Greetings again, dear readers. Another Friday, another chapter. Well, I've got no funny stories to tell here, so I'll move on to comments!

0. King Nothing.0: Glad to hear about the hype, hope this lives up to your expectations. And I used to just listen to random music and came across it. And learning guitar is pretty cool too! Although I'm more of a piano person :P

theflammablefiredragon: I apologies for rustling any jimmies, but I gotta make ya come back, don't I? :D Glad you're loving the story though! Oh, and I wanted to comment on your latest chapter of Dash of Fury, but my computer was being stupid. Really good chapter, and keep up the good work!

Chaddmychal: Glad you're enjoying the story and that you keep coming back to it! As long as I have readers, I'll keep posting. :D

Tyricle: Ah, one of the "ghost" readers, hm? Thanks for commenting. And in regards to happiness... "The brightest dawn always comes after the darkest night". Make of that as you will. ;)

And, with no further ado:

Chapter 37: All for One

Tyr opened his eyes slowly. The room he was in was barely lit, giving him the impression he was in an abandoned building of some sort. He shook his head slowly, and was rewarded with a voice speaking to him.

"Finally awake, are we?"

He adjusted, finding his hands were bound. He looked up to find a trio of men standing in front of him, two of them carrying assault rifles. The middle man was wearing a suit and had an elegant sword strapped to his hip. This man adjusted his glasses, as if to point out that he was the one who had spoken. Tyr frowned. "And just who the hell are you?"

"The man who ordered you brought here," The man in glasses said. "I'm known as the General around here. Welcome to the Cornfield."

"…You guys are Scarecrows."

"Ah, wonderful! He does have a brain in there. I didn't have to explain it."

"Well, you could explain why the hell I'm here."

"You, my friend, are here because of who you know. Specifically two Princesses you know."

"…Cadance and Twilight?"

The General scowled. Obviously Tyr's attempt at humor hadn't been amusing. "No. Celestia and Luna. One of whom you've been engaged to?"

Tyr frowned back. Apparently he had been under surveillance. Not too surprising—these guys wanted Celestia and Luna captured and/or possibly dead. For such an organization, they had done their homework. Tyr suspected this General fellow was the reason for that. He decided to probe. "So, former military, I take it?"

"What?"

"You. Former military. You're standing at attention."

The General blinked, and then a small smile crossed his face. "Quite the perceptive one. Yes, I am former military. Discharged due to physical injury."

Tyr glanced down, noticed that one of the man's legs was a prosthetic. "…I see."

"So, Tyr was it? We want something from you."

"And what is that?"

"We want your fiancé and her sister. We want to make an example of them."

"…An example?"

"Tyr, you've probably come across plenty of people who wish the Equestrians were gone. But I've realized something after a long bit of thought."

"What is that?"

"That this is an opportunity," The General told him. The man smiled. "Why force them to leave when we can use them?"

Tyr felt a cold chill run through him. "Use… them?"

"We've gotten requests for Equestrian workers that pay in the millions, friend. And we were asked to retrieve either of the princesses for several hundred million. And that is something we don't want to pass up. And we're going to use you for that."

"I'm guessing as bait then." Tyr scowled. "You realize the person coming after me won't be Luna, or Celestia for that matter."

"Oh? And who would come after you?"

"The other Royal Knights. My friends."

"You really have stuck your lot in with them, haven't you?" The General laughed slightly. "Falling in love with an Equestrian, sleeping with her… you know they used to be horses, right? Animals? So what does that make you?"

"I prefer not to call something an animal if it can talk, feel and express it's emotions," Tyr shot back. "They're living people."

"To me, they're merchandise. Merchandise that can be sold to the highest bidder for a massive profit. You should be happy—at least we're not killing them."

"I don't think slavery is better," Tyr said pointedly. The General gave him a look before turning his gaze away.

"…I suppose you would think that way."

"Uh huh."

"Well, regardless of what you think, we will have the princesses before long. Perhaps we'll keep them alive and demean them. A little torture, or something like that. Let them know their place."

"I think their place is above people like you, who want to use others for your own benefit."

