Warhammer 40k: The Harmony Crusade

Chapter 7Whispers In The Night"You will get more with a kind word and an excruciator than with just a kind word" - Inquisitor Malden, Ordo Hereticus

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and tried to raise her head, immediately regretting it as the side of her head started throbbing in pain. One thing she did notice though, was that she was moving. Not by herself, but something was carrying her. She could see a pair of legs moving under her, which must mean they belonged to the creature carrying her, but what creature moved on two legs? She didn't think she was being carried by a dragon, she couldn't feel any rough scales. She groaned and tried to move.

"It's awake" came a cold voice from right next to her, the thing carrying her. She felt the grip on her tighten.

"Don't worry, we're coming up to the cave now" came another female voice to her left, sounding strangely familiar.

Cave? Twilight thought in shock, Maybe it is dragons, or perhaps diamond dogs...

She tried to move around, managing to move her right hind leg.

"I know you can understand me, so don't you fucking move, or I'll blow your head off" whispered a threatening voice right into her ear.

Twilight whimpered in fear and ceased her movement. She felt her captor's head shift back to looking forward, leaving her looking back at the trail they were cutting through the forest.

She felt her kidnapper move through a bush and they stepped out into a small opening. A series of metallic clicks filled the air.

"Halt! Show yourselves or we will open fire!" she heard a deep male voice call out. Open fire? What does that mean? she thought.

"It's just us Captain, back from recon" called back that familiar female voice, "The Inquisitor knows we're coming!"

Captain? So they're military, but what's an Inquisitor?

"Lower your weapons boys, it's the assassins" said the male voice, "I'll let them know your coming in- what in the Emperor's name is that on your shoulder!?"

Assassins? Who's the Emperor? Twilight had so many questions on her mind, but she couldn't voice them for fear of whatever was carrying her.

"An example of the locals, tell him we're bringing it in for questioning, and we need precautions for low-level psychic powers set up. By which I mean the Knights."

They're talking about me! Why do they want to question me? Are they not from around Equestria? We are in the Everfree, so anything could happen...

"Of course, I'll let them know", Twilight heard footsteps disappear into what she guessed was the cave her captors mentioned earlier, only to come back out moments later.

"They know, go ahead in. The Knights are ready, as are the Magos and the astropath. I think Tevlan will be wanting an anatomical study when you're done"

"I'm not surprised, knowing him" replied the one carrying her, "Thank you Captain Belknap, carry on"

What are all these things they're talking about? What's a Magos? What's an Astropath? Twilight was beginning to get a headache from the amount of questions that were running through her head, But at least I have two of their names, Belknap and Tevlan... And who are these "knights"?

She felt the footsteps under her resume again, and felt the cool night air warm slightly entered the cave. She could hear the soft crackle of a fire. She managed to catch a glimpse of a bipedal figure at the entrance, wearing all different shades of green and holding some sort of metal blocky-thing with an elongated stick coming out on one end. It was bulky, so she guessed it was wearing some kind of armour, but she couldn't see any of the actual creature itself. It certainly wasn't any animal she recognised...

They rounded a corner and she didn't have time to look up as she was unceremoniously unslung from her captor's shoulder and threw into a corner. She shook her head, seeing stars.

"Inquisitor" said her carrier's voice, "It's there, might wanna get that collar on before it tries something"

"Of course. Thank you Levin, let me know about your own findings after this is over" said a new voice. It was smooth and flowing, yet held a tone of unspoken authority and years of experience.

So the one that had been carrying her was named Levin, that was another name down. Well, I'm not gonna get anymore if I don't try thought Twilight, Here goes nothing...

She looked up. She screamed and blacked out.

Inquisitor Hallaman looked round at the thoroughly confused Grey Knights around him.

"Well, that's a new one" he murmured.

"Told you they were different" smirked Umbra next to him.

"Whatever. It could still pose a threat" he said, stepping forward and attaching a psychic dampener around the unconscious lavender xenos' neck.

