Welcome back, dear readers! I actually cracked over 60 reviews this time around, so I'm double posting this week. Even I can't help but want to let the climax finally resolve. Plus, I actually finished both chapters. :P

But! On to those reviews I got this time around.

0. King Nothing.0: Piano is indeed friendlier than guitar. And I've played a bit of both before going to a different set of keys. :P

Flammablefiredragon: For every standard my readers desire, I set my own just a little higher. Just so I can keep satisfying my readers. Hopefully these chapters meet your expectations as well. And I'm always looking forward to more of your stories! Keep on writing, friend!

Yannik: Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long. :D

Chaddmychal: Thanks for all the support! Glad you're still enjoying it!

Kevin Lapse: Tyr's name is pronounced "Teer". I got a lot of "tire" when i had people editing it. But I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you enjoy the next chapters!

And with that, I'm done. Enjoy the chapter(s)!

Chapter 38: Lunar Eclipse

"By the sun," Flash murmured, looking out the bus's front window. The sky had a deathly pallor, as if the sky itself was fighting against what was being done to it. He pulled up behind the bus being driven by Ace and parked. "Everyone, stay here."

He opened the bus doors and got out, seeing that his friends were doing the same thing. Ace, Tyr, Grace and Chrys were already out of their vehicles and looking up at the sky. "This certainly doesn't look good," Ace pointed out once Flash had gotten over to them.

"Wonderful observation," Chrys said dryly. Ace shot her a look but didn't respond.

"What are we supposed to do?" Grace asked. "This sort of thing is well outside of our ability to manage."

"You say that now," Ace said. "But you realize we have to deal with this."

"Ugh, of course I know that. But what do we do?"

"We leave these women here for now," Tyr said. He glanced over at the buses. "There's no point in taking them into harm's way."

"And then we deal with Nightmare Moon," Flash said.

"We don't go for lethal force unless it's absolutely necessary," Tyr said sharply. "This is Luna we're talking about—we can't kill her."

"Tyr. We might need to…"

"I owe it to Luna to try," Tyr countered. "I'm not going to just give up on her."

"We may not be able to do anything else!" Ace protested.

"Do you want to be the one who tells Celestia that we had to kill her little sister?"

"But what if it's not Luna anymore?" Ace asked harshly, eyes narrowing. "What if Luna is gone and only Nightmare Moon is left?"

"Then I'll finish it myself." The finality in Tyr's voice made them all pause. The man was determined to either save his beloved—or damn her.

"…Well, you won't be alone," Grace said. She gave Tyr a smile. "I'll do what I can to help."

"We're in this together, for good or for ill," Flash said. "Let's go."

There were no more words left to say, and the five of them headed towards the hospital. It was covered in a field of dark blue magic that enclosed the entire grounds. As they walked, they saw humans and Equestrians alike along the streets, asleep. "What in the world…?" Grace murmured.

"Luna has power over dreams, does she not?" Chrys reasoned. "So Nightmare Moon is using that power to sleep those she is not planning to kill."

"You seem to have quite the idea of her plans," Ace pointed out.

"I'm simply saying it from the position of what I would do in her place." Chrys frowned. "She will more than likely go after those directly responsible for her banishment."

"That means Twilight and the girls," Flash said, shock on his face. "We need to get to them—"

They didn't have to go far. The front doors of the hospital burst open as Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy were thrown out by a surge of magic. A cold chill rolled out after them, and the four knights and Chrys readied themselves. The very ground began to frost over before them. "It's her," Grace said quietly.

"Ah, the knights return!" Nightmare Moon came out of the hospital, trailed by a veritable horde of shadow formed creatures. She smiled, looking down at the fallen Elements of Harmony. "Unfortunately, you've come too late. I'm just finishing up here."

"Twilight…" Flash murmured. The librarian lifted her head slightly at the sound of his voice, a sort of relief crossing her face.

