The Dark Ones

by Snake Staff

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Crossover, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 19867

Traveling to a dead xenos system, an Imperial Interrogator discovers a survivor with a story to tell.

Equestria is dead. The sun and moon have stopped, and the planet is in ruins. The xenos that built the civilization are gone, their works in ruins. Investigating the planet, Interrogator Kylara makes a surprising discovery, one that might hold the key to what happened to this once-fair land - and what might be done to stop it. A Warhammer 40k crossover.

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Published 2013-11-26 01:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-29 16:29:52 UTC

Prologue: Discovery

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX937, Kyne’s Fury 3.549.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: The Alien fails because it cannot embrace the Emperor.

My Lord,

We have done as you commanded and sought the world in the Halo Stars. Though the journey through the Warp was long and treacherous, our Navigator pulled us through with minimal damage and only slight temporal irregularities. The dead xenos system was found, as the Emperor’s Tarot declared it would be, after a mere search of three months subjective time, though material time is currently unknown due to Warp distortion. Five worlds are located in the system, which we have now dubbed Equis, for… well, for reasons that shall soon become apparent.

The star Equis Primaris is a main-sequence yellow star apparently in the prime of its stellar life. Observations we could make in such a short time were limited, but nothing about it particularly differentiates itself from the primary of the Holy Sol System or those of uncounted systems beyond. It is easily capable of sustaining human life, should a colonial effort ever be undertaken to this system. Though why the Imperium of Man should bother to do so is, frankly, beyond me. This star system is far outside our borders and has little remaining of worth.

Equis I is little more than a scorched ball of rock close to the system’s primary. Resembling the planet Mercury of the Sol System, it contains little to make it desirable. It lacks atmosphere, valuable minerals, or indeed most anything that we could detect beyond sun-blackened rock. Temperatures on the surface are well past tolerable levels for all but the most specialized probes. Our party made little more than a cursory attempt to examine it, but all indications are that its worth is negligible to our Imperium.

Equis II is little better than its neighbor. Only slightly larger than Equis I, it lacks more than a thin atmosphere, as well as any easily exploitable resources. Furthermore, the world appears to be tectonically unstable, with at least two quakes capable of creating cracks visible from orbit occurring during our short stay in the system. While its distance from its solar body makes temperatures somewhat more amendable to Imperial colonization than Equis I, I confess that I see little point in doing so. Nothing of value exists on that sphere.

Equis III is the system’s sole planet that would be capable of sustaining human life without extensive terraforming and other expensive solutions. Unlike its sibling planets, this world appears to be rotationally locked around Equis Primaris. The result is a planet that is half sun-baked desert, half frozen wasteland, with a thin stretch of twilight in between. Though this phenomena is not unknown to Imperial scholars, the second is far more unnatural, and suggests a heavy taint by the Warp. Equis III’s moon appears to somehow be locked in place over the planet’s night side, precisely opposite to the location of Equis Primaris. It maintained this position throughout our entire stay, despite the blatant physical impossibility involved. By all rights, the moon should have plummeted to the planet below the moment its revolution ceased. I fear that the corruption of the Warp is behind this obviously unnatural phenomenon. It was on this planet that we made the key discovery of our journey, but I will speak on that in a moment.

Equis IV and V are, frankly, of little note. Both are blue-green ringed gas giant planets of fairly generic orbit and composition. Nothing truly separates them from each other beyond the fact that Equis IV possesses ten moons while Equis V possesses only seven. Of these moons, two contain valuable resources of note, though neither possesses an atmosphere. Our representative from the Adeptus Mechanicus, Magos Katravich can explain the details of these worlds and their value to a far greater degree than I can. Her geological report should prove far more informative on the nature of these planets than I will be here. ++See: Intercept ZX941++

My Lord, my own task took myself and my fellow Acolytes to Equis III. As predicted, we found the remnants of a dead xenos civilization. Analysis of what remains suggests a very curious level of similarity in architectural design to that of certain primitive human designs. Technological levels appeared to be no more advanced than those of a Feudal World, with certain strange exceptions. A number of artifacts recovered suggest a level of technology perhaps equal to a Civilized World. Some, such as a well-worn but recognizable primitive locomotive, appeared to be designed to run off of coal, though most were lacking in any evident power source. Porthis, our psyker, suggested that these might be the remains of devices once powered by psychic witchery. If this is so, the xenos must have possessed a great deal of psychic potential and made frequent use of it. Perhaps this was the cause of their demise?

