The Luna Heresy
Written by SIROFLOT
Author's note:
This is my first fan fiction ever. So I don't expect to do all too wonderfully. I've always wanted to do fan fiction but I could never find a story that would allow as much freedom as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic did. I am a big fan of both MLP and Warhammer 40k so I wanted a way to unite the two. I was surprised to find out that there were little to no MLP 40k crossover fan fiction stories. So hearing that I figured what better way to get into fan fiction than combining two things I love!
Hope you guys like it!
SIROFLOT
Author’s note part 2:
Well apparently I’m not going to be the first to post 40k fan fiction on Equestria Daily. I logged onto the site this morning to find Guardspony (Which is by the way one of my new favorites). Rather than feel bad for not being “first”, I felt great. Let’s build on the Far Future, Grimdark ponies, bronies! Apples for the Apple Throne! Friendship for the Friendship God!
Wishing luck to StepTroll for his awesome 40k crossover, and to all bronies everywhere:
SIROFLOT
It is a time of legend.
Mighty heroes battle for the right to rule the galaxy.
The vast armies of the Empress of Equestria have conquered the galaxy in a Great Crusade, the myriad of alien races have been smashed by Celestia’s warriors and wiped from the face of history.
The dawn of a new age of supremacy for pony kind beckons.
Gleaming citadels of marble and gold celebrate the many victories of Celestia. Triumphs are
raised on a million worlds to record the epic deeds of her most powerful and deadly warriors.
First and foremost amongst these are the primarchs, superheroic ponies who have led Celestia’s
armies of Space Marenes in victory after victory. They are unstoppable and magnificent, the pinnacle
of Celestia’s genetic experimentation. The Space Marenes are the mightiest pony warriors the
galaxy has ever known, each capable of besting a hundred normal colts or more in combat.
Organised into vast armies of tens of thousands called Legions, the Space Marenes and their
primarch leaders conquer the galaxy in the name of Celestia.
Chief amongst the primarchs is Luna, called the Glorious, the Brightest Star, favourite of
Celestia, and a sister unto her. She is the Warmaster, the commander‐in‐chief of the Celestia’s
military might, subjugator of a thousand thousand worlds and conqueror of the galaxy. She is a
warrior without peer, a diplomat supreme.
Luna is a star ascendant, but how much further can a star rise before it falls?
Prologue
Five years since the first heretic...
ʹThe new light of science shines more brightly than the old light of sorcery. Why, then, do we not seem to see as far?ʹ
‐ the Equestrian philosopher Sahlonum (fl. M29)
Twilight looked down at the loading bay of her own command ship, Litany of Friendship, and sighed. Nopony could have seen it coming, the trickery and deceit that had been wrought in the last five years of Twilight's life had been heavy on her soul.
So it was good that work had busied her.
Reorganizing them, all of them. Her brothers. Her sisters. Her Space Marenes.
After what had happened all of the former Legions of Space Marenes had to be reorganized and separated, so that if Space Marenes ever defected again the losses to the Empire would lessened. And it was not only her Legion, the Ultramarenes, that had to undergo this fate. Other Legions, ones that lost so much more during those dark times, such as the Rainbow Angels had lost their leader, Rainbow Dash, and...and...
Twilight lost her train of thought.
Rainbow...Dash...
The name hurt Twilight. Her eyes began to water. Rainbow. The two had known each other for so long. More than 30 Millenia... Had it really been that long since she crashed into her in Ponyville...
“No, not in front of my brothers...” she whispered to herself. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes of the tears. “Ultramarenes don't cry...”
She turned back to her work. The Codex Equus. The book was to be used to doctrine Space Marenes for generations to come, and to be sure that the disaster of the last few years would never repeat itself. Trying to keep her mind off her problems she decided to actually read some thing she herself had written for once. Twilight flipped open the Codex and began reading.
“For our enemies will bring us to battle on the caprice of chance. The wild and the renegade are the vagaries of the galaxy incarnate. What can we truly know or would want to of their ways or motivations? They are to us as the rabid wolf at the closed door that knows not even its own mind. Be that door. Be the simplicity of the steadfast and unchanging: the barrier between what is known and the unknowable. Let the Empire of Equestria realize its manifold destiny within while its mindless foes dash themselves against the constancy of our adamantium. In such uniformity of practice and purpose lies the perpetuity of ponykind.”
A knocking came at the door. Twilight looked up from her reading to see who it was.
