***

"No matter how bad the dreams get... when I wake up it's always worse"
Ripley 8,Alien: Resurrection.

"I'm living in an age,
Whose name I don't know,
Though the fear keeps me moving,
Still my heart beats so slow."
Arcade Fire, My Body Is A Cage.

"Kill it with kindness. If that fails, kill it with very sharp knives."
Cecil Gershwin Palmer, Welcome To Night Vale

***

Scottish Archives, February 20th, 2030 - 'Avatar' Earth

The first blow impacted on the gauntlet he wore, the buckler deployed and withstanding the strike with a resounding clang. He grinned, bringing his own weapon to bear and forcing his opponent on the backfoot. One strike, then another, and though his opponent was skilled, he knew he was better - and in this armour, better still.

A quick riposte, and his opponent was disarmed. There was a long moment where neither warrior spoke, and then his opponent removed her helmet, revealing the face of Sir Elise.

"Not bad, Eric," she said with a grin. "I can definitely see where that armour would come in handy."

Eric, grinning himself, sheathed his sword. The hand-and-a-half design was affectionately named the 'Flaming Bastard' by its wielders and makers alike, and Eric found himself liking the design. It was simple, effective, and there were some modifications that gave it extra killing power. Truly a worthy weapon for a knight.

"Soon, the Paladin II will be in full production - given the speed our foundries produced the Mark I's, I think we'll be pleasantly surprised," Eric replied, grinning as he flexed the gauntlet. The armour was much less bulky than Elise's Mark I. "I'm rather looking forward to having a fellowship of such knights march at my back."

"We'll follow you to the ends of the Earth if need be, sir," Elise said honestly, slamming one fist on Eric's chestplate in a show of camaraderie. "We always have before."

Eric smiled, a warm, genuinely happy thing. "I know, my friend." The smile faded slightly. "I'm afraid that before the end, chances are we'll have places to go that'll test us all."

"Then we'll rise to that test," Elise assured him.

Eric smiled again and nodded. "Yes. We will."

There was a pause.

"About Sir Jason," Elise began, but Eric held up a hand.

"He knew the risks," the man said quietly. "And he went of his own accord. I would never have denied him that, even if I knew all the variables. Besides, if he hadn't gone..." Eric looked downcast. "Any other one of us could have."

Elise knew that this was the closest he would get to admitting he hadn't known what would happen. She nodded.

"I agree," she said. "You did the right thing."

Eric nodded, gratified by this.

"But… you realise that his death means the Avatar isn't dead," Elise continued, raising an eyebrow.

At this, Eric grinned. "Aye, it does. Which means that when he returns, he shall truly have Knights worthy of him at his back."

"Wonder where he is?" Elise sighed.

"With luck, he's somewhere he can make a difference," Eric said. "The Doctor said he'd try and find Elliot. It's a good question as to where that'll lead him…"

"Knowing our luck, he's not having a good time," Elise said forlornly.

***

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

This would actually depend on your definition of "Good time."

"It's weird," Elliot said. "Your Equestria-"

"Ain't mine," Kraber interrupted.

Elliot stopped, then nodded slowly. "Well, most of the things I've heard about… the one Aegis is from-"

Aegis nodded, as if to say, 'yeah, that's better.'

"- sound so different from the one that my pony friends are from," Elliot said. "Totem proles, a Crystal War… still can't believe that's the first war you guys had in yonkers. True Grit said there's always a major border conflict going on in the colonies."

"One thing to be thankful to dodge - our border conflicts tended to be small," Aegis said. "And first war with Equestria, mind. Your friends' enemies must be a lot stupider to fight the mare that raises the sun. And besides, Celestia… did a lot of violent things early in her reign. There's old, old memories that scare others off."

"But at the same time it's just so similar too…" Elliot continued. "People, places, the Element bearers…"

"That is kind of weird," Aegis admitted with a frown. "Am I anywhere in there?"

"I don't think so, mate, or if you are I've never heard about you," Elliot said. "And I'm sure I'd remember a pony as big as you. How'd you..."

"Some ponies are just big," Aegis shrugged, much as he could while lying on the floor. "Like how Kraber's just really skinny and never seems to gain weight from all the booze. Maybe I'm alicorn-blooded, maybe there was a lot of magic around. It didn't seem important."

"My niece keeps wondering if he's a large pony or a small horse," Kraber said, chuckling a little, and wincing. "Fok - forgot about that rib."

"How did you not notice you hurt so much?!" Elliot asked from the hospital bed next to Kraber. It was surrounded by strange PHL machinery, and he couldn't fathom the purpose of most of them. A lot of them seemed to be taking readings of some kind. Aegis was lying on the floor, his hooves hovering an inch above a laptop keyboard as the tiny keys, made for human fingers, clicked of their own volition.

"Eh, after awhile, you learn not to ask these things," Aegis shrugged. "Damn. Lots of messages on my faceb-"

He paused, suddenly looking excited.

"It's Rivet and Amber!" he yelled. "Viktor! Johnny C just took a photo, he and the 501 are fine, they're somewhere in upstate New York!"

"Oh thank God," Kraber breathed.

"Gonna message them now," Aegis said, inching a hoof over the keyboard. Keys depressed under his hoof, which was hovering an inch above the computer.

"How…" Elliot asked, looking down. "How is he doing that with hooves?"

"Eh, it didn't seem important," Kraber said. "But it's a pain for him to hold guns like that."

"I miss the internet," Elliot sighed, looking over at Aegis' PHL laptop.

"You don't have the internet where you're from?" Kraber asked.

"We kind of need every bit of machinery," Elliot explained tiredly. "Any actual internet left in the British isles is a military communication network first and foremost, followed by priority usage. Vinyl gets to use FaceTime, but she's the only civvie I know of who does… plus, electricity is kind of a premium there. Generator marks can only do so much when you've sequestered the mark makers in one compound. The Archive has some of the best stuff, but-"

"What's the archive?" Aegis asked.

"Exactly how it sounds," Elliot explained. "Big place full of stuff we're saving. Also old. Also magic-y. We figure we don't have long to live, so we might as well save what we got..." He sighed. "But we couldn't get everything. As much as we can have, well… I don't know if anything could ever go back. And so much is going to be forgotten - entire cultures were wiped out of existence, and what we have left is gonna get so distorted..."

"Damn," Aegis said. "That sounds bleak. How's Vinyl doing there, though?"

"She drinks too much, listens to Octavia's voice on Resistance FM like it's aural heroin, and I don't even think she's told Lyra about the business with Cain," Elliot replied with a hollow smile.

"Poor Vinyl," Kraber said. "She's not fragile, but… I can really sympathize here. Just cause she's strong doesn't mean she handles this well."

"She's doing about as well as the rest of us," Elliot said with a slight shrug. "I think we passed 'despair' and hit 'fuck it' a while ago. Doubt any of us are saner than Cain anymore."

"Aw, fok no," Kraber groaned. "You have a Cain there too?"

"What happened with him?" Aegis asked.

Elliot shrugged. "She was kidnapped. Then she was found. She has a scar from it, wrecked one eye, but otherwise she's ok…. ish. Personally don't think she was ever the same, but Lyra would know better..."