He turned to Levin. "So, tell me what you found out about these 'ponies'..."

"Hey AJ, have you seen Twilight anywhere?" asked Rainbow Dash as she swooped down to Applejack on the farm, the earth pony just about to turn in for the night.

"No, ah haven't seen her since earlier" replied Applejack, "She's probably sleepin', all that plannin' she did earlier. Either that, or she's still fussin' over the visit. Ya know what she's like. Why'd you need to see her?"

"I was gonna ask her what time tomorrow morning she wanted the skies clear, and why the heck all these royal guard ponies are restricting the Ponyville airspace"

"Ah'm sure they're just security for the visit tomorrow"

"There aren't usually this many. Do you think this has something to do with those meteors last night?"

"Maybe, but don't you worry yourself none, you'll have your skies back by tomorrow. Now go get some rest"

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and lifted a hoof to her throbbing head, her vision still bleary. She began to rise to her hooves. "Ugh, Spike, I was having the most horrible dream-"

"I don't know who Spike is, but unless you want to be clearing your brains off the floor, I suggest you shut up and sit down now" came a harsh voice from in front of her. Twilight closed her mouth immediately and sat back down.

It wasn't a dream... she thought grimly as her hazed mind finally comprehended that she was still on the floor of the cold, musty cave and that she was staring at... a pair of black boots?

She looked up at the figure towering in front of her. He (she guessed from the pitch of voice) was bipedal, and looked a bit like a shaved ape, or diamond dog. He was clad in a black suit of sorts, covered in areas by more solid looking dark patches, around him hung a black cloak reaching his knees. From his waist hung a sword and some sort of strange L-shaped object, among other things she did not recognise. On his chest was pinned a rosette that bore some sort of stylised letter 'I' with some sort of skull emblazoned on the front. His mane was short, cropped and neat, and his piercing blue eyes stared down at her with no sympathy for her situation. She guessed she had better do as he said.

He caught her looking at his rosette. "Even if you have nothing to hide, you still have something to lose, little xeno" he said. She recognised his voice now, it was one of the ones she had heard earlier when she was carried in. He turned around, "Levin, Umbra, our guest is awake" he called. Only then did Twilight look around him, and she gasped at what she saw.

Gathered in front of a large pile of gold and gems, which Twilight recognised as a dragon's hoard, was a group of around nine more of the strange creatures, whom she guessed were all the same species as the one standing if front of her based on the fact that they all shared the same basic body structure. The one on the far right caught her eye first. It was dressed in a long red robe that obscured most of it's body, but protruding from it's back were several metallic limbs and arms, whirring about in the air. It stood just under six hooves tall, probably just smaller than the one that had talked to her. Next to the red one, was a smaller, skinnier one clad in a simple brown robe, it's face shadowed by the hood of the cloak. She guessed they were both male. As if on cue, it turned to look at her. She recoiled back as eyeless sockets looked straight back at her, she felt as if it were gazing into her very soul. What are you?...

Twilight tore her eyes away from him, and looked over to the next group. They were the ones that fascinated her the most, and whom she looked at for longest. They were giants, easily around eight hooves tall, wearing massive suits of greyish-silver armour which completely covered them. The armour was inscribed with golden texts and silver patterns, and seals and rolls of parchment hung off them like feathers. Two of them carried halberds, one a sword and another a giant warhammer, weapons she recognised from the Royal Guard. The last of them carried a large blocky weapon with a blue flame flickering at a nozzle at the front. Their helmets were tapered forward to a point, and their eyes shone a bright, pure blue. They seemed to radiate pure magic. They must be immensely powerful she thought to herself.

The last two figures of the group had split off and were heading towards them. So it was them. Her captors. The ones who had knocked her out and brought her here against her will. Levin, the taller of the two, wore a simple black bodysuit with a skull emblazoned in the middle of his chest. He had another one of those L-shaped objects at his waist and a long rectangular object strapped to his back. There was a single long red visor where his eyes should have been. Umbra, like her counterpart, also wore a black bodysuit, but her face was visible through the mask and she had a long, green hued blade on her hip.

