Chapter Fourteen: London's Burning (Part 4).

***

David Elliot sat on a bench, cleaning 'speed killer'. Silently, he prayed that Sam, it's former owner, would forgive him for killing him. He also prayed that his friend had managed to retain his soul in whatever afterlife there was: he didn't know if Solamina's potion permanently damaged the soul or only did so while it was trapped within the body. Still, the thought of his friend's soul being mangled wherever it was in the afterlife was almost too much.

He often prayed for his friend. He didn't quote know who to - he was never religious before the war, and though during the crisis many new cults and faiths and beliefs had come to light, none of them had ever grabbed him. It didn't help that he was indirectly responsible for one or two himself.

He spun the blade once, twice, three times, feeling the balance that he had felt a million times before. He reversed his grip, then reversed it back again, then spun it, then twirled it again. He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to push back memories. The blade had served him well, and he hoped it would continue to do so: he had his doubts though.

He knew he was getting closer and closer to death every time he used the full power of Albion. He also knew, however, that the only way the battle of London wasn't going to end with the bodies of every defender strewn across the floor was if he used that power once again, no matter the consequences.

He knew if he died before Solamina's death that humanity was doomed: nothing they had could stop her, and by and large, nothing they had considered making could either (his mind strayed briefly to the Iron Clad project, one of many hypotheticals that had popped up over the years, but that died in his mind: he knew as Albion he was stronger than an Iron Clad, but he could not defeat Celestia - a Clad definitely could not have).

What he also hoped, however, was that if he did die that Hell Blazer could somehow manage to summon a new Avatar to replace him. The power of the Avatar wasn't inherent to Elliot, much as he was at peace with it being part of him, and so another could inherit it once his shell expired.

He frowned. Was he really at peace with the power? He knew it was something he could control, though he still felt that the power of the Avatar of Albion was a thing that was inherently separate from him. He also knew that, theoretically, that power should be the spirit of a whole world, a power that was infinitely greater than any he had ever encountered, and though he could only channel a fraction of that infinite potential through his human shell, it should still have been greater than he had managed before. And yet Albion - he - had not.

Maybe, he realised with widening eyes, the problem was less that his body was weak, and more to do with his lack of integration. He didn't feel like Albion's power was his to command. When he manifested that power, it felt more like he was merely channelling it, rather than allowing himself control over it. It had even manifested as almost separate personas.

It was, he realised, a kind of block. Maybe if he started feeling like the power was more his, he would be able to get a better hold on it, keep greater control over it.

He closed his eyes, and began concentrating. The power was there, always there, and all he had to do was tap it. As always, he felt the power of Albion build up inside of him. This time, instead of focusing the channeling to a manifestation of Excalibur, or instead of allowing it to consume his form as he did when transforming into the full Avatar, he tried concentrating harder, taking the reins as it were.

"Oi, you!" a Liverpudlian accent said, calling him out from his meditation. He scowled as Hell Blazer trotted up to him, feeling the energy bleeding through his metaphorical fingers. He quickly calmed himself and allowed the power to recede, realising that he wasn't going to get it under control this time. Had he tried earlier, he might have been able to.

Why do you always have the best realisations at the worst times? he wondered to himself.

"John," he said to the yellow pony. "Where are Twilight and the others?"

"I needed a minute," the former Constantine replied, sighing in irritation. "You know that Sparkle kept asking bloody questions? I didn't know how to b-fucking - sorry - answer half of them!" He grabbed a cigarette from his packet pocket and lit it with a sigh. "It's a pain in the arse, you know?"

Elliot grinned tiredly. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that."

"Anyway, Major Redmond came to speak with the lot of them after a bit," Hell Blazer said, his tone unusually furtive. Elliot gave him a sidelong look, which Hell Blazer returned. "I had a quick chat with the Major before I came to chat with you."

"Yeah?" Elliot said.

"Yeah," Hell Blazer said. "He said you were planning on Albioning up for the battle."

Elliot sighed. Now he knew what this was about.

"Yeah," he said, bracing himself. "I do."

"You told me you Albioned against Celestia in the other Equestria," the pony said idly, still smoking. He took a drag, then pulled the cigarette away from his mouth, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Not that I mean to tell you how to handle your shit - I ain't the Avatar after all - but WHAT THE BUCKING HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!"

The sudden shouting from the yellow pony drew some attention from a passing group of fighters, but Elliot waved off the stares from the troopers and they continued onwards, muttering to themselves.

"Look," Elliot said to his friend. "I know it's risky..."

