"They're no longer alive! Crush them like The Pony of Shadows!"

Lumberman pulled the ripcord to his chainsaw. The compact engine revved high and loud with the throttle held down but shut down just as quickly.

Out of habit, Lumberman was about to pull the cord again. A quick tilt for a good pull let him feel the lack of any fuel sloshing around inside the tank.

"Shit! Taking it back to old school."

Without any mixed gas available or other viable options ready, he dropped the chainsaw, swapping out for a framing hammer tucked in his back belt loop.

Measuring eighteen inches long, topped off with a twenty-two-ounce hammerhead for striking and a rip claw for stripping, it was a mini-war weapon posing as a construction tool. In retrospect, it might have been a more suitable weapon for this fight.

Chris, having watched Lumberman drop the chainsaw, saw the restrictions with his bolt action rifle and pulled back the bolt to remove the last round.

“No use relying on this in here. Starlight? Can you cover us overhead while me and Onyx hold the ground?”

Wrapping herself in her aura, Starlight levitated overhead, feeling more comfortable fighting from the elevated position.

“You got it. The sooner these fakes are gone, the sooner we get our kids back. And if they so much as harmed a hair on their manes… You might just want to step back.”

With the rifle safely placed down with the chainsaw, Chris reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of newly fashioned brass knuckles, or high carbon steel in this case. Putting them on left him wishing he had trained more with Onyx, who was proverbially chomping at the bit to get into the action.

“Come on, champ. I’m gonna need that endurance of yours.”

The three started forward, not as fast as King and Queen Abinssiniya, Novo, or Gruff working up the edge of the cave, but had stopped at the owlbear for some reason. They were supposed to be advancing. Instead, they were fixated on the animal.

Whatever they were doing, Chris had to stay focused on what was in front of him, and a quick burst from Starlight’s horn firing into three oncoming Twilight doubles put him back on track.

The blast missed all three doubles, striking the ceiling and sending down stones the doubles all darted out of the way to avoid.

One double steered too far to the left, colliding with Seaspray, instantly starting a trade of spear strikes and magic blasts between the two.

Starlight took aim again, sending a bolt of magic that caught the nearest double on the hip.

Chunks of crystal broke off, sending the double and her remaining partner to the ground, tumbling over each other.

More were flying in, and Starlight flew up to engage, leaving Chris and Onyx to deal with the two wounded.

Onyx rushed, driving his spear dead center into the chest of the hit by Starlight. All his strength focused on piercing her deep, but the only damage done was to his spear, snapping as if he had struck a stone wall.

It had to have been a fluke. Maybe it was already damaged against the Timberwolves, which meant his shield would finish her off.

In one fluid motion, he extended his left forehoof over his back, slid it under his shield, hooked in, and swung it into the bridge of her throat.

Clang!

It connected with military precision, thrusting the double back, while warping the metal shield.

"Look out!" Chris shouted, stepping in front of Onyx with a left hook into the other double jaw.

Crack!

The jaw broke under the quick blow, severing it, causing the double to drop, with Chris falling on top.

The other double, having already recovered, lowered her head, taking aim at Chris.

There was little time to react, forcing Onyx into action. He sprinted forward to deliver an uppercut, sending the potentially harmful attack up into the ceiling and the double up into her hind hooves.

With his bare hooves, he began to work the body.

Jab! Jab! Right cross to the ribs! Left cross to the face! Lastly, a powerful gut punch that hit with a snap.

The double fell to her back knees, holding her body, now cracking under the pressure of her own weight. Her face was blank, but a hint of remorse could be heard in her final words to the guard who had done her in.

"I remember you… The Words never spoke of you, but you were a good pony, Onyx… How could you break me? I'm the successor to the Crystal Obelisk."

As she tried to hold herself together, chips and pieces fell away from her right side, and her power all but depleted. The sight of Chris getting to his feet, now this close, seemed to change her tone to a memory of remorse.

"Oh… I see… Order bonding with Light… Fascinating... I wonder what else I missed... Maybe I should have been kinder to my humans before they-"

The light in the double's eyes faded, and the rest of her body crumbled. It almost seemed sad, making Onyx question what this battle had started over for all these constructs to show up under what sounded like false pretenses.

In the brief moments of his pondering, Chris's voice rose with alarm from behind.

"Oh, shit!"

HUCK! CRACK!

Taken down by Chris, Onyx avoided having his helmet's dent resistance tested by a bucked Cadance double, courtesy of Big Mac.

