“I have no right to ask this of any of you, but will you follow me? One last time?
Thorin Oakenshield, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.

Checkpoint Delta.

“Alright, not to be a damp squib, but how the fuck do we kill an Alicorn anyway?!”

Emma couldn’t find herself disagreeing with the sentiment, spoken with all the bluntness of a sledgehammer to the face by John Idle. With his helmet off, the shaven-headed, tattooed man looked downright intimidating.

The grey Alicorn had looked deadly serious when she had stepped out of the pre-fab, Princess Luna right behind her. And then she had said the magic words.

“We have to kill Celestia.”

Emma liked to think of herself more as a realist than an optimist. Optimism in this war was about as useful as a wet piece of toilet paper, and just as likely to tear and get you covered in shit.

How many times did we learn that the hard way? she thought bitterly. She ran a hand through her hair, and then folded her arms. No one else was speaking - not Samantha Yarrow, with her unreadable poker face, or any of her men, and certainly none of Emma’s group.

“Killing her isn’t going to be easy,” David Elliot finally said, his voice quiet. “I take it you’ve got an idea of how to achieve it.”

“Something of an idea, yes,” Galatea replied. “She is far more powerful than myself, Luna or Discord, but collectively we have been able to hold her briefly.”

That doesn’t sound comforting, Emma thought. No, scratch that. It sounds like the least comforting thing ever.

“‘Hold her briefly’,” Errant Flight said, echoing Emma’s thoughts. “That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of your abilities.”

“That’s a bloody understatement,” Constantine said.

“I know,” Galatea said, “but if we combine our power with the strength of your kind’s weapons, we may yet have a chance.”

“Then you’re in luck,” Elliot said quietly. “Colonel Cheerilee made landfall in Boston not long ago, and she has a platoon of troops with our experimental AA gear.”

“AA?” Luna repeated. “‘Anti-Alicorn’?”

“That’s the one,” Elliot said. “It’s all in the experimental stages - you’ll understand we’re sort of lacking in anything that’ll really do to test it on.”

“Still, it is a beginning,” Galatea cut in sharply. “And we will need to take it.” She looked up at the sky for a moment. “Luna - we must hurry to Discord’s aid.” She looked at Elliot. “If your leader knows the craft of war as she ought to, then tell her to commit her troops to the battle swiftly.”

“I’ll… pass the message along, ma’am,” Elliot said with a nod.

Galatea nodded, before turning to Luna. “Let us go.”

“Wait,” Samantha Yarrow said, stepping forward.

“‘Wait’?” Galatea repeated, turning to look at her with a frown. “We have little time to waste, human.”

“My name is Samantha Yarrow,” Yarrow retorted hotly. “And I want to know why the hell we should do anything you say.”

Galatea let out a laugh. “You jest. We are at war, and right now we two,” she motioned to herself and Luna, “are the only two with a hope of halting your foe. And you ask why you should follow our lead?”

“She’s asking,” Luna cut in quietly, “because they don’t know us, Galatea. Whether they can trust us, whether we are here as friends or foes.”

Galatea blinked, turning to look at her sister, but Luna simply moved towards Yarrow, the Alicorn’s expression calm.

“We came here to help,” Luna said softly. “Because we heard the plea of your people, and realised we couldn’t simply stand aside. We may not know best how to fight this battle, but fight we must.” She moved one of her legs up, holding her hoof out to Yarrow. “All we ask is that you give us the chance.”

Yarrow glanced at the hoof, her brow creased in thought. The others were looking at each other, none of them saying a word. Emma didn’t know what to think.

Then Yarrow slowly held out her hand and grasped Luna’s hoof.

“I guess you can’t say fairer than that,” she said simply.

Luna smiled. “Perhaps not. But it is in our deeds that we will prove our worth.”

She stepped back. Galatea looked impatiently at her, before looking back at the humans.

“We will do our part,” she said. “Make sure you do yours.”

Then the Alicorns spread their wings, and in a rush of wind they were gone. There was an eerie silence.

“Um, Sergeant Elliot,” Emma said after a moment. “Permission to speak freely?”

“Sure,” Elliot said, sounding tired.

“This… this sounds insane,” Emma said slowly. “All of it. Alicorns? New Alicorns?! And now some vague plan to kill the Queen when we’re barely holding the line?!”

“She’s got a point, Dave,” Sam Lake said quietly. He’d been silent as the plan was discussed, but the look on his face was pensive. “We’re not exactly in a position of strength here.”

“Of course not,” Elliot replied. “That’s probably why Celestia hit us now, instead of sitting on her throne, all Orcus.” He took a deep breath. “It’s big, and it’s scary. But this might be the only chance we’ll get to do it.” He smiled. “Besides. You heard the Princess. They came here to help.”