"'Risky' is a goddamned understatement!" Hell Blazer interrupted angrily. "In case you weren't aware, you were in a bloody coma after Cornwall! The Doctor's told me that your body can't handle the burnout rate. The more you transform, the less time you have!"

"I won't have any time if we're beaten here!" Elliot rejoined angrily. "If I don't do this, then there's nothing preventing those bastards from walking all over London. If I score a decisive victory though..."

"That's a big if, Dave," Hell Blazer said, frowning. "There's a big chance you'll just die."

"Then you find another volunteer to be the Avatar," Elliot said simply. "You can."

Hell Blazer stopped looking angry, and suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah," he said slowly, "I... I suppose I could, but..."

"One way or another, Solamina dies at the hand of an Avatar," Elliot said simply, cutting his friend off. "Promise me, John."

Hell Blazer looked like he wanted to protest what his friend was saying, but finally he sighed.

"Alright," he said quietly, sounding none-too-happy. "I promise you: the Avatar will kill Solamina, whether you make it or not."

"Good," Elliot said, smiling. "Thank you."

"But… I'd really prefer it if you made it," Hell Blazer added softly.

Elliot smiled. The two of them had lost enough friends in this war: he knew exactly what Hell Blazer meant.

"Me too," he said quietly.

Hell Blazer didn't say anything else for a long moment, and then he walked away, leaving Elliot to his meditation.

***

Twilight and her friends sat in a corner of the great church, discussing what would happen in the upcoming battle.

"If that Doctor is right," Twilight said softly, "then every one of Solamina's soldiers in the area is coming here. I don't see how we'll be able to hold up."

"It looks sturdy enough," Applejack noted, looking at the roof of the building. "I reckon it'll hold up against anything Equestrian soldiers can throw at it."

"That we know of," True Grit pointed out softly, looking thoughtful. "This Equestria might have weapons ours could only dream of. They can certainly take on these humans, and I've never even heard of half the stuff they have. Whatever weapons this Solamina's Empire has… they'll be hard to hold off."

None of them had an answer to that comment. Truth be told, most of them were scared of what they might face when it came to the enemy forces. They didn't know what they would be up against.

"That Major didn't seem very nice," Pinkie Pie added quietly after a moment.

The others exchanged a look: a human named Major Redmond had come to speak with them a short while after Elliot had left. He had spoken with them about where they were from, and Twilight had explained that she and her friends had come to help. The Major hadn't exactly looked convinced but he had asked no further questions, instead walking off and leaving the group alone.

"He's probably just trying to see whether we're trustworthy," Twilight said quietly. "I mean, we do happen to look just like six of their biggest enemies..."

"I suppose," Pinkie said morosely. She looked around the church. She suddenly smiled, seeming a lot more energetic. "Hey, d'you think if we survive this everypony would want a 'We Survived' party?!"

"I'll drink to that," a new voice said, and Hell Blazer walked up to them again, looking maudlin. He had gone off when Redmond had come, claiming a desire to find Elliot.

"Did you find Mr Elliot?" Rarity asked him, noting his less-than-cheerful attitude.

"Yup," he replied shortly.

"And?" Rarity said, raising an eyebrow at the pony's reticence.

"And what?" Hell Blazer said irritably.

"Did you find out what his plan was to deal with Solamina's forces that are coming here?" Twilight asked, sensing that the pony was irritated. If anything, the question made Hell Blazer look even more morose.

"Yeah," he said softly. "He told me his plan."

"Albion has a plan?!" a young, excitable voice said. A moment later, the young filly that had greeted Elliot earlier - Brave Heart, Twilight remembered - bounced up to the group, looking happy.

"Brave Heart, you should be helping everyone move into the shelter," Hell Blazer admonished in a faux-stern tone.

"But I wanna see what Albion does!" Brave Heart replied, smiling. Hell Blazer chuckled.

"Did your mum ever tell you about Cornwall?" he asked. Brave Heart nodded eagerly, his eyes widening.

"You mean where Albion held off an entire army alone?!" Brave Heart said excitedly. Hell Blazer sighed. That interpretation of the events of Cornwall was a combination of an exaggerated bedtime story Brave Heart's mother had told her before she had been killed, and the government propaganda version of the story (which was little better).

"What happened at Cornwall?" Twilight asked. Brave Heart looked at her with an incredulous expression.

"How can you not have heard about that?" she asked. "Everypony's heard about that!"

"We're..." Twilight began.

"They're new refugees," Hell Blazer said, cutting her off and silencing her with a look. "Only just came in."

