I quickly searched for anything that could disrupt her concentration. Adrenaline was brimming from my body as my eyes checked every corner of this dark cave. The only thing that I could find being viable in this large, dim cave was a large chunk of crystal just lying around.

Picking it up, I reared it in for a good throw. Lining up my shot, I hurled it towards Luna. She winced as the crystal rebounded from her horn. A huge blast emanated from her horn, decimating a good portion of the cavern.

Whole walls of crystals were reduced to rubble as I struggled to avoid falling due to the seismic waves shooting throughout the cavern. Suddenly, a large crystal landed beside me. Looking upwards, I noticed that the cave itself was collapsing. Crystal debris fell, launching clouds of dust as they impact the ground with a violent crash.

Before I even knew it, the collapse ended as the dust settled back to the ground. I squinted my eyes as I saw the silhouette of Luna in the distance. Suddenly, a midnight-blue light emanated from her.

Reflexively, I sidestepped as a beam of magic sped past me. The mirror-like wall behind me shattered into several pieces as the beam disappeared in a blue fireball of concentrated magic.

I turned back to face Luna. I could finally see her as the haze of dust finally dispersed. She glared at me with an even more murderous glare. "You fool! You could have made the whole cavern bury us!" With another flick of her horn, she sent a spherical orb of magic at me.

I wasn't even concerned in the slightest as I simply dove to the right. The ball finally struck the ground, blowing the space that I once stood on to shreds. It seems that I've gotten better at dodging.

"Not my fault! You're cheating using magic!" I yelled out which only kindled even more ire within the Princess' vengeful mind.

"Begone already!" Her horn sparked once more with magic as she lashed out with a torrent of magical flames.

I dashed backwards as the whole cavern before me was engulfed in flames. I was just away from the reach of the inferno. If I took a step forward, I'd be roasted.

I didn't even flinch as the fire spewed itself onto the ground. I could see her. She was somewhat obscured by the flames, but that didn't matter. I stared directly at her. "No more magic! Since I can't dissuade you from your pursuit of blood, perhaps we should settle this with our blades!"

She didn't respond, or at least that's what I thought. She hovered upwards, suspending herself just below the ceiling. With a mighty beat of her wings, she sent out gusts flying through the cave. The strong wind managed to extinguish the flames, making the cavern's lighting return to an unfavorable level.

She landed on the ground as she lit her horn once more. Instead of ruination coming out of it, she materialized a form of a sword bathed in light. The form was wrapped up in magic. The light was dispelled, revealing a sword with a honed blade.

She stopped just about ten steps away from me or so. Jerking her head, she sent the sword straight to the ground ahead of me. The sword stuck to the ground slanted. Its blade was pinned to the ground, leaving its handle open for me to grab.

Taking a deep breath, I approached the blade. Clutching the handle with a firm grip, I plucked it from the ground. Brandishing it, I prepared a stance. "Do you really want to do this?"

She did not respond vocally. Instead, she responded by swinging her own sword downwards. The incoming blade was heading straight for my head. If I don't act soon, I'll get my head split open.

I raised my own weapon horizontally. Sparks flew, lighting up the darkness for a split second as my blade caught her strike. She continued on pushing, applying much pressure to my sword. Inch by inch, her blade was nearing my face as I desperately applied strength into my arm as I tried to fend off her blade.

"I won't rest until you're dead!" She applied even more force. I felt my posture falter as I was forced to a kneeling position as my sword trembled as it continued to hold off Luna's blade. "This is for the sake of everybody you've killed and for those that were left without a family!" With a final push, her blade became unbearable to keep at bay as I was shoved to the ground.

I laid flat on the ground, fatigue overwhelming my body. I opened my eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of pointing her sword at my chest. I rolled to the side as her sword impaled the ground.

Quickly recovering, I swung at her, but she parries my attack with a precise swing of her blade. I staggered backwards as I involuntarily let my guard down.

Seeing my vulnerable state, she took the opportunity. She lined up the tip of her blade, pointing it towards my ribcage. Seeing this, I tilted to the side. The blade grazed me as she thrust forwards. My blood stained the ground as I let out a pained yelp as I took a stumbling step back.

She readies her sword once more by aligning it with her face. "You... During the attack..." tears become apparent as she closes her eyes. Without even hesitating, she raised her sword high above her head with her magic.

"My sister was rendered unconscious. I thought I've lost her! I have lost her once! I shall not lose her again to the likes of you!" Her eyes snapped open as she brought the sword downwards.

I took a swift dash to the side. Dirt flew everywhere as her blade basically obliterated the ground. I regained my stance as I shambled away from her in a stunned demeanor. Then I saw an opportunity revealing itself; her sword was lodged into the cold, hard ground. Her emotions blotted her thinking, causing her to place too much force onto that attack.

I let out a deep breath as I grasped my sword. Regaining my balance, I sprinted forwards with my sword primed for a horizontal cut. Closing the distance, I swung as fiercely as I could. Suddenly, I was appalled when I felt as if I simply struck concrete.

