Ah, another week, another chapter, and this one is one of the long ones. As it seems, I write quicker the longer the chapter is. Guess it's because of all the action. Hm. I didn't get any reviews this week, but i know you're all still out there reading. I added a short story to the Library, "Convergence" which details a little bit of the Merge and Tyr and Sherry's first meeting. Give it a read, if you please!

Chapter 23: One for All

Another dream, a vivid one, greeted Tyr as he finally drifted off to sleep. He sat up in a wide and open grassy field on a starless night, wind gently ruffling the grass beneath him. "Well, this isn't so bad," He murmured, lying back. Was it possible to go to sleep in a dream?

A howl startled him, and he leapt up to his feet. Where there had been an empty field, there was now a massive pack of dark silver wolves surrounding him. Each of the closest wolves was crouched low, ready to pounce. This pleasant dream was rapidly becoming a nightmare. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, as the pack slowly closed in on him. He could see the wolves prepping themselves to pounce. But before they did, another howl cut through the air, and all the wolves dropped back a step. Slowly, Tyr turned to the source of the sound. A much larger wolf with bright argent fur was approaching, it's silver eyes focusing on him. In its mouth was a dark furred pony that Tyr immediately recognized. "L-Luna!?"

The massive wolf set Luna down in front of Tyr before backing up a few steps and sitting. Tyr went over to the pony and gently shook her shoulders. The motion woke her, and her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. "Tyr…? Why am I…" She jumped up to her feet… hooves, and looked around. "I should not be here. I did not intend to enter your dream!"

"I figured as much…"

"And I am a pony again?" Luna looked around at herself. Despite being an entirely different species, Tyr had to admit Luna was still quite beautiful. Her fur was the gentle color of night, the flowing motion of her mane and tail giving her an even more mystical look. The moon mark on her flank was set atop an inkblot shape, black like the deepest part of night. Tyr had to pointedly draw his eyes away. Luckily, Luna had not noticed his appreciative gaze. "What sort of dream is this…?"

"The Pack has demanded your presence here, Princess of the Night." A deep voice rumbled. They both turned to the large wolf, which was still seated on its haunches. "We know of you."

"And I know not of you," Luna replied, standing in front of Tyr. "Are you threatening us?"

The wolves nearby began to growl, but the massive wolf silenced them with a single look. "I would not have brought you here if I implied something along those lines. My business is with the human."

Tyr moved up beside Luna, his hand naturally moving to caress the top of her head. He made sure to avoid touching her horn, however. "I would like to know your name, wolf."

"Fenrir." The name sent chills down Tyr's spine like a cold wind through snowy mountains. He had read the stories about his namesake, the legendary Norse god of heroes and valor. The one story that came up the most was the story of Tyr and the great wolf Fenrir. And now, Tyr was standing before a creature claiming to be that ancient entity.

"…What do you want?"

"To test your resolve. How far are you willing to go for this creature, human?"

Without hesitation, Tyr raised his hand up, pointing his fist at the massive wolf. "Try me then, wolf." Fenrir's massive maw split open into what could only be seen as a smile.

Luna looked from her boyfriend to the wolf, confused. "Tyr… beloved, what is going on?"

She got her answer when the wolf lunged forward and bit off Tyr's hand.

-x-

Luna woke up in a cold sweat. The large bedroom was still dark, and the small clock nearby said it was a little past three in the morning. She quickly turned over to wake Tyr, only to find the man already awake and sitting up. "…Tyr…?"

"You know, I should be used to weird things happening to me by now," Tyr said with a soft shake of his head. He was looking down at his lap, and Luna felt her gaze travel down as well. In Tyr's lap was an elegant Norse styled longsword with a rounded guard and stylized wolf fangs along the pommel. The blade itself was bright silver, with darker edges. As Tyr felt the flat of the blade, it was if he could hear the howls of the wolf pack. "But giant wolves in my dreams? Just as weird as seeing you as a pony."

"You… you let it bite off your hand…"

"In the old Norse tales about Tyr, Fenrir was a massive wolf that caused even the gods to be afraid. In order to bind it, they told it that the new rope they had created would not hold it. Fenrir, sensing the deception, said it would only allow itself to be bound if one of the gods would put their hand in his mouth. Tyr was the one who accepted and when Fenrir could not escape, the wolf bit off his hand."

"So that first dream… I had been dreaming of raising the moon, and I saw you."

"…We both had that dream?"

"So it seems." Luna frowned. "Perhaps… we are more connected to one another than I thought. Your Cutie Mark symbolizing your protection of me, the fact that we fell in love with one another… This doesn't seem like coincidence."

"Well, fate is fickle," Tyr said, setting aside the blade. He glanced over to the other side of the bed where Chrys and Sherry were still sleeping. "The only thing that matters to me is keeping my family safe."

Luna smiled. She was constantly reminded of why she loved this man. A thought occurred to her then. "So… you've seen what I looked like as a pony. What… what did you think?"

"Well, I may be biased, but I still think you were beautiful. Plus, your fur was quite soft, kinda like you are now."

Luna blushed heavily, and kissed him. "Oh you. Let us go to sleep. And… Let me sleep in your arms."

"As you wish, Moony."

-x-

"Master. Master~ MASTER. Wake up!"

Tyr rubbed sleep from his eyes as his insistent Changeling shook him awake. "What, what is it?"

"There are a number of people outside." She frowned. "…Pinkie brought them. She is demanding entrance."

"…Hell. Knowing Pinkie, she won't stay outside for long—"

"HEEEEY!" As if summoned, the pink puff popped into the room, bouncing up and down excitedly. "You guys are still sleeping? It's almost noon! You should get up, up, up!"

"I don't wanna," Luna mumbled, tucking herself closer to Tyr.

"Come on, sleepy head princess! I got a really good surprise!"

Luna's eyes opened ever so slightly. "…Pinkie Pie. If this surprise is not worth it, I will give you a nightmare of a world without any cake."

The threat made Pinkie falter for just a moment before her smile returned. "Of course it will be! I Pinkie Pie Promise!"

"…Fine…" Luna slowly sat up, her hair falling in front of her face as she did so. Tyr reached over to brush the hair away.

"I always prefer seeing your face," He said with a smile. Luna blushed, and shook her head so her hair fell back in front of her face. "Aw."

"Stop playing around and come on," Pinkie whined.

"Alright, alright, let us put on some clothes first."

Pinkie managed to be patient long enough for Tyr and Luna to get dressed before pushing them bodily downstairs. Chrys followed along behind them. The sight that greeted them was almost impossible to believe, and both their jaws dropped. A number of muscular Equestrian men were lugging in large pieces of furniture and kitchen appliances, along with several boxes marked 'clothes' and 'kitchenware' in long flowing script. In the middle of all the movement stood Celestia and Rarity, the latter organizing where the furniture went while the former observed. At the sound of footsteps behind them, they both turned. "Ah, Tyr, Luna!" Celestia said in greeting. "I'm glad Pinkie Pie was able to wake you."

"What on earth…" Tyr muttered, looking around. "Where did all this stuff come from…?"

"I pulled some strings," Celestia said, sounding as if it wasn't that impressive. "I thought it remiss that I left you all living in an unfurnished home. So I asked my subjects if they would, and I quote, 'assist me in renovating my sister's new home'."

"And I was selected to help with the décor!" Rarity said proudly. "Your castle will be the pinnacle of inspiration, darling!"

"As long as you don't make it too… you," Tyr said dryly. Rarity had a good taste for what looked good, but sometimes that taste didn't match with his or Luna's.

Rarity looked offended. "Of course not, darling! I was working primarily with argent and royal blue, with moon motifs and shield designs along the walls. I've also got some tapestries to hang in the larger areas that have needlework of the same sort of designs. I was also going to do pink and soft browns for Sherry's room, and dark greens, whites and black for Chrys's. That appeals to you, does it not?"

