Mankind must put an end to war,
Or war will put an end to us.
-John F. Kennedy

0545 hours, December 14, 2016; The Iliad.

Alex slowly opened his eyes. The sun hadn't risen yet and he felt a bitter cold setting in on top of his blankets and on his uncovered face. Winter had come to Remnant.

And Alex really wished he invested his money in a space heater.

Regardless, he threw off the blanket and put on the undersuit for his armor. The suit provided some comfort against the cold, but not very much. Alex then quietly stepped to his door, gingerly opening it and sneaking off. There were so many others sleeping just beyond, and their wake-up time wasn't for at least 15 minutes.

Slowly, carefully, he made his way to one of the small break rooms. He knew that there would be small snacks and something warm to drink to tie him over at least until breakfast. From there, the only thing anyone would have to eat would be a seemingly infinite amount of MREs.

He stepped inside to find Vanoss, Delirious, Rainbow, Vinyl, and Yang conversing quietly inside.

Yang was the first to actually notice his entrance, for the rest it merely took a glance behind them.

"Couldn't sleep?" Rainbow asked, sipping a cup of what Alex assumed was either coffee or hot chocolate.

"Not really. At least this time, everyone knows why." Alex muttered.

"Oh, shit. Is that today?" Delirious blinked.

"Yeah. I mean, Iris should've told- oh, right.." Vanoss realized mid-sentence.

"I've been meaning to ask, are those personal gunships you were talking about finished yet?" Yang asked the blue-maned unicorn.

"Yeah. But I'm not sure how effective they'll be, so I'm not letting any of you take one." Vinyl said to all of them.

"Knowing the Red Star for what they are, they've probably already moved their entire army over there. We'll be charging blind." Alex sighed.

"I talked to General Morgan a little while back. He said something about this being the 'largest invasion since World War II'. He specifically asked for the ship to be able to deploy troops straight from the ship."

Alex blinked in surprise. The Blood Red Night was comparable to D-Day?!

"When are we going?" Yang asked.

"We have about 11 hours before we have to make the dimensional jump." Alex sighed.

"How bad do you think this'll be?" Rainbow asked.

"You ever read the Warriors books?" Alex asked.

"The what?" Vanoss wondered.

"Am I seriously the only one who read those?" Alex moaned.

"I read the first six. For a children's book series, it's really dark." Yang said.

"What happens?" Rainbow asked.

"It's basically cats killing each other with some forbidden love themes in between." She replied.

Rainbow backed away.

"You humans are crazy."

"And proud of it." Alex stood in mock pride.

Alex grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and sat down, drinking it in small sips.

"Delirious, wanna wake the others?" Vanoss asked.

"Yeah, man. I got the air horns and water buckets, how about you?" Delirious smirked through his hockey mask.

"I got the firecrackers and strobe lights." Vanoss laughed with an edge of evil in his voice.

"Who are you trying to wake up, Sleeping Beauty?" Vinyl laughed slightly.

"Along with all our friends. They were all sleeping in the same room, right? Alex was the only one who didn't sleep in the same room." Delirious wondered.

"And Weiss, she took the penthouse." Vanoss added.

"Listen Vanoss, If you really want to wake them up, play this at full blast. Trust me, years of experience." Vinyl smiled evilly, handing Vanoss a small CD, a CD player, and a giant speaker.

"Where did you have the time to hide all of that?!" Alex gaped.

"Pinkie taught me how." She answered.

Rainbow stood up, rubbing her hooves together like a stereotypical villain.

"I have to see this. Catch you two later?" Rainbow asked.

"Sure, see you around, Dash!" Yang waved.

As Vanoss, Delirious, and the ponies snuck off, Alex realized they left him alone with Yang.

"So.. How's life?" He asked.

"Ruby's still a bit mopey, but she's getting better. It's been hard, Summer raised me too, you know." Yang sighed.

"You're not the only one who lost family that day. Omega killed my other brother, too." Alex reminded her, referring to his brother with his Inquisitor code name.

"And it's only going to get worse from here on out. I might not come back, maybe you won't. Who knows, maybe nobody is." Yang somberly added.

"Trust me, you're going back to Remnant. If anyone's making it out of there alive, it's you and Ruby." Alex smiled in confidence.

She pulled him into a hug, one of those bone-shattering locks that would take even the most experienced escape artists several hours to break out of. Alex returned the hug, but still felt a little awkward.

