First off, I apologize for my lateness. I was out of town, and enjoying a nice break with my girlfriend made me lose track of time. I had the chapter ready and everything, but i didn't remember until today. But I digress.

PBJ: I actually had to go look up what Trixie's cutie mark looked like after i read your comment. I always thought it was a path of stars, not a moon. Thanks for pointing it out though, I appreciate the attention to detail!

Flammablefiredragon: I'm always appreciative of any kind of comment, and hey, life get's to us all. And don't worry, I've still got more story to tell.

Chddmychal: Just curious, but isn't Angel Down a story by some other author? I haven't looked to see if they were dropping it or not.

Well, that's enough of that. Weird addressing each comment individually, but maybe I'll try doing it more. On to the chapter! I've left you waiting long enough, methinks.

Chapter 28: A Dangerous Game

"…No, I am not going to get you magical swords," Celestia said, shooting down yet another request from her captain of the guard. She, Ace, and Flash sat in her office in the compound, sharing a laugh at the crazy suggestions Ace was making for the guard. She half believed he suggested most of the things he did simply to make her laugh. So far, not including the magic swords, he had suggested getting heavier guns and/or tanks. She couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm saying, magic swords would be super useful," Ace maintained, leaning back in his chair.

"You're just jealous of Tyr again," Flash pointed out.

"Hey man, I'm just saying…"

"You never cease to find a way to make me laugh, Ace Guard," Celestia said, a touch of fondness in her voice. "I am so glad I still have you with me."

Ace blinked once before blushing slightly. "Aw, Princess… I'm not worthy of your praise."

"No, you are indeed. You've served me faithfully for a long time now."

"Flash has been around as long as me," Ace said, trying to shift the attention.

"Yeah, but you were always closest," Flash said with a smirk. "I was the one who usually was sent out for stuff.

"Well… whatever."

Celestia laughed softly. She opened her mouth to say something, but a small noise caught her attention. She glanced over at Ace, who was pulling out a small radio. She recognized it as the ones the guards used while around the compound. "…Is something the matter?"

"Hold on a moment," Ace said. He leaned down to speak into the receiver. "Something up?"

"Captain!" A panicked voice called out. "We've got what we think are hostiles advancing on us!"

"Hostiles?" Flash repeated the word with confusion. "Who on earth… is it the Scarecrows?"

"Are the attackers human?" Ace asked, and got static for a second, before the voice came back. There was the sound of gun fire in the background.

"We… I don't know! Buck, the bullets are just bouncing away! They've got some kind of magic field deflecting the—AGH!"

The radio cut out. The three of them sat in silence. There was no need to check to see what the situation was. Ace flicked the nob on the radio to address all of the guard. He was calm, but the look on his face was grim. "This is Captain Ace Guard. All surviving guard are to fall back to the secondary defense, and ready yourselves for close combat."

A short chorus of affirmatives came back, but Ace wasn't completely listening. Flash had already jumped up to his feet and retrieved their blades from the far wall. He tossed Ace's to his before strapping his own to his back. He did the same with their white and gold long-coats. "Princess—" He began, but Celestia held up a hand.

"If they are going to be fighting in close, then my magic will be a great help to you," She said, smiling softly.

"…I was only going to say stay behind us," Flash said with a chuckle. "I'd rather you WERE slinging spells behind us."

"Then lead the way, my knights."

The three of them left the office, Ace and Flash leading with Celestia behind them. "Bout time we were given an excuse to use these blades of ours," Ace said, a small smile on his face. Only Celestia noticed before it was quickly replaced by a scowl. "I only hope the rest of the guard is still around."

"They should have fallen back by now," Flash said, tugging on his long-coat. After testing the material Rarity had made Tyr's trench-coat out of, Flash had—humbly—requested she make duplicates for the other knights. And Rarity, ever generous, had acquiesced. They hadn't tested them against sharp objects just yet, but any extra material was another layer between them and injury. "We drilled them hard enough on this…"

They rounded the corner to see a dozen of the Guard, all thankfully carrying their swords, positioned around a barricaded door. A couple were tending to superficial wounds. They glanced back as the trio approached, relief filling their faces as Celestia approached, the warm radiance of her magic enveloping them all in a comforting aura. "Captain," One of them said, a wiry Equestrian male with short, messy red hair. He saluted sharply.

"Sky Watcher, right?" Ace asked, tilting his head slightly. The guard nodded. "What's the situation?"

"We've managed to keep them out so far," Sky Watcher said, glancing at the door. They had pushed a few large pieces of furniture in front of the door, keeping out their attackers as best they could. "But they've got numbers on us, and we don't know if we can keep them out."

"What are we up against?"

"They're swordsmen as far as I can tell. No idea where they came from."

"Did you get an accurate count?" Flash asked.

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of a few dozen. Maybe six."

"And we've got only a fraction of that number…"

"They're heavily armed as well too," another guard pointed out. "Full armor and that crazy magic field they have."

"So far it only seems to keep bullets away," Sky Watcher muttered. "We haven't tried fighting them in melee yet, but considering that armor…"

Ace was deep in thought. He was in a narrow hall with a small force, and they only had close range weapons to defend themselves with. Against a heavy armored force with much better equipment for this sort of attack. Their only advantage was the fact that they had was the veritable heavy artillery in a very attractive package that was Princess Celestia. As the sounds of weapons tearing at the door sounded, Ace found himself smiling. "I think today is going to be interesting," He murmured, eyes bright with excitement.

"…C-captain?"

"Pay him no mind," Celestia said quickly. "Your captain is currently readying himself for battle."

"Just get yourselves ready," Flash said, drawing his longsword. "I don't have to worry about Ace, cause he's harder to kill than you'd think."

