Salutations, dear readers! Another week has gone by. Now, I will apologize in advance for the length of this chapter, it is a bit short. But I've been working at a landscaping job, and that is both mentally and physically tiring. But although this chapter is short, it is heavy on action.

DragonLord Ryukizoku: I am updating weekly, as best as I am able. You do have a good point, but you must remember Tyr is human. Somewhat. I think. Anyway, First of all, Tyr can only be 'recharged' by those he has a close connection to, primarily Luna and Chrys. Not such a big issue, as Luna is an Alicorn and Chrys is a Changeling, whose magical reserves are only limited by the love she receives. Although Sherry could count as well, since she is an Alicorn herself now. On that point, with those three supplying him with magic, he could, in fact, hold off for quite some time. However, Tyr burns through magic that is not his own much faster than his own magic, which could be countered by them simply doing it in turns. Thus, you are correct. Events will affect this, however.

Secondly, Tyr's constructs are not indestructible. A strong enough force of any kind (magical or physical) could dissipate them. Although the constructs do increase in toughness if Tyr is actively focusing on them. And that focus is indeed affected by distance. Think of it this way-In Total war, you have the zoom function. You can be up close and see all the sword slashes and spear thrusts, or you can be so far away it just looks like two masses of colors mashed up against each other. Tyr's fine motor control with his constructs diminishes the further away he is. Ideally, he leads his constructs from among them, or the front... like a pack leader.

Thirdly, on the subject of maintaining a small number. In that case, numbers would win out over quality. Tyr still needs to keep focus on each construct, and each one can only really move so quickly or attack as effectively. You are right though, given time, Tyr could easily fend off an army alone. As long as he wasn't worried about protecting others...

and Finally, you are right, the Equestrians won't let Tyr fight alone. Power of working together and whatnot. Plus, Fenrir prefers leading from the front. It befits an Alpha, you know.

Whew! that was a thing. I do enjoy responding to your comments though! :D

theflammablefiredragon: unfortunately, no super soldiers (yet). Nanna hasn't had enough time with the Gordian Knot to get anything crazy like that. she does have a trick up her sleeve though. And there will be explosions. Not a lot now, but if you wait like... two more weeks, you will have a battle worth rereading. And explosions. Beautiful, wondrous explosions.

Chaddmychal: Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

PBJFanfiction: Huh. Divergent you say? Methinks I need to check on that... and hey, as long as the blood flows, Khorne is happy.

and... Chapter time!

Chapter 44: Where Angels Fear to Tread

"TYR!"

Tyr shot awake to the sound of gunfire and yelling. Grace was over him, shaking him to wakefulness. He sat up, glancing out the window. It was early morning, but still dark. Confusion on his face, he turned to his friend. "Grace…? What the hell?"

"They're attacking!" She said, shoving his clothes and cloak into his arms. "Get dressed!"

Tyr felt a chill in his veins as he hurried and got dressed. They were attacking already? He shook his head. There was no reason for them to wait, and attacking quickly was to their advantage. And after the crazy night they had had the night before, they would assume that the Equestrians were too tired to fight back. But that would be where they were wrong. All the fighting capable Equestrians had been told to keep the crazy to a minimum, and as Grace and Tyr made it out into the yard they were greeted by several armed—but nervous—guards. "Lunar Knights! Thank goodness you're here!"

"What's the situation?" Tyr asked, finally pulling on his cloak. Fenrir was sheathed on his back, and Chrys had joined them just as they exited.

"Surprise attack," The sentry explained. Tyr mentally slapped himself for asking such an obvious question. HE glanced around, noticing a distinct lack of a massive pink barrier around the castle. "…Where the hell is Shining?"

"Still asleep," Cadance called out, flying over.

Tyr rolled his eyes. "Well, get to the wall and keep them off."

"Yes sir!"

As the sentries and Cadance rushed off, Grace moved up beside Tyr. "What should we do?"

"We should help, obviously," Tyr said. "Just be careful."

"Same to you!"

They parted ways then, Tyr and Chrys moving to one section of the wall while Grace went to the other. The walls were alight with the light from magic and gunfire and resounded with the shouts of combatants from either side—the Equestrians and humans coming against one another in brutal combat. It was something that Tyr had never seen before, but with the Pack at his back, he himself could feel the pull to fight. And it wouldn't be long he could see, as a set of grappling hooks came shooting up to dig into the stone of the wall. He unsheathed Fenrir just as the first of the masked soldiers in black reached the top.