The one in front of her turned back to her. "I am Inquisitor Emerson Hallaman of the Ordo Malleus, a servant of the Emperor's Holy Inquisition. These two are Vindicare Assassin Levin and Callidus Assassin Umbra of the Officio Assassinorum" he said, indicating himself and the two standing next to him. "You have my permission to speak, xeno. What is your name?"

"M- My name is Twilight Sparkle" she replied, terrified of the individuals looming over her.

"All right then. We want to ask you some questions, Twilight Sparkle. Please answer to the best of your ability, we will not hurt you. For now. If you try to escape, or attempt to attack us, we will kill you. Painfully, slowly. Like my assassins did with those two other pony bitches that tried something, and don't try anything with your 'magic', there is a psychic dampener around your neck"

Twilight gasped. She looked down and saw a black metal collar around her neck, she tried to activate her horn to lift it off, but nothing would come. But wait- they had killed two other ponies? Why would they do such a thing? Her memories raced back, the screaming from near Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy!

"W- who was it?" she trembled.

"The ones they killed? What were their names?" he asked, turning to Umbra.

"Their names? Lyra and Bon-Bon. Lyra died quickly, painlessly. Bon-Bon, well, let's just say the scavengers won't have any skin to work through when they find her body"

"B- but why?" she trembled, tearing up at the thought of the death of one of Ponyville's most well-known couples.

"Because Lyra tried to escape and Bon-Bon refused to cooperate. And because all filthy xenos life like you should be purged from the galaxy, as was and still is the Emperor's vision" snarled Umbra.

That's horri- wait, did she say the galaxy? Twilight looked up, immediately her natural feelings of curiosity rising to the surface over her fear.

"You said the galaxy. Are you aliens?" she asked.

"I suppose to you, we would be the aliens" replied the Inquisitor.

Oh wow, I have so many questions-

"But we are here to talk about you and your species, not us" he continued, "So what role do you play in your society?"

At least the Inquisitor was being somewhat friendly towards her. "I'm the local librarian in Ponyville, and I am also Princess Celestia's personal student and the Element Of Harmony representing magic"

"The Princess' student... Alright, what's an Element Of Harmony?"

"The Elements Of Harmony are six magical artefacts that when combined, can be used to banish evil and restore the natural balance of harmony. Each Element represents a different key aspect of friendship: Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic. As I said before, I wield the Element Of Magic"

Hallaman almost snorted in mockery of such a ridiculous concept. "Well... okay then" he said disbelievingly, "Anyway, I was told that the Princesses 'raise and lower the sun and moon'. Could you please explain this?"

"We have two Princesses that rule over Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Every dawn, Princess Celestia uses magic to raise the sun and lower it at dusk, and Princess Luna raises the moon to begin the night when the sun sets, and lowers it at the dawn"

Hallaman decided to accept it, after all, for all he knew, they were in some pocket dimension in the Warp where the laws of physics didn't apply. Tevlan would probably have a meltdown. The assassins made no comment, opting just to shoot glances at each other. The Inquisitor swore they could read each other's minds. But digressing onto bigger things, "Are 'ponies' the dominant species on this planet, or are there others?"

"No, there are others. We ponies are centered here in Equestria, but the other races include the griffons of the Griffon Empire, the zebras of the Zebrica Tribes, the minotaurs of Tauran, the dragons of Alagaesia, and the diamond dogs, but they are mostly vagrants, thieves and scavengers"

"Very well. Next question, how are you speaking Low Gothic?"

"I am speaking Equestrian. I could say the same thing to you"

"Fair enough, little xeno, I suppose you wouldn't know any better"

"May I ask you something?" Twilight inquired tentatively.

"Very well"

"There is a hoarde of gold over there, probably a dragon's treasure. Where's the dragon?"