Both turned to see the construct embedded into the wall, then turned back to see Seaspray grounded and Big Mac, with a limp, separated from the group with Kelly.

Their area to cover had just expanded.

Marveling over the memories flooding back to her, Novo gripped her paws around the trident's shaft.

"After so many years since giving up long ago, my king's trident? Here of all places?"

King Abinsinia checked their surroundings, noticed the Echoes' focus was not on them, then returned his attention to the weapon Novo held. Much like the hippogriffs, it had not been seen for over a thousand years. Yet, out of nowhere, it had inexplicably returned.

"We heard it was lost at sea with Velho." He looked up at the giant sphere of water. "But there's no mistaking its authenticity."

With a hefty yank, Novo pulled the trident free from the bloody mess the owlbear now was. Aside from the added red coating of the prongs and bits of flesh that clung to the hooked teeth, it was unchanged from the last day she saw it. Not even the unsettling additional gore would rob her of the wonder she held again.

"I can feel its power. I thought I would never hold this again."

Aspen could similarly sense the power emanating from the relic, yet the fact it was used in such a crude manner seemed perplexing.

“King Velho would never approve of such use of his trident. At least it didn’t kill the beast. Its heart still beats… faintly… Even still, I have not seen one so close to death since we were last gathered, and I care not to relive the past. We can heal this beast later.”

Another lost royal weapon from the battle of the Storm King? Gruff wasn't liking the way this was looking, and a quick glance up at Yona was painting a grim picture.

"That's not the only relic of the past. Take a look overhead at the war helmet. And Gallus has King Gruto's iron talons. It must have been a trap."

"Oh, shit!"

HUCK! CRACK!

A Cadance double crashed into the wall in front of them, pieces of its crystal body shattering off, showering them with a reminder of the fight they were still in. It was a fight desperately needing their help, judging by how fierce Lumberman was swinging his hammer into another Celestia double, trying to vanquish him with a blast from her horn.

Okay, so maybe he was holding his own, but Applejack was having a harder time trying to keep more of them from overtaking him. Snapping her new steel apple out like a manriki chain, cracking one Echo open after the next.

"Stop showing off, Woody! I'm already impressed!"

The Celestia double, missing her front right leg and most of her left wing, fired blast after blast into Lumberman's face.

It wasn't working to stop Lumberman, but it was pissing him off further with each burst of light that blinded him from his target.

"Where you at bitch?! Why you running?! Why you running?!"

They had spent too much time dwelling on the past, and three Celestia doubles landed on the downed owlbear. Two in the front sprayed their wings, guarding one behind them that appeared happy to see the small team separated from the others.

“We are falling to these false chosen too quickly. They are poisoned far more than Sword. Let the power of The Crystal Rod of Asclepius revive this precious beast of Equestria.”

Gruff extended his metal talons and hunkered down, glaring at the three glowing together.

“Stop them!”

Before the others could fathom what was happening, Gruff leaped towards the three, hit an invisible shield they had projected, and was already back flat on his ass.

King Abinsiniya’s eyes glowed, stepping in front of Gruff but still unsure of what was going on or why they weren’t currently under attack.

“Gruffo? Refresh my memory. Why does Asclepius sound familiar?”

Novo’s eyes shot open wide, and she gripped her trident tightly to point toward the glowing three Celestias. Channeling her power through the three prongs, a stream of water from the sphere behind them rose up over the shield and washed away the three doubles. Yet, when they were removed, she did not cease.

“Spoken only in legends, Asclepius was a healer. Supposedly, his skills were so great it was said he could resurrect the dead and was removed from our world because of it.”

The torrent of water finally stopped, and the body of the owlbear was no longer in front of them. It was shaking its wet fur free of the drowning waters, hungrily eyeing new prey to hunt. A look of great burning rage was evident as it prepared for round two.

"They're no longer alive! Crush them like The Pony of Shadows!"

Watching the others advance, Shining pushed his team back with mindful, deliberate steps and a firm stance.

"We'll cover Twilight and the others getting out of here and stop any from escaping. Cadance, you're up front with me. The rest of you, guard Becky. Becky, you're still up for this, right?"

There wasn't much Becky could do but hold her place and keep her pistol ready. She was better suited to staying with the wounded, but she still had three rounds ready to rock and another mag if it was needed. So, being back up to help this end faster seemed like a bright idea at the time.

… or it was vengeance that was in her mind that led her here.

"Yeah. I'm not running off anywhere."