"Got it," Aegis said. "Not the type to pry, anyway."

"A Cain, another me…" Kraber tried not to look downcast. "Here's hoping you've got good people left. I get called a kontgesig, and, yeah, I am, but… fok Cain."

Aegis nodded. "That sonovabitch… Ours is pretty unpleasant too." He paused. "We saw him in Montreal. He helped the PER for a bit back in 2020 - think he just got the kicks he wanted from it. Then he gave up and… 'went freelance'. Which was about as nice as it sounded. I think the last anyone heard of him was when he escaped Munro's facility."

"Fokkin' Munro… and fokkin' Cain. Why do people even have the name Cain? It always ends in things going fokkin' pear-shaped," Kraber agreed.

"You need to read the Ciaphas Cain novels," Elliot said dryly. "Best 40K tie in ever."

"Are you saying that things never went to kak with him around?" Kraber asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cause if I recall correctly, Cain was a bit of a doom magnet. I can sympathize with him there."

"He nearly had our home burnt down, got captured by HLF, was forced to murder two of our friends, got kidnapped, nearly starved, ate a man's throat, and ended up in the middle of a huge zep attack in the same week," Aegis added wryly. "And… lost a friend or two."

"They made their fokkin bed… and I died that week! It hurt," Kraber added, with mock-indignation. Seeing the look on Elliot's face, he added: "I… I got better. A friend of mine turned my brain fat into electricity, turning each neuron into a potentiometer. Then I took a nap and woke up in a morgue."

"Anyway," Aegis said, "Trust me. This man knows what it is to be a doom magnet."

"I wonder if two doom-magnets become a doom-repellant?" Elliot wondered idly.

"Well, we've tried everything, including closing our eyes and begging for the nightmare to stop, and praying to God, so it might be worth a shot," Aegis said with a grin.

Kraber looked uneasy for a second. "Look… it's just the three of us here, right?" he asked.

"Not quite," Aegis said, "But the hospital staff are busy with enough people that I think we'll be alone a while. Some of us got hit by HLF outside the city, some of us lost limbs, a lot more of us are barely hanging on." He shivered a little. "Could've been much worse. We're lucky to have you, Elliot. Probably."

"Kwaai," Kraber said. "Because something's been bothering me about you a long time, Elliot. So, you're from what's essentially post apocalyptic Britain. Which is the last holdout of humanity. Lyra's survived - wait, are there other pockets of humanity there?"

"Maybe," Elliot said, shrugging. "It happened to us, so it could have happened somewhere else. Even if there are, though, we wouldn't be able to contact them - and it can't be very much, or we'd know."

"Don't change the subject," Aegis warned him. "This is literally the best time to get this off your chest, Viktor."

"Sorry, sorry. I just… well, it's like coming out as bi. You just know everybody will judge you, you feel befok, and-"

Aegis gave him a flat stare, raising one eyebrow.

"Right. Already bosbefok, what more fokkin' harm could I do…." Kraber sighed. "And you remember me."

Elliot nodded again.

"So if I'm there, I have a question for you," Kraber said. "Tell me - wherever I'm from, am I wearing…" he gestured vaguely. "Gas mask, long coat, bren gun, huge revolver? Part of the, uh…" he stroked his beard. "Undead, I think? No wait, that was just his boss. But living in Leith? Beard's probably grayed a bit too."

"...How do you…" Elliot whispered, jaw doing its best job of making its way down his face. "How can you possibly know about that?"

"I don't know how I know," Kraber said. "I just remember, almost a year back, I had these dreams. I was in a bad place. I'd left the HLF in the middle of a battle, gone into Portland-"

"The one in Maine," Aegis supplied.

"Yeah, there's a lot of Portlands. One of which is a white German Shepherd that looks like Becquerel. And I, uh, may have killed a super newfoal, gone a little bosbefok and had a psychotic break where I remembered torturing a pony for fifteen hours. It'd take too long to explain, especially considering this was after I dropped a helicopter on that newfoal and got paralyzed, but I just remember… I was in Equestria."

"It'd take too long to explain," Aegis said.

"Mate, you'd be terrible for first contact," Elliot said. "Unless Aegis was there, maybe…"

"I don't know about that," Aegis said. "If any of us had gotten into Equestria, I kind of doubt we'd come with open forelegs."

"What about for strangling?" Kraber suggested.

"Guess so," Aegis admitted.

"I know I'd be terrible," Kraber said. "Thank God it was Marcus instead of me."

"Wait, what?" Elliot asked.

"It’s not important yet. But… I think I remember something like you. I remember Pinkie Pie being somewhere nearby. Even though I hate her, and I was… I was happy about it. I guess I didn't know what she did."

"What did she…"

"Trust me," Aegis said, before Kraber could say anything, "You don't want to know."

"I mean, I can't remember kak from in that dream. It's like trying to remember myself remembering something. But it was an invasion force, I'm sure of it. I think we were in Canterlot, judging by all the photos I saw in the war room. And I know you were there. You were spearheading it," Kraber said, with renewed certainty. "There was… a battle. A battle in the sky…"

"...You believe this?" Elliot asked Aegis.

"He doesn't lie to me," Aegis said. "Well, not anymore. But that's the past."

Elliot sensed a story behind that, but he decided not to ask.

"But… there's something that I wonder about," Kraber said, scratching his head. "I know you have pony manes in that coat. And that you beat me to Pinkie Pie. But tell me, do people in your Britain wear necklaces of pony teeth? I mean, you said you know a Vinyl and a Lyra, so it's not all that likely, but…."

"...You sure you want to mention this part?" Aegis asked. "I mean… I got shot in there."

"What are you two talking about?" Elliot asked, uneasy.

"Long story that'd just keep getting longer. And I swear to God, I wouldn't do that," Kraber said, looking over at Aegis, the saddest look Elliot had ever seen on Kraber's - a Kraber's - face. "Never again. Specially cause I know that a year and a half ago I'd do that without fokkin' blinking. But this kak haunted me for a while. Enough that I could barely sleep."

"You were outright afraid to sleep," Aegis added. "The doctors had no idea how you'd kept yourself awake."

"Lots of alcoholic coffee," Kraber explained. "And Nny gave me a copy of that report on totem-proles from the consultants in Tribeca. I was afraid of this, and I didn't mention it cause they'd think I was bosbefok..."

"More than usual?" Aegis joked, with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, unable-to-fokking-function crazy, but I guess there's not much I can do about that. Then again, they do give me a longer leash than the average hunting dog. Being a propaganda star and weapons tester is kwaai," Kraber said, smiling wistfully. "Okay. Fok it. I need to ask. You're not part of some kind of interdimensional crusade to destroy all ponykind, are you?"

"What. I... a... what?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why... I mean... why would I? I've fought alongside ponies. Hell, after Sam died -"

"Sam Lake?" Aegis asked. "He's still alive here too."

"Damn," Elliot said, eyes wide. His old friend, alive? Was this world trying to taunt him, remind him of every failure? "That's… we'll get to that later, but after he died Lyra was one of my best friends, especially after the bloody Sweetie Drops fiasco."