The pounding at the door grew louder, and the small force readied themselves for the oncoming conflict. "Do not falter, my little ones," Celestia said softly, though her voice carried easily over the crashing on the door. The few guards in the hall turned to look at her, the worry in their eyes quickly melting away as their princess began to speak. "They think we are weak because we cannot fight them on their terms. But we are much stronger than them. Remember, we stand by one another. We are always stronger together."

The door before them began to splinter. The first of the armored warriors came into view then, the black circle on its mask almost looking like an accusing eye. It's shield smashed up into the door, breaking it further. "They're almost through," A worried voice said. In response, Celestia's golden hued magic flared forth, blasting the offending warrior back into his comrades. They spared him a passing glance before continuing their assault against the door. All her guards glanced back at their princess.

"Well, scare tactics didn't work," Celestia said with a shrug.

A moment later, the door gave way, and the flimsy barricade went with it. The armored warriors marched in, weapons raised to attack. Flash raised his sword, voice carrying. "Throw them back! For the Princess!"

His battle cry was caught up by the rest of the guard, and they surged forward, hoping to keep the number of enemies in the hall to a minimum and keep the numerical advantage down. Celestia's magic seared forward like a ray from a furious sun, scorching the first warrior through and scattering the next few. Ace dashed into the fray, burying his short sword in the neck of a warrior with precision. Before he could be attacked further, the white haired knight pulled his weapon free and sliced into the next opponent, trailing blood from the first kill as he did. The wild grin on his face unnerved Celestia, although she had seen it once before. Not in Ace, but in his father. Some of the prestigious guard families had a nasty tendency to produce guards that thrived not in peacetime, but only in war. The line descended from the old Honor Guard only produced knights of this specific caliber.

Blood Knights.

But even as the thought came to her and she sent a warrior flying, she brushed it off. It was in times like these, men like Ace were needed. Although she had worked hard to curb that bloodlust in her favored guard, she could only hope he didn't become drunk on the taste of battle. Though she would have to ask Luna to erase the image of those blood-drunk eyes from her nightmares…

-x-

"Song," Scootaloo called out. "I finished with the laundry."

"Ah, good!" Beat smiled over at the energetic young girl from her place in the kitchen. As someone who had lived mostly alone for the longest time, she could truly appreciate having someone around the house often. And Scootaloo was always eager to help. "I'm almost done cooking, so you can come in and wait if you want."

"Kay!"

Scootaloo came bouncing into the kitchen, hopping onto a stool before settling down to watch the white haired girl. "What are you making?"

"Cheese eggs and waffles," Beat said, using her magic to manipulate the pan on the oven. She briefly wondered at what her life would have been like if she hadn't had magic to use for simple tasks like this. She shook her head to clear it. Her big brother had worked hard to keep such thoughts out of her mind.

"That sounds really good!"

"Really? I'm glad. I usually make this for my big brother… or should I be calling him your dad now?" She glanced back and winked at the girl, and was rewarded with a slight blush.

"I…I guess so."

Beat chuckled softly and went back to cooking. She could hear Scootaloo singing softly to herself behind her, something about 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'. She simply smiled and didn't say anything. Scootaloo and Beat had gotten along very well when the younger girl had moved in, easily getting used to Beat's easygoing style and quiet nature. Beat as well had grown to love the energy Scootaloo brought to her life, along with the simple innocence of a younger girl. She almost wanted to complain to Ace that he waited way too long to bring the girl into their lives. As she transferred the eggs onto a plate with the waffles, there was a knock at the door. Before she could say anything, Scootaloo had already jumped up and went to the door. "I got it!"

The girl had barely reached the door before it burst forward, tossing splinters across the small entryway. Crying out in surprise, Scootaloo staggered back and fell, just as the white armored soldier pushed his way inside. The longsword it carried raised over her, and prepared to come down.

"Now, you should know better."

The cold declaration caught the warrior off guard, and it looked to the side in time for a magically thrown pan to slam into its head, staggering it and making it stumble to the side. "Beat!" Scootaloo cried out.

A red aura of magic glowed about the white-haired girl, a cold gaze on her face as her magic seized hold of every piece of silverware in the kitchen. "Scootaloo, get over here. Now."

Scootaloo quickly rushed to the side of her new aunt, taking safety behind her magically animated kitchen. The warrior raised its blade and charged. Beat flung everything at it, beating it back with sheer weight of metal. But the armor of the warrior held, and it brushed off the few pieces lodged in its armor. "It's not even hurt!" Scootaloo cried.

Beat was silent for a long moment. Then a dark smile grew on her face. "…Scootaloo dear, I need you to cover your ears."

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

There was a threat in that statement, and Scootaloo didn't want to know what it was. Taking Beat's advice, she crouched over and pressed her hands tight against her ears. Beat nodded appreciatively. "Good girl."

She let her magic flow free then, focusing it in a place not many former unicorns would think to put it: her throat. Her vocal chords buzzed with magic, and she opened her mouth and screamed. The sound vibrated at a wavelength almost imperceptible to another living thing, shaking with such an unnatural tone that just feeling it leave her body made her sick. But at the same time, she felt exhilaration. She had only sang this note once before and her magic roared like a released beast, knowing that this was what she was meant to do. She could feel the smile grow unbidden on her face as her magic flowed forth to do what it was always destined to.

To kill.

The armored warrior tried to advance on her, before taking a heavy step and stopping. The longsword dropped, and the warrior's gauntlets shot up to the sides of its head, hoping to block out the noise. But it was too late, and Beat could feel it. The moment the sound had entered the warrior's ears, it was over. As she had used this magic once before, she felt the sound slip into the warrior's inner ear and completely implode every working part at once. The miniature explosions moved all the way to the warrior's brain, before Beat's voice scrambled it like fruit in a blender. She closed her mouth abruptly, and the armored man keeled over, dead before he hit the ground. Beat shivered, both in disgust in what she had done and quiet pleasure. IT had been a long time since she had last taken a life, and that dark nature of hers was reveling in it. She sighed deeply.