A large broad shouldered stallion came through the metal plated door. His coat was a light blue, and he had a short white mane and tail. He stood shorter than Twilight, however Twilight towered over other ponies the same way Celestia did in Twilight's youth. On his flank was a cutie mark. It was familiar to Twilight for it was she who crafted it. A greek omega. It was a mark that all Ultramarenes bore.
“Captain, what brings you here at this time, you should be getting ready to lead your new Chapter, you haven't even changed your mark yet.” Twilight asked.
“I'm sorry Miss Sparkle, but I have been known to be sentimental, especially towards my Legi- erm chapter.” The large Pony replied.
“You didn't answer my question Captain Borealis...”
“Ah! Sorry Miss Sparkle. One of your sisters is here from the Space Bunnies. Their Primarch... Fluttershy I believe it was?”
“Hm, thank you for telling me. Have her sent to me once she is settled in her quarters.”
“Yes Miss Sparkle”
“And Borealis, you can really just call me Twilight.”
“Yes Miss Spar- eh... ehe... Twilight”
“Dissmissed Borealis.”
The pony bowed to Twilight and left back through the door.
Fluttershy.It was good at least she was still alive. She had always been a source of good friendship and kindness to Twilight. But in the days since the betrayal, she had been bitter and angry. On the battlefield her rage was unsuppressed, she killed as angrily as lovingly she tended for animals. Twilight wanted her company again, so that they may recount what happened in such a short time. It wasn't that Twilight didn't know what happened, she too fought against her own brothers. But no where near the magnitude that some of the others did, and she wanted to recount it with a friend. So she went to the only one that could always be counted on.
Below, Twilight looked upon the countless Ultramarenes that were losing their original affiliation to her blessed chapter. Their coat was being genetically altered to green and their cutie mark changed to a white 12 pointed star with a squiggly symbol within. They were to be designated the Aurora Chapter. While they still contained primarily Twilight's own genes, she felt that they were not the same brothers they had once been.
A knock again came from the door.
“Come in.”
In came Fluttershy adorned in full power armor. The blue-grey armor covered her entire body and neck, the helmet had been removed so her mane and face could be seen. On the right front shoulder pad sat a copy of her own cutie mark with a yellow background. Fluttershy's face had changed little over the years, something Rarity (Twilight spat at the thought of her name) was always jealous of. However, the expression had changed significantly. Instead of the kind shy face of her friend from ages gone past there was the cold battle hardened face of a soldier, the same face Twilight now wore.
“May I come in?” Fluttershy asked in her quiet soft tone.
“Yes Fluttershy, come in, make yourself comfortable.”
Fluttershy sat down on a steel chair, which groaned from the weight of eight ton power armor. The two sat in silence for a minute or two, looking each other over.
Fluttershy was the first to speak.
“Did I come hear for anything or am I here so you can stare at me?”
Twilight snapped out of an old daydream she had from when she was younger involving Fluttershy and her in Applejack's basement when it was-
“Why are you looking at me like that Twilight?”
“Huh? Sorry, I'm just so...”
“Stressed?”
“Yeah....stressed...”
“Well, maybe I should come ba-”
“No!” Twilight responded a little too quickly and loudly.
“Okay, then what do you want?”
“I want you to tell me...about what happened...”
“What happened...but Twi-”
“I KNOW! I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!” Twilight screamed. Fluttershy looked back in fear. “I just want to hear it from you...if that's okay. I think...I think I can live with it better if you told me.”
“Well okay Twilight...You should have just said so...Where do you want me to start?”
“The beginning. Tell me how it began. Tell me how Luna betrayed us all...again...”
“Very well Twilight...” Fluttershy cleared her throat.
“It all began with Pinkie Pie...”
To be Continued...
The Luna Heresy
A WH40k My Little Pony Cross Over
By SIROFLOT
Chapter One:
Summer Sun Celebration
It all began with Pinkie Pie...
Pinkie Pie woke up from a long sleep, something she hadn't done in a while. Sleeping was beyond her, or at least it was supposed to be. The extra organs that Celestia had gifted them along with the promise of immortality had made this possible. She no longer was the tiny cute Pinkemina Diana Pie she once was. But a huge Pinkemina Diana Pie that no longer required sleep. However, even Pinkie got nostalgic once in a while. But this was no relaxing nap...
What was it she had dreamed about?
Something about Anger, Gluttony, and other bad stuff. Pinkie couldn’t remember all too well.
Usually when Pinkie had dreams, they involved parties. Which was a given, especially since she was the primarch of the Party Bearers.