"Cool," Brave Heart said. "Mom brought me here a couple of years ago, but Albion only came a little after we arrived." She smiled. "They said Twilight Sparkle led a huge army to Cornwall, landed her troops and everything. I've heard the blockade's really stretched thin these days, and they don't have much hope against ships protected by magic."

Twilight threw a questioning look at Hell Blazer at the reference to a blockade, but he mouthed 'later' at her.

"Anyway," Brave Heart continued, not noticing. "This big army lands on Cornwall's beaches."

"Newquay specifically," Hell Blazer said quietly.

"And there's loads of them! The army can't fight them because there's way too many," Brave Heart continued as though Hell Blazer hadn't spoken up. Hell Blazer grimaced: Brave Heart's version of events didn't quite cover the blood, firing, screaming and the various other parts of the cacophony of horrors the battle had consisted of, but what could you expect from a child's story? "But then Albion steps up..."

Hell Blazer closed his eyes. He could just imagine the battle: the moment Elliot had decided to step up and use his power consciously.

"And then he's all like," Brave Heart stood on her hind legs unsteadily, holding her forelegs out... "Warriors of Equestria..."

"Warriors of Equestria," a masculine voice said from behind the filly. She yelped and got back on all fours, turning to look at a smiling Elliot, who was speaking in a faux-portentous tone. "Thou hast come to make war on the sovereign land of Albion and the human race. Turn thy army back… or die!"

He spread his arms out as he spoke, re-enacting his own words.

"And they just laughed," he said, shrugging slightly. "Sparkle knew what had happened to Rarity, but they didn't take me for a threat. Think they were expecting a fifty foot giant or something. So I Albioned."

"Tell 'em what happens next!" Brave Heart said excitedly.

"Another time, kiddo," Elliot said with a smile. "I want you down in the shelter with the rest of the civilians, ok?"

Brave Heart's ears drooped. "Ok." She walked off. "Bye Albion."

"Stay safe, Brave Heart," Elliot said quietly. He turned to look at the others. "Propaganda and bedtime stories, mostly. I don't like her idealising war but... given all she's been through, I think she just idealises me, and much as I don't like it… I guess it happens."

There was silence as the group processed the conversation they had just had.

"It must be a lot of pressure," Twilight said after a moment.

"More than I like," Elliot admitted with a laugh. "I came to tell you all: I'm giving a speech to the troops about you, and to motivate them to fight."

He walked off, indicating that the group should follow, which they did, sharing an uneasy glance between them.

"This should be fun," Hell Blazer said softly, a slight smile on his face. "His speeches are always worth a watch."

***

Elliot stood on the pulpit at the head of the Cathedral. He hated the idea of "preaching" to the assembled soldiers, especially given where they were, but this was the best place in the building to speak from.

Sat in the rows of benches were the various soldiers of the 'Last Army'. Elliot spotted a congregation of the Dead Men, a Death cult founded during the early days if the war, sat in one corner, around forty of them bowing their heads in prayer. Members of the Holy Order of Albion were also there, a group who claimed to be the spiritual descendants of the Knights of the Round Table - Albion worshippers, something that made Elliot very uneasy. Most of the soldiers here, however, were just plain folks like him, or ponies who had been through hell just to be here.

Many of them were looking at the ponies stood behind him, whispers running throughout the hall, echoing slightly.

"...that looks like Sparkle..."

"Is that Applejack?"

"I'd recognise that hat anywhere…"

"That mane - that has to be Rainbow Dash!"

"...how can Dash be alive, he killed her?"

Elliot sighed, and held up a hand. A deathly silence descended upon the chamber. Elliot knew some people were recording this: somehow, every one of his speeches ended up on what was left of the internet (which wasn't much at all, but there was no way to make what little was left a purely military piece of kit anymore, since there were too many access points).

"There are rumours spreading through this hall that the Elements of Order are here, alive," he began. "That's not strictly accurate." He locked eyes with Redmond, who sat in the front row. "The truth is a long story, but I believe you deserve to know it."

He paused, gauging the room. They looked like they were listening: he only hoped they were open minded enough to keep listening. "At the height of the battle of London, I was sent to a parallel Equestria: another world, much like the one we fight, but one where Astra Solamina never existed, and instead Celestia and Luna ruled."

Murmurs of disbelief and shock ran through the crowd, but Elliot held his hand up again to stay them.

"I petitioned Celestia for aid," he said. "And she gave me nine ponies."

"Bullshit!" one soldier called out. "We could have used nine thousand!"

"It was me who asked for a small number," Elliot said grimly, throwing the soldier a glance. "She could offer an army, but what would an army do for us now but extend a losing war?"