"That felt good," She murmured, her magic receding. She glanced over at Scootaloo, who had not witnessed anything that had happened. She reached over and tapped her shoulder gently. "Scootaloo. You can get up now."

"Whoa…" Scootaloo murmured as she straightened up and saw the dead warrior. "What happened?"

"I… I sang him a song." She smiled weakly, hoping the young girl would believe her. Lucky for her, she did.

"Wow. Is he asleep?"

"…Kind of. He won't be waking up for a while."

"Wow… I guess being a sister of the captain of the guard means you can take care of yourself."

"Of course! But I don't know if any more are coming, so we should leave."

"Where should we go?"

"I think… We can go to Tyr's home, correct?"

"Right! Tyr can protect us!"

"Then we should go." Beat quickly wheeled herself to the destroyed door, Scootaloo tagging along behind her. They were barely outside before a trio of similar warriors surrounded them. "…Buck."

There was no negotiating with them, as they all raised their sword in preparation to cut them down. Beat almost chuckled as she futilely pulled Scootaloo behind her protectively. It would only buy the girl a few seconds at most, but she felt she had to at least try. She couldn't sing her song again so soon, so that wasn't an option. "What do we do, Beat?" Scootaloo asked nervously.

"Scootaloo… I want you to run."

"What? I can't leave you!"

There's the influence from the Element of Loyalty, Beat thought to herself. She shook her head. "I won't be able to run, but I can at least get you out safely…"

"I'm not going to abandon you!"

"Scootaloo…!" Beat only had a moment before the warriors advanced. It was too late, and even Scootaloo's speed wouldn't get her away safely. She grit her teeth and prepared for the worst. But before the blades fell, a sharp sound split the air. "…Was that… a whistle?"

The trio of warriors froze in place, the whistling growing louder. The lead one jerked forward suddenly, before crumpling like a ragdoll. A silver flash darted between the other two, and they fell to the ground as well. Beat saw the almost invisible needles flying out of the newly made corpses, flying back to an approaching redheaded woman. Grace's face was set in an impassive scowl as she tilted her hips just slightly to allow the flying needles to reenter the small pack she wore attached to her jeans. "Guess all that fine motor control I trained helped out, huh?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Grace…!" Beat breathed, relief flooding into her voice.

"Heart Song, are you all right?" Grace asked, coming over.

"We're fine. How… how did you get here so quickly?"

"I live down the street, if you believe it. I saw Dash and Ace coming home one day after training."

"Thank Celestia you were nearby."

"That was really cool what you did," Scootaloo said, eyes fixed on the bag of needles on Grace's hip. "I didn't even see them!"

"If something is moving fast enough and is small enough, you won't notice it as easily," Grace explained, kneeling beside one of the dead warriors. She tugged at the helmet for a bit before finding the clasps that held it in place. She pulled it off then, revealing a very pale skinned man with no discernable markings at all except for a tattoo that was the same design as the helmet. His eyes were pure black. Grace gingerly fingered the two small holes in the side of the man's neck. "…Well, at least their physiology is the same."

"What—or who—are they?" Beat asked, wheeling herself over. Grace sighed and shook her head.

"I wish I could say. I just know that I got a message from the guard. These guys are all over the city."

"Oh no…"

Grace straightened up. "I'm taking you to Tyr's house. It's probably the safest place right now."

"…Have you heard from my brother?"

"Ace was with Princess Celestia last I heard. He should be fine."

Grace gave her a comforting smile before turning to look around, obviously checking for any more enemies. "I'm not worried about his safety," Beat said quietly to herself, mind racing back to her own episode just moments before. She hadn't felt like that in a long time. It was bound to be worse for her brother.

-x-

"Alpha," Fenrir spoke up suddenly, ears perking up. Everyone paused in their conversation to glance over at the wolf spirit. Her gaze was focused towards the door, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"What is it, Fenrir?" Tyr asked.

Fenrir's eyes narrowed even further. "…We have a serious issue."

Before anyone could ask what she meant, the front door exploded inwards. "What in Celestia's name…!" Rarity cried out, just as a group of armored warriors muscled their way inside. They turned ever so slightly and focused on Luna, who had frozen with a piece of fruit halfway to her mouth. Without a word, they moved forward.

"W-who are they!?" Fluttershy squeaked, already freaking out.

"Now look here," Applejack began, standing up. "Y'all can't just—"

There were no words spoken, but a blade was levelled at Applejack's neck, barely missing decapitating her with the stroke as Chrys pulled her away. "You idiot! They are here to kill us!"

That declaration broke the stillness and spurred everyone into motion. As four more of the warriors pushed inside, Tyr rushed into the kitchen, quickly retrieving his pistol. Luna and Twilight's magic flared forth, blasting the warriors back. Despite the sudden onslaught, they simply raised their shields and pushed through the attack. "Those shields are magic resistant!" Twilight cried out in horror.

Tyr aimed his gun, but before he could fire, Chrys's mind connected to his. [They are surrounded with a field that deflects firearms, Master] She thought, moving beside him. She was crouched low, ready to pounce on command.

[How the hell…?]

[It is some kind of magic I have never witnessed before]

Tyr frowned, dropping his gun. Applejack was protecting Fluttershy and Sherry from a pair of warriors, keeping them at bay with a chair. Luna and Twilight were vainly trying to keep the rest of the men away. Rarity and Pinkie were slowly being forced into a corner, and Rainbow Dash was flying up near the ceiling, taunting the warriors facing her. Trixie was attempting to flee upstairs. Tyr took the entire scene in with one glance. Then it clicked. "FENRIR!"

