Hello returning and new readers! I decided to put the welcome proper in the "first" chapter of Lunar Legacy. The Prologue was short anyway :P

But before I let you get to the story itself, I'll address the last few comments left on the Records.

Kevin Lapse: Continue at the risk of your own sanity. :D

Fern of the Clouds: Unfortunately, Tyr is not a pony. I thought about it, but my idea for the first plotline concerns why there would be no change.

DragonLord Ryukioku: See comment above. But I did mention Spike (not a whole lot, as I'm realizing now) Only a couple times. I.E. the first few chapters that involved Twilight and the town library. And in regards for Equestria, there were still ponies left behind. The ones remaining in Canterlot formed a provisional government.

theflammablefiredragon: Indeed! And as a note, whenever Zodiac and Jehu are in the same place, nothing is safe. And considering how many people asked about Tyr being a pony, I started to think he should have become one... but no, I'm sticking to my guns on this one.

PBJ: I think I just couldn't not write unconnected shorts like I wanted to. And I ignored your review? *gasp*I profusely apologize.

Now, onto the real first chapter of Lunar Legacy:

Chapter 1: Reunited

"TYR!" Luna cried out, bolting from her spot beside Celestia and flying straight at the human man. He simply held out his arms, catching her as she flung her front hooves around his neck and embracing her as tightly as she did to him. The guards in the throne room watched in mute shock. They had never seen the Princess of Dreams react like this to anypony, let alone some strange creature that had suddenly walked into the castle. The tall, and muscular man was dark skinned, his short black hair cut short. There was a soft smile on his face as he gently rubbed Luna's back as she sobbed into his shoulder. Ferrous, closest to the Princess of the Sun, decided to voice his concerns.

"Um… Princess?" He murmured quietly, trying not to be obtrusive. "What is that creature?"

"You remember the stories of the other world we told you we were sent to?" Celestia replied, finally regaining her ability to speak. A smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth that she was vainly trying to keep under control. She did remember that a lot of Equestrians had not been sent over to the human world, and the most information they had on them were simply the stories of the survivors.

"Where you were transformed into humans, yes. Wait. You don't mean…"

"Yes, that stallion you see before us is a human."

"I… I see." Ferrous frowned, before looking back up at her. "But why did Princess Luna react that way?"

"Tyr… is her husband."

Luna finally got herself under control long enough to push Tyr out at a distance to look at him. "Beloved, I… I… how? How did you end up in this world? I thought it impossible, especially after so much time passed…"

"Believe me, if I knew I would tell you," Tyr admitted with a smile. He reached up to gently caress her face, finding the feel of her fur a strange yet welcome feeling. Luna lifted up one hoof to touch his hand. "I'm just glad I'm here."

"Tyr," Celestia called, getting the attention of the two lovers. They separated after another extended moment, both looking relatively sheepish.

"Yeah?" Tyr replied, smiling over at his sister-in-law. She couldn't help but smile back.

"You say you're not sure how you came to our world, correct?"

"Right."

"So then how long have you been in this world, if you don't mind me asking?" She frowned slightly, eyeing her brother-in-law curiously. He was decked out in warm weather clothing, with visible pieces of armor underneath the fur coat and cloak he was wearing. Different kinds of charms and amulets hung from different parts of his armor. "You seem to have collected quite a few… trinkets."

"Most of them are gifts, to be honest," The man replied with a chuckle. "I've managed to make a few friends along the way. But to answer your question, I think I've been wandering for about… almost three years now."

"By the Night…!" Luna exclaimed. "And you just now came here?"

"Well, considering I was on my own for a while in the Sereneighti, and had to learn their language…"

Before Tyr could continue with his story the front doors flew open again, this time letting a golden maned hazel colored unicorn burst in with several more guards. To the shock of everyone in the room, a brace of spears were leveled at Tyr. "Halt right there, creature!" The leader called out, an elegant spear grasped in her dark gold magical aura. "And step away from the Lunar Princess!"

"The hell?" Tyr muttered with a frown.

"Bright Soul, what is the meaning of this?" Luna demanded.

Bright Soul scowled and angled her spear more towards Tyr. "I heard that some creature in armor came waltzing in without my knowledge. We cannot simply let him in here without making sure he's not a threat!"

"Making sure I'm a threat? I even left my sword outside with the door guards," Tyr pointed out. Celestia and Luna stared at him.

"You didn't," Celestia said.

