkie's back. The little foal almost fell off, but her sister grabbed her before she could. Rarity couldn't help but smile. "They already look out for one another."

Pinkie carried the two foals over to a penned in area and set them inside. "They're so cute!" She giggled.

"They are indeed," Rarity agreed, coming over beside her marefriend. They leaned up against one another. Carrying the babies to term at the same time had been a challenge, but with the help of their friends they had weathered the storm. Oddly enough, Pinkie had given birth first, almost half a day before Rarity. But both of their children were healthy and happy, and that was what mattered. Oh before long she'd be designing clothes for their birthday party that Pinkie had already planned…

"Excuse me?" A soft voice asked. "Is there anypony here?"

The two of them glanced to the door of the work room. "A customer?" Pinkie murmured.

"I'll handle it," Rarity said. "Watch them. And don't let Jubilee get out again, alright?"

"Okey-dokey-lokey!"

Shaking her head at her mare-friend's signature statement, she walked out into the showroom. After clearing her throat, she put on her business persona. "Welcome to Canterlot Carousel! Is there anything I can help… you… with?" She trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of who had just trotted into her boutique.

Princess Luna.

The Princess of the Night—or Dreams, as she preferred now, was standing quietly in the middle of the showroom, eyes focused on the white unicorn. Luna's mane was a bit unkempt, and she looked tired. But there was no weariness in her eyes. "…Rarity," She said in greeting, voice no more than a whisper.

"P-Princess," Rarity said respectfully, not exactly sure what to say. The Princess of Dreams had not been seen outside of her personal quarters in the castle since their return to Equestria. And now, without any sort of warning, was now in front of her. She was understandably unsure of how to proceed. "How… how are you?"

"Terrible," Luna said, barely any emotion in her voice. Her eyes dropped to the floor."…I miss him. I mourn his loss every day."

Rarity lowered her head. She knew who she meant. Her husband, Tyr Hymir. They had left him behind when they escaped his world, the man sacrificing his own life and happiness for all of them. Rarity couldn't speak for the rest of her friends, but Tyr's absence weighed on her every day. "…I do as well, Princess."

Luna glanced over at her, not speaking for a long minute. "I heard… your babies were turning a year old soon?"

"Oh! Yes, Jubilee and Exuberance are growing up splendidly. Pinkie adores them, as do I."

"…May I see them?"

"Uh… of course. Please." Rarity gestured to the work room, and Luna took that as her cue to move. She walked slowly over, the seamstress falling into step behind her. It was a short walk to the work room, but with the way Luna was acting it felt like a mile. The Princess never spoke, even as they entered the room. Pinkie was dangling a rubber chicken in front of Jubilee, the foal laughing and giggling at her mother's antics. Rarity cleared her throat. The pink mare glanced over, and dropped the rubber chicken onto Jubilee's head.

"P-Princess!" She exclaimed in shock. "I wasn't expecting you to drop by!"

"It was a spur of the moment decision," Luna admitted. She made her way over to the two foals, Jubilee playing with the rubber chicken. Ancè looked up at the Princess of Dreams, and the breath caught in the Alicorn's throat. "Their… their eyes…"

"Pure silver," Rarity said with a nod. "Just like…"

"His," Luna finished. She looked away. There was a heavy pain in her voice. "Just like Tyr's."

"…Quite." Both Rarity and Pinkie were well aware of the trait. Neither of them had silver eyes, and for both of their daughters to share that trait with their father? Not to mention the constant reminder that he was gone...

"I see the same every day," Luna continued, turning back to the two foals. Jubilee was gnawing on the head of the rubber chicken, while Exuberance was messing with her tail. "Aleron and Aurora carry so much of him in themselves, and I see him every time I look into their eyes."

Rarity gestured to a small table along the wall that had a pair of teacups there. A steaming kettle was already in place since the seamstress had been planning to take a short break. "…some tea?"

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you." Luna moved over and took a seat at the table, Rarity joining her. The white unicorn poured them both cups of tea.

"So is everything alright at the castle?" Rarity asked, hoping to steer Luna towards less depressing topics.

"A council was put into place while my sister and I were absent," Luna said, horn lighting up with her magic. The cup in front of her levitated to her lips and she took a sip. She looked a little surprised at the taste. "…This is good."

"I know my tea," Rarity said with a smirk.

"You do indeed. But as I was saying, Tia and the council are working closely together. I am not needed that often."

"So… you spend time with your children?"

"Yes… Somewhat. Aurora has grown fascinated with the guards and spends a lot of time watching them train. Aleron is very studious, and actually has spent a lot of time with Twilight Sparkle."

"He doesn't ask you for help?" Pinkie asked, bouncing over. "I mean, you are a super powerful Alicorn and all."

Luna let out a somewhat dry chuckle. "Twilight is much more knowledgeable when it comes to non-magical information. Aleron comes to me when he needs to."

"They sound like they are growing up to be great children," Rarity said.

"Quite. I only wish their father were here to see it."

Both Pinkie and Rarity looked at one another before glancing over at their own daughters. It was the dressmaker who spoke. "…I agree with you wholeheartedly, Princess Luna."

