The quick turnover of the advantage threw Cadance into action, charging towards the beast.

“Now!”

Thunder jumped to the right side of Cadance. Then, they teleported behind the beast in a flash, and Thunder lunged with her knife towards the wounded Celestia double.

The double jumped back, unleashing short bursts of magic from her horn, yet Thunder pressed on relentlessly. With every retreat, the Twilight Guard gained ground, much to the concern of the Echo.

"You must stop this at once!"

Thunder rolled into a dive, still slashing her blade with all the fury she could muster.

"You started this fight!

Thunder struck out again with her blade, slashing up to sever a lofty amount of the double's primary crystal feathers, earning another look of shock from the double.

“Impossible!”

The blade cut effortlessly through the construct, no different than Thunder had seen Cerb do with his ax against the Timberwolves. Such a fantastic weapon to give her the edge in this fight. To provide a mere pegasus the power to cut through no only an alicorn but also the living weapon hosting with the confines dwelling within one.

The lopsided fight was painfully transparent to the double, falling back on her haunches, wings covering her face and projecting a dark dome shield around them.

"Stop!"

Muffled noises of war and pain ebbed through the darkly tinted shield. Thunder, still the aggressor stood with her knife at the ready, waiting for her enemy to make any wrong move.

"Do you surrender? She boldly asked.

The double slowly lowered her wings, showing her flat, unemotional composure.

"This is not the resistance I agreed to become a part of, nor is this the path your world destined for… I appear to have found myself at an impasse."

The conversation sounded to Thunder like it was a method for buying time. However, taking a prisoner still had to be considered, even as she pressed her knife closer.

"Lethal force is authorized if you resist. I suggest you comply and let me out of here."

This would be complicated for this Echo to rationalize, but the gaping hole in her neck had changed her original perspective of her previous mindset.

"I will not resist, but I will not surrender. My work is not complete. The Darkness that destroyed my Equestria still seeks our destruction. We share similar goals in that regard."

Still not hearing a confirmation, Thunder pressed her blade closer.

"Then why attack us?! Did you see what Harmony did to Peter! To all of us?! Creatures are bleeding and suffering because of her!"

The double took a moment to contemplate that new info, then changed her viewing of the pegasi guard.

"You only feel this way because you lack understanding of the depth of this situation. You and your humans have caused a disturbance that threatens everything. Yet you continue to resist in spite of our warnings. In spite of your Harmony’s direct action taken against you, you fight. Still, we calculated such outcomes impossible, which may change our… their... approach."

An explosion, albeit muffled by the shield, stole Thunder's attention. Reflexively turning to see the smoke and dust where she last saw Ember fighting, Thunder feared the worst. In fearing her ally's demise, she remembered her fate could be the same, making her turn back to the double, her defense low and guarded, but the double had not moved.

"I spoke the truth. I will not resist nor surrender. I evaluated entering this battle would aid Harmony in ending our war against the Darkness. However, The Words have failed us time and time again. So perhaps it is time I forge a new path away from Sword and the others."

Yet again, another inconclusive response is what Thunder was hearing.

"Come on, Celestia. You trapped me here long enough. Surrender quietly, and you may receive favorable treatment in Tartarus."

The double lowered her head slightly in a weak display of submission.

"I am not Celestia. I am but a vessel of Harmony with her memories. She was with me for a time, but her life ended when this host body was only Harmony, the Crystal Mandala, who I truly am. Or who I was. Regardless, my appearance is unable to change until I bury roots once more."

Thunder swallowed hard, imagining the process of having her body overtaken by a magic entity that would turn flesh to crystal, killing her slowly.

"You... murdered that Celestia?"

Mandala opened her mouth but hesitated to speak for a moment. She closed her lips and turned her eyes away so she could rethink her words.

"It was not explained to her, nor I given the option. It was merely a matter of time, no matter how long I resisted... I could not save her. In fact, all suffer this fate... Save maybe the two who rebelled, favoring a new path side by side with humans and with that decision, came much suffering and destruction. Away from The Words and Harmony's will. Perhaps it is due to the means of their transcendence before joining us."

