Hello again, dear readers. I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too painful. Unfortunately, this chapter is a little on the shorter side, but that's because I was seized by another idea as I was writing. I know a lot of stories deal with "what if" scenarios, and one in particular came to mind: If Tyr and Chrysalis failed to give Luna the strength to overcome Nightmare Moon, what would happen?

Thus we have Broken Sunrise.

That short story will be going up the same time as this chapter (as a separate thing, of course) so if you please, do give it a read. Be forewarned, it does get a bit... bloody. But I digress (I think I use this word too much...)

N1gh7Wolf93: Racism is bad in all its forms. Although Tyr's town wasn't always so paranoid... perhaps theres an outside influence? And the reason Fenrir is a female is simply because of boredom. Fenrir's spirit form, however, is male (read back to the dream sequence). A female physical body was just a random choice.

0. King Nothing.0: Make sure you've got a back up copy of your OS while you're reading. :D

Chaddmychal: As always, thanks for the comment, and hope you enjoy!

DragonLord Ryukizoku: Appreciate you finding that. Small stuff like that still slips by occasionally. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Like I always say, I am open to any and all comments and reviews. Each review means someone took the time to read my story, and that's always a good thing. I will continue to write because I love it, and even if only one person out there enjoys my writing, I will consider it a job well done (but could always be done better).

theflammablefiredragon: Very nice! And unfortunately, despite knowing it, Vanna actually doesn't like the traditional Dovah language. It reminds him of his dad, who still won't let up on the crossdressing thing. Plus, I'm pretty sure he'd blow Grace away accidentally. :P

dylanbroussard50: Glad you're enjoying the story! Hope this next chapter keeps you interested!

But now, onto the chapter! How does one actually deal with the logistics of running a castle?

Chapter 43: Shared Bonds

The grounds of the new castle were quite expansive, and Tyr found himself even wandering the keep itself. The keep was essentially just a larger version of the old castle, with all their old decorations and belongings still in one piece. There were a couple other buildings in the castle as well: An impromptu barracks where Ace and Flash were screening potential fighters for the inevitable conflict, and an infirmary that Grace had converted from a storage space. There was also a forge in the basement of the keep where Vanna was already eagerly toiling away. According to the dragon-metalsmith, there was enough space there for him to do his forging in dragon form. Apparently that made it much easier to work. Everywhere else, there were makeshift houses where the rest of the Equestrians lived. The Princesses, Tyr and his family, the knights, and the Elements of Harmony stayed within the keep.

Tyr rounded a corner and found a room he hadn't been into before. When he entered, he found Twilight making notes in a notebook. She seemed deep in thought, and at first he didn't want to disturb her. She looked up anyway. "Oh, hello Tyr. Did you come by to check the numbers?"

"Numbers?" Curiosity peaked, Tyr entered the room. Twilight turned the notebook towards him so that he could read it. There was a long list of different kinds of food, and numbers written next to them in Twilight's neat handwriting. "…What exactly is this for?"

"I'm keeping stock of our food supply," Twilight explained, taking the notebook back. She tapped her pen on the desk she was using. "Lucky for us that Chrys can disguise herself, otherwise we'd be in a serious predicament."

"How so?"

"Well, we've been teleporting Chrys in and out of the castle in order to buy food," Twilight said. "She's disguised herself as different humans, bought food, and let us teleport it back. She's really helped us out over the past couple of days."

[Good girl] Tyr thought, and he felt the happiness from his Changeling immediately. "Anything else you're keeping track of?"

"I've got a general idea of how many people are here, on top of how many of them that can actually fight. If you want to know, that is."

"…Save it for later. Or tell Ace and Flash if they come by."

"Alright. I'll do that." She went back to writing.

Tyr made to leave, but a thought occurred to him before he did. "Hey, Twilight? Why'd you decide to do this?"

The sound of Twilight's pen writing stopped suddenly. "…The waiting was scaring me," She said after a while. "We know this Agency or whatever is waiting on us to come out, and we know they're watching… But we really can't do anything. I can't do anything. So I'm doing what I can, and that's organizing."

"…Organizing?"

"I'm keeping track of food, any weaknesses in the walls and stuff, how many people come in… all that sort of stuff."

