***

"See, here I'm now sitting by myself, uh, er, talking to myself. That's, that's chaos theory."

Dr Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

"There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent."
Lao Tzu.

***

***

Scottish Archives, February 14th, 2030 - 'Avatar' Earth

Sir Eric Smith stood at attention in front of Rupert Giles. The tired looking man, already in his late sixties, looked like he had aged half a decade since he had last spoken to Eric. Eric himself was dressed in simple military fatigues - whereas the rest of the potential Iron Clads had already been given their Paladin armour to begin training, they had told Eric that they had something special in mind for him.

"Sir Eric," he said, speaking softly and respectfully. "I've asked you here to discuss a request I have for you."

"Anything, sir," Eric said immediately.

"Don't be so eager to agree," Rupert cautioned him. "We're asking that you test a rather experimental piece of gear for us. We've managed to get enough titanium and circuitry for the task, thanks to some government stocks we recovered."

"Titanium, sir?" Eric asked, frowning slightly.

"Tell me, Eric," Rupert said, looking up at him. "The Paladin armour that the rest of the Iron Clads are equipped with - what do you know about it?"

"It's made of steel, bulky but lightweight thanks to the powered elements and enchantments woven into it, reasonably strong but with a lot of minor setbacks, most prominently the weaknesses to EMP and sonic attack, as well as having no special defence against magical assault," Eric rattled off at once. "Generally advanced stuff though - increases wearer's strength by one hundred fifty percent - standard Iron Clads get a boost of up to three hundred percent."

"All true," Giles said. "Well, we've been working on an upgraded Paladin armour design, codenamed the Mark II. Steel/titanium alloy - if we're to use it in any kind of numbers, we can't afford pure titanium. But the design offers increased mobility, less bulks, a few of the weaknesses are removed and…"

He trailed off, smiling slightly.

"And?" Eric asked.

Giles took his glasses off, his smile widening. "The maximum potential increase to your strength, speed and endurance with Paladin II is somewhere in the region of four hundred percent - Paladin II brings two hundred and fifty percent of that. I think that sounds like you might find it useful."

Eric's eyes widened. "It… it sounds magnificent."

"Indeed," Giles said. "However, we need a test-wearer for our prototype before the Council is willing to put the Mark II into production on any scale. We have the parts, we just need the signature."

"I agree," Eric said at once. "It will be fitting to wear such armour into battle."

"Good," Giles said. "I'll draw up the paperwork and get the armour signed off on."

***

***

Canterlot Palace, February 14th, Year 6 of the New Solaminan Calendar (2030) - 'Solaminan' Equestria.

Faced with an armoured Alicorn that he was reasonably certain was a Tyrant Sun similar to one whose clone had been quite capable of fighting him to a standstill, aiming a glaive at him and clearly none-too-happy, Discord, Lord of Chaos, was understandably a little... put out, especially since this wasn't what he had initially been intending.

He blinked, cursing under his breath. He'd had quite enough Celestia - especially evil Celestia - for one lifetime, and would have rather preferred to have backup (and/or some kind of warning at least!) before finding himself in front of this one now.

Still, a brief visual analysis of her showed that there was no bag. This Celestia - nuts or not - was apparently running entirely under her own steam and not getting a boost from Tirek, which meant that maybe this would not be such a problem - he didn't know what kind of power she had, but with any luck she wouldn't be rocking the same boost as Tirek's pet Celly.

I hope, he added to himself.

"Celestia!" he said loudly."It's so good to see you!"

'Celestia' blinked as Discord appeared besides her, wrapping his arm around her and giving her a quick squeeze.

"Commander Sparkle," she said slowly, speaking in a neutral tone, "take the Guard contingent and leave. Now."

The armoured Twilight nodded slowly and walked out, motioning to the Guards as she went. A moment later, the room was empty.

Discord ignored this - he didn't sense anything too off about Twilight, either, but then again, he was dealing with an entire set of unknowns. He didn't like unknowns. They were… unknownsy.

"How have you been?" he asked her with a grin. "It's been ages since I've seen you! Perhaps we should sit down for tea, some delicious cake, and maybe a bit of a rigorous debate about chaos and harmony like the good old days."

"The 'good old days' where you slaughtered half the population of the planet, you mean?," 'Celestia' said icily. “Forgive me if I do not view those times so rosily.”

Discord raised an eyebrow at that. "Well… no, but to be fair, that wasn't me, me, per se."

Slaughtered half the planet? Now, that was an interesting claim. He couldn't be sure how accurate it was, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was in a tricky situation. Fortunately he knew what to do.

“Is that so,” she said, still glaring.

“I’d explain, but it’d probably be too complex for you, Celly dearie,” Discord said airily.

"Somehow, I doubt that,” she said grimly. “And you will address me as ‘Empress Solamina’.”

That's my luck for you.

"I will be sure to do just that," he said with a small smile. "Anyway, as much as I love talking to you I should probably go."

"Discord," she said quietly, narrowing her eyes at him. "I do not believe for one moment you came here just to 'go'."

"Really? Cause I left already." Discord said with smile, pulling out a small knife. Solamina's horn glowed with intent, only to falter as he stabbed himself in the skull, vanishing into a puff of smoke.

***

***

Equestria, February 14th, Year 6 of the New Solaminan Calendar (2030) - 'Solaminan' Equus.

Miles away, in a distant wasteland, Discord frowned as he brushed himself off, scowling at the clones' cowardice.

"At least give me a few more minutes, sheesh," he muttered. "He didn't tell me these clones were rather wonky. No matter, time to go, I really don't want to be… ah come on."

Discord rolled aside, barely avoiding the pencil-thin lance of magic aimed at him, narrowly avoiding being speared by it.

"Celestia!” he greeted, trying to sound casual. “Or… Whatever your name is."

"Astra Solamina Maxima," a regal voice said coldly. She floated down and landed near him, her glaive at her side. "The sun resplendent and supreme."

"You know, that... is a really stupid name," he said glibly. “And a lot longer than ‘Celestia’.”

He kept a close eye on her, observing her. To all intents and purposes, she looked like a slightly-more-pompous version of his Celestia. He didn’t feel anything off, and there was no bag of Tirek. No bag meant no exterior power boost which begged the question of why this Celestia became a tyrant. Other him maybe?

"Tell me," she asked, ignoring his jibe. "Do you think there is anywhere you can run that I cannot find you?"

"I dunno, Tahiti?" he shrugged. "Something like that. I haven't really tried yet so gimme a few..."

"Do not try running again," she said coldly, her voice soft and dangerous. "You will find very quickly that you cannot run from me."

"I somehow doubt that," Discord said with a smile. He kept an eye on her, trying to sense for any fluctuations in her magical aura that might indicate an attack.

Solamina ignored him, twirling her glaive into a guard stance, and Discord grinned in bemusement. Just like that Elliot guy - thinks I'm gonna stand still and be hit by a big stick.