Having addressed one matter, she lifted her head to speak her final piece.

"Let me pass so that my light will not extinguish here. I will not survive in this world while your Harmony occupies it. Neither will Rose or Ring. You should focus on saving Cadance. She is fighting the Crystal Staff Asclepius. A rare healing Harmony she could not hope to beat."

More concerned than ever, Thunder took the chance to look out through the shield again. She was in the center of it all.

Farthest away, Ember was down against the wall under a double. On the other far side, Cadance lay on the ground, struggling to get up, crawling away from the other Celestia double with a long laceration cut into her side. At a glance, she could have sworn the Echo was bleeding.

Another look around showed that most of the group had taken shelter in Shining's shield, surrounded by the Echoes.

She looked for the others fighting the owlbear, but the shield went dark, blocking her from getting a full layout of the battlefield.

It could all be a trap, but what other option did she have?

"Fuck…"

Instantly, the shield dispersed, and Mandala couldn’t help but crack a grin. Perhaps forced, perhaps not.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, go for the horn if you want to stand a chance against Asclepius.”

The quick turnover of the advantage threw Cadance into action, charging towards the beast.

“Now!”

Cadance jumped ahead to lead the way, waiting for her two to join. Then, when they were in position, in a flash, she teleported them behind the beast and unleashed a fierce blast from her horn at the still healing Celestia double.

Taking the full brute force attack, Asclepius was thrust back in the wave of magic blasting over her. The unrelenting wave continued to pour out, slamming her into the wall, pinning her in place until the attack abruptly ceased.

Gracefully, Cadance fluttered down, standing in a domineering pose.

"That's enough healing out of you"

Despite the damaging blow, Asclepius pried herself from the stone. Her hooves hissed as the heated crystal pressed into the mud, turning it to sand as she stepped out.

"Is that what you think?" She calmly answered, despite the clearly visible damage to her body.

Cracks and fractures over her frame creaked and groaned as the jagged pieces coarsely ground against each other. As she walked closer, the same healing light glowed from her damaged exterior, sealing each separation shut.

"Healing is what I do, my special talent as you’d say. And it’s a good thing, too. You should have seen the condition Celestia was in when she fought her way to me. The Darkness did such nasty things to my precious ponies. I was lucky to save what little of her as I could.”

Having healed her damaged form, Asclepius cast a new spell, turning her crystal exterior transparent. And what was seen stopped Cadence cold.

Inside, fragments of bones fused to denser crystal structures supported translucent arteries and veins flowing with blood. Behind them, a single lung and heart expanded and contracted as she breathed through her pho-smile. Just above one could see what appeared to be Celestia’s head, though horrifically only part of it was covered with flesh and skin.

All and all, it was a nightmare that were things not so dire, Cadence would’ve likely lost what food remained in her stomach right there.

“She was such a good listener. I so rarely needed to utter a whisper. That is, until she took pity on that frail and insecure little manlet. She mothered him until her feelings became undignified, and I had to become more involved. Years later, after I saved her, she begged me to find a way to save her ponies, the vanquished kingdoms, all her lost friends… even her chosen ten. But really, it was the one human she believed to have mistakenly pushed away she longed for.”

Seeing Cadance was horrified by what she saw, gawking in terror at the sight, Asclepius gazed down at the beating heart, softly rubbing her hoof over it to feel it thump.

"It broke my faithful Celestia’s heart to learn I kept them apart. Then she refused to speak to me, but every now and again, I feel her reminiscing about those wonderful, disgraceful thoughts of hers. Such a pity."

KABOOM!

Behind them, an eruption of magic exploded, leaving smoke and dust hiding where Ember should have been. Of course, Asclepius was unchanged by the blast, almost smirking at the Dragon Lord's possible demise.