She wasn't looking at him, too nervous to meet his gaze. Tyr simply smiled. "That's good enough, Twilight. Thanks for doing this—I was worried we wouldn't be able to feed anyone here."

"I…" She looked back up, seeing the smile there. A small one grew on her own face. "Thanks Tyr."

"No problem."

"Oh! Before you go, you might want to drop by and talk to the other girls. I think they all wanted to see you."

"See me?"

"Of course!" Twilight smiled. "You're our friend, Tyr. And… we all want to spend some time with you."

Tyr thought back to what he said to Rainbow. Guess it had gotten around to the other girls. "Right. Thanks again, Twilight. I'll see you around."

"Don't be a stranger!" She called after him as he left. He simply waved as he walked away. As Tyr walked down the halls, he found other Equestrians saying hello and asking him numerous questions about the castle. Most of them he had to explain he was as new to this castle as they were. When he entered the main hall, he was suddenly attacked by his daughter.

"Daddy!" Aurora exclaimed, hugging him.

"Oh, hello Ro." Tyr grinned. "You were looking for me?"

"Uh huh!" Aurora pulled away just enough to look at him. "Auntie Fluttershy was looking for you!"

"Fluttershy?" Tyr looked up from his daughter to see the girl in question approaching, another woman by her side. "Oh. Hey Fluttershy."

"Hello Tyr," Fluttershy said softly. "If you're not busy, could I trouble you for a moment?"

Tyr adjusted how he was holding Aurora and gave his shy friend a smile. "Sure, Fluttershy. What's up?"

"Um, first, I probably should introduce my friend here. This is Zecora. She used to help us out a lot in Ponyville."

"Greetings to you, husband of Princess Luna," Zecora said, bowing slightly. "I feel remiss in not meeting you sooner."

Tyr noticed the slight rhyme hidden within the musical way Zecora spoke. He smiled. Must be something she grew up doing that she does it so naturally. He decided to mimic her. "It's quite alright. We've had quite a few harrowing nights."

Zecora raised an eyebrow, obviously noticing. She smirked a bit. Fluttershy seemed a little more oblivious. "Well, I was brought on Fluttershy's request. For her to explain it, it may be best."

Fluttershy blushed. "Um… okay. I noticed there were quite a few injured Equestrians the other night. I was thinking perhaps Zecora and I could help?"

"Of potions and curatives I have quite a stock," Zecora agreed. "Although to make more I would need the medical stores unlocked."

"I can do that for you," Grace said, coming over. She was dressed in a simple tank top and pants, with her hair tied back. Tyr noticed that the few tattoos that were on her arms. Grace had explained why she had all the tattoos one day when they were at home, and had taken to showing them off a bit more than before. "I've heard about you, Zecora. Master herbalist from the Everfree Forest?"

"I did not know I had become so well known; I do believe my mind is a bit blown."

"I've been looking for help in the infirmary," Grace explained. She looked to Tyr. "Is it alright?"

Tyr frowned. "It's fine with me."

"I'd like to help out as well, if that's alright," Fluttershy offered. Grace looked elated.

"Oh, I was wanting to ask you, Fluttershy! Thanks for offering—we need all the help we can get."

The three women left, leaving Tyr alone with his daughter. "Where's Auntie Fluttershy and Aunt Grace going?" Aurora asked.

"They've got work to do, Ro," Tyr explained, ruffling her hair. "Hey, how bout we go find your sister and brother, huh?"

"Yeah!"

Tyr, still carrying his daughter, continued his semi-tour of the castle. They exited out into the yard, passing by many of the other Equestrians that had taken residence in the castle. They all looked forlorn and worried, and he couldn't blame them. They had been run out of their homes and attacked without reason—there was little to be happy about at the moment. Searching for his own bit of happiness, it wasn't long before Tyr came across his wife and son, the former reading a book to the young Aleron. They were seated underneath a small tree, and Luna looked up as they approached. "Beloved," She said in greeting, a small smile crossing her face.

"Mommy! Al!" Aurora cried, hopping out of her father's arms and trying to fly over to the other half of her family. She made it halfway before crashing lightly into the ground. Luna and Tyr both started, moving to help her, but the girl simply jumped back up and toughed it out. Even little Al seemed surprised.