"Back down with you!" He roared, sword changing into a double headed axe as he swept the man from the parapet. He heard the man hit the ground, but put the noise in the back of his mind as the next few lines came sailing up. "Everyone! Focus on keeping them off the walls!"

The nearby Equestrians, armed with blades forged by their resident dragon-smith, rallied to him. As the humans scaled the wall, they were met with grim determination and steely gazes. But gunfire from below clipped a few, and some were even killed. Forcing his mouth into a hard line, Tyr summoned his constructs to his aid, lining them along the wall to guard his allies. A cheer went up. "They're not taking this wall!" A voice nearby cried.

Tyr turned slightly as a pair of boots thudded behind him. Somehow, the soldiers were still finding gaps along the wall to clamber up, and were forcing their way through his constructs through sheer numbers. He had been in the middle of a rifle-sword duel, fighting a distressed soldier, and even then his attention was focused on keeping his constructs active. The newly arrived soldier spun to face him, rifle raised to shoot. Just as he got a line, Chrys dropped onto him, claws stabbing into his neck before ripping outward in a spray of gore. Chrys herself looked elated, blood streaking her face and a wild light in her eyes. "Someone looks happy," Tyr said softly, backhanding a soldier before impaling the one he had been fighting.

"Of course, Master!" Chrys said with a giggle. She leapt off her victim into another soldier, ripping a hole into his side before dashing to her next. "Killing in the name of one's Master is all this one ever wanted!"

Tyr frowned just a bit as Chrys slashed her way across the wall, laughing gleefully as she went. Must be tough being an empath in a warzone, he figured. Feeling all of that anger, rage, and fear turned his Changeling into a killing machine. Well, she was still his, so he had to love her regardless, right? Just as he had that thought, a wave of dark hued magic swept across the wall.

"Such insolence from these beings," A regal voice declared. "Attacking this castle during my night. And on top of that, making enough noise to wake my children!"

A shockwave of magical force blew away a group of soldiers as the Princess of Dreams descended upon the battle. With her wings spread wide and magic gathered in her hands, she was truly a terrifying sight as she landed. "Bout time you got here, princess," Tyr said. As Luna landed beside him, he could see golden and violet light erupt from the other side of the castle. Seems the Princesses were out in force.

"I had to get our little ones to go back to sleep," Luna complained. "They woke up from all the noise! Do any of you realize how much trouble it was to get those two to fall asleep in the first place!?" She directed the question at the few remaining soldiers on the wall. They flinched back at the anger in her voice.

"I doubt they do," Chrys said, dropping a corpse she had been holding.

"Of course not. And I had to soundproof the room they were in just so they would stop crying!" Luna scowled. A thought occurred to her then, and she looked over the humans nearby. "Although… I do have a good outlet for my anger now."

-x-

"You called, Major?" Nanna asked, entering the command tent. She stifled a yawn, as she had been awoken from her sleep. The lights of the battle were visible even from here. The bright blue aura of Luna was visible, along with the bright flashes of ice as many soldiers were sent falling to their deaths. Already the vast majority were switching to simply shooting from the ground. But Tyr's shield bearers were easily weathering the attack, tinges of green and blue mixing with the silver.

"Are the Angels ready?" Bastille asked shortly. Nanna blinked in surprise.

"I… uh…. They can be readied in a minute."

"Good. Get them ready." He glanced back just as Nanna made a short movement across a small PDA she had. "…That's all it took?"

"The Knot gives us a tactical advantage in communication," Nanna explained, reaching into the pocket of her lab coat. She pulled out a round object that looked like a bunch of wires twisted together that glowed a soft blue. She smiled. "With all the tech it's allowed us to build…"

"Speaking of technology, is the AMP ready?"

"The Anti-Magic Pulse? Um… yes, it is. But the range is quite short, so—"

"Activate it. We can't make any progress this way, as long as they're using magic." He gestured to the magical barriers that were repulsing the men attacking. Even from this distance they could make out the fearsome might of Luna's magic brought to bear against the enemies of Equestria. The hastily formed gun lines outside the castle were fragmenting rapidly, and now even the bright pink shield of Shining Armor's was rising up. "We need them neutralized."