"Your business here, Discord," she said imperiously. "I would know it."

"Hm… Nah. Blah blah blah. I have nothing to say to you, I have no desire to talk to you, and I am leaving." Discord pulled out a sword of his own, a Musketeer-style moustache appearing on his face as a bright pink surcoat appeared over his body, a floppy-brimmed hat with a feather completing the image. "If you would try to stop me, engarde!"

He darted forward and lashed out, but Solamina blocked the hasty blow with ease with her glaive, a raised eyebrow on her face, before she sliced through Discord's sword with one strike.

"You were saying?" she asked, smirking slightly.

Discord stared at his ruined weapon before tossing it aside. "Oh… well… that's a shame. Ah well, plenty more where that came from."

"You're from her world," she said to him, bringing the glaive to his throat. He looked down at it, the tip almost touching his flesh, then back at her, frowning in distaste. "I can smell the difference. The stench of the apostate."

"I don't know what you mean,” the Draconequus said glibly. “I shower every year or so."

With a sudden, sharp motion, Discord threw a small ball to the ground, smoke filling the area as dozens of Discord's fled the area, flying off in different directions. Each of them blew apart from a vicious flurry of the same thin destructive spells from Solamina's horn. She smirked at the lone Discord still standing in the area, his eyes wide at the lightning-fast destruction of his clones.

"No," she said simply. "No tricks. No games. Explain yourself."

"Hmm… No," he said grinning. "But I've got a question for you. Do you think I am really here? Really?"

Discord smiled a bit, causing Solamina to look at him in confusion before feeling the impact of a clawed fist burst from the ground straight into her chin. She swung the glaive in an attempt to slice it off only for it fall apart before the blade could touch it and pulled back into the ground.

"I find it really hard to track something if they are using a clone and stick in the same area," the Draconequus commented.

"Enough of this," she growled. Her horn glowed... and suddenly, light seemed to bend around it. A spell shot out, blasting the clone into nothingness.

A moment later, Discord reappeared, a frown on his face - her attacks had already surprised him.

I… never sensed a thing, he thought. How is she able to hide her magical aura from -?

Another spell smashed into him, throwing him backwards. He grimaced in pain at the impact.

Shoot, he thought. Need to be more alert. If I can’t sense those strikes, I need to make extra sure she doesn’t hit me with ‘em.

One thing was certain though - this Solamina definitely had a power boost. He hadn't sensed it before, but now she was drawing on it, and it made her every bit as deadly as the Tyrant he had faced - more so, since this was not a clone.

That explains the Tyranty phase for this one then, he thought to himself. Whatever this power boost is, it might be having the same effect Tirek’s Bag had on Queen Celestia.

“You look a little worried, Discord,” she said idly.

“Well, I’m worried for you,” he said. "Just… tell you what, let me go get something from another world that could face you. Bit of a fairer fight, maybe."

"No," she said simply. "You will not run."

"And who's gonna stop me, you? The mare with the silly bit of tortured Latin for a name?" Discord scoffed. "Actually, that's not fair. I met Tortured Latin once, he was insane but you are worse. At least he had a good taste in decor."

She grinned at that, almost as though she could sense his thoughts. "You mock to make yourself seem brave, but I know the truth. You are afraid because, despite your feigned stupidity, you are no fool."

“Why thank you,” Discord said, grinning wryly.

“But you were unwise to come here,” Solamina continued. “You seem to think I am as I was of old - but I am not. I am more.”

“Hi more, I'm Discord." Discord said with a slight smirk, though it faded quickly. "If you're so powerful, why aren't I dead yet?"

Solamina chuckled. "Because I allow you to live."

"Like I never heard that before," he said with an attempt at a smug grin. "By the way, you should really watch your surroundings."

She scowled. "What is that supposed to mean -"

Solamina's voice was cut off as Discord dove back down into the ground as if was water, just as a meteorite slammed into the area, devastating the surrounding area as it threw up dust and debris.

Discord pulled himself out of the ground, on the other side of the world looking to the horizon. "I got… ten seconds."

"Five, actually," a voice said from behind him, sounding darkly amused. "Close though."

Discord turned. "Ah shoot."

She was behind him, looking somewhat ruffled. She was panting slightly, her eyes narrowed, but disconcertingly, there was a slight smirk still on her features.

Definitely harder to rattle than my Tyrant, he thought to himself.

“So,” she said quietly, spinning her glaive idly. “With our opening gambits in place, shall we play this game properly now?”

Discord tensed. This might be even harder than I thought.

***

***

Scottish Archives, February 14th, 2030 - 'Avatar' Earth

"Alright," John Idle said, smirking slightly. "Wake 'em up."

Three teenagers were strapped into Hannibal Lecter-style harnesses, gags over their mouths and all of them securely strapped into straitjackets. The first was a redheaded girl with a streak of blonde through her hair - the ginger was almost too bright, and the streak of blonde too yellow. The second was a slightly shorter girl with purple hair streaked with teal. The third was slightly taller than the second, with turquoise hair streaked with a duller shade of blue. All three wore metal collars with a single light installed at the front. The most distinctive thing about each of them was the metal and gem pendants fused to each of their skins at the collar.

John, clad in his Paladin armour and itching for a fight, cracked his knuckles beneath the gauntlets of his armour. As he watched, one of his colleagues - a scientist in a labcoat - injected a stimulant first into the redhead, then the purple haired one, then the one with turquoise hair. Their sedation was heavy - for good reason - and John was not eager to wake them up. In fact, he was not eager to have anything to do with them. Still, it wasn't as though he was given much of a choice - orders were orders.

"Ok, Doc, get the fuck out," Idle said, grinning slightly. "Me and the lads have this."

The scientist immediately left, throwing Idle a glance as he did so. Everyone knew Idle's story - he had gone into Gloucester after the incident these three girls had caused. The "Gloucestershire Incident" had been referred to by some contemporary reports as "the single most vile non-pony related atrocity that had been committed since the war began": the town of Gloucester had been invaded by these three individuals, and whatever they had done, it had resulted in almost the entire town going mad. Anyone who had tried to stop them went as mad as the townsfolk, and it had taken a long distance sniper firing the most powerful tranquiliser they had to finally take them down.

Idle had been part of the initial response team post-incident… and it had not been a pleasant experience. He had already had a less-than-stellar reputation before then: he was abrasive, condescending, and his past as a hard line HLF member meant that he was unwilling to work with ponies (though he had, reluctantly, done so; beggars couldn't be choosers). His disdain for them, though, paled in comparison to his hatred for the GG3.

Now… they were going to use these three as weapons.

The first one to wake up was the turquoise haired one. She blinked, before looking at him. She took a breath, and then apparently only just realised that she was gagged. There were some muffled noises coming from her, but John quickly pulled out his modified Desert Eagle and aimed it right at her head.

"They say these can't hurt you," he said with a grin. "I really wanna test that. Please - give me an excuse. I really want you to give me an excuse."