A howl tore through the house as Fenrir leapt towards her Alpha, body rippling and changing into that of a massive wolf. Using her weight, she smashed down on one armored man, the satisfying crunch of crumpling metal rewarding her landing. She leapt again, shimmering with silver light as Tyr reached up to her. The wolf had become his sword again, and with a thought the matrix of magic flowed into life around his arm. The warriors turned to him, now finally identifying him as a threat. The nearest spun to face him, only to have Chrys's claws tear through metal and flesh in one slash. "You will not hurt my Master, or my friends," She hissed, claws glowing with viridian magic.

Tyr stepped forward, angling Fenrir slightly as he faced down his first opponent. The masked warrior charged him, shield up to deflect any forward blow. Tyr felt a small nudge in his line of thinking. The warrior before him was planning to use his heavier build to overpower him, hoping to end the fight with one blow. The heavy blade he wielded was too heavy to block, so he had to deflect it. Even before his train of thought concluded, the armored warrior struck, blade coming down like the ax of an executioner. Tyr stepped lightly to the side, blade swinging up just far enough to push the attack away from him. He pushed forward, Chrys following up on his defense to bury her claws in the warrior's face. It was as if they had planned it from the beginning. Tyr almost felt like the world around him had suddenly began moving to a specific script.

Forward step, defensive hold. Let the enemy come to you. Deflect the clumsy strike, push blade into throat. Let Chrys catch the next as they charged in. Take the one attacking Applejack from behind, downward strike. Turn to face second, block horizontal stroke. Applejack kicks this one into next week before telling Fluttershy to take Sherry and run. Rainbow Dash distract next target for Chrys to take out. Luna's magic flowed forward then, freezing one warrior solid for Twilight to shatter.

Where there had been almost a dozen of the armored warriors, there were now just corpses. Tyr and his friends stared in quiet shock at what had just happened. "…How did we… how in tarnation did we manage that?" Applejack murmured.

"It was like you all suddenly… clicked," Trixie said, eyes wide as she came back down. "Like you were all working in concert."

"Look!" Twilight pointed at Applejack's shoulder. Everyone looked and found a silver shield emblem floating just an inch away from her skin. "That looks like Tyr's Cutie Mark…"

"I have one as well," Luna murmured, glancing at her own shoulder. "As do you, Twilight."

"I appear to have it as well," Chrys said. She glanced over at Tyr. "Master…?"

"Hah!" Fenrir suddenly turned back into her humanoid form. Her bushy tail was wagging back and forth in excitement. "As befitting one worthy to lead the Pack! All Alpha must do is use his magic, and even you all can be made into an effective fighting force!"

"My magic did that?" Tyr asked in shock. Fenrir nodded vigorously.

"You are a strategist at heart, Alpha. With your magic, you can connect any group together and drive them to work even better with one another."

The emblems vanished, and Tyr dismissed his magic. "Well then. I guess that's something to keep in mind then. Although I do feel a bit of a headache coming on."

"Let me help you, beloved," Luna said softly, moving over to him. She rested one cool hand against his forehead. "Better?"

"Yeah, that's better." He glanced out the window. "…There's more of them."

"Then we take the fight to them!"

"You stay back," Tyr said softly, yet firmly. "I'm not putting you in danger."

"Beloved, I—"

"He's right, darling," Rarity said. "We can't put you or the babies at risk."

Luna looked around, finding the same feelings on everyone's faces. She sighed in frustration. "I… very well. I understand. But I will not be coddled and held in hiding! I will confront our enemies at least."

"I think that might be sooner than y'all think," Applejack muttered. She and Fluttershy were at the window, the latter holding tightly to her girlfriend. "There's a big one out there."

"Probably these beasts leader, no doubt," Rarity murmured.

"Ooh, ooh, like the boss in a video game!" Pinkie said.

Fluttershy shivered. "He looks scary…"

"Well, he picked the wrong doorstep to show up on," Tyr said, scowling. He motioned with one hand, Chrys and Fenrir moving to his side. Applejack, Twilight, and Luna joined him.

"We'll stay inside, where its safe," Fluttershy said hurriedly, going to Sherry, who was visibly horrified. Could you blame the girl? It wasn't supposed to be so common to see people dying. That thought only served to make Tyr even more incensed.

"I'll stay as well," Rarity said. She sighed. "To my own dismay, I am not much use in a fight."

"Same here," Trixie said nervously. "All I've got is illusions and cheap tricks."

"Then you all stay here," Tyr said. He glanced over at his daughter, who was staring up at him. He gave her a comforting smile. "Stay here, alright sweetie? I have to go for now."

At first, Sherry said nothing. Then, she held up Tyr's long-coat and smiled weakly up at him. "Just… come back, dad," Sherry said quietly. As he took the offered garment from his daughter, Tyr could do nothing but nod.

"Let's kick these suckers outta here," Rainbow said, flying over.

The small group exited through the destroyed door, fanning out slightly as they came face to face with a massive force of armored warriors led by their horned leader himself. Taurus had his huge double bladed axe set in the ground before him. The horned helmet tilted upwards ever so slightly as if regarding the small group before him. It was a long moment before he spoke. "…Lunar Princess."

Tyr spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Rarity, Fluttershy, Trixie and Sherry were all watching. He redirected his attention to the armored man before him. Luna stepped up beside him, defiance in her eyes. "That would be me. Would thou like to explain what is happening here?"

"We of the Zodiac have come to eliminate that which would disturb the order in this world. In order for that to occur, you must die."

"What the hell!?" Rainbow spat, only to have Luna hold up a hand to silence her.

"And why kill me?"

"…I have my orders. Will you except my judgement?"