Emma sighed, nodding. “Yes, sir.” She looked back at him, before smiling. “So. How do we help, d’you think?”

“Well, we have a prisoner to deal with for a start,” Elliot said, motioning to the pre-fab. “Taylor, you and Sam - Lake, that is,” he added with a look at Yarrow, “go and keep an eye on her.”

“We’ll keep an eye on the bitch, alright,” Lake said with a snort.

“Don’t forget she’s a prisoner, and a valuable one,” Elliot cautioned. “We need her, Sam.”

Lake nodded grudgingly.

“In the meantime, I’ll get on the horn to Lieutenant Colonel Cheerilee at Beta,” Elliot continued. He clapped his armoured hands together, and gave a very serious attempt at a smile. “Alright people, let’s help kill an Alicorn!”

Emma smiled weakly, and True Grit and Errant Flight both let out weak cheers. Idle laughed, and so did some of the other Reavers present. Yarrow simply sighed.

Were it so easy, Emma thought ruefully.

Runrunrunkillrunkillrunkillrun…

Discord’s mind was screaming at him as he dodged another blast of magic from the Queen.

It wasn’t screaming at him in the usual way, either, where it would randomly throw noises at him in the delightfully chaotic way his Draconequus and chaos-magic addled brain would sometimes decide, but in an entirely new and unpleasant way. It was yelling at him to run, it was demanding he rip and tear…

There was something wrong here. Something wrong about her. But despite screaming at him, his mind wasn’t telling him anything useful.

“Something wrong, Discord?” Celestia giggled. “You look a little worse for wear…”

It was true, he was. There were scuff marks along his body, bruises and cuts from a dozen impacts. He was healing - his body’s healing factor, such as it was, was capable of matching up with an Alicorn’s on a good day - but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t getting worn down, worn out.

He closed his eyes, and flew upward again, taking a deep breath. As Celestia flew closer to him, he brought his paw and claw up, and found out where the air currents were.

Subtle chaos magic - activate! he thought, and without so much as his trademark flash, every iota of air between Celestia and him turned into clear gaseous poison. Celestia flew into it, and slowed, her breathing suddenly becoming off. Discord smiled, before bringing his paw and claw together, increasing the air pressure of the air around Celestia. She let out a harsh, screeching yell of pain, and began sinking slowly to the ground.

Discord tightened the area of the poison gas’ effect, narrowing his eyes as Celestia reached the ground. She looked up at him, her eyes burning with sudden loathing.

Yes, that’s it, Discord thought. Just give up and die already!

Her horn started glowing, but without air even an Alicorn would suffocate, and the pressure on her body must have been immense by this point. Any other being would have already imploded.

Die! Discord thought, gritting his teeth as he compressed the poison even further. Die, blast you! DIE!

Suddenly Celestia’s horn flashed, and the compressed poison gas was blasted away, dissipated by the shockwave of her spell.

“Discord!” she yelled. “That was sneaky, you filthy, bastardised Chimera!”

A spell shot from the tip of her horn, soaring towards him. Discord brought his paw up again, and a translucent wall of ice appeared before him, catching the worst of the blast. He brought his claw up, and more ice formed around him, the air particles transforming into frozen blocks. In desperation, Discord threw the walls of ice at Celestia, but the Alicorn’s horn simply pulsed with magic and a shockwave of fire shot out, vaporising the ice as it flew.

“Seriously,” Discord whispered. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Queen Celestia grinned, before taking flight once more, floating up to meet him. “Shall we end this, Chimera?”

“Stop calling me that!” Discord yelled, bringing up his paw and summoning a crossbow that was longer than he was.

He levelled it at her and fired, a single bolt soaring towards the insane Alicorn. She gave an unimpressed smirk and threw a thin bolt of magic at it, but instead of being destroyed it split into a dozen smaller arrows. Two or three managed to hit her, sinking into her chest and calf, and she let out another yell.

“Gotcha!” Discord bellowed.

Celestia looked up, her eyes blazing again, and the arrows burnt to cinders in her flesh, charring her flesh in the process. The marks remained even after her wounds healed.

“I hope… you enjoyed… that…” she hissed.

Discord grinned. “Just a bit, Celly.”

“How nice for you,” she said, regaining something of her composure. “Every being should get one hit in, one last piece of amusement… before they die -!”

A bolt of magic shot out of her horn, faster than Discord could block it. He raised one paw in an impotent blocking move -

- only for Luna to suddenly be there, a shield of midnight blue catching and dissipating the spell in a blast of power. Luna’s mane waved behind her. Behind Discord appeared Galatea, whose horn was glowing with crackling white energy.

“Ready?” she asked Luna.