"I've seen it happen so many times. So many worlds fall. So many ponies losing their way as well as their lives. I guess you could say I’m even more hollow than this crystal body."

Finally, she showed her true colors, turning up a wicked smile.

"Though I’m smart enough to know a love-struck mare when I see one, and dragons are no different. But I believe in The Words, and we will find a way to stop The Darkness and keep the humans locked away as they should be. And we'll start with your unlucky champions."

That claim finally brought Cadence from her shock. Not only was what she heard a threat to Cerb, but to all the humans. Direct and unmistakable, angering Cadance to charge her horn.

“Don’t you dare lay a hoof on-”

Bam!

Without even charging, Asclepius sent a bolt of magic that struck Cadance in the chest, forcing her to the ground, all semblance of elegance and grace having been shed.

“Poor Cadance. Born a pegasus. Her parents? Forever a mystery to her. Still, not knowing her mother or father's love, she was whispered to love unconditionally. Until one day, she discovered a new magic and ascended as a Princess. Then led into the embrace of her fairy tale Knight in Shining Armor, now a prince. The ruler of The Crystal Empire with a family to call her own… Yet, always the weakest of all the alicorns, with or without your Crystal Heart. Never as strong a leader as Celestia, as brave a warrior as Luna or as intelligent or as powerful as Twilight. Nothing more than an emotionally fragile child, so easily manipulated. It’s almost pitiful.”

This time, Asclepius made an effort to start charging her horn as she continued her approach to Cadance.

“Now, this is going to hurt, but when you wake up, you’ll be healed and will have forgotten all about what your misguided heart is telling you. All as it should be.”

From the clamoring bodies of those fighting the Echoes, Shining’s voice pierced through the noise of war loud enough for her to hear.

“Cadance! Take it!”

Unfazed by the voice, Asclepius focused her aim, looking Cadance dead in the eyes before they closed with tears of a thousand regrets.

“Sleep tight, Princess.”

Swish! Bzzt! Clang! Ting!

Cadance cautiously opened one eye, seeing the massive sword Shining had fought against standing in the dirt in front of her. It landed tip first, standing upright to block the attack from Asclepius.

For the moment, Cadance was saved, thanks to her still-loving husband. She had never forgotten that. Though, perhaps, all her doubts of how they came to be had clouded her mind from that truth. That alone gave her the strength she needed.

“I may be the weakest—”

She kicked herself up, dodging another quick blast, then spun, taking the sword in her magic grip, and swung.

Shink!

The massive blade struck Asclepius’s broadside, below her shoulder, cutting in deep, extending out past her hip.

“—But that’s why I don’t fight alone. And Shining supports me just as I support him. How’s that for the Princess of Love?”

Asclepius’s eyes fluttered, despite seeming ready to continue to attack, her mouth went agape as if she was having a seizure. Her body jolted. At first, it appeared that it was from the shock of the heavy blow, but a more familiar tone of voice came from the construct’s lips.

“Kill me… Cadance… The Echoes… They’re beyond evil. Please… There is so little of me left… Make it— No! Justin!”

There was no mistaking the real Celestia, not from this world or another. Cadance trusted that voice enough to turn and see the fight with the owlbear.

Fluttershy held the beast’s right foreleg with the hooks of her boots, Rarity held the front left in her aura and a blade stuck in its paw, while King Abyssinian and Cerb held the halberd in the beast’s chest.

The massive creature was slowly falling forward, its beak getting closer to Cerb, who pushed King Abyssinian away before the shaft broke, making all of them collapse. Cerb quickly raised his hands to catch the owlbears throat, but it effortlessly overpowered him.

There was no time to think, and Cadance did the only thing she could think of to save them.

“Justin! Don’t move!”

The once Celestia from the reality of the Crystal Staff of Asclepius let out a gasping grunt from the blade ripped out of her side, wrapped in Cadance’s aura, launched with laser-like precision.

Bzzt!

“Guh!”