"The what now?" Kraber asked, frowning.

"Oh, that was -" Elliot began, but Aegis interrupted, holding up a hoof.

"Okay, new ground rules," the giant pony said. "We get to the point, right now, because there's enough we could talk about it for days."

"Agreed," Elliot said. "Tell you what, we'll have the full continuity-catch-up when we figure out how to get me home. It'll be over food that's extinct back home, like mangoes or something. I miss those." He frowned at Kraber. "But seriously - why would I do that? How would I do that?"

"Take it from someone that has experience, revenge is a hell of a drug," Kraber said. "Imagine if you somehow beat Equestria before any good ponies like Aegis or Vinyl, or Heliotrope came by. Having a pony chommie by your side at times like this is good for you. But… what if you weren't? Someone with as much power as you, angry as all hell…"

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God no!" Kraber protested. "Besides, I've got more to feel guilty about, probably. I'm just thinking. If I had a dream of assaulting Canterlot with you around-"

"Which hasn't happened yet-"

"Shit," Aegis said, smirking slightly. "The timelines are in flux. Better go see Doc."

"Wait," Elliot said. "We weren't wearing pony teeth in that invasion you dreamed up, right?"

"It was a different timeline," Kraber said. "I don't know how I know, but I'm sure it was somewhere else. Either way, things probably end well for you."

"I have an idea," Aegis said. "Elliot, Avatar or whoever… ask him some questions about his world. See how many he gets right."

"Which reminds me," Kraber said. "Elliot and Constantine-"

"He's here too?!" Elliot asked. "Can he do magic?"

"Maybe," Kraber shrugged. "It's stage kak, far as I can tell. You'll have to ask him."

Elliot sat back on his bed, closing his eyes. His memory, at first fuzzy, was gradually getting back to normal. He was remembering something from his sleep.

"You ok?" Aegis asked.

Elliot frowned, and suddenly, without any preamble, he glowed golden for a moment. Kraber's eyes widened.

"You… ok there, Elliot?" he asked.

Elliot stood up, the glow still surrounding him. He flexed his muscles. He cracked his neck. He smiled, and jogged on the spot, his pains apparently gone.

"I remember," he said softly, still glowing. "I remember!"

"Remember what?!" Aegis asked, looking worriedly at the glow.

Elliot looked down, and smiled sheepishly. The glow subsided.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just… I met someone while I was asleep."

"Is this something to do with that mind attack you had?" Kraber asked.

"No, but -" Elliot began, before frowning. "How'd you know about that?"

"Multiple brain patterns or something," Aegis shrugged. "You'd have to ask the Doc - your Doc I mean."

"Well, no, it's not the attack I mean," Elliot said, looking at his hand. "I was given a job."

"What job?" Kraber asked.

Elliot frowned, before looking at the two. "Tell me - can you think of any noble, heroic warriors who would be worthy to bear Excalibur?"

Kraber's eyes went wide. "As in, the big fokkin' sword you smacked Celestia up with?"

"As in the big fucking sword I smacked Celestia up with," Elliot confirmed, grinning wildly at him.

"Noble, heroic warriors," Aegis said thoughtfully. "You know, we don't really get those. War's a gritty business."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Really. Colour me surprised. Not like I'm fighting one."

"I'm just saying, 'noble and heroic' are a bit… fantasy," Aegis pointed out. "Then again, I'm in a hospital room with a knight in shining armor and a man that's done everything for me and died to save something that wanted us to kill aer, so what do I know. Though there's always Stephan."

"Or maybe Yael," Kraber added.

"Yael?" Aegis repeated. "Maybe. Would Heliotrope do?"

"She's a Pegasus, yeah?" Elliot asked. "Might need to stick to human. Plus, she likes combat knives more."

"Racist," Aegis joked. "Commander Renee?"

Kraber nodded, though there was a slight thoughtful frown on his face.

"Yarrow would have disagreed with that one," he said softly.

Aegis frowned too. "Well… Yarrow isn't here. And yeah, fine, he had a point about some of the stuff he was saying, but Marcus is still our best hope… and he did what he did because he had to."

"Yarrow would probably have disagreed about that, too," Kraber said softly. "Dammit - now I've just reminded myself how we left it with those guys."

"It was bad, but… they made their choices," Aegis said softly. "Like you made yours."

"Ja. So" Kraber said, putting a smile on his face that was quite clearly fake, "if it's a noble warrior type you're wanting, I'd say Marcus, Yael or Stephan. Maybe even the other you - but then again, you're different guys, you've had different experiences, so who knows with that one. But not me. I'm unvolunteering on account of feeding PER to red wolves-

"Why would you feed PER to wolves?!" Elliot gasped.

"Critically endangered wolves! And they were hungry. Plus, I saw one of the puppies getting the hiccups. Have you seen a puppy with the hiccups? It's adorable."

Elliot raised an eyebrow, still trying to comprehend what he was hearing.

"Well, I thought it was beminlik," Kraber finished.

"It, uh, kinda would be if they weren't eating people," Aegis said.

"I think," Elliot said slowly, "that there's a small signpost somewhere behind us with 'the point' written on it. Possibly with 'David Elliot's stomach contents' right behind it." He looked at Aegis. "Is he always Captain Digression?"

"Only when he's not depressed," Aegis said. "...Actually, sometimes when he's depressed."

"And drunk," Kraber added.

"So… he is except when he isn't. Ok. So noted." Elliot frowned slightly. "So, back at 'the point'… what can you tell me about this… Commander Renee?"

"Colonel, technically," Aegis said, smirking slightly. "He hates being called Commander."

"Thought you've gotta admit, it sounds cooler," Kraber added.

"What's he like?" Elliot asked. "And this Yael, too - uh…"

"A she," Aegis clarified.

"Oh no, I know who she is," Elliot said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just curious as to whether she's HLF sympathetic here."

Kraber guffawed. "Oh…. ah, ah man, eish. Whether she's what?"

"Yael Ze'ev, IDF, right?" Elliot asked. "She's HLF where I come from. Or at least a sympathiser. I think she came in with… what were they called, the Hounds of Hades, one of the old HLF formations before the Long Watch took most of 'em on. Them and the Reavers and the - oh Christ, the Kraken Grenadiers. God, they had some weird names…"

“Ours too,” Kraber said.

"She was with the HLF?" Aegis asked, sounding somewhere between amused and surprised.

Elliot shook his head. "She wasn't with them, she just rode with them on the ships, but she knew them well - really respected them, actually."

"Well… she's not so fond of them here," Aegis said simply. "Like… really not."

"She hates them," Kraber said. "Cause our HLF broke her sister's legs, and they're probably a lot less reasonable than yours, one or two exceptions aside."

Elliot nodded slowly. Personally, he couldn't say he thought that was the case, but if they spent all day talking histories they'd be here when the Tyrant's sun finally burnt out. Or if another Tyrant, or another army launched an attack.

"Kontgesigs haven't seen how bad it can really get…. anyway, you were asking about Marcus," Kraber said. "Well, he's… kinda like you."