"I… I guess we can. We just need to expose the core so it doesn't over heat."

"Is that risky?"

"Only if someone hits it."

"Good. Do it."

Nanna worked at her PDA for a moment. They moved outside the tent just as a large cylindrical object began to open up. It was being tended to by a half dozen other scientists, all checking readings on PDA's. A glowing core covered in a spider web of wires rose from inside. It radiated with power, and the Gordian Knot in Nanna's hand glowed in response. "Nanna Hymir, clearance code: 0009384T. Activate the Anti-Magic Pulse Generator!"

The generator pulsed once, and then a beam of bright blue light shot into the sky before expanding outwards to envelop the area.

-x-

"What the hell is that?" Grace murmured, looking up into the sky. She was in the middle of healing a fallen Equestrian as the beam shot off into the night sky. As the aura fell over them, she felt something cold run through her body.

Her magic was cut off.

A terrible feeling of pain shot through her then and she collapsed, crying out in anguish. Suddenly pain shot through her head, as if someone was stabbing something right into her brain.

"The Princess!" The cry from someone nearby caught her attention, and she looked up to see the unconscious form of Luna cradled in Tyr's arms. The distressed man was looking around him in shock as many other Equestrians began to collapse from unknown sources. A thud drew her attention away. It was Rainbow Dash, crash landing beside her.

"Augh, dammit!" She complained, struggling to rise. "My wings… my wings just stopped working!"

To the horror of those still able to move, more and more Pegasii began to fall from the sky, with the Unicorns collapsing alongside the former Earth Ponies. Every single Equestrian was falling to the ground. The only one still able to move was Tyr—everyone else was paralyzed. "What is happening…?"

"It's an Anti-Magic weapon," Chrys hissed, herself unable to move. "Master… why are you unaffected?"

"Because that was Order Magic," Fenrir said, shifting from sword to girl. "It nullifies all magic within anyone not belonging to Chaos or Order."

Tyr blinked. "So only I wasn't affected?" He didn't wait for an answer, for just looking around gave him that. Equestrians all around him were in various levels of pain, with Unicorns suffering the most. "So this is the power of order…"

"Master!" Chrys had managed to pull herself to the edge of the wall and was now looking over it. "Those mechanical monstrosities are on their way again. And there seems to be quite a few of them."

Tyr laid Luna down gently on the ground, moving to the edge of the wall. Indeed, Nanna's Angels were marching up to the castle, about a dozen of them. With their magic, the Equestrians wouldn't have had a difficult time handling them. As they were now, they had no chance. Only he was able to fight them. And it definitely wasn't good odds. "…Damn."

"Master?"

"I've got to go."

The Changeling gaped. "Go? As in down there!?"

"You can just hold them from the walls, right?" Rainbow asked, forcing herself into a seated position. Even that bit of effort seemed to cause her some discomfort. But Tyr simply shook his head.

"I can't focus on everywhere at once," Tyr said, glancing back at the approaching Angels. "And I'm going to need to focus to kill even one of them, and I can't risk them getting up here and killing those who are defenseless."

"Wait, Tyr!" Grace called out. "You can't fight all of them on your own!"

"I don't have to," Tyr replied with a smirk, and Fenrir hopped up onto his shoulder. The wolf-spirit grinned.

"The Pack never lets our Alpha go alone!" She declared victoriously.

The two of them leapt off of the wall, Tyr managing to land gently in front of the approaching metal warriors. With one flourish of his arm, lines of silver soldiers materialized between them. The battlefield was silent. The Angels had stopped walking, and Tyr did not move. The impasse continued for several minutes before a single voice broke the silence. "Little Brother?"

Tyr glanced past the Angels to see his sister holding a megaphone. Beside her stood the impassive Bastille. His eyes seemed particularly hostile. "…Nanna?"

"Stop this, little brother!" Nanna pleaded. "You can't win this fight! With the AMP deployed, you're alone in this!"