A blast from behind sent Cadance face-first into the dirt. She coiled in pain, forcing her eyes open to see Asclepius fighting with herself, both physically and verbally.

"Give it up, Celestia. You know The Words. What these ponies want is wrong and will only lead them and this world to ruin. Why do you insist in fighting against this?"

She forced another step forward but couldn’t stop her inner prisoner from speaking, straining to force her truth out.

"We’re meant to be free to do as we wish. We should choose our own path. This has to stop."

Asclepius flashed her horn, hiding the organs within and silencing her prisoner.

"Foolish alicorn. To think she saved her strength for one-"

Shink!

A blur of a violet pony's wing and armor passed in front of Asclepius's eyes, leaving a sting on her forehead. Then, her horn fell forward, bouncing off her nose, falling quietly in the mud beneath her hooves.

Thunder planted her hooves to the ground, sliding into a spin to face her target again. In her wing, she still held the knife and glared equally sharp eyes at the Echo.

“Try healing that back on, bitch!”

The knife in her wing suddenly glowed in Cadance’s aura. In the blink of an eye, it was ripped from her grip, thrust out with bitter vengeance through Asclepius’s torse, spilling more blood and exposing the softer inner workings.

Cadance growled as she drew the magic she needed in her horn, white static arcs sparking over it, preparing to follow through with the trapped Celestia’s last request.

“Don’t bother. Now you can see what it’s like having somepony else decide for you.”

Defenseless, Asclepius took a nervous step back.

“Wait!”

There was no hesitation from Cadance. A red heart-shaped spell popped out from her horn, twirling and spinning whimsically in the air. Deceivingly it floated as if it were part of a performance for foals, even softly slipping into the open wound of the Echo.

Asclepius gasped, feeling the spell nearing its end purpose, she surrendered her control, hoping to mentally escape what was to come next.

In these final moments, a grateful Celestia whispered with favor in the face of death, and the softness in the eyes of this construct returned.

“Thank you.”

The shiny exterior of Asclepius bloated with a dull audible rumble of distant thunder under her cracking crystal coat. The softness faded, and the cold empty eyes of a heartless Echo returned as she choked on the blood spouting from her lips.

“Kugh!”

She stumbled to her right, her sense of balance thrown off by the liquidated contents in her fractured core. The life inside was gone, leaving her an empty shell, running on fumes, hopeless, with no defenses or protection from the pain.

She wanted to shout. There were so many spiteful, authoritative lectures racing through her rapidly fading mind to tear Cadance down, imperfect piece by flawed piece. To her dismay, each attempt only brought forth more blood and viscera. Every failed breath burned away what little strength she had left until the imperfections throughout her construct gave way.

Her body crumpled in the mud without a retort. A broken shell, collapsed over the bloody interior, her essence nothing but vapor lost in stagnant air.

Victorious, Cadance slowly took deep breaths, painfully mustering the strength to stand again. Asclepius may have been beaten, but the fight wasn't over.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!"

Cadance, frightened by the unmistakable voice of Cerb screaming, turned to see him lunging with his ax at a line of Twilight doubles.

At the same time, from Shining's shield, a loud siren sound started to pulse through.

KABOOM!

An explosion shook the cave, sending smoke and debris in all directions from behind the owlbear. The pitter-patter of stones sprinkled along the ground, carrying Ember’s staff into view, all by itself, setting off a new fear for Cerb.

“EMBER!”

Whatever caused that explosion, it couldn't have been something helpful to Ember, and Cerb wasn't going to lose any of his team again.

"Helix, hold him in your chains as long as you can. Everyone, do what you can. King, when he reads up, aim for his heart."

The shield came down, and the chains returned. Even with the chains, the owlbear lunged forward, taking a swipe at Gruff, knocking him out of the way.

Rarity threw her blades, both cutting up the beast’s forehead.

"Shit!"

Despite her control over the blades, one was stuck in the beast's thick skull, and she jumped back only able to return one of them. The beast in turn looking not especially thrilled about its new, makeshift horn.