In response, Luna dropped the shield. Immediately Galatea threw a spell that looked like a streak of lightning, and it slammed straight into the Queen, throwing her backwards through the air. Sparks of electricity surrounded her, making her muscles convulse, and it seemed to be all she could do to stay in the air.

“Finally bringing your A-game, Galway girl?” Discord asked with a snort.

“Joke later, Discord,” Galatea retorted. “Right now, we have to clear an area to entrap her.”

“To what now?” Discord said, frowning.

“Luna,” Galatea said, ignoring him, “do you think you can hold her off for a little longer while we prepare ourselves at the garden yonder?”

“Sister,” Luna replied, grinning, “it would be my genuine pleasure.”

Galatea nodded, before flapping her wings once and taking off.

“Go with her, Discord,” Luna said evenly. “Now.”

Discord scowled, before snapping his claw and disappearing in a flash, following after Galatea.

Luna let out a deep breath, before turning her attention back to the Queen. She had finished convulsing, most of the sparks of electricity dissipating from about her body.

“So,” Luna said. “I believe it is time to finish this match.”

Queen Celestia snarled, if only momentarily, before snorting.

“Little Moon, you have no idea what you’re up against,” she hissed. “Surrender, and you may yet survive that which is to come.”

“As a slave, trapped in her mind while a copy controls her body? Or, perhaps, an ornamental statue next to your own sister?” Luna retorted, her nostrils flaring angrily. “Forgive me, but such does not sound like a fate I would wish for myself, or any other.”

“Pity,” Celestia said, not sounding all that put out. “But so be it. If you will not surrender… then you will die.”

“If you think that task so easy, my corrupt sister,” Luna retorted, spreading her wings out in challenge, “then by all means. Come and try.”

Boston, Fenway Park, Checkpoint Beta.

Reports were coming in from everywhere. Some checkpoints had been totally overrun. Casualties weren’t just bad, they were horrific. Hundreds of troops had been killed (or worse, ponified) in action, and the enemy were steadily gaining ground, apart from being stalled around Checkpoints Theta and Delta. Checkpoint Bravo, meanwhile, was practically a blast zone, most of the infrastructure gone.

But the worst thing… the absolute worst… was that Cheerilee found herself coping. She took reports from Kellman and her other subordinates in stride, she handed out orders with all the ease of telling a class of students what their assignments were.

When did this become the new normal? she wondered to herself.

“Colonel!” Kellman called from a nearby tent.

Shaking her head, Cheerilee went over to him. “Lieutenant. What is it?”

“Call in from Checkpoint Delta, ma’am,” Kellman replied.

“Delta?” Cheerilee repeated. “That team reported in ten minutes ago, didn’t they? Something about having Twilight Sparkle prisoner?”

Oh, and hadn’t that been news to lighten the heart? Yet, somehow, Cheerilee couldn’t help but feel less than cheerful. If Twilight Sparkle was another victim of the Geas, then she would be difficult to free and even more difficult to talk down from whatever pain she would feel. And if she wasn’t…

…well, that didn’t bear thinking about.

“Yes ma’am,” Kellman confirmed. “Delta One is saying something about Luna and another Alicorn requesting assistance from our AA teams?”

Cheerilee blinked once, slowly, before taking a deep breath. “Alright. Put me on.”

Kellman passed her the radio and she grabbed it in one hoof, leaning against a tentpost slightly for balance.

“This is Lyre Three at Beta, report, over,” she began. As ever, she felt the tiniest twinge of mixed regret and bitterness at the callsign ‘Lyre Three’, the last remnant of the days when she, Lyra and Alex had been the top of the PHL. Now there was no Lyre One - even Alex was only Lyre Two.

Don’t think about it, she admonished herself.

“Lyre Three, this is Delta One,” came the voice of the team leader at Delta. David Elliot, wasn’t it? One of Munro’s people? It was always confusing when the call signs were Checkpoints and numbers, but then again Cheerilee couldn’t exactly complain, since she’d signed off on it like everyone else. “Relaying request for AA support from new friendlies, over.”

New friendlies, Cheerilee thought. Meaning Princess Luna, Discord, and this new Alicorn, whoever she is.

“Delta One, we have AA on the ground, specify where support needed, over,” she said.

“…that’s a negative, ma’am, new friendlies did not specify a target zone, over,” Delta One said.

Cheerilee took a deep breath. “Alright, Delta One, what do they need, over?”

“Not entirely sure, ma’am,” Delta One said. “Sounded like they were planning to hit her hard enough to give us a shot, but…”

“Colonel,” Kellman interrupted, “we’re tracking movement near Checkpoint Sigma.”

Sigma, eh? Cheerilee thought. That was over by the Arlington Street side of the gardens there.