She stopped making noise. A moment later, the other two woke up, and they both immediately saw the gun in his hand and - wisely - made no noises whatsoever. After a moment, he put the gun away and grinned.

"Right then, ladies and whores," he said. "Oh, sorry, there aren't any ladies here."

The three of them looked a combination of angry and afraid - the redhead showed the least fear, but every so often her eyes glanced at the holstered pistol.

"My name is John Idle, and I am your handler," he said, looking at the three of them with a slightly sadistic grin. "What that means is that your lives are in my hands. Unfortunately, I have not been given permission to terminate you unless you actively try something."

The turquoise haired girl made a noise, and he immediately drew the pistol and aimed it at her face.

"By 'something', I mean anything I don't like, and by 'terminate', I mean FUCKING BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT AND THEN STAMP ON WHAT'S LEFT OF THEM!" he yelled. "Is that clear?!"

The girl shut up, eyes wide with terror.

"I'm so glad," John said, putting the pistol away. "So. It has come to the attention of the Council, in their infinite wisdom, that you three might actually have some uses beyond eye candy and target practice. Don't believe it m'self but fuck it, I have orders. So this is what's gonna happen. We are gonna find out what use you can be. Then, you are gonna be put to use. I will accompany you in everything - all engagements, training sessions, and visits to the lavatory. Everything. You bitches will never, ever, ever get so much as a microsecond of time where my eye is not firmly trained on you and my pistol is not loaded in my holster ready to blow your heads off. Am I clear?"

The redhead and purple haired girl both nodded, and the turquoise haired girl mumbled. Idle looked at her, and then grinned viciously.

"Let me be clear as to how much power you have here," he said. He walked over to the turquoise haired girl and slapped her across the face. "I'm authorised to do that. I'm authorised to spit in your face. I'm authorised to kick you, punch you, shave hair, break fingers, parade you around naked in front of any leering bastard or sick bitch I can get in that finds you vaguely attractive, have you subjected to every single torture and humiliation I can think of, so long as none of it impacts your usefulness. And that includes the collars around your necks."

The three of them looked at their necks, only now realising that they wore collars. They looked confused, but Idle just grinned.

"That," he said, "is a shock collar. It is designed at a single command from my armour to send a shock through your system. Starts at ten volts. Ends somewhere in the region of seventy thousand. We didn't know how many volts it would take, so they've been quite liberal. Any time I like, I'm authorised to do this."

He pressed a button on his gauntlet. A moment later the turquoise haired girl yelped in pain as volts shot through her body from the collar.

"Some people would say this is unconscionable," Idle said. "That it's a horrible crime, that I'm a bastard that enjoys this."

They all looked up at him.

"You know what?" Idle said with a vicious smile. "They're right. And I don't give a flying shit what they think. Is that all clear?"

All three nodded, tears in the turquoise-haired one's eyes.

"So glad," Idle said, still grinning maliciously. "Now, chances are you're gonna be made to fight for the BDF - that's the noises I've been hearing. And in return for this service, none of you are gonna die. Well, no, I should say 'none of you will be killed by me'. I can't guarantee the Solaminan Empire won't try to eviscerate you, incinerate you, or obliterate you, but they're not my problem. They're your problem."

He looked at all three of them with an eager grin on his face.

"Any questions?" he asked. "No? Good."

***

Equestria, February 14th, Year 6 of the New Solaminan Calendar (2030) - 'Solaminan' Equus.

Well, if I’ve got myself into this mess, might as well start seeing what she’s made of.

Discord began proceedings with ‘Solamina’ (seriously, that is a stupidname) by flashing behind her, bringing his claw up and throwing a few testers - spells not unlike the blunter spells thrown by her counterpart’s clone in Boston. Nothing particularly worth his time or effort, but easily enough to ruin the average pony’s day.

As he expected, the mare brought her glaive around, faster than he had anticipated, and blocked the spells with casual moves. He noted the glaive didn’t seem to be even remotely dented.

Magic? he thought, frowning slightly. Is it the source of her power, or is it just a really well enhanced weapon? He clucked his tongue unconsciously. Best to wait it out.

“So,” he said, landing as she turned to face him, unruffled. “Shall we duel?”

“I find it hard to believe you even know how to duel,” she said with a snort.

“Of course I know how to duel,” he said with a smirk. “I’m crazy, not stupid. It’s easy.”

He clicked his claw, and suddenly he was in an elegant white outfit, a fencing rapier in one hand and a fencing mask over his face.

“First,” he said, “we bow!”

He bowed, and behind him a giant crossbow shot an arrow at Solamina, whose wings spread as she leapt into the air to dodge the shot, one of her eyebrows quirking slightly.

“A crossbow?” she asked blandly.

“A crossbow!” he replied, grinning.

“That pun,” she said, her horn glowing, “is terrible.”

A spell shot out, needle thin, and he dodged sideways, snorting. “As if you’re a comedy critic.”

“No, I’m an Empress,” she said, and suddenly she darted forward, smashing into him and throwing him backwards. He landed heavily in the dirt, grunting from pain.

“Crap,” he swore. “Crap, crappity crap crap crap.”

“Language, Dragon Horse,” the Empress said, leisurely trotting towards him. “I must say, you were less of a potty mouth in my world.”

“You're criticising my language?” he said incredulously. “You’ve committed genocide on your Earth, and you're criticising my language?!”

She paused. “You've been talking to humans. So there was a crossover, as I sensed.”

Discord cursed inwardly. Shouldn't have said that. Should have been cleverer.

“I can talk to whoever I want,” he said. “You're not my mom.”

He snapped a claw, and suddenly, he was sat inside a giant, sleek, silvery machine shaped vaguely like a human. Solamina raised an eyebrow as the machine moved to be in front of her, before several compartments opened on it, revealing… missiles?

A hail of the projectiles suddenly shot out towards her, and her eyebrows shot up as her horn glowed, raising a shield as the projectiles exploded all around her. Smoke filled the air, as the explosions formed in the shape of Discord himself, standing in a heroic pose. Discord chuckled at that - a little vanity was surely acceptable in this situation, after all.

Suddenly, a bolt of golden light shot out, smashing through the machine. Discord snapped his claw, vanishing into thin air as the machine exploded. Appearing a few metres above his exploding mech, Discord growled.

“I liked that thing!” he yelled.

Growling slightly from irritation, Solamina glided until she was floating in front of him. The soot from the fireworks was fading from her, a soft glow surrounding her body. And then she was pristine, and a slight smirk appeared on her face.

“I don’t care,” she said simply.

“You know,” he said, frowning at her, “I was sure that would work.”

“I believe you,” she said, her smirk widening.

“Alright,” Discord said, snapping a claw. A blue surcoat and flamboyant hat appeared on his body, and a fencing sword in his hand. He brandished it. “That's it. Now we duel!”

“Indeed,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Discord grinned, and suddenly in his other hand there was a flintlock pistol, which fired at her.