Tyr had already stepped forward, Fenrir returning to her sword form. "You'll have to go through me first."

The horned head nodded slightly. "A fellow warrior." There was a hint of appreciation in his voice as he spoke, before the tone changed to one tinged with regret. "If only there were more of you."

"…You've been killing innocents," Twilight said in horror. The horned helmet drooped slightly.

"…I have my orders."

"You bastard," Twilight began, fury in her voice. Chrys quickly grabbed a hold of the librarian's shoulder, using her powers to keep Twilight from acting in haste. "How could you!"

"I was ordered. So I did my duty."

Tyr was silent for a moment before sighing. "I know the feeling. However, that will not forgive your actions."

"I would not expect that from you." The horned helmed rose back up. "But I request a fair fight from you, a fellow warrior."

Tyr smirked. "Fair enough. I would be going out of my way to kill you anyway."

The armored giant lifted his axe, holding it in a ready stance. "You face Taurus, of the Zodiac."

Tyr lifted his blade, feeling a proud howl from Fenrir seem to roll through his body. He was up against a trained opponent this time, and he could feel the anticipation building in his muscles. Despite himself, he was looking forward to this. In the corners of his mind, the wolf pack was howling in anticipation. "My name is Tyr, Lunar Knight."

Taurus chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy this. Come!"

Faster than any living thing encased in armor should be, Taurus shouldered his axe and charged forward. Tyr snapped his blade up into a ready position, only for that feeling from before to come back. This time, he knew what it was—it was Fenrir guiding him in battle. The axe about to swing his way was way too heavy to block, and would most likely cleave him in two if he tried to catch it head on. Instead, he sidestepped the attack, and the axe smashed into the ground. But before he could take advantage of the miss, an armored gauntlet backhanded him across the jaw, knocking him away. A pair of his construct soldiers materialized in time to catch him and right him before Taurus came charging back at him. Tyr smirked and met the charge, his constructs leaping to his sides and stabbing forward with spears. Taurus smashed them aside, but being forced to swing left him open to attack, and Tyr smashed Fenrir into his side, the blade flaring up with silver magic. He was rewarded with a grunt before being shoved away.

[He's trying to keep you at a distance! Stay close to him!]

Tyr gritted his teeth as he back stepped out of another wide axe strike. He didn't need Chrys to tell him that, but he appreciated it anyway. He got back into his stance just as Taurus lowered his head and charged. Caught off guard, Tyr could do nothing as the big man head butted him in the chest. The unexpected attack knocked the wind out of him and sent him sprawling to the ground. "Tyr!"

"He won't be done in with just that," Chrys said, but even she looked concerned.

Tyr grunted slightly as he sat up, glancing down and seeing a puncture wound where one of Taurus's horns had gotten to him. As he rose, he could also see blood seeping from between the cracks in Taurus's armor. Albeit a little surprised, he took it in stride that he managed to do some actual damage. Even Taurus seemed a little surprised. "Hm. It seems I cannot hold back against you."

"Hold back?" Tyr murmured in confusion. He didn't have to think for long before the circle on Taurus's helmet began to glow.

"We take life as it comes, seizing our opportunities by the horns," Taurus intoned, his armor beginning to glow. An aura of bright gold enveloped him. "We still wait for it to knock."

"What on earth…!" Twilight murmured. "He's casting a spell, but what spell…?"

"I invoke you!" Taurus roared, "OCCASIONEM!"

The magical aura exploded outwards, and Taurus's body suddenly exploded in size, becoming even more massive and burly. The horns on his helmet grew even larger, much longer than even Tyr's arm. The warriors behind him cheered loudly. "By the night…!" Luna whispered, horrified.

Tyr stared down the giant without flinching. In the back of his mind, he could hear the pack howling in excitement—this was worthy prey. Only a beast this wild and huge was worth hunting. To oblige the hungry wolves, he raised his blade, pointing it at Taurus in challenge. His own silver aura surged forth, and dozens of silver wolves appeared. The howl was almost deafening. Back in her human form, Fenrir perched herself on Tyr's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. "Let the hunt BEGIN!"

-x-

"There's more coming!"

Flash turned around at the panicked cry, seeing more warriors pushing forward. All he could do was grimace and pull the injured Sky Watcher further back down the hall, trying to get him to safety. They had only managed to hold the last hallway entrance for a few minutes before numbers had forced them out. Despite throwing everything she had at them, Celestia could do no more to stem the tide herself, and now they were fighting a retreating battle. Ace was beside him a terrifyingly passive look on his face. He was covered in blood, none of it his, and yet he looked as if he would break out into a smile at any moment. As he was worrying about his friend, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to find Celestia looking down at him, worry in her eyes. "Are you all right, Flash?"

"Could be better," He grunted noncommittally. He managed to get Sky Watcher into the next room, the large meeting hall. The remainder of the guard were already there, and once they were inside, they began barricading the doors as best they could. He leaned Sky Watcher against the far wall. "Could not have people trying to kill me. Could be spending a beautiful day with my girlfriend."

"Could be worse," Ace countered, retrieving a towel and wiping off his face. "We could be dead."

"Ever the optimist."

The blood knight smiled softly. "I have to be."

Flash was silent, staring at his friend. "…Ace, you alright? I was afraid we lost you for a bit back there."

Ace had been in essentially a killing frenzy not too long ago, cutting down opponent after opponent even as his own allies fell around him. Flash had been surprised that when Celestia had called for a retreat, he had come at once. Ace chuckled. "You won't lose me. Not yet, at least."

"Ace…" Celestia said softly, her worry clear. The snow haired young man shook his head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I made a promise, to you and to my sister." He grinned. "I'm yours till death, Princess Celestia."

Flash sighed. "Considering how today is going, that may be sooner rather than later—hey!"