There was no reply. Nobody liked thinking about it, but they all knew as well as Elliot did that the war was a hopeless cause. The only reason they hadn't surrendered… well, what reason was there but sheer bloody mindedness, hope beyond reason?

"These are not just any ponies," Elliot told the assembled soldiers. "These are ponies who have the potential to change the course of this war, if they are trained correctly and that potential is realised."

The watching audience seemed uncertain, and Elliot couldn't blame them. He had been given the chance to bring an army, and he'd brought less than a squad.

"Their names," Elliot continued, looking around, "are Lyra Heartstrings..." A gasp rang out, a soft whisper that moved like a wave across the room - Lyra was one of the most well known of the resistance. "True Grit." Another gasp like a whisper through the hall. "Ditzy Doo." The name brought a cheer from one or two corners of the room. Elliot let out a small sigh as he prepared the next part of his speech. "And there are six whose names are infamous." Silence descended again. "Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack."

He looked around. No one looked anything less than shocked. He didn't blame them for that, either.

"I know there must be uncertainty at the choice I have made," he said, looking around the room. "But consider this: the Elements of Order were a weapon." He opened his jacket up and took it off, holding it up for all to see. The exposed manes of the Elements of Order were shown to the audience, and there were one or two cheers. "I robbed Solamina of that weapon, and gave us a fighting chance - hope, for the first time in six years! But now I have done something better. I have delivered that weapon into our hands!" He dropped the jacket. Now he had to convince them, rile them up for the battle.

He raised his right hand, and in it materialised Excalibur, the mighty blade as light as a feather in his grip. "Brothers and sisters of the Last Army, I have promised you victory. Now we shall have it. The Elements stand with us now! And the power of those minds and that resolve that Solamina used to kill so many of us now serves our cause!"

At that, a cheer rang out from the audience: it was soft, and uncertain, but it was definitely there.

"Together," Elliot continued fervently, "these ponies mark a new beginning: I promise you, before this year is out, I will stand over Solamina's corpse, and we will free Equestria from the Tyrant's rule, free Earth from the shadow of doom that lingers over it!"

He then held his left hand to the blade. "I know some of you may disagree with my choice. Some of you may even doubt me, may think that I've made a mistake."

There was a ripple of shame-filled assent, many admitting quietly that they did indeed doubt. Elliot knew there would be, and he didn't blame them. They doubted him, and he doubted himself with them.

"I am told there is nothing more sacred in old magic than a blood oath," Elliot said softly. "Nothing more sacred among soldiers than a bond of brotherhood, sworn by the sword and by blood." He grasped the blade of Excalibur with his left hand. "May Excalibur strike me down where I stand if I lie. These Elements stand with us! I swear it!"

He hand came away from the blade, red blood flowing freely from the cut for all to see. For a moment, there was a hushed pause, as though everyone expected Elliot to be struck down after all, and then a great cheer rose up.

"Albion! Albion! Albion! Albion!"

Elliot lowered Excalibur. He then closed his eyes, and another hush descended. When he opened his eyes, they glowed golden. Suddenly, a great golden light shone from him, encompassing his entire body and blinding everyone who stood near him. A wild cheer rose up as the light descended, and before the soldiers of the BDF, there stood the full Avatar of Albion, his armour glinting in the light of the room, his cloak flowing. It was the first time the transformation had occurred before such a gathering, and Elliot knew it was necessary.

The Avatar looked down at the army before him with a small, confident smile.

"Brothers and sisters," he said, his voice booming, "the enemy come here seeking to make an example of this city. They will take thy families, they will slay thy friends, and they will destroy this proud monument to humanity's beauty!" He raised the sword Excalibur. "I ask thee now: will thou let this atrocity happen?!"

"No!" the crowd roared.

"Then let us make them remember where they stand!" Albion yelled in triumph. "This isle has never fallen to any foe, and it will not fall to the craven Empress' army now!"

A great cacophony of joy and jubilation rose up, and the soldiers of the BDF moved, heading for their positions with renewed fervour and vigour. Albion turned to Twilight and her friends, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"And so I see thee with these eyes," he said to them, a smile upon his face, "and I know the choice I have made is the right one."

Alone of all of them, Applejack frowned at him, looking dubious. "How do you?"

The Avatar chuckled. "Element of Honesty, I know because thou art strong, and thou art willing to face perils thou knowest not, knowing that thou may die for another's cause. I know because I can feel it. Thou hast but to believe in thyself that thou shalt be of aid, and thou shall be."

"You get right pretentious like this, you know that?" Hell Blazer said with a smirk.

