General Moreau's rapier twirled about as he skirmished with Field Marshal Durand, deflecting nearly every strike from Durand's saber. Moreau's precise posture was like that of a fencer, yet he moved with the grace and flow of a ballet dancer, pivoting on the spot, deflecting strikes as his back faced his opponent. Whilst Durand's profound blade work was palpable, it was nowhere near as refined as General Moreau's rapier style. Durand tried every strike, swung at every angle and yet, Moreau's defense stood firm, as his relied on accurate flicks of the wrist and simplistic parries; nothing Durand was used to. It was only until the midway point of the fight that Durand truly realized the scope of Moreau's capabilities; he was holding back.

Durand swung high, to which Moreau ducked, piercing Durand's thigh as he left himself open. "You've grown impatient, Julian," Moreau smirked ever so subtly.

"As have you, Pierre. At least I finished my training with Blademaster..." Durand panted as he pulled back, examining his wound for a brief moment before readying his guard once again.

"And look what that has amounted to..." General Moreau scoffed as he charged a magical attack along the blade of his rapier; a brilliant white sheen illuminated the edge as he held his blade in front of his face vertically. "I've grown tired of this game, brother. Be gone!" A secondary power coated the blade as well; it was an emanation, an aura of humming force similar in sound to the reverberations of chimes. "Acoustic: Singing Blade!" Moreau brought down his blade right in front of Durand, who stumbled as soon as he tried dodging from the wound on his leg, falling on his hands and knees.

"Field Marshal!" Galaeron turned, dispatching changeling soldiers at lightning speeds as he made his way over to his endangered officer, Bethany and Syrune following suit. The strike sliced through the beach, the sea, and through a miriad warship on shore. Not only that, but the attack also sliced off a large portion of flesh on Durand's left forearm, and it also cut off his left hoof. "Durand!"

Before they could reach him, however, the last stalker rushed out from the fray, knocking them all back onto their haunches with a wide backhand. Galaeron was the first to get back up, as the blow was mostly absorbed by his thick armor. Bethany and Syrune, however, had their ribs fractured by the savage strike and found it exceedingly difficult to pick themselves up after such a powerful attack. Regardless, with much wheezing and cringing, they lifted themselves up anyways, reading their swords for a bout with the feral machine before them.

"This creature... what in blazes is it?" Syrune grimaced as she stood at the ready beside Bethany. "How do we get past it?"

"They must be the changeling's secret weapon or something. This is Ausrüstung-level tech!" Bethany said as she stared into the soulless eyes of the snarling machine that was hunched down on all fours and drooling from its bear trap maw. "It won't let us pass, but I'm not sure how to attack this thing. I've never seen such a melding of alchemy and cybernetics as intricate as this... but I'll have to try something." Bethany formed two blades of obsidian in her hands, then leaped forward with dizzying speed, catching the creature off guard. Bethany slipped past it, slicing it across its chest with her two blades, reinforced by magic. "Magic Blade Technique: Crossing Paths!" The creature gurgled for a moment before turning around to face Bethany, its wounds fully healed over. "What the-?"

The cyborg picked Bethany up like a rag doll and tossed the half-changeling at Galaeron's face. Galaeron acted quickly, catching Bethany in his arms instead, placing her on the ground. "Are you alright?"

"I'm better than Durand!" Bethany directed her attention back to the struggling officer facing General Moreau. "We have to kill this thing or Durand's history!"

As Durand crawled away from his brother along the beach with his good hand, Moreau flipped him over onto his back, lifting his sword for a downward thrust right through Durand's heart. "Farewell, Julian." Like a bullet, the end of his rapier rocketed forward. Though, it did not bite Marshal Durand like he expected. Somepony else had interfered with the attack; a huge red claymore blocked the tip of his sword. "Who dares...?"

"Me..." Fluttershy grimaced as she deflected the strike, holding Droyuz firmly in her grasp.

General Moreau was taken aback by Fluttershy's appearance. She had sprouted two red horns from her forehead, and her eyes were a mixture of red and orange; the eyes of a demon. Her wings became bat-like, and her teeth became sharper. She wore white leather armor with steel gauntlets and gaiters over top for extra defense. Not only that, but she also wore a makeshift white cloak made from a bed sheet. Fluttershy wanted to run, to hide. Though she appeared determined and brave on the outside, she was trembling on the inside. Nonetheless, she powered through her own fear; she couldn't let Durand be killed so mercilessly.