"Oh dear," Luna said with a gentle chuckle, catching her daughter before she could stumble to the ground again. She gently rubbed a bit of dirt off Aurora's face. "Be more careful, my little crescent moon."

"Kay Mommy!"

"You're settling into being a mother really well, love," Tyr said, coming over.

Luna simply smiled. "I've always had a natural predisposition towards children," She explained. She adjusted slightly so that Aurora could take a spot in her lap while Aleron took a spot at her side. It looked almost natural to her, Tyr realized. The gentle smile on his wife's face as her two children attempted to read, and the brightness in her eyes whenever they got a word right.

"I agree with you there, princess," He said, moving to take her other side. Sitting down with his wife would be wonderful right about now—

"Hey Tyr, you got a sec?" Tyr glanced behind him to see Vinyl approaching, a frown on her face. She was obviously upset, but Tyr couldn't begin to guess at the reason.

"…I supposed I do," Tyr admitted with a sigh. Luna gave him a small, comforting smile as he turned to face the electric blue haired woman. "What's up?"

"Come with me," She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

"Bye daddy!" Aurora called after him, Al waving as well. Tyr gave them a halfhearted wave back just as they went out of sight.

"You've noticed all the Equestrians around here with the long faces, right?" Vinyl asked after a moment. She let Tyr go just as they reached the largest collection of makeshift houses. Sure enough, the large majority of the Equestrians had worried looks on their faces, jumping at almost every sound. It was depressing.

"Yeah. You had an idea to do something about it?" He asked, looking at her.

"Well… me and the girls were thinking of doing something. Like a show or something."

Tyr smiled at that. A show? That would be the perfect thing to get the Equestrians minds off of their current situation. "That sounds good, Vinyl. I think you should do it."

"Just one problem. We don't have the equipment for it. Tavi and Lyra have their instruments, but I lost all my gear the other day. Unless this castle is already wired up, I dunno what we could do to get this party started."

"Party!?" Pinkie exclaimed, suddenly appearing from behind Tyr. Vinyl jumped back, freaking out at the sudden appearance of the pink blur. "I heard someone say party!"

Tyr took the sudden arrival of his friend in stride. "Hey Pinkie. You think you could do me a favor?"

Pinkie blinked. "A favor? Sure Tyr, I don't mind. Unless you want me to break up with Rarity. I'm not doing that."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that, Pinkie," Tyr told her with a chuckle. "I was wondering if you could help Vinyl and her friends set up for a show."

"Ooh, what kind of show?"

"A music show," Vinyl said. She had a small frown on her face, as if getting Pinkie involved was the last thing on her mind.

"I can totally help out with that!" Pinkie said happily. "Besides, all these grumpy-wumpy people need to smile, and a music show sounds like super-duper fun!"

She zipped off, no doubt to find tools and whatever else she thought she might need. Tyr and Vinyl watched her go, a small sigh leaving her lips. "I guess I should go warn Tavi and Lyra," She said, giving him a shrug as she left. Tyr gave her a short wave, only to have his arm tapped by his favorite farm girl.

"Oh. Hey Applejack," He said, greeting the blonde. "…Need something?"

"Well, not particularly," Applejack said. "Although… I was looking ta help out with the food situation."

"Oh?" Tyr frowned. "I thought Twilight had that under control."

Applejack blinked, but then started to chuckle. "I know Twi. She's probably just writing down numbers and whatnot, right?"

"…Uh, right."

"I'm talking about the actual food, Tyr. What we do with it."

"Well, we obviously have to ration it out…"

"Me and my family can help out there! We were thinking ta round up all the folks here that can cook and get some good grub made out of what we got. Plus, an Apple can make any amount of food stretch to feed as many people as we got!"

Tyr thought for a moment. Rationing food was one thing. But having someone make more out of so little would be perfect. "That would be wonderful, Applejack. Good food should raise the spirits of everyone here."

"And nobody makes good food like an Apple! You won't regret this, sugarcube!"

She dashed off, most likely to get to work. Tyr found himself smiling. His friends were all so willing to help without being asked. Probably comes from always helping out whenever they were needed to back home, he figured. Now alone again, Tyr made to go back to his wife. However, it seemed destiny was against him, as suddenly Rarity was there, pushing him inside the keep.