The General smirked. "Isn't that just human nature?"

Tyr was silent for a moment. "…Only the worst of us. You make me sick."

"Hmph. Well, try to keep it down. You might be here for a while."

"…And what if no one comes?"

"Oh, they'll come. Especially when we threaten to kill you if they don't."

-x-

"I do not like the look of this place," Grace murmured. She, the other two knights and Chrys knelt on a small grassy hill overlooking an old bus depot. The depot still had a large array of buses abandoned in the lot, and a large warehouse sat in a back corner. The darkness shrouded the whole complex in a spooky way. "…I'm getting the creeps."

"Don't get spooked out on us now," Ace said, adjusting the strap on his gun. They had retrieved their weapons before setting up on the hill, leaving the only one unarmed as Chrys. They had offered her a gun, but the Changeling much preferred to use her hands as claws.

"I'm not getting spooked!" Grace hissed. "I just wish Tyr and his rifle were up here with us."

"Quiet," Flash said, shushing them both. "We need to use what advantages we have here. We don't even have numbers."

"I will handle that," Chrys said, closing her eyes. […Master]

[I was wondering when I'd hear from you] Tyr thought back.

[I apologize for my lateness. Do you remember the sonar spell?]

[Of course. One second] Tyr let his magic gather for a moment before releasing it in a weak wave, outlining his surroundings. [Can you see]

[Yes] Chrys thought back, her eyes glowing. She could see every argent outline of every man in those buildings including… […Master. There is a massive group of figures in that warehouse]

[I noticed. I don't know who they are]

[We will see. We are coming to get you] She turned to her companions. "There are about seven men out in the buses and another thirty in that main building. Two guard the warehouse."

"Almost 10-to-1 odds," Flash murmured.

"Sounds like a party," Ace said with a grin.

Grace sighed. "You're always so eager…"

"This is what I live for, Gracie!"

"Let's get this done," Flash said, pulling his scarf up to cover his mouth. The others were wearing scarves as well, and mimicked his action. There were no more words to be said—only action to take. Flash took to the sky, Ace following a moment after. Chrys slipped down into the bus yard, Grace following behind her slowly. The red head pulled a black skull cap down over her hair, hoping that it wouldn't get her spotted. She was so busy doing so that she almost walked into a sentry.

"Oh," She gasped. The man stared at her for a long moment.

"The hell—" Was all he managed to say, before Chrys appeared behind him, closed one hand over his mouth, and snapped his neck. The Changeling lowered the dead man to the ground quietly, glaring up at Grace.

"…Sorry."

Chrys straightened up. Without saying anything, she reached over to adjust Grace's hat so it was covering more of her hair. "…Apologize later. Move now." The Changeling dashed away into the night.

Grace sighed. "Wise words, huh?" Shaking off her nervousness, she raised her rifle to her shoulder and began the dangerous task of clearing out the bus yard. There were corners everywhere, and she spotted a pair of feet moving past her. Without thinking longer than a moment, she pulled the top of her needle pouch open, her magic taking a single needle and pulling it out. The thin piece of metal slid through the metal of the bus walls like paper, shooting out the other side and killing the man on the other side without a sound. He slumped to the ground with a muffled thud. "Man down," She murmured.

"I got one," Ace's voice came in over her ear piece.

"One down over here," Flash chimed in. "I saw Chrys just take out a pair."

"Got another. We're clear outside."

"Move to breaching positions."

The four moved to the main building, all four meeting up at one of the main doors. Chrys was lightly splattered with blood, as was Ace. Neither of them seemed too put off by that fact. "How are we gonna do this?" Grace asked quietly.

"There'll be too many for us to take quietly," Chrys said.

"Then we do it loud," Ace said, shrugging.

Flash frowned. "…Too risky. We get caught in a crossfire—what then?"

Chrys cleared her throat. "I have an idea."

-x-

"Something the matter?" Tyr said, glancing up at the General. He was speaking in hushed tones to one of his guards. The man spared him one disparaging glance.

"None of your business." The cold tone betrayed him—something indeed was wrong. Tyr decided to push it.