"Flash… you guys came back…" She said weakly. She tried to smile as well, but a wave of pain overtook her and she failed.

"What have you done, Moony…?" Tyr asked in shock. The girls looked as if they had suffered a brutal beating, with Applejack barely conscious and Fluttershy whimpering softly. "These are our friends!"

"They were the friends of my weaker half," Nightmare Moon replied, stepping forward. She stopped a few steps away from Tyr, a small smile on her face. She was now only a couple inches shorter than him. He stared down at her, for a moment losing his indignation. Nightmare Moon had turned his fiancé into a stunning woman, slender and curvaceous as any perfect dream. But his shock wasn't going to go away that easily.

"They were your friends as well!"

The smile vanished. "I have no need of weak people proclaiming to be my friends. But… I have need of strength." She moved closer to him. One hand lifted slowly to caress his face. "Luna may have believed you betrayed her, but I see that I can forgive you. Join me, Tyr. I have need of a King to rule by my side."

"Don't listen to her, Tyr!" The rough voice of Rainbow Dash called from the shattered doorway. The athletic girl was just as badly beat up as her friends, and only the frame of the door seemed to be keeping her standing. "She's evil, and you can't trust her!"

"No need to listen to her, beloved," Nightmare Moon crooned, her voice slow and bewitching. It almost sounded exactly the way Luna would have said it. "All we need is each other, right? We do not need them."

"Tyr…" Flash said warningly.

Tyr was silent for a long time. In front of him was his fiancé, or at least a woman who called herself his fiancé. Nightmare Moon had Luna's voice, her scent, and her hair. Her body was a little taller and fuller, but there wasn't much to complain about there. What she was asking… she wanted him to betray his friends. To fight against them—for her. If it had really been Luna asking, he wouldn't have thought so hard about it. But for Nightmare Moon…

Could he trust her?

He didn't know anything about Nightmare Moon except that she had been evil, and tried to bring eternal night. Whenever she was the topic of discussion, she was spoken of with fear or loathing. But the woman in front of him was Luna. There wasn't anything in his mind that told him otherwise. Sure, the personality was vastly different, but his heart still saw it as his princess. But he wasn't one to turn his back on his friends. He was being asked to kill people he had grown close to, to break ties that were more important to him than his own life. It wasn't as hard a decision as he thought.

"…No," He said softly. Nightmare Moon frowned.

"What was that?"

"I said no," Tyr said, pushing her a short distance away. "I won't kill my friends."

"So you're going to fight against me?"

"Not if I can help it. I want to save you, Moony, not—"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" Nightmare Moon's voice boomed, cutting off Tyr's small plea. She composed herself, shivering slightly with the remnants of her anger. "…You have no right to call me that, traitor."

Tyr blinked. "I didn't betray you!"

"You abandoned me."

"Abandoned…!?"

Chrys scowled. "My Master was kidnapped because of you. He fought to get back to you!"

Nightmare Moon went back over to her horde of shadow creatures. "It does not matter to me now. You made that promise to Luna, not me. I hold no attachment to him."

Tyr gripped the handle of Fenrir tightly. "…I'm going to save you, Luna. Whether you like it or not."

"You will save NO ONE!" Nightmare Moon cackled. "KILL THEM!"

"Grace!" Flash called, "Get the girls out of there!"

"Got it!" Grace replied, quickly wrapping the three girls in front of her in her magic and pulling them out of the way. Just as she got them safe, she managed to spot Flash and Ace charging into the fray. "Gotta support them," She told herself, magic coalescing around her arms. With simple wave of her hand, she placed a protective barrier around Ace. It was just in time to block a blow from a shadow creature. The snow haired man blinked in surprise as the barrier reflected the blow. With a quick glance at Grace to thank her with a nod, he jumped back into the battle.

"You don't have to do this, Moony!" Tyr yelled over the sound of combat. Nightmare Moon's eyes bored into him.