“Delta One,” she said, “I am sending my troops to Checkpoint Sigma to deal with the Queen. Your orders are to hold your position and await extraction on your prisoner. Over.”

“Roger that, ma’am,” Delta One replied. “Delta One out.”

“Alright,” Cheerilee said, turning to Kellman. “Get Major Bauer on the horn and let him know what we’re doing. Then get onto the rest of our teams.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kellman said. He hesitated for a moment. “Do… do you want me to signal Wolf Hunter?”

Cheerilee paused. “I wasn’t told she was deployed here.”

“Merrick gave her special dispensation to operate in the city,” Kellman said quietly. “Given her skillset. And, uh, track record.”

Cheerilee sighed. “Of course he did.” She facehoofed, before looking back at Kellman. “Well, you’d better let her know. And… please tell her not to shoot the other Alicorns.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kellman said, giving her a wry smirk.

“I should join them as well,” another voice put in.

Cheerilee turned, to see Hiro Mifune there, he had his arms crossed, and looked… tired. He was still clad in his brown robe and battered Hardball armour.

“Mifune,” Cheerilee said. “I wasn’t aware you were on the TARDIS with us.”

“I can avoid being noticed if I wish,” he replied. He smirked, motioning to his katana. “A handy skill in my line of work.”

“I’ll just bet,” Cheerilee said, chuckling and shaking her head. “Suppose it explains how you get to wear that robe and not have people think you’re in cosplay.”

“No,” Mifune said. “I just don’t care when they ask.”

“And what do you suppose you'll be able to do?” Kellman asked.

Mifune lowered his arms. “We Mystics have been tapping into the fabric of things beyond since before the war began, and our abilities have only increased in potency since then.” He snorted. “I intend, Lieutenant Kellman, to help.”

Cheerilee waved a hoof to forestall Kellman’s inevitable retort.

“Alright,” she said. “Help, then. You’re not exactly in my chain of command for me to stop you.”

“True,” he retorted, “but it is worth making the request.” He inclined his head. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He set off at a jog in the direction of Checkpoint Sigma.

“Alright,” Cheerilee said to Kellman after a moment. “Let everyone know about him. Get onto Wolf Hunter. And while you’re at it, maybe get me in contact Yael and Kraber’s team, wherever the hell they are.”

“Uh, are you sure that’s wise, ma’am?” Kellman asked. “Kraber’s… well…”

Cheerilee gave Kellman an amused smile. “Two things, Becker. Firstly, we’re calling Wolf Hunter, and you’re worried about Kraber?”

“I’m worried about both of them, ma’am,” Kellman replied honestly. “I’ve got enough worry for all our lunatics.”

Cheerilee couldn’t help but laugh at that. “So are you telling me this is somehow not a time for maniacs with massive, Alicorn-killing guns?”

Kellman blinked, and then nodded. “Point… immediately taken, ma’am.”

“Anyway,” Cheerilee said, still smiling, “knowing Kraber, he’s already doing what he does best.”

Checkpoint Gamma, Copley Place

“BULLETS!” Kraber yelled, the MG2021 roaring and bucking in his hands.

The Solar Empire forces were pinned in the empty storefronts all over the former mall.

A newfoal pegasus fluttering near the shattered glass roof took a .308 round through the throat, and dropped like a lead zeppelin.

Kraber hadn’t shot that one. No, that’d been Yael, her enormous Galil spitting lead in semiauto.

Lekker shot, he thought.

There were eleven of them. Aegis, Yael Ze’ev, Heliotrope, Ambrose ‘Bro’ Walker, Lorne Hebert, Fiddlesticks, Oscar Mikkelsen, Johnny C, Quiette Shy, and Eva Nilsdottir. As a group, they had been through life and death together. They’d seen the fall of the EHS, braved the first battle of Montreal, stopped a coup, survived the Horror of Marblehead, and collectively gotten away with breaking a superior officer’s jaw.

That being said, they’d never been in a city with a Code Royal going on.

“Although,” Heliotrope had pointed out when they realised this, “no one else has either.”

“Where are you?! COME OUT AND FOKKIN’ FIGHT!” Kraber yelled.

Heliotrope flickered back into visibility. The wrist-mounted claws she wore plunged into a pony barking orders from behind a sunspear lens.

“CARROWAY, N-“

Heliotrope turned towards the Pegasus that’d yelled that. The silenced SMGs in her assault yokes snapped with fire, and the Pegasus crashed the ground in a tangle of shattered potion vials and broken limbs.

“COME OUT, JOU FOKKIN MANK GENAAIDE BERGBOK!” Kraber yelled. “NOT EVEN HERE WILL YOU BE SAFE FROM MY VENGEANCE!”

“She’s not out here, Viktor,” Yael said softly.

“How the FOK do you know?!” Kraber yelled back at her.