She blocked the shot, but there was a sudden explosion and she was thrown backwards. She stopped in mid free fall, wings snapping outwards, and she glowered up at him. He was smiling.

“How'd you like that?!” he asked.

“I stand by my earlier statement,” she said bluntly. “You don't know how to duel.”

“Maybe I just don't want to duel,” he said. She's barely fazed. I'm losing my touch. Let's hope that's all I lose today. “Not wanting to is a bit different to not knowing how. Saying that, these guys might know.”

He snapped a claw, and disappeared.

“Madam!” a voice asked from below Solamina, and she looked down, to see three figures dressed similarly to how Discord had been waiting for her. An eyebrow quirking, she landed in front of them. All three were humans, stood in duelling stances with fencing swords.

“Greetings!” one said. “I am Aramis! This is Porthos and Athos, my brothers in arms -!”

Solamina brought her glaive up and charged, and before the three men could so much as move she had cut them all down. They disappeared in flashes of light.

“Where now, Discord?” Solamina asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Perhaps you should be more concerned with your own safety,” a rich, cultured voice said from behind her.

Solamina turned, to face a man with a glowing red blade of light, wearing a black tunic and a long brown cape. He was grey haired and bearded, and he had a haughty expression on his face, as though he considered Solamina beneath him somehow. Behind him were a pair of tall, skeletal figures, metallic and skull-faced, armed with crackling quarterstaves.

“And who are you?” she asked idly, bringing her glaive up to a guard stance.

“Count Dooku of Serenno,” the man replied serenely. “I believe you were seeking a duel, my lady.”

Before Solamina could react, he charged at her, bringing his blade up and launching an attack. Solamina, sighing, brought her glaive up to block, and then blocked another strike.

“Interesting,” he said. “Is your weapon made of Mandalorian Iron? Or perhaps Cortosis?”

“Neither,” she said idly. She shoved him backwards and stabbed forward, only for him to parry the blow and riposte, forcing her to block the strike.

She smiled. “An interesting style you have.”

“Thank you,” the Count replied.

“However,” Solamina continued, her smile turning vicious, “it will not be enough.”

She shoved him backwards again, and lashed out with a sweeping strike that he was forced to leap over - though it was surprising a man of that age could leap that high. She stabbed again, and this time he did not have time to riposte before she was hacking downward, forcing him to block, then hacking at one side and then another, forcing him to move his blade fast to keep up with her. With a growl, he leapt backwards, motioning his machines forward, and Solamina brought her glaive up to block the two things as they attacked, their staves crackling as they made contact with her weapon.

With a growl, she twirled the glaive and hacked one of the things in half, before decapitating the other. The top half of the first machine was sparking, but its arms were still trying to claw at her, and she stomped on it to finish it off. The decapitated machine was simply standing there, and she narrowed her eyes at it, before raising an eyebrow as it began moving again. SHe blocked the two strikes it threw with perfunctory moves, before stabbing it through the chest and channeling a small amount of power through her weapon, blasting the thing into pieces.

Before she could turn to look at him properly, she was already turning aside a blow from Dooku, who brought his blade inches from her mane, and actually burned a few hairs off. She raised an eyebrow, before suddenly spinning, back legs sweeping him from his feet. In a flash, she had spun again, and her glaive hacked through his middle, embedding itself in his chest. His wide eyes stared off into nothingness. She removed the glaive, and bowed her head slightly in respect to her fallen foe.

“You know,” Discord’s voice said from behind her, “the ‘apostate’, as you called her, would have killed him in a second with a big flashy spell.”

She turned to glare at Discord, who had his arms folded, a smirk on his mismatched features.

I could literally just summon five of him, and they might actually get the best of her, he thought to himself. Or five Darth Vaders. Or five Anakin Skywalkers. Or if I was feeling cruel, five Starkillers.

“I have no doubt she could,” Solamina said. “But do not mistake my lack of ‘flashiness’ for weakness.”

"Oh come on - where's the flashy spells and monologues," commented Discord with a fake groan. "The booms, the bangs, the speeches. It's just not the same. You don't have her… flare."

“‘Booms, bangs and speeches’ are the work of the unsubtle, the uncouth and the foolhardy,” Solamina snorted. “And I am none of those things.”

“What you also aren’t is that scary,” Discord said with a chuckle. “Fighting like that, if you ever got into a real fight you’d be done in five minutes.”

“It is a pity for you, then, that you have yet to provide me a ‘real’ fight,” Solamina smiled wickedly.

Discord raised an eyebrow. Oh, it is on.

He snapped a claw, and suddenly they were surrounded by what might have been a hundred vaguely human figures - they were all silver and sleek, save for brass helmets (or possibly their heads) that were brassy and metallic. They were all armed with various weapons - staves, mauls, that sort of thing, all with a similar mechanical theme.

Discord himself was dressed in a bright pink spandex suit, a visor over his eyes. He smirked.

Not thematic, having a Power Ranger fighting with Cogs, but who cares about themes?

“Cogs!” he yelled. “Attack!”

The things charged, swinging their weapons at Solamina. With a grin, she launched through them, and her glaive suddenly became a blur of motion, swinging through the Cogs before they could even react. A good half dozen simply exploded, disappearing all around her in sparks and flashes. She parried one blow, then another, dodged a kick, then swept two off of their feet and kicked another to pieces with a strong backhoof. She grinned, blocking more blows, before lashing out again, spinning her glaive and decapitating a good dozen of the metallic things.

She turned to face Discord, who came at her with a high pitched battlecry. She blocked both his strikes with ease, before lashing out, hitting him in the chest with the butt of her glaive. To her surprise, he fell backwards with an exaggerated cry of pain, sparks flying from his spandex suit.

She spun her glaive again and aimed it at him, a smile quirking at the edge of her mouth.

“Next?”

He got to his feet, a grimace on his features. He motioned for the Cogs to keep attacking, and she effortlessly blocked their strikes, before killing three more with a single sweep and sending a thin spell through another two, one after another. She turned, only to have to narrowly dodge one of Discord’s strike, before she grimaced and hit him over the head.

“Enough of this,” she said. Her horn glowed, and suddenly a shockwave lashed out, obliterating the remaining metallic figures and blasting Discord off of his feet, throwing him backwards until he hit a rock. His spandex outfit simply disappeared, and he grimaced in pain.

“You want a fight?” Solamina asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “You want to see what I can really do?”

“Is this a trick question?” Discord asked, still dazed. Why do I get the feeling I’m about to regret that jibe…?

Before Discord could finish that thought, his vision... shifted.

She still stood before him, a faint light emerging from her, pale and sickly and luminescent, but all around her, caressing her, covering her, clutching at her, was a shadow - at once formless and yet with a form, solid and liquid and smoke, and yet it seemed to have eyes despite being pure blackness. Long ropy tendrils of the darkness, slick and oily in appearance were folding over the Alicorn's body. Wherever they touched they seemed to leave an impression of themselves, like a stain on this Celestia's pristine coat.