"Is that what that beast was called? It attacked my soldiers when they first found this cave. From what I gathered, Captain Belknap threw an explosive down it's throat. Messy, but very impressive"

Twilight only shuddered and teared up at the thought of what these creatures could do to her and her world. These aliens were dangerous, and she knew they were making sure she knew it.

Sergeant Roland approached the clearing before the mouth of the cave, followed by Reiss, Garced, Merisier and Skult lugging back crates of survival supplies from the saviour pods. He blipped Belknap's comlink three times to let him know they were coming through. A second later, Belknap replied, "You're clear, come on through"

They stepped into the clearing and made their way into the cave. "Inquisitor, we are back with- What the fuck is that!?" he yelled, aiming his lasgun at the snivelling lavender blob in the corner.

"Local xeno, the assassins brought it in for questioning. Lower your weapon, it is not a threat"

"Not a threat? Find that hard to believe"

As if on cue, the alien in the corner looked up and stared at him through large, pleading violet eyes.

D'awww- no! Roland mentally bitch-slapped himself and turned back to Hallaman.

"It certainly is a change. What took so long getting back?" asked the Inquisitor

"We had squads of those flying xenos scouting the areas around the crash sites. They wouldn't have been deadly, only armed with small swords and such, but we couldn't risk getting spotted"

"You would say their military is primitive then, from what you have observed of it?'

Roland nodded, "Their swords probably wouldn't even pierce our carapace armour, and their own armour looks weighty, ineffective, and only covers some of their body. We could easily beat them in small numbers, but we only have so much ammo and there are a lot of them, just in that scouting party. Who knows how many more of them there are in the main bulk of their military?"

"I agree. But speaking of ammo, what did the crates contribute?"

"We can do a proper ammo check later, but the crates contain a few spare lasgun cells, some spare bolter ammo, the Knights can share that out, a couple of assault shotguns for building clearance, enough rations for a few days and some spare grenades and comlinks"

"I suppose that will do for now, now go get some rest and then switch positions with the Captain guarding the entrance"

Twilight curiously observed the giants as they kneeled down near her, their hooves, or whatever those things were, claws, probably, crossed on their chests. One stood before the group, his massive sword planted firmly in front of him. She guessed it must be some kind of ritual. The giant standing began to speak, his voice harsh and mechanical, distorted by his helmet.

"Brother Grey Knights! We have come far since the events of Damscan II, where the Emperor guided us to victory over the forces of Chaos. The Imperium lost many good men that day, but they died in His service. We were tested again when the Traitor legions attacked our ship, and killed our crew, but through His guidance, we prevailed once more! Through His blessing, we were able to come to a planet that can support us, where we can once again prove ourselves worthy of His sacrifice! We pray for the fallen of Cadia, the fallen Blood Ravens, and for the crew of the Hammer's Retribution as they join Him in waiting for the battle at the end of time! With this, we cleanse our minds, bodies and souls, as we recite the canticle of absolution:"

All the Knights were speaking now:

"Praise the Emperor for his sacrifice, as He endures so shall we. We who are hunters of Daemons shall strive in his name eternally. We, the Order of the Hammer , shall delve into dark shadows, We shall seek out the tainted, we shall pursue the vilest evil. It is we who stand guard, our eternel watch shall not fail, For we are the Ordo Malleus!

We Grey Knights are the hammers, we slay the darkness without fear. Founded in great mystery were we, Chapter six hundred and sixty six. Though on Titan we be hidden, yet our eyes encompass the Galaxy. No Devil shall elude our gaze, no Daemon shall avoid its fate. We shall be the Keepers Immortal, all secrets shall be our knowledge. We are the Guardians of Mankind!

Caution and secrecy are our code, watchfulness and patience are our way. Hidden from the Eyes of Chaos, we strike without warning or dread. Though we find ourselves in shadows, no blackness will enter our hearts. No treachery will touch our souls, no pride will sully our thoughts. We shall be pure amongst impurity, we shall be innocence amongst guilt. We are the Imperium`s hidden saviours!