"Do not presume to tell me what to do, human!" Her magic lanced towards him, only to be absorbed by the shields of Tyr's construct soldiers. "You passed up an opportunity to rule by my side!"

"What purpose is it for a man to sell his soul but lose the world?" Tyr replied coldly, ordering his soldiers onto the attack. Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth and ordered her own shadow creatures to engage. Soon, the parking lot was full of shadows and rays of moonlight dancing in the pitch black darkness.

In the midst of shielding herself from a sudden torrent of silver arrows, Nightmare Moon spotted Flash jumping towards her with his sword in hand. "You're mine!" He roared.

"Not bloody likely," She sneered, blasting the ground below him and tossing him to the ground. Seeing weakness, the shadow creatures converged on him. "Ta ta for now!"

"Not so fast!" Blue light suddenly enveloped Flash, shielding him before the shadow creatures could tear him apart. Nightmare Moon looked up to find Cadance flying down, her magical aura as strong as ever. A look of pure shock crossed her face.

"I killed you!" She snarled. "I know I did!"

"Trixie took my place," Cadance said, landing beside Flash and blasting the shadow creatures away with a wave of magic. "She bought me time to recover."

"Trixie?" Tyr murmured in surprise. He looked to Nightmare Moon. "You killed Trixie!?"

"I didn't know it was her at the time," Nightmare Moon replied with a shrug. "…Oh well."

"She's not dead," Cadance said. "But she's barely hanging on. Pinkie and Rarity are taking care of her."

"Pinkie Pie lived as well?" Nightmare Moon scowled. "It seems I cannot kill anyone today."

"And you won't start now!" Cadance sent her magic blasting forward, and the battle began again. Nightmare Moon focused on the revitalized Princess of Love, while her creatures kept the others at bay.

"As if I'd let a child like you tell me what I can and cannot do!" Nightmare Moon said, knocking Cadance aside easily. She avoided a clumsy sword stroke from Flash and tossed him away as easily. "This is child's play to me!"

As if revitalized by her cry, the shadow creatures began pushing forward ever stronger, overwhelming Tyr's troops with ease. Grace was quickly surrounded, unable to support her friends. It was all Tyr could do to preserve his own island of silver against the black tide.

-x-

"They can't do it, dad," Ana said softly.

Atop a building some several blocks away, the Striate family watched the battle unfold. Ana was seated against the lip of the roof behind a .50 cal anti-materiel rifle propped up on a bipod and aimed at the distance. The inscription 'To whom it may concern' was written along the side in flowing script. Jehu stood nearby, Mercy only an arm's length from him. Passion, Willow and Isabel waited behind. The man of the family sighed. "I had hopes," He offered sadly.

"They haven't given up yet," Mercy pointed out.

"That is true. But if they can't stop her…"

"We have to?" Passion asked. Instead of her usual fervor, there was a solemn feel to the question, like even the normally cheery girl could tell the seriousness of the situation. Even her normal smile was nonexistent.

"More like Ana has to," Isabel pointed out. "She's the one who has to take the shot."

"Not that hard, Izzy," Ana pointed out. She pulled a silver bullet out of her bag and whispered a single phrase to it. "Find your mark."

As the family watched, a name etched itself into the metal of the bullet. Nightmare Moon. "It's a foregone conclusion now," Mercy said softly. "Ana won't miss."

Passion sighed. "I wanted to fight a god like dad did," She complained.

Jehu chuckled. "I didn't fight a god, love. I fought someone who thought they were a god. Plus, Celestia and Luna aren't gods either."

"Still wanted to fight one of them."

"I personally hope she doesn't have to fire," Willow offered. From the silence of the others, it seemed the sentiment was shared. Ana loaded the special round into her rifle, locking it into place.

"Well, if it comes to it," Ana said with a resigned sigh, settling back in to her shooter's stance. It was mechanical—Ana had been doing this for a long time, and if tonight got any worse, she would be doing it again. With a gentle brush of her hand to get her hair out of the way, she set herself behind the scope. Almost instantly, she recoiled as if she had been burned. The rest of her family started in shock.