There was a commotion outside, and all the guards turned just in time for a massive silver wolf to fly overhead, landing nimbly beside Tyr. In one fluid motion the wolf shifted into a much smaller wolf-girl that quickly perched on Tyr's shoulder, glaring at the guards that followed her in. "Remind me to bite you later, Alpha," The girl said, scowling. "Transformation or no that frost sword is still part of me. Letting those ponies handle me with such… indelicacy."

"You know I can't just bring weapons in to meet royalty," Tyr responded, reaching up to scratch behind the wolf-girl's ears. She eagerly responded to his touch, before realizing what she was doing and biting at his fingers to make him stop.

"Quit that at once! I have a reputation!"

"Oh? I thought you liked that, Fenrir."

"That's beside the point."

Luna's ears twitched slightly, imagining the feel of Tyr's fingers scratching at her ears. She shook off the idea and cleared her throat. "Bright Soul. Tyr is not a threat, so there is no need for—"

"That has yet to be determined, Princess," Bright Soul asserted, cutting Luna off. She kept her weapon pointed at Tyr. "He is a foreign entity, and has a weapon that can transform!"

"I think it's kind of telling how much of a threat I am when I got this far without any one stopping me, considering I do carry more than one weapon," Tyr said, aimlessly placing his hand on Luna's head. She looked surprised at first, but simply leaned into his touch as he stroked her hair. "Besides, why would I be a threat to my—"

"Unhand the Princess, beast!" Bright Soul lunged with her spear, only for the tall man to catch the shaft of the weapon before it could reach him. She looked surprised for only a moment.

"Watch where you point that thing," He said with a scowl.

"Let go!"

"Not until you stop trying to stab me."

Luna made to say something, but someone else spoke up before she could. "Okay, whatever this is, it better be important. I was just about to head home and see my wife and kids."

The squad of guards parted slightly, making way for a pure white Pegasus stallion with long, messy pure white mane and red eyes. At his side was a quite disappointed Scootaloo. "Captain Ace Guard!" Bright Soul said, almost relieved. Tyr let go of her spear, and she pulled it away. She gave him an evil looking smirk. "Now we'll get this matter resolved."

"I only came up here because I was told it was an emergency," Ace said, coming forward. "So what's the big…"

He trailed off, eyes falling on Tyr. Scootaloo paused as well, confusion and then her mouth dropped wide open. Both of them finally spoke at the same time. "No way…"

"Tyr?" Ace asked, incredulous. Tyr simply responded with a grin.

"What's up, buddy?" The man replied.

"Dude!" He came closer, his smile growing even wider. "How…? I mean, when? Or… actually, just answer both."

"Can't answer the first, but I just made it here today."

"Just made it here today?"

Tyr glanced back at Celestia. "Teleportation is hard," He said with a chuckle.

Luna blinked. "You… learned how to teleport?"

"Somewhat." Tyr watched as Scootaloo hopped over to him and started to circle around him, looking and poking him. "I can teleport long distances, but unless I can see where I'm going, I tend to… overshoot."

"Beloved," Luna sighed, shaking her head.

"What? It was my first time doing it. I got lucky that I actually got here when I did."

Ace chuckled. "Well, I'm not one to judge when it comes to magic or whatever. But seriously bro, it's good to see you."

"Am I the only pony that's wondering why you're acting so friendly with it?" Bright Soul demanded.

"DO NOT CALL HIM AN IT!" Luna roared, catching everyone off guard. There was anger in the Princess of Dreams' eyes, and it was focused on Bright Soul. "I will not allow you to speak of my husband in such a way!"

That seemed to throw the golden maned pony off. "Hus… band?"

Celestia nodded. "Luna and Tyr were married while we were in the other world," She clarified. "He is Aurora and Aleron's father."

Bright Soul looked from Tyr to Luna, shock on her face. Tyr smirked, and pulled Luna back to his side. "Uh huh. It's true, I married your Princess of Dreams."

"So do not speak ill of him in my presence," Luna ordered. Bright Soul and the rest of the guards lowered their weapons. "He is to be afforded any and all courtesies while he is here."

Bright Soul frowned, but bowed her head. "…Very well, Princess."

"And no more pointing weapons at my friend," Ace ordered. The guards all nodded in the affirmatives.

"We will take our leave then," Bright Soul said, and swiftly turned on her heel and left the throne room. The extra guards followed as well. Fenrir snorted derisively. "That one… the golden haired one. She is full of herself."