In front of them, the battle had already started. Cerb’s team was pushing in aggressively, Benny’s team wasn't doing as well, and Chris’s had almost instantly broken up.

Regardless, they all seemed to be managing, especially since the Echoes were targeting the humans with virtually no effect. It almost seemed like they weren’t even going to be needed. Not until the only other Shining teleported in front of them.

The real Shining charged his horn. He wasn’t sure why this Echo had chosen to break from the ranks, but it was smart enough to put itself between Benny’s shotgun and the bickering trio of Discord, Trixie, and the other Trixie in Luna armor.

Shining knew he had to handle it to keep Benny from pushing on.

“We got this one! Keep going!”

Cadance, while trusting her husband, couldn’t ignore the giant sword.

“Uh, Shining, dear? What do we have, exactly?”

Sword stopped his advance, hearing Cadance speak, straying his weapon off to the side.

“Oh… To hear your affection spoken lovingly. That alone should be enough to convince you of…”

His words fell short, and a grin crossed his lips, finally catching himself.

“Sorry, it’s so rare to find you two as The Words saw fit. And… might we make this a little more private?”

In an instant, faster than should have been possible, a shield dropped down, entrapping the three. The sight of Midnight and Rainbow bounding on the exterior of the shield, yet no sound emitting out, made it clear he soundproofed this shield.

Now Sword had the privacy he needed and the chance to speak freely without his typical emotionless mask.

“These humans of yours. They’re not what you think they are. Heroes? Friends?… Another to share your love with?”

Both Shining and Cadance froze as if they had been caught in the act of deception. Somehow, Sword acted as if he already knew.

“He was taken, too. Only, my chosen ten came years before yours did here. Our Harm— or should I say, that it was I who thought it would be best to strike first against the Darkness. Bringing the humans in before they could interfere with the most crucial years of The Words and what they had set out for Twilight and the others."

He quickly cocked his head to the side, almost bashful in appearance.

"Well… Twilight was only a foal at the time, so the memories would be easy to remove. But Shining… With no clue what to do with the humans, I let them roam free, figuring I would receive some clarity as to what or how they were the key… Instead, they grew too comfortable making friends and earning the admiration of a would-be future prince of the lost Crystal Empire."

The lack of a name drop did nothing to hide who was talking about, and Shining gulped.

"You mean Becky and I…"

Sword turned his head to stare directly at Shining.

"My Shining was an outcast. Just like you. Bullied, unpopular, just as The Words dictate for all variations. Yet, no matter what I did, Becky continued her kindness. Always forgiving and understanding towards whatever obstacles I put in their way. It was as if every attempt to ensure he and Cadance would fall in love only brought Becky and Shining closer together."

As if blown away by a truth bomb, Cadance’s heart stopped. Her own past flashed before her eyes. Her first crush on Shining? The fairytale love story of how they fell for each other? Then Harmony’s demonstration of manipulating creatures throughout history?

“The Words… Shining and I? That was Harmony’s doing?”

Sword’s smile soured into a bitter scowl.

“Yes,” he growled. “My Shining Armor was supposed to win over his precious Cadance the night of the Fall Formal, just as yours did. Every Shining is supposed to prove himself to his Cadance that night. Show everypony how perfect they are for each other. Instead, mine asked Becky to the Fall Formal, despite every pony that I turned against him telling him not to. Then he had to go and let her kiss him, and I lost control of my influence.”

Frustrated, he began to pace, circling the interior of the shield where he accosted his captives with his past.

“The humans I summoned carried Order within them. Too small to notice at first. It wasn't until I entered Shining’s mind that night to try and stop him. Stop him from accepting her temptation. Her soft hands… Every… Amazing… Caress… Feeling her crawl on top of us… It was too much to resist, and I mistakenly stayed, entranced by her every touch. I felt everything. His love. Their passion. Such wondrous delights that frightened them both for what I was too weak to stop them from consummating that night.”

Reaching the highlight of his story, Sword stopped, positioning himself between the lovely couple and the human with her guardians just beyond the shield. His scowl faded away to legitimate sorrow, catching a glimpse of Becky before turning to address his captives.

“The Crystal Sword was my prison for what felt like endless centuries, evolving and shaping the world around me. After that night… this body was my prison. Bound to Shining Armor, who was bound to Becky, I took control, barred his mind, and attempted to sever the bond… But my failure was twofold… Shining was there with me. Powerless behind the mental barrier I created.. Unable to look away. Screaming inside just as loud as she did. Dying inside me as he watched our bloody hooves-”

“YOU KILLED HER!” Shining screamed in defensive rage.