"Hm. You were willing to spill your plan to me earlier, but now you're tight lipped. I'm guessing something has gone wrong."

The General was silent. "…We have intruders."

"Ah, and they caught you off guard?"

"Quiet."

"So I'm bothering you now? I would think the fact that you've bitten off what you can chew would be more bothersome."

The General whirled on him, the other men in the room snapping up their weapons at Tyr. "You realize that I can kill you at any moment, don't you?"

"You might think so," Tyr said slowly. He noticed the sheath he used to hold Fenrir sitting empty against the far wall. He smirked. The action seemed to incense the General.

"What's so funny? Do you realize the situation you're in?"

"I suppose I should ask you a question."

"And what would that be, pray tell?"

"What happens when a wolf howls?"

The man stared at him, confused. "What does that have to do with anything…?"

"THE PACK COMES RUNNING!" An exultant voice cried.

The men in the room turned just as Fenrir burst into the room in her wolf form, a pack of silver furred wolves charging in after her. The room exploded into chaos as magic wolves leapt on the armed guards. They fired their weapons, hitting a few but because of their mystical nature, did no damage. Just as Fenrir managed to free Tyr from his bonds, he spotted the General escaping the chaos. "Damn. He's getting away!"

"We should help the others, Alpha," Fenrir said, reverting to her human form for a moment. The sound of gunfire could be heard from above them. "They are quite outnumbered."

"Point taken. Rally the pack and push forward!"

Fenrir changed into her sword form and Tyr took hold of the weapon. He pushed out of the room into complete chaos. Silver wolves were running rampant through the ranks of Scarecrows, ripping them apart in a wild frenzy. On the other side of the area, Tyr could make out Ace and Flash putting down suppressive fire. His snow haired friend noticed him. "Tyr! You're alright!"

"Never better," Tyr grunted, dodging a knife attack. He spun quickly, Fenrir tearing open the man's throat with a single cut. He dashed forward into the fray, blade coming down into the back of another Scarecrow.

"Blades!" Ace called, and the other three knights charged forward to help their friend, weapons glinting in the afterglow of the gunfire. Ace's trademark grin appeared on his face as he slashed open the chest of a Scarecrow. "Tear them apart!"

Needles sang through the air as Grace added in her contribution, alternating between throwing the deadly implements and firing her gun. Chrys covered her, claws warding off any who dared come close. "They still outnumber us!" Grace called out, ducking behind a crate for cover.

"Tyr!" Flash called. "Take command!"

The human man looked at him in confusion for a moment before nodding his understanding. His magic surged forth, enveloping his friends in his argent aura. The little silver shields appeared over their shoulders, and the whole flow of the battle shifted. Ace and Chrys were in the midst of the Scarecrow forces, distracting and cutting down any that looked their way. Grace covered them, supported by Flash who kept catching anyone trying to flank her. As he moved across he flipped a table that Tyr ducked behind while he moved on to another opponent. Tyr leapt clear of the cover a second later, Grace's magic grasping the table and flinging it into a group of men. Tyr's soldiers appeared to smash through another group of shooters just as they got a bead on the fast moving Ace, who was too busy fighting to notice the danger he was in. But in reality, each of them knew where they all were in relation to one another. Tyr's magic brought them together into one cohesive unit, able to understand and react to each other's moves almost as easily as breathing.

"Master!" Chrys called out, catching Tyr's attention. He turned to see what it was, just barely managing to catch the thing she threw at him. To his surprise, he found himself holding a SCAR-20, an automatic sniper rifle. He looked up to find a happy grin on his Changeling's face. "I thought you might like that."

Tyr dropped into cover behind an overturned crate, his practiced hands quickly getting the rifle loaded and ready. He popped up and set his cheek against the stock. [How kind of you] He thought with a small smile, the weapon bucking in his hands as his first shot of the fight rang out. The unfortunate Scarecrow in his sights died instantly, bullet right through the head.

"Dear Celestia!" Flash muttered, watching the head of another Scarecrow explode from Tyr's aim. "I see what you meant, Grace!"