"That… That does." Tyr scratched at his back. "Sorry Rarity, I kinda jumped to conclusions…"

"It's quite alright, darling. I go out of my way to fit my designs to my friend's tastes."

A sweet smell wafted out of the kitchen. "Ooh, Applejack and Fluttershy are done cooking!" Pinkie declared.

"We ain't finished yet," Applejack said, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Be patient."

"You guys better not be simply fooling around in there!" Pinkie pouted. "I'm hungry!"

"Please be patient," Fluttershy said softly. "Jackie and I will be done soon."

"…Okay! I got snacks anyway!" Pinkie began eating a muffin that she pulled from literally nowhere.

"Pinkie!" Rarity scolded. "You'll spoil your appetite!"

"Hell," Tyr said, "Is everyone here?"

"We just got here," Twilight said, entering. Flash followed behind, a couple of large boxes in his hands. Both were marked with the words 'Books'. "Brought you guys some old books from the library."

"We're here too!" A rainbow blur came in the door, almost knocking over Flash. Rainbow grinned apologetically at him as she stumbled forward the last few steps. "Oops. Sorry Flash."

"You're about as fast on foot as with wings," Ace said with a chuckle, coming in with Scootaloo. The girl had a grin on her face, but she immediately went over to Dash after coming in.

"That's my idol for ya!" She said, getting her hair playfully ruffled by Dash.

"We heard you were having a housewarming sort of thing going on," Twilight said as Flash set the boxes down. "So we decided to bring you some things to make it more… homey."

"Whoa…" Sherry gasped as she came downstairs. Her eyes widened. "There's… so much stuff…"

"We even managed to get a lot of clothes to replace your old wardrobes, darling," Rarity said proudly.

"Unfortunately, we could not get any game systems to replace the ones you lost," Celestia told them.

Sherry's face fell. "Oh… well, that sucks."

"We can always replace those in time," Tyr assured her with a wave of his hand. He paused a moment to look around at the furniture. It was well built, and a long living room table bore an apple shape stamped into it. "I'm… just stunned, honestly."

"Why?" Pinkie asked. "Aren't you happy?"

Tyr looked around to see his friends looking at him expectantly. Luna and Chrys were standing behind him, both quiet. He took a deep breath. "I am. Extremely. I was worried about how I was going to get this place worth living in, and how I was going to take care of my family. But I guess I have to let my extended family help out too, huh?"

Celestia smiled. "Working together is very important in Equestrian society."

"I've lived a lot of my life thinking the only people I could really count on being my sisters, and I was kind of the reliable one. Knowing I have you all to rely on makes my life a lot more… comfortable."

"You've done so much for us already, sugarcube," AJ said with a smile. "It's only natural for us ta want ta pay you back."

"I agree with Jackie," Fluttershy said softly. "You've been a wonderful friend to us all."

"Plus, you brought happiness to my sister's life," Celestia said, her smile growing. "That is something I have always wanted for her."

Tyr smiled widely. "Thanks you guys. This is probably the best birthday gift I could ever ask for."

Pinkie and Luna both perked up at that, but it was Pinkie who spoke. "Birthday? Wait! I never threw you a birthday party!"

Tyr chuckled. "I mean, it hasn't passed yet, technically."

"When is your birthday?" Luna asked carefully. Her moment was finally here, and it was probably the most natural moment ever. If she was lucky, his birthday would be within the month. Everyone watched in anticipation as Tyr chuckled softly and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"I was beginning to get the impression you all knew," The man said with a smile. "My birthday is today."

"Night preserve me," Luna whispered, horrified. Today? Why did it have to be today!? Her small prayer was completely drowned out by everyone else's expressions of surprise. Pinkie was by far the most vocal.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Pinkie Pie demanded. "I would have had the biggest, most awesome party ever thrown!"

"I don't doubt that…"

"Wait!" Pinkie held up a hand. "I think I can salvage this. Yes… yes I can. I'm gonna need bubble wrap, cotton candy, and a giant spoon."

Rarity frowned. "Why on earth would you need those, Pinkie-winkle…?"

"I must go! This party needs me!" Pinkie flew out of the house, trailing confetti as she left. Everyone stared at the open door.

"…I will never understand her," Chrys pointed out.

Applejack chuckled. "Sugarcube, I don't think any of us understand Pinkie."

"Too true, Applejack darling," Rarity said with a sigh. "I love her to death, but sometimes I can't keep up with her."

"I think Pinkie is happier than ever now that she's with you," Fluttershy said. The shy girl smiled softly. "Although… I don't know how happy Pinkie is normally…"

Celestia chuckled softly and turned back to Tyr. "If you do not mind me asking… how old are you, Tyr?"

"Well, with today being my birthday and all, I'm officially thirty."

"Thirty?" Twilight seemed surprised.

"What, thought I was older?"

"No, not at all. Maybe it's because we were able to get along with you so quickly, I had assumed you were closer to our ages."

Tyr raised an eyebrow. As much as he wanted to ask how old all of them were, he knew enough common sense to not ask a woman her age. Most—if not all—were very sensitive about the topic. He decided to tiptoe around it, for his curiosity was piqued now. "So… am I really that much older?"

"You're almost seven years older than me," Fluttershy offered. "And I'm the oldest. Oh! Out of the six of us, I mean." She cast a worried glance over at Celestia. The Princess of the Sun laughed delicately.

"No offense taken, Fluttershy," She said kindly.

"Considering Celestia and Luna throw around thousands of years like they're nothing," Tyr said, "I'm not surprised."

"Who's the youngest?" Sherry asked.

"I think that would be me," Twilight said thoughtfully.

"Actually darling, you're a couple months older than Rainbow," Rarity pointed out. "That makes her the baby of the group."

"Don't call me a baby!" Dash protested, blushing.

"Oh, stop that. I was only stating fact."

"So I guess that makes Rarity and me the middle children of the family, huh?" Applejack said. "With Pinkie older than us."

"Huh," Tyr murmured. "I would have felt you guys were older than that."

"Suppose that would be their maturity you sense," Celestia said. "These girls have been through so much, and endured many hardships. I have watched them grow into fine young women."

"You sound like a mother," Tyr said. The comment made Celestia blush ever so slightly.

"I believe she takes the whole 'Mother to her people' thing seriously," Chrys pointed out.

"Well, she's been looking after us for as long as I can remember," AJ said with a shrug. "We've been relying on her for a long time."

"That doesn't mean we don't value having Princess Luna back," Twilight said hurriedly, looking over at the woman in question. Luna smiled weakly back at her, mind focused on another topic completely. With the revelation of Tyr's birthday being today, she had been left in a state of shock. She had been hoping for at least a week or something along those lines, but the decisive moment was upon her. She was starting to feel sick.

"I… forgot something upstairs," She said hurriedly, quickly turning and going upstairs.

"Moony?" Tyr murmured, watching his girlfriend leave.

"She's alright," Celestia said with a chuckle. "She always gets nervous."

"Nervous? Why would she be nervous?"

"Perhaps she was surprised about your birthday being today, Master," Chrys offered. "I for one feel a bit remiss in not getting you anything."

"That's actually an idea," Celestia said with a smile. "Everyone, why don't we go out and buy gifts for Tyr?"

"Wait," Tyr said, frowning. "All the stuff you've done for me already today…"

"That was all me," Celestia told him, cutting him off before he could continue his protest. "I believe everyone else was simply… being neighborly."

"I would like to get you something personal," Fluttershy said, blushing slightly.

"I agree with Shy," Applejack said. "Making breakfast for your birthday kinda don't sit right with me."

"All these books are old anyway," Twilight agreed.

"I wanna get you something too, daddy!" Sherry said.

"Okay, okay, that's fine," Tyr said, unable to refuse the crowd of women. "Jeez. All I can do is hope Pinkie doesn't overdo it now…"

"Darling, you know that is impossible," Rarity said with a slight laugh.