Sword raised his weapon, years of repressed anger boiling over into a chance to fix his mistake.

“I KILLED ALL OF THEM! ONE BY ONE! IN HOPES TO END THIS CURSE! AND EVERYPONY SUFFERED BECAUSE OF ME! EVEN CADANCE WHO WENT RUNNING TO JUSTIN! I WON’T LET YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE! YOU WERE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER! THAT IS YOUR FATE! AND I REFUSE TO WATCH ANOTHER WORLD DIE FOR SUCH PETTY DESIRES!"

Shining and Cadance charged their horns, ready to smite the crazed Echo, Sword teleported out of the shield, narrowly missing the twin beams.

Outside of the shield, Sword flashed in, immediately reacting Rainbow diving at him.

"Let them out, now!"

Rainbow's bladed wing met the giant sword, rejecting the attack, making her falter to the side and correct her footing.

"Okay, phony. What do you have against our friends anyway? We already defeated The Pony of Shadows. The threat is over. Equestria is safe! Who cares if these weren't the humans you think they were supposed to be?!"

Sword reared back slightly, jostled by the claim.

"The Pony of Shadows? How? Sebastian and the Pillars are still sealed away… Unless… Ooooh. You mean the shadow fragment from Nightmare Moon. I suppose he could be quite intimidating, but the Darkness that destroys Equestria comes from far beyond the mirrors. It never originates in any Equestria. In fact, it's still out there as we speak. Held back by only by Harmony’s light."

This was sounding like another stall to Becky. She fell for it once, and raised her pistol, not wanting to give this Echo a chance to get the drop on them.

"He's lying. It's just another trick."

Sword could feel his shield containing Shining and Cadance being tested. It wouldn't take long for this world’s Shining to figure out how to dispel a magic barrier based on his own design.

Then there was the Kühn and Midnight taking up position, plus something different about this Rainbow staring him down.

Despite his murderous intent, curiosity was assaulting him too intently not to humor it.

"Unfortunately, putting aside my motives, lying is not a skill set I have mastered. Deception and trickery, perhaps, but I'm being honest about your fate. Right now, Harmony’s power is the only thing keeping your world alive, and yet even that has started to weaken. All by this most unusual assembly of creatures put together. Becky’s bonding with you all is so… messy. No wonder it's made your situation so much worse."

Rainbow didn't know what that meant, so she took it as an insult and lunged in again.

"All friendships are messy!"

Sparks flew as Earth Steel met the magic blade. Friction and magic collided, discharging in flashes of white, yellow, and orange with every slash from Rainbow's wings Sword defended against.

“And is that friendship so important that you’d doom this world and everything in it? Are you that blinded by your desires you’d forsake EVERYTHING!?”

Sword roared, and he pushed Rainbow back high into the air. Sadly, he only had a moment before he saw Midnight flying in from his peripheral and quickly charged a spell.

Seeing the magic only a fraction of a second away from being cast, Rainbow veered hard to her left, wrapping herself around Midnight in an aerial roll.

"Watch it!"

The two hit the mud, where Rainbow kicked him off just in time to separate them from the trap of another, smaller bubble shield.

Midnight readied his spear, now aware of the first trap he almost flew into but also taking in the begrudgingly impressed look on Sword's face.

"You're much faster than my Rainbow Dash ever was. Truly a pity. Perhaps if she had been, she could’ve saved so many. Instead, she couldn’t even save herself."

In the blink of an eye, the three were maneuvering back and forth, trading blows and ground they constantly gained and lost.

Meanwhile, Becky stood with her pistol, her hands shaking as she tried to take aim next to Kühn.

"Fuck," she grunted as she lowered the pistol. "I can't hit a target that far away. I’d have to be a lot closer when he's not moving around... What do we do?"

Still holding strong, even if tense, Kühn watched the fight in front of him. Anger built up as he was forced to stand back.

"Kühn protect Becky. Get in way of smaller, faster ponies. Not help if leave to fight. Not safe around fast ponies for Becky either. Need to stay by yak."

Running out of options, Becky raised his pistol again, taking aim at the biggest target in view.

"God, I hope this works."

Inside the shield, Cadance and Shining were trying to figure out more than a means of escape. Or, at least, Shining was trying not to.