"Oh?" Elliot asked.

"Well, obviously he's a little older," Kraber said. "And he's not got magic super knight stuff, though he does have runic tattoos."

"He took over the PHL after Lyra died," Aegis added. "And he's done a good job too."

Elliot nodded. Whoever this Colonel Renee was, he sounded… promising.

"Ok," he asked. "So I might have missed this, but where is he?"

"He's apparently in a version of Equestria that never went mad with converting people, and attempting to recruit them as allies," Kraber said with a straight face. "We'd go fokkin' nuts if a Celestia came, and he's not powerful enough, so that's why Discord and Luna came here."

"I bet that if their Celestia comes, she'll wear face-concealing armor," Aegis added.

"Huh. Didn't think of that. I mean, we probably wouldn't be happy to see her…" Kraber mused.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "I… I…" He shook his head. "I'm a magic super-knight who uses Excalibur, fighting pastel ponies, and I just got done talking to Merlin in my head. Nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible."

"That's it," Aegis said, looking up at him. "If there's one thing I learned from The Venture Bros, it's that at some point you should just learn not to ask. Hey, Viktor? Remember that friend of ours made of several crystal ponies and the agglomeration of all the memories of ponified humans? Ae says Montreal turned out fine, and ae'd like to look at Elliot sometime, and ae's restructured aer digestive tract to be able to process meat just for a laugh. She wants more of your shrimp and cheese grits. She wants bacon and onions this time. Maybe a fried egg."

"...You're just fucking with me, aren't you?" Elliot sighed.

"Well, ja!" Kraber laughed. "But we totally do know somepony like that."

Elliot closed his eyes and put his head in his hand.

"Some…. pony. Hell Blazer, you sod," he said softly. "I'm gonna bloody kick your arse."

He looked up at Kraber, and frowned slightly. He gave him a look.

"One more thing," he said. "Did I just imagine the Doctor being here?"

"No, both of them were," Aegis said.

Elliot's eyes widened. "Where is he? I need to speak to him!"

"That," the gravelly voice of the older Doctor, "can be arranged."

Elliot turned to look at the older pony as he entered, and smiled despite himself. It was good to see a familiar face.

"You want to explain what happened?" he asked.

"No," the older pony said, holding up his screwdriver. "What I want to do is scan you, be certain that you're alright."

Elliot's smile faded. "Oh. That… sounds like fun."

"Really? Because if I were in your position I would be incredibly bored," the Doctor replied, raising an eyebrow. "Shall we begin?"

***

Scottish Archives, February 22nd, 2030 - 'Avatar' Earth

Lyra smirked as her iPad came to life and her friend Vinyl Scratch appeared, yawning. The DJ never looked anything less than dishevelled. The scar across one eye didn't help, but even without that her bleary eyes, messy mane and tired smile created the image of the shambolic.

The two of them were using FaceTime - much as technology wasn't necessarily at its best these days, morale specialists like Vinyl tended to get the best, and the Archives, of course, got everything they wanted and more.

"Lyra," Vinyl said, to her credit not reacting to seeing the implants Lyra had for the first time. "Sup?"

"Hey Vinyl," Lyra said with a slight smile. "I… needed to talk."

"Hey, sure," Vinyl said, suddenly frowning. "You ok? Not often you want to just chat these days - what's up?"

"I… I don't know," Lyra said honestly. "I… just need to talk to somepony. Get something off my chest, y'know?"

"What's on your mind?" the DJ asked.

"They asked John to summon a new Avatar," Lyra began.

"Bullshit!" Vinyl yelled.

"No, no, they really did," Lyra said, looking downwards.

"I believe you," Vinyl said. "But it's still bullshit."

"That's not why I called, Vinyl," Lyra said. "He died. The man they picked. He died horribly, burning from the inside out… and I was glad."

Vinyl pushed her dark, thick sunglasses downward, one magenta eye and one sightless, unhealthy orb looking at Lyra, visibly concerned. "I'm getting mixed messages here."

"All I could think while he was burning was… was that it meant David was alive," Lyra said softly. "That… that he… that he was somewhere, that he was breathing... and I didn't care that someone had died to show me that." She laughed slightly, despite herself. "David's alive, Vinyl, somewhere!"

Vinyl frowned at her. "You sure?"

"They can't summon a new Avatar if the old one's alive," Lyra said. "That's how John says it works. But there's nothing stopping them if he's dead. So… well. He has to be." An almost goofy smile appeared on Lyra's face, offsetting the implants. "I just… I don't know."

"Are you ok, Lyra?" Vinyl asked. "Cos somethin' seems off."

"I saw a man burn up in front of me!" Lyra said. "I don't know how to feel. A good man died, but Dave, he's alive…"

Tears seemed to well up in Lyra's eyes. Vinyl took her sunglasses off, narrowing her eyes at Lyra through the Facetime.

"Lyra, you remember a few years ago when you and I talked about Amethyst and her human bf? Apparently Garnet's gotten into that too, by the way." she asked, speaking slowly.

"Yeah…?" Lyra asked, frowning. "And your point is…?"

"You know I joked about you and David, right?" the DJ continued.

"Yeah?"

"You know it was a joke, right?"

Lyra scowled. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Vinyl sighed. "I'm just tryin' to look out for you. Ever since Bon-Bon -"

"No," Lyra snapped. "No, don't start."

"Lyra, tell me straight up, here," Vinyl asked. "Do you love him?"

Unbidden, a small paragraph of an entry in her old journal came to Lyra. I'm in love with David Elliot. I will never tell him. It's better that way. It has to be.

Lyra frowned. "I… no. No, I don't."

Vinyl snorted."Sure. And my vision's 2020."

Lyra scowled. "What do you want me to say, Vinyl?"

"Be honest with me," Vinyl said. "And you. And Elliot, while you're at it."

Lyra looked away from the screen.

"Vinyl, I'm going to tell you something, and you have to keep it secret," she said softly. "You… have to. Matter of life and death."

"Kay..." Vinyl replied, frowning.

"He's dying," Lyra said quietly. "He's got… a year. Maybe two, if the Watcher's Council get those sink-runes working. But that's it. He's got too many responsibilities, and too little time for..."

"He's WHAT?!" Vinyl yelled.

Lyra winced. "See, I knew you'd react like that."

"Why the hell doesn't somepony tell us these things?!" Vinyl said loudly. "That's…" She trailed off. "Ah, shit, sorry, that was insensitive."

"No, it's fine," Lyra said quietly. "That's precisely what I meant though - he isn't just David Elliot. He's Albion. People rely on him. They look up to him. I can't imagine what that kind of responsibility does to a man. He literally has the world resting on his shoulders..."

"And you don't wanna tell him?" Vinyl guessed.

"Why would it make a difference, Vinyl?" Lyra asked. "He's not into ponies like that. Or he's never shown any interest."

"Yeah, but he's busy," Vinyl pointed out. "Since when does that guy have five minutes to do the dirty quick with anybody, let alone doing it with someone in an actual relationship?"

"Exactly!" Lyra said. "Exactly! Since when does he have that time? When will he ever have that? And if he did, why would he go for me when he's human and I'm a pony?"