"Ana!" Jehu blinked several times in surprise as Mercy rushed to her distraught daughter, who was rapidly hyperventilating.

"What's wrong, baby?" Mercy asked softly, taking her daughter's face in her hands. "What happened?"

"He looked at me," Ana said, horrified. "He looked directly at me!"

"No one should be able to see us at this distance!" Passion said, running to the edge of the roof. "Especially not when you're using Amaterasu to shroud us!"

"Who saw you?" Jehu asked. He knew why his daughter was freaking out—her magic normally kept people from seeing her unless she wanted to be seen. Plus, considering all the spells they had cast to keep themselves concealed up here… It was because of what he knew that Ana's response didn't surprise him.

"The silver-eyed man," Ana said, calming down a little. "Tyr. He looked me in the eyes and told me no."

Jehu grinned. Mercy spared her husband a glance. "…You seem quite happy, love."

"Am I?" Jehu asked playfully. "Someone who can see Ana without trying… I think we've found one of the Awakened."

"What? Him? That would explain the eyes…" Mercy looked back over to the battle. Nightmare Moon seemed to be on the way to an easy victory. "But if he doesn't survive this…"

"Tides always turn," Isabel offered. "Chaos is always shifting—ever changing."

"So we're rolling the dice again? Wonderful."

Jehu's grin vanished. He turned his eyes back to the battle. Tyr was rallying his friends as best he could, but they were so few against the Princess of the Night's massive army of shades. His next words were heavy and hinted at a lot of thought behind them. "Ana. Just be ready to shoot anyway. I don't want to find out we're playing with loaded dice too late."

-x-

"We can't keep this up!" Cadance said, blasting apart another row of shadow creatures. They were backed up into a small circle, keeping the injured inside for Grace to tend to them. "They just keep coming!"

"It's the full moon," Flash said, parrying a blow from a shadow swordsman. He reversed his stroke and cut down the creature with ease. But as he did so, another pair attacked him. "Princess Luna's magic always was at its strongest during full moons!"

"Well, looks like we're going to just die here," Ace said with a sigh. "Although going down fighting is how I expected to die anyway."

"Sorry I dragged you all into this," Tyr said softly. He was beginning to feel his limits, and the quality of his soldiers was rapidly decreasing. Instead of enduring several blows from the shadow creatures, most were being shattered in one strike. "I… I probably shouldn't have—"

"Do not apologize, Master," Chrys cut him off before he could speak. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"It's fine," Grace said from behind him. She was in the middle of healing Rainbow's injuries, trying to get her able to fight. "We could have turned away any time. But we didn't. We're in this together."

"We're still able to fight," Twilight said, getting up. Her magic was weak, but there was determination in her eyes. "We can't give up!"

"She's right, sugarcube," Applejack said, smashing a shadow creature with a length of wood she had appropriated. "We all got your back. We ain't giving up just yet!"

"Such a foolish notion." The voice of Nightmare Moon rose up over the din of battle. Suddenly, a wave of magic flowed over them all, knocking them to the ground with earth shaking force. The winged form of the Princess of the Night flew over them, a smirk on her face. She was sure of her victory of this point. "You all value your friends so much, and you are weak because of it. I need no friends in order to win. I. Am. Superior."

Magic gathered in her outstretched hands. "I can't move!" Applejack cried, her body refusing to respond to her. The others were restrained as well.

"A paralyzation spell…!" Twilight said in shock. "I can't dispel it!"

"I wish you all well in the afterlife," Nightmare Moon said. She raised her arms up to cast the spell that would end the fight—permanently. A sphere of flickering cerulean energy formed above her head, like a small dark star.

"Well, it's been cool guys," Ace said. "Hopefully being disintegrated isn't painful."

Flash groaned. "Shut up, Ace."