As the joke made everyone else in the room laugh, Luna came back downstairs. She had composed herself, and asked quietly, "Did I miss something entertaining?"

"Just Pinkie, as usual," Tyr said with a chuckle. "You okay, princess?"

"I'm fine beloved. What were you all talking about?"

"We were going to go out and buy Tyr some birthday gifts," Twilight said. "Would you like to come with us?"

Luna glanced over at Celestia, who had a small smile on her face. Her sister must have suggested it in order to buy her a little time to ready herself. She sighed mentally. Her big sister was always looking out for her. "…I would like to go. This is a celebration of my beloved's birth, and I would like to get him something."

"Then it's decided!" Rarity smiled. "We should go now so that we don't get back too late."

The others agreed, and all the girls left. The remaining three men stood in silence for a moment. "Well… what do you guys wanna do?" Ace asked.

Flash frowned, thinking for a moment. "…Hey Tyr, you know any gun stores around here?"

Tyr smirked. "Thinking about arming the guard?"

"It would be a good idea. Plus, Ace has been bugging me about it."

"I have not," Ace said with a frown. "I had only suggested it."

There was a knock at the door. Tyr went over and answered it, surprised to find Grace there. She was semi-casually dressed, with a high collared black blouse and a silver skirt accented with tall black boots and stockings. Her red hair was tied back with a large black bow. "Um… hello," She said, eyes widening at seeing Tyr. She seemed a bit caught off guard at seeing him.

"Grace," Tyr said, similarly shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I figured since I was a knight now, I should report to my Princess." She frowned. "Although it took me a while to figure out where she lived…"

"You couldn't find a castle this big?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"To my credit, I didn't even know she was living here! Or that Tyr lived here as well…?"

"It is kind of my house," Tyr told her with a chuckle.

"Really!?"

"Yeah. Luna moved in with me."

Grace blushed ever so slightly. "So you two… really are in a relationship?"

"Yes, we are."

"You're not developing a crush on our dear friend, are you?" Ace teased.

"No, I'm not!" Grace defended herself immediately. "If anything, I respect Tyr. And on top of that…"

Flash raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I'm a bit scared of Princess Luna."

The three men paused at that. "Wait a second. You're afraid of Princess Luna? You agreed to being her knight pretty easily."

"Well… I don't want to do anything that would get me banished…" Grace looked down at her feet. "I mean, I'm not experienced when it comes to stuff like protecting someone…"

"Well!" Ace grinned. "You're in good company. We were actually about to go get some shooting practice in."

"Ever fired a gun?" Tyr asked. The red haired medic shook her head. "Well, you're going to today."

"O-okay."

"You're riding with Tyr," Flash said, he and Ace walking out through the door.

"Huh? But, I never spoke to the Princess…?"

"She's not here," Tyr said, lightly pushing her out of the door. "You actually just missed her."

"She left?" Grace sighed. "I knew I should have woken up earlier today… I hate being late."

"You sound like Twilight," Flash chuckled. "That girl hates being late."

"Better than being early," Ace said, with a wink at his partner. Flash stared at him for a long moment, unblinking.

"…You can walk."

"Forgive me. I couldn't resist."

"Are they always like that?" Grace asked as she and Tyr went over to his truck. Ace and Flash continued to banter as they got into Flash's smaller convertible.

"They might as well be brothers," Tyr said with a chuckle.

-x-

"So, have anything in mind, Chrys?" Celestia asked. She had taken the girls to the local mall, and while she, Luna and Chrys walked together, the other girls were split off and looking. Even Sherry and Scootaloo had gone off to look together.

"I don't know," Chrys said harshly. "I've never gotten a gift for anyone. Ever. I'm still understanding the concept of celebrating the day of someone's birth."

"Aren't you happy Tyr was born?"

"You know as well as I do that I would not be here without him, Celestia."

"No need to get all snippy," Celestia said with a pout.

"Perhaps you should find something that reminds him of you?" Luna suggested.

"And what would that be?" Chrys frowned. "Unlike you, I am not giving him children."

Luna opened her mouth to reply, but her anxiety hit her again and she shut it immediately. She looked away. "…Sorry."

Chrys blinked, sensing the shift in emotion. Without hesitating, she moved to apologize. "Luna, I… I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking."

"No, I'm fine. I just…" Luna gently touched her stomach. "I really want to tell him, but…"

"You do not have to rush," Celestia told her. "Take it one step at a time."

"Right."

"Until then…" Chrys murmured, looking around. She shyly fingered her collar, running her fingers along the buckle in front. "Help me find something for him?"

The two princesses laughed. "Very well. Let us help our dear Chrys find a gift for her Master."

As the three of them walked from store to store, Fluttershy and Applejack were in a different part of the mall, looking at one of the floor stands. "Jackie, look at this!" Fluttershy called, just loud enough for her girlfriend to hear. The farm-girl came walking over.

"What is it, Shy?" She asked.

"Look at this." Fluttershy pointed to a landscape painting hanging up at the stall. It depicted a forest with a castle in the distance behind it. It was beautifully painted. "Isn't it pretty?"

"I reckon it is mighty fine," Applejack agreed. "You thinking of getting it for Tyr?"

"Sort of… I had another idea as well."

"What was that?"

"Maybe Tyr would like a pet?" Fluttershy said quietly, smiling a little. "I found such a cute little puppy, and I just couldn't leave him. I was thinking of giving him to Tyr."

"I think he'd like that. The only one that has a pet in that house is Chrysalis anyway." AJ frowned. "Will that puppy be alright around a cat?"

"It's little enough that it won't hurt it. And since they're both small, they'll get used to each other quicker." She smiled. "I'd just have to make sure Tyr was okay with it…"

"I hope you're right," AJ murmured, just as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to find herself standing in front of three men, group of two humans and one Equestrian. "…Can I help y'all?"

"We just wanted to talk to some cute girls," the lead guy, a dirty blonde, said. "And from what we could see, you two are the cutest around."

"That pink hair is pretty cute too," the other human guy said, looking over Fluttershy. The shy girl hid behind both her hair and her girlfriend. "And she's a shy one."

"We're kinda in the middle of something," AJ said bluntly.

The blonde grinned. "Oh? Mind if we hang with you girls then?"

"Please say no please say no please say no," Fluttershy squeaked into Applejack's ear.

"We're fine," AJ said, a little harder than she meant to. She really wanted these three to go away. Fluttershy was behind her, terrified, and she herself didn't want to be in this particular situation. "We were actually buying a birthday gift for a friend. His birthday party is today so were kinda in a rush."

"Must be a cool guy if he's got friends like you two." The blonde was pretty insistent, something that Applejack had to respect. But she was getting no closer to getting these guys to leave them alone.

"Yeah, he is. "Look, we need to be going, so if you mind…" She made to pull Fluttershy away, buy the guys blocked her.

"Come on, don't be in such a rush—"

"Oh, my, Applejack, Fluttershy!" A refined voice called over to them. As she looked over, Applejack couldn't recall a single time she had been happier to see Rarity. To her surprise, however, Pinkie Pie was with her girlfriend. "What are you two doing?"

"Rarity!" Fluttershy squeaked, relief flooding into her voice.

"Oh man, more cute girls," The third guy said as the fashionista and party planner joined AJ and Fluttershy.

"Hey!" Pinkie was immediately defensive, grabbing Rarity's hand. "No ogling my girlfriend!"

The three guys paused. "You two are… a couple?" The blonde asked, apparently attempting to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Yes, we are," Rarity said, glancing over at Pinkie. "And ogling? I've never heard you use that word, Pinkie-winkle."

"I heard it on TV!" The wide grin on Pinkie's face made Rarity chuckle ever so slightly.

