Card summoned a large shadow card, a sort of shield against the duel blades Discord wielded. He was pushed back slightly as the two swords smashed against the shield. Card was somewhat startled from the amount of power behind the attack. Of course, this was a God. Discord grinned, showing his fangs. “You can’t win,” he said, nearly purring with confidence.

“We can’t,” Hot asked, laughing.

Card pushed up on the card shield, sending Discords swords back, a similar grin on his face. “My my, this would be an utter waste of time~” Card summoned numerous cards and began to throw them at Discord. Discord dodged nearly each card, and when he was hit, the wound healed instantly. Discord was obviously using his powers.

“Tsk, no good,” Hot said, standing a slight distance away. Discord grinned and swiveled around. He brought the swords in his claw and paw together and created a large ball of chaos magic. He slashed down with both swords, launching the magic towards Hot at a rapid pace. Hot grinned and punched the ball of magic as it got to him. His hoof split it straight down the middle, leaving him unharmed. Training had paid off.

“Forgetting somepony?” Card had risen up behind Discord on his wings. With one swift movement, Card punched him in the small of his back with a shadowed hoof. Discord stumbled forward, surprised. He had forgotten there were two pests in this battle. He scowled and disappeared into shadow.

“Nice one, Bro!” Hot grinned. Behind him, Discord appeared, his sword already raised for a downward strike. Hot heard the blade whistle through the air. “Oh snap.”

Card was instantly at his side, stopping the blade with another shield card. He grinned at his brother. “I got you.” Discord glared at the two colts, still pushing down with his sword, but to no avail. Card’s cards were strong.

“Thanks~” Hot reached up from the card and grabs the sword on the sides, tearing it out of Discords claw. Card was rather surprised how much Hot had learned in sparring with Drake. Hot held the sword by the steel, grinning.

Discord grinned back. “How shocking~” He snapped his claws and the blade lit up with magic, electrifying Hot. Hot winced in pain as the volts of chaotic energy surged through him, causing his hooves to smoke. Discord raised his other blade, prepared to strike Hot down as he was indisposed.

Hot growled, glaring at Discord. “T-training w-was worse than this!” Hot brought his hooves up and flung the blade back at Discord, panting. Discord grabbed the blade once more. Card launched into him, using his shadows as propulsion. Discord blocked him and threw him into the air.

Card flared out his wings quickly, using his shadows to help support him. Nothing we’re doing is even touching him! Discord formed a ball of chaos magic again and sent it at Card this time. Card grinned and formed his Card Whip, ready for this attack. He had spent much time preparing for this sort of projectile. His cards wrapped around the ball and flung it back at twice the speed. Discord caught it without a moment’s hesitation, glaring at Card. “Somepony’s been training.”

“He’s not the only one!” Discord stumbled forward as Hot Shot slammed his hoof into his back, using a technique he deemed the Crimson Fist. Card took his chance and grabbed Discord with the Card Whip he had formed. Discord sliced through the cards like butter, falling back to the ground. Before he made contact, however, Hot unleashed another devastating blow to Discord’s neck.

Card watched as Discord fell towards the ground. He also saw Discord begin to phase into the ground, hiding in the earth. His eyes widened as he turned to Hot, already in the air himself. “Hot, get into the air!”

“Right!” Hot flares out his wings and took to the air without question, flying up as Discord was fully engulfed by the earth, hidden from them both. Card’s eyes flashed with shadow as he called upon his secondary element. He felt every crevice and fault in the rock, every shadow across the hill. Using his shadows as propulsion, Card launched at the earth like a bullet, aiming straight at the ground. Card shut his eyes, never veering from his downward course. As he made contact with the ground, the earth shattered and cracked, splintering out a long distance. Card flew straight back up into the air, a circle of shadows having protected him. Hot grinned. “Damn, bro!”

Card kept scanning the earth. The ground had shattered down instead of out, reaching Discord. Discord rose out of the ground, body covered in cuts from the rocks that had jetted out. Card saw the blood rolling down Discords sides before Discord healed the wounds. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Proof. Everything Card had theorized had been correct. And now, he was absolutely certain.