King Abyssinia thrust the spike of the halberd out, only poking a thumbtack’s worth of depth in the beast’s shoulder.

The owlbear was on a hasty retreat, missing an upward swing from Cerb’s ax, and reared up to avoid a cut that would have opened up its throat.

This was the opening Cerb was looking for, and pointed to King Abyssinia behind him after his follow-through.

"Get'em!"

The halberd shot out, sticking deep and high in the owlbear’s chest.

It squealed a painful shriek, pawing down the shaft to remove it, but it wouldn't budge. Not able to remove the blade, it raised its claws to strike, only to catch Rarity’s blade through the bones of its paw instead.

The owl turned to attack the blade, swinging its body and King Abyssinia still holding the halberd along with it.

"Cerb!"

In a moment of panic, Cerb dropped his ax to grab the shaft carrying the King away. He locked his legs, taking on the strain, but his feet were no match for the beast's brute strength.

Seeing a returning danger, Fluttershy jumped in.

"Look out!"

She raised her hooves, catching the declawed paw of the owlbear from swinging down on Cerb. Her grappling hooks lodged a firm under its limb and she pulled it back.

Now the owlbear had only one means of attack and leaned over Cerb and King Abyssinia, snapping its beak at them.

More weight of its body forced the shaft down, driving it deeper, unable to be removed.

All five were stuck, but Helix had a new problem.

"Cerb! I can’t-"

Ting!

One of the chains snapped, giving the owlbear more momentum, and Helix winced as his focus and reserves of magic were pushed to the limit.

"Get out of there!"

Ting!

The last chain snapped as Helix collapsed from exhaustion, and the full weight of the owlbear fell forward. Its beak snapped again, getting close enough for Cerb to smell its foul breath.

“Move!”

Cerb shoved King Abyssinia out of the way, nearly losing his nose to the owlbear’s bite.

Snap!

The halberd’s shaft broke, the owlbear collapsed over Cerb, the remaining shaft keeping only a foot’s worth of space between them. Had Cerb not brought his hands up to the creature’s throat, he would have been smothered as he was mauled. However, it was all Cerb could do to stop the mauling. Even at his strongest, he could not stop the creature’s thrashing, only barely able to stop its beak from nicking his chest and shoulders.

Helix was crawling closer to Cerb’s side, his horn flickering off and on as he searched for any magic he could use. King Abyssinia was searching for another weapon while Gruff was only now coming too. Then there was Fluttershy and Rarity, physically and magically giving their all to hold back the beast from clawing and crushing and tearing Cerb apart.

All looked hopeless until Cadance called out from across the cave.

“Justin! Don’t move!”

From around the owlbear, and even dimly echoing through its body, a sloshing noise was heard. The noise came with a thud from behind that knocked the owlbear to the side of Cerb.

Without hesitation, Cerb reached back for his ax, rose to his feet, and swung down at the great beast.

Fluttershy was still stuck to the owlbear's paw, watching in horror as the ax came down.

A hollow crack overlapping with the sound of a melon being split open numbed the air. The ax landed in the center of the back of the owlbears neck, severing its spine from the brain.

She couldn't look away. Not even the beast’s blood that squirted from the severed arteries averted her eyes. Paralyzed, she watched its body quiver and shake. Its eyes were flickering, dilating, scared, lost, occasionally finding her.

For the first time, she watched a creature she swore to protect and cherish lose its life. Then everything went black.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

Four bolts flew out from a row of Twilight doubles. Fluttershy, Rarity, Gruff, and King Abyssinia were all struck in the head, rendering them limp and folding up as they hit the ground.

Cerb turned to see where the cheap shots had come from. Twilight doubles slowly approached as what sounded like sirens boomed from Shining's magic shield sounded off.

But that didn't matter at the moment. Only the poorly phrased words from the Echoes mattered.

"They're asleep."

"War is coming."

"They will be needed to fight the Storm King."

"You're a killer."

"Canterlot must fall to the Storm King."