More curious than this, though, was the utter lack of comparatively fresh corpses on the planet. We located what appears to have been some sort of graveyard analogue, containing old skeletons greatly resembling certain smaller breeds of equines. However, we noted that not a single body was found outside of this place. Stranger still, while certain plant life existed in the small twilight zone between the desert and frozen lands, not a single instance of animal life greater than the microbe level was located. Furthermore, certain features visible on the desert side suggest that the planet was not always rotationally locked – indeed that it became so quite recently. Dried up riverbeds, lakes, and even whole oceans were confirmed to exist. These were in a state of mild erosion, which suggests that they have not been dried up for long, elsewise they would be unidentifiable. In addition, what appeared to be entire forests of dried, bleached trees were found, having apparently failed to rot. No animal corpses were found within. All this suggests that the period of time between the planet’s becoming rotationally locked and the present is vanishingly small. If I may indulge in hypothesizing, perhaps it has been this way no more than a few decades, or even a few years.

We located many examples of xenos ruins on both sides of the planet, and Magos Katravich did her best to record and catalog them all in what limited time we had. Her report contains more details on the subject. I would like to note that, as far I was able to determine, they generally appear to conform to my hypothesis of recent rotational locking, evidencing no more than a few years worth of decay, particularly in the twilight zone. The most momentous event of our trip occurred during our investigation of an unusually large set of ruins of what had evidently once been a major xenos mountain city. This particular set was located on the sun side of the planet, though by no more than a handful of miles. The temperatures were barely endurable to the un-augmented human body even with environmental suits.

As we probed the debris for clues as to what precisely befell the place, Porthis signaled for my attention. He apparently detected a faint psychic signature near the west most point of the city. Naturally, it was our duty to investigate this anomaly. We formed up in good order, then proceeded through what was left of the city streets. We soon arrived at what looked to have once been one of the largest buildings in the city, perhaps a castle or mansion of some sort. Indicating a particularly intact half-tower, Porthis informed me that our quarry appeared to be holed up within.

Sensing a potential trap of some kind, I began organizing a team to explore the building, when suddenly that proved quite unnecessary. In an event I shamefully admit caught me off guard, a living, breathing xenos threw itself out of a hole in the wall and rushed our party. I would have given the order to open fire, but something in the way the creature was running stopped me. I’ve seen equines charge before, most notably when I served beside the Estendian Light Cavalry during my time in the Imperial Guard, and this one didn’t appear to be charging. Instead, it looked to be throwing itself at us in a moment of raw panic and desperation, reinforced by the utter lack of hostility in its face.

Looking back, I realize that assuming I can know the thoughts of xeno scum from familiar-seeming expressions was raw foolishness and arrogance on my part. The alien mind is not comprehensible to a sane woman, nor should the Emperor's servants try. My team and myself might have suffered irreparable losses if the Emperor had not smiled on us in those next moments. Blessed miracles cannot be counted on in life or death situations. I have spent many hours in penalty cells attempting to do penance for this lapse in judgment. I welcome any additional punishment you wish to impose, my Lord.

Still, I will say that my impressions appear to have been validated by the xeno’s subsequent actions. It closed dozens of meters in a matter of seconds, appearing to possess all the speed of its equine ancestors. Rather than attack, as I feared in the moment, it collapsed to its knees in front of us. As if the whole episode weren’t surprising enough already, it somehow spoke in Low Gothic! Servo-skull recordings prove that the creature was actually speaking, and not using some sort of psychic trick.