"Fenrir!" Tyr called out. "Where did the General go?"

He was answered by the sound of a vehicle starting up. "Car moving outside!" Grace cried.

"Chrissy! Roof, now!" Tyr jumped over his makeshift piece of cover, running forward. Chrys met him halfway, a blast of her viridian magic making a hole into the roof. She grabbed him around the waist and took off, flying through the newly make exit. She let him go on solid roof. As he ran to the edge of the building, Grace came climbing up after him.

"He's getting further away!" She pointed out.

"I can see that. Damn, I can't get stable!"

Grace pushed the gun up for a moment, kneeling down in front of him and resting the rifle barrel on her shoulder. When Tyr looked at her in confusion, she snapped, "You can do it now, can't you?"

Tyr felt Grace stiffen up, becoming as immovable as possible. "…Yeah, I can."

Silence fell over them as Tyr settled into his makeshift shooting stance. The sound of fighting below died out, and Flash and Ace came up as well. Neither spoke as Tyr blocked out every sound that wasn't the wind. The car was speeding away, and was rapidly getting out of effective range. It was dark, and he didn't have a scope. If he missed, the General would get away and plan more atrocities against him and his friends. He grinned and pulled the trigger.

Missing wasn't an option.

"Celestia's mane," Flash intoned reverently, watching the car careen off the road. It spun out, slammed into a parked bus, and went up in a huge explosion. "Now that was impressive."

"That's my Alpha for you!" Fenrir crooned, appearing on Tyr's shoulder. "A wonderful hunt today, Alpha!"

"We did cause quite a bit of damage down there," Flash said, glancing down the ladder they had climbed up. Bodies littered the ground below, a testament to their combat prowess.

"I personally would have liked there to be more," Ace said. Chrys nodded in agreement.

Tyr shouldered the auto-sniper and let Grace up. "You alright?" He asked as she rubbed at her shoulder.

"Didn't think it would get that hot," She complained. "It hurt a little bit."

"You're okay," He said, smiling. He turned to his other two friends, his smile growing. "Thanks for coming for me, guys."

"No problem at all," Flash said. "We couldn't just abandon you like that."

"You're our bro, bro!" Ace said with a grin.

Grace smiled softly. "I wouldn't have hesitated for anything," She told him. He pulled her into a side hug.

"Master," Chrys spoke up softly, getting everyone's attention. They all turned to find a frown on the Changeling's face. "Do not forget about the warehouse. We have not seen what all those other figures were."

"Figures?" Grace looked to Tyr.

"I can use my magic like a sonar pulse and mark people I detect," He explained quickly. "I detected a large number of people in that warehouse."

"And none of them came running when the shooting started," Flash pointed out. "Not sure what to make of that."

Tyr frowned. After a long moment of thought, he checked the clip of his appropriated rifle. "…Let's go."

They moved as a unit to the warehouse, finding it completely unguarded. Tyr stayed a short distance away, gun trained on the large doors while the other three Royal Knights pushed up to the door. Once they were all in position, Flash pushed the door in. They all froze in shock at the sight they found. Almost a hundred Equestrian women and children were crowded into the warehouse, all covered in dirty clothing and looking like they hadn't eaten in days. There was a dark silence that hung over them all. One bedraggled girl tentatively came forward, her bright gold hair darkened with dirt and matted to her head. "…Who are you?" She asked quietly, voice hoarse.

"We're…" Flash began, but he trailed off, words dying in his mouth. He recognized every one of the people in this building as those he had been looking for over the past few months. Seeing them now… He had no words. They looked pitiful, malnourished, and frightened. Seeing their normally stoic member off his game, Grace stepped up.

"We are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's Royal Knights," She said, coming forward. At the name of their princesses, the women suddenly perked up. The one who had come forward was quiet for a long minute.

"…Truly? Really?"

"Yes. We've… we've come to rescue you."

Before any of them could react, there was loud crying and cheering. The four knights were mobbed by Equestrians of all sizes and colors. Even Tyr was being thanked and hugged. "How are we going to get them out of here?" Ace asked.