"You can say that again," Tyr muttered.

Celestia sighed. "Bright Soul means well, but she is… quite aggressive about her job."

"More like she has a stick shoved up her—" Ace began, but caught himself. He glanced at Scootaloo, who returned his look in confusion. "Heh, right. Kids in the room."

"Speaking of foals…" Luna and Tyr looked back at the Princess of the Sun. Celestia smiled. "Have you both forgotten? You two are parents as well."

Ace blinked. "You haven't seen your kids yet?"

"Oh, Beloved, you have to meet them!" Luna said, taking hold of Tyr's hand. "They've both grown up to be wonderful children."

"Well, seeing as everything has sorted itself out," Ace began, extending one white wing to corral Scootaloo back in. "We're going to be on our way. Rainbow will flip if I don't get home on time."

He waved one hoof as Scootaloo climbed back up onto his broad back and they went out the door. Tyr smiled. Ace had always been pretty responsible despite having been as laid back as he was. Nice to see married life was something he was getting used to. As Luna began to drag him from the throne room, he glanced back over at Celestia. "Hey, Tia?"

She looked over at him, a small smile on her face. "Yes, Tyr?"

"You don't need Luna for anything, do you?"

"Oh, no I do not. I only called her out here so that she wouldn't be spending today in her room. She's been quite listless without you, Tyr."

"I have not!" Luna protested. "I simply…"

She tried to continue speaking, but suddenly swayed to one side, eyes half closing and the rest of her sentence coming out in a slur. Tyr caught her before she could fall, just as the rest of the guards came rushing over to her. "Moon!" Tyr exclaimed.

"What did you do to the Princess?" Ferrous demanded, but Luna held up a hoof.

"I am… tired, it seems," the Princess of Dreams said, a little surprise creeping into her voice. "I did not sleep well the other day, and it is now catching up to me."

"The other day?" Tyr asked, confused.

Luna gave him a weak smile. "After we returned here, I slipped back into my old nocturnal ways. Well, more or less. I sleep most of the day and wake in the afternoon. It doesn't normally affect me because I gain more restfulness from less sleep, but…"

"You stayed up all day, did you not?" Celestia admonished. "Lulu…"

"Easily remedied with a short… nap," Luna admitted, yawning. Tyr never saw her like this, so he was a bit surprised at how cute she looked. "I apologize, my love, but I fear you must meet our children alone."

There was a lot that could go wrong with that, but Tyr decided to let his princess get some rest. "That's fine my dear."

"You should be able to find them anywhere, my love." Luna smiled. "I believe they'll be happy to see you."

"Should we provide you with an escort?" Ferrous offered, although from his tone Tyr couldn't be sure if he was being courteous or just following orders. He decided to give the guard a bit of a headache.

"No, I think I'll be fine," Tyr said, smiling. "I'll find my own way around."

He was rewarded with a hard frown, but a nod nonetheless. "…Very well. We will take Princess Luna to her chambers."

Luna gave her husband one last apologetic gaze as a couple of the other guards led her away. Tyr glanced back at Celestia, but she was talking to another guard about some notice that had been brought to her. So he left the throne room then, Fenrir still perched on his head with her bushy tail slightly wrapped around his neck. He had noticed she liked to do it whenever she was bored, just to make sure she didn't fall. He didn't mind since her tail was quite warm. They walked out into the main hallway, coming face to face with a young maid. Her green eyes went wide upon seeing him. "Um… hello," Tyr said amiably, being as friendly as he could. To his surprise, the filly made a small squeaking noise and bolted away.

"You scared her away," Fenrir said, obviously amused. "I suppose that's to be expected. You are, as some would say, a "creature", Alpha."

"Oh don't you start," Tyr replied with a little chuckle. But it did surprise him that the little filly had run off that quickly. Most ponies only looked at him in confusion and curiosity, although none had actually looked at him in fear. But that filly's eyes had seemed familiar. He shook it off and took a short turn into an outside pathway. It was a beautiful day, with a clear sky. He took a deep breath. "It's nice outside."

"Alpha," Fenrir spoke up softly. "We are being followed."

"I noticed." Tyr had grown used to checking over his shoulder wherever he went, as a lot of ponies in this world were wary of him and tried to keep him under observation. However, wolves were not the type to be trapped, and it was often the hunters became the hunted.

"Do you want me to root them out?"

"No, we don't want to cause any trouble for Tia. Let them watch us; I don't mind."