Tyr glanced over the Angels. They had fanned out around him in a semi-circle, weapons ready. He turned slightly back to the walls, where he could see the faces of many of the Equestrians watching the standoff. They had hope on their faces, some mixed with despair and fear. They were looking to see how their single human knight would fare in impossible odds. He sighed. He could feel the weight on his shoulders, but he simply gave Fenrir a mental command to hop down. "I'm not alone. Not as long as my friends are with me." He reached up to touch his amulet, the feelings of his friends giving him comfort.

"Brother, please! Since the Equestrians use natural magic, they will not be able to help you!"

"I told you once that I'm not going to abandon them," Tyr replied evenly. Fenrir transformed back into her sword form for her Alpha to wield. He let his magic come to life. "I'm not going to budge."

"Kill him then," Bastille ordered. "And then bring me the Princesses!"

The Angels charged forward. Tyr raised his sword and rushed to meet them, scattering constructs as he did so. With sufficient numbers, he could wear them down and eventually win. But after fighting for a time already, he was beginning to feel his limits coming up again. And without Luna or Chrys to help him, he'd run through his magical reserves quickly. He grit his teeth. This was going to be rough. He blocked the expectant gunfire with a wall of shields, and used another to block a charge. Tucking into a roll, he avoided a knife slash at his throat, jumping to his feet to slash at a passing Angel. The blade bit into the metal but drew no blood. Tyr was rewarded with a brutal backhand for his effort. He was sent flying and landed hard. Pain rattled all the way up his spine.

[Get up, Alpha!]

Staying on the move was his best option against the Angels. Staying still and focusing on his constructs would end up getting him killed. He jumped up and parried a knife thrust, sliding aside and angling his blade for his opponent's throat. Metal clanged off metal, and he was sent sprawling again.

[Alpha, get up!]

Tyr struggled to rise again, ordering his soldiers to swarm. One Angel broke through the attack, firing his weapon at him. One bullet hit him in the chest but was absorbed by his armor, while the other pierced him in the leg. A trio of spearmen forced the Angel to back off as the magic spears pierced his armor. Tyr dropped to one knee. "Damn it!" He hissed.

[Alpha, you need me! You must speak my name!]

"I say your name all the time, Fenrir!" Tyr roared, letting the sword transform into a battle axe and cleaving into the arm of an Angel. He got lucky and drew blood, but another Angel grabbed him from behind. They tossed him off and booted him in the stomach. Tyr was sent to the ground once more. As he got up, he spit up blood. With augmented strength, that kick had probably shattered a rib or two.

[Not that name. My Concept Name!]

"What the hell is that?"

[You know it! Simply speak it, and invoke my power!]

"Come on Tyr!" Tyr paused and looked to the walls. Rainbow Dash had propped herself up on the wall, and was waving her arm. "You can take those bastards!"

"Master, you can win!" Chrys agreed, pushing herself up. Grace was beside her, nodding in agreement. As the combatants below them looked, every Equestrian that could move was at the walls, cheering for him. They had faith in him to win. They believed that he could do it.

"Do not give up, Tyr!"

"Come on, you can win!"

"You can do it!"

[Alpha!] Fenrir's voice was insistent, loud enough in his mind to override the cacophony of voices behind him. The Angels were closing in on the wounded man, and she was becoming almost desperate. [You know my Concept! What happens when a pack of wolves sink their fangs into their prey?]

It clicked then. He felt it become knowledge almost as if he had known it all along. Magic rippled along him as he felt the power behind the word flow through him. It was no wonder then that the single word slipped off his lips as easy as breathing.

"Carnage," Tyr murmured.

[YES!] Magic exploded from Tyr's arms, a violent mix of bright purple and silver. The man cried out in both surprise and pain as the wolf-spirit yelled out in exultation and magic surged from his body. The Angels backed up as Tyr was consumed by the magical torrent.

"What is he doing?" Bastille demanded, turning to Nanna. The female scientist was working furiously at her PDA, and almost didn't hear him. He grabbed her shoulder roughly, and almost jumped in surprise at the horror on the woman's face.

"Wait… his… his magic is not the same as the Equestrians, so there's no surprise the AMP didn't work… But why this sudden surge of—Wait!"

"What?"

"The Knot is responding!" Nanna exclaimed. Indeed, the twisted artifact was glowing brightly like a small star. "Tyr's magic… It's… it's like its counter to the magic of the Knot!"