There was a long pause as the two of them digested these words.

"Lyra," Vinyl said slowly, "you've known him properly way longer than me. You've fought alongside him just about everywhere. Hell, you knew Sam. I think… I think if he were going to love anyone… if anyone's… gotten close to being in that kinda position with him… it's gotta be you."

"Yeah," Lyra said disbelievingly. "Sure."

"Lyra…" Vinyl said slowly, shaking her head. "You're not gonna tell him, are you? If he comes back, I mean."

"Hadn't planned on it," Lyra said tonelessly.

"Dammit, girl," Vinyl cursed. "What would you rather do? Let him die without him at least knowing? Or try for something resembling happiness? You'll be unhappy if you do nothing, and if it fails, at least it's off your barrel!"

Lyra looked away, and then shook her head.

"I… would rather not be the straw that breaks Atlas' back," Lyra said softly. "The world is enough, don't you think?"

Before Vinyl could reply (and she certainly looked like she wanted to), Lyra looked up at the door to her quarters as it opened and Hell Blazer stuck his head through.

"Oi, Lyra," he said. "We're needed for a briefing with the Council."

"Right," Lyra said tonelessly. "Gotta go, Vinyl."

"Yeah, go," Vinyl replied, smiling. "Just… think about what I said, huh?"

"No promises," Lyra replied, and then she ended the FaceTime.

"What was that all about?" Hell Blazer asked. Lyra scowled.

"Long story, John," she said, in a tone that implied she was just planning to find a better way to dodge the question later. "Long… really bad story."

***

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

"Alright," the older Doctor said. "Remember to take it slowly - your body is still strained from your exertions."

"I know," Elliot said with a frown, stripped down to his vest and trousers. "I don't need you reminding me what my exertions were, Doctor."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I simply thought you would appreciate the encouragement."

"Ah, he'll be fine," Kraber said with a smirk. He scrunched up a bit of paper and threw it at Elliot, who deftly spun around and caught it, before glancing at the hand that caught the paper like it had moved on its own. "Think his reflexes are pretty good."

Elliot threw the paper back at Kraber, who dodged it with a laugh. Elliot sighed, before starting to jog on the spot. He felt… surprisingly good. Using healing magic as he had normally had unpleasant side effects, but he seemed to have done reasonably well for himself in this instance.

"Tell me," the Doctor said, scanning Elliot again. "How do you feel? Energetic? Tired?"

"... meh," Elliot said after a moment, frowning slightly.

"'Meh'?" the older Doctor repeated. "That… is not exactly the most detailed response."

"I'm sure," Elliot said with a grin.

"At least you're just 'meh'," Kraber said. "I feel like fokkin' death warmed up."

Elliot looked at him, a small frown on his face.

"What?" Kraber asked.

Elliot raised a hand, aiming it at Kraber, whose eyes widened for a second. There was a soft glow from Elliot's hand, and then Kraber glowed for a moment, and suddenly Elliot raised his other hand to his nose, lowering the glowing hand. Kraber frowned, flexing his hands.

"That… feels a lot better," he said. "What the hell did you do?"

Elliot looked at his blood-covered hand, blood dripping down his nose. "I did a thing."

"Some 'thing'," Kraber said, raising an eyebrow. "Wanna explain how that works?"

"I just thought that since I could do it to me without too much hassle, maybe I could do it to you," Elliot said, shrugging. "I mean, if you're not happy…"

"Hey, I never said that," Kraber said. "Actually, I feel… good."

"Good," Elliot said. "That's something."

"Intriguing," the Doctor said. "Normally that sort of exertion would have resulted in you having a coughing fit."

As he spoke, a pony nurse entered the room. The mare glanced at Elliot as she walked in, a somewhat bemused expression then appeared on her face as she eyed him. She walked up to the beds, occasionally moving her eyes back to Elliot as she did so before taking notes on his and Kraber's clipboards, looking faintly confused. She walked out, still stealing glances at Elliot, a single eyebrow raised almost appreciatively. Elliot frowned slightly, confused by her expression.

Aegis sniggered. "Damn."

"Why was that pony looking at me like that?" Elliot asked, frowning.

"She's got the hots for you, bru," Kraber smirked.

Elliot blinked at that.

"... what?" he asked.

"She found you attractive," Aegis clarified, sniggering.

"... what?" Elliot said, confused.

"That doesn't happen where you're from?" Kraber asked.

"No," Elliot hastily replied, honestly little disturbed by the thought of a pony finding him attractive. It wasn't done where he was from, not at all.

"Huh," Aegis said, shrugging. "Weird place."

"I was literally just thinking the same thing," Elliot said with a frown. He shook his head. "Seriously, the more I think I have this place figured out, the more it decides to suddenly change the rules."

"'Never ever tell me the rules'," Kraber said, throwing a knowing glance at the Doctor, who returned the glance blandly.

Before he could say anything else, Lieutenant Colonel Cheerilee entered the room, an excited expression on her face, quite at odds with the sombre expression she had worn when Elliot had first met her.

"Doctor!" she said, looking at the man. She caught sight of Elliot. "Oh, hello Major Elliot. You're awake?"

"I am," Elliot said with a grin. "You look… surprisingly cheery, Cheerilee."

"Ha ha," Cheerilee said, rolling her eyes. "Doctor, have you seen our Doctor?"

"I believe he was heading off to speak with Major Bauer," the older Doctor said with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Never mind," Cheerilee said. "You'll do just as well for this - I need you to do me a favour, come with me!"

The Doctor threw Elliot a look, and the man shooed him away with a smirk. Sighing, the old stallion followed Cheerilee out.

***

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

Sitting alone, contemplating the last few days (or indeed, the last two or three alone), Discord found himself feeling… tired. That was a new feeling, for which he was usually grateful… but not in this instance. Tiredness and fatigue, to put it bluntly, sucked. He closed his eyes, trying to catch a moment of quiet.

"Discord!" a very familiar voice called out, shattering Discord's attempt at relaxation.

He turned, to see Princess Luna approaching him, her eyes wide as she trotted, looking less than amused - not that he could blame her. Things weren't good before. Now… now they had another - another - insane Alicorn with a super-evil backing her up to worry about. Another one - it was like there was a damn supply, and while it was an amusing image, the humour value died when one realised one was stuck dealing with the insane Alicorns oneself.

Damn, he thought to himself Just damn.

"Where in the name of Harmony have you been?!" she yelled at him.

Discord winced. "I'm sure you don't need to shout at me, LuLu."

Luna scowled. "Your help would have been useful in convincing these ponies and humans of our good intent. We need you-"

"Eh, they didn't need me hanging around," Discord said glibly, though his expression was troubled. Luna's own expression softened - though Discord was not exactly "a friend", he had become a comrade, and she was not altogether pleased at his unhappiness. "And I did something important on my recce."

"Indeed?" Luna asked. "And what might that have been?"

"I paid a visit to Mr Elliot's home," Discord said. "Or rather, I paid a visit to the Equestria that's been attacking it. And I met a certain mad tyrant."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "This 'Astra Solamina Maxima'?"