"There are plenty of buses in the lot," Chrys suggested. "We could use a couple of them."

"Good plan. Flash, go see if they're still working."

"On it," Flash said, extricating himself from the happy crowd. He disappeared outside. Tyr found himself surrounded by a group of little girls.

"Hey mister!" One of them, a cute little thing with dark green hair said. "Why don't you have a tail? Did you cut it?"

Tyr chuckled. "No, I'm actually human."

"Really!?" A couple of the older Equestrian woman dashed forward to retrieve the younger girls, fear in their eyes. "I thought you said you were a knight!"

"He is," Grace said defensively, coming over to stand beside Tyr. "He's not like the humans you've met already. Plus, he's engaged to Princess Luna herself!"

"This man just risked his life to save you all," Ace pointed out. "Just because he's human doesn't mean you have to be afraid of him."

"No, I understand," Tyr said, smiling. "I have a daughter of my own. I'd do whatever it took to keep her safe."

The women were quiet. "We… we apologize."

"It's fine."

Flash came back in. "We've got two buses. That should hold them."

"I guess Flash and I will drive them," Ace said. He tossed his car keys to Tyr. "Tyr, you drive my car with Grace and Chrys."

Tyr raised an eyebrow. "You're okay with me driving your car?"

His friend grinned. "You drive better than I do."

Grace coughed. "You have no idea."

"Alright people!" Ace called out. "Everyone get to the buses, and we'll get you guys out of here!"

The crowd of Equestrians began to file out of the building, directed by Ace and Flash. Tyr, Chrys and Grace waited inside. Tyr glanced over at his red-haired friend just as she was glancing at her watch. She was frowning. "…Something up, Grace?"

"Um… what time does the sun normally come up?"

"About six or seven, I would think. Why?"

"…Tyr… It's six thirty." She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "The sun should have been up by now."

"Wait, is that true?" Ace asked, overhearing. "The sun was supposed to come up?"

Tyr suddenly hissed in shock, the mark on his back growing cold like ice. "What the hell!?"

"What is it?" Chrys panicked. "Master, what is wrong?"

"My Mark… it's cold."

"Cold?" Ace frowned. "I thought it burned when Luna was in danger."

"It does. This is a first…"

"…Nightmare Moon," Flash said, horror in his face. "…She's back."

"You don't know that!" Ace snapped.

"It's the only thing! A chilling cold grips Tyr's mark, the sun hasn't risen… Oh by the sun—it has to be her!"

"We need to get back before she kills everyone then," Ace said quietly, checking the clip in his P90.

"Luna wouldn't do that," Tyr said adamantly.

"I believe you, bro. But Nightmare Moon isn't Luna. And if her personality has overtaken Luna's…"

"She might be gone forever," Grace finished, swallowing heavily.

Tyr was silent. Losing his soon-to-be wife? That was out of the question. But the fear in his friend's eyes showed him just how serious this was. Nightmare Moon had been a serious threat from where they were from, and although he didn't know what she was capable of he wasn't going to give up on Luna. "…I'm not going to let that happen. By no means am I going to lose Luna. Not now, not ever."

Flash stared at the man for a long minute. He briefly thought back to the conversation he and Twilight had had with Celestia. An immortal being paired with a mortal one… made him wonder about him and Twilight. As an Alicorn, her lifespan was significantly longer than his now. Despite that, he planned to stick with her as long as he could. "…Then we should hurry. Waiting too long will reduce your chances of bringing her back."

Ace sighed. "Well, as much as I don't think this will work, I'm with you man."

Grace shrugged. "She's my princess too."

Tyr nodded. "Alright. Let's get back home. We've got a Princess to save."

Hopefully you weren't expecting a (complete) resolution just yet. I gotta tease you a little more, don't I?

As always, read, review, and return for the next chapter, where Tyr gets to finally meet the other half of his beloved princess. And I believe Nightmare Moon is looking forward to meeting our silver-eyed knight as well.

Don't be afraid to post a comment, for the Library accepts all!

Slan! (There's supposed to be an accent over the 'a'. It's Irish. Meh. I tried.)