"Light violet in color. Only a half-dome shield, but there's some kind of offensive element added to it? Almost like... No... Can't be... Ugh? It has the same refractive dispensation of high-yielding magic cable of… Cadance, what if you're right?"

Cadance knew what Shining was asking. It was a question she was still trying to ignore herself.

"Then we'll ask Harmony herself after we get out of this mess. They need us out there."

Looking through the shield, the sounds of war were gone; only the spectacle of it all could be observed. On one side, Cadance looked for Cerb, seeing the humans were starting to lose their momentum. On the other, Shining had his eyes on Becky aiming her gun towards them, only visible between clashes of Rainbow's blades or Midnight flying in the way.

Shining again tried to take down the shield, his magic quickly winding down, only for him to punch the shield instead.

"Fuck! His barrier is stronger than mine. I can't take it down."

For the moment, they were stuck inside. So, in spite of their urgency, all they could deal with was their past. Even if it hurt to think it, let alone for Shining to speak it.

"How did we get here? We're so drawn to them. Without whispers or magic or some impossible fairytale love story… I know we love each other, but…"

Cadance found Cerb beyond the barrier. His massive frame shielded Fluttershy from three Twilights firing beams of magic upon him.

Ax in hand, marching towards danger. No fear in sight as he pushed forward. No clue that she wanted to be there fighting next to him.

"But," Cadance softly spoke, knowing what Shining didn't want to say. "If Harmony can stop a war between ancient yaks and dragons after they watched their brothers or fathers die? It was as if they respected each other... How hard would it be to make two ponies love each other?"

It was an open-ended question, but neither had the answer of whether their relationship was of their own doing or the impression left upon them.

Crack! Bang! Crack! Bang!

Shining looked up to see two tiny holes punched through the shield with grey metal numbs sticking through.

"That's our ticket out of here! We'll figure out the rest later!" Shining shouted.

Pooling his magic together, he started to weaken the shield. It was still strong, but he had enough influence over it now to give Cadance what she needed.

"Cadance! Blast it open! There's a layer to the barrier I can't figure out yet! Get that out of our way, and we'll take out this phony. Then you can move up with the rest out there."

Focused on the portion that lost its luster and glimmer, Cadance took aim for their freedom and fired.

Shining could feel the barriers weaken and held his magic to stop them from trying to repair.

“Hit it again! I think I see how it works now!”

Outside the shield, Midnight stood catching his breath next to Rainbow. He kept his eyes glued to Sword, taking in the realization that this was a stronger and more experienced version of his former Captain of the Guard. Even if Sword was showing similar signs of fatigue, they would have to change tactics if they wanted to stand a chance.

"Rainbow. When I lead in, go in high to draw off his weapon." He switched his spear from his right wing to his left. "We may need to start fighting dirty. Make sure you hit him hard."

Rainbow hunkered down, ready to go again.

"Fine by me. I'll be right behind you."

There was a slim chance Midnight was attempting to bite off more than he could chew, but down to fighters, he had to do something.

"Here I go!"

Taking off, Midnight kept to the ground. Running in at full speed, he jumped within striking distance to his right, switching his spear to his wing again. Waiting until Rainbow was over and in front of him, he found his opening with Sword, putting his round shield out to cover his front while raising his blade high.

Midnight plunged his spear low and flapped his left wing in to pull him away from Sword’s center. It was now up to Rainbow to follow through, swinging her wing out with a burst of speed. The two blades met, pushing the massive blade and Sword back.

Midnight dropped his spear below the shield, letting it dig into the dirt, causing his momentum to swing his body around the shield.

Snap!

The shaft of the spear broke under the tension, letting Midnight bypass Sword’s defenses.

With his maw open wide, Midnight tackled Sword, letting his fangs buried deep into the soft flesh of the Echo's throat, taking them both to the ground.

Together, they rolled in the mud, Midnight only biting down harder the more Sword struggled.

Screaming in pain, bucking, and tossing over from one side to the next, Sword couldn't shake the bat pony free. Panic and pain increased until a violet burst of energy erupted from Sword’s core, ripping Midnight off his back and casting off towards the wall.

"I got ya!" Rainbow called out.

Rainbow flew up behind Midnight, catching him.

"Oof!"

The force projecting was too strong, sending them both back into the wall. Rainbow took the worst of the impact, hitting hard enough her left wing blades popped off, clanging and dangling free.

Both dropped down to the floor with a thud and a crack, unable to return to their hooves.

Sword stood up, clutching his throat with his hoof. Blood pumping out, running down his foreleg, shocking Becky.