Pinkie dragged herself out of the immense bed and walked to the mirror. Her hair was in its usual Pinkie Pie out of control fashion. Pinkie Pie ignored it's perpetual messiness. The only one who it ever annoyed was Rarity, but a lot of things annoyed her, so Pinkie just ignored her complaints.
She walked to the window and opened the blinds. Revealed below was the planet of Equestria.
Pinkie smiled, “It's good to be home.” she said to no one in particular.
Rainbow flapped her wings a couple times. “Feels good Ferrus.”
“Anything for you Rainbow” replied the Iron hooved pony. “That armor is one of the best I've ever crafted. Made it specifically for you. Now your armor can do the sonic rainboom with you.”
“Ferrus you know I don't-”
“Eh that's just what you think. I bet if one of 'em Diamond Dog bosses challenged you to a foot race you would pump one out before he even realized the starting ringer even went off. You just need to get the racing blood through your veins that's all.”
“Why race when I can serve the Great Crusade? Ferrus you must remember your goal is to conquer not to tinker with those cogcolts all the time.”
“Yeah Yeah... Ponifest Destiny yadda yadda. Rainbow since when were you such a visionary? And don’t call them cogcolts, that’s disrespectful.”
“Hey shut your trap old fart...”
Ferrus chuckled to himself. While he hadn't known Rainbow as long as her friends had, he still regarded her as a sister, despite the fact he was several decades older than Rainbow. Such was the bond that Celestia created between them.
Ferrus could still remember that first sonic Rainboom. He was the royal blacksmith to Celestia's personal guard. Thanks the shock wave he dropped his work into the furnace, however, when it came out, it was a gleaming metal. The metal was harder than anything he had crafted before. He had discovered adamantium.
Rainbow interrupted his reminiscing.
“Well cya at the festival Ferrus!” said Rainbow, she flapped her wings and flew across the hanger to a red shuttle craft. On it's side was a rainbow colored tear drop with angelic wings coming out of the sides. Below the insignia read “Rainbow Angels- Death from Above” in stylized writing.
Ferrus shook his head. “She always had a flare for the dramatic...” He turned back to his work.
A huge wonderful hammer for Rarity.
“390...391...392...and 393”
Rarity took the comb out of her hair and set it aside. “I've got to look FABULOUS for this celebration” she said aloud.
Spike looked about, not really caring. After about 30 thousand years of hearing this banter he'd finally gotten bored of Rarity's constant drive for perfection.
He used to love her.
Then he didn't, found some mare by mail and started writing to her. That lasted a while, then she broke up with him. Wasn't going to last. He tried sex before with a pony, didn't quite work with the angles and all. He just hoped that Twilight would never find out that he discovered this while she was sleeping all those years before and-
“Could you please stop thinking about inter-species sexual relations and help me put on my ceremonial armor?” Rarity said, breaking him from his stupor.
“How’d you know?” Spike replied with a genuinely surprised face.
“I’ve known you for how long Spike? Your face just tells me everything I need to know.” Rarity said while stepping into her power boots. “Now could you please help a filly out?”
Spike got up from his chair and began attaching armored plates to her suit. Even though he no longer had a “thing” for Rarity, he still helped her. She was his “sister”. Spike hated using that term. After helping Rarity into her armor, Spike quickly fled the room.
“Sorry got some business to do with my ponies back on my ship. Cya down on the ground Rarity!” He quickly said before Rarity could interrupt. He sped down the corridor to the shuttle bay.
“Hmph, 30 thousand years in the future and no pony has any manners...” Rarity pouted.
Rarity looked into the mirror she had been using to comb her hair. She groaned. Even though Celestia had gifted them with immortality, and aging did slow, she still had wrinkles. What was worse was that some of the other ponies, like Fluttershy, had managed to keep their young face. Fluttershy! The girl never even showed herself to anypony but her most trusted officers. What a waste of a face...
She sighed. Rarity covered up her aging complexion with her helmet and trotted towards the shuttle bay.
Luna's Wolves were the first legion on the ground. A huge parade of veterans from Luna's personal guard led the march into Celestia's golden palace.
The castle was immense. It dwarfed the previous capital of New Canterlot with a ratio of 20 to one. Luna didn't like it. Celestia, in her opinion, always like to show off. She showed off when she reunited the surface of Equestria, she showed off when she turned her most loyal subjects into Space Marenes, and she showed off with her stupid summer sun celebration. It was an old festival.