Luna gave her a strange look, before sighing. She set her cup down and rose. "I will not trouble you any longer. Surely you must be busy."

"Busy? Oh no, darling, you're no trouble at all!"

"But I…"

"I can always make time for a friend," Rarity said firmly. Beside her, Pinkie nodded vigorously.

'I appreciate it, but I must decline," Luna told them sadly. "I… I have neglected my own motherhood for far too long."

"...I understand. Give our regards to Princess Celestia?"

"Of course. May your happiness be greater than my own." The Princess of Dreams vanished then, a bluish smoke left in her wake. Rarity and Pinkie stood in a stunned silence, before Jubilee pulled the rubber chicken out of her mouth for a moment.

"Poof!" She giggled.

-x-

Tyr had been lying in this spot for the better part of the week. He had buried himself almost completely inside of a bush, the camo mesh covering him making him appear just like part of the scenery. His rifle, a specially made gauss weapon, was extended in front of him, the dull gray body obscured by the green paint he had smeared over it. From a distance, he was just another part of the scenery. He was prone in an area of overgrowth, almost invisible if not for the fact his current partner could see him. Well, seeing everything made that easy. "If it wasn't for Tsukiyomi, you'd be completely invisible to me," Isabel said thoughtfully.

Tyr lifted his eye away from the scope to glance over at his erstwhile companion. Isabel Striate was seated beside a nearby tree, camouflaged as well except for her bright red eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment," He replied, before setting himself back behind the scope. It had been a while since he had actually exercised his marksmanship. "Starting to feel like home down here."

Isabel gave him a weak smile before returning her gaze to in front. They were on a tall hill overlooking a road that curved in front of the hill. As Tyr had been told, he was to eliminate an apparent dictator that was oppressing the people of this world. This world, Tyr repeated to himself with a chuckle. For the past year or so (since time wasn't a concern of the Striate family) he had been travelling to numerous worlds on Jehu's behalf. Today was no different, except for Isabel joining him. The platinum haired woman had offered to be his spotter. "The target is approaching," She said suddenly, her eyes reverting back to their more natural hazel. She suddenly put a hand to her head.

"Eyes bothering you?"

"I've been using the All-Seeing Eyes liberally recently. I think… Yeah, I don't think I can see normally right now."

"Take a rest," Tyr said, scratching the back of his hand. The safety was engaged on his rifle, and he wasn't afraid of accidentally hitting the trigger. "Fenrir can spot for me."

A ways down the hill, the aforementioned wolf spirit hid amongst the trees. [Of course, Alpha] She thought.

Tyr gently adjusted his scope. "Time?"

"Two minutes," Isabel offered, moving from her spot and resting her back against a tree. "Good luck."

Tyr fell back into silence, waiting. Two minutes came and went in pure silence, before he felt a prick at his senses. [Alpha, the convoy arrives]

A convoy of futuristic cars and armored trucks came into view, guns on top of the trucks swiveling around to examine the countryside. But at that distance, unless they had some impressive marksmen of their own, they would never see Tyr and Isabel. The man was already moving his hands, unengaging the safety on his rifle and letting out a deep breath. There was a soft growl from the weapon in his hands as the mass-accelerator came to life. No matter how many times he used the weapons, feeling the soft vibration of it in his hands was strange to him. But it wasn't enough to shake his aim. "Now I just need to see him…"

"Second car from the rear," Isabel said, glancing around the tree. She winced and squeezed her eyes tight. "Oh dear, irregular heartbeat?"

"What?"

"The target is in the back of his car, middle seat. You're within effective range."

Tyr didn't respond, only lining up his scope with the middle of the second to last car. He held his breath, and it almost felt like the rifle in his hands stopped vibrating in anticipation. The dictator was a fat man, panic on his every feature as he looked around nervously. He must have been afraid of some kind of attack, not an angel of death from afar. Tyr gently placed the crosshair on the man, amused to see him flinch like he could feel it. "Goodnight."

The gauss rifle fired, a low hiss as the silver magic bullet loaded into the chamber was accelerated down its length and launched at the target. Despite using conventional ammunition, the nature of the weapon proved superior to bullet proof armor. The bullet punctured the glass at the front of the car, the divider to the back, and still kept its trajectory well enough to hit the target. The dictator's head exploded back into the seat of his car, a perfect little hole in his forehead where the fragmentation round had struck. Tyr only had to stay scoped in for a moment longer before Isabel declared, "Target eliminated. Excellent shot."

"Let's get out of here," Tyr said, engaging the safety and pulling a lever on the side of the rifle. The barrel opened up and vented all the excess heat. He had learned quickly that the gauss weapons Nexus provided to their military created a lot of heat when they fired, almost proportional to the velocity the round was fired at. For a sniper rifle, they made a lot. After waiting a moment and letting the steam dissipate, he folded the rifle together at the halfway point and swung it onto his back. Isabel's Tragedy performers gathered up their camo equipment and began to shuffle it away. Tyr glanced back to see Isabel struggling to rise, obviously trying to find a handhold to get up with. He let out a gentle sigh and smiled. "Come here."