On its knees, the equine xeno begged us to save it from what it repeatedly referred to as “the dark ones.” It implored us to bear it away from this world and conceal it somewhere safe, somewhere “where they can’t get me.” It continued to cry and mumble incoherently, alternating between relatively lucid moments of pleading and random fits of deranged paranoia. During the latter, it evidenced the belief that whatever it feared were somehow watching it even now, and desired its pain and misery. I suspected it might be sensing daemons of some sort, but Porthis confirmed that he detected no presence of any kind beyond ours and that of the xeno before us. In one of its fits, it attempted to conceal itself from its imagined tormenters behind my legs.

It was at that time that I was able to observe the creature in detail. It is a purple-colored equine, considerably smaller than adults of domesticated varieties that I had seen prior to this. It possesses two wings and a short forehead horn, along with a badly-damaged mane of a darker purple, with slight streaks of light purple and pink. Its eyes look to be too large for its head, and its muzzle is considerably smaller than that of any similar creature I have ever encountered. It has a brand of some sort on its flank, perhaps denoting status or ownership. I hypothesize that the wings and horn are vestigial, as the horn is small and dull, while the wings do not appear large enough to carry it in flight. More detailed analysis of its physical form is included in this report.

Despite the creature’s apparently nonsensical mood swings, it did not prove hostile. On the contrary, when it was lucid it made every effort to cooperate with us, gladly agreeing to accompany us to our shuttle as a prisoner, and even urging us to go faster. When asked how it knew that we were not the ones that had so terrorized it, it laughed bitterly and said that we were “nothing like them.” As this appeared to trigger another onset of paranoia, I ordered a temporary halt to this line of inquiry.

In an attempt to keep the xeno more lucid and less likely to attempt escape or suicide until we could get it safely secured into a shipboard cell, I chose to try and focus the conversation elsewhere. When asked if it had any identifier, it nodded in a curiously human-like gesture and claimed to be called Twilight Sparkle. It further identified itself as a female. When asked its species designation, it called itself a pony, then amended to say it was an alicorn. A curious designation, but one that seems to stir some sort of memory in me. I will have to examine this in more detail.

“Twilight” continued to alternate between small-talk, urges to increase our speed, and random attempts to hide behind various members of our party while declaring that “they” wouldn’t get it throughout our walk back to the shuttle. In the process, it identified the ruins through which we crept as “Canterlot” and repeatedly swore to a being called “Celestia.” Notably, mentioning the latter name caused it to break down into tears and crazed fits on at least three occasions.

It took its assigned place in our shuttle with great enthusiasm, repeatedly exclaiming how happy it was to be away from whatever tormented it here. I accompanied part of the team back to orbit with the captured xeno, while the remainder stayed behind to continue examining the ruins. Their further findings are documented in the attachments to this report. The creature refrained from complaining about the particularly rough ride back to orbit, and once on-board proved as cooperative as it had been on the planet.

However, “Twilight” was revealed to have another major psychological weakness almost right away. When exposed to anything less than well-lit areas, it immediately resumed terrified, paranoid behaviors, claiming “they” came from the darkness. No rational arguments swayed its mind, and in the end it had to be forcibly carried through such areas. Though I loathe to consider the opinions of xenos filth in anything I do, I was forced to order it to be placed in a cell that is continuously lit, for fear of causing a total mental breakdown in the creature before it could reveal any useful information. It accepted imprisonment without complaint, and in fact thanked us for “saving” it. I worry about the quality of information to be gained from such an obviously deranged specimen, but thus far it is the only living example of its kind to hand.

That brings me to now, when I sit at my desk, composing my thoughts for you. We make for system’s edge as I write, returning to Imperial space at last. I cannot tell you what a blessing it will be to behold pure, unsullied human worlds again after so long examining those of xenos scum. I will interrogate this “Twilight Sparkle”, and if necessary I will break it to get at whatever it knows. I will not fail you, my Lord.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Initial Interrogation

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX951, Kyne’s Fury 3.612.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: The wise man learns from the deaths of others.

My Lord,

I have completed the preliminary interrogation of xeno specimen #2891. Hereafter referred to as “Twilight Sparkle”, the creature’s self-designation. Transcript, amended by my notes, and preliminary conclusion to follow.