Ace had suddenly tossed an arm around his friend's shoulders, the grin never leaving his face. "Hey, don't you start with that. I promised Song she'd get to wear a dress at your wedding, and you're sure as hell going to be best man at mine. We are living through today."

Flash stared at him for a long moment. It was times like these he was happy to have Ace as a best friend. A friend that had such a joy for life in both the living and the taking. Made you consider your own place a lot more seriously. "Yeah… right. Thanks Ace."

"No problem, buddy."

There was a sound from the other side of the door. Instead of loud pounding, it was a light knocking. "Hello~ anybody home?"

"Identify yourself," Celestia demanded.

"Ah, is that the Princess of the Dawn herself? Oh, being addressed by royalty is such a pleasure! Oh, but where are my manners! I am Pisces of the Zodiac. And I am here to kill you."

"Not on your life you bastard!" Ace growled, his former joviality gone. "I'll gut you myself before I'd let you lay a hand on the Princess!"

There was a slight chuckle. "Is that a challenge? Oh I do love challenges."

"What…" Celestia murmured in surprise. "I feel… magic?"

Both Ace and Flash turned around sharply at that, before the entire front of the room exploded inwards. Pisces walked in, a long trident in her hand and bluish energy rippling off of her tall and slender form. "So! Which one of you wants to go first?"

Ace and Flash charged her together, blades slicing through the air. Before either of them could land a hit, the trident shot upwards and blue magical energy flowed out and blasted both men away. They were thrown to the far walls and fell unceremoniously to the ground. "Well, that was anticlimactic," Pisces said, sounding disappointed.

"Why are you doing this?" Celestia demanded.

"Because I was ordered to," Pisces said simply. She glanced down to Celestia's hands, which were beginning to glow gold. "Oh, don't do that. Our armor is enchanted to resist your kind of magic."

Celestia stared at her, dumbfounded. "How… who are you?"

"We are the Zodiac, the protectors of Order. And I apologize, but I have to kill you now."

"That's not fair at all," A soft voice pointed out. Celestia looked around in confusion, while Pisces froze in fear.

"Black Widow," Pisces hissed, whirling around. "Show yourself!"

"Welcome to my web, said the spider to the fly," The voice said. "Isn't today just a good day to die?"

To Celestia's surprise, Isabel appeared, dressed in a dark metal-grey dress. She was standing a short distance away from Pisces, a small smile on her face. She had one hand up in the air, fingers messing with something that they could not see. Her blood red eyes bore into Pisces, who visibly flinched back. "What the hell… why are you here!?"

"You really thought I wouldn't notice what was going on?" Isabel asked, lowering her hand. She frowned. "I would think Zodiac knows by now that Tsukiyomi sees all."

"You little…!" She looked up at her warriors, who hadn't moved. "What are you standing around for!? Kill her!"

In response, every warrior dropped dead in unison. Pisces and Celestia stood in mute horror as a veritable spider web of silver strands were left in the air, dripping with blood. Each and every strand shimmered in the dull lighting, each coming to meet around the silver woman. Isabel smiled. "I just said Tsukiyomi sees everything."

"You little—!" Pisces charged towards her with her trident, aiming the deadly points at the young woman's throat. Isabel didn't bother moving, but before the weapon could pierce her, Pisces found herself impaled by seven different white-bladed swords, each held by a faceless figure in what looked like old masquerade outfits. "I… I was so close…!"

"What a Tragedy," Isabel said with a small giggle. The seven masked swordsmen pulled their weapons free, letting Pisces fall to the ground. There were no questions about it; she was dead. The seven faceless performers formed lines along the side of the hall, holding their blades at attention as their mistress walked towards Celestia. The young woman curtsied slightly. "I apologize for not coming sooner, Princess Celestia."

"You came in the nick of time," Celestia murmured, relief flooding through her body. "How did you know we were in danger?"

"Tsukiyomi sees all," Isabel said simply. Her eyes glowed ever so slightly before reverting to their usual hazel color. She glanced past Celestia into the room. "You have injured?"

"Yes, we do."

"I can heal them, if you would like."

Celestia failed to keep the surprise off her face. "Please do."

Isabel smiled and entered the room. She knelt down beside one of the most injured guards and held her hands over the stab wound in his side, a soft green glow emanating from them. To Celestia's mild surprise, the wound began to knit itself back together. "Much better."

"Who were those guys?" Flash groaned, sitting up. He rubbed at the back of his head.

"Zodiac soldiers," Isabel said, moving to her next patient. "The best I can explain the grunts are that they're clones."

Ace frowned, still lying on his side. "Clones? You have to be joking."

"I wish I was. They're expendable soldiers so that the Zodiac can focus on more serious threats."

"Like Princess Celestia."

Isabel nodded. "Exactly. The lower ranked ones are no threat, but I still had to set up a bit before revealing myself."

"I guess thanks are in order," Celestia said. "If it hadn't been for you…"

"Do not thank me yet," Isabel said softly. "There are still Zodiac soldiers elsewhere in the city."

"Well then, we should…" Celestia trailed off, hand going to her forehead and she staggered to the side. Ace and Flash jumped up, but one of Isabel's swordsmen leapt forward to steady her. "…I believe I have tired myself out."

"Constant magical exertion will do that to you," Isabel said. "Rest. My sisters are already going to deal with the other Zodiac."

"There was another?" Ace asked.

Isabel nodded. Her eyes turned red again for a split second as she looked up at the near wall. "I just hope they get there in time. I can't tell how long he'll last…"

Flash frowned. "He?"

-x-

The ground was scarred and pitted with small impact craters and axe marks. The hulking Taurus faced down the wounded yet still fighting Tyr. The man was still standing, although he was covered in wounds and he was barely hanging onto his sword. Taurus was wounded as well, but they were superficial compared to Tyr's. The fight was rapidly going in favor of the Zodiac. "He can't keep this up..!" Twilight said, horrified. "We have to help him!"