Suddenly, almost as if they had realised Discord was watching them, several of the tendrils detached from Celestia and began to wriggle and writhe in Discord's direction.

"Ew," Discord muttered, trying to be glib despite the... unnerving nature of what it was seeing. "You should have that looked at. I hear that's bad for -"

He disappeared in a flash as a thin spell obliterated the little rock he had been leaning against.

"You will face me, Discord," Solamina intoned, her voice low and deep, her voice leaving a slight echo that hissed and whispered and twisted in the air.

Discord pulled his head out of the ground, scowling at her, though he found looking at her... difficult. The shadow still writhed around her form, and that blackness felt like the abyss was staring back at him, daring him to jump in and surrender to that pristine nothingness...

He shook his head clear of the thought and scowled.

"Why should I?" he asked. "You decided to pull the God Mode on."

She said nothing, but there was a smirk on her face, and the blackness still writhed, tendrils reaching out.

Discord stepped back, almost unconsciously. What was this? He could sense… something, but it was nothing like he had ever encountered before. Tirek's power, he knew about - it was familiar and nasty, like the stench of the smelliest, foulest pair of old socks right at the bottom of the wardrobe. This… this was different. As he kept trying to ignore the shadow writhing over her form, the tendrils beckoning him closer as they waved in non-existent wind. Ignore the staring thing, ignore it, don't look, just don't…

“Do you not want your real fight?” she asked, grinning.

Discord gulped. I guess now’s the time to say ‘spoke too soon’...

***

Sickbay, John F. Kennedy Airport emergency medical facility, New York, November 16th, 2023 - 'Spectrum' Earth.

When the older Doctor returned to Elliot's room, he had his sonic screwdriver out and was scanning as he did so, eyes frowning slightly as he trotted in and ignoring Aegis and Kraber, who frowned at him, both confused by his behaviour - the look on his face made him look like he'd never been here before, and was surprised to find Elliot there.

"You ok, Doc?" Aegis asked.

The Doctor looked at him as though he'd grown two heads. He didn't respond, instead trotting up to Elliot. A brief scan later, he was frowning.

"This is not good," he said simply, speaking softly to himself. He turned to Aegis and Kraber, frowning thoughtfully. "Tell me, has this man performed any sort of strenuous magical effort in the past twenty four hours?"

"Uh, you know he has, Doc," Aegis said with a frown. "He fought -"

"Wait," the older Doctor said, holding up a hoof. "Do you… know me?"

"Yes?" Aegis said, looking at Kraber, who just shrugged.

"Ah," the Doctor said, frowning. "I believe I might be early."

"Yes, I really think you are," a figure from behind him said. The older Doctor turned, and found himself facing the younger Doctor Whooves.

"Ah," the older Doctor said again. "How early?"

"Easier to show you," Whooves said with a slight grimace. "Contact."

"Contact," the older Doctor repeated at once, nodding.

The two of them closed their eyes, and then there seemed almost to be some sort of unseen conversation between the two, each one nodding as if listening to something. A moment later, the older Doctor nodded, and opened his eyes.

"I see," he said, frowning as he adjusted to the mental conversation. "I should probably be going then."

"Probably," Whooves said. "Before you do though - I'm sorry for our first meeting. It was unbecoming of me."

"I will… bear that in mind," the older Doctor said, raising an eyebrow. "Right then."

And with that, he walked out. Aegis threw Kraber a look.

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey?" Kraber guessed with a shrug.

"Again with the talking like children," the voice of the older Doctor said, and he entered the room again, this time with his coat off and slung across his back. "Must you do that?"

"What's wrong with 'wibbly wobbly timey wimey'?" Whooves asked, looking genuinely confused.

"The fact that you actually need to ask that question astounds me," the older Doctor replied in an exasperated tone.

"Ok, so are you ok, Doc?" Aegis asked, repeating his earlier question.

"Better than I was when you last asked me that," the older Doctor said, smiling mirthlessly. "I'm more surprised that you two are."

"We've been through much worse," Kraber said, wincing a little.

"No doubt," the Doctor said drily. He sighed, before scanning Elliot again. "No improvement since I've been gone, then."

"But no deterioration," Whooves added, his own sonic out and buzzing slightly.

"For that, we must be grateful," the older Doctor said. He threw his counterpart a glance. "By the way - apology accepted. Really, I should probably have expected our meeting to go something like that."

"Thanks," Whooves said with a smile.

"So you two are done explaining things to Cheerilee then?" Kraber asked, looking between the two with as little confusion as he could muster.

"Pretty much," Whooves said. "Did Discord come through here?"

"Ja," Kraber said. "Then he left again - said something about following a residue back to Elliot's world…?"

The older Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I would be fascinated to see if that worked. It might shorten my own trip back considerably…"

Before he could say anything else, Elliot suddenly spasmed. Kraber was up in a shot, holding him down as he grimaced and shuddered, pain wracking his features. The Doctors both had their screwdrivers out, trying to see exactly what was happening.

***

The Mindscape, nowhere.

Elliot found himself in a street, familiar and yet… strange. It was Hull - Victoria Square to be exact, the pockmarked and bullet-hole covered statue of the old Queen still standing in the middle of the square, unbroken. The sun was setting, orange playing across the sky, but the sunset was fast. Too fast for a natural sunset. There was something… off about it, something malicious in the creeping shadows of dusk. As if it was hungry, trying to consume the daylight...

He heard whispering coming from… somewhere, and frowned slightly, before turning his head, trying to find the source of it.

"Who's out there?!" he called.

There was no reply. Though he knew he was dreaming, and dreams often made no sense, he could feel that there was something more to this than met the eye. It was like there was some sort of foreign presence in his mind, an invasion that he could feel abstractly, even if he couldn't see or touch it yet.

"I said, who is out there?" he called out again.

...what-are-you?-What-do-you-want?-What-are-you-here-to-do...?

Elliot scowled. "Again with the whispering. A guy could get sick of that, you know."

It was clearer now - this was some sort of intrusion into the Mindscape. He tensed, and unconsciously held out a hand, summoning the astral form of Excalibur. Here, in the Mindscape, he had the power to access the Avatar's strength to a certain extent without necessarily hurting himself. He had the horrible feeling he would need it.

...you-are-a-threat-you-are-an-enemy-you-must-be-destroyed…

"If you think you can, I'm right here!" he yelled. "Come at me!"

The shadows seemed to creep closer as the sun set, and he could have sworn there were ghastly figures moving in the dusk beyond the range of human sight. He held up Excalibur, and it blazed with light, illuminating his immediate area. He climbed the steps of Victoria Square's statue, standing at the base of the statue as the shadows closed in.

The sun set, and then all around him was empty pitch blackness.