++Interrogation the First++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell is kept at maximum lumination at all times. Light levels enough to cause pain and irritation in unaided human eyes. Xenos does not show discomfort. Cell is bare save for a wall-mounted cot and a set consisting of a pair of metallic chairs and matching table. Xenos is resting on cot.
Twilight Sparkle: Oh, hello! It’s great to see you again. Thank you so much for saving me, Ms… Uh…
K: Kylara. You may call me Kylara. [I am initially attempting to extract information via persuasion, as harsher methods risk destroying the mind of our only specimen.]
TS: Ms. Kylara. That’s a nice name! [The xeno once again employed humanlike gestures. Genuine cultural artifacts or telepathically-aided attempts at intentional mimicry?]
K: Thank you.
TS: Umm, if it’s not too rude, can I ask why you’re wearing those funny things over your eyes? [I was wearing protective goggles at the time, to compensate for the lighting.]
K: Because I need them. It’s so bright in here. Perhaps if we turned it down a-
TS: NO! Don’t do that! They’ll get me if it’s dark! They’ll get me! Don’t let them get me! Promise you won’t let them get me!
K: Twilight, there’s no one in here but you and I. You’re safe.
TS: Gone. All gone. Darkness. Screaming. DON’T LET THEM GET ME!!! [Apparently the wings are not as vestigial as I previously believed, as she used them at this point to get directly into my face.]
K: Twilight…Ms. Sparkle… Twilight? [The creature continued to scream and hold me throughout this process.]
TS: My fault… My fault… [It continued to repeat this for almost minute.This is why I fear using harsher methods to start. A subject this unstable may not retain enough mental coherence to speak after torture.]
K: Twilight, listen to me. We’re alone. We’re safe. Look around. There’s no darkness in here. You’ll be fine.
TS: You promise?
K: I promise.
TS: Did you… Did you need something?
K: I just wanted to ask you a few questions.
TS: Alright. I’ll tell you anything.
K: Shall we sit down?
TS: Alright.
Both K and TS sit down on chairs. TS demonstrates no difficultly or unfamiliarity with doing so. [This creature demonstrates uncanny knowledge of human behaviors. Was its culture really so similar to ours, or is it truly that good a telepath?]
K: Now Twilight, let’s start with something easy.
TS: O-Okay.
K: What is your name?
TS: Twilight Sparkle.
K: Where are you from?
TS: Equestria. Specifically, Canterlot. [The creature apparently sought refuge in its place of birth.]
K: What species are you?
TS: I’m a pony. More specifically, I’m an alicorn. [There’s that name again. I swear I recognize it from somewhere.]
K: There is more than one kind of pony?
TS: There… there were…
K: Stay with me. Can you tell me more about these subspecies?
TS: There were four kinds. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and alicorns.
K: And were you the only sapients on your planet?
TS: No, there were many others. Gryphons, donkeys, horses, d-d-dragons… [Interesting, if true. Dragons appear to hold a particular emotional attachment for the xeno.]
K: Keep calm. Tell me more about your pony subspecies.
TS: O-Okay. Earth ponies… didn’t have any wings or horns. They were the strongest of us, good with the earth. That’s how their magic expressed itself. Pegasi had wings and controlled all the weather. That was their magic. Unicorns had horns, and unlike the others could consciously perform magic. Most only used it for telekinesis though. Alicorns… like me… have both wings and a horn. They can do the most magic. They were the royalty. [Astounding. If this creature is to be believed, its entire species was at least latently psychic. If this is so, such disaster as befell their world is only to be expected.]
K: So you were royalty?
TS: Y-Yes.
K: What was your title?
TS: Princess. [A human title on many worlds. Another similarity.]
K: And were you the ruler?
TS: No. [Still more human-like gestures were used.]
K: Then who was?
TS: Princess… Princess Celestia. And Princess… Luna... No, no please! Don’t take them! No! No! NO! Don’t… Don’t leave me…
K: Twilight, you need to-
TS: They took them! They took them!
K: Twilight, it’s-
TS: They took them! They’ll take me! They’ll take me! They’ll take me! Don’t let them take me!
K: Twilight, you can’t-
TS screams incoherently.
K: Stop this at once!
TS rolls on ground, screaming.
K: For the love of the Emperor...
TS continues incoherent screaming and sobs.
K: Fine, have it your way then.
TS continues screaming.
K: Emperor damn this.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Preliminary Thoughts++

My Lord, though the meeting was unproductive in many ways, I did learn several things about our xeno prisoner. When it is lucid, it appears perfectly willing to cooperate and even grateful for being removed from this “Canterlot”. It seems a bit curious as well, judging from its response to my protective goggles. Despite this helpful attitude, the xeno experiences what appear to be extremely traumatic flashbacks and consequent mental breakdowns with alarming ease. I question what use it may be if this proves a continuing phenomenon.