"Oh, let me get that for you," Nightmare Moon said, lifting the sphere of dark magic. Her grin turned manic. "I'd be delighted!"

"This is just how I imagined my death," Chrys said dryly, clinging to Tyr. "Blasted to bits by either Celestia or Luna."

Nightmare Moon let the tension hold for a moment longer, as though she was enjoying the feeling of victory. But just as she began to let the spell fall, a familiar voice cried out.

"RUBRIK! DEFENSIVE STANCE!"

The spell fell, and a gold-brown figure with a massive tower shield appeared in the way, taking the brunt of the blow and dispersing the spell with ease. It was like a giant stood between them and death. As the dark blue spell fizzled out, Tyr noticed something sitting on the giant's shoulder. Something... pink. The figure hopped off and landed beside him gracefully, a pair of light, chocolate brown wings folding behind her as she did so.

"Hey dad," Sherry said, a small smile on her face. Tyr stared in shock at his daughter. She had grown taller, and her hair had grown out longer. She kept it tied back in a long braid. It was if she had aged a year since he had seen her. Besides the wings, a symbol the same shape as her Cutie Mark now sat on the back of her hand.

"Oh, so that's where the wings went," Ace said sarcastically. Flash and Tyr stared at him with dead expressions.

"What in the name of the moon is this thing!?" Nightmare Moon demanded. Her eyes fell to Sherry. "And you! Why have you stopped me!?"

"Because what kind of daughter would I be if I let you kill my dad?" Sherry turned back to Nightmare Moon. To the shock of everyone, her hands became wreathed in a light pink aura. "On top of that, mom, you've been a jerk to everyone else here!"

"I am not your mother, and I was going to kill them all, if you had not noticed," Nightmare Moon shot back. Her facial expression contorted to a confused state. "And how… why do you have magic?"

"A long story that I will get into at a later date," Sherry said. The giant shield-bearer deformed into thousands of pieces and flew down to the pink haired girl, reforming into a familiar shape—a cube. It pulsed with a bright violet glow. "But suffice it to say—I now know what the cube is."

"Regardless, you're just another obstacle in my way," Nightmare Moon said, gritting her teeth. Her magic gathered once more. "And I will not let you get in the way!"

Sherry smirked. "Rubrik: Assault Stance." The cube shattered into pieces again, covering Sherry's arm up to the elbow. "Bring it on!"

"Oh you little…!" She dashed towards Sherry, magic blistering off her hands. Before she could reach her, a beam of golden magic cut across the space between them. The Princess of the Night recoiled, shock on her face. "What…! Celestia!?"

It wasn't the Princess of the Sun. Instead, a tall white haired girl with bright, golden eyes landed beside Sherry, her own milk white wings spread wide behind her. A pair of doves could be seen on her back through the sheer dress she wore, as well as on the back of her right hand. Her expression turned hard. "No… hurt… friend!" She said, her words halting and rough. It was as if she was unaccustomed to speaking. But her point was easily understood—she would let no harm come to Sherry.

"Look at this, people with Alicorn magic are just dropping from the sky now," Ace said.

"But… how?" Twilight looked dumbfounded. "Princess Celestia made me and Cadance Alicorns, but… how did Sherry become one? Or for that matter, who is that!?" She pointed at the white haired girl.

"This is Esperanza, or as I like to call her—Hope," Sherry said, glancing over her shoulder. "I found her in the Rubrik."

"What… how… why… when…?"

"We'll figure it out later, Egghead," Rainbow Dash muttered. She tested her limbs, finding that she could move again. She jumped up to her feet. "Come on girls! Up and at em! This fight isn't over!"

"RD's right, Twilight," Applejack said, getting back to her feet. "Let's stop Nightmare Moon and then we can worry about all the details."

Twilight looked from her friends to Nightmare Moon, and then sighed. "…Right. Let's go."