"I can do it."

"Don't pout, just come on."

He pulled her up and she slipped one arm into his. "…Thank you, Tyr."

"I told you not to abuse Tsukiyomi."

"It's fine. Worse has happened."

They made their way through the overgrowth, Tyr leading the mostly blind Isabel. They were quite a distance away before the man spoke up to break the silence. "Why do we bother doing this?" He asked softly.

"Doing what, pray tell? You leading me around?" Isabel giggled. "You know using Tsukiyomi for too long leaves me blind."

Tyr gave her a flat look, but then realized she couldn't see his expression. "I meant stuff like what just happened. Assassination, precision strikes and the like…"

"You're alright with us letting dictators abuse their power?"

"No, of course not. Just... waiting on this guy for a week? I'm no stranger to that, being a sniper and all, but why?"

"Ah. You must be wondering why we don't simply attack using our Chaos Spirits."

"It would be much more efficient," Fenrir pointed out, appearing on Tyr's shoulder in her small form. "However an excellent shot my Alpha is, it may not have been such a bad idea to let the Pack loose. I do prefer ripping into my targets."

"We do that, and suddenly we're fighting a war," Isabel said softly.

Tyr frowned at that. "…What?"

"If we were to Invoke our Chaos Spirits, we'd end up catching the attention of the Zodiac Knights. And then we'd have legions of Zodiac troops hounding us, and invading this world." Isabel slowly shook her head. "We can't cause that sort of incident. On top of that, we'd never win in a straight up fight."

"What? But even Jehu alone…"

"If my father goes all out, he'd destroy worlds."

"I saw Passion match that Taurus fellow."

Isabel slowly shook her head. "In a one on one fight. The Zodiac soldiers would use their numbers to fight us if they needed to. They have an endless supply of soldiers."

"I see…"

"Not to say we couldn't win. It would just ruin whatever world we took our fight to."

"So we fight from the shadows?" Tyr frowned.

"As long as we act discreetly, we avoid attention. We use any advantage we can get. I'll admit it now, Tyr—I am a very pragmatic woman. I never play fair. If I want someone dead, I would kill them without giving them an opportunity to retaliate. Ana would rather shotgun a man in the back of the throat instead of letting them fight back."

Tyr gave a momentary thought to the black haired sibling, remembering the dead look in Anastasia's eyes. "I don't doubt that."

"To be honest, only little Passion would fight someone straight up, but that's just the nature of Mayhem…"

"So we act where we can," Tyr followed her line of reasoning. "But why not interact with the locals?"

"We embody Chaos Concepts," Isabel said with a laugh. "Tragedy, Carnage… On top of that, do we ever look like heroes?"

Tyr frowned. The armor he gained when he Invoked all of Fenrir's power was quite fearsome. He hadn't seen Isabel's Invocation, but from the young woman's comment it wasn't exactly something people would be too trusting of. Jehu was constantly surrounded by those chain snakes, and Ana was emotionally stunted. Right this moment, he was clad in all camo, carrying a hyper advanced sniper rifle. He could see where Isabel came from. "And all the while Zodiac troops are running around like stereotypical knights."

"Yeah, you got it." Isabel smirked. "Even their color scheme hints at it. Gold and white? how cliche."

"So we're forced to fight in the dark."

"Wolves always hunt weakened prey," Fenrir pointed out. "I agree with Isabel's pragmatism."

"Well, I suppose there is no black and white in this war," the man muttered.

Isabel laughed quietly. "No matter how bright the light, it will always cast a shadow. No matter how deep the darkness, there will always be some light. You're right Tyr—there is no black and white. Only shades of gray."

"That was a terrible book," Tyr pointed out.

"I wasn't a fan either." The platinum haired woman giggled. "I thought it was rather charming in how oddly it depicted an S and M relationship."

"…And what would you know about that?"

"My mom and dad are like that. Plus, weren't you and that Chrysalis woman that way?"

Tyr blinked. He hadn't thought about Chrissy since the departure of the Equestrians, although he was constantly aware of her absence. The sudden reminder made him frown. "…I believe so…"

Isabel frowned, her dulled eyes glancing in the direction of his voice. "I reminded you of something painful, didn't I?"

"It's no big deal…"

"No, I can tell. You miss her, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I… loved her."

"Loved?"

"Not like I loved Luna." He frowned, trying to explain. "Chrys was… dear to me. I guess it's because I owned her in a sense, so I felt responsible for her…"

Isabel was silent for a while. She didn't speak as they entered the clearing that held the temporary Gate back to the Library, but she gripped his arm a little tighter just before they reached it. "…I hope you see them again," She said softly. "All of them."

Tyr glanced over at her, finding a serious expression on his companion's face. "What?"

"I inherited a little bit of my mother's empathic powers," Isabel explained with a gentle smile. "And I was watching you for some time. I know you miss them terribly, so I hope you find a way to go after them."

"…Thanks Isabel."

"Of course!" She smiled. "I consider you a friend, Tyr. Now, let us go home. I'm hungry and wish to take a shower."

-x-