"Rarity, what the hell!?"

"I need you right at this moment, Darling," She said, pushing him into another doorway and down some stairs. "I hope you weren't in the middle of anything."

"No, I wasn't but—"

"Wonderful!"

Knowing that there was no dissuading his fashionista friend, Tyr simply sighed and let Rarity lead him. Before long, they were down in the forge, a soot covered Vanna waiting on him. A dark grey shirt was put onto him before he could even ask what was going on. "Stand right there," Vanna ordered.

Tyr frowned. "Okay…"

"I'm clear, darling," Rarity said, moving away from Tyr.

"Someone wanna tell me what's going on?"

"One sec bro," Vanna said, holding up his hand. A small metal ball was stuck between two fingers; one bent like you would flick something. Tyr ran through the calculations of what Vanna's strength could do to propel something that small. He came up with a value worth grimacing at. "Don't flinch."

"Oh, crap."

Vanna flicked the metal ball forward, hitting Tyr dead in the chest. To the other man's surprise, the ball reflected off the metal shirt without penetrating. "Oh my," Rarity murmured, watching the metal object clatter to the floor.

"It worked!" Vanna exclaimed, the biggest grin on his face. "We're geniuses, Rarity!"

"Can one of you explain what's going on here?" Tyr demanded.

"Oh, sorry bro. Rarity asked me how thin I could make metal wiring," The metalsmith replied.

Rarity picked up. "And I was pleasantly surprised to find myself holding metal run so thin to be thread! And when I tried working it into fabric… well, you can now see the results!"

Tyr glanced down at the gray shirt he was wearing. Now that he thought about it, he could feel the slight weight of it, and there was a slight dent where the metal ball had hit him. "So this is… armor?"

"Of a sort," Vanna admitted. "I flicked that ball at you about as fast as a bullet could travel, and it didn't hurt you. It's more like a bullet proof piece of clothing that we can make with what we've got on hand."

"We can make these relatively quickly, with Vanna's skill with metal and my talent at weaving fabric," Rarity explained. "Given time, we can make one for all those who plan to fight."

"What do you think, bro?" Vanna asked.

Tyr was a bit sad that it was a forgone conclusion that there would a fight in the future, although he himself was almost resigned to it. Second of all— "Why is everyone asking me for permission to do stuff?"

Rarity and Vanna glanced at one another before looking back to him. "Guessing no one told you, bro," Vanna said.

"Told me what?"

"That Princess Celestia has put you in charge of the castle defense," Rarity continued. "Ace, Flash and Rainbow are out of the castle to find any survivors from the riots, so that makes you the one in charge for now."

"Wait, but… isn't Twilight a princess? And Luna is too, why wasn't one of them chosen?"

"Because I thought you would be the best at it," A gentle voice said. They all turned to see the Princess of the Sun herself walk into the forge, a small smile on her face as she addressed the three of them. "Was I wrong?"

"A little warning would have been nice, Tia," Tyr countered, frowning. His sister-in-law simply laughed softly.

"You wouldn't have agreed if I had brought it up to you," Celestia said. "You would have pushed for command to be given to Ace or Flash."

"They're technically my superiors," He pointed out.

"For all intents and purposes, the four of you—including Grace, of course—are all the same when it comes to authority."

"…So that's why everyone has been asking me for confirmation."

Celestia nodded. "You'll do fine, Tyr. You've already done quite well as it were."

"Princess!" An exasperated voice called, catching their attention. Scootaloo came running in, slightly out of breath. The young messenger made a quick bow.

"Rise, little Scootaloo," Celestia said. "Catch your breath. What is it?"

"One of the sentries sent me," Scootaloo said, after taking a moment to breathe. "Tyr, Princess, they want you to come see what's going on outside."

"I suppose we should go then," Celestia said, heading back up the stairs. Tyr followed after her, a mental command for Fenrir to join him. They crossed the yard, other guardsmen rushing to position. A pair of sentries made way for them just as Fenrir caught up. As they made their way up onto the wall, the wolf spirit took her spot on his shoulder. "Ah, hello Fenrir."

"Sun Princess," Fenrir replied smoothly. "What is the occasion?"