Fenrir laid her head atop Tyr's lazily. "Very well, Alpha."

The man smirked and raised one hand up to gently scratch behind the wolf-girl's ears. She didn't bite at him this time, content to simply allow the little show of affection. The Chaos Spirit had been his only company for quite some time, after all. They rounded a corner and found themselves in a small gazebo area, which to their surprise was already occupied. A sleeping unicorn mare was lying atop a small bench, red mane scattered about her. She was a light red-brown color, with what looked to be a little earring shaped like a crescent moon in her ear. On her flank was the image of a Caduceus, except the staff was replaced with a sword. "Wait… is that…?"

The mare woke up then, eyes opening slowly as she awoke. Her horn lit up for a moment, retrieving a pair of glasses from the ground below her. She slipped them on and let out a yawn. "What time is it…?" She murmured.

"Probably later than you needed to be up, Grace," Tyr said with a wide smile. The mare frowned at the sound of his voice, and looked over at him. Her blue eyes widened. She pulled off her glasses and then rubbed at her eyes before replacing them, only for her mouth to drop wide open.

"No way…" She murmured, getting up. She walked over to him slowly, looking him over. "I mean, I can't believe it, but I'm looking right at you…"

"It's me." Tyr confirmed, smiling.

"I can't believe it," Grace said, reaching out to touch him with one hoof. When it touched him, she almost jerked it back. "…You ARE real."

"That I am."

"But… how? I thought… I thought you couldn't come with us!"

"Well, I didn't exactly come with you all. I've only been in this world for… almost three years."

"Only three years he says," Grace said, scrunching up her nose. "How were you here that long without anypony knowing? I thought you and Chrysalis had that whole mind connection thing."

"They did," Fenrir said. "But Alpha tried to contact her the moment we arrived in this world."

"She never replied," Tyr said sadly. Not having the company of his 'pet' had been somewhat distressing, seeing as she would do whatever she could to be near him no matter what. "I haven't heard from her at all."

"Well, I wish I could help… but Chrysalis vanished after the first few days we were back. Not even the Princesses know."

"I just hope she's alright."

"Same. But…" She gave him a warm smile. "It's wonderful to see you again, Tyr."

The man grinned. "Same to you, Grace. Also… glasses?"

Grace nudged her glasses with her hoof. "Contacts are a lot harder to come by here."

"Fair enough."

"Um… Tyr? Can I ask a question?"

"Shoot."

"When we left… did… um…" She blushed a little. Tyr thought for a moment before gently pounding one fist into his hand. He knew what she was wondering about—their mutual friend Vanna, a dragonkin and Grace's last second boyfriend. The dragon metalsmith had put himself on the line to save Tyr's life. He smiled softly.

"Ah. Vanna saved me again. I was essentially dead to rights, but he distracted Leo long enough for me to kill him. As far as I know, he got out alright."

Grace let out a deep sigh. "That's… wonderful. That's really good to hear."

Seems it had really been a worry of hers, Tyr thought. He looked back up at the sky. Vanna was another friend he was sad to not have nearby, but the dragonkin had vanished after Tyr's duel with the Order Knight Leo. Quite a bit of his friends had disappeared that day, the man thought ruefully. All that effort and the only one he had been left with was Fenrir. Not that he didn't like having the wolf spirit around. "I'm just happy to see that you all made it out safely," He said finally.

Grace blinked rapidly, before letting a warm smile cross her face. "…It's good to have you back with us, Tyr."

Fenrir's ears twitched, catching Tyr's attention. Along with their magical connection, anything the Chaos Spirit noticed or sensed was instantly transmitted to the man himself. She sniffed the air. "Alpha," She murmured. "The watcher we have…"

"Still there?" He asked. Fenrir nodded.

Grace frowned. "Um, did I miss something?"

"We seemed to have gained a follower," Tyr pointed out, smirking. "Quite persistent, to have followed us and just been watching."

"Should we root them out now, Alpha?" Fenrir asked.

"Gently," Tyr advised. The wolf spirit rolled her eyes before leaping off of Tyr's shoulder and vanishing into one of the nearby bushes. Grace spared her human friend a worried look.

"I hope you're not about to get me in trouble," She muttered.

"Oh, come on Grace. When have I ever gotten you into trouble?"

She gave him a flat look. "I've been shot at, almost stabbed, almost set on fire… shall I go on?"

"Hey, that last one wasn't my fault."

"It was your friend that almost did it!"