Okay, a lot awkward.

Eventually she loosened her grip, allowing Alex to finally breathe before she leaned in...

And Rainbow Dash flew in, knocking the two of them over.

Alex felt the cold linoleum slam against his arm and small hooves accidentally kick him as Rainbow scrambled up again.

"What the hell?" Alex wondered.

Rainbow backed behind the two defensively.

"Who let Mako sleep with a hunting knife?!" Rainbow gasped.

"Wait, what?" Yang wondered, confused.

Alex listened closely to find loud dubstep blasting from the direction of Unity's quarters.

"I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH, YOU LITTLE PRISMATIC ASS!!! " Mako screamed.

"Someone's not a morning person, or she really hates dubstep." Yang smirked.

"This isn't funny! Mako's really mad!" Rainbow backed away further.

"How are you the only one who got caught?" Alex wondered.

"Evan tricked me into pressing the button and the others ran away!" She whispered.

"So you come flying in here?" Yang asked, not really angry but extremely peeved or annoyed.

"What, was I interrupting anything?" She asked.

Yang held her composure for another two seconds, before blushing slightly and turning away.

"Oh, my Celestia." Rainbow suddenly realized.

Alex heard Vinyl laughing from another part of the ship.

"What's so funny?" Delirious asked.

"Lui's impression of you!" Vinyl answered.

"Look, I'm a gay murderer." Lui said in his kid voice.

"F**k you!"

Rainbow turned to the two of them.

"Well, good for you. I always kind of figured it would be you. Since that whole 'apprenticeship' thing back in LS." Rainbow smirked.

"Complimenting a relationship at my expense. Real mature." Alex huffed, irked.

"Thanks!" Rainbow smiled.

Mako leapt at the door, a large hunting knife in hand.

"ALRIGHT, MAGGOTS, WHERE'S THE PIPSQUEAK?!" She screamed.

Rainbow flew out, Mako swinging the blade and missing by mere millimeters.

"Whoopwhoopwhoopwhoopwhoop!" Rainbow mocked.

"I knew she was watching way too much Futurama." Alex smirked.

"Bite my furry pastel-colored flank!" She yelled.

"GET BACK HERE BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO GLUE!" Mako charged out of the room.

Author's Note:

I need to stop.

----

1458 Hours, December 14, 2016, The Illiad.

Alex stood in the intercom room, where the hackers helped connect all intercom systems with the other ships. He was alone, except for Haytham and Callus, another hacker.

He had spent the past few hours writing his speech, and he asked some of his closest friends what they thought, and they said it would work for what was about to happen.

He pulled up the microphone and waited until Haytham gave the 'go ahead'.

Alex cleared his throat, he would be speaking to the entirety of the Coalition. Pulling up the piece of paper, he began.

"Attention, this is your Admiral speaking. For too long, we have toiled under the Inquisition's tyranny and oppression. For years we were forced to fight, and kill, and lose everything we ever knew because of Alpha's multiversal dictatorship, carried out by barbarians and marauders! For too long, we lost family, friends, allies, and fellow comrades to their bloodlust! Their rule has brought us pain and suffering, and fear, but it also brought us together as soldiers, friends, and lovers alike! What was intended to divide us has instead united us against them!" Alex's voice rang out as millions, perhaps even a billion people prepared for the fight of their lives.

"That period of loss ends today! Equestria's and Remnant's leaders have worked tirelessly to aid us in our mission! We even have the backing of Earth and Adenien, and so many others! We have been selected and called to aid our suffering universes to fight, kill, and die for! And I will not deny it. A great many of us will perish in the fight. But it's better to have fought tyranny and died a hero' death than to fight and die for little more than power, like our enemies! This is the burden we all carry, but we all carry it for the best reasons! We fight to protect the ones we care about, the ones who raised us from darkness and shrouded us in light, the ones we call our friends! We all have our own reasons for coming here today, but we all share the same goal now, saving us all!"

He heard loud cheering from outside the walls of the small room in which they stood.

"I believe this is the path we must take! Though our backgrounds are different, our stories separate, but with this, our paths are forever entangled! There was a time I didn't believe in heroes, but now I believe that there are those who have to do what must be done, those who aren't afraid, those who defend the lives of those they love. By being here today, on these giant boats, surrounded by perfect strangers, we are all heroes!" Another breath, another sip of water, another booming cheer from beyond.