"Hmm... and who might you be, young demon-knight?" General Moreau smirked at the sight of the jury-rigged cape and hand-me-down armor. Though, despite the ridiculousness of his aggressor's attire, he still remained at the ready. He sensed an overwhelming power seep from the edge of the young demon's blade.

"My name is Fluttershy," She muttered, quietly but confidently. "And I can't sit on the sidelines and watch you cause all this senseless death and destruction..."

"Fluttershy, no!" Durand grimaced as he began to bleed out laying on the sand.

"Ah, a white-knight? Odd for a lowly demon..." General Moreau said as he gestured at her sword. "Tell me, demon. How did you acquire such a blade? I feel a great storm of power emanating from it; both light and dark."

"It's my father's blade," Fluttershy narrowed her vision as she grasped Droyuz tighter. "And I've made a promise... I'm going to honor his memory with it."

"Ah, how noble. But you must realize the hopelessness of the situation, correct?" General Moreau laughed lightly to himself as he readied his rapier. "Based on the look in your eyes, you don't seem to care... en guarde then!" Moreau slashed the air with his blade, releasing a ranged strike made of compressed air.

Fluttershy only then began to realize the sheer weight of Droyuz as she sidestepped out of the way, stumbling forward as her hefty blade plunged itself into the earth; it must have been over sixty pounds. Although she avoided the attack, General Moreau gave her no time to recover, and he sent her flying with a powerful sonic attack from his sword. "Acoustic: Roar!"

Fluttershy weathered the attack, gritting her teeth as she stood back up, preparing her blade for an attack. She lunged at General Moreau, bringing down Droyuz on top of him. Though this proved to be a slow and predictable strike, and the fencing general easily stepped out of the way. And as Moreau did this, he also stabbed Fluttershy in the left shoulder, crippling her ability to wield Droyuz with both hands.

"You are brave, demoness. But you lack discipline! It is clear to me that this is the first time you've fought with a blade. Am I correct?" Moreau was given no verbal response— just a growl as Fluttershy stood back up. "Ah, I am, aren't I?" Moreau nodded to Fluttershy, acknowledging her tenacity and boldness. "You have heart, Madame Fluttershy, but you are outmatched. Surrend- arragghh!" General Moreau cried out in pain as Fluttershy tossed sand in his eyes. "Acoustic: Bellow!" General Moreau let out a cry that blasted her away, giving him time to recuperate. "Smart... perhaps that is my punishment for rambling."

Fluttershy stood in front of Marshal Durand, shielding him from the attack; her ears had begun to bleed from the intense frequencies. "You won't-... hurt my friends... not while I'm still here!"

"Amusing... you have my praise, Madame Fluttershy, but..." General Moreau dashed forward, seeming to fade out of existence as he moved right past Fluttershy with his blade drawn. "You have much to learn..." Fluttershy coughed up blood as she fell to her knees; Moreau had sliced her across the gut, and blood began to pour out of her stomach. Even with the savage strike, Fluttershy still mustered up the strength to stand, watching as Durand began to walk back to the palace. "I'll leave you be, Madame Fluttershy. And you may take my brother too. Though I have my orders, it would be improper of me to cut down such a tenacious warrior like yourself." General Moreau trudged along for a moment before he turned around, sheathing his sword. "Grow, young one! Improve your skills with that blade! Find me once you are ready for a rematch! My name is General Pierre Durand Moreau of the House of Montesquieu! I shall be waiting eagerly for our next meeting! Farewell!"

"Fluttershy!" A grievously injured Bethany cried out to her comrade as she finally destroyed the stalker by piercing its skull with her blades. Frantically, she turned to Galaeron and Syrune. "You two, go and help any wounded you might find on the beach! I'll tend to Fluttershy and the Field Marshal!"

"But what about General Moreau?!" Galaeron shouted back to her.

"Leave him be! He'll slice you to ribbons if you try anything!" Bethany replied as she began to bandage Fluttershy and Durand's wounds. As she tied the knot on the wrap around Fluttershy's waist, she poured disinfectant on her shoulder. "We have to cross the beach. I'll protect us, you carry Durand, okay?"

"Al-..." Fluttershy cringed as the alcohol began to burn at her wound. "Alright..." With a grunt and a heave, she slung Durand over her shoulder. "Let's go..."

Galaeron and Syrune dashed across the beach, avoiding the blades of changeling soldiers and dodging musket fire. Along the way, they came across scores of dead Cadre members scoured across the damp ground, some with half of their body missing, others buried in muck. Syrune tried to ignore the grizzly sight as best she could, but the anguish in the eyes of the dead began to weigh on her. They were losing.