The magical overflow ceased suddenly, and they could see again. Tyr stood in the same spot, but the man was changed. Metal gauntlets ending in wicked claws ran from his hands up to his shoulders, and a silver fur cloak hung from his shoulders. Silver wolves were gathered about his feet. Bastille didn't look surprised or confused. Only irritated. "What the hell…?"

Tyr glanced at his hands. "Claws…?"

[A symbol of my power, Alpha. But now, a proper weapon for you] A longsword of pure ice formed in Tyr's hand, the guard being shaped like the mouth of a snarling wolf. He found Fenrir's name etched along the blade. [Now! We go to war!]

Tyr could feel the newfound power coursing through his limbs, and grasped his new sword grimly. There was new magic in his hands, new spells to use in this battle. He smiled. "Echo."

He rushed forward, a construct just like him appearing where he was and mimicking his movements. To his own and his enemies surprise, he moved with greater speed than before. He leapt into them, his shadow mimicking his movements and forcing them to weather his attacks twice. For each blow he struck, another hit the same place a second later. "He's so fast!" One of the Angels cried as the silver eyed man dashed through them.

Tyr made a sharp turn and leapt onto the back of one of the heavy Angels, clinging to the oversized back unit. His clone vanished, but a horde of mounted constructs came riding through "Hello there," He said with a grin.

"Get off of there!" Other Angels moved to help their ally, but the riders came riding back through to stop them.

"In a second." Tyr looked down at the pack, and found himself able to see every working piece in it. With a triumphant laugh, he shoved his clawed hand into the backpack. Metal sheared apart before his claws, and he grasped blindly into the inside.

"What are you doing?"

"Screwing with my sister's stuff. She could never build anything I couldn't take apart!" He tugged for a moment before ripping out a bundle of wires. Warning lights began to go off all over the Angel's armor. "Hah! Seems it didn't like that."

Bastille and Nanna watched in horror. "He's taking it apart?" Nanna whispered in shock.

"How does he know how to do that!?" Bastille demanded.

"I don't know! He shouldn't be able to! Unless… unless whatever that magical surge was gave him advanced perception!"

Tyr leapt clear of the Angel, tossing the wires aside as he did so. The warning lights began to flicker even faster, and before anyone could blink, the back unit exploded. The blast killed the man inside the suit instantly. The other Angels stared in mute shock at the charred remains of their comrade. "Well then…" Tyr murmured, hefting his frost blade. He had a weak point to target now.

"Kill him!" The lead Angel called. Guns snapped up.

"Get ready, angels!" Tyr called, magic wolves materializing in droves to assist their Alpha. "The Pack is here to rip your wings off!"

Magic wolves attacked the mechanical angels in a terrifying display of magic versus technology. Gunfire came rippling forward, but each wolf moved like liquid, slipping through their lines of fire. The man himself kept a shield up the whole time that absorbed any attacks. Under Tyr's command, the wolves targeted the back units of the Angels, tearing out wiring and forcing the units to overload and explode. Some even managed to sink their fangs into the wearers of the suits, ripping them bodily from their armaments. A manic grin was on Tyr's face as he watched his Pack howl in triumph over each fallen enemy. Nanna and Bastille were forced to watch as their Angels were torn apart; each was brought down, screaming and kicking as the wolves tore them into bloody corpses. "This is… impossible," Nanna murmured. "The Angels… they can't lose…"

"It seems your super soldiers are not as effective as you thought," Bastille said, gritting his teeth. "Because your brother has killed them all."

"I…!"

[Master] Tyr felt the thoughts of this Changeling reach him, although they were strained. She must have been using what little magical energy she still had to contact him. [I know what they are using to stifle our magic. It is that glowing thing in their camp]

Tyr looked and saw what Chrys was speaking about. "I got it." A massive ballista of silver magic materialized beside him. He could see the shock and realization on his sister's face. "FIRE!"

The ballista bolt was released, and sailed across the open area and smashed right into the AMP. The exposed core shattered on impact, explosive force throwing anyone nearby to the ground. The blue field dissipated, and a weak but relieved cheer came up from the castle. Nanna was the first to her feet, fear on her face. She ran to the machine, scrabbling in the ground for the shards of the machine. "No! The AMP core!"