There was a moment of deathly silence, and then he turned away from her, shamefaced.

“I know how much it means to you to find her,” Yael said, still speaking gently. “Lord knows, we sat through your entire life story.”

“Just the interesting bits,” Aegis pointed out.

“Was there a slow-motion replay of Gardner getting punched in the face?” ‘Bro’ asked.

“Yes,” Heliotrope said.

“But she’s not out here, and we have a job to do,” Yael finished. “We should have been at that Code Backstabber at Point Delta half an hour ago!”

Kraber looked torn for a moment there. They all knew who was at Point Delta, and Kraber sure as hell hated letting a friend down (or indeed, leaving a friend in danger)…

…but she might still be out here, he thought.

“Gamma One, Lyre Three, do you copy, over?”

Yael sighed at Cheerilee’s voice coming through the radio. Kraber looked up at her and smirked.

“Paying the piper?” he asked quietly.

“We copy, Lyre Three,” Yael said tiredly, bringing a hand up to her earpiece and ignoring Kraber’s comment. “What’s going on out here? We had a suspected Code Party Pooper a few minutes ago.”

“Still unconfirmed, Gamma One, over,” Lyre Three said.

“Fokdammit!” Kraber swore under his breath. “I should have fokkin’ known.”

“We figured,” Yael said tiredly. “What’s the call, over?”

“Stand by to redirect your team to new positions,” Cheerilee replied. “We’ve got a plan in motion to take down our Code Royal, over.”

Kraber’s head perked up, his eyes widening.

“Say again, Lyre Three?” Yael said. “All after ‘plan in motion’, over.”

“The new arrivals seem to have a plan to take down the Queen,” Cheerilee replied. “Right now we’re getting every available AA-ready unit to standby for their move. We’re not sure where they’ll be yet, over.”

The new arrivals, Kraber thought.

“Uh, Gamma Three here,” he said into his own radio. “All respect, ma’am, are we sure it isn’t a trap? Uh, over?”

“Kraber, we don’t know anything yet for sure,” Cheerilee replied evenly. “But this is the best chance we’ve ever had. We can’t waste it. Over.”

Kraber sighed. “Right. Of course.” He scowled. “If you say so, boss. Over.”

“Don’t worry, none of us feel any better about it,” Cheerilee said. “Gamma One, you have your orders. Lyre Three out.”

Yael sighed, before giving Kraber a pointed look.

“If you’re gonna tell me I shouldn’t have interrupted, don’t bother, I know,” he said quietly. “I just… how do we know we can fokkin’ trust these… people? Ponies? Whatever the fok a Discord is?”

“Draconequus,” Aegis supplied helpfully.

“We don’t know, Viktor,” Yael said quietly. “All we know for sure is what we’ve been told to do, and that maybe - just maybe - it’ll make a difference.”

Kraber scowled, before nodding. “It fokkin’ better.” He patted his MG2021. “I’ve been waiting a long time to test this baby out on the Queen Bitch.”

“How did you even get approved for that?” Johnny C asked.

“I asked,” Kraber said. “Politely.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Really,” Bro said.

“No, really,” Aegis said. “I even gave Dovetail some Barrier Stock as thanks.”

“Did somebody or somepony bring popcorn?” Heliotrope added. “I feel like this will need popcorn.”

“No jokes, chommies,” Kraber said softly. “Today we’re gonna fokkin’ win the war.” He grinned. “I’m taking this one hundred percent fokkin’ seriously. If my default setting has been ‘half-assed,’ imagine that a giant hand has turned my dial from half-assed to quadruple ass.”

“God help us all,” Yael muttered.

Checkpoint Iota, St James Avenue.

“This is Beta One calling Wolf Hunter, come in, over.”

“This is Wolf Hunter,” a lone female soldier said, her voice croaky from lack of use, “I copy you, Beta One. Over.”

“What’s your sitrep, over?”

“Old North Church secured. I’m now at Checkpoint Iota. Targets spotted, moving to engage, over.”

“Roger that, Wolf Hunter,” Beta One replied. “When enemy force is eliminated, standby to move to new position and await new orders, over.”

Wolf Hunter reacted to this with a roll of her eyes. “Copy that, Beta One. Wolf Hunter out.”

Well that's just typical, Wolf Hunter thought, just absolutely typical.

Today was already not what she would have wanted. The reports of the arrivals at Checkpoint Bravo had reached her hours ago, and while the sudden appearance of the… thing was a surprise, to say nothing of its build and physical features, it was not Maxine’s focus.

No, that went towards the familiar black-clad Alicorn, whom best matched the description of the petrified and captured former Equestrian princess, Luna. Not to mention, of course, the unknown grey Alicorn, who matched nothing she had ever read (both within her security clearance and beyond it). Neither of the new arrivals, or their mismatched compatriot, had made any secret of their presence. She had even glimpsed them in the sky, fighting Celestia.