****

Draven continued to fight his cybernetic adversary with great ferocity. Though, every time he'd attack his foe, it would strike back tenfold, slashing at his soft chest and stomach. Luckily Draven was quick enough to dodge before any serious damage could be dealt, but his stamina was failing. He had been fighting nonstop for almost thirty minutes, and his opponent didn't seem to tire at all. Whatever this creature was, it seemed to be adept at one-on-one combat, adapting to whatever he'd throw at it. Its head was a weak point, and Draven did manage to crack the metal dome on its skull. However, the metal beast appeared to think and react with much redundancy, changing strategies whenever its opponent would see through them. At first, it fought with strong single blows, then it switched to rapid jabs and kicks, then it would only kick at a distance. Draven had a hard time keeping up with the creature, even in his full lord dragon form.

"Bloody hell..." Draven wiped the blood from his chin as he caught his breath, watching his foe stand motionless, awaiting his next move. "You don't tire, do ya...?" Draven panted, coating his fists in blue lightning. "I can't slack off anymore. I gotta hit this bastard fast and hard! If I don't take em out now I won't have any strength left to help Gin and Rummy!" Draven took a deep breath in as he raised his right leg, charging a ball of blue lighting in his foot. "Grand Dragon Thane's..." With a single bound, Draven launched himself right into the stalker, his outstretched foot slamming into the creature's chest like a bolt of electricity. "Surging Cannon!" With the combined power of Dragon Shatter and his lighting, Draven's attack pierced the heavy armor of the cyborg, crushing its internals completely and crumpling it like a piece of brittle tinfoil.

Anxious to return to his previous fight with Gin and Rummy, Draven turned around, expecting to see Gin and Rummy close by. However, he was nowhere near them, and he soon realized just how far he was from the bout; the robot was smart enough to lead him away. It was all just a distraction. With panicked breath Draven's eyes danced about, searching for his comrades in the fray. He heard explosions in the distance, though he couldn't tell if they were from Racer or enemy mortars. He did hear a low moan on his right, and it sounded much like Twilight's. He raced over to the sound and deactivated his lord dragon form, stepping over corpses along the way.

"Twilight?!" Draven shouted; no reply. He ran a little further towards The Red Koi. "Twilight?!"

"Draven..." Twilight groaned, lying on the sand next to Jhettei and Dross, who were beaten to the point of unconsciousness. "Draven, is that you?"

"Twilight!" Draven's voice became hoarse— a mixture of relief and regret as he stared down at the shards of crystal in each pony's arms and legs. "Bloody hell... who did this?"

"General Skyrunner..." Twilight coughed, blood trickling down her face as Draven propped her up. "She left before she could finish any of us off, but-..." Twilight choked up as she saw the death around her. "We're losing, Draven. We're outmatched."

"I know, dammit... I know..." Draven shook his head as he picked up Dross and Jhettei with one arm. "I've gotta get you all back on the ship."

"Where's Gin and Rummy? Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, her whole body numb as she tried picking herself back up, stumbling once or twice.

"They're out there somewhere, darlin'. But right now, I've gotta get you all back on The Red Koi. You're in rough shape." Draven lugged the two stallions over his back, grabbing Twilight's arm and balancing her as she limped. "Can you walk?"

"Barely... but I'll manage..." Twilight whimpered under her breath as crystal shards dug into the old wounds from Kaiser in her arms and chest. "I'll be fine..."

"Please be alright, Gin... Rummy..." Draven prayed as he began his march down the empty section of the beach.

****

Blood trickled down Gin's face as she forced herself back on her hooves, straining every muscle, disturbing every wound on her body. Gin was covered in terrible scorch marks, and her vision was blurry from the constant bombardments from General Racer. Rummy was close by, barely able to stand himself. General Racer's attacks had worn them both down to their last drop of energy, and Rummy had sustained numerous injuries on his head and chest; his marine uniform was completely in tatters. Despite this, Rummy pushed himself forward, tiresomely charging General Racer, who would simply blast him back with an explosion launched from his fingertips; he was merely playing with the two at this point.

"You Equestrians... always too proud to admit defeat," General Racer chuckled as Rummy was hurled at Gin by the explosion that impacted his shoulder. "You both make me sick."