Alex cleared his throat again.

"There was also a time when I couldn't afford to make friends, I had thought it was tedious and ultimately useless, but the experiences I've had in these past few months have taught me otherwise. Friendship is not only magic like our Equestrian allies think! It is the driving force, the guiding light that leads us all to true freedom! And today, we're defending that freedom! For years, they've battled us and won! And we lost our loved ones on those skirmishes! It's our turn! Today, we'll charge upon their shores like madmen! So many of us that the Inquisitors will wonder just what the actual f**k is wrong with us! Today, we charge up to humanity's birthplace for all of life's greatest battles! Today, comrades, The Inquisition we all once feared will BURN!!!"

----

Neapolitan had snuck out of her cell. It wasn't that hard, their moronic leader had insisted not to use harsh methods, so she was well healed and angry.

'Phi, This is Alpha, are you familiar with the plan?' Alpha's dark voice asked.

"Yes, my lord." Neo replied.

'Not yet, wait until their Dimensional Jump Devices have been activated? This goes for Tau as well.' Alpha ordered.

"It will be done, Alpha." She turned off the communicator and snuck towards the room where the ship's main cannons were located, according to the guard...

----

Alex stepped out of the room to find the whole ship cheering in applause, Rainbow flying up and hugging him.

"Hi, Rainbow!" He gasped.

"Sorry. Good speech!" Rainbow apologized.

"Yeah, I didn't think you were necessarily a speech-writer!" Twilight smiled.

"Screenwriting." Alex smirked. This did prove helpful.

"Holy shit! Look at everyone! You can even hear them from the other ships!" Vanoss gasped, camera in hand.

"I know, it's f**king crazy, man!" Wildcat added.

"Yeah, kudos to Haytham and Callus!" Alex raised his water bottle.

"Nice speech! That's my apprentice!" Yang cheered, Ruby following suit.

"Not bad, it reminds of the old White Fang rally speeches." Blake added.

"Thanks, everyone. Merriment aside, we got work to do. Are the Dimensional Jump Drives ready yet?" Alex asked.

"Just got them up! Same story with the other carriers!" Haytham yelled from a few stories up.

"You heard the man! Everyone head to your stations!" Alex commanded.

As soon as everyone started to leave, Alex heard alarm bells going off.

What the hell?!

"Go ahead, Operator!" Alex commanded.

'Sir! The Ragnarök and Inferno have weapons lock on the Iliad!' The operator gasped in fear.

No!

"Don't fire! This might be a trick!" Alex yelled.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked.

"F**king Ironwood and Pines supposedly have their main cannons pointing at the Iliad!" Alex angrily spat.

"What?!"

"Why would they do that after all the hell we've been through?!" Kat asked.

"Because they're assholes!"

Alex heard a loud ring from both ships, as if their cannons were warming up. Fast.

"SHIT! GET DOWN! NOW!" Alex commanded, dropping onto his belly on the flight deck.

He heard two loud booms coming from either side, seconds later, huge chunks of the Iliad were blown off, sending people flying into the air.

"HOLY HELL!" Mako screamed in shock.

"WHAT THE FOOOOOCK!!!" Nogla yelled.

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! CADENCE! SHINING! FIRE EVERYTHING!!!" Twilight commanded.

Seconds later, as The Inferno's cannons were readying for another attack, the Revelation fired it's own cannons directly into their hull, and saw it start to sink.

"THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Lui yelled.

"NO! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!!" Ruby screamed in terror.

The Inferno immediately turned it's fire to the Revelation, blowing out the command bridge.

"OH SHIT!!!" Someone screamed in horror.

The Covenant was hit pretty bad by the Ragnarök, as it looked like it was mere inches away from finally succumbing to the depths.

'Sir, we're firing everything we have on the Ragnarök.' The gunner informed him via radio.

"NEGATIVE! DO NOT FIRE!" Alex commanded.

'This is more of an FYI, sir. My family was on the Covenant.' The gunner said before the Iliad's cannons shot the Ragnarök to shreds.

"MAKE IT STOP!!!" Weiss yelled at Alex.

"HAYTHAM! SHUT DOWN THE DIMENSIONAL JUMP! DON'T LET US REACH PROVINENCE!!!" Alex commanded.