And let’s not forget the Code Royal, she thought, scowling,

There could be any number of possibilities surrounding this sudden appearance. This late into the war, Equestria or perhaps the PER could create almost anything to try and gain a permanent advantage apart from the obvious. Or this could be the Equestrian Resistance. Even after all the Newfoal variants, various serum weapons and aircrafts, or traitors hunted, they wouldn’t stop. Not until they took everything.

Wolf Hunter exhaled, lowering her modified Dragunov sniper rifle before rubbing her eyes.

“Keep it together,” she whispered to herself, “it’s just another trick. Another tactic. You can still make them pay.” Wolf Hunter shivered slightly, before focusing herself. “Still make them pay.”

She brought her rifle back to bear and re-adjusted the scope.

“I will make you pay.”

The words came out once again, but came this time as they should, a solemn oath. Her solemn oath since the shock left her after that day.

Washington crumbling, people panicking in terror and fear as it all fell down. The front door open as the sounds of something happened. Going inside to find -

Damn them. Damn them all for what they had done.

Maxine Radwick kept her focus firmly on the battle, despite the tear in her eye.

For someone needed to make them pay.

Somewhere…

“Copy that, Lyre Three,” Stephan Bauer said into his radio. “I’ll expedite my arrival there… presently.”

That might have been the best way to describe how long it would take, given where he currently was.

Doctor Bowman had rarely ever allowed anyone from UNAC or the PHL into his ship, and it had become even rarer since the EHS debacle, so it was interesting to see the differences between this space and Doctor Whooves’ TARDIS. The expansive walls of this control room were corrugated, textured almost like concrete. Interspersed in the dips were a series of faintly golden roundels, each shining in the dim lighting of the room. There were chairs, and a coat rack in one corner, as well as a well-concealed door to another part of the TARDIS.

At the centre of the room was a six-sided console that looked like it had been hewn from stone, covered in blinking lights, switches and buttons. A crystalline globe was cradled in the console, flickering with inner light. It was here that Doctor Bowman was controlling the flight of his craft.

“Interesting choice of words,” he said, glancing up at Bauer. “‘Presently’. We could be quite a while finding the right point.”

“That’s not reassuring, Bowman,” Bauer said evenly. “You can control this thing, right?”

“Of course I can.” Bowman punctuated this comment by smacking the console, which made an odd bleeping sound. “Mostly.”

“Still not feeling reassured,” Bauer said evenly. “Like, at all.”

“Just keep on your toes, Major,” Bowman said, moving to the other side of his console. He paused, looking up at Bauer’s armour. “Does that stuff have shock absorbers?”

“Uh, some?” Bauer replied, frowning. “Why?”

“Oh, it didn’t last time I did this is all,” Bowman replied, flipping another switch. “Good to know.”

Bauer sighed. “Still not feeling reassured.”

Checkpoint Sigma, Arlington Street.

Chick Pea, a blue Earth Pony stallion in the PHL’s main regiment, frowned as he heard the smashing of buildings like heavy ordnance was going off.

He and his team were trying to pull out, but it wasn't going as well as he would have liked. His sergeant, a short-haired human man named Gates, was yelling and gesturing for his team to move. They probably wouldn't have long before the enemy got here.

The numbers of Newfoals that they'd been fighting seemed to be thinning - ever so slightly - but ammo was low, and they were cut off from headquarters. Newfoals on both sides, trampling the corpses of their fallen compatriots, rushing for the humans. And worse, the city seemed to be exploding around them.

He tried to think positively: he might survive. Hell, he and his compatriots might even die.

Still better than surviving and being taken back.

“Sir!” he yelled to the man. “Those crashes are getting closer!”

“I heard them!” Gates yelled back. “Crowe, Fulton, get moving!”

Chick Pea looked back in the direction of the crashes. He could tell that they'd get here before the soldiers would have a chance to pull out. He tensed…

…and suddenly, a grey Alicorn and a creature that looked suspiciously like Discord appeared right in front of him in a flash. The creature - yup, that was Discord - immediately turned and floated up into the sky, hovering about five feet off the ground and staring directly at the source of the noise, which was getting closer.

“I’d say we have about a minute, Galway Girl,” he said.

“Very well,” the Alicorn said quietly. “Can you move these soldiers?”

Discord turned and threw a glance at the squad - Chick Pea's squad was only one of a few teams in the area. The Draconequus frowned.

“Not likely,” he said after a moment, frowning. “Lots of them, and they're all moving too much. Hard to get a lock on all of them. Even if I did, it'd take a lot of effort - I'm not a limitless store of magic you know. This is taking a lot out of me…”

He seemed winded for a second.