“Hell, it was old when I got out of the moon” she grumbled to herself.
Still, the feelings that she felt now didn't mean she didn't love her sister. Even if Celestia did have all the power. In fact Luna was considered the most loyal of all the ponies. Everypony knew the stories of how she defended Celestia when she was wounded at the battles of Glimmerfield and Meadowshire.
Its just that ever since she left the moon there had always been a bit of jealousy lingering in the mares heart.
A low rumbling was heard overhead, another shuttle was arriving.
Luna sighed. “I guess it's time for the Summer Sun Celebration” she said with a fake smile as she trotted into the palace.
Slowly the Space Marenes arrived and took their seats.
Celestia looked down on all of them from her podium high above. The two golden armored guards next to her shuffled uneasily. Most of the time when they saw this many ponies in battledress there was a war going on. So Celestia could hardly blame them for their awkwardness.
“Welcome my finest warriors! Please make yourselves comfortable and I will begin.”
The ponies settled down and found their seats.
“Good, now allow me to introduce the leaders of your fellow Space Marenes. Hailing from Equestria itself is my good sister Luna of Luna's Wolves!” A cheer rose up from the front few rows. The Ponies wore teal colored armor with the insignia of a wolf and a crescent moon. Celestia looked upon her sister, who seemed so deep in thought she hadn't noticed her own name called.
“Hailing from the deserts on Baal is Rainbow Dash of the Rainbow Angels!” Another cheer. These Ponies wore red armor with a rainbow tear drop as the insignia. Rainbow bowed her head to Celestia in greeting.
“Coming from the frosty wastelands of Fenris is Fluttershy of the Space Bunnies!” A roar, much like a rampaging bunny, came from the next row as the light grey armored ponies shouted in favor of their leader. Fluttershy simply blushed and smiled, slightly embarrassed.
“From the prosperous lands of Ultramare! Twilight Sparkle and her Ultramarenes!” A loud cheer came from the Blue armored section, a noticeable chunk in the crowd. Twilight glanced at her old mentor. She had really missed Celestia during the time away.
“From the fiery pits of Nocturne! Spike of the Salamanders!” Spike simply nodded. He had to be humble he remembered. Can't be showy cause you're a dragon. His green and black armored marenes on the other hand decided to start chanting his name, after about a minute of the others trying to get them to stop the ceremony continued.
“Of the Imperial Hooves, Big Macintosh!” A respectable cheer came out from the yellow armored section. Big Mac smiled to himself. The boys have learned a lot from him. Most Space Marenes had a superiority complex over others, but not the Imperial Hooves. He had trained them to be humble, to remember that they were all regular ponies at one time or another.
“Leader of the Thousand Fillies, Tri-” A pony ran up and whispered something into Celestia's ear. She looked up and smiled. “The Great and All Powerful Trixie!” Trixie stood up from her seat and waved to the audience. Her dark red armored marenes cheered for her. Despite being the GREAT and ALL POWERFUL Trixie, she still wondered why Celestia had chosen her for the task of leading a legion. Perhaps she really was great and all powerful. Trixie simply shrugged at the thought. Whatever Celestia deems she thought.
Slowly the ceremony went on. Ferrus Hoofus of the Iron Hooves. Rarity of Celestia's Fillies. Pinkemina Pie of the Party Bearers. Applejack of the Apple Eaters. The list went on.
There were 18 legions of space marenes, each numbering several thousand ponies.
Despite what Luna thought, Celestia didn't do all of this hard work to show off. With her marenes, her...children, she could spread Equestria across the galaxy, and build it in the old planet’s own image. Some called this quest the Ponifest Destiny, or the Campaign of Champions.
Celestia called it the Great Crusade, and it was exactly that.
All the primarchs were gathered around a huge round table. It had been a long time since they had had the chance to converse casually with one another, and Rainbow was happy for this. It had been so long since she had last seen Applejack, Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
“So Twilight, I heard you gave up magic.” she asked the age old bookworm.
“You'd be mostly correct Rainbow, I only use it now for menial tasks, but for the most part I haven't been banishing Ursa Minors lately.” She replied.
The two laughed at the age old in-joke.
“But why would you do such a thing Twilight?” Trixie asked, “Magic is such a wondrous study, I have learned so much about the universe by-”
“With all due respect Trixie, magic is dangerous. Hasn't Celestia warned you enough times to not cast spells so often?”