"That beast would kill us before we had a chance," Chrys said coldly. "Not to mention those soldiers are still watching us. We'd never get through them all."

"This is stupid!" Rainbow snarled. "We're just going to let him die!?"

"Stop!" Luna ordered. The others looked at her. "…As much as I want to help my beloved, we cannot fight that beast. It is almost impossible for me to stand by and watch Tyr suffer like this… We—"

She didn't get to finish, for Taurus charged Tyr again. The very steps of the behemoth shook the ground, and the smaller man fell back, unable to keep his balance. As the axe blade came up, he pointed his sword at him in defiance. Tyr was certain of at least one thing: That he wasn't going to die cowering. The axe came down—

"TAG IN!"

The entire crowd froze. Tyr looked up to find a small hand resting atop of his, which was connected to a girl he could hardly believe was standing there holding up that axe. "…No way."

"Hi Sherry's dad!" Passion said in her normal cheery tone. She grinned. "You look like you've been fighting a bull!"

"I think I have," Tyr said, chuckling despite himself. After all the stuff he's had to be part of in the last year, he was beginning to not be surprised by anything he witnessed.

"Well, no worries! I got this guy." She looked up at the axe she still held in one hand. "I've been looking for a good fight all week!"

"That voice…" Taurus rumbled, his voice several octaves deeper because of his giant size. His entire body stiffened at the recognition of who was stopping him. "Striate."

"Nice ta meet ya!" Passion said. "But unfortunately, I have to bring you down to size. Kagu-Tsuchi!"

With a sudden explosion of fire, Passion was instantly dressed in a frilly red and black skirt, a dark gray dress shirt, and dark metal gauntlets covering her arms up to the elbow. Her hair was bright red near the roots and trailed into orange near the tips. It was almost like looking at open flames. She pushed the axe away and leapt directly into Taurus's open chest, slamming into him with more force than it seemed. The blow knocked the much larger armored figure back onto his back. "By the night…!" Luna whispered in horror. How could so much raw power exist inside of such a small frame?

"Rainbow Dash, follow me!" Chrys hissed, dashing forward. Rainbow didn't ask questions, chasing after the Changeling. They made a beeline to Tyr. "Master, are you alright?"

"Battered and beaten, but I'm still living," Tyr said, struggling to his feet. He glanced over to where Passion was single handedly giving Taurus a one sided beat down. "…This is ridiculous."

"You're telling me," Rainbow said. "That's kid's crazy!"

"Come Master, we need to get you to safety," Chrys said, helping him up. She glanced to where the other soldiers were, and saw them charging towards them. "…Damnation."

A wave of frost flowed outwards from them, forming massive ice shards to block them off. "I will not stand idly by any longer," Luna said, hands raised with magic flowing from them.

"We need to move," Rainbow said, seeing the soldiers begin attacking the ice. Chrys nodded in agreement, pulling Tyr along with her as they retreated back to the house. Impacts marked the conflict of Passion and Taurus, the small girl seemingly hitting harder and harder with each strike. The small girl wasn't even bothering to dodge the much larger warrior's attacks and was simply taking them in stride, jumping back up after every brutal blow and giving back just as much as she took. As they made it back to the front door, they heard the ice wall break behind them. "Aw, buck!"

"Excuse me," A voice said politely. They looked over to find a slender girl with long, multicolored hair and… green skin? Her all black eyes fixed upon them with slight confusion.

"What in Celestia's name…?" Twilight began, but the girl quickly directed her black eyes past them. She knelt on the ground and slipped her hands easily into the dirt. Almost instantly, giant tendrils made of plant matter burst from the ground to sweep the soldiers back again. She pulled her hands free, and the tendrils receded. "What… how… that…!"

"Best not to ask right now, sugarcube," Applejack said, patting Twilight's shoulder. "Not the best time, you know?"

"But…!"

"She's a living plant," Luna said wondrously. The girl nodded and smiled.

"My name is Willow Striate. Pleasure to meet you."

The conversation was cut short by Passion crashing into the ground nearby. "Whoa!" She said, sitting up in the small crater. Willow, a worried look on her face, went over to her.

"Are you alright, Passion?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! You know I'm tough!" Passion grinned, and reached up to ruffle the long flower petals that made up Willow's hair. "Nice of ya to worry though."

Taurus came stomping over, blood dripping from multiple dents and rends in his armor. Passion had really knocked him around. Rainbow whistled softly. "Celestia's mane, she might be stronger than you, Applejack."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Applejack muttered.

"You should hurry up and finish," Willow told Passion, who shrugged.

"I know, I know. But you know I don't get to get my blood pumping like this often enough!" Passion grinned. "But I'll quit playing around."

The fire-headed girl jumped up onto her feet. Taurus was already lowering his head to charge, rushing forward to crush her. Passion ran forward, sliding past the giant fist and punching straight up into Taurus's chest. She slapped her other hand to her arm, an aura of red in the form of flames appearing around her. The aura formed into large wings that opened wide from behind her. She grinned.

"I am the flame that burns hottest and brightest!" She intoned, aura flaring up even brighter. She twisted her fist quickly, a snapping sound resonating throughout the area. "PILEBUNKER!"

The giant warrior's back exploded in a corona of flames and metal, the magical explosion ripping through him. Passion shoved him off to the side, the smoking hole in his back proof enough of the end of the fight. At the sight of their leader dead, the Zodiacs that remained quickly fled. "Yeah, that's right!" Rainbow yelled after them. "You better run!"

"They never stick around after their leaders are gone," Willow said thoughtfully. "That means Isabel has taken out the other one."