"Holy shit! This one's alive?"

Sword released his wound, turning his attention back to Becky. He marched forward with a new fire left burning in his eyes, no longer caring to hold back the blood spurting out with every heartbeat.

"You humans. You ruin everything." He stumbled slightly. "Always forging your own path, never caring about the lives you destroy. Inconsistent. Ruled by your self-gratifying logic, emotions, and disgusting desires."

He stumbled again, spitting up blood, yet his fire continued to burn as he glared with a rage that froze Becky in place.

"From now on. I will see to it myself that you're kind is never allowed to enter our worlds again. And I’ll start with you.”

Kühn lowered his head and scraped his hoof in the mud, learning down at the oncoming threat.

“Evil pony stay back or get smashed!”

Sword quickened his pace, not wanting to waste any more than on these nuances.

“You don't know your place, Kühn! You can be replaced!”

Kühn bellowed his war cry, rearing up to meet the massive blade aiming for Becky.

Blade met horn, passing through to strike the metal of Kühn’s helmet pressed forward to protect his ward. The sting of the magic blade cutting into him and the dull ack of his severed horn only fueling his will to fight.

“Stupid pony not know Kühn’s place,” he grunted, his vision turning red as the blood dripped down into his eyes. “Stupid pony not know he in danger!”

Bang!

Sword’s left rear leg faltered. The sensation of hot iron being driven through his thigh broke his concentration on anything except the pain. The pain was intense as the ringing in his ear and the smell of burnt charcoal and sulfur came from the smoking barrel in Becky's shaking hand.

Becky held her breath, covering her mouth with her left hand, having caught some of the smoke on accident. With no breeze to carry the smoke away as it had in the castle, she could already feel it entering her lungs, watering her eyes, blurring her focus on the iron sights pointing at Sword's center mass.

She exhaled and squeezed the trigger…

… nothing.

She blinked hard and took a step back. When her eyes opened, cleared enough to see the slide was open, locked to the rear.

Four shots were put in Harmony, two in the shield, and lucky number seven just now fired into Sword. The mag was empty.

"Shit!"

Kühn didn't understand the mechanics of how Becky's weapon was supposed to work, but her expletive informed him something had gone wrong. Now, it was time to switch from defense to offense.

Thrashing his head from to the side, he threw off his helmet, disarming Sword from his weapon in the same motion.

"Now yak fight!"

Sword attempted to step back and regain his control over the battlefield. His injured leg gave out, putting him down on his haunches. Another rise in pain slammed into his neck, just above the bit wounds from Kühn thrusting what remained of his severed horn against him.

He was hooked, locked between Kühn's horn and skull. The tight fit was choking him as Kühn charged off away from Becky. The bumpy ride stretched and tore his open wounds, making it impossible for him to conjure any spells.

Clang!

Sword slammed against the shield he created to imprison Shining and Cadance. Still choking, he bucked and squirmed, gasping for air. The hold around his throat wasn't enough to asphyxiate him, but the constant denial of a full breath was agonizing. Even his ability to fight back was a losing battle. His strength was leaving him. Bleeding profusely, he didn't have much left to physically bring to the fight.

BOOM!

Kühn fell forward through the barrier, and Sword's back hit the mud. The shield was broken, freeing Sword, who took the opportunity to discharge his horn point-blank into Kühn's chest.

The brunt force ejected Kühn, skidding to a halt far from where he was struck. The fur from his chest blasted off, leaving only bare, bruised skin, and rendering him unconscious.

Shining saw a moment too late that their escape had caused Kühn to be struck down, but that was all the more reason to come down hard on Sword, who’s regained focus shifted to Becky.

Behind them, Cerb yelped in pain, and Rarity shrieked. Both Cadance and Shining looked back to see Cerb falling back with Fluttershy in his arms and the owlbear fighting its way closer. Far closer, Becky was coughing hard, fumbling with her pistol. Rainbow and Midnight were slowly coming to, and Kuhn wasn't moving. So, perhaps the timing couldn't be helped, and Cadance was needed elsewhere.

"Cadance! Go help Cerb!" He hunkered down again, eye up his double. "As for you. If you want to get to Becky. You're going to have to get through me first."

“Right,” Cadance said with a determined nod before flying off to help the others.

Sword could only stand about as well as he could catch his breath. The two holes in his neck didn't make it easy. There was the version of his host's body standing in front of him. The sight of a pony so dedicated to any of these humans sickened him.