"Well, Applejack, Fluttershy, we should be hurrying up. We have a party to get to, don't we?"

"Wait a moment," Fluttershy suddenly said. "Jackie, I wanted to buy the painting…"

Applejack had to smile at her. "Go ahead, Shy."

To everyone's surprise, Fluttershy leaned over to plant a soft kiss on AJ's cheek before going over to the stand owner. She quickly paid for the painting before rejoining her friends. "Okay. I'm ready to go."

Quickly leaving the three guys behind, the four girls hurried away. Ducking into a clothing store, they caught their breath. "Wow, that was amazing Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, a huge grin on her face. "I never thought you'd do something like that!"

"I was surprised too, darling," Rarity agreed. "That caught all of us off guard."

"Especially me," Applejack said with a laugh. Suddenly, Fluttershy dropped to her knees. "S-shy?"

"I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest!" Fluttershy whined, clutching at her shirt. The other three girls stared at her in shock before bursting into laughter. "I'm serious!"

Applejack put a comforting hand on Fluttershy's head. "I know, Shy. You did your best."

As AJ helped Fluttershy back up, Rarity turned to Pinkie. "Dear, I thought you were still getting the party ready?"

"I am!" Pinkie said. "I just came to get a hardhat!" She extracted a hard hat from her bag and slapped it onto her head. "Back to work!"

She was gone in a flash. "Why would she need a—?" Fluttershy began, but Applejack put a finger to her lips.

"Ah, I think it might be best ta just not think too hard about it, sugar," AJ advised.

"…You're probably right."

In another part of the mall, Twilight was rooting around through a bookstore, while Dash watched her. "Can't you think of another gift besides books, Egghead?" Dash asked, exasperated. Lounging around in a bookstore was the last thing she had wanted to do today.

"I'm actually not planning to get him a book," Twilight murmured.

"Then why are we here?"

"…Come over here."

Dash frowned and walked over to her friend. Twilight was at a bookshelf near the glass wall, overlooking the food court. Twilight pointed wordlessly, indicating a small group of men sitting around a table. "What's so special about them?"

"Look at what they're wearing."

"Look Twi, I'm not into men's fashion and whatnot like Rarity, but—"

"Rainbow, just do it!" Twilight hissed.

The seriousness in the librarian's voice caught Dash off guard. "…Fine." She looked again, and noticed a similarity between the four men. They were all wearing black leather jackets, and each had a backpack. "…That doesn't look good."

"So now you know why I'm here," Twilight said. "I wanted to watch them—

A single gunshot rang out, and suddenly the mall was frozen in time. The four men the two girls were watching pulled submachine guns out of their backpacks and fired into the air, forcing everyone in the food court to drop to the ground. "Buck!" Dash hissed, instinctively falling to a crouch. She pulled Twilight away from the window.

"Dash, what…?"

"Stay away from the window!" She snapped, pulling her friend behind a bookshelf. As the first shots had gone out, she had seen several more men entering the mall, all armed. This wasn't just some random shooting, it was a deliberate, planned attack.

"Why is this happening now?" Twilight asked herself, confused. "Why is this happening at all!?"

"No idea, Twilight. But I need you to text your boyfriend."

"What? Can't you call Ace or something?"

"I would but…" She chuckled nervously. "My phone's dead. I was playing games on it earlier."

Twilight face-palmed. "Of course…"

-x-

The sound of gunshots echoed down the range, ripping holes into the paper targets. After firing every round in her weapon in controlled three shot bursts, Grace lowered it and let out a deep breath. Tyr glanced over at her target. There were holes all over the target, but the majority were in the center. He nodded appreciatively. "You're a pretty good shot."

"I was just doing what you told me," Grace said, pulling her headphones off. She smiled over at Tyr. "Keep it tight to my shoulder, and fire short bursts. I wasn't too accurate…"

"You're fine. The gun you were using is more useful at closer ranges anyway. The FAMAS is classified as a submachine gun."

A whistle alerted them to Ace coming over. "My, it seems you've got a decent partner, Tyr."

Grace smiled nervously. "I'm doing my best."

"You didn't practice with anything?" Ace directed this question at Tyr.

"I wasn't in here that long," Tyr said. He motioned to behind him. Grace and Ace looked behind him to find a long, dark grey rifle propped up on a table. It had a large scope attached to the top and an adjustable stock. "I needed to be on a longer range for that."

"Oh, what is that monster?" Ace breathed, moving over. Tyr and Grace followed as well, the latter remembering to put the safety on for her gun.

"It's a Barrett M98 Custom," Tyr said, a bit of pride in his voice. "I've been slowly making alterations to it to where it's probably a lot better than stock. I nicknamed it Harbinger."

"An ominous name," Grace murmured. "But fitting."

"Sniper rifles are serious business," Ace said with a small chuckle. "I'd hate to be the one that thing is looking at. You'd probably wouldn't even know."

Grace shivered. "That's a terrifying thought. Not even knowing what happened…"

Flash entered the shooting range, a frown on his face. "Why so grumpy?" Ace asked, grinning.

"We'll have to cut our fun short," Flash said shortly. "We have a serious problem."

"Oh, damn. That never sounds good," Ace said, smile vanishing.

Suddenly, Tyr felt his mark begin to burn, and a voice whisper urgently in his mind; [Master! Come quickly!] He spoke before he was really aware of what he was saying. "We need to hurry."

"What's going on?" Grace asked as the three men began packing up. "Why do we need to hurry?"

"Scarecrows at the mall," Flash said shortly. "They have hostages."

Ace sighed. "Of course they have hostages."

"We need to deal with the situation, quickly."

"But how? Are we going to get the rest of the Guard?" Grace voiced her concerns.

"We won't have time," Ace said. "We'd need to round them all up and get them armed. By then, someone might be hurt, or worse."

"Should we wait for the human police force?"

Ace's cell rang, and he answered it, walking off a short distance. After a short conversation, he came back over with a scowl on his face. "Well, I think someone's listening in to you, Grace," He said dryly.

"H-huh?"

"That was the police chief. He says that since the only people apparently being held hostage are Equestrians, it's our problem to deal with. We'll get no help there."

"Damnation," Flash bit his lip. He hated being in situations like this. His girlfriend was in danger, and he was near helpless to go save her.

"Hey."

The soft voice caught their attention. The four Royal Knights turned to see the gun shop's owner, Gerald, standing in the doorway. He wasn't your typical gun enthusiast, more of a lanky individual, but smelled like gunpowder. Tyr frowned. "What is it, Gerald?"

"I overheard. I was wondering if you guys knew about that thing car dealerships do. Y'know, where you take a car for a test drive?"

The three men who had actually purchased vehicles began to understand. Grace, the proud owner of a bicycle, was still confused. "Huh? What are you talking about…?"

"Do your jobs and tell me how my merchandise works," Gerald waved his hands as he turned to leave, revealing a small stack of assorted clips of ammo arranged neatly on a counter.

"Will do. If they perform optimally then we'll be making some serious purchases," Ace promised. Gerald simply nodded and left the room. "I like that guy."

"Seconded," Flash said. "Alright, grab what you can. It'll just be the four of us."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Grace asked. "We don't even know how many there are…"

"I've got that under control," Tyr said. [Chrys?]

[As you wish, Master. I will have numbers for you in a moment.]

"I don't understand, but I'll trust you," Grace said, retrieving the weapon she had been firing. She moved over to the table to compare clips. "I don't have much of a choice…"

Her hands were trembling. Tyr knew it well; she was scared of the prospect of having to end another person's life. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. If your hands are trembling you won't remember what I taught you."

"R-right…" She looked up at him, worry in her eyes. "What if I—"

"Doubts make you hesitate," Flash said. The mood in the room had gone serious as the four of them armed themselves. "And hesitation gets you killed."

"A sad truth," Ace said, snapping a magazine of bullets into his favored P90.