"Well, good for her," Tyr grunted, sitting down on the ground. Luna went over to him.

"Beloved, are you alright? Those wounds seem serious…!"

"Like I told Chrys, I'm just beat up. All that training has toughened me up."

"You're still bleeding all over, Alpha," Fenrir pointed out, flowing seamlessly from her sword form. "However, you still fought well against a superior opponent."

"Oh, it's times like these I wish I learned healing magic," Luna said ruefully. "I instead focused on my offensive magic."

"That ice magic came in handy," Twilight said. "I may have to learn that myself."

"Um… excuse me again," Willow said, coming over to them. She pushed a strand of her—pushed a petal out of her face. "I can help, if you would like."

"You are a healer?" Luna asked.

"Sort of. Passion, can you come help me?"

"Sure thing, little sis!" Passion came skipping over. Her hair had reverted to its white coloration with its red streaks. Willow moved beside Tyr, a long vine growing from her arm with long thin leaves growing from it. "Oh, you're doing that treatment, huh?"

"Yes, please be gentle." Willow rested her hands on Tyr's chest, more vines growing to gently reveal the places where he had been injured.

Tyr couldn't help but squirm a little bit. "That kinda tickles."

Willow giggled. "I know. Sorry."

Passion began to gently pluck the leave from the vine, setting them in a little pile until she had ten. "Done."

"Thank you. That didn't hurt as much as last time," Willow said, glancing back at her. Passion laughed nervously.

"I learn quick, huh?"

Willow giggled. She glanced around at the others. "Um… what I'm about to do is going to seem a little disgusting."

"Huh?" Twilight frowned. "How so?"

"No matter," Luna said. "Whatever you have to do, do it. As long as it won't hurt him."

"It might sting a little," Willow said honestly.

Tyr grunted. "I'll be fine. Go ahead."

Willow nodded. She picked up one of her leaves and took a deep breath. After a moment of running her tongue around in her mouth, she began to drool a light gold syrupy liquid onto it. Rainbow immediately scrunched up her face and backed off a step. "Oh, dude! Gross!"

Twilight made a face too, but she didn't pull back. She was more interested in what the plant-girl was doing. Willow drooled on the leaves before placing them over Tyr's wounds like a bandage. She then tied it in place with a thin vine that she pulled off of herself. Without losing a beat, she quickly repeated the process for each of the bigger wounds that Tyr had. He hissed softly. "You're right, that does sting."

"Sorry," Willow said with a soft smile. "It should fade with time."

"What is that liquid?" Twilight asked. Willow glanced up at her, and a dark color rose on her cheeks—a blush.

"It's… um… it's my sap." The color darkened even more. "It's a little embarrassing… But it's close to what humans consider spit."

"I see…"

"I'm done," Willow said, standing up. Tyr stood up as well. He rotated his arms and glanced over himself.

"I feel a lot better, Willow," He said, smiling at her. "Thanks."

"Oh, don't mention it."

A noise came from Passion's pocket, and she extracted a cell phone from her pocket. She moved a short distance away to answer it. Twilight took the time to question Willow. "So, Willow! You're a plant right?"

"Um… kinda."

"So you photosynthesize and all?"

"Yes, I do. I drink a lot of water too."

Twilight made a note of that in a notepad she had on hand. "So are there any more like you?"

Willow's face contorted into one of sadness for only a split second. "…No. I'm the only one."

"Oh… I'm so sorry…" Twilight frowned and lowered her notepad. "I'm… I'm so sorry. That was insensitive of me, wasn't it?"

"No, it's okay. I've never really had people interested in me like that before. Papa says it's because most people wouldn't understand what I am."

"Considering you're a plant in the shape of a girl, or a girl made of plants, I can understand," Tyr said. "But that's beside the point. You helped us out, so thank you."

Willow stared at him for a long moment, blush returning to her face. She looked away shyly. "Y-you're welcome."

Passion came back over. "Well, it's been fun, but it's time for us to go. Isabel says that she kept as many civilians safe as possible. Plus she says a redheaded girl was protecting a group of people as well."

"That sounds like Grace," Luna said thoughtfully.

"Nice to hear she's doing her job," Rainbow said with a chuckle.

"Well," Passion said, "We have to go. Can't overstay our welcome."

"Tell your father thanks," Tyr said. Passion nodded back, a small smile on her face.

"I will! Come on Willow, let's go home." She waved up at the house. "See ya, Sherry!"

Sherry waved back, and almost like turning out a light, Passion and Willow vanished. So did the fallen body of Taurus and all the slain Zodiac troopers. It was like they hadn't existed at all. "Now that… that's just weird," Applejack murmured.

"Seconded," Rainbow said. "But it's over, right? No more fighting?"

"That would seem to be the case," Luna said. "Whatever this attack was, it was aimed at my sister and I."

"Seems humanity isn't the only thing trying to kill us," Applejack said, before throwing a worried glance at Tyr. "No offense, sugarcube."

"None taken," Tyr said with a chuckle. "To be honest, if it made you guys any safer, I'd want you to go back to Equestria."

There was silence. For a moment, Tyr thought he had said something wrong, but Luna quickly allayed his fears by wrapping him in her arms. "Oh beloved. To know that you think so much of us…"

"You really are a true friend, sugar," Applejack said, resting a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Come on guys," Twilight said, a small smile on her face. "Let's get back to everyone else."

The plot thickens. A threat has been dealt with... for now. Zodiac will make another appearance for sure, although their involvement may be a bit more subtle next time. After all, they can't have Jehu's family leap in and interfere every single time, now can they?

Irregardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Read, review, and comment (hopefully follow and favorite too), and look forward to the next chapter!

Zaijian! (This one's Chinese. Not completely sure how to add in all the accents and stuff though.)