"Correctamundo," Discord smiled, before making a disgusted face. "No, hate that word. Forget I said it. But yeah, I did." He frowned at her quizzically. "What do you know about her?"

"The old Doctor, Clock Smith, spoke of her briefly," Luna explained. "He was… surprisingly succinct about the situation their world is in. He reeled off statistics, but gave next to no details about the world itself."

"Probably trying to avoid telling us too much in one go," Discord reasoned. "And something tells me that I wouldn't like to know. Find out anything about that world's history?"

"Only that I should know the name 'Sidera Somniata', but I do not," Luna said. He face took on a troubled expression. "And that Astra Solamina Maxima… killed her Luna. Or at least, their equivalent to these PHL believe that she did."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "I can honestly believe that. She seemed crazy enough."

"Were you able to defeat her?" Luna asked hopefully.

Discord's face fell. "I… no, I…"

He stopped talking, looking away from Luna for a moment, before looking back at her.

"I don't know what she is," he said honestly. "I thought when I first saw her that she was just Celly - your sister - with a few screws loose. Not exactly a pushover, but not the end of the world either. But - it's like that Elliot's magic, it isn't something I can really figure out, but she's… worse, somehow. She nearly killed me. If that world's Discord hadn't pulled me out, she would have killed me."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "She's as dangerous as Queen Celestia, then?"

"I… think so," Discord said honestly, though he didn't look happy about admitting it. "And my counterpart… well look, don't countenance what he was saying as that big a deal, but he seemed to think she was more of a threat."

Luna blinked in shock. "More… more of a threat?"

"I don't think it's that bad," Discord said hastily. "Honestly, I think once these PHL guys do their thing with the Alicorn-killers she'll not seem that bad, and she had a lot of the same hangups Elliot did - over reliance on that glaive of hers, for one thing. But she was definitely powerful."

He was leaving something out. Luna didn't feel inclined to press him though - clearly, there was something on his mind.

"So," Luna said, "what effect does this have? Do you think we should aid these other humans if we can?"

"Part of me feels like we won't have a choice," Discord replied quietly. "This… Solamina… she knew about other worlds. She even knew about the Queen bitch. I don't know what that means, but it can't be anything good."

"I do hope that Solamina doesn't ally with the Queen," Luna said, fretting a little, visibly distressed.

"There is one glimmer of hope," Discord said. "Something tells me that neither one would play well with the other. She was talking about… 'war with the apostate'."

"Hmmm. My sister loves order, and if the bag, or whatever has corrupted her into this Solamina has exaggerated it similarly to Queen Celestia, it's probably just become 'under her'." Luna relaxed slightly.

"Sunbutt does have those tendencies," Discord said. "Yeah. It's pretty unlikely that two immensely narcissistic beings-" he caught a glare from Luna. "Would work together."

"Maybe having the two at each others' throats will prove a blessing in disguise," Luna postulated.

"Or maybe we'll be the fly caught between the table and the cup of coffee," Discord countered glumly. "Positive spin isn't gonna work. We could have done without this mess. The best we can do is make the best of a bad situation. Solamina may not be as overtly, 'I'm going to level twelve blocks of a city with one spell' powerful, but she's smarter and I think she could still do that if she wanted to. Queen Celestia..." he shivered a little, remembering the memories from being stuck in Twilight's mind. "She's wily. What she lacks in practicality, she makes up for in flexibility and ability to surprise. Where Solamina's a rapier, or a glaive, Queen Celestia's a warhammer. Or a flail."

"All this from one fight?" Luna asked.

"You don't truly know someone until you fight them," Discord replied. "Or give them a humongous wedgie, but I honestly don't see that catching on as a tactic of war." He sighed. "No, somehow the joke isn't making me feel any less terrible about this."

"We must hope for the best, Discord," Luna said softly. She frowned slightly. "If you have located this Elliot's world, have you been able to make contact with his people?"

"That was the next stage of the plan," Discord said. "We'd - myself and my counterpart - go to this other Earth and see what they say to us bringing the two together."

"What do you know of them?" Luna asked.

"My counterpart knows more," Discord said softly. "Heck, he knows more than he's telling me, which I don't like."

"How do you know?" Luna asked.

"I know my own face, even if it's not exactly me wearing it," Discord replied. He sighed, rubbing a claw over his mane. "Tell you what though, this war just got upgraded to a matter of literal God. Sort of."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Really."

Discord smiled humorlessly. "Long, messy story. Probably very bloated, with lots of AUs and mythology stuff going on that'd be a nightmare to keep track of. Kinda story no one reads much of."

"Then we must be thankful to have you around to keep track of 'bloated messes' for us," Luna smirked.

"It's a huge headache though," Discord sighed, hairline cracks spreading all across his skull.

"Hold yourself together, Discord," Luna said softly, looking troubled. "For I fear we shall need you."

Discord gave a little chuckle. "I'll do my best to hold together then. No promises, though."

***

PHL headquarters, New York, deep under the subway

"So… run this by me again?" Stephan asked the two Doctors stood before him, the officer raising an eyebrow in confusion. Beside him, Trixie was sat staring at the two stallions like they'd each grown another head. Cheerilee was next to them both, an enthusiastic smile on her face.

The older Doctor Hooves exchanged glances with the younger Doctor Whooves.

"Is he always so slow?" the older pony asked, sounding exasperated.

"Oh yes," Whooves replied with a smirk. "Frustratingly so."

"And you have to deal with this man often?"

"Weeeell, a lot of military minds are worse, to be fair. Like Munro or Hex. So… bullheaded," Whooves said. "Hex… has disturbing tendencies. Though he runs that madhouse that the PHL call R&D, and he didn't raise an eyebrow when someone gave Kraber a machine gun that shoots lightning, so I suppose that's to be expected. Munro… well, let's just say the man's lucky his organisation was gutted at the start of the war-"

"I take it you mean it's him specifically-"

"I do-"

"Good-"

"-or he'd probably be a file clerk somewhere instead of heading it. If half the things I've heard are true…"

Hooves nodded. "I shudder to think - I, at least, only have to deal with Anderson. And occasionally Redmond, but he's at least reasonable when he's not being obnoxiously obstinate. With luck I'll be back before Anderson does something stupid, like trying to summon another Avatar. Not having the usual toys can be a humbling experience, but yours haven't that problem."

"Oh dear Gott in Himmel, two of him's like my worst nightmares all come to life at once," Stephan muttered, groaning. Cheerilee chuckled and Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"This is your worst nightmare?" the blue mare asked quietly.

"Fair enough. I expected more scorpions," Stephan said.

"Of course, I tend to be given a remarkable amount of leeway," Hooves continued, speaking as though he hadn't noticed the interruption. "As long as they get positive results from it, they don't question my actions."

"I wish I had that," Whooves said. "I dunno who's more restricting on madcap craziness - the military or my wife."

"I still can't believe you're married to Ditzy," Hooves commented.

"You never thought about it?"

"Not really."

"Ok," Trixie said in an undertone. "I take it back. I do see how this is a nightmare."