"You all should just lay down and DIE!" Nightmare Moon cried, unleashing her magic again. But this time, Hope and Sherry leapt to the defense of their friends, pink and gold shearing through the cerulean wave and dispersing it. Nightmare Moon didn't have much time in order to complain, as Twilight magic joined the fray again, it's violet light turning the battlefield into a corona of colors. However, she was still weak, and Nightmare Moon's magic slowly began to push them back.

"Too… strong!" Hope complained.

Nightmare Moon roared in triumph as her magic overpowered the three Alicorns, blowing them aside with force alone. "You have magic now, Sherry, but you still do not know how to use it!" She said, laughing. She didn't have much time to revel in her victory, as Tyr's construct soldiers rushed towards her. With a wave of her hand, she commanded her Shadow creatures onto the attack once more.

"And we're back here again," Flash murmured, fighting off a giant shadow scorpion. He dodged a jab from its stinger and leapt onto its back, blade coming down into it to disperse it. He leapt away and into a group of shadow men that were easily slain with one slash. "Although this is wonderful training."

"There you go!" Ace said cheerily, dancing through a horde of shadow creatures. "Way to look on the bright side of things!"

"…Shut up Ace." Flash cut through a shadow bear as he made his way to Twilight's side. "Hey, babe? Was wondering if you've got something we can do to stop this."

"I would suggest banishing her again," Twilight said, "But we can't do that."

"Why not? Is it because you don't have the Elements?"

"No, we can still do it—we still have the Rainbow Power. But we can't use it unless we're all here…"

"SURPRISE!"

Suddenly, the colorful battlefield was full of more color, as a giant blast of confetti exploded from the front doors and cleared a cone of free space. Standing behind the smoking party cannon was none other than Rarity, Beat, and Pinkie Pie. The former two looked extremely confused. "How the heck did she do that?" Beat asked, looking to Rarity.

Pinkie jumped up. Her torso was wrapped in a large bandage, but none of the pep in her step had been lost. "A magician—!"

"—Never reveals her secrets," Rarity finished with a chuckle. Pinkie smiled over at the seamstress fondly.

"Can I not go TEN minutes without someone else making an entrance!?" Nightmare Moon demanded.

"I'm a master at dynamic entries!" Pinkie said. "Although I still don't have the whole jump kicking thing down."

"Pinkie! Rarity! Get over here!" Twilight cried.

The two girls ran towards their friend. "Get them!" Nightmare Moon called, but before her shadow creatures could respond, a battalion of silver soldiers cleared a path for them. "What?"

"No hurting our friends, Moony," Tyr said sharply.

"Do not call me that!"

"What do we do, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, bouncing over to where her four friends waited. Rarity came up behind her, the silver soldiers closing ranks behind them. Ace had retrieved Beat, getting the crippled girl to their defensive position safely.

"We need to use the Rainbow Magic," Twilight said. "We can destroy Nightmare Moon again and end all this."

"…Destroy?" Fluttershy murmured softly. "Must we?"

"I don't think we have much of a choice, sugarcube," Applejack pointed out.

Rarity nodded in agreement. "She's too far gone. If we don't do this, she'll surely try to kill us all."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rainbow Dash said. "Let's do this!"

"Gather round, girls," Twilight said, stepping forward. Her five friends moved to either side of her, all facing Nightmare Moon. Magic began to build up around them, wrapping around them in a sphere shape. As the magic began to build up to a crescendo, Nightmare Moon took notice.

"Wait… what is this power?" She murmured in confusion.

The sphere of light enveloped the six girls completely, the blinding light forcing away the shadow creatures. The four Knights and Chrys gathered together a distance away. "Now this is new," Chrys murmured.

"What's going on?" Tyr asked, looking to the other three Equestrians.

"The Rainbow Power," Flash began, as if reading from a file. "A source of magic never before seen that was granted to the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony. They used it in place of the Elements to defeat the evil Tirek when he tried to take over the world. From what the Princesses told me, it uses the purity of their hearts in order to destroy evil."