"I think they've shown their hand," Tyr said quietly, pointing out over the wall. As the three of them and the gathered guards looked, dozens of vans and armored trucks rolled up outside the main gate, black clothed soldiers pouring out and putting up deployable shields. Before long, a picket line had been formed.

"There's so many," Celestia murmured in surprise.

"So I suppose this means we're under siege now," Fenrir pointed out dryly. "And I thought being in a stone prison couldn't have gotten any worse. Yippee."

"Don't act so surprised," Tyr joked softly. But the dark feeling at the edge of his heart wouldn't go away. This was going to end in bloodshed. A battle would be fought, and this castle would be the battleground. "…Scootaloo?"

"Yessir?" Scootaloo had followed them up to the walls, ever the diligent message runner.

"Run to Vanna and get him to rush production."

"On it!" She dashed away, quickly crossing the yard and vanishing into the keep. Celestia turned to him.

"What shall we do?" She asked.

Tyr opened his mouth to speak, only to see something raise up from the newly formed enemy camp. A white flag. "…A flag?"

"It seems like they wish to parley," Celestia offered, just as confused. "Why?"

"I think it's customary to allow the besieged party a chance to surrender in the face of superior forces," Fenrir said thoughtfully.

The Equestrians were far from weak, Tyr thought. And as long as he was here, he would fight alongside them. They were his family now, in more ways than one. Twilight and Flash, Rainbow and Ace, Fluttershy and Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie… And Luna and Celestia. Not to mention all the kids. They meant as much to him as his own sisters, and he'd die before letting harm come to them. And meeting for this parley would be the first step towards the oncoming battle. With a small frown and determination on his face, Tyr spoke up. "Let's go see how much of an advantage they think they have."

Tyr, Celestia, Luna, Grace, and Chrys entered the large tent that the HUD was using for their main camp. Both Knights were fully armed and armored, Grace being fitted with the second metal shirt that Rarity and Vanna had made. Chrys was herself as usual, although she kept a perpetual scowl on her face to scare off any wandering eyes. Sitting behind a foldout table was Bastille, a scar on his face to match his scowl. He obviously wasn't happy to see them, but the circumstances required him to greet them. Tyr couldn't help himself. "Get in a fight or something, Bastille?"

The human commander snorted. "You'd know. Get the Princesses some chairs," He ordered. A pair of chairs were quickly procured and Celestia and Luna took their seats across from the human man. Tyr and the others took up places behind them.

"To what do we owe the honor of this meeting?" Luna asked. Bastille gave her a dark look.

"Hold on one moment. We're waiting on someone."

"Why?" Grace asked. Her question was answered almost immediately, when Nanna entered the room. Tyr immediately frowned. His older sister saw his look, but didn't comment on it.

Bastille cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, I'd like to get right to the point. We'd like you to surrender."

Celestia sighed. Luna scowled. "Unconditionally, I would risk assuming?"

"Of course. We hold the numerical and power advantage. We have you surrounded, and there is no escape."

Luna looked ready to continue, but Celestia held up a hand. She took a moment before beginning to speak. "…So what, may I ask, are your terms?"

"Sister, you cannot be considering…!" Luna began, only for Celestia to glare her into silence. "…Fine. I will be silent for now."

"Continue, Mr. Bastille."

Bastille frowned, but decided to ignore the look he was getting. "…You and your sister will be released into our custody, along with the two children born to her. All other Equestrians will be allowed to go free."

"Over my dead body!" Luna roared, standing. Tyr was by her side in an instant, only managing to keep his voice level through force of will. Demand his children as hostages? Not as long as he was still standing.

"I'm afraid I'd have to agree with my wife here," He said coldly. Bastille kept his cool regardless. Instead of responding, he looked over at Celestia. The look on the Princess of the Sun's ace was unreadable. After a long, quiet moment, she spoke.

"You can't ask that of us," Celestia said calmly. "Those children are extremely dear to my sister and her husband, and myself as well. We cannot agree to those terms."

"Then you leave us no choice," Bastille said. "We will come in after you, and many of your people will die."

"A lot of my people have already died, Bastille. Killed for no reason in those riots no doubt caused by your people."

"We simply educated them to a threat."

"And what happens if we had agreed to your terms? My people would be prosecuted and killed, with no one to defend them."

"They will die here regardless if you do not surrender."