“Damnation,” the Alicorn said, shaking her head. She looked down at Chick Pea with a vaguely imperious expression that made him quail in his hooves. “Who is your commander, little pony?”

“Hey!” Gates yelled, jogging up to the two of them with a scowl on his face. “What the fuck is this? Who the fuck are you?!”

“I am Galatea, and this is Discord, the Lord of Chaos,” the Alicorn replied bluntly. “Problem?”

“Yeah, there’s a damn problem!” Gates yelled. “Who the fuck are you?!”

Galatea sighed. “At present, I am your ally. Queen Celestia is in this city, and myself and Discord are perhaps the only hope you have of stopping her.”

“I heard the Code Royal,” Gates said, scowling. “But how do I know -”

There was a sound like crashing thunder in the distance. Chick Pea looked up, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw -

Celestia.

She was grappling in mid-air with another Alicorn, one who looked almost exactly like Princess Luna, save for the fact that she obviously wasn’t stone.

“Shit,” he swore softly. He was vaguely aware of a sudden building pool of liquid at his hooves, but he didn't care.

Gates didn’t look any happier. “What in the name of -”

“Explanations will come if we all survive,” Galatea said, cutting Gates off. “Right now, there are more pressing matters.” She turned to Discord. “Can you help Luna slow her arrival?”

“Maybe,” the Draconequus said. “Doesn’t tell us what to do next.”

“Just do it,” Galatea said scathingly.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Fine, Galway Girl. This better work.”

He brought his clawed hand up, aimed it at the two Alicorns, and snapped his fingers. There was a flash, and Celestia was blown backwards, through another building. The other Alicorn streaked after her, and Discord snapped his clawed fingers, vanishing in a flash.

Galatea turned to look at Gates, who was gawping slightly.

“You should move you men promptly,” she said quietly. “Queen Celestia will be coming here. Somehow, I doubt you’re equipped to survive the battle.”

“Fuck,” Gates swore. “Yeah, yeah… Chick Pea, let's get moving!”

Chick Pea didn't need telling twice, immediately turning tail and moving out as fast as he could without looking like he was running.

He decided against that a moment later, and just started galloping down the street towards somewhere safer.

Luna grimaced as she blocked another spell from the Queen, her shield dissipating into fragments of power. She had spent the last few minutes pounding the false Celestia with just about every spell she could think, but it was all she could do to keep her corrupted sister off-balance for even a moment.

Unfortunately, her sister’s alternate was equally capable of keeping her off-balance. The Queen sent a pair of spells Luna’s way, and she was forced to raise her own shield. Even as one spell dissipated her shield, a second hit her and sent her spinning through the air, smoke billowing from a burn on her flank that had seared part of her cutie mark. She grimaced in pain, and threw another spell at Celestia in return.

“Is this all you’ve got?!” Queen Celestia called out. “I’m impressed, but you’ve no chance of stopping me with this power!”

“You only say that because you know I do,” Luna hissed.

The Queen laughed coldly at that.

“Well, aren’t you optimistic,” she said. “You know, I really miss that.” Something akin to sadness crossed her face for a moment. “I wish you could join me, Little Moon. It has been ever-so lonely.”

“I could never support what you have done,” Luna retorted. “I have seen but glimpses of what horror you visited upon these beings, and it is more than I needed.”

“I understand your resolve,” Celestia said, and she smiled again. “Which is why I will allow you the dignified death you wish for.”

Her tone, so close to Celestia’s true loving voice and yet tinged with just enough mockery to our lie to it, set Luna’s temper blazing anew.

“Only if you don’t die first!” she yelled.

A final, massive spell shot out of her horn and blasted Celestia into the ground, where she made a massive crater in the concrete. Luna breathed heavily, but she knew that wouldn’t hold the Queen for long. She drew in another deep breath, preparing another attack -

Only for Discord to flash into existence right in front of her and grab her.

“Yoink!” he said with a grin, before teleporting them both somewhere else.

It seemed to be another of this city’s many streets, right next to a beautiful piece of parkland… or at least it might have been beautiful, once. Now the trees were cracked and broken.

“Damnation!” Luna scowled, angry. “I could have had her!”

“Really though, you couldn’t,” Discord said tiredly. “Take it from me, that whorse takes a lot more to kill. Though props for not dying, eh?”

Luna snorted and said nothing else.

“Enough bickering,” Galatea said quietly. “We’ve got to move quickly. Unless the two of you have a plan I should be aware of?”

Discord shrugged. “Got me there. I'm not a ‘plan’ type of Draconequus.”

“Very well,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Then what do you have?”

“It’s simple,” Galatea said. “We are here. Doubtless our coming is what attracted Celestia here to begin with, and that is our advantage.”