"Destroy evil…?"

"As far as I know. Tirek had no chance."

The light flared out and revealed the six girls once more, only changed. Their hair and tails were fuller and more vibrant, and the wings of those that had them were longer and the tips were bright with color. Even with his developing magical sense, Tyr could feel the raw magic radiating off them in a corona of rainbow light. But his mind snapped back to what Flash had said.

Destroy evil.

The magic the girls were about to use would kill Nightmare Moon, and by extension, Luna. His fiancé, his beloved princess—would die.

"Girls! No!" He cried out, moving towards them. They were already beginning to lift up into the air, their eyes glowing white with power. Any more, and they would unleash the full power of their magic on Nightmare Moon. And then it would be too late.

"No, Tyr, STOP!" Flash leapt in his way, blade coming up. "I will not let your emotions stop this! This is our last chance!"

"I will not let them kill her!" Tyr shot back, flinging Fenrir forward. The sword transformed into a silver wolf, tackling Flash to the ground. Tyr jumped over his friend, making a beeline to the girls. Ace tackled him before he was halfway.

"Sorry bro, but I can't let you!" He snarled, holding him down. He didn't get to hold him for long, as Chrys barreled into him, pushing him off. "Augh! Damn it Chrys!"

"Go, Master!" Chrys said, pinning Ace down.

Tyr got up to his feet and prepared to run, only to catch Grace in the corner of his eye. "…You too, Grace?"

The redhead girl was quiet for a long time. "…Oh, me? I tripped." She sat down on the ground, reaching out to massage her ankle. "Couldn't reach you in time."

"…Thanks Grace." Tyr dashed forward, giving his friend a small smile as he passed her. Despite the lack of obstructions, he was too late. The six girls were already wrapped in a halo of rainbow magic, and were preparing to unleash it on the unsuspecting Nightmare Moon. He slid to a stop. "…No…"

"Dad!" Sherry flew over to her father. "…What's happening?"

"They're going to kill Luna…" He trailed off.

She took hold of his hand. "…I'm… I'm sorry…"

Suddenly, an idea burst into his head. "Wait a second. Sherry, get back!"

"Huh?" Sherry murmured in shock, her dad pushing her away. She stumbled back a few more feet. "Dad, what…?"

Tyr clasped his hands together, calling on every shred of magical energy in his body. It felt like a fire was running through his veins, and lines of argent magic formed on his skin. With a low growl, he forced his imagination to form a solid object behind him. A lattice work of silver magic began constructing behind him and he could hear the gasps of the others behind him as his work was completed.

A Hydra.

The massive, six headed monster roared, catching the attention of the six girls in their magical aura. "Holy crap!" Rainbow cried out.

"What in tarnation is that!?" Applejack exclaimed. Fluttershy, beside her, simply screamed.

"Wait, girls, we have to focus!" Twilight said, but the Hydra rushed towards them, teeth bared. The heads struck down at them, and the six girls managed to escape the attack. With their concentration broken, the Rainbow Power dispersed, and the girls returned to normal.

"What in the world…!?" Rarity murmured, seeing the hydra vanish. "Where did it…"

"Tyr," Twilight whispered in shock, seeing the human man slump to his knees. "…Why…?"

"I can't let you kill her," Tyr said breathlessly. "I just can't."

"You may have just doomed us all," Flash said, pulling himself from under Fenrir. The wolf changed into her human form, shaking silver hair from her face. She turned to Tyr, a serious look on the wolf spirit's face.

"Alpha, are you sure about this?" She asked quietly.

Tyr didn't get a chance to answer, as a wave of cold washed over them all. It was only a prelude to a greater spell, as a powerful wave threw everyone to the ground except for Tyr. They turned to see Nightmare Moon walking towards them, a smile on her pale face. "Beloved," She said simply.

"…Moon," He murmured.