"Doctors!" Stephan said. "A little focus!"

Hooves and Whooves looked at him at once.

"Apologies," Hooves said. "We appear to have been carried away."

"Old habit," Whooves said.

"We always were good at talking to ourselves," Hooves commented with a shrug.

"No one smarter in the room," Whooves reasoned.

"Well, you know what they say," Stephan said. "Those who talk to themselves keep poor company." He paused. "Oh God dammit, there's another Kraber. Lord help me, we don't have enough booze..."

"I don't know, I'm actually rather enjoying this conversation," Hooves said.

"Me too," Whooves added, grinning. "Been ages since I could discuss quantum temporal mechanics on this level -"

"Doctors!" Cheerilee snapped. The mare looked tired, but still resolute. "Would you kindly focus and explain to Stephan what we've discovered?!"

"Oh that," Whooves said, shrugging. "That's simple."

"The two worlds - this Earth and the Equestria from which your unlikely allies come," Hooves continued, speaking blandly, "are running at different temporal speeds, relative to one another."

"A day there is only a few hours here," Whooves finished with a wide grin. "So Cheerilee - brilliantly, I might add -"

"Reasoned that the disparity might be turned to your advantage," Hooves continued. "If Queen Celestia attacks in two weeks, then, simply put, we have six months."

"It's a handy bit of vacation, extra time for projects, organization time, and recruitment period all rolled into one," Whooves said with a smirk.

Stephan raised an eyebrow. "Even so, it would be impossible to get enough troops together in time to -"

"Ahem," Hooves interrupted, raising a hoof. "Operative word: 'time'. Remember to whom you are speaking, Major Bauer."

"We've already been back in time," Whooves said, smiling. "And the troops are already ready."

Cheerilee grinned. "You see, Stephan? This plan will allow us to train troops, stock this other Equestria's armies, and research even more new weapons, and still be ready to take on the Queen when she arrives."

Stephan ran a hand through his hair. "I'd have preferred to be consulted before we went with this - it's a good plan, I like the plan, but…"

"Technically, this is the consultation," Whooves said.

"Speaking of which," Hooves added, "I believe we are due…"

The door to the little office opened, and another pair of Doctors entered, both stopping in their tracks at the sight of the others.

"… now," the older Doctor finished with a slight smile.

"I take it Stephan said yes, then?" the new Whooves said.

"Ja, sure," Stephan said, waving a hand with a resigned smile. "Go. Confuse past me some more."

"Right you are," the new Whooves said, and walked out. The new Hooves shook his head, saying nothing, and followed.

"Is that really what I sound like?" Whooves asked.

"Yes," Hooves replied.

"Huh," Whooves said raising an eyebrow. "I really am annoying."

"Yes," Hooves said with a tired smile. "You are."

"Now all we need to do is get the portal up and we can Marcus back," Cheerilee said softly. "God, I miss him."

"Don't worry, Cher," Stephan said. "He's coming back. And hell - for the first time in years, we might actually be in a position to win this thing."

"Yeah," Cheerilee said with a smile. "Yeah, that's good."

***

Scottish Archives, February 23rd, 2030 - 'Avatar' Earth

"This is fucking awful!" John Idle barked angrily as he watched three young women struggle to jog around edge of the training area. "Maybe you three lazy cunts need another fifty laps."

Adagio Dazzle grimaced at the man's voice and tried to pick up her pace but her exhausted body was close to giving out. They'd been running in circles for hours and listening to abuse the entire time. Their minder didn't seem to find shouting at them boring no matter how much time he spent doing it. Still it had become a little easier than yesterday, or the day before that, but it was little consolation. It often just led to Idle demanding even more strenuous exercise from them.

He also hadn't been afraid of punishing them for even the slightest infraction. Sonata Dusk, her sister, still bore the black eye from earlier when she had done something - she wasn't sure what - that had upset him. Her other sister, Aria Blaze, on the other hand had dried blood on her face from a split lip and several small cuts that she had acquired over the course of the day and hadn't been allowed to clean.

Idle's raw hatred for them fed them of course, it was almost impossible for it not to. However the earphones he wore blocked out their songs and the moment he suspected trouble he turned on the shock collars.

As they finally made it to the marker they began to slow a little. This was the final lap of the gruelling training regimen Idle had subjected them to. Normally he liked to give them extra laps whenever they finished if he didn't like their conduct. By the look he was currently giving them, it seemed likely that he was going to make good on his previous threat. Adagio decided that if they were going to be given more work to do she might as well grab the closest thing to a break that she could get.

A man in a labcoat who had been observing their progress, whilst wearing headphones for the sake of safety of course, suddenly got up from the folding chair he had been sitting for the last few hours. He walked over to Idle and tentatively got the larger man's attention. Adagio saw a short and cautious conversation ensue. She was too tired to try to listen in but she could see that Idle didn't like what the man was saying.

The moment they were done speaking the man retreated and Idle turned his attention back to her and her sisters.

"Alright ladies," he said aggressively. "After the piss-poor performance you've given me today, I want nothing more than for you to start over again and show why I should waste my time on you. Unfortunately, I've been told I have to let you stop for today."

Adagio did her best not to sigh in relief openly, noticing that Sonata hadn't felt as reserved about it. Aria dropped to her hands and knees, dry heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oi!" Idle then shouted, disgust on his face. "You don't get to lie down just yet. Now I want you to actually know why you're here." His tone didn't change but Adagio could feel some minor shift in his emotions, like he was switching from raw hatred to a colder, more refined and intentional fury. "You might have noticed that, while you're still as godawful as ever, this little jog I set you on was slightly easier than yesterday's. That's because my job, as much as I hate it, is to keep you alive. On the battlefield you're going to have to move about, a lot and there won't be any nice cosy cafes to sit down in if you feel a little out of breath. The Solaminan Empire isn't going to give you time - they're not gonna play nice, they're not gonna give you warm-up time or breaks or breathers. They're gonna try to kill you - and they're very, very good at that. Trust me." He scowled at them all. "The next time you feel like this should only be after you've been running across the battlefield for hours. Now bend over."

Adagio saw Idle reach for her and tried to get away from him. Too tired to properly struggle she felt him grab her hands and roughly shove them behind her back. The next thing she knew she felt the familiar pressure of her manacles slot back into place. Her wrists had already been rubbed raw by wearing them before and the dull ache she felt after wearing them so many times returned with a vengeance. He then shoved her to the ground. He did the same to Aria and then Sonata.

Once the three girls were cuffed and on the floor he went over to the corner of the room and picked up three ball gags. Walking back he went over to Sonata and grabbed her face, shoving the gag into her mouth and then reaching around to fix the clasp into place. Aria put up more of a fight when he came for her and received a hard uppercut to the chin for her trouble before having the gag fixed on unnecessarily forcibly. When he stood in front of Adagio, a scowl on his face, she decided to comply. By this point she didn't want to be punished again for some kind of infraction. However she did keep her head up and her face impassive, not wanting to get a rise out of him but also not appear cowed.

Once the gag was on he hauled her to her feet and moved to pick the other girls up. When Sonata was standing up again on shaky legs he shoved her forward.