“But why give it up almost all together? Think about how your skill in combat could improve with a few firebolts or-”
“Now listen Trixie,” Twilight stood up from her chair, rather angrily, “When we were scattered across the galaxy I was disconnected from the magic world. I couldn't cast even a simple telekinesis spell. I felt so lost without it. But then I learned the values of hard work and using oneponies own strength to get something done. While magic may be an 'interesting' thing to study, it is by all means not something that should be used all willy nilly!” Twilight composed herself now noticing a hush had gone across the banquet hall. She sat back down. “Sorry...”.
Next to Celestia sat Pinkie Pie. The Princess had requested this specifically, for there was something she had to discuss with the pink mare.
“Pinkemina?” Celestia asked.
“Yes empress?”
“Could I talk to you in private, we need to discuss your progress, and your... behavior...”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
The two excused themselves from the table and walked into the royal library. The books contained within the shelves were millenia old. And many held secrets, that if known by the enemies of the Empire, could bring the Great Crusade to a screeching halt.
But that was not why Celestia brought Pinkie here.
“Pinkie, I have to talk to you about your legion.”
“What about it God-Empress?”
“See! That's it. Why do you call me a god empress? I told you just to call me Celestia, or even Celest! But you insist on worshiping me like a god, and throwing parties after each victory as if we had defeated the universe itself in my name!”
“But Empress-”
“CELESTIA, for god’s sake Pinkie your not a slave!”
“Celestia...sorry...I thought you loved my parties, and I thought that the best way to celebrate the one who gave me the power to fight the foes of the Empire was to treat her like a God, which, face it princess, you kind of are.”
Celestia glared down at the pony. “Pinkie I have always told you that our goal is to have a perfect society, where all ponies can live in harmony. And having a religion with such zealous rage just has no place in this empire. I ask of you, please stop this foolishness and... partying... right now and focus on destroying the foes of the Empire.”
Pinkie nodded, and turned away, dejected.
“How?” was all Pinkie could muster through her tears.
Big Macintosh finished his fifth plate of apples. Across the table his cousin Brayber of the Iron Ponies did the same, smirking to himself.
“Up to another cus'?” He asked.
“Now Brayber y'all should know by now I'm not one for competition, but you always insist on fighting, Why is that? We're brothers now aren't we? So lets act like a family!” Big Mac smiled at his ancient cousin.
“Heh, sounds like defeat for Big Mac! Ol' Brayber wins again!”
Big Mac rolled his eyes. Next to him Applejack discussed warfare tactics with Khan, a long Fu Manshu bearded pony. They were having a heated debate, and Macintosh didn't need to listen in to know what it was about. Applejack always preferred the head on approach, it was no small wonder she had conquered one of the largest numbers of worlds in the name of the Empire. Khan, on the other hoof, preferred outflanking and outmaneuvering his opponents.
Macintosh sighed. She wasn't the same Applejack he had once known. She had come to resent Celestia, which, from what he could make out, had something to do with the circumstances with which she had been forced to join the crusade. Forced? How could anypony be forced into the Crusade?
Across the table Luna and Rainbow were talking to one another in an excited conversation.
Alfillius had always known about their bond, everypony knew of their bond. Despite being centuries in age difference, the two had bonded more than any of the other primarchs, so much so that to call them trusted sisters was an understatement.
Alfilius turned to Pony El'Jonson, primarch of the Dark Pegasi.
“What do you think of the latest family incest Jonson?” he snorted to his brother.
Jonson simply shrugged. “Let the two have their bond. They are the most successful out of all of us.”
“Is it true that Luna wished the position of Warmaster to go to Rainbow?”
“I do not bother with rumors Alfilius.”
“But do you think that Rainbow would be up to the task?”
“
“Perhaps...I have not spent enough time with Rainbow to be certain, but from what I hear, she is quite a brilliant strategist.”
“Heh, more so than Brayber over there wants.” Alfillius pointed towards the pony, who was trying to get Big Mac into a hoof wrestling contest. “Damn guy thinks he's the best thing since sliced apples. Have you heard how angry he gets when Macintosh mentions the building of the defenses here in Equestria, oh man! The guy turns red with jealousy! Sometimes I think if there was a civil war, he'd defect to the other side just so he could bombard Mac's defenses from orbit.”
“Let's just hope that such a thing would never happen.” The green pony grinned to himself, “Would hate to get my sword stained with his blood.”