'It's too late!! I can't stop it!!' Haytham worriedly shuddered over the radio.

"WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SHIPS?!" Alex demanded, horrified.

'The Jump is linked to the other ships! We're going whether we like it or not!' Haytham gasped.

"F***CK!!! THE PLAN'S GONE TO SHIT! GET BELOW DECK, NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!! GO NOW!!!!" Alex got up and ran for the entrance to the ship, the rest of Unity following close behind him.

"HEAD TO THE CENTRAL COMMAND ROOM! DON'T STOP FOR ANYTHING!!" Alex yelled again, running as fast as he could with most of the ship at his back.

Suddenly he felt the earth move beneath them, before they ascended, slamming against the roof.

"NOT NOW!" Vanoss screamed.

"We're getting f**ked here!" Basically struggled to the door, still quite stuck to the roof.

"Alex! We have to hurry!" Yang grabbed his arm, helping him along the roof, just before the entryway to the central command room.

"Almost... Just a little.. Further..." Alex struggled, reaching even for the edge of the door frame.

Just as quickly as it began, eventually they all fell hard against the floor.

Alex felt sharp pain in his chest, physical and emotional.

"No. This isn't happening.." Alex gasped.

"What happened?" Kat asked.

"We're in Provinence now, aren't we?" Mako seethed, grabbing her knee in pain.

"Yes.." Blake sighed.

"What the hell went wrong?" Terroriser wondered.

Alex heard dark laughter over a loud voice coming from outside the ship.

'The Equestrian-Remnant Coalition. We finally meet. Sadly it seems it isn't under the best circumstances, as you are, ahem, still recuperating.'

"Who's that?" Vanoss asked.

"Alpha..." Ruby realized.

'Before I rain hellfire on all of you insolent pests, I'd just like to say one thing to your Admiral.'

"That son of a bitch." Alex angrily spat.

"He still has the Orbital Strike Satellites, doesn't he?" Weiss asked hopelessly.

"Odds are." Vanoss sighed.

'Admiral Alexander Gabriel Walker, AKA Saigo Emphas. I must inform you that your involvement with us was in no way an accident. You've managed to turn a small group of rebels into an army, albeit scattered, charred heaps of what was once an army. Tell you what, since you've come all this way, I'll give you ten minutes to surrender. If you do, I'll let your little friends go home, of course, at the cost of your own life. If, by some accident you don't wish to surrender, I'll ensure your friends all suffer the same fate as you, and the same fate as your brother, Chūkan, as well as Cyrus Fong and Summer Rose. The choice is yours, let's hope you make the right one, shall we?' Alpha shut off the intercom, leaving the remaining soldiers of The Iliad shocked and horrified.

"Well, F**k." Alex sat down, still shocked at everything that transpired.

The others repeated this action, and cast pitiful glances towards the boy,

"What now?" He asked. Leaving his revolvers laying down at his sides.

Yang eventually walked to his side, and sat next to him.

"Whatever happens, Ruby and I are with you, so are Weiss and Blake." Yang nodded, casting a glance towards her teammates.

"Meh, we can't die either way. We might as well help you out." Vanoss shrugged.

Vanoss's crew stood up, picking up guns and loading them, putting as many mags and rounds into their pockets as they could carry.

"We've fought monsters for the sake of friendship before, we'll do it again." Twilight's horn glowed a bright purple, The Elements of Harmony standing tall, ready to face what could be their final battle.

"Alexander, Your courage has inspired a great deal of us. Let's show these Inquisitors what the Ryders are all about." Locust stood up, attaching a mechanical arm with a massive circular saw at the end.

Alex looked around, his eyes slightly moistening as he saw the faces of his friends ready to defend him, even if it meant death.

He stood up, grabbed his armor from a nearby locker, putting it on quickly and donning his helmet, putting his revolvers in their holsters and grabbing his Serengeti BR.

"Let the games begin, Alpha."

Author's Notes:

And with that, the Blood Red Night Arc begins!

[In retrospect, I probably started off this part with a darker tone. Ah, screw it, there's a reason I put that tag on the story in the first place.]

Edit:
I chose to make this the first part of the Blood Red Night Arc instead of a pretense. Just figured it would make more sense.

Edit again: Both Neo and Emerald now have reputations as illusionists, technically it could still work.