"You realized the error of your ways now," She said, stopping a few steps short of him. She extended a hand. "Join me, my beloved Tyr."

"Tyr, no!" Twilight whispered.

Tyr was silent for a long time. Despite her obvious denial, Nightmare Moon was Luna in his eyes. The playful way she fought, the simple frustration at being caught off guard—they were all traits that Luna showed whenever she was playing a game. The anger she carried, seemed like it would be the way Luna handled it, almost like a teenager throwing a tantrum. On top of all of that, she never tried to kill him. Despite Nightmare Moon claiming to be a different person, all Tyr could see was Luna. A connection was made in the span of a few minutes—Nightmare Moon was simply everything Luna was not.

And he wasn't going to let that part die.

He got up slowly, feeling in his legs taking a few seconds to come back. He could see soft silver lines running along his limbs, residue of his previous exertion. He slowly limped over to where Nightmare Moon stood, beckoning him. The look on her face was ecstatic. "Tyr!" Ace called, still pinned under Chrys. "Don't do this man!"

"You're our friend, Tyr!" Rarity pleaded. "Don't do this to us!"

"You can't trust her!" Rainbow growled.

Flash's voice was cold. "If you do this, you're a traitor."

Tyr didn't respond, making his slow trek over to the dark princess. Her magic reached out to him as if to welcome him, wrapping around him as if she was putting a blanket about his shoulders. She didn't rush him, or call out again. She truly believed he was switching sides. "Tyr!" He heard Fluttershy's soft, horrified whisper as he finally took the final step to her side.

"I can't let you destroy Nightmare Moon," He said softly, not meeting their eyes.

"She's evil!" Pinkie cried out.

"She's not," Tyr pointed out. "She's only misunderstood."

"I can't believe this," Flash growled.

Nightmare Moon turned to Tyr. "Thank you, beloved. For finally coming to your senses."

Tyr reached out and took hold of her hand. "Of course… Moony."

She stared at him in shock, mouth opening to refute the nickname, before closing it sharply. She glanced down at Tyr's hand. A magical seal had formed around them, a trio of silver magical rings holding them together. She tested it, only to find herself unable to release the man's hand. "What is this?"

"Just to make sure you don't let go," Tyr said. There was a determination in his eyes that had swiftly replaced the defeated look he had had before.

"You… you would betray me?"

"I never switched sides."

"RELEASE ME!" She roared, magic whipping at the man with force akin to a hurricane. Tyr's magic surged up in response, trying to protect him from the onslaught. Despite that, Nightmare Moon's magic tore at him, slashes and rips appearing on his skin and clothing. Despite the obvious pain he was enduring, Tyr had a smile on his face. If he lived through this, he'd have one hell of a story to tell.

"Till death do us part," He growled back. The bands around their hands drew closer, pulling tight to their skin. "Chrissy!"

"Shield me with everything you have," Chrys said, leaping off of Ace.

Rarity blinked. "What? What do you…?"

"Magic! Use it!"

"Come on, everyone!" Sherry said, her magic coming to life. "We have to help my parents!"

"As much as I'm not following this…" Cadance murmured, adding her own magic. All the former unicorns and Alicorns—plus the new ones—contributed to a rainbow colored shield to cover the Changeling.

"Go, Chrys!" Sherry said. The Changeling shot forward using her wings to propel her. She sliced into the torrent of magic, the shield holding for only a few seconds before shattering like glass. But it held long enough. She managed to grasp Tyr's other hand. The three of them stood in the vortex in a small triangle, facing one another.

"Ready Master?" She asked.

"Do it!" Tyr cried. Chrys's magic joined the hurricane, viridian green linking the three of them. Long tendrils of her magic stuck to their foreheads, preparing to connect their minds together.

Sensing what they were about to do, Nightmare Moon screamed in fear. "NO!"

There was a blink of silver, green, and blue light and they all collapsed on the spot.