"The same could be said to you. We will not go quietly."

"You can't win this."

"Can we not?" Celestia smiled. "Even your resources are exhaustible."

Bastille's eyes narrowed. "You seek to test me?"

Celestia stood, her light pink eyes bright with calm fury. "You have threatened my people. You have threatened my family. You have crossed many lines in a short amount of time, and that bothers me. We will not surrender, and we will resist you to the end. I hope your people are ready to die for you."

"Are yours?" Bastille shot back.

"As much as I wish them to not be," Celestia said.

Nanna stood up then, panic in her eyes. "Tyr! Talk some sense into her! This is madness!"

"Madness is thinking we could get past this," Tyr replied evenly. "You couldn't just let this go, could you, Nanna?"

"This is for the good of the human race, little brother!" Nanna cried.

"Not at the expense of my family."

"I am your family!"

"NOT ANYMORE!" Tyr roared, and silence gripped the room. Eyes darted between the two Hymir siblings, Nanna's shocked look facing Tyr's anger. After a long minute, the older woman visibly deflated. Tyr continued in a quiet tone. "…You stopped being my sister when you tried to rip everything I care about from me."

"…If that's what you want." Nanna said, resigned. "…Goodbye, little brother."

"Goodbye, Nanna."

"We will be seeing you soon, it seems," Celestia said. She gestured to the others. "Come. We should be going."

"You will regret this," Bastille said quietly. Luna shot him a glare as they left.

"No," She said. "You will be the one regretting this."

After delivering her last message to the human major, Luna hurried out of the tent to catch up to the others. No words were spoken until they had crossed the no-man's land between the two encampments, and it was only broken by the sudden assault of sound that greeted them from when the gates allowed them access. Ace and Flash were there waiting on them, the former in a tall, pink top hat. "Bout time you guys got back!" He said with a grin.

"What in the world is going on…" Chrys asked, looking around. It was as if a huge block party had moved into the castle, the grounds covered with partying Equestrians enjoying themselves and having fun. A large stage stood in the center, with Lyra, Vinyl and Octavia playing upbeat music while Sweetie Bell sung. "What is all of this?"

"This is Pinkie's doing," Flash said. "You know any party that happens is usually her fault."

Tyr looked around at the rambunctious goings-on. He spotted the six Elements of Harmony off to one side, laughing and talking and just enjoying themselves, just like so many other people. When they spotted him looking, they motioned for him to join them. "Perhaps we can wait until tomorrow to worry," Tyr said.

"I suppose…" Celestia said, smiling. "Pinkie put on a wonderful show."

"So we revel tonight and kill tomorrow?" Chrys said. She gave a feral grin. "I think I can get behind that sort of policy."

"Don't overdo it, Chrissy," Tyr warned. His Changeling simply smiled and hugged his arm.

As Tyr went over to join his friends, Luna went to stand beside her sister. "…So we go to war, hm, sister?" Luna murmured.

Celestia looked over at her younger sister. Luna looked pensive, almost worried. She smiled and gently patted her head. "We will be fine, Lulu. These humans see us as weak, and we will prove them wrong. As long as we stand together."

"…You're right." Luna smiled. "As long as we are together, there is no foe we cannot overcome."

"Correct. Now, go join them."

"You're not coming?"

"I will join later. Go on."

"…Very well." Luna went over to the group, quickly pulled into a hug by her husband. Celestia watched the smile grow on her sister's face for just a minute before going into the keep. She passed by many party-goers enjoying a change of pace before she finally reached a room to herself. She let out a deep breath.

"…Jehu Striate."

She braced herself, ready for the man to suddenly appear and startle her. Instead, a small piece of paper appeared, gently floating to the floor. She frowned, picked it up, and unfolded it. A single word was written on it in bright, glowing purple letters.

-Sorry-

Celestia sighed. It seems they were truly on their own this time.

Oh dear. Jehu isn't showing up this time around? Things must be dire indeed. But I think the Equestrians, as long as they stand united, can face any threat.

Although Bastille is hinting that he has something up his sleeve...

As usual, Read, Review, and Return for the next chapter, which I promise will be intense. The Library Accepts all, so make sure you've got a sturdy chair to sit on when the week rolls by once more.

"Good Luck, Commander. We will be watching."