Her horn was lit up, indicating that she's using magic. Encompassing her was a small barrier glowing with a faint, blue light. There was a visible crack on where I struck the aegis.

I swung away at the shield repetitively, placing more and more cracks on it. I could see Luna's face being strained as she gnashed her teeth as the sound of metallic clangs resonated through the cave as I did not relented in the slightest as I continued the barrage of slashes.

As if like a cracking glass window, pieces of the barrier went flying astray into several directions as I finally broke the shield with a final cleave of my blade. Luna cursed out sharply as she went stumbling backwards. She was collapsed on the floor in a daze. Shaking her head, she feebly began to stand up.

Panting heavily, my arm felt sore from all that swordplay. Using my left arm, I withdrew the book from my robes. Opening it, I flipped to a blank page. Chanting inaudibly a word three times, the book began to glow its signature red aura.

She looks at me in outrage as she spat out, "Did you not say you'd end this with our blades, traitor?!" Hypocritically enough, she was the first one to break that rule. She is visibly shaking. She must be both exhausted magically and physically. It's time to end this.

The book basked the caverns in its sinister brilliance. Soon enough, reality itself was disrupted as it began rippling. A portal began to form itself above me. The portal revealed an abysmal red void. Whatever that's about to come out of that red void will surely kill the princess on sight just because of her threatening appearance.

The thought of robbing a kingdom a princess brought dread made me shudder.

"So what? You used magic! It's only fair that I can use my own as well!" She opened her mouth, but she could not find any words to contradict what I just said. "You have until my army emerges out of that hole to escape, otherwise your death is assured!" I warned her, but she didn't even budge. She simply looked at me with death itself embedded in her eyes.

"No!" She stood upright, attempting to channel magic in her horn. Unfortunately, her horn only flickered. Instead of devastating magic, small sparks emanated from it. "As a ruler, I shall protect my subjects with all that I have!" She approached me. Her steps were laughably weak, but the desire to kill me was still radiating off of her.

I shook my head. "As a ruler, you have to live for the sake of your subjects." My words made her freeze completely. "Come on. I don't want to rob your people- ponies a ruler. They'd mourn for months or even years." I saw her mouth open. Before she could reply, I abruptly cut her off. "Think about your sister. Wouldn't she get stricken with grief if you died?"

Snarling, her horn illuminated the entire room as she began preparing a spell. I tensed up to prepare to dodge, but she disappeared. She teleported out of the cave. "Huh. So she had that amount of magic hidden from me, huh?"

Suddenly, something fleshy plopped down to the ground behind me. Turning around, I was met with a familiar creature. It was a quadruped with its height similar to that of a medium-sized dog. Guarding its mouth was a durable-looking mandible. Its body was plated with a thick carapace. Its most prominent feature must be its two scythe-like appendages protruding from its back.

I recognized this beast. It was a Zergling from the Starcraft series. Judging by its more modern appearance, it seems to hail from the second game.

Suddenly, it started to rain down Zerg beings. The cavern was instantly filled with the howls of the biological terror that is the Zerg race. My eyes cautiously examined the environment around me. Just a couple of feet away from me were a full battalion of Hydralisks.

This breed of Zerg are exceptionally good at being marksmen or as anti-air. They store hundreds of sharpened spines in their plates for later usage. These spines can easily pierce through an entire house considering that a handful of these could potentially pierce the hull of an actual battleship.

They slithered among themselves with their serpentine-esque tail. Next to them were the additional Zerglings. These are usually the backbone of Zerg infantry. They're small, but incredibly agile. Examining their new environments next to them were the Infestors. These nightmarish beings can mind-control prey, given that the prey has a mind, and can launch a volley of waste to cause fungal growth on a target.

There were many other Zerg strains roaming the cavern freely. The aerial units flew in circles, unable to find a suitable landing spot. Ground units burrowed into the ground for no particular reason, scattering dirt everywhere. Some stood still, awaiting orders. In summary, the whole cavern was in discord.

Suddenly, the deluge of Zerg entities ceased, yet the portal still remained. I stare at the rift, somewhat expectantly. "What? This is hardly an army at all."

"Greetings, my queen. I shall be your Zerg adviser for now" Emerging from the crowd, a Zerg queen approached me. "My queen, are you aware that we cannot bring forth the remaining amount of your army in such a confined space? We must move evacuate the area to bring forth more of our troops."

I stared at her with a dumbfounded stupor. "Uh? Queen? You do know I'm male, correct?"

She bowed apologetically, "Apologies, my queen. My brain was pre-wired to address the superior being as queen."

"Alright, forget that... How do you suggest we find the exit out of here? I'm kinda lost in this place."

"My queen," In the distance, a drone mutated into a cocoon. "We do not need to find the exit to make space. We shall use a Nydus Worm for transportation," my adviser stated, gesturing her clawed arms towards the developing Nydus Network.

"That's... rather convenient, actually."