"You know what?" He spat out another glob of blood. "I was going to leave it to chance, but it's clear to me this world is doomed to fail with the likes of you. Killing you won't change that. So instead, I’ll make sure to scar this entire world in such a way you’ll NEVER forget it."

Shining focused his magic on constructing his shield. Putting it on display for Sword to see, elongating the base, and raising the two hooked upper corners of his shield, a revelation of magic construction proved rewardingly impressive. Each new addition to his shield came with finely honed blades.

"Don't sound so confident. I figured out how you made your shield magic so much stronger than mine, even if the construction formations are different. But, you missed the improvements I made after the Changeling Invasion. I suggest you surrender before I show you how sharp a shield can be."

Wounded and partially crippled, Sword glared down at Shining before his anger turned into an arrogant smirk.

"And you seemed to have forgotten something as well. Namely that unlike you, I’m not a one-trick pony. But I killed you once, and I'll happily do it again. Just like BECKY!'

The giant sword next to Becky rose up in Sword’s aura, posing to come down like a possessed guillotine. The mammoth blade caught Becky off guard, still trying to remember how to release the empty magazine. Unguarded, her burning lungs and unsettled nerves gave her no added agility or hope.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the blade to drop.

Clang!

Becky dropped in a fetal position. Certain death had fallen upon her. Mercifully, as the ringing in her ear came to a stop, a masculine grunt and swirling magic alerted her to react.

She opened her eyes to find Shining standing over her. Legs sprawled out, flexing, stressing, then, slowly, stepping closer to Sword.

The massive blade was still overhead but held back by Shining and a different shield that she had seen him use in the castle earlier. He was pushing the blade out of reach.

"Coward!" Shining bellowed, his eyes only able to take a single glance at the still-cringing girl. "You can't live with your own mistakes! And you think making others suffer will make up for it?!"

Deliberately creating a surge in his magic, Shining forced an eruption, pushing both blade and shield further out.

Looking jovial but still eager to finish things, Sword struck back, slashing his weapon with ease in his telekinetic hold. Fierce strikes left and right, each battered away by Shining’s equally masterful control over his constructed weaponry. However, Shining was suffering no injury and did not waver in his approach.

"I'm so sick of you and your kind forcing your vision of the world on us. Your self-righteous arrogance. Saying you care?"

Marching closer, the years of life were bombarding him with questions of their validity. The separations, lost friends, his family, their isolation, all his failures, his successes, colliding into a division of his reality. Happiness through his ignorance and fear of the unknown he was fighting for.

In his anger, he crossed the oncoming blade with the sharpened edge of the shield.

Sparks of warring magic flashed out, rejecting the blade away, leaving a gash in the once pristine blade.

"Well, I care about the future of this world, too! And I think we're all better off without tyrants like you!"

Shining swung his shield, clashing with the massive blade again. Only this time, Sword pushed out his disk shield to bash Shining.

“YOU KNOW NOTHING YOU PETULANT CHILD! You don’t care about order, the future or anything other than your neverending desire for selfish gratification with these parasites. The fact you’ve allowed such needless attachments to blind you to the truth shows just how much a fool you truly are.”

Without a weapon of his own, Shining forced out a beam from his horn. The strong attack held the shield at bay, leading both to exchange attacks in a flurry of slashes, guarded blows, and blasts of magic. It was either's fight at this point, Sword's superior offense contending with Shining's stronger defense and unafflicted mobility. The tides would surely turn as soon as Rainbow and Midnight could recover, though Rainbow had lost one of her wing blades.

Sword and his blade blocked a near-miss of Shining's newly tipped shield, bashing it off to the side. He took the opening to thrust his disk shield at the exposed prince.

Shining charged another spell in his horn, teleporting just behind Sword's head, delivering a swift rear hoof to the back of the Echo's skull.

Sword fell into a tumble, spinning and lurching up to spread his wings, leaving the ground to remove Shining's advantage on hoof. It would take more of his strength to maintain the fight this way, especially after raising his blade over his head.

Once he thought he was clear of striking range, a searing pain coursed through his back, leaving his wings numb, and weakening his holdover his blade. He was about to fall, no longer having control over his flight, but the sight of Rainbow twirling mid-air in front of him came as a grim omen. Her right wing was now bare, her left, however, its metal edges were tainted with red and the white of his feathers. She finished her spin, facing him, flapping her wings to fly away while discarding his severed pair from her fetlocks off to either side.

It had happened so quickly that it didn't seem possible, but as gravity took hold, pulling him down, he lashed out.