They would win this battle.

Discord flared out his claw and the earth shattered further, this time launching into the air. Card created a shield to the shrapnel as Hot dodged the rocks. Discord was laughing and Card could see the touches of madness in his eyes. “You can’t defeat me! I am a God!”

Card smirked as Discord’s face suddenly fell. Discord summoned the broken remains of a collar. “What’s he holding,” Hot asked.

“Damn…” Discord glared at Hot. “Your father had been a thorn in my side for years now.”

“He tends to do that to bad guys~”

“That’s the end of your betrayal, Discord.” Card smiled, having known Valkyrie would have won against Discord. “You tried to end Drake.” Hot laughed, knowing just how hard it is to kill him. Drake would never go down without a fight.

Discord made the collar disappear, summoning his blades to him once more. “It matters not now~” He grinned and Card saw he was getting stronger. Discord’s madness had started taking over. He may be stronger, but his madness made it more likely he would slip up. The battle would be hard from here on out.

Discord charged at Card with the duel blades, intent on the kill now, not just playing with his prey. Card formed a shield card, blocking both. However, Discord merely grinned. His blade of light glowed brightly, and Card gasped as, with a single slice, his shield shattered. Card took a step back as his face bled from a cut he had gotten from the blade. Discord raised the blade again, knowing that another card would be destroyed simply, meaning Card had no defense. As the blade came down, Hot formed a wall of fire in front of Card, blocking the strike. Card grinned at Hot as he winked back. “Being a thorn in the side runs in the family~”

Discord snarled, drawing back his swords. “Two on one is hardly fair~” Waving his hoof, Hot was suddenly encased in a wall of shadow. Hot growled as Card prepared himself for the next attack. “Now…” Spinning his blade, Discord rose his blade to strike at Card again, only to stop as Hot smashed through the shadow wall, his hoof burning with fiery light.

“Think that’ll stop me,” Hot asked, grinning. Discord snarled, spinning to Hot as his eyes flashed red with anger. He charged, spinning his blades. “Well, this isn’t good.” Hot summoned the firewall in front of him again. Discord slammed against the wall with both blades, ignoring the fire burning his fur. Card quickly flared out his wings and tried to fly over to his brother’s aid, but nearly fell flat on his face. Card was ceased by a powerful magic, unable to move. He realized he hadn't moved since the blade had made contact with him. Discord must have put a spell into the blade, freezing him in place. The spell on his hoof burned. Card realized that only two of the three swirls were lit, however. The spell, which had been made to shield off foreign magic, could only be invoked through the bond of three. Card wasn’t powerful enough to move against the force holding him still. All he could do was watch.

Hot saw his brother’s troubles. “I’ll be fine!” The statement was accented by Discord slamming once more into the wall with his blades, intent on killing the pony encased in the fire. Hot winced back, barely able to maintain the shield. Card was forced to watch as Discord grinned and brought down the two blades one last time, blasting through the firewall and sending Hot sprawling on the ground.

“Finally,” Discord said, eyes swirling with his madness. He was covered in burns and bruises, but he had gotten to his prey. Hot lay on the ground, too weak to stand from the last attack. He turned his head to Card. Card gasped internally to see tears in his brother’s eyes.

“Gotta keep fighting bro.” The blades rose. “D-don’t you dare be scared…” Hot closed his eyes, surrendering to what was to come. “Keep fighting.” The blades came down.

Card felt tears roll down his face as his brother took his last breath.
~*~*~*~

Drake fell against the wall in the hallway, holding his head. Burning loss. The unthinkable had just happened, he could feel it. “H-hot…” Tears rolled down his face as he felt his son’s dying breath, his last words, somehow knowing his son was lost. “N-no…” He shut his eyes tight, only able to imagine what was to come.

Author's Notes:

FEELS FEELS FEELS FEELS FEELS </3 D':

UPDATE: :3 Edited everything for once, noticed quite a few typos