Caramel sat in the main banquet hall with his brothers of the Salamanders. Since they inherited genes from Spike, their primarch, everypony in the legion had black scales instead of a fur coat. Not to mention they ate gemstones. Caramel sat munching on some emeralds deep in thought while staring at a Party Bearers party chaplain.
The chaplain wore black power armor. Her coat was an aqua blue, and her mane blonde. However, the most puzzling thing about her was not the fact that her coat and mane were different colors than her primarch's pink, but her eyes. They pointed in two directions. Completely opposite directions. And no matter how hard Caramel tried, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Maybe this was love? He checked his blood pressure and testosterone levels using the options built into his power armor.
Nope, not love. Power armor would have picked that up like trying to find the light from a lance battery in the night sky.
His stupor was interrupted by another marene bumping into him.
“Shoot sorry!” said the white and green armored pony. Caramel examined the marene.
He came from the Coma Guard legion, that much was obvious. His face was covered in small pustules and ulcers, and there were signs of him recently scratching at them. The look almost made Caramel loose his gemstones all over the banquet floor.
He swallowed. “No, don't worry, no problem.”
The pony sat next to him. Shit, was the only word that came to Caramel's mind.
“Howdy, name's Ponple, I'm an apothecary from the Coma Guard. You?”
“Veteran Sargeant Caramel, Salamanders.”
“Yea I figured the legion out myself, thank you very much.”
“Heh, could say the same to you.” The coma guard were famous for experimenting with potions and brews to enhance their fighting ability. Turned out a lot of the potions caused acne. Zecora was famous for starting this trend. She first started by downing a couple jars of acid daily, and then experimental potions that no pony had any idea what they did. Apparently Zecora used them to “increase a ponies battle dexterity” but hardly anypony believed that. Most ponies went with “she’s bonkers” and went on with their lives.
The two chuckled together. Maybe he isn't so bad, thought Caramel, so long as he keeps his helmet on I guess we could be friends.
To Be Continued...
The Luna Heresy
A Warhammer 40k and My Little Pony
Crossover Fanficiton
By:
SIROFLOT
Chapter 2:
Doubt
Caramel laughed to himself.
“All over the main bridge! It was unbelievable!” Ponple continued.
The two had been talking all throughout the ceremony and onwards. Caramel glanced at another Salamander waving at him from the shuttle craft. Now it was time to go.
“Hey, thanks for the night man.” Caramel said giving the the pony a “brohoof”.
“No problem, Caramel. Hey, maybe I'll see on the battlefield sometime?” the older replied.
“Heh, lets just hope my bolter isn't pointed up your arse!”
Ponple chuckled and walked towards his own legion's white and green shuttle craft. He hated having to leave behind such a great guy, but such was the responsibility of one of Celestia's finest.
“Fall in love, apothecary?”
“Shut up Tyfus.” Ponple replied to the Captian.
Captain Tyfus led the First Company of the Coma Guard, he also was a total dick. Ponple decided long ago that if he ever needed to operate on the bastard he'd slice open his heart and say it was an unknown birth defect. And no one would be the wiser. Problem was, the bastard never fell in combat. No wonder he was elevated to First Captain, second only to their primarch Zecora.
Just as the Coma Guard shuttle lifted off, Caramel was strapping himself into his own safety harness. He glanced outside.
It was her, the chaplain. The same one he had been staring at earlier...
The mare walked alongside the Party Bearers primarch, Pinkie Pie. Then, like something out of an old horror Holo-flick, she turned and faced Caramel...staring...with her strange eyes...into his own soul...
The shuttles door hissed closed, cutting off the image of the pony. Only then Caramel realized he had been holding his breath.
Was this what fear felt like?
Pinkie paced about her personal quarters. The room itself was a mess, with her armor lying on the ground, and various other clothing and fine items were laying about. Pinkie was rolled up on the floor. She had never been so sad, not even during her rock farming days.
Pinkie herself was a mess. Her coat had taken on a darker shade of pink, and her hair now laid straight down in a gravitational law abiding fashion. Lines now marked her face where tears had flowed.
Pinkie wiped her face and walked to the recently smashed mirror on the wall.
“I thought everypony loved my parties...” Pinkie Pie said in a sad dejected tone. Normally being told that someone didn't like her parties didn't get to Pinkie. Everypony had an opinion on parties and that was okay. But Celestia herself told Pinkie to stop partying all together. Not only that but she was no longer allowed to worship Celestia as a goddess, which Pinkie still maintained in her head made sense since Celestia was essentially a god.