"Do exactly as we say and you'll see tomorrow," Tyr told her.

"Yes sir," Grace replied, standing as straight as she could.

"Alright then!" Ace said cheerily, sliding the last of his spare magazines into a pocket of his jacket. "Let us go make war!"

"Any word?" Flash directed his question to Tyr, who looked like he was listening to something.

"Chrys says there are at least two dozen," Tyr said, packing his rifle into a carry bag. He had rolled it up into a soft mat, and slid it gently into the bag. "Also, the princesses are safe."

"That's good to hear," Flash said. "And the girls?"

Tyr stayed quiet for a moment. "Rarity, Fluttershy and AJ were taken hostage."

"Damn it. Well, at least they're unharmed."

"Let's go, people!" Ace said, leading the way out of the shop. "We've got work to do, and no time to waste doing it."

-x-

"I refuse to be treated in this manner!" Rarity complained as she was forcibly shoved into a seated position.

"Shut up!" the black garbed man snapped. "You don't get to complain."

"Why I never…!"

The man raised his gun, pointing directly at her. "We don't need a huge amount of hostages, so if you value that pretty mouth of yours, I suggest shutting up or I'll shoot it off!"

"Brute," Rarity snapped, but said no more. Another of the armed men moved behind her to bind her hands to the girl behind her, a slender Equestrian with light purple hair and tan skin.

"Who are you people?" The girl Rarity was bound to asked fearfully.

She was ignored, but one of the men, a tall man wearing a dark beret, raised his voice. "So-called Princesses of Equestria! Show yourselves! If you do, we will not harm your subjects. But know that the Scarecrows will not hesitate to execute these hostages! You have half an hour!"

"Scarecrows…?" Rarity murmured. She looked around, finding a number of other Equestrians similarly restrained, along with Applejack and Fluttershy a short distance away. Maybe if she used her magic, she could…

"Do not try anything," The girl behind her said softly. Rarity turned her neck slightly to look back at her.

"You…"

"My Master is on his way with the other Knights. He will be here soon."

"…Chrysalis?"

The girl smirked, a slight hint of green shooting through her eyes. She nodded slightly, but said no more. The Scarecrows were walking past, patrolling the small groups of hostages. Most of the restrained Equestrians were quietly panicking, while Applejack stared defiantly up at their attackers. Fluttershy was bound to her, and was sobbing quietly. They had been caught relatively quickly, but a few of their attackers bore bruises from where Applejack had fought back. Not too far off, Celestia and Luna were hidden in the back of a children's toy store, not too close and not too far. Luna was livid. "How can we sit here and do nothing!?" She hissed to her sister. Celestia was seated regally behind a shelf full of teddy bears, playing with a pink one in her lap.

"Hm? We have half an hour to wait for our Knights," Celestia said, unconcernedly.

"But they're threatening to kill them! We should just go out and—"

"Luna." Celestia shook her head. "Calm down and think about this for a moment. Yes, we could easily use our magic to fight those men. But what about those caught in the crossfire? Can we risk their lives by being reckless?"

"We…" Luna paused. She could see the reason behind her sister's words, and realized how eager she was to fight. She hadn't bothered to even consider the people that were being held hostage. Defeated, she sat down hard. "…You are right. I was not thinking."

"Believe me, sister, I would enjoy showing those men down there why we were feared back home. However, I will not do so if it endangers those we swore to protect."

"And if Tyr and the others do not arrive in time? What then?"

"We can find ways to stall," Celestia said. She smiled down at the teddy bear. "Isn't this adorable? Perhaps I should buy it as a first birthday gift for the babies."

Luna frowned, but realized her sister was trying to distract her. "…Wouldn't you need two? They are twins."

"Ooh, good point. Oh, but what if it's two girls? Or two boys? Or one of each?"

Luna, despite herself, giggled. "Maybe you should wait until we know for sure."

"Aw, that's no fun."

Luna had to cover her mouth to keep herself from being too loud. "Oh, Tia…"

The leader of the Scarecrows called out again. "Princesses! Do you not value the lives of your people!?"

"I think the Princesses don't even want to bother with you varmints," Applejack said with a snort. A nearby Scarecrow hit her in the side of her head with his rifle.

"Shut it, freak!"

"Jackie…!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Just leave it, Shy," Applejack said, spitting up blood. "They ain't worth the trouble."

"Hey, Boss!" One soldier snapped. "Why don't we use this one as the first?"

The Scarecrow boss smiled at that. "A good choice. We should weed out the defiant ones first." He glanced down at his watch. "Ten minutes left, Princesses!"

There was silence in reply. The boss scowled. There was no sound except for the sound of hushed whispers and the sound of boots on the floor. The ten minutes passed in silence. "That's ten minutes, Boss."

"Bring the blonde one over here. Frank, you can do this one."

"Hey, get your hands off me!" Applejack struggled as a pair of Scarecrows picked her up and dragged her forward. "You no good, lousy—

She didn't get to finish her sentence, as a rifle was slammed into her stomach, pushing what was left of the air in her lungs out. "Yeah, keep that up. Won't have to listen to your mouth for much longer."

They dragged her to the boss, a small smile crossing his face. He took hold of Applejack's hair and yanked her to him, while another walked over with his rifle and pressed it against the side of her head. "Jackie!" Fluttershy screamed, although it was no more louder than if she had said it simply. Rarity simply averted her eyes.

"Do we do something now, sister?" Luna asked, watching the scene. Celestia was quiet. This was not a decision she wanted to make, and Luna could tell. In a few seconds, either Celestia and Luna would strike and hope that no one would be harmed, or Applejack would lose her life. There was even the possibility that they wouldn't be quick enough…

"Be ready," Celestia said softly.

"Last chance, Celestia!" The Scarecrow let Applejack's hair go, only for the man pushing his gun into her head to grab it instead. "Come out now or this girl dies!"

"Don't worry none about me, Princess!" Applejack said.

"Applejack, you fool," Rarity bit her lip. "Why must you continue with all that bravado?"

Silence met the demands. The Scarecrow Boss scowled. "…Kill her then."

At that command, even Applejack seemed a bit nervous. The gun cocked, and she closed her eyes. "No!" Twilight whispered, horrified. She and Dash were still in the bookstore, overlooking the event. Dash was avoiding looking. Instead, she punched a bookshelf with enough force to break a hole in it.

"Damn it! Damn it!" She grunted. "Is there nothing we can do?"

A gunshot. Twilight gasped. "Dear Celestia…!"

"So is it over?"

"Dash, look!"

"I…" She turned around and glanced out, surprise on her face . "What in Celestia's name…?"

Applejack waited for the shot that didn't come. After a long moment, she opened her eyes and glanced up. The man poised to shoot her was unmoving. It wasn't until her eyes went up to his face that she noticed what was wrong. A large hole was right between his eyes. As she watched, the lifeless body fell forwards as if in slow motion, slapping to the floor with a dull thud. The shock on Applejack's face was mirrored by all those who stood around her. "What in tarnation…?"

Almost one block away, lying flat on a soft cloth mat and bracing his arms against the rooftop, Tyr yanked the bolt action of his rifle back to eject the spent shell. He settled back down, cheek resting against the warm metal as he looked through the scope again. His free hand marked a tally mark with chalk against the roofing. "That's one," He said, sighting another. As he followed his panicking target, he began to quietly whistle the Flight of the Valkyries.

"What the hell was that!?" One Scarecrow yelled.

"It's a sniper!" Another cried, moments before Tyr's second shot tore through him.

"Take cover!"

The Scarecrows dashed for cover, scattering and knocking over tables. As one ran into a nearby store, he was greeted by a pair of red eyes and a wide grin. "What's up, buddy?" Ace asked, pressing the barrel of his rifle in the man's chest. Before the man could tell him, Ace riddled him with holes.