“It is?” Luna asked. “How?”

“No, I see where you’re coming from,” Discord said. “This Celly's crazy, but that doesn’t mean she’s stupid. She has to realise that we’re the big threat here.”

“Then she might wish to avoid further conflict with us,” Luna countered. “Especially all grouped as one, working together.”

“No,” Galatea said softly. “Avoidance will not be her plan. She will wish to end us. From what I learned from mine alternate self, she destroyed her world’s Discord and other threats with relative ease.” Galatea’s expression shifted, becoming oddly amused. “And certainly, she ended mine alternate self with ease. I suspect she’ll wish to repeat the accomplishment.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Gallows humour,” Galatea said after a moment.

“We got it, thanks,” Luna said icily. “So what exactly is the next part of our plan, Galatea?”

“Unfortunately, it is reliant on the human and pony forces fighting in this city,” Galatea said quietly.

“We’re dead,” Discord said at once.

Galatea gave him a withering glare, and he dutifully zipped his mouth shut.

“The plan,” she began again, “is hammer and anvil. The humans have weapons they’ve been experimenting with.” She looked at Discord. “Weapons designed to kill an Alicorn.”

“The ones Elliot mentioned?” Luna asked.

“Precisely,” Galatea confirmed.

Discord unzipped himself. “Well, well. Enterprising little bipedal species, aren’t they?”

“Quite,” Galatea said, though her mouth twisted into a dubious expression. “Much as I do not wish to rely on such, if we act as an anvil here, there is a good chance they will be able to act as a hammer and strike her down.”

“This may fail miserably,” Luna pointed out grimly. “If the humans’ weapons are not effective, we will be stuck - an anvil with no hammer, as it were. Then what hope will there be?”

“At which point we shall have to improvise,” Galatea retorted. “But we have very few choices, and far less time.” She paused for a moment, before smiling. “It is, as they say, ‘do or die’.”

“Well, fine,” Discord said, cracking his knuckles. “Since that’s the plan. How do we play anvil?”

“She will come for us here,” Galatea said. “We must do everything we can to keep her here. Find a spot to lie in ambush - she will come soon.”

Luna nodded, before closing her eyes and melting into the shadows.

Hiding in the dark, she thought grimly, has always been my speciality.

“You as well, Discord,” Galatea said quietly. “She will most likely strike when we are separated. She may be no coward, but she is also no fool.”

“If you say so, Galway Girl,” Discord replied, looking unsure. “For what it’s worth, though, I think there’s something major-league screwy about her.”

“I agree,” Galatea said, smiling wryly. “Let us hope we live long enough to learn what.”

Discord sighed, then snapped a claw and disappeared in a flash, leaving Galatea alone for the moment.

Do you see me, Galatea? she wondered. Do you see me act in your stead, as your world’s sentinel? She paused, looking up at the sky. Do you see me, mother? In this, I act as your instrument, as you intended. Yet I cannot believe you ever expected me to be an instrument of violence against mine own sister.

So much about this still did not add up. There was magic at work Galatea did not know, and that… that was concerning.

Still, she could not help it now. There was a battle yet to fight. A battle she had to win.

A battle she was destined for.

Jed: Whoo! Big battle scenes! Epic action! Writing more than 6,000 words!

Okay, deep breath. Welcome to the first chapter that’s been posted of Spectrum: Redux since the rebranding! You might have noticed - if you’re like me and reread chapters of stories that haven’t updated in a while - that every chapter has had the new title edited in. This one’s the first to bear the title ‘Writing Team’ for me and the guys helping me, however.

When I initially started this story, I treated it like a personal vanity project, which frankly led to a very great deal of dissatisfaction on my part, because I always treated it like it wasn’t “real”. The rebranding, as well as the coalescing of a greater “Reduxverse” around it as its own take on the Spectrumverse, has solved a lot of that. It also marks a very important change: this isn’t just my one-man vision anymore, and that’s reflected, I hope, not just by the superficial changes, but by the whole thing.

Anyway, heavy stuff aside, this was fun, I enjoyed it, and it’s not over yet.

Take care all. I’ll see you in the next chapter 😉

TheIdiot: So, my presence here may be a bit confusing, but there’s a reason for it. If someone is going to do a spin-off/take on the story you’re head author of, then it’s best to have a measure of involvement. Plus, Jed R asked me to help oversee the “Reduxverse” he’s made. Thus, it made sense to take part that way things would run well for both SPECTRUM and Jed R’s “Reduxverse” without anything going screwy.

So far, I’d say it’s going well. And my hope remains that in the future, both works will stand together as siblings. Either can be loved on their respective merits. Ultimately, we’ll all have to wait and see what happens next.

In any event,

Carpe diem, everyone.