"You cannot stay here."

"Surrender."

"Do not fight back."

"Die for peace-"

"-and Helix will be spared."

"The Storm King desires slaves."

"He will not notice this one missing after Canterlot falls."

"The others-"

Cerb’s vision went red, and his hearing finally recognized the sirens. They weren't sirens at all. They were distorted guitar riffs. And while he didn't know who was playing the song, it couldn't have been more fitting for what he was about to do.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!"

They were surrounded. Every attempt to protect their flanks failed as more Echoes filled the gaps. Then, seeing Cadance in danger, Shining threw away their last advantage.

“Cadance! Take it!”

Throwing the massive sword, Shining guided it long enough to protect Cadance, forcing it to land between his wife and the Echo. Then, when they were about to be overtaken, he fell back onto the group with only one trick left to pull.

“Everyone! Huddle close!”

Everyone quickly grouped together and Shining’s shield formed over them. The doubles cast their attacks and kicked at the barrier. Thankfully, with Shining using the new method he learned, they wouldn't be entering any time soon.

Quickly, tending to their wounded, assessing their injuries, and desperate to find a new strategy, they worked to prepare themselves for what awaited them.

“They’re a hive mind,” Luna reluctantly grumbled, finally able to take a breath. “All of their movements are coordinated before we can react.

She turned back, mournfully looking down at Kelly pulling out another crystal shard from Big Mac’s foreleg.

“We don’t have long… How are we all faring?”

Big Mac grunted and flinched as the shard was pulled free from under the knee of his right foreleg.

“Gah! Down to one hoof. Emph… Thanks, darling.”

Behind them, Starlight sat with Chris, comforting him as he leaned against her. The cut upon her cheek and bruises down her side didn't seem to affect her in the slightest.

“Chris is exhausted, and his hands aren't looking any better. Onyx is about as bad as Big Mac… Both yaks-”

Rutherford, who had been laying down catching his breath, raised up with his front hooves. Blast burns and cuts covering his body said more than his forced bravado.

“Yaks not tired. Tiny scratches not hurt.”

Kühn laid with his head in Becky’s lap, her hand holding a bloody cloth over his still bleeding wound. His heart was still in the fight, even if his body wasn't.

“Kühn still fight… Just… cold.”

The honest truth was that things were grim, and Shining knew this hold-up was temporary.

“We’re all tired and running low on magic. We wait for Cerb and the others to take down the owlbear. Then we can take them out from both sides.”

Suddenly, Luna was pressed against the shield, fearing what King Abyssinia being thrown to the side meant.

"The owlbear has Justin! And Cadance threw away the sword! They need our help now!"

It was time to get serious, and Pinkie had a plan.

"We need a distraction! Vinyl! I need you to play a fight song!"

She pulled out a crystal, brought up a playlist, and shoved the display in Vinyl's confused/excited face.

"This one!"

Benny wanted to protest, but he saw Cerb freeze up during the heat of battle. If things got loud again, maybe this would be distracting enough to work for both his friend and disrupt the Echoes.

"Vinyl... Do it."

Intrigued by the cover art, Vinyl readied her horn to project the music.

"Alright. Let's get this war party started."

Casting her spell, "Marilyn Manson The Fight Song - Slipknot Remix" began to play.

A powerful guitar riff began to whine out like a siren. It pulsed out like a warning, catching all the Echo's attention before more instruments picked up, accompanied with what must have been vocals of someone cursing over and over again. Then, true to the name, what this song was all about, the real lyrics began to scream out into the cave as everyone readied themselves for the shield to go down.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Cerb, already ahead of the beat, lashed out at the line of Twilight doubles in front of him.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!"

Inside the shield, Benny racked in his last three shells and handed the shotgun over to Vinyl.

"Shining, when the drums roll out, drop the shield."