I am sorry for this, a calm, soft and regretful voice seemed to say from everywhere and nowhere, speaking quietly and yet resonating throughout the space, dead on the air and right behind him all at once. You've suffered enough in your own world that such an end as this seems almost unfair - maybe even cruel. But you are a threat to the Queen, and all threats must be silenced.

The shadows seemed to almost be fighting with the edges of the light surrounding Elliot. He growled.

"I'm not so easy to put down," he said, and he held Excalibur up. Suddenly, the blade flared with a deeper inner light that pushed outward against the shadows.

Not to be deterred, the unknown force pushed back against the light, shoving it until the shadows were almost right in his face: they were definitely solid, like a mass pushing against him. He growled, and pushed outward again, and again the shadows pushed back towards him.

...why-do-you-fight-it-is-inevitable-surrender…

Elliot gritted his teeth. "Never. You tell your thrice-damned Queen - I'll never surrender! Not to her, not to Solamina, not to anyone! If she wants me, she can come for me herself!"

He pushed a third time, and this time the light flared so brightly that the entire world seemed to be washed away by the sheer brightness of it. Elliot found himself standing in a featureless white void, alone…

And then there was a flash of light.

***

Sickbay, John F. Kennedy Airport emergency medical facility, New York, November 16th, 2023 - 'Spectrum' Earth.

Elliot's spasms faded and his face returned to the peaceful, neutral sleeping expression it had borne before.

"What the hell is that all about?" Kraber wondered aloud.

"I don't know," the older Doctor said, frowning at the readings on his sonic. "For a moment, it seemed like there was another brain pattern interrupting his own."

"Strange," Whooves said with a frown. "I've not seen readings like this before."

"Whatever it is, it seems to be gone now," the older Doctor said. "So his inbuilt defences might have kicked in."

"This is fokking weird," Kraber pointed out, frowning in concern. "Is that kinda thing likely to happen to anyone else?"

The older Doctor gave him a look. "We should hope not."

"Viktor?" Aegis asked. "Should we tell them about the…"

"The what?" Kraber asked.

"You know, that dream?" Aegis asked. "The one with Elliot in it?"

"Now's good a time as any," Kraber said. "Eish, no. Not that kind of dream. The plot-relevant kind of dream."

"What are you two talking about?" the older Doctor asked.

"Right," Kraber said. "Awhile back, I was pretty close to a psychotic break. And I kept getting these… visions. One of them had him leading a charge on Canterlot. Another, well… It seemed like he'd gone a bit too far in going after the Empire. Your Empire. Your version of it."

The two Doctors listened intently, the older stallion glancing at his younger compatriot with a slight raised eyebrow.

"I really hope he's from the first one," Aegis added. "Because if Discord went to the second one, we might have a new problem on our hands."

***

Equestria, February 14th, Year 6 of the New Solaminan Calendar (2030) - 'Solaminan' Equus.

Discord floated away from Solamina, who watched impassively as he repositioned himself. The great dark mass was moving. It broiled and churned like the waves of the sea in a storm, following Solamina as she too took up position. Discord could feel something deep inside the darkness, a malign intelligence that seemed to be studying him, stripping him of his skin and flesh and gazing deep into his being even as he tried to do the same.

"Seriously?" he said, shaking his head slightly again. "Is this what it's like for ponies that try to fight me? Cheap tricks and copouts? You know what?! No! You and that Tyrant can suck donkey butt! That's cheating!"

"This from the reality breaker," she pointed out, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"I bend reality," Discord corrected. "Get it right!"

"My apologies," Solamina said insincerely. "If it makes you feel better, this will be over soon."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Discord asked rhetorically, glaring at her. And why do I get the horrible feeling you aren't bluffing?

“As I said, you aren’t stupid,” she said with a slow smile. “You know death when you face it.”

"Careful now, that kind of confidence could can lead to a lot of embarrassment,” Discord warned her, though his tone belied the confidence in his words. “For all you know, I’ve still got tricks up my sleeve." Discord held himself back, frowning as she smirked at him. "Though that probably explains why your humans are still walking around."

"The humans are at my mercy, and I will crush them as I choose," she replied with a shrug. "They do not require my... personal attentions. You, though..." she continued, still smirking. "I know you require a... special touch. I know your tricks. And while you have learned new tricks, they remain entirely predictable. As do you."

"Really?" Discord chuckled as he snapped his claw, various items appearing on his body. "Well, the multiverse tends to say otherwise."

"I know of the multiverse and the wonders it holds," she said with a smile. "And I know more of it than you seem to think. I also know how to dispel your chaos magics."

"Oh? Go ahead." Discord held out his arms, watching as a wave of dispelling magic poured over him. Solamina frowned as the items remained, and then, to Discord's disconcertion, she smiled again.

"Now that isintriguing," she murmured.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet," Discord replied. He levelled his bracer at her, a small gun popping out and into his grip. "Is it my turn?"

Solamina blinked as Discord squeezed the trigger, and a giant bullet flew out, tearing up the ground as it flew towards her. Sighing, she swung her glaive, cutting it into two with ease. What she wasn't ready for was the thrown dagger that Discord threw after he fired to cut her cheek. She dodged quickly, avoiding the blade with only a cut.

"Drat." Discord flew into the air, snapping his claw at the miss. "Really should've thrown that earlier - WHOA!"

Discord spilt his body in half, barely avoiding the blade trying to cut him into two. Solamina spun her weapon faster than thought, faster than sight, and it was all he could do to dodge the blows.

"I get the feeling that you don't get to do this often these days." Discord commented, only to cut apart from a swing. His body puffed into smoke. Another clone. "Hey! Those clones are actually alright!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, a soft glow enveloping her wound and making it vanish into nothing, her fur once more unmarked. And then, unsettlingly, she smiled again, wider this time.

"Amusing," she said. "Truly. I do hope my apostate counterpart has as much spirit. It has been quite an experience to bleed again. How I've missed having fights like this!"

"Trust me, you two will get along like that house I set on fire," Discord said, rubbing his claw. "Or you two might just kill each other. Hey, I got an idea, how about you two meet! Share tales, backstab each other, try to take over each other's little toys. It will be fun!"

"I am prepared to face the apostate," Solamina said slowly, the smile not wavering.

"Apostate… what a strange word to use," Discord commented.

"It is what she is," Solamina replied. "The apostate. The heretic. The false God, threatening the true Sun Resplendent!"

"So you would be?" Discord asked as he avoided another spell.

"I am a God," Solamina said evenly, still smiling at him. The shadow around her writhed and squirmed, still seeming to stare at Discord.

"Gods don't bleed," Discord retorted, ignoring it. "I should know, I've met a few."

She laughed at that. "Perhaps I should allow you to keep living in delusion a while longer. I've not laughed this much in years."

"Yeah, yeah." Discord waved off her laughter. He pulled out one of his Deadpool dolls and threw it at her. Solamina caught it in her telekinetic grip, raising an eyebrow as it changed into a human. She gave a grin as she twisted its neck and threw it aside.