If it is as psychic as it indicates, these breakdowns may be a reaction to the psychic imprints left on its homeworld by whatever event consumed its species, and thus may lessen or even fade away as we travel further from its home system. Exterminatus-level events have been known to leave similar psychic impressions on the minds of even Sanctioned psykers in the past. If this does not prove to be the case, I intend to allow Porthis to attempt to simply tear what information he can straight from its damaged mind. I will not allow my time to be wasted on such a wretched creature indefinitely. Unless that is your will, of course, Lord Rovini.

Despite the creature’s severe mental instability, it did tell me several things of value about its species. First and foremost is the fact that, if it is to be believed, the entire race was psychic and apparently at least somewhat regular in the use of such power (as inferred from the pegasi controlling “all the weather”). This apparently unregulated use of the Warp would handily explain why what appears to have previously been a pleasant world became rotationally locked and why its satellite insists on defying the laws of physics so. Still, it does not explain other phenomena we found, such as the lack of recent bodies or natural-looking state of the land. Daemonic incursions are not known for leaving a light footprint.

Another valuable clue is that this “Equestria” appears to have been caste-based. I can only speculate on the specifics for now, but the fact that the species was ruled entirely by one subspecies with the most psychic power indicates a certain degree of worshipful reverence of witches. This is hardly a phenomena unknown to the Holy Inquisition. The subject’s prior swearing by Celestia, now identified as the society’s ruler and an alicorn, in a manner similar to a human swearing by the Emperor, suggests even deific levels of reverence for witchery. The idea is reinforced by the apparently particularly extreme horror with which the xeno appears to regard their being “taken”. If indeed the case, this would explain a great many things. Perhaps this Celestia or Luna is responsible for how the moon hangs in a static position above Equis III? If the naming conventions of the species were consistent with our own, it seems most likely that Luna would be responsible for such a state, bearing as she apparently did an identical name to the satellite of Holy Terra.

The oddity here is the use of identical titles for the society’s apparent diarchs and a lesser royal individual. I have yet to concoct a feasible explanation, save perhaps that the title in their language conveys absolute superiority, and was meant primarily for the consumption of lesser castes rather than the alicorns themselves. Perhaps the diarches bore different titles among whatever alicorn social groups existed? In that case, I, as a non-alicorn and thus lesser being, would not be entitled to hear their real titles. I shall investigate this line of reasoning in further interrogation sessions, if possible.

Another nugget of data worth mentioning is the presence of multiple sapient species on the subect's homeworld. It further appeared to place some special significance on the species called "dragons". Perhaps it had a personal relationship of some kind in the past? Or perhaps this was a societal attitude. As we did not find any non-equine remains in our search, another question arises: what became of these creatures?

Finally, there remains the most pressing question: are this xeno’s multiple humanlike behaviors – speaking Low Gothic, shaking hands, using chairs, calling someone princess – truly artifacts of its culture? Or is it possible that it is somehow using telepathy to glean those behaviors from our minds and mimicking them in some sort of attempt to cultivate familiarity? Either explanation is troubling. In case of the latter, I have ordered its cell be guarded by servitors rather than men. These should be immune to telepathic attack. If it is the former, then we must consider the possibility of human contact in the species’ distant past, and the implications thereof. I will send more when I have it.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Frustration and Ideas

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX965, Kyne’s Fury 3.681.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: Sorrow awaits the foolhardy.