"Right…"

Their conversation was cut off by a small yelp from nearby. Fenrir appeared in her wolf form, carrying a familiar little filly in her jaws. It was the maid from before, and there was fear in her eyes. Rightly so, as a wolf almost three times her size had picked her up like one of her cubs. Fenrir came over to Tyr and Grace, setting the filly on the ground in front of them. "This is your watcher?" Grace asked, confused.

"Seems like it." The little filly was trembling slightly, and was keeping her eyes pointed at the ground. Tyr frowned a little, motioning for Fenrir to transform back and take her place on his shoulder. This close, he could get a better look at the young filly. She was small, as he expected any young filly to be, with a French braided sea-green mane and tail. Her coat was a dark gray, and it didn't look like she had a Cutie Mark. "So, what's your name?"

The girl stayed silent, fidgeting a little under the gaze of the man. "My Alpha spoke to you, little one," Fenrir said firmly.

"T…. This one is named Cori."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "This one?"

The little filly bowed even lower, almost putting her face into the ground. "P-Please do not harm this one. No harm was meant."

She was honestly terrified that he was going to hurt her, Tyr realized. "Hey, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. Cori, right? I just wanted to know why you were following me."

"I… wanted to see your eyes."

"My eyes?" Tyr frowned. His silver eyes were unusual, that was true, but never had anyone stalked him just to see them. He chuckled. "Well, if you would look up, you'd be able to see them."

The filly stayed silent for a long minute. "Um…"

"Look up."

"….Yes sir." She looked up then, her bright viridian eyes meeting his. He frowned slightly as he met her gaze, feeling as if he recognized her for some reason. After a long moment of staring, the girl finally looked away. "…You have pretty eyes."

"…Thank you. You do too, you know."

"Um… may I go?"

"Yeah, I suppose you can. That's all you wanted, right?"

"Yes sir. Um… good bye." She suddenly darted away, leaving the man and his companions in quiet surprise.

"She was… a little strange," Grace offered. Fenrir and Tyr just nodded in agreement. She shook her head, and then glanced over at the man. "So… where are you headed off to now?"

Tyr thought for a moment. He had been originally looking for his kids, but had gotten sidetracked upon seeing his friend. Add in the strange little maid, and now he wasn't sure what he had intended to do at all. As he pondered the current situation, a thought occurred to him.

"Sherry," He said, simply. If anything, he should find his adopted daughter and oldest child first. "Do you know where I can find Sherry?"

"Sure!" Grace said, smiling brightly. She pointed her hoof to a nearby door. "Take that door, and the first staircase to your right will lead you up to a short hallway. Sherry's room is at the very end."

Tyr stood up, dusting off his pants. He gave his friend a bright smile. "Thanks Grace. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Of course! Don't be a stranger!" She waved her hoof at him as he headed off. He passed by other maids and castle guard as he followed Grace's instructions. It didn't take too long for him to find the room in question—it was marked with Sherry's Cutie Mark, two cinnamon sticks crossed one over the other. He went up to the door and was about to knock when he heard a soft voice complaining.

"But Sherry… Hope can't read this word."

"Oh yes you can, Hope. Just try."

"Re… reo… re organ…"

"Come on! You can do it!"

"Reorgan… ize?"

"Put it together."

"Reorganize!"

"Yes! There you go Hope! I told you that you'd be able to do it."

Tyr moved to knock, but the door gave way just as he lightly pushed it. He was greeted by the sight of two young mares at a desk near the window. One was seated behind it, her long snow mane pinned back into a complicated looking French braid. Her coat was a light gold, and a pair of doves adorned her flank. She was an Alicorn like Celestia and Luna, her horn lit up with a soft yellow glow and her wings fluttered softly as she tried to make sense of the words on the paper in front of her. The other pony in the room was an Alicorn as well, except her coat was a light chocolate brown and her mane was light pink. She rubbed one hoof against the other mare's back. "You can do it if you try, Hope."

"It's hard!" Hope complained, horn winking out as she stopped using her magic. She looked over at her companion. "Big words are hard, Sherry!"

"You asked me to help you learn to read better, and reading big words is part of that. And you're doing very well, Hope."

"I liked learning math with Aunty Celestia more."

Tyr couldn't help but chuckle at that. The sudden noise caught the attention of the two mares, and they turned to look. Sherry froze on the spot, disbelief coming to the forefront of her expression. She opened her mouth and said one word. "…Daddy?"