“Who am I without parties or love for my princess?” Pinkie asked pleadingly to some higher body. “WHO?!” Pinkie cried in a sob.
Unfortunately, Pinkie knew her answer.
“Nopony...”
Luna scanned the reports she had been given from Celestia. The folder contained information on a huge globule of space absolutely filled to the brim with Diamond Dogs. Luna smiled, it had been a while since she had skewered a Dog on her blade. Agreeing with Celestia's strategy to approach the space her thoughts turned to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow was her sister. But their relationship had gone past that. Not that they were having sexual relations or anything, just that well their bond was really strong. Luna would face down oblivion to save her sister, and she had no doubt Rainbow would do the same for her.
It was true that Luna wanted her sister to take on the rank of warmaster, the supreme military rank within the empire. Rainbow wasn't just a good strategist, she was a BRILLIANT one. And this was by Luna's standards, and she had beaten Celestia in regicide on more than one occasion.
But Celestia insisted that Luna take on the rank. It was not that she mistrusted Rainbow or didn't think she was up to the task, it was the fact that if Celestia was to ever fall in combat, the warmaster would be left to take charge of the Empire. And the closer the pony was to the original royal bloodline, the better.
Luna decided that it was time to ready herself for the coming battle. She got up from her work desk and walked up to her suit of power armor. She smiled at the work of Ferrus Hoofus. It truly was a beautiful piece.
Applejack removed her blade from the gutted dog.
“Ah'l righty boys, if we make it on over that hill o'er there this day is all ours. Apples are on me when we get back on-board the ship.” Applejack yelled to several of her veterans over the gunfire.
Applejack snarled and put another clip into her bolter. She raised her chainblade aloft.
“CHARGE!!!!”
Together all five ponies drew their combat knifes and charged forward towards a diamond dog bunker. The bunker's residents decided to give their unexpected guests a welcoming gift of fire. Three crudely made heavy bolters immediately barked form the firing ports within. Several rounds bounced off AJ's armor as she advanced.
“RAWRGH!” Applejack snarled as she impaled one of the heavy weapon operators with her massive blade. As she drew out the blade she decapitated another with the back swing. The veterans had already cleared the other dogs in the bunker, but they were far from done. AJ looked up to find a huge wave of dogs pouring over the hillside.
“Take your positions by the sand bags!” Applejack barked at the marenes, “I’ll go and meet them head on! Now, cover me!”
The four veterans began firing into the onrushing hoard without bothering to aim, for it was impossible to miss in a group so large. As they did so, Applejack charged forward while firing her bolter, blowing open the head of a diamond dog leader. The first dog she met was quickly decapitated by a quick sword swing. Applejack was always good at taking off someones head. Then another to the side which she peppered with some bolter fire. Another head on, she simply stuck her blade in front of herself and watched the idiot skewer himself onto it. Applejack continued her slaughter across the hoard until she had cleaved the last dog in half.
The veterans quickly scanned the horizon and, after deciding the area clear, Applejack had them stand down.
“Okay, now we just hold out here until the shuttle arrives. Y'all'r free until then.”
Applejack looked out across the war-torn desert of Apploosa IV. It reminded her of Yorewood.
Yorewood, the planet she could never return to...
When she had been stranded out away from Equestria all those years ago when she first received her gift from Celestia, she landed on Yorewood. An ancient pony planet that had only one trade.
Gladatorial fights. There Applejack learned everything she now knew about fighting.
But Applejack hated slavery, so she escaped, and failed three times. However, on the fourth try she managed to gather enough of a force to break out from the stadium and from there retreated into the mountains nearby. However, supplies were limited there, and the local army was constantly attacking them. One day, a huge force came up the mountain, and Applejack knew it was the end, it was right. This was the way she was going to die. Alongside her friends fighting the corrupted system.
Applejack was ready. But not for what happened.
As soon as the assault began, Applejack was teleported onto a spaceship. Celestia's own flagship.
There Celestia offered AJ her own legion and glory in the name of ponykind.
And Applejack flatly refused. She had to be down there, fighting for her people. Instead she was being offered a glory she didn't earn through her own sweat and blood.
However, Celestia couldn't let her own child be torn apart willingly, and confined Applejack on her ship. Saddened by her loss of being able to die. Applejack submitted herself to Celestia's mercy.
20 years later here she was, waiting for a battle that might one day allow her to go meet with those brave men she never got the chance to die alongside. But she had yet to meet a foe worthy of killing Applejack, primarch of the Apple Eaters. Perhaps she was destined to keep fighting for all of eternity. The idea saddened her.
