Twilight screamed as she watched the oncoming fireball headed right toward Annabeth. She tried to push her shield forward to protect Annabeth, but the push of the monsters against the shields was too great. There was a loud explosion, and Twilight braced for imoact, but was surprised when all she felt was a gentle breeze, warm and comforting, rush over her. Twilight and Shining Armor looked at each other questioningly. Twilight flapped her wings and rose in the air to get a better look. There was a blast radius of about a hundred yards from the shield out. Golden dust lay everywhere, a testament to the destruction of several monsters. She looked to where Annabeth had been and saw a bright light pulsing. It was so bright that she couldn't stare directly at it. Slowly the light faded and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Annabeth. The black pegasus' wings were wrapped around her. Then Twilight noticed that her light brown wings were wrapped around him, creating a ying yang effect. Then she noticed Annabeth's bright silver horn's tip touching Percy's blue-green horn's tip. Twilight stared at the scene in shock. Alicorns! They had transformed into alicorns! Twilight didn't know which was more unheard of:. A pony becoming an alicorn or a male, let alone a pegasus, becoming an alicorn. Annabeth wore a brilliant silver dress, and Percy had a blue-green cloak that rippled magically, like waves in the ocean.

Their eyes snapped open revealing nothing but a bright light. The air shimmered in front of them, and two humans appeared. There was a girl who had curly yellow hair and a light brown skin. Was that Annabeth? If so the young man with black hair and tan skin, was Percy. They looked at each other, smiled, and hugged each other tightly as though they had missed each other terriblly. The scene was very touching, but what monsters that had survived were growling and screaching angerily at the couple. Twilight landed back on the ground next to Shining Armor, who was looking at the human figures with some confusion.

"What are they?" He asked.

"Humans. It's what they look like on their world." Twilight explained

"Oh." Was all Shining Armor could say in reply. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"This whole war is a bunch of never seen before." Twilight admitted.

The couple seemed to realize that the monsters surrounding hem were advancing. They parted and Percy reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a sword as if by magic. Annabeth reached behind her and pulled out a long white sword, quite different to the bronze dagger on her flank. They stood back to back and shoulder to shoulder. As one, they charged toward the monsters while the monsters charged toward them. They fought with a combination of fierceness and grace that Twilight didn't think was possible. The way they worked off of one another, it was almost like a dance. No monster could get past their blades.

Twilight noticed a group of monsters sneaking toward Annabeth's and Percy's still alicorn forms. "Move the shield forward!" Twilight called out. As one they all pushed the shield forward with much more ease. The shield engulfed Percy and Annabeth, and they continued forward, following in Percy and Annabeth's wake. It wasn't long before there were no more monsters to fight.

The two smiled at each other until a roar ripped through the promise of victory. A giant manticore leaped out of the palace balcony. Percy and Annabeth rolled in opposite directions, out of his landing area.

"I will feast on your blood Perseus Jackson!" The manticore growled.

"Thorne!" Percy exclaimed as though greeting an old friend. "So I heard you're the one behind all of this."

"I merely follow my master's will." Thorne growled as he attacked.

Percy danced expertly out of range. "I am surprised that you didn't turn into some type of pony, but I guess you're too ugly for that." Percy taunted.

Thorne roared and whipped his tail at Percy. Where it had once been smooth, it was now covered in spikes that were now hurtling at Percy.

Percy managed to dive behind a cart just in time. "Ah, don't take it personal, that's probably the best you'll ever look." Percy taunted again. What was he doing? The more insults he threw out, the angrier the manticore became. And where was Annabeth?

Thorne roared and raised his tail again. The tail suddenly dropped limply to the ground. The manticore roared in pain. Then Twilight understood. He was insulting him on purpose, so the manticore would focus on him, and Annabeth could sneak behind the monster and take him out. It was similar to Twilight drawing the attention of the monsters with her shield while Annabeth took them out.

The manticore swung around to slash at the empty air. Seeing an opportunity, Percy lept out from behind his hiding place and attacked the manticore. He managed to cut off the creatures head, ending the fight suddenly.

"Annabeth!" Percy called out worriedly as the monster crumbled to dust.

"Here, seaweed brain." Annabeth suddenly appeared on the ground a few feet from him. Percy rushed over to help her up and hugged her tightly.

Shining Armor called for the shield to be moved forward.

"There's no need for a shield anymore." A smooth voice said out of nowhere. Strange enough several unicorns stopped moving the shield forward as a golden unicorn with pink highlights stepped out. "The fight is over, lower your shields." She said softly.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Annabeth said, ever the voice of reason. "The portal is still open."

Unfortunately, a couple of unicorns had already lowered their shield. "What are you doing? I didn't give the command to lower your shields! Put them back up!" Shining Armor yelled at the unicorns, but they ignored him and continued forward.

"Who are you?" Percy asked warily.

"Nobody important. I am ever so grateful that you have come to rescue me."

Unicorns began moving toward her. "Stand your ground! Raise your shields! Why aren't they listening?" Shining Armor asked Twilight.

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "It seems to be affecting only the stallions."

"I'm a stallion, and I'm not acting wierd." Shining Armor pointed out.

"Neither is Percy." Twilight stared at Percy as though he were the key to a puzzle.

Percy in turn, was studying the unicorn in front of him. Annabeth whispered in his ear, and he smiled widely, "Kelly, is that you? I thought you would have taken after your other leg. You do seem to be more of an . . ."

"How dare you!" The unicorn exclaimed and lunged toward him, lighting on fire at the same time.

Percy and Annabeth dodged the attack easily as though they had been expecting it. The fight was on. Unicorns, pegasus, and ponies who had been leaving the safety of the shield were now scrambling back as though just waking up to a nightmare. The monster was rather stange now that Twilight was looking at it. It had one golden leg and one donkey's leg. Now Twilight understood how Percy's comment had angered her. Her certainly had a way of angering the monsters. Kelly, as he had called her, was fighting Percy, but every once in a while, she would swipe at the air behind her. It took Twilight a moment before she realized that she was looking for Annabeth. The monster was a formidable fighter, and had she not been so distracted about fighting two fronts, she might have easily overtaken Percy. As it was, she let out a scream when her donkey leg was hit. Percy then went in for the kill.

Everyone cheered, but it was short-lived when an unearthly roar ripped through the air. Percy and Annabeth's human forms flickered and disappeared. Percy and Annabeth came out if their trance to stare at the portal in absolute horror, their wings wrapped around each other.

"It's him, he's coming through!" The fear in Annabeth's voice was so palpable that Twilight began to feel the fear rippling off of her.

"Who?" Twilight asked, but was afraid of what the answer was. After everything they had faced together, not once did Annabeth's courage waver. She had never seen fear in her eyes until now.

"The pit." she whispered as if she were afaid the monster would hear her.

As if on cue, a giant blackness with red lava running beneath it's skin, like veins, appeared on the other side of the portal. Hideous, half-formed faces would try to push themselves against the skin as though trying to get out. A fear, like none other she had felt before, gripped her.

"What do we do?" Shining Armor asked with equal fear in his voice. "How do we fight that?"

"Water!" Annabeth shouted as though an idea had just struck her. "Percy, he's made of lava and fire. Douse him in water!"

She watched as Percy scrunched his eyes. At first nothing happened. Then streams of water came out of houses, the palace fountain, and the nearby waterfall. They all came together to rush toward the giant. A steam rose up where the water hit. The monster roared. But it only slowed the creature. Then Twilight had an epiphany. If Annabeth and Percy had been used to open the portal, then they could close it.

"Annabeth!" Twilight called out. "Close the portal!"

"What? How?" Annabeth looked at Twilight questioningly. Twilight realized that she didn't realize that she was an alicorn.

"Focus on the portal and picture it closing."

"But . . ." Annabeth started to object.

"Trust me." Twilight tried to assure her.

Annabeth studied Twilight for a moment before turning her attention back toward the portal. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the portal. A stream of silver magic hit the top of the portal and it began to close like a zipper being pulled down. "It's working! I have a horn?" She sounded somewhat alarmed, but the magic never stopped.

"It's working!" Twilight said excitedly. But the creature was still pushing forward. They needed more.

"Percy, you need to focus on the portal closing!" Twilight instructed.

"Picture it closing." Annabeth added.

Percy already looked strained from the effort to control the water. He gave a labored breath and a blue-green stream of magic joined Annabeth's. The portal was closing quicker, but at this rate the creature would exit before it closed.

"We have to help them!" Shining Armor called out. "Focus all your energy on the creature, try and stop him!"

All the unicorns lowered their shields so they could throw everything they had at the creature, which gave Twilight an idea. She watched as the unicorns magic held the giant at bay.

"Girls, rally to me!" Apple Jack got to her first, then Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Flutter Shy and Rarity. Once she was sure they were all there, she shouted, "Now that we're together, it's time to show them the magic of friendship!"

Magic pulsed through her. They rose up in the air, Twilight felt the magic of each girls element rush through her and hit the giant square in the chest. The impact caused him to stumble backwards, roaring in pain. He was back through the portal. Percy let out a strained yell and Annabeth grunted from the effort as they finished closing the portal. The monster seething behind it. Twilight felt her and the girls return to the ground. She became aware that their mane had changed colors like when they had fought Tirek.

The water returned back to the waterfall and Percy fell to his knees. While everyone cheered, Annabeth comforted Percy, touching her horn to his again. Their human forms reappeared before them again. They embraced immediately, but this time their lips pressed against each other. There was a loud rushing noise and once again Twilight felt a warm breeze wash over her. There were several loud cheers. Twilight even heard a shouts of, "I'm healed!" Shining Armor pointed out the buildings that had once been in damaged in the battle, but we're now better than new. Their human forms dissolved again. The two new alicorns leaned into each other, content to just be with each other while they caught their breath.