"Hey little girl," Tyr greeted her. "Or should I say little filly?"

"DADDY!" Next thing the man knew, he was holding her, squeezing her in an embrace that was long overdue. She smelled vaguely of sweets, but Tyr was too happy to be holding his adopted daughter in his arms, pony or not.

"Tyr?" Hope was surprised as well, golden eyes wide. "But… how are you here?"

"I was about to ask the same thing dad," Sherry said, finally letting go of him. She rubbed at her face, trying to rub tears away. Tyr simply knelt and did it for her, getting a happy smile in return. "The spell I cast couldn't have brought you…"

"I found… an alternate way," Tyr said, choosing the best explanation. "But I can't really say how it worked."

"Well, whatever. I'm just so happy to see you…!" She pushed her face back into his, and Tyr rubbed her back lovingly.

"Same to you, Sherry. Same to you." He glanced over at Hope. "It's great to see you too, Hope."

"Sherry teach Hope lots of things!" Hope said, grinning. "Best sister I could ever want!"

Sherry chuckled at that. "It's not just me. Aunt Celestia and Mom have been helping out too. Hope is a really fast learner."

"Reading is hard though," Hope complained. "And being a Princess."

Tyr raised an eyebrow at that. He remembered Sherry being declared a de facto Princess due to her Alicorn status, but Hope too? "A Princess?"

Hope cleared her throat. When she spoke again, it was in a more elegant way than before, and her voice had none of the normal hesitation she had while speaking. She made an elegant bow. "My name is Esperanza de Luz, Princess of Hope. A pleasure to make your aquian… er… Sherry~!"

Sherry chuckled. "It's 'acquaintance, Hope."

"Oh, right!"

"Your speech has gotten a lot better," Tyr said, reaching out to pat Hope's head. She grinned happily.

"I do a lot better once Sherry taught me to read!"

"Did a lot better," Sherry corrected, nudging her with an elbow. They both shared a giggle. Tyr stood back up, smiling down at both of them.

"That's great you two," He said. "I'm happy you've been looking out for her, Sherry."

"Someone had to," Sherry admitted. "Plus, I've had to take up some Princess duties myself…"

"Oh?"

"I've had to field complaints from farmers and the like. I guess being Princess of Creativity makes them think I'll give them some kind of miracle solution."

"But most times you do," Hope pointed out.

Tyr grinned. "So you're actually living up to the title, huh?"

"I'm trying, I guess." She looked up at her father, eyes full of happiness. "Dad I… It's so good to see you again."

"Same to you," He told her softly, hoping that the words carried as much weight as he wanted them to. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. She threw her forelegs around his neck in the best hug she could give him. As they were sharing the embrace, the door behind them swung open. Tyr let Sherry go in time for them to all look up at the doorway. Aleron and Aurora stood there, shock on both of their faces. Tyr swallowed heavily. He knew it was his children that were before them. He could feel it, and see it in their silver eyes. The same realization seemed to come to them, as their eyes widened.

"Dad?" Aleron murmured in shock. He remembered what his father looked like, but…

"DADDY!" Aurora cried out happily, rushing to him and embracing him. She was smiling wildly as she rubbed her face up against his. "I knew I would see you again, I knew it!"

"Ro," Tyr managed to say as his daughter affectionately hugged him. "I… you were waiting for me?"

"Of course!" She pulled away with a wide grin on her face. "Mommy always said that we'd see you again, no matter what!"

Tyr thought back to the last moment he had seen Luna, especially her last words: I'll wait for you. She had stayed true to her promise—from the reactions he had gotten Luna had been the only one to hold out hope for his return. Well, her and their kids. He glanced over at Aleron, who was still standing in the doorway, a look of shock stuck on his face. "Not gonna come over, Al?'

"I…" Aleron hesitated. "I mean… Dad… you're here. And Sherry said she couldn't bring you, Aunt Celestia and Aunt Twilight said they couldn't either…" He glanced down at the floor. "Nothing I found could do it either…"

"But he's here!" Aurora exclaimed happily, flying up into the air and doing a loop. She gave her brother a soft smile. "So isn't that what really matters?"

"…I guess you're right for once," Aleron said, coming forward. He embraced his father. "…It's good to see you again, dad."

"Same to you, son." Tyr felt a tear coming from his eyes and he wiped it away. He pulled Aurora back into a hug just as Sherry hugged him from behind. He said it before and he'd say it again—He was glad to be home.

Are we done yet? I don't think so.