Across the food court, Grace popped up from behind a counter and tucked her FAMAS into her shoulder, resting slightly on the counter. She opened up in controlled bursts, picking off two before being forced back into cover by return fire. The momentary distraction allowed Flash to dart in, firing his own P90 as he dashed around and into cover, wings propelling him around his targets. Ace also rushed in, using his superior speed to dash from cover to cover. The Scarecrows, disorganized and panicking, were being cut down. "Fight back!" The boss called. "It's just four of them!"

Another sniper round removed the back of another Scarecrow's head. "Time to act," Chrys hissed, pulling free of her bonds. Her hands shifted into claws, and she tore off Rarity's restraints. "Get the others away!"

Rarity didn't protest, instead rushing to the other hostages and beginning to free them. "Come now, hurry! We need to go!"

"Applejack!" Chrys yelled. "Move, now!"

Applejack recovered from her daze and went to Fluttershy, quickly releasing her girlfriend. Fluttershy hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, thank Celestia you're alright, Jackie! I was so worried…!"

"I know, sugar, but we need to get these people out of here!"

"Cover the hostages!" Flash yelled over at Grace. The red haired girl nodded, keeping her aim steady as she switched to firing on full auto, laying down suppressing fire. Suddenly, her gun clicked empty, and she moved to reload, just as a Scarecrow popped up in front of her. She panicked, dropping the magazine as the man dived over the counter at her. Before he could reach her, a sniper shot smashed into the side of his head, killing him. Grace stared at the body in shock, shivering beginning to set in. "GRACE!" Flashed yelled at her.

She shook free of her shock, and quickly reloaded, jumping back up to cover the fleeing hostages. She wasn't about to choke. Not now. Not here.

"He came! They all came!" Luna was almost ecstatic.

"Then we should help them, no?"

"Yes!" Luna and Celestia rushed out of the toy store, wings flaring open as they strode out.

"It's the princesses!" a voice called.

"The princesses and their knights are here to save us!"

A rainbow colored blur shot down into the fray, smashing a Scarecrow into the ground. Rainbow Dash grinned savagely. "Time for a beat down, buddy!"

A violet crackle of energy signaled Twilight teleporting down, joining the two other princesses. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I'm glad you're alright!"

"Of course we're alright, Twilight." Celestia smiled softly. "I'm glad you yourself are unharmed."

"We should not be standing around," Luna said sharply, letting her magic flow free. "We must protect the innocents!"

"Agreed, sister!"

With the magical intervention of the three princesses, the tide turned even further against the Scarecrows. Tyr's sniper rifle was reaping a brutal tally, up to seven men brought down, while the twin Pegasus knights wrought panic amongst the enemy. The Scarecrow Boss watched as one of his men was blasted off his feet by violet magic. Others were tossed aside by Luna and Celestia's magic. He turned to flee, but as he realized he wasn't going to get far, he found he had one more card to play. "Where do you think you are going?" Luna asked darkly, approaching him.

"Back off!" He warned.

"As if I would simply let you—" She froze as the Scarecrow turned around, a whimpering girl grasped in his arm.

"P-Princess Luna…" Sherry whispered, fear on her face.

"You would threaten a child!?" Luna was furious. As Princess of the Night and protector of the dream world, she had a specific hatred for people who threatened children. However, she couldn't act. The cowardly man had a gun pressed to the small girl's head.

"That bastard—!" Ace growled, weapon raised and aimed. Flash was beside him in a moment, hand pushing his aim down. "Flash, what…!?"

"Seems someone has good sense," the boss said.

"Ace, help…!" Sherry was obviously terrified. After everything that had happened in the past few minutes, the girl was probably near traumatized.

"What the hell, Flash!" Ace seethed.

"We're working together, right?" He smirked.

Ace felt a chill roll down his back. He grinned savagely. He looked over at the Scarecrow. "Hey buddy, you feel lucky?"

The Scarecrow boss frowned. "The hell are you talking about?"

Flash's grin was almost as dark as Ace's. "You pissed off Papa wolf."

The boss looked up just as a single bullet struck him just between the eyes. From his perch on the other building, Tyr smiled in triumph. "No one screws with my daughter," He murmured. "In fact, no one threatens anyone I care about."

Inside, the last few Scarecrows were being rounded up and were restrained. The injured were being treated by Grace, while the princesses and the two Solar Knights watched over the captives. Chrys was busy comforting Sherry. After a few minutes, Tyr came jogging in, gun bag slung over one shoulder. He slowed a bit as Sherry detached from Chrys to run to him, catching her as she leapt into his arms. "Daddy, I was scared!" She whispered, crying into his chest. Tyr let his bag fall to the ground so that he could properly embrace his distraught daughter.

"Don't worry sweetie. As long as I'm around, no one is going to hurt you." He squeezed her a little tight. "I promise you."

"That was an amazing shot," Ace said, walking over. He grinned. "Did you aim at me?"

"I glanced at you," Tyr said with a small smile. "I saw that shiver. You could tell."

"I always had a second sense for that sort of thing." He glanced around. "…Sherry. Where's Scootaloo?"

Sherry sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I… um… Last time I saw her, she was in the game store…"

Ace flew off, making a beeline for the aforementioned store. As he slid to a stop in the doorway, he caught sight of her almost instantly. She was cowering in a corner, hands clasped over her ears. As he came in, she looked up. "Is… Is it over?"

He didn't speak immediately, instead going over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Oh geez… I'm glad you're safe, kid."

"You were… worried about me?"

"Of course I was!" He pulled her out to arms-length. "Besides my sister and Dash, you are the most important person to me."

Scootaloo looked up at him, eyes wide. "You… really mean that?"

Ace thought for a moment. "Hey, Scoots… I know your parents are gone and all, so I was wondering… Would you want to stay with me and Beat? I mean… I kinda did start calling myself your dad and all…"

"So…" Scootaloo thought for a moment. "Would that make Rainbow Dash my mom?"

"Well… yeah, I guess."

"Sold!" She jumped into his arms, hugging him around the neck.

"Hey, are you just in this for Dash?"

"No~"

"Yes, you are!" He growled playfully, as the girl in his arms giggled.

From a short distance away, Dash and Twilight watched the little scene. "You're not going to go join them?" Twilight asked.

"I think I can let him have his fun," Dash said with a playful smirk. "Besides, not like I won't be spending time with him later!"

"Speaking of which, you were kinda uneasy on your feet this morning…"

"Twilight…" Dash blushed slightly. "He just kind of came after me the other night. I dunno why."

"Odd… the same thing happened with me and Flash."

"Hey! What's going on, everybody!" Pinkie suddenly appeared, skipping in. "Did I miss something fun?"

There was silence. "I think I know now how you all felt when I showed up after the Changeling invasion," Luna said. Chrys stared at her in shock.

"…You… You were absent for that!?" She said in surprise.

"I wouldn't call it fun, dear," Rarity pointed out.

"I wouldn't either," Grace murmured, healing the cut on the side of Applejack's head. "…There. How's that feel?"

"Better. Thanks, sugarcube." Applejack smiled.

"Thank goodness you weren't seriously hurt," Fluttershy said, embracing her girlfriend. "I don't know what I would have done…"

"It's alright Shy. We all got out of this in one piece."

"Well…" Grace glanced around at the dead Scarecrows. "At least on our side."

"With Tyr covering us, they didn't stand a chance," Flash said.

"Looks like a lot of stuff happened…" Pinkie murmured. She smacked her fist into her palm. "I know what we need right now!"

"I swear, if that girl says parties—" Flash began, but was cut off instantly.

"A PARTY!" Pinkie squealed, confetti falling like rain around her.

"—I'm just not even going to bother." Twilight rubbed her boyfriend's arm consolingly.

"Well, it actually is the best time for something to uplift our spirits," Celestia said with a chuckle. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Pinkie Pie, Flash."