"Oh pitiful," she commented. Her eyes widened slightly at a sword strike suddenly being aimed at her head. She scowled as she eviscerated the human with her glaive. "What manner of monster is this?"

"Deadpool," Discord commented, as he threw another doll out to her, frowning at the blue suit doll left before putting that away. "Meet his buddy."

"Yet more games? How tiresome," the Empress said with a slight scowl. Her horn glowed as she crushed the human with a telekinetic attack as it got back up, barely avoiding a swipe of ruby claws and attempted to cut this one down as well, but the creature was far quicker than necessarily possible. The cat like human creature was speeding around her, darting in and out and deftly avoiding her strikes. It darted forward, managing to cut her armour and scar her cheek, and she scowled.

"I'm growing tired of this," she commented. "It's not nearly as fun as it was five minutes ago."

Her horn glowed, and then suddenly a narrow beam of light pierced the cat-like creature, stopping it in its tracks before exploding it from the inside out in a blast of light. She smirked, flapping her wing to regain balance before landing on the ground, looking around the field and trying to get a sense for where Discord had disappeared to. She closed her eyes, and a moment later she grinned.

"You are right behind me," she said quietly. She turned and swung her glaive down, only for him to dodge and step back. "With four of your 'clones' stood at diagonal points further away in an effort to confuse me. Of course, they are somewhat different to you in their energy, and so that trick has, alas, expired in its usefulness."

The clones appeared and disappeared in puffs of smoke as her horn glowed, beams of power eradicating all four in narrow, focused attacks.

"Actually impressive," she said with a grin. "But your arsenal is going to run dry eventually, little chaos creature."

"Hm, it's not like I have a entire pocket filled with weapons…" Discord hovered overhead, then smiled. "Oh wait, I do!"

Whether they actually do anything is a different question.

Solamina rushed up at him, prepared to end the battle, then blinked as he held a zipper that appeared from nowhere and pulled it open. She got a hammer to the eye for her troubles, then found herself buried underneath an avalanche of them.

"Hahahaha!" Discord laughed as the hammer pile grew, knowing it wouldn't slow her down for long, but he needed to get his kicks in.

"You know," her voice said from behind him, and he turned to see her floating behind him, her armour dented and battered and a cut above one eye that was already healing, "laughing like that gives you hiccoughs. I'm honestly surprised that you've never had them before."

As she spoke, her armour glowed, the damage disappearing and the armour gleaming like new. She smirked.

"Welp. I guess the fun is over." Discord rolled his shoulders, frowning at this apparent power. Only a very few beings could do something like this, and they were basically Gods. Whatever Solamina was, it was a perversion of it. She was close, but not quite on their level. Plus the amount of power she was pouring out was unheard of: only one other being he knew could do something similar and he was defeated by his mother.

"A pity," Solamina said with a soft smile. "I have so few worthy opponents. When they're gone, I always miss them."

"My mother could whoop you in her heyday," Discord ducked from the swinging of her weapon, managing to get a quick hits on her body which she ignored in favor in back hoofing him and sending him spinning away. "Then again, her fights tended to move the entire planet against her enemies."

"'Mother'?" Solamina repeated, raising an eyebrow. "In all the years you terrorised us, you never spoke of your origins. I find it curious you should do so now."

"I thought you knew the multiverse?" Discord said with a smirk. "Different rules, different beginnings. This is the centerpiece when going someplace else."

She narrowed her eyes, and then suddenly she smiled, a smile of recognition that made Discord feel entirely… unhappy.

"Of course," she said softly. "You aren't one of the Questioners, nor the child of Starswirl, nor Starswirl himself - you are the child of Faust." She chuckled. "Oh, well, now I know why you seem so weak. You're so much younger."

"I am not young," Discord snapped. "And I resent being called 'weak'. I am perfectly powerful. Just not against you and your... black... squiggly… thing."

"The child of Faust," she repeated, as though she hadn't heard him. "Which makes your Celestia one who did not fight the Unification War as I knew it, nor did she face the Discordant Legion - she, too, is of that lineage: younger, too. Well... that is something useful to know. Thank you."

Discord frowned - giving her information she apparently found useful was not exactly what he had planned on doing today, but then this entire sojourn was an accident, so he counted himself lucky it hadn't killed him yet. He flew back, frowning as he stared at her and trying to ignore the fact that he'd let slip something that she could use.

"So you've got a different history to my Celestia, big deal," he said. "You're still her. You still have the same hangups."

"What an assumption you make," she said with a smile.

"Better an assumption than just an ass," he retorted.

"Such eloquence from the lord of lies and deceit," Solamina said mockingly. "Speak again, oh Dragon Horse, and show me your intelligence."

"Well, if I'm showing my wit, you're showing all your nice tricks," he said in return, still backing off.

"Oh? What makes you think I have shown you my true power?" Solamina asked with a grin.

"Hm, you know I'm not so sure anymore," Discord said, rubbing his chin with a mocking tone, disguising his concern. He didn't know how powerful she really was, even now. He hadn't sensed her power before she'd started throwing it around, and attacks that he knew would have given the Queen's Clone pause - had given the clone pause - seemed to do nothing but amuse, scratch and irritate her. Maybe this was a sign of how powerful the Queen herself would be.

Maybe it's worse, he thought idly, and then he shook his head No, he would not think like that - her being as powerful as the Tyrant he knew was bad enough. Being worse… well, that was just ridiculous.

"Seriously, though," he said to her, tensing slightly as though preparing for a blow. "I can tell you've been holding back. You've been giving glimpses of what you can do, but you are not taking me seriously."

"This from the apparent lord not only of Chaos but of snark, quips and one-liners?" she said, arching an eyebrow. "If I was somepony else, and you were better at hiding your fear, I might think you thought this fight a joke."

"Yes, but that's me," Discord said with a shrug. "I'm allowed to not take things seriously. Part of the job description - 'God of Chaos, anarchy, and not taking things seriously. And also cheese'." He frowned. "Seriously, though. I'm having trouble just keeping you away from me, and that is…"

Utterly terrifying.

"... pretty impressive."

"Why thank you," she said with a sarcastic smirk. "And may I take the opportunity to congratulate you on amusing me so much."

"Why, thank you, I aim to please," he said, smirking, though he felt anything but amused. "Tell you something though - you might be strong, but I've seen powers that trumps yours in ways that you can't even dream."

He expected that to at least goad her, but to his surprise, she simply smiled.

"My power is sufficient enough to put you in your place," she said, "and when I am through with this world, I have eternity to study the Heart and learn all the secrets it can teach me."

"The what?" Discord asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It matters not," she shrugged, before smiling again. "But I'm curious now... can it be you came here without knowing what you faced?" she asked, now laughing even harder than before, the shadow clawing all around her seeming to grow in size, its grip on her tightening. "Oh tell me it is so. That would make this even better. You spoke of my power - do you know what you face? Do you know what we are? Do you understand yet?!"

