Silver blur met silver blur as a sword hurriedly intercepted the falling hammer, knocking the human's arm aside and the sword out of Blueblood's grasp from the impact. Another hit his shield, and another became lodged in the flare of his left shoulder guard, piercing the metal, leaving the human with a blade that was an inch from the back of his neck. The startled human reeled backwards. Putting his hammer into his shield hand, the human reached up in order to pull the thin blade away before the pony thought to use it against him. As he was not on the ground, the presence of a 'killing blow' did not count as a defeat, and Handy desired very much to keep it that way.