"And what about these guys?" He motioned to the captured Scarecrows.

"Hm… take them to the human police. There's not much else we can do."

"…Very well. By your leave, Princess."

"We'll meet back up with everyone else at home," Tyr said. He let Sherry go and slung his rifle back onto his shoulder.

"Beloved…" Luna murmured. "I am so terribly sorry your birthday has turned out like this…"

"It's fine. I've had worse, honestly." He smiled softly. "As long as I'm protecting those I care about, I'm fine." He ruffled Sherry's hair and kissed her forehead.

"…Very well. We will meet you back home."

"Alright scrubs, let's go," Ace said, finally letting go of Scootaloo and coming over. He motioned with his weapon, prompting their captives to get up and star moving. "Come on, Grace."

"C-coming," Grace said, shouldering her own rifle and joining him. Flash and Tyr walked over as well, and the four Knights escorted the Scarecrows out. They walked in silence for a bit before Grace finally spoke up again.

"Isn't anyone going to say anything?"

"What's to say?" Ace asked, glancing back at her.

"Is no one going to ask me how I felt back there? Or if I'm okay?"

Flash simply raised an eyebrow. Tyr frowned. "I think we were all waiting on the adrenaline to wear off."

"Waiting for…" Before she could finish her sentence, her stomach churned suddenly, and she covered her mouth.

"There it is," Ace said with a chuckle.

"I'm going to be sick," Grace whimpered, holding her stomach.

-x-

It was evening by the time Tyr and the others arrived back at his home. The human police had begrudgingly accepted the prisoners and taken their statements of the events that occurred. Grace had spent the majority of their time there in the bathroom while the three men had explained everything. Despite being very upset that the four Knights had used lethal force, the police chief had no choice but to let them leave with nothing but a slight warning to not cause any public damage. Ace had jokingly responded that the police captain should have sent his men to help out. Along with a few other comments that got them kicked out. He was still laughing about it when they made it back to Tyr's home.

"The look on his face was priceless, you have to admit!" Ace laughed. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"I still can't believe you got the police to kick us out," Flash said darkly. "You realize the only reason they didn't lock us up was because of Tyr, right?"

"I guess having dated his daughter helped out in the long run," Tyr said with a shrug. "She dumped me for some delinquent."

"Can't imagine you being dumped," Ace said with a chuckle.

"She was crazy. I was kinda glad she left. Although I never found out what happened to her after she ran off…"

"Maybe it was for the best," Grace offered.

"Probably." Tyr looked up at his castle home. "Huh. I was expecting a much more… extravagant welcome. Looks the same as when we left."

"What were you expecting?" Flash asked. "A veritable shower of confetti or streamers or something?"

"Well, sort of." Tyr opened the door—

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" A chorus of voices assaulted his ears as a cascade of glitter and streamers fell from the sky. Tyr took the blast of color in stride, brushing them off his face. He was greeted by the sight of all his friends, crowded into the actually large living room. Amongst all the people coming forward to wish him a happy birthday, Pinkie bounced forward, a party hat somehow held in her hair and a wide grin on her face.

"Were you surprised? You were surprised, weren't you!?"

"Uh, Pinkie, you said you were going to throw me a birthday party this morning, right?" Tyr chuckled.

"Uh… well yeah, but…" Pinkie looked confused. Rarity came over and put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Don't worry too much about it, dear. Let's just enjoy the party, okay?"

"Mm… okay."

"You all did not have much trouble, I hope?" Celestia came over to address her knights.

"Well, Ace got us kicked out," Flash said immediately.

"What?"

"Hey, that guy was insulting us!" Ace frowned. "Made it sound like it was our fault there are terrorists in town."

"In a strange, logically wrong way, it sort of is."

"Don't give that guy credit!"

While Ace and Flash started bickering again, Tyr went over to where his girlfriend and Changeling were sitting. Both smiled as he approached. "All's well that ends well, yes?" Chrys asked.

"I suppose you could say that." He looked around to see all the others enjoying all the festivities Pinkie had put together in such a short amount of time. Everyone seemed happy, a far cry from what had occurred only a couple hours ago. He smiled. "Although I think this is the first birthday in a while that I've had so many people celebrating with me."

"Almost like Christmas again," Chrys said.

"I was thinking the same thing," Luna said. She smiled up at Tyr. "I am truly glad to be celebrating this with you, beloved."

Tyr leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I'm glad you're here too. You too, Chrys."

"I can feel that well enough," Chrys said with a small laugh. "You do not have to tell me."

"Dad, you're back!" Sherry came rushing down the stairs, her friends on her heels. She hugged him again.

"Happy birthday, Tyr!" The CMC said in unison. Tyr couldn't help but laugh at the adorable girls.

"Thanks you guys." He smiled.

"Are you gonna open your presents soon?" Sweetie Bell asked excitedly.

"Presents?" He glanced around, finding a large stack of gifts piled up along one wall. "How in the world did Pinkie get word to everyone in time for this…?"

"Pinkie Pie's a whole nother kind of magic," Applebloom said.

"Well, I won't argue with you there…"

"I myself am a bit eager to see what gifts you received," Chrys admitted.

"Then he should go and open them already!" Pinkie said, appearing. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"You just don't slow down, huh, Pinkie?" Tyr asked while the energetic girl pushed him over to the other side of the room. Her five friends and the princesses came over as well, trailed by the CMC and all the others. A bright pink box with a pink bow was showed into his hands.

"Open mine first!"

"Okay, okay…" He went to work on undoing the ribbon, taking it off in one long piece before slipping through the wrapping paper. Luna watched with undisguised interest.

"You did it so neatly…"

"Habit. Used to do it as a personal challenge." He pulled a small box out of the wrapping paper It was a box of gourmet chocolates. "Oh, chocolate. Looks really good."

"They are good!" Pinkie said, eating from a similar box. Tyr stared at her for a moment before chuckling. Applejack and her little sister came over.

"Howdy, sugarcube. Me and my family decided to give ya something pretty dear to our hearts."

"Ooh!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "Is it an apple pie? Or an apple crumble? Or maybe—!"

Rarity stuck her hand over Pinkie's mouth. She laughed slightly. "Sorry dear. Please do continue."

Applejack chuckled, too used to Pinkie's antics to react. "Right. Big Mac, you can bring it over!"

Everyone turned to see the big man lugging in a large barrel into the room. He set it down would a large thud. "Happy Birthday," He said softly.

"What is it?" Tyr asked, curious. He moved over to the barrel, looking all over it. He was beginning to wonder if it had any alcohol in it.

"Cider," Big Mac said simply. Ace, Scootaloo and Dash all perked up at that. They were over in an instant.

"Applejack's famous cider?" Dash asked, licking her lips. "I thought you guys wouldn't be able to make any more…!"

"Apples are apples, sugarcube, Equestrian or Human." Applejack chuckled. "Besides, we can get the same stuff for our recipe here just like back home."

"Oh Celestia, this stuff is delicious!" Ace said.

"I am well aware, Ace Guard," Celestia pointed out, lounging on a nearby couch. Ace seemed a bit confused at her comment, before realizing what he had said. He laughed nervously and scratched at his head.

"Is it really that good?" Tyr asked. He glanced over at Luna, who shook her head.

"I never was offered the opportunity to try some," She said sadly. "I tried coming during one season, but…"

"It was nighttime and they had already packed up the cider for the day," Celestia finished. "Lulu came back in tears."

"That's because you would stop teasing me about how good it tasted!" Luna frowned. "You even refused to share with me!"

Chrys raised an eyebrow. "So that is what it is like to have an older sister?"

"Sometimes, Tia is the worst!" Luna pouted.

Celestia simply giggled. "But pranking you is too much fun."

"That was almost as bad as when you told me that Equestria still used the Royal Canterlot Voice after I returned from my exile!"

Twilight blinked. "Wait, Princess Celestia told you that?"