"Eh…" Discord held his head, glaring at her. "I see you've definitely been holding back on me. I should try harder I suppose… Ugh…"

He stepped back, the nagging headachey sensation from earlier returning with ten times the force.

"I'm sorry," she asked, her voice tinged with dark power, "but were you saying something?"

"I have faced darkness before… I can….argh!" Discord groan as his eyes slowly began to lose focus.

"Ah, but you have never faced me, little chaos welp," she said, landing near him and smiling as the dark shadow that enveloped her form grew and grew, swallowing the light and leaving her as a single silhouette of light in the blackness. Worse still was the magical energy building around her, getting stronger and stronger with every passing moment. "This power is beyond any you have faced. Against this power, there are no tricks that can work, no quips that can mock, no defences, no recourses, no hope, and no victory. Against this power, you are nothing."

Discord frowned slightly. This was... off. He had thought the magical energy he had sensed was powerful before, but this was...

No. This is insane, and this is me thinking that. No one is that powerful. Nothing is. Unless…

"Nothing, huh? We'll see about that," he said, smirking to cover his sudden unease, before holding up a claw and snapping. Suddenly, a thousand giant red rockets, every one of them with the words 'Acme Anti Alicorn Assault Aero-projectile', appeared all around her... only to dissipate into black smoke without so much as a gesture from her as she kept walking towards him. Frowning, Discord snapped his claw again, and this time a battalion of B2 super-battle droids appeared, aiming laser rifles at her... only to, once again, dissipate, Solamina not even moving.

Growling, Discord decided for a blunter (and honestly, far more boring, but at least it got the point across) attack - he threw a ball of concussive destructive force right at her, strong enough to even give a God pause... and the shadow swallowed it whole, not even flinching.

"Oh, come on," he muttered. "This is ridiculous..."

And suddenly a shadowy tendril lashed out. Panicking slightly, he raised a claw and a shield appeared, blocking the tendril for a moment, but the shield broke as soon as it appeared and he was forced back. Another tendril lashed out, and again he tried to raise a shield. Again, he was driven back.

"There is nothing," the voice of Solamina, seemingly coming from all around him, said. "Nothing in all existence... no power, no force, no light... that can defeat darkness!"

"Well, you have… to have light to have darkness… you know-grk!" Discord realized he said the wrong thing as the pressure on his head increased.

Suddenly one of the tentacles that had been attached to Solamina lashed out and grabbed his wrist. Discord cringed as a bizarre and terrible sensation rippled up his arm with the shadow's touch. It was like pain and revulsion at the same time, as if the shadow's very presence were violating him.

Another grabbed his other wrist, and he was dragged to his feet, facing her. Another pair grabbed his legs, making sure he couldn't kick out. And then... first he was slammed into the ground, fast enough to break bones and bruise the flesh. Groaning, he found himself thrown into a rock formation, the tentacles not releasing their grip as they smashed him into the ground again. Finally, he was smashed into the side of a mountain, the grip not releasing, and there she was...

She was a fiery, blinding form at the heart of the shadow, and he felt as much as saw her gaze upon him, boring into him.

"Look at… at this beaut," Discord choked out, laughing as he was held against the mountain. "I am… in… a right… mess."

"Always talking. Never understanding."

"Maybe I don't want to…" he gasped as he felt agony through his entire body.

"Then consider it my final gift to you. You get to know who I am."

"I know enough of who you are!" he yelled. "You're a crazy Alicorn with delusions of grandeur, and you're hardly the first I've met!"

There was a dark chuckling from the glowing figure. "You delusional fool. Now, you die."

"Wait, wait!" he said. "Before I die - can I have some last words?"

The figure paused briefly. "You may have that."

"First off - that was the most cliche line ever," he struggled to say. She growled. "Also... I have a gift for you as well."

And suddenly, he snapped his claw as a portal appeared before Solamina's body, something crashing into and sending her rolling into the ground at near supersonic speeds.

Discord groaned as he collapsed, the tendrils momentarily gone from him. It was everything he could to try and open a portal to a black hole or some sort of demon dimension. His mind was on the rocks; whatever that thing was, it gave his mental defenses a good run. And this was after he faced that melting bird monster that all but obliterated his mind. Still... he didn't expect the distraction to last more than a minute.

Ah well, he thought. There are worse ways to go than snarling at Celly...

"You know," a new voice said in his ear, "I was hoping that if I met another me, he'd be less of an absolute imbecile."

There was a flash of light.

***

Solamina tore the thing that attacked her apart, scattering the demonic essence of whatever it had been (some sort of faceless thing) into oblivion in an instant. She narrowed her eyes as she noted the lack of Discord, and she couldn't sense him anywhere - not even in the vicinity. Her power slowly receded, the full strength she could call upon no longer necessary, and she closed her eyes, calming herself, until she was merely Solamina again, armoured and regal.

"So he ran again," she murmured to herself. "I see." She took a breath. "Very well then."

At first, she felt frustrated - cheated of her victory over the chaotic being. Then a greater part of her felt vague concern - if this was the Discord of the other world, and he had something to do with her apostate counterpart...

No. He would not serve her willingly in any world. And the Queen apostate would not allow him such free reign, nor allow him such power. Could it mean there was another player in this war? Things were getting so exciting...

She chuckled, thinking over the fight. It had been... interesting. Almost a challenge for a brief moment. Still - she was more than confident: she had yet to face anything that had truly threatened her, and though she expected the apostate at least to be a true challenge, she was confident that she could face that one with… well, if not no fear of defeat, then no major fear. When the apostate came, Solamina would obliterate her. Everything else... was just a distraction. And the humans on that tiny island? An irritating holdout, too small for her to concentrate everything on, too large to simply collapse on its own for far too long. They could run out of bullets, and they'd still fight like wild beasts with spears and rocks.

Discord's words about her counterpart's "Power", though… now they were a concern - it implied beyond what his Celestia should have been capable of , but all that proved was that her decision to temporarily suspend her campaign against the humans and bring her forces home to prepare was wise. Still… she frowned, mulling things over in her mind. It suddenly (and quite horribly) occurred to her that she had not been expecting Discord to appear - and if he hadn't appeared right in front of her, she wasn't sure she would have known he was here at all.

If he can hide, she can hide. She is me, and I could do it. If she can hide… there is nothing stopping the apostate from sending forces here in secret. If it were me, if I had so boldly declared my intent, I would not do so were I not confident, and I would not be so confident unless...

And with that thought, she teleported away. There were things she needed to do, preparations she needed to make. She had stood idle, built a defence… but now she had been reminded that defence was not everything.

War was a chess game, and chess was about taking ground as well as defending it - it was time for her to make her move.

***

Nowhere.

When Discord finally awoke, he found himself staring into a very familiar pair of eyes, attached to a body that was in every way identical to his own, right down to the snaggle-tooth in the frowning mouth.

"Oh," he said to the other Discord. "Hello."

***