"YOU BITCH!"

In his descent, he reached for his blade, not able to grip it with his magic from the pain. Taking it in his right forehoof, wishing only to split open the mare who robbed him of his flight, he swung with all his might.

In his view, as new pain bore into his forehoof, he did not see his blade cut into Rainbow. No, it was Midnight wearing the other wing blade, diving into her, pushing her out of reach of the blade, falling at a freefall speed, his forehoof still attached to the handle, but not his leg.

No wings. No magic. No sword. No shield. He flailed violently, falling towards Shining, waiting for him below; the new weaponized shield turned to greet him.

Sword's mind was a buzz of frantic panicking. He had faced Order before. He was bound to it, admittedly stronger because of it. Yet the few weeks these ponies had been exposed to it made them demonstrably stronger just being around it.

Did he miss the big picture? Was it a choice to be made between humans being the key to their survival and The Word's purity?

His back legs landed with a crunch, bending unnaturally under his frame while his neck snapped, forced to stare forward at the blue and polished steel blade of Shining's shield stabbing up through the center of his muzzle. The blade he once wielded dropped to the muddy dirty harmlessly, dislodging the hold his severed hoof held.

Instantly, he tried to inhale, but it was as if he were trying to breathe underwater. Fluid hit his lungs, halting his breath, as Shining lowered the shield to stare into his eyes one last time.

Their eyes met, and Sword's lungs demanded air, forcing out what little he had through his nose, spraying Shining with an aerosol of blood.

Disgusted, Shining ripped his shield out, turning away to let the defeated Echo choke and sputter.

"It's over."

Sword was defeated. He had neither the strength nor the magic left to put up a fight. He had only one option left.

"Yoal… faiul," he bitterly remarked, spitting more up blood than intelligible words, yet amidst this he let out a bitter chuckle that likely would’ve formed into laughter were it not for his injuries. “Yofuf chozn...yorrr...fait… Noww livv...with…et… Wool ewu… cuhn.”

Shining turned and raised up his shield, ready to deliver the final blow. The time for talking was over. He would end this sad creature's life.

Flash.

Digging deep into what little magic Sword had left, he teleported himself to the pillar of light. It was a brutal defeat that he suffered, but with nothing left to gain, he vanished into the pillar.

With that threat removed, Becky walked as fast as her lungs would allow to Kühn. She was still a little shaken by their close call, as well as her breathing, but her yak guardian was more important.

“Kühn!” She dropped down to her knees, grabbing his foreleg and shaking him. “Wake up! Can you hear me? Kühn?”

Slowly, Kühn started to move his legs, lifting his head to take in his surroundings.

“Becky… safe?”

Relieved, Becky threw herself over him, hugging as much of him as her frail arms could reach.

“Yeah. Kühn did a great job. I’m safe.”

Right away, Rainbow and Midnight flew over, landing in front of the yak, surprised to see he had been taken down.

“Holy shit!” Rainbow not so eloquently exclaimed. “I mean… You good for another round, buddy? There's a lot of fighting left to do.”

A bit more tactful, Midnight placed a hoof over Kühn’s totter, speaking boldly but apologetically.

“Apologies, my friend. Becky is safe, but your condition is of our doing. We should have been there with you.”

Finally, Shining was with them, extending his hoof, proud to help lift Becky’s wounded guardian back into the fight.

“We all did our part, especially you Kühn. But this fight isn’t over yet.”

With totter in hoof, Kühn gave a deep groan, accepting the help to stand, despite the injury that pained him.

“Yaks smash good. Sword and magic… Not so much. So, no pony at fault."

The fight that Cadance had entered was a mosh pit of warring bodies, and outside the cave sounded no better.

All Shining could do was hope that his sister and those who went to confront Harmony were faring better than his group.

"Come on. They have wounded, and the rest need our help."

Close-range combat has commenced so tactics have changed. Also, the owlbear is back in play.

Of course, the big focus this time around was on Sword. Mentioned earlier on, always viewed as a threat, only to be introduced near the end... I feel bad not giving this guy a full back story. I feel like I really had a tale of tragedy there. Also a tragedy that Sword didn't get a little more fucked up.

Seriously. Fuck that guy, but lets move on.

Also, kinda curious to know who you think got the best hit on Sword: Midnight, Rainbow, Kühn, or Shining?

Otherwise, I'm waiting for the editing to be completed for the next chapter, so that will likely be a two-day wait for you to see: