Luna and I looked at each other for a moment.

"So it seems that when it said you could bring a guardian along it really meant that your guardian could be tested as well."

Luna nodded. We looked at each other for a moment.

"Be safe Luna."

"And you as well dear Jack."

We both nodded and entered the opened doorways. I sighed as the door closed behind me. This was gonna be stressful. I looked around the room and saw the long chamber was adorned on either side of me with sets of armor,made for all sorts of species and each one broken of damaged in some way. Behind each suit was a weapon, in the same state of disrepair. I looked ahead and at the end of the chamber was a final suit of armor, one I recognized in crown and build.

It was Sombra's armor. Some how there was a suit of Sombra's armoring and crown here. It was stood in front of the door, and I walked to move it. My hand was a centimeter from touching the suit when a blast of black magic burst out of the crown and the world faded to white...

---

Huh? Why am I back at the castle? Wasn't I in the... What was I doing again? I shook my head as I picked myself up from the ground where I was laying and I heard a scream tear through the empty and otherwise silent halls. I looked and saw a wall had been smashed apart above me. That explained what was going on. I rushed back into the throneroom through the hole I'd been flung and..

Oh Gods.

Blood was splattered across the floor, pooled around the scattered forms of...

My team. All of them were heavily wounded and I didn't have to check to see they weren't breathing. I looked over and saw Celestia's bloodied body prone on the ground, her wings twisted and her horn snapped. I rushed forward and saw Luna being held aloft in Sombra's magic, and as I looked I saw a massive jutting of black crystal erupt from the floor, extending...

Straight through Luna.

Oh god... All of my best effort and Sombra had obliterated us all...

I failed.

I killed all those I cared about.

But that didn't mean that I could stop. There were others in this kingdom that needed me, and I would still do me best to avenge their deaths.

I roared and charged for Sombra, tears streaming down my face. I pulled all of my magic into a necromorph form I'd never used before, out of concern for the magical cost and harm to my default form...

But now it didn't matter. I surged with power into a full body transformation, converting my whole form to beings reformed into having the traits of one of the boss necromorphs, namely the spider. Tentacles tore from my back and both of my arms burst out into massive blades. I used the tentacles to seize Sombra's throat and horn as he laughed maniacally at his success, cutting off his lungs and horn from helping him. I ran both blades into his chest and watched his eyes widen in pain. I roared and tore him apart and crushed his horn into dust. I turned from him to the Black Heart. I seized it in my blades and then pushed on it, charging it with my magic and then bringing it down to the floor as hard as I could. I took Luna's bladed-hammer from the ground, and then brought it down on the heart. In a wave of light the heart broke, and I knew no more...

---

I stumbled back from the armor as if it had burned me, falling over on the ground, by breath hard and my heart pounding. I took a moment to slow my breathing and recall where I was.

So that was... What? An illusion? A dream?

I thought this as I stood back on my feet. I looked and saw the armor melt into a suit of a similar build, but lacking a crown and forged out of a metal the color of my world's bronze. A glowing spectral form of a crystal pony stallion formed. He had a dark brown coat, a light green mane and gray eyes. He had a resolute expression as he looked at me, and he spoke in a gruff voice.

"I am Emerald Blade, the late defender of Princess Amore. One of the most important duties of one such as us is the willingness to give our lives in the defense of our charges, and then if  we fail the willingness to ensure their deaths would not be in vain. You have shown these qualities thus far. The armor and tools around you belong to those who have fallen in the defense of their charges and in the avenging of them. I failed to stop Sombra but you have fulfilled my duty and took him into the death he deserved. You have finished my work and for that I give you this."

He drew a sword from his side, made of a black metal and in the design of a Greek gladius. I took it and felt a faint hum of power from it.

"That is the sword Finis. It was crafted by an ancient being, before the age of the three pony tribes. It was found by my grandfather and it carries the power to bring a final death onto those spirits that are brought back from the afterlife. Wield it wisely, and use it for the trials you will face ahead."

I nodded. As he began to fade away I called out.

"Wait a second!"

I took off the sheath on my back that held a regular Night Guard sword and held it out after replacing it with Finis and its sheath.

"Here. You'll still need a sword, right?"

He gave me a small smile, and took the sword from me. He laughed heartily and slowly faded into nothing leaving behind no evidence but the sword on my back for evidence. I smiled and walked into the next chamber. I walked into the next chamber and saw...

The Oracle? This kept getting weirder and weirder. I walked in and saw the Oracle sitting at a table on the opposite side from me, eyes closed and face kept in a blank expression. There was a chair on the side of the table closest to me and I sat down and looked at the Oracle. Her eyes opened, bearing a glow the same color of the gems that the castle was magically grown of. She locked her eyes on me and a faint mist poured from her mouth as she spoke.

The blood moons will come for this place on the eve of war, when there is blood spilled on the sacred stones. First their followers shall emerge, and the first waves of the dead will come forth. Then, on the thousandth anniversary of the day the sisters of sun and moon are parted will the pit open, and the world will flow red with blood of the demons and of the warriors who halt them...

I knew this prophecy. I had heard it before, but I still felt dread at its being repeated.

There will be a darkness unlike any other, one that will consume all that it touches. Monsters of times forgotten and sealed away into mere legend will return, emerging from nightmares into the waking world. The moons will come to bring light into darkness, and there will be the death of all things good, and the corruption of all things wretched.

Her eyes locked with mine.

And the end of days will be your burden to bear, Guardian of the Moon...

My vision went black for a moment, and I heard them once again. The moons. They called out in anger, and they sounded... Smug? My sight returned along with a feeling of dread, and the room was empty other than the chair I was sitting on. I stood up uncertainly.

I had to hurry and find Luna.

---

I walked into the next chamber, which opened into a massive cavern. In the center was a stairwell leading up to a large altar, made in a circular arch.  walked forward and stood on it. A mare's voice echoed throughout the entire cavernous area.

"Welcome Jack, slayer of dragons, challenger of Sombra, and defender of Luna. Here is the final place of your pilgrimage. The chambers appear different to all those who enter this place, yet this one remains the same. Should you choose to continue, this will be the true test of your worth a you are judged heart, mind, and soul. Do you accept this final challenge?"

I nodded without hesitation.

"Very well. Place your claws onto the altar."

A curved slab of stone rose from the ground, and I placed all four hands onto it.  A surge of pain went through me and I strained to keep my hands in place. Wisps of light swarmed the air around me, whispers to faint to hear echoing. Finally, all went silent and the voice from before returned.

"You have been deemed a worthy guardian, Jack, defender of Luna. Go forth with your charge, and be the shield and sword she will need you to be."

I saw all of the wisps fade away and a final spectral form appear. She was a mare with a yellow-brown coat, a messy light brick red mane and rich green eyes. On her hooves were horseshoes crafted of a dark green metal, seemingly made for hoof to hoof combat. My gauntets floated off of all four of my hands and seemed to melt apart, separating dragonscale from metal. Her hooves glowed and I watched liquid metal flow into the air in straight lines from four points in the floor. The scales from my gauntlets and the metal brought from the floor merged and then were covered in a blinding light before showing two sets of gauntlets, made of the same metal as her horseshoes. The mare spoke.

"I am Smart Cookie, the first guardian to be lain to rest here. I have overseen all those warriors that have entered this place, just as my charge Level Head has overseen all royals. The gauntlets of our blessing will grant your Necrohuman form the capacity to cast magic other than your form changing, and will disappear as you transform, giving you full freedom to change shapes while still returning as you revert to this form. Go forth Jack, and halt the coming storm.."

With this cryptic warning the specter of Smart Cookie faded away, and the final door opened.