"That implies that mine pretension is unnecessary," the Avatar replied with a smirk. "And thou knowest better than most that I can back up mine words with mine deeds." He looked back at the newcomers. "Thou should remain in this place," he said, speaking more quietly. "This battle shall be more than thou art ready to face."

"I understand," Twilight said, looking unhappy.

"I said thou should," the Avatar said, smiling slyly. "But thou art thinking beings with thy own minds, and as of yet thou hast no allegiance to the chain of command. Thou shalt make thine own choice, I am sure."

With that, he walked off, leaving the ponies alone.

"He always gets like that when he Albions up," Hell Blazer smirked. "Come on, I'll get you to a rear observation point. Maybe you'll be able to help."

He led the group down through the crowd. On the way, they passed a kneeling group of soldiers with the flayed skull symbol: the Dead Men. Surprisingly, there were a couple of ponies among the group - they looked out of place among the humans, but no one seemed to object to their presence. They were saying a grim prayer.

"We are the dead. Our souls have departed this world for their eternal rest, but our bodies remain."

"We seek purpose."

"Albion is threatened. An enemy has arisen that seeks to throw down not only the beauty of Albion, but the whole of humanity."

"We seek purpose."

"We shall rise to defend the last humans. We shall avenge the slain of a hundred nations. We shall avenge the rape of our brothers and sisters by the Tyrant. We shall avenge the shackling of a free nation."

"We have purpose."

"So it shall be until the shell awakens to the reality of our death."

"Amen."

Twilight's group passed the praying death-cultists, most of the group feeling ill.

"How can ponies be part of such a group?" Rarity asked, surprised by the ponies among the death cult.

"Equestria isn't in the dire straits Earth is in, but a lot of these ponies have lost more than I care to think about," Hell Blazer replied dourly. "Not many of them adopt human culture quite that thoroughly but... but I think those might have been some of the last of the Night Guard."

"The Night Guard?" Twilight asked, frowning. "I would have thought they would have been with the Royal Guard."

"The way Blueblood tells it in the propaganda, the Night Guard tried to rebel against Solamina in the early days when they learned Luna had been killed," Hell Blazer said, shrugging. "They were considered the first resistance. In fact, Blueblood's reorganised most of the Resistance elite as a new Night Guard to honour them."

"And those ponies?" Applejack asked.

"Not all the Night Guard were wiped out," Hell Blazer explained. "A handful were on special duties when the Guard were destroyed: they fled Equestria with the first exodus, and most of them joined the Dead Men." He sighed. "It's not a good way to be."

The group considered that for a moment, but were interrupted by loud music suddenly blaring out.

"War! Huh! What is it good for...?"

"What in the name of...?" Twilight said, looking around. To her surprise, Hell Blazer chuckled.

"Yup," he said, "that's the start of the psychological warfare."

"How is loud, obnoxious music any kind of warfare?" Rarity asked, looking both confused and annoyed.

"I dunno," Pinkie said. "I suppose if you fired a really concentrated beam of loud music, you could break something."

Hell Blazer gave her a look. "Vinyl would love you for that remark. I think she got pissy when her 'bass cannon' idea got nixed by the budget peeps."

"Psychological warfare?" Twilight asked.

"Basically a kind of warfare where you intimidate the piss out of the enemy," Hell Blazer explained shortly. "You hear the enemy singing loud music it intimidates the shit out of you. Doesn't really work on the Converted."

"The who?" Rainbow Dash asked, frowning.

Before Hell Blazer could attempt to answer that tricky question, Twilight spoke, sounding sad.

"They're humans who were turned into ponies," she said.

Hell Blazer gave her a look of surprise. "Elliot said he didn't tell you."

"He mentioned it in passing," Twilight replied. "He didn't elaborate, but I don't need him to. He calls you 'John': that's a human name. You were human."

Hell Blazer sighed. "Yes," he said softly. "I was."

"Wait a minute," Applejack said, "you're saying humans got converted into ponies? What in the hay would anypony do that for?"

"To control them?" Hell Blazer theorised. "Most Convies are brainwashed to think of Solamina as the one true Empress, rightful ruler of all life, et al. In fact, I'm the only free Converted that I know of."

"How are you free?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued once more.

A loud rumble rang through the building, and Hell Blazer cursed under his breath.

"I'd love to do a Q&A session," he said, in a tone that suggested he really wouldn't, "but we need to go. That's the cue for a fight about to start!"

With that, he galloped off, the other ponies racing after him.

***

Author's Notes:

My sincere thanks to those who favourite and comment as always, it's really appreciated.

This chapter was edited 11th July 2015.