"Get moving," he said irritably, giving a Adagio a shove as well.

He escorted them out of the training room and out into the corridors of the Archives. Personnel moved out of their way as they were led through the facility to their prison cell.

"Idle!" a voice called after them. Idle turned, and Adagio saw Rupert Giles and Alex Everett - Sir Alex Everett - walking up to the group. Giles was a grim-looking, older man, his glasses dirty and his tweed suit threadbare. Everett, like many Knights of Albion, had become an Iron Clad, and the Paladin I was as imposing on him as it was anyone else.

"Mr Giles," Idle said gruffly, though he inclined his head in respect.

"I trust your progress is… satisfactory?" Giles asked.

Idle gave a look at Adagio. She briefly wondered what he would say.

"It is," he finally replied. "They're lazy, argumentative little… so and so's, but they're getting better, can't lie and say they ain't. It's a struggle, but I'll get them ready for battle on schedule. You have my word on that."

Giles nodded. "Very good. Carry on, Mr Idle."

"Sir," Idle said.

Giles threw another look at the GG3, and then left. Idle scowled at them, all three looking at him in confusion.

"Don't get any ideas," he said. "You're not complete dogshit. That doesn't make you good, not by a long shot. Now get moving!"

And they carried on, Adagio left pondering the less-than-totally-nasty comments the man had made about them.

***

Hanger 17, John F. Kennedy Airport, New York. November 16th, 2023 - 'Spectrum' Earth.

"Impressed?" asked a pale pink unicorn mare with a spiky red mane like Vinyl's but short on one side. She had a wrench in her TK, matching her cutie mark.

"Very," Elliot breathed. If anyone were to ask him if he meant the display of military might around him, the guns, the immaculate uniforms - there were uniforms in the BDF, but people mainly just wore what they could and had modified their suits with various talismans and trophies…

Or the portal swirling at the edge of the room. Everyone was looking up at it, waiting for Marcus to return. PHL of all nations and species - was that an anthropomorphic dog?! - stood at attention.

"It swirls," he said. "Why do these things always swirl?"

"I'unno," the mare said. "Style, I guess."

"How long did it take you to make this, anyway?" Elliot asked. "I mean, it's only been a few hours since Discord and Luna came."

"We actually captured the portal and recalibrated it," the mare explained.

"In a few hours?" Elliot asked.

"Well, we didn't have to do much work with Luna knowing a spell to move between universes," the mare explained. "Mostly, we just had to follow instructions."

"Still, a few hours…" Elliot whistled.

"We've had worse," the mare said. "I once had to fix a shield generator while I was getting shot at."

Elliot straightened the coat, trying his best to look vaguely military. Though the coat was British military in origin and very well tailored - not to mention surprisingly tough - he still felt incredibly unprepared. He hadn't had the chance to shave yet and his hair was rather unkempt, which made him feel even more shambolic. He felt like the one guy that had come to the party in a ratty t-shirt and jeans instead of a suit.

Next to him, Stephan - in full armour, making Elliot feel even more like the most underdressed man in the room - stood rigidly at attention. All around them were dozens, if not hundreds, of the best engineers and soldiers the PHL had, equipped to the teeth, and Elliot could see Photo Finish, a propaganda mare (who he knew of through her work with Resistance FM back home), talking to a blue Earth Pony mare about some of the camera shots they were setting up.

Discord was standing next to the portal - a massive, glowing arrangement of rainbow light. The BDF Major had to admit - it was all pretty impressive.

"So," Elliot said quietly to Stephan. "Do you… you know… trust this?"

"This Luna and Discord helped us kill the clone," Stephan replied. "So yeah, for what it's worth, I trust them." He threw the BDF Major a glance. "And I trust you - don't forget, to me you're as much an unknown as they are."

"True," Elliot noted, shrugging. "I'll follow your lead then. Suppose it's convenient that the parade group you've got meeting your Major has some of your top hitters."

"That's… not entirely coincidental," Cheerilee admitted, coming up to them.

"I thought it might not be," Elliot nodded. He glanced up at the giant plasma screen TV, upon which President Jack Davis of the United States of America was currently speaking with Princess Luna. He had heard Davis' name before - the man had been a Senator in his world's America. Evidently, he'd won the election this time. Probably for the best. He had, unfortunately, died when the Gilead Crisis erupted. He wondered vaguely what the man might make of Elliot's world.

"I guess I get to find out," he said quietly.

Luna turned to face Discord, and they had a brief exchange of words. After a moment, the Draconequus turned to face the gathered PHL forces.

"Alright," he said, "gimme a moment - I might have gotten this horribly, horribly wrong."

He stuck his head in the portal. A moment later, he pulled it out - and it was missing the flesh, revealing a grinning Draconequus skull.

"Seems to work fine," he said, grinning at them. There was a scream from somewhere, and a mare fainted. Cheerilee scowled, walked over to him, and kicked him square in the face. A small group of birds began flying around Discord's head, appearing from nowhere, and Luna sighed, clucking her tongue.

"Are you having fun?" she asked quietly.

Discord shook his head, the birds flying off (one of them pooping on an unfortunate PHL soldier). "Oh shut up. He's on his way."

After a moment, he put his head back in the portal. There were a few moments' pause, and Elliot threw Stephan a look, though the armoured man stayed staring straight ahead, and the Discord pulled his head out again, nodding at Luna, who turned to face the assembled soldiers, taking a breath.

"Soldiers!" she called out, her voice carrying across the hall. "I ask you to stand at attention for the return of your leader!"

The assembled troops stood at attention and even Elliot did so, and a moment later, out he came.

He was an indistinct figure at first, only vaguely recognisable as a humanoid figure walking out of the portal. A moment later, however, he had stepped out, and Elliot could see him clearly for the first time.

He had dirty blonde hair cropped close to his scalp, a strong jawline, stern, hard eyes that had clearly seen far too much in far too short a span, and he wore military fatigues that looked like they had (for want of a better phrase) "been through the wars". This could be no one other than the legendary Colonel Marcus Renee that Elliot had heard so much about.

Before anyone or anypony else could speak, Cheerilee bounded up to him, gripping him in what was likely the tightest hug a pony had ever delivered to a human being. He spoke soft words to her that no one else could here, and then straightened up to look at everyone in the room.

"So," he said, "I'm guessing I have a lot to catch up on."

His eyes swept the room, taking in everything. Finally, his gaze settled on Elliot and Stephan.

"Stephan?" Marcus asked, frowning at Elliot. Elliot tried to imagine what it was like from his perspective - he was a raggedy looking man with a military coat thrown over his old battered clothes. "Why do you have a tramp with you?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow. He threw Stephan a look, and the smirking German officer shrugged.

"Marcus," the German Major sighed, "You have no idea just how much you need to catch up on."

"Colonel Renee," Elliot saluted English-style, palm facing outward. "David Elliot, Major, British Defence Force. Avatar of Albion." He dropped the salute smartly. "Nice to meet you."

Marcus looked between him and Stephan, eyebrows rising into the air.

"O… kay," he said. "Why don't we start from the top?"