We are spread across the Heavens, our watch is untiring and ceaseless. The Emperor shall guard our souls, as we guard those of others. Our will shall be our weapon, our faith shall be our armour. Our minds will be secure fortresses, no temptation will weaken our resolve. Though unnumbered lurking perils await us, our blades will ever be ready. For we are the Emperor`s Vengeance!

Masters of all weapons are we, no defence exists against our wrath. With the Nemesis shall we fight, with an Aegis to shield us. In bloodshed shall we save Mankind, death shall be our everlasting creed. War unending shall be our fate, in battle shall we be steeled. We shall be unstinting in hatred, we shall hunger for holy war. For we are Swords of Justice!

When all flee in hideous disarray, strong and sound shall we stand. Cowardice is wholly unknown to us, our courage comes from the Emperor. Unbowed and unshaken against all foes, we shall claim victory with blood. Steady and surely we hunt them, those that dare oppose our wrath. Death stalks us in many forms, the grotesque and the utterly inhuman. We are Bringers of Hope!

Bloody battles unending constantly await us, redemption the reward for our vigilance. When possession rears its unspeakable head, ours is the blade that descends. When empyrean horrors invade our realm, our exorcisms shall hurl them back. There is no chaos spawned horror which can resist our indomitable anger. With undaunted courage we shall prevail, no arcane magicks shall overcome us. We are the Bearers of Victory!

No corruption shall blemish our Galaxy, no immatricial fiend shall be spared. No malevolent spirit will oppose us, no creation of sin shall survive. No unholy deed shall go unpunished, all blasphemous acts shall be atoned. No spawn of misrule avoid us, all are banished to the void. Nothing shall evade our cleansing fire, not Daemon or Spawn or Renegade, For we are Mankind`s Divine Blade!

Heavenly blessings are laid upon us, the warp is ours to tame. Though sorceries shall be against us, no witchcraft will bring our doom. Though spell or incarnation blocks us, the Emperor shall see us victorious. No hex can overcome our determination, our resolve is strong as steel. Sigils and wards watch over us, prayers shall serve as our guide. For we are the Emperor`s Chosen!

There is much darkness awaiting us, yet the Emperor lights our path. Falsehood surrounds us at every turn, yet no traitor shall confound us. No despicable trickery will thwart us, no damnation shall bring us low. There is no peace for us, for an eternity we will strive. Though mere mortals in His service, everlasting shall be our true duty. Et Imperator Invocato Diabolus Daemonica Exorcism!"

They finished their ritual, and stood back up, murmuring praises of thanks as they retrieved their weapons. Twilight blinked, coming out of her trance at the sheer dedication and awe that had gone into each word of their prayer.

"Why do you pray?" she quietly said to one of them as he strode past.

He simply regarded her curiously through the shining blue lenses of his helmet, "Without faith, there is no hope" he replied simply, and walked off to join his comrades.

"You should be in awe. There are not many in this galaxy who can witness a Grey Knight cleansing ritual, much less a xeno such as yourself. Under any other conditions, people outside the chapter who heard those words they just spoke would either be mind-wiped or shot" commented the Inquisitor.

Twilight decided not to ask why.

"However, this is where it gets difficult, xeno. I'm going to be straight up with you. Normally, given we had enough troops and resources, we would have attacked your planet without hesitation, wiping out all native life before settling it for ourselves"

Twilight felt fear growing in her stomach.

"But we are not going to do that. Tomorrow, we are going to see the Princess in Ponyville. You will speak to her. We will be assured safety on this world until we can send out a message and Imperial ships can arrive. From there, you have my word that no harm will befall your planet, and the Imperium shall leave, never to bother you or your planet again. Do you understand? After all, you are unlike any xenos I have ever seen before. You are peaceful"

He sounded like he was being honest. But even if he wasn't... there was no-one more powerful than the Princesses, right? Of course there aren't she undoubtedly assured herself. "How did you know about the Princess' visit tomorrow?" she asked.