"Gahh!" Gin cried as Rummy's body slammed into hers, knocking her back onto the sand. "Rummy...?" Gin's voice became hoarse as she picked herself back up, stumbling a few times. "Rummy, are you-?"

"I'm fine, Ginny..." Rummy nodded as he let out a long exhausted grunt, digging his hooves in the sand for support as he rose once again. "Just a few bruises..." With one deep breath, Rummy lunged at Racer with an explosive attack cooking in the palm of his hand. He thrust it outwards, almost tripping as he released the attack. "Gunpowder: Lion Pillar!" The explosion became a beam of igniting gunpowder, consuming General Racer entirely. But Racer remained unscathed, and he emerged from the blast with an annoyed look on his face.

"Get out of my face..." General Racer gave Rummy a backhand charged with his fiery energy to the face, blowing him far away and stunning him for a few moments as he impacted the loose earth.

"Rummy-! Arrrahh!" Gin grimaced as Racer shot her in the thighs with the revolver he kept in his pocket, and she quickly fell to her knees; her vision was beginning to fade, and she could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away. "Rummy..."

"C'mon, Equestrian! Die with at least some dignity..." General Racer scoffed as he aimed his pistol at her head, priming the firing hammer.

The shot rang out across the battlefield, alerting even Pisces, who was still holding off an entire army by himself. His body slowed as he processed the deafening bang, washing away those around him with a rushing flow of water. With Dragon Sense, he felt a life force weaken, a furious fire withering to the size of a candle flame. With baited breath, Pisces clutched at his chest, choking up as he felt his heart tear itself apart. Rummy's coin had fallen out of his coat pocket and landed only a few inches from his feet.

Gin's eyes opened, realizing she was still living and breathing. Time began to slow, reality began to warp and shift in her eyes as she felt a stallion fall to the ground in front of her, motionless. Rummy had shielded Gin from the bullet with his own body, and the shot nearly tore through his chest completely. The image was too surreal for her, and she crawled towards him, hoping that he was still awake.

"Rummy! Rummy!" Gin dug her hands under his body to scoop him up as she saw a flicker of life in his eyes. "I'm gonna get you out of here!" Gin growled as she attempted to stand, But it was no use, the wounds on her legs were far too severe. Regardless she still groaned and grunted, desperately heaving. "Rrrragghh!"

"Gin... put me down." Rummy wheezed, staring up at the sky as raindrops began to fall gently on his face.

"Rummy, no! I can get you back to the ship! I'll patch you up!" Gin's eyes were filling with tears. "You'll be alright!"

Rummy grinned as he blankly gazed at the clouds overhead, and with what little strength he had left, he clasped Gin's hand, then with his other free arm, he grabbed his bowler hat. "It's... rainin', Ginny. You'll... catch a cold without a hat on..." He placed his cap on Gin's head, his eyes fluttering. And with one last breath, a warm smile stretched across his face as he passed.

Pisces wept softly in the midst of battle, hearing his son's life wither away into nothingness. His mind wandered to their fist moments together, the first time he met the young Private Rummy at the docks.
*

"Hey, I found a bit!" Rummy's young voice echoed within his stacks of memories— all piled up like dusty books. "My dad always told me that was lucky!"

"Then you should keep it close to-..." Pisces trailed off as the young recruit placed the coin in his hand. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you're our fleet admiral! If you aren't lucky, then the crew isn't lucky!" Rummy grinned as Pisces grasped the coin between his claws.

*

"Rummy..." A tear rolled down Pisces' cheek as he slowly grabbed the coin off the ground. "My son."

Gin's eyes could not shut; she simply watched on in disbelief, her mouth slightly open. Her breathing began to speed up as despair overtook her. She felt her wrist burn, and as she turned her hand to see the back of it, the tears began to stream down her face. Rummy's Brand had latched itself onto her left hand. "Rum-..."Gin clenched her teeth together; General Racer had walked away, leaving Gin to drown in an abyss. She wailed, clawing at her face, trying to wake herself up from the nightmare. But it was all too real. "Rummy... Rummy..." Gin pounded on Rummy's breathless chest, trying to rouse him as if he had been pulling some prank. "Rummy! Rummy! Rum-... RUMMY, WAKE UP!"

Gin sobbed, clutching Rummy in her arms. "Wake up..."

Author's Note

Death is a part of war. No one is invincible, not even our loved ones. The battle is far from finished, and many hardships still lie ahead. Caven Isle rests on the shoulders of Luna.

As always, I hope you enjoy! See you in the next chapter!