The shuttle craft poked through the clouds above. Only then did Applejack realized she owed some veterans some apples.
Trixie flipped through the book some more. It really was quite a good read. It was about some ancient forces in the universe. The elements of unharmony.
Trixie snorted. The name was so cheesy she could make a grilled cheese sandwich out of it. However, their abilities and importance were no laughing matter.
Long ago, Twilight Sparkle and her group of friends reunited the Elements of Harmony, and Equestria was put into an era of relative peace and love. But then mysteriously came the Elements of Unharmony. The elements the caused what became known as the great division, which divided Equestrian planets from one another with warp storms and cataclysmal star malformations. However, Celestia managed to suppress the Elements and ever since there has not been any problems with them.
Trixie raised an eyebrow. There was a huge amount of information missing from this book. Which meant only one thing...more studying.
Trixie didn't mind some more reading. Ever since that day Twilight had “banished” the Ursa Minor from Ponyville, Trixie had taken it upon herself to studying. How else could she outsmart Twilight? But as time went on, she began to like reading, and eventually her magic skills had grown so much, Trixie was promoted to chief Librarian for Celestia. It was here that she and Twilight fell for one another.
Those long nights in the library alone with one another. Oh, how Trixie longed for those days. But ever since the division Twilight had been cold to Trixie. Perhaps she really did despise magic as much as she said. Of this Trixie had no idea, she just kept reading her books.
Pony El'Jonson was invited to Fluttershy's flagship, Bunnies Wrath, for a meeting to discuss their upcoming crusade against the buffalo. Jonson was NOT looking forward to it.
Jonson was separated from Celestia, like most of the other primarchs, and ended up on Caliban. Caliban was overrun with rabid animals and beasts. It was here that Jonson learned to hate all things bestial and to smite them without remorse. All beasts deserved to be destroyed, so that only pony is left, such was the way he lived.
The introduction of the Space Bunnies changed that.
Fluttershy loved all animals, big and small. Even the mutants she cringed when killing, for they were animals at one point. Jonson hated that. But he couldn’t hate his sister, they were family, and family did not hate one another. In a way, Jonson’s relationship with Fluttershy had changed him to a, perhaps, softer man.
He sighed as the shuttle craft landed in the Battle Barge's main shuttle bay. He disembarked and headed towards the bridge.
“Fluttershy, Pony El'Jonson of the Dark Pegasi is here to see you.”
“Oh, thank you captain, I'll go meet with him...” Fluttershy responded in her kind voice.
The double steel bulkhead doors opened up to reveal the main corridor.
The side walls and ceiling were covered in beautiful flowers and ivy, growing off the coolant that flowed through the pipes below. Gathering around the flowers and living in the ivy were various beautiful birds. The corridor itself was lit to appear like the sun of Equestria in the olden days.
Fluttershy smiled. This was home. She'd tried to make the ship look as beautiful and glorious as she could using only what nature had. But she knew one thing.
Pony El'Jonson will hate it. Jonson hated everything having to do with nature, and she worried that this might hurt their relationship. The two had already had some bad heat between them. El'Jonson punched Fluttershy one time for disobeying his orders to remain behind until reinforcements arrived. This broke Fluttershy’s heart, she only wanted to help... Then she specifically ordered an orbital strike on an area where his men were as revenge for striking her, and, while Jonson never found out it was on purpose, the weight of the action had effected Fluttershy deeply, she just never imagined she would be willing to kill friendlies over such a meaningless trifle.
Unfortunately, Celestia deemed it necessary that the two work together for a while to build up enough trust in one another. And what better way to do that than with a joint campaign against the buffalo?
Pinkie had given up. There was nothing more that she could do. Tomorrow, at noon ship time, she programmed the ship's computer to send a message to Celestia that she was no longer willing to be a primarch, and to find some pony else. If her zeal and iron will to fight for her Princess were not welcome, then she had no place in life.
The galaxy will just have to do with one less Pinkemina Diana Pie.
She unholstered her bolt pistol at jammed in a clip. The clip contained only one bullet, and there was no way she could miss. She undid the safety and lifted the pistol up. The cold barrel was pressed hard against her temple.
Then she heard a shuffle elsewhere in the room.
Pinkie opened one eye, then the other.
“Chaplain Ditzy Doo, what are you doing here?” she asked in a tone that showed her complete confusion.
“Pinkie, we have to talk...”
To Be Continued...