Celestia giggled again. "Oops."

"Thanks, Applejack," Tyr said, turning to the farm girl as his girlfriend and her sister went back and forth. "I have a suggestion: Why don't we open it up and let everyone here have some?"

Applejack smiled. "Well, that's mighty nice of ya, Tyr! I reckon we could do that."

"Yes please!" Ace, Scootaloo and Dash said in unison.

While AJ and Big Mac got the barrel ready for service, Tyr was given the rest of his gifts. Rarity had made a long, black trench coat for him out of a special material she said was equivalent to Human Kevlar. Flash and Ace were immediately jealous. Fluttershy had given Tyr the painting, blushing heavily as he thanked her. Dash gave him a hat with a flaming rainbow on it, claiming 'it was the most awesome thing she could find'. Twilight gave him a magically charged stone that gave off a soft light at will. She said since he had a lot of new books to read, a light to read by would be useful. A lot of the other gifts were clothes or house warming gifts, and the CMC had given him a drawn picture of the four of them. After getting a deep v-neck from a giggling Lyra, Tyr glanced over at Chrys. She was standing nearby, looking down at a small box held in her hands. He could feel the nervousness coming off of her. "…Chrys? Something up?"

"…um…I…I wanted to give you this, Master…if you please," She murmured, handing over the box. Tyr looked it over. It was a plain box, with no sort of marking on it. Instead of thinking too hard on it, he decided to just open it. What he found inside made him pause.

"Chrys… this is…" He pulled out a silver and emerald charm in the shape of a butterfly, the inset gems glittering when exposed to the light. "You got this for me?"

"I wanted you to have something that reminded you of me," She said softly, looking embarrassed. "The gemstones are not real, but…"

She trailed off. Tyr pulled the girl close to him and hugged her, one hand coming up to rub her hair. "It's great. I really like it."

"…I'm glad."

"Cider's ready," Big Mac said gruffly. He had attached a small faucet like device to the front of the barrel, allowing the drink to be distributed. Before long, everyone in the room had a cup of bright, golden cider, and happily drinking away. With Chrys sitting in his lap cuddled up to him, Tyr took a sip of his own. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an amazing beverage, with a sweet, strong taste and a comforting feel that rolled down the tongue and ran down to his stomach. The stuff was borderline addictive. The look on Luna's face said that she was feeling the same. A languid smile crossed her face.

"This is indeed… wonderful," She said.

"I agree with you there."

"So was this the coolest birthday or what?" Dash asked with a grin.

"Well, seeing as I've been shot at, it could have been better. But ending it on a note like this…" Tyr smiled and nodded. "Probably the best birthday ever."

"What was your favorite gift?" Pinkie asked excitedly. "Come on, tell us!"

Laughing softly, Tyr flicked her in the nose. The party girl scrunched up her nose like a cat before shaking her head quickly. "Well, if you'd stop rushing me, maybe I'd be able to think about it."

"Actually, I have not given you a gift yet, beloved."

At the sound of her soft voice, Tyr glanced over at Luna. She was sitting beside him with her hands clasped in her lap. The rowdy crowd quieted at the sound of her voice. She looked like she was gathering her courage, so Chrys quietly got up out of her Master's lap. "Yes, Moony?"

"My gift isn't something I can give you right away," Luna began, speaking slowly. She had managed to get enough courage to come this far, but it took even more to continue. She took a sip of cider to help calm her nerves. It was warm now, but the sweet taste relaxed her a bit.

"Sounds like a strange gift, sugarcube," Applejack said with a slight frown. Fluttershy poked her arm and shook her head. She made a small motion to stay quiet.

"What do you mean?" Tyr asked, turning to her. Luna avoided his gaze. Looking at him now would break her resolve. "Moony…?"

"I have been trying very hard to get the courage to tell you, beloved. It… I has not been easy." She took a deep breath. "Tyr, I… I um…"

Tyr reached out and gently took one of her hands in his. "Luna. Whatever you want to tell me, I'll listen."

Luna took one deep ragged breath, and pulled his hand towards her, to rest on her stomach. Her mouth managed to form words as a look of confusion crossed her lover's face. "My beloved Tyr… we are going to be bringing new life into this world. I… I am pregnant with our children."

A silent gasp ran through the room. The members of the Elements of Harmony each gasped in shock. Even the normally stoic Big Mac was wide-eyed in surprise. Only Celestia and Chrys did not look too shocked. "…You're pregnant…?" Tyr muttered dumbly, almost as if he was trying to come to terms with it. Then a realization came to him. "…You said 'children'. As in… multiple."

Luna nodded. "It's twins."

"Twins…"

"Beloved? I would have told you sooner, but I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what? How I would react?"

Luna stared down at her lap. "…Yes."

Tyr stared at her for a long moment. Then he began to chuckle. Before long he broke out into a full-chested laugh. Luna and everyone else in the room stared at him in surprise. When Tyr's laughter finally receded, he looked down at his girlfriend with a mixture of love and playfulness. "Princess, you sure are good with your timing."

"…huh?"

"Chrys, do you mind?"

"At once, Master." The Changeling got up immediately, going over to Tyr's rifle bag. She opened it up, retrieved an object, and walked back over. Once back beside her master, she stood still as he slid out of his seat, went to one knee, and looked up at her with the biggest smile imaginable. He took the small velvet covered box from his waiting Changeling. Chrys backed away with a small smile of her own.

Luna was stunned. As the whole thing unfolded in front of her, she could only barely whisper; "No. No way. This cannot be possible…"

"Princess Luna, Princess of the Night, Guardian of Dreams, and Love of my life." Tyr said softly, but the silence in the room made it so he could be heard clearly. No one wanted to speak; to interrupt this moment. "You have stolen my heart, and let me fall in love. I am yours, just as I wish you to be mine. In all honesty… I wanted to ask this question at a better moment, but perhaps this is just right. Luna, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

The box opened, and a ring of pure silver like a single moonbeam lay nestled within the confines of the jewelry box. It had sapphires inlaid into the band itself, and a dark ruby sat in a clutch at its head. Luna felt the tears streaming down her face even as her body recovered from its shock. "Yes. A thousand times yes. I would need a thousand more voices to tell you how happy I would be to be your wife."

Tyr's smile grew ever wider as he, with trembling hands, slipped the ring onto Luna's small, delicate finger. The moment it was in place, the midnight princess flung her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his with a mixture of joy, embarrassment and passion all rolled up into one. Tyr embraced her back with the same fervor, lifting her up in his arms. When they finally broke the kiss, Tyr leaned in to rest his forehead against hers. "I'm the happiest man alive."

"And I, the happiest woman." Luna smiled brightly.

"Oh goodness, that was simply marvelous!" Rarity said, tears in her own eyes. She dabbed delicately at her eyes. "Oh my, my make-up is going to run…"

"This is so adorable!" Fluttershy giggled.

Twilight glanced over at her teacher. Celestia was gently wiping her own eyes. "Princess… Are you crying?"

"Why would I not be?" Celestia smiled softly. "My little sister is happy."

"Oh!" Pinkie spoke up then. "So we have to change this party to a 'Happy Engagement Day party'!"

"Let's just enjoy the moment, sugarcube," Applejack suggested with a smile.

Pinkie looked over at the happy couple still locked in an embrace. Tyr and Luna were in the own little world, the latter still crying tears of joy, while the former simply watched her with the biggest smile on his face. "…Okay. I can throw a party some other time."

Huh. I don't remember doing foot notes for the last two chapters. Odd.

My dear proofreader was threatening to kill me with each chapter i put off the confession. So I decided to throw her a curveball and add in the proposal as well. Nice to see my love in happy tears. :D

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and never be afraid to leave a review. I'll be doing my best to keep the chapters coming on time, so keep reading! And remember:

The Library Accepts All.

Do svidaniya!