Stillness fell over the field, Tyr standing amongst his snarling wolves while Bastille simply stared back impassively. The silver eyed man smiled slightly, raised his sword, and the wolves around him howled in victory.

"That is enough from your infernal machine!" Tyr glanced over slightly as Twilight appeared beside him. She was covered in a few scratches and scrapes, but other than that she was fine. Her balance was a bit off though, no doubt from recovering her magic just a moment ago. "Now that it is gone, give up this fight!"

"Tyr…" Nanna began. "Brother, please…"

Tyr was silent, hearing Chrys and Luna join him. Rainbow Dash flew over as well, determination on her face. He glanced around the battlefield. Bodies littered the ground, along with the charred remains of the Angels. "Let this be a warning," Tyr said loudly, addressing the remaining soldiers. They cringed at the sound of his voice. "You will not take this castle. You will be refused at every turn, stopped at every attempt, and you will die trying to take those walls."

"You can't hold out forever, Tyr!" Bastille said. He strode forward. "I have not yet brought everything to bear against you!"

"Then do it!" Tyr shot back. The ferocity of the wolves was still in him. "The Pack will enjoy feeding on your corpse!"

"Come, Master," Chrys said softly. She tugged on his arm. "Let us go back into the castle."

"She has a point, beloved," Luna said, moving to his other side. "You have done enough for now."

Tyr smiled softly, and placed his arm around Luna's shoulder. "…Yeah. You're right."

They turned to walk back to the castle. They made it halfway before Tyr slumped up against his wife, unconscious. The sword, gauntlets and cloak vanished into silver mist as he lost focus on them. Luna didn't react, simply keeping him upright as Chrys got to his other side to support him.

"Is he okay?" Twilight asked, a bit worried.

Rainbow flew down a little lower to look as well. Even she looked surprised at seeing Tyr collapse like that. "He isn't…?" She began quietly, but Chrys shook her head.

"He is simply resting," the Changeling said. "The magic he used has exhausted his body. He simply needs time to recover."

The Princess of Dreams touched her lover's forehead, and a small smile grew on his face. "Sweet dreams, my Prince. You deserve it." She kissed his cheek gently.

As the Equestrians carried their knight back into the castle, Bastille confronted an almost hysteric Nanna as she tried to collect the scraps of the AMP core. "So what now, Nanna Hymir?" The man said. His hand was on his sword, and his eyes were narrowed in frustration. "No more tricks?"

Nanna paused in her collection of the dull blue shards. She didn't look up at him, instead simply speaking up in a half whisper. "Ubi angeli timere vocem calcantium abstuli."

"What is that? Latin?"

"Yes. It means 'Where Angels Fear to Tread'. I'm done, Bastille."

"Done?"

"This place is death!" Nanna screamed at him, jumping to her feet. To his credit, the man didn't jump in surprise, only raising one eyebrow at the outburst. "Everything I brought here has been destroyed! All my men—my Angels—are dead! The AMP is destroyed! My own brother hates me…! I no longer want to do anything with this!"

"…Very well. Leave. I'll handle this myself."

Nanna began to walk past him, pausing a couple steps away. "…Just remember something, Bastille."

Bastille turned slightly to look at her. "What?"

"It's not in my brother's nature to surrender. If he has to, he will sacrifice everything for those people."

She left, leaving Bastille standing by himself. A soldier came up to him. "Sir? What… what should we do? The men are considering deserting…"

"Bring any deserters to me," Bastille said after a moment of thought. His eyes glowed an almost unnatural blue. HE glanced at the soldier, whose eyes widened, then closed slightly. Then they began to glow as well. "And then round up all the men. I will speak to them, and then we will continue the siege. Our reinforcements will arrive soon."

Who, or what, is Bastille? I mean, I know, but you gotta wait. Sorry!

And this is normal for a siege. A night skirmish, test the defenders... before the big guns roll in. And Bastille has a couple full stacks coming up.

...Ugh. I need to chill with all the Rome 2 I've been playing...

Anyway, Read, Review, and Return for the next chapter, which will be a bit less bloody and probably a lot more emotional.

And then more blood.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

*cough* ...Excuse me.