"One of my agents scouted your town earlier, with confirmation from Lyra and Bon-Bon"

It clicked into place in Twilight's mind. "That familiar voice... It was Umbra that talked to me in the market about what was going on, wasn't it?"

"Glad you finally caught on!" came the assassin's Stalliongrad-ish voice from across the cave.

"She is trained in that sort of thing, but back to my original question, do you understand my conditions? I can tell you, if you decline, things will get very ugly, very fast" said Hallaman.

"I- I understand, but what if you scare everypony?

"I don't care, and quite frankly, the more scared they are, the better. Now get some rest. I think we shall all need it for tomorrow. You will no longer speak until the morning, or unless someone speaks to you. The Cadians will be on shifts guarding you throughout the night"

Twilight nodded and curled up on the cold stone floor, closing her eyes. She did not sleep for hours, wondering about the consequences of what she had just agreed to.

Hallaman on the other hand, strolled over to the Grey Knights and his other soldiers on the other side of the cave, keeping his voice low to stay out of earshot of Twilight.

"Did it work?" asked Brother Tarses.

"Yeah, she bought it, stupid xeno" he smirked, shaking his head.

"I'm worried if we don't have enough ammo to finish the job" voiced Belknap, "What if the locals resist?"

"They seem to worship these Princesses. Seeing us kill their deities will be more than enough to demoralize them, and see us as more powerful. From there, we send out an astropathic message to the Inquisition. We wait for ships to arrive, then take over. I've dealt with enough heretics to know that when you kill the leader, the rest fall cowering for mercy"

"Right, come on people wake up! I want a weapons and ammo check before we set off!" shouted the Inquisitor as the first rays of sunlight began to peep into the cave.

The Grey Knights were already up and checking their weapons. The Magos was up and calculating. Dyreson was hoisting himself to his feet and the Cadians were donning their armour.

Hallaman walked over to Twilight, where she was just getting up.

"The collar will stay on" he told her, "I don't want you trying anything. You remember our deal, don't you?"

Twilight nodded.

"Good" he turned to the group, "Right, ammo check! Grey Knights!"

"Nemesis weapons all working, storm bolters at two hundred and fifty rounds each, allowing for full thirty seconds of continuous fire, two tanks of fuel for the Incinerator. Two frag grenades each, and I was assigned a single psyk-out grenade for special use" reported Justicar Vakarrian.

"Very good. Captain Belknap, your squad?"

"One lasgun, one laspistol and one combat knife for each person. We each have three spare power cells, allowing for a total of four hundred and fifty shots each. A frag grenade each and two krak grenades in the whole squad" Belknap replied, "I myself also have one of the assault shotguns with forty-eight shells"

"Okay, Magos?"

"Plasma Rifle energy at one hundred percent, allowing for sixty medium-power shots. All cybernetics at optimal capacity" came the techpriest's droning voice.

"Dyreson?"

"Two power cells for laspistol, allowing a total of one hundred and sixty shots"

"Levin?"

"Exitus Rifle with eight magazines, allowing thirty-two shots, plus one Turbo-Penetrator round, one Hellfire round, and one Shell-breaker round. Exitus pistol with five magazines, allowing twenty-five shots, one combat knife"

"Umbra?"

"Phase Sword working, six mags for needle pistol giving forty-eight rounds"

"All right then", the Inqusitor himself had his power sword, a bolt pistol with five mags, allowing for one hundred shots, and the other shotgun with forty-eight shells.

"You have all been briefed on the situation. You know the plan, and the formation we are going to keep! Hopefully, things will stay under control" Hallaman shouted to the group, "Now, Levin, Umbra, you lead the way!"

The Imperials and pony marched out of the cave into the darkness of the Everfree Forest, anticipating what would await them when they finally reached the peaceful village of Ponyville.