The fight chant abruptly stopped, the music switched to more guitars, the drums rolled out, and the shield dropped while the front line of the group of heroes ambushed the distracted Echoes.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Trixie was shaking in her cape, watching the chaos ensue, though perplexed why the other three weren't joining in on the fight or letting her lend a hoof.

"They're really getting hurt out there! Why can't we help?!"

Discord completely ignored the question, still mixing up vials of who only knew what into an oversized cauldron. Trixie Rose, meanwhile, sat calmly and evaluated the fight as it progressed, but at least found reason to answer the question.

"The other Echoes are only focused on ensuring The Words are followed through, wherever they can. Aside from Sword, that is. The Order he was exposed to may have given him some semblance of free will, but his acquired hatred for humans and Order made him lose focus. Probably Madala, too. The others will keep their focus on the humans, who I believe will defeat them. Every creature else, I'm certain will be fine. But we need you here."

Trixie stomped her hoof, angered further by the lack of a proper answer.

"Need me here for what?!"

Trixie Rose only continued to watch the fight, letting Luna Ring speak through her armored form for them both.

"Of the four of us, you are the only one who can protect us right now. Rose and I have only a finite amount of magic left. When that is exhausted, just like the other Echoes, our bodies will give out. So, unfortunately, we cannot afford to fight any further than we did on our way just to get here. As for Discord-"

Far be it for the Spirit of Chaos to let another speak on his behalf. Thus, he butted in with a flippant attitude.

"I have spent weeks repairing the dimensional damage you Trixies have created, and still am at this very moment. And that's without proper rest after being exposed to second-hand contact with Order, which is still affecting me. On top of that, even if the other Echoes are not of this world, they still possess Harmony, which will harm me even further. Had I the strength I typically have, I wouldn't need to mix this potion together manually."

After adding one final splash of lime soda for aroma and added potency, Discord detached both arms to continue the stirring of his concoction and turned around to scold Trixie.

"As for you, I didn't comprehend what merging of the different elements of magic and Order would do or how strong it could be. I didn't even think it was possible to sustain such a merging after Fluttershy injured me with it. So, miss Great and Powerful Trixie, as you finally are."

He leaned down, glaring his eyes fiercely at her.

"You are playing the role of my personal bodyguard in case any of those Echoes come after me, or, Celestia forbid, Twilight and the others can't stop Harmony out there, you are our final hope. As distressing as that concept is to admit."

Having said his piece, he turned to his cauldron again, attached his arms, and stirred his mix with added fervent ire.

"If not for all the Harmony and Order flying around out there, I would have protected Fluttershy much better than Justin has. Instead, I have to save the day for everypony!"

It was sad to admit for Trixie Rose, but even if she had the strength, she wouldn't have been anywhere else.

"Trixie... Our goals are to stop Harmony from controlling every creature's fate and find a way to let the humans defeat The Darkness... It has to be done by them figuring it out on their own. We're already more involved than we should be as entities of Harmony. We may need you here now... but it's up to you to forge your own path. Even if that means fighting Harmony herself if Twilight and the others can't stop her, which I doubt she can."

Trixie gulped, finally realizing that fear led these three to rely on her for safety, which was a frightening thought.

"But... Twilight has been with that Peter guy like you were with your Chris. And our humans have more Order than yours did."

Again, Luna Ring answered, speaking dimly in her tone.

"This Harmony is stronger than before she was robbed of her power because of the children, and has been directly exposed to Order. It may have been brief, judging by how slow her progression has become, but her power will only continue to amplify... We could not have wandered into a worse set of circumstances."

In a strange turn of events, it appears that Thunder found an ally om the ranks of the Echoes. A good thing, too. Also, turns out that becoming an Echo isn't all it's cracked up to be.

As for Cadance, she's still got a raw deal going up against Asclepius. More insult to injury after Shining came in clutch with the sword. But, at least she got a high-value kill in the process and, in some ways, saved that Celestia.

Of course, now only one battle has yet to be touched on. How will Twilight and her group fair against possibly the strongest version of Harmony? Find out in what may very well be the final battle of this story, in: