[My conscience Kill writes in the brackets and bolded]

    <  My conscience Joy writes in these and  Italics>

~ Grace talks in these and underlined~

         { I respond in these}  

A/N Sorry, tomorrow is the 100th chapter. By the way, this is pre-read.

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'The best offense is a good defense' that's what some ponies believed. They lied to you. The best offense and defense coincide with one another.

"How are you guys holding up?!" I shouted to the three ponies behind Stallord controlling its mass, muscle and magic.

"Graze! If we are going to destroy his shield, you are going to have to hold Shadow off!" Grim shouted trying his best to maintain the live dragon.

"What?! Why!"

"Because, Solarbeam needs time to charge! Bigger the blast, longer the time and we have one shot!" Vinetion explained, "and it looks like Mr. Shadow across there ain't gonna waste anytime," she pointed to the alicorn whose shield had been fully replenished.

Shadow had not moved from that spot ever since the battle had begun, he was playing it safe while we wasted our energy. His defense was almost perfect......Almost. Even from his point of defense, he still had the urge to assault. Using his magic, he casted his own shadow onto the field splitting into three. From them rose lookalike Shadow's but this time, fully black. Being fakes, meaning they must have been weaker. Hopefully.

Taking the gentlecolt's way of beginning a fight, they awaited for me to approach them in the middle. Those things looking like ponies? Yeah, they sensed it. This was probably going to be my last goodbye's to my friends so it was best I made it count.

<They work just like us man. Keep it cool, we can do this>

Looking back at my friends, I kept my eyes on Aroma as even in hers there were fear for something. She was my sister, and I couldn't leave without insurance of a farewell. While focusing her magic, I embraced her and looked her in the eyes, "Don't worry about me sis. I am going to come back okay?" Through every sentence spoken, there will always be a hint of doubt or lie.

A tear flowing down her cheek, I wiped it with my hoof and said, "C'mon be strong now, the entire school needs us."

"I just don't want you to go Graze. Melody is already gone and I can't--"

"Aroma," I cut through her sentence midway, "I'm your B.B.B.F.F." She twisted her head to the side showing slight confusion to which I chuckled and replied, "It means Best Big Brother Friend Forever."

Wiping her tears now, she had a sense of hope in her eyes but just needed that extra push, "Forever?" I nodded with my eyes closed embracing her once more.

"C'MON WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG!" Shadow boomed from his side of the field impatiently.

Fighting music

My eyes opened in an instant hearing Shadow's voice. Releasing the hug, I walked passed my friends wishing me luck as I approached the battlefield against the three copies. Standing before them eager to rush, I held out a hoof showing I was not ready.

"What does Graze thinks he is doing?!" Grim asked the group who shrugged in return.

"I don't know but he needs to hold them off for at least five minutes."

Unbuttoning my vest, I removed it from my possession and threw it into the blowing winds where it playfully danced. Eyes from my group watched the vest while mine was focused onto the three copies before thinking endlessly for a strategy.

[Don't worry Graze, we've got your back]

{Thanks Kill}

~You do know it is three versus one right?~

{Mhmm}

My vest finally coming towards the earth, it brushed slightly against the blades of grass commencing the fight. The middle one quick to react, casted a spell of black goo blinding my sight. It did not pain but it had placed me in a major disadvantage.

The one on my right grabbed me into a headbutt adding to my loss of balance as he spun to his hindlegs bucking me into mid air. I don't really know what happened next, but I felt my right hindleg being grabbed as a knee was driven into my back taking out anything I had left in me.

Throwing my lifeless body on the floor, laughter had come from the three clones finding amusement in beating up a blinded pony.

"Graze!" Aroma shouted preparing to rush the battlefield.

"NO AROMA!" I held out a hoof lying on the floor, "I CAN HANDLE THIS!" Using what strength I could muster, I placed my forelegs on the ground giving me a sturdy balance. It was hard as fuck but I then used my hind to bring my body into a woozy upright position putting strain upon my back.

Back upon my hooves, it signaled I was ready for round two of my beatings. "C'mon Graze, you don't stand a chance against three of me," Shadow laughed.

~Oh no he didn't~

[I think he just did]

Cracking her neck, Grace prepared for the oncoming battle taking control of my body.

~Kill, Joy! Tell me if anything comes!~ Grace commanded.

<[Yes m'am!]>

~Shit's about to get serious~

"C'mon Shadow, give me your best shot," Grace taunted the three clones.

Not taking it lightly, one of them quickly galloped towards me with a hoof ready to punch. Eyes closed and with great reaction timing, I ducked the hoof, grabbed it and kneed the clone three times in it's stomach. Controlling me, Grace pivoted on my hooves to the back of that single alicorn, grabbed him by his waist and suplexed his entire body as his neck snapped being the point of impact. Cracks and snapping being heard, Grace took a few steps back to observe the alicorn of how he would recover.

With deep breaths, he placed one hoof on the floor while angling his head to glance at his opponent. His head upright, the last thing he felt were two hindlegs making direct contact with his face. "Stay down." I watched his lifeless body turn into a puff of smoke.

[ONE DOWN! TWO TO GO!]

"THREE MORE MINUTES GRAZE!" Vinetion warned me about the time.

Smiling at my small victory, I realized that I was still blinded and that Grace had done most of the work.

~Don't do a mare's job~ She laughed giving me back control of my body as she swiped her hooves against one another.

Kill and Joy laughing with her, my ears immediately perked up hearing the sound of dual gallops from both my left and right.<GRAZE! WATCH OUT!>

Taking control of my body, Joy managed to duck both hooves in just a split second as they crossed paths meeting one another.

< Kill, Grace, you know what to do!>

~Yup!~

[Time for some wing chun bro?] Kill smiled at Joy bumping his hoof.

< You know it>

Taking the stallion on the left, my wing pulled the stallion's hoof and his face directly into a knee uppercut making his body recoil back. Quick on my hooves, Joy wrapped a foreleg around the neck of that alicorn, punched his face once again and flipped his body to the floor.

[JOY! BEHIND YOU!] Kill switched places with Joy taking a hoof to the face, because of poor reaction. Kill rolled back and easily recovered a few metres away from the clone as he wiped off the blood stains from my icy coat.

"Fucking come at me mother fucker," Kill cracked my neck showing that he was ready. Both steadily accelerating with their gallop, the alicorn pointed his horn aiming directly for the heart. Making a fool with the game of chance, Kill took a slash to my body across my sides as he jumped and knee'd the alicorn directly on the forehead sending him into the air. Not giving up, Kill abused this opportunity grabbing the clone's body and slammed his hooves against Shadow's chest and to the ground.

Landing upon the ground, Kill winced in pain as he placed a hoof against the gash across my sides and brought it for closer inspection. Being blinded, the only way to make sure what it was, he licked the liquid and tasted the saltiness of blood. "Yup, you're dead." He picked up the alicorn and snapped its neck with bare-hooves making some of the viewers cringe at this sight. Poofing into thin air, Kill looked back at the shocked audience.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT MAN?!" Dark shouted.

"IT'S A FUCKING CLONE! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO A REAL PONY!" Kill argued back. With a sigh, I took back control of my body and asked," How much time left?"

"One minute! Think you can handle the last one?" Vinetion shouted.

"Give me ten seconds flat." Feeling the semi-solid substance on my face harden, I chipped away at it gaining back my vision as I watched upon one last clone on the floor. Enduring what pain I felt through my sides, I picked up the clone and ascended with his body wrapped in my hooves.

Play for maximum effect.

With each synchronized flap of my wings, it strained against the wounds near to it. The transcendent rays of the sun welcomed me as I rose higher and higher. At maximum altitude, I watched below at my friends, the giant beast and the lone alicorn. Taking aim at Shadow's barrier, I descended gaining momentum and speed with every passing second. My body was straining itself from an injured back and a deep gash but this had to be done.

The cone formed around around the two of us as I descended from the heavens above. Tainted by my black flames, the cone easily bent to my will as I broke the sound barrier sending a widening NecroFlare Boom scorching the skies ridding of every cloud within the vicinity. Hitting mac-4 speeds, my wings needed to keep up with the speed or everything done so far would have been a complete waist.

Sides burning from over exhaustion and stress, lactic acid had built up sending pain throughout my body due to the lack of oxygen. My target coming closer, and closer, I finally slammed the clones body with a forward hoof onto the force field cracking its walls with the clone's body.

Vanishing into thin air, I was met face to face with the real Shadow, his eyes bloodlust as they stared deep into my soul.

"THE BEAM'S READY GRAZE!" Vinetion warned me, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Stallord's mouth opened as his planted his arm's firm on the ground to prevent recoil.

"Yes Graze, the beam is ready," Shadow whispered to me through the cracked shield, "Don't want to get caught in the blast, do you?" Looking back  Stallord, I watched as the beast's mouth opened wide with the beam aglow ready to fire. Why was I hesitating to move!? Why was Shadow smiling?! Something wasn't right about him! It was as if he wanted this to happen.......

"DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!" I immediately called off the blast.

[<~ WHAT!~>] Kill, Joy and Grace yelled in my mind.

"WHAT?!" The three ponies in control of the Stallord exclaimed. I'm sure their heads were pretty much confused as to why the very last second would I call off the attack.

"DON'T FIRE THE BEAM!" Grim and Vinetion pulled up the beasts neck in an instant as the beam fired missing Shadow and myself by mere inches destroying half of the school's field in the process. Craning its neck upwards, the remainder of the beam was aimed to the heaven's above and possibly further.

Looking back at Shadow now, his dread smiled greeted me as he finally lowered his shield dropping me to the floor. He snickered, "How foalish of you not to notice Graze, this sort of thing usually costs lives. This is what I wanted."

"Wh-what?!" I stuttered in confusion.

"Did you not hear me before? I planned this out all too well, and now, it's payback," he said picking me up by my wings, "Remember this?" He said said focusing his magic on my right wing.

Tendon after tendon, muscle after muscle, he pulled at the arc of my right wing ripping every vein and obstackle which blocked his path to the other end. Searing pain shot through my body as I screamed with my eyes rolling to the back of my head. Dropping me to the floor, blood seeped through my clothes as I laid there with my right wing barely attached to anything but a few strands of muscle and vein.

"Shhh Graze, don't blackout on me yet, you still have one wing left," he laughed at me stepping on my chest, "knowing you, I am going to let you die as you watch your friends being murdered." Kicking my body, he laughed," Enjoy the scenery Graze! Hahahaha!"

Whinnying my last breaths, I smirked and mouthed my last words," Fuck you, Shadow." He turned around hearing his name, watched me with my smile. He picked up my near lifeless body pulling it towards him and

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