My Lord,

Several updates on xeno specimen #2891. The creature’s digestive system appears quite hardy, and it accepts the nutrient gruel we have prepared without complaint, which is more than I can say for several of our crewmen. Observation of the creature has at least partially confirmed its claims of psychic power. When left alone for an extended period, the creature began using telekinesis to juggle the furniture in an attempt to entertain itself. That it did so with such consummate ease aboard a ship in the Warp with the Gellar field up is quite worrying, showing as it does that the xeno's connection with the Warp is great enough to draw considerable psychic energy even through a barrier explicitly meant to keep such energies out. We lack the proper wards to contain such levels of power here, and I was forced to give it some puzzles and games in an attempt to keep it busy, and warned it in the harshest of terms to stop its psychic activities immediately. It appeared puzzled by this demand, but has thus far complied out of a desire to please me.

I have ordered the guard outside its room doubled. In a further precaution, I have dimmed the lights in the surrounding corridors to almost nothing. My hope is that if the creature tries to escape, these darkened area will trigger a psychological breakdown and subsequent helpless cowering. Still, if this creature genuinely attempts to fight us and is able to overcome (or has somehow been faking) its psychological weakness, I am not entirely sure we would win. The armsmen aboard our ship are few in number since the Chaos reaver boarding incident related in our earlier correspondence. Our defenses were not created to repel a single psyker of great magnitude. I request orders: do we kill the creature in its sleep for being too dangerous, or do you feel the opportunities presented are too great for such a permanent solution?

We were able to obtain blood and tissue samples from the xenoform, which we have been analyzing. The DNA sequences do not greatly diverge from the common equine species that exist within our blessed Imperium, which has lead me to form a hypothesis of the species’ origins. Due to their cultural similarities to certain human societies and identical language usage, it is my theory that these creatures are descended in some manner from domestic equines. Perhaps they are a remnant of a creation of some culture from the Dark Age of Technology, or perhaps they were twisted over the long years by the Warp. Either way, I theorize that these creatures, consciously or unconsciously, adopted much of the culture and tools of their former masters, even as they forgot their very existence. Until further proof is obtained, this remains merely a guess, but it is the best explanation I can conceive for the uncanny similarities displayed.

I performed two more interviews with the xeno filth before sending you this. Sullying as it is to contact alien scum in any non-military manner, the creature still seems to respond positively to "friendly" behavior on my part, as is consistent with herding behaviors in equine species. Transcripts, amended by my notes, and conclusions to follow.

++Interrogation the Second++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell remains brightly lit. Xeno is lying on cot, engaged in word puzzle. Still does no show discomfort at light levels.
Kylara: Hello again.
Twilight Sparkle: Oh, hello again Ms. Kylara. Have I done something wrong? [It refers to the prior incident in which I was quite vehement in discouraging its use of psychic power.]
K: No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to ask you a few questions.
TS: Sorry, I’m not used to doing things without magic. [It fumbled putting away a puzzle with just its hooves.]
K: It’s quite alright.
TS: I’d… I’d like to apologize for what I did last time we tried this. I should have been more helpful. You came all that way to get me and I can’t even answer a few questions for you. [The xenos has developed the belief that we knew it was there from the start and came to aid it. As this makes it more likely to divulge information, I have refrained from correcting it.]
K: Please, just try to do better.
TS: I will.
K and TS assume seats at table
K: Let’s try this again. What is your name?
TS: Twilight Sparkle.
K: Where are you from?
TS: Canterlot, capital of Equestria. [As suspected, but not confirmed until now.]
K: What species are you?
TS: An alicorn pony.
K: What other kinds of ponies are there?
TS shivers noticably.
K: Stay with me.
TS: Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.
K: How many other alicorns were there? [Trying to confirm or debunk my prior theories.]
TS: T-T-Three. Princess Celestia, who raised the sun. Princess Luna, who raised the moon. Princess Cadence, who led the Crystal Empire. [Four. And all female. Not enough for a viable breeding population.]
K: What about your parents? [Shouldn’t they have been alicorns too?]
TS: They were called Night Light and Twilight Velvet.
K: I mean, what species were they?
TS: U-Unicorns... Mom… Dad… BBBFF… [So she was born a mutant? The xenos revered mutation?]
K: Stay calm. You’re safe.
TS: They took them! They took them!
K: Not again.
TS: They’ll take me! They’ll take me! We’re all going to die!
K: Emperor dammit.
TS: Please, have mercy! No! NO!
K: Just stop the recording already.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Interrogation the Third++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Xenos is absently staring at the ceiling. Expression suggests deep thought.
Twilight Sparkle: Hello, ma’am.
Kylara: Hello again, Twilight.
TS: Can I have a hug?
K: What?! [The idea of affectionately embracing a xenos makes me want to undergo ritual cleansing on the spot.]
TS: Did I offend you? Is that wrong in your culture? Please, I don’t know anything about you! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!
K: No, it’s alright. I was just a little… surprised.
TS: So…
K: You can have a hug.
TS: Yes!
K and TS embrace. [I still can’t believe I did this. The things one sacrifices for the Imperium.]
TS: T-T-Thank y-you.
K: You’re very welcome.
TS: I-It’s just… I’ve been alone for so long. My friends, my family, my teachers… It’s been so long since I’ve gotten a hug from anypony. Can we… can we be friends?
K: Of course. [My skin crawls as I remember this.]
TS: Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! *crying, nuzzles K in gesture similar to domestic cat*
K: You’re very welcome. [Why me, Emperor?]
TS: Oh, we’ll have so much fun! We can read books and play games and talk and… [I edited this for length, as the descriptions went on for several minutes. It has quite the vocabulary, my lord.]
K: O-Okay.
TS grins broadly.
K: Wait here just a moment. I think I have just the thing.
K exits cell, returns several minutes later with Regicide.
TS: Ooooh, a strategy game! I love strategy games!
K: Any questions? [Again, edited for length here. I explained how the game works.]
TS: Nope, I’ve got it all in here.
K and TS play three rounds of Regicide, TS losing all three.
TS: You’re good at this.
K: You weren’t bad for a first-timer. [I hate my life.]
TS: Thanks! Care for another round?
K: I’m sorry, but there is an emergency. I have to go. [Specifically, we’d arrived at an Imperial colony at last only to find it under attack by Ork pirates. Our transition from the Warp must have been exceptionally smooth – I didn’t even notice.]
TS: Alright then. You’ll come back soon, right?
K: Of course I will.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

My Lord, I feel that I’ve hit on the tactic to coax information out of this xeno. It seems to desire companionship after the extinction of its race. Not surprising, given that equines are herd animals by instinct. It believes, at least on some subconscious level, that I will help it to return to a normal social state. Humans, even previous introverts, have been known to express similar sentiments when pulled away from their planet of origin. Or, in the event that their culture of birth was utterly destroyed, as seems to be the case here. I should know.

I believe that, by offering the relationship it so plainly desires, I can psychologically stabilize the creature to an extent that it will divulge what I want it to know without having breakdowns. While there are risks associated with such a tactic, they pale compared to the risks involved in torturing such a power psychic in such an unstable state of mind. Particularly aboard a vessel separated from the source of all psychic power only by our Gellar field. Perhaps we can even find a use for the creature’s psychic powers after we are done interrogating it, assuming that it is able to normalize. With your permission, of course, Lord.

Our knowledge of the creature's culture has expanded considerably. We now face the possibility that, knowingly or not, the xenos creatures of Equis III worshiped the Dark Gods of Chaos. More than one alien race the Imperium has exterminated over its lifetime has been so contaminated. A religious (or semi-religious) reverence for, rather than righteous rejection of, the mutation of their natural forms certainly seems to fit with that theory. And we do know that it is possible for worlds under their sway to temporarily appear as paradises, so as to trap the souls of the unwary. If this is the case, it would explain much about the world's sudden collapse from beauty to ruin, but not the curiously light footprint of the attackers. This is what keeps me from totally putting my confidence in this theory. If Chaos overran the world, where are the bloodstained alters, wild daemons, and warped landscapes they leave behind?

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Small Breakthroughs

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX971, Kyne’s Fury 3.702.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: A fine mind is a blessing of the Emperor - It should not be cluttered with trivialities.

My Lord,

Three weeks. Three weeks I’ve spent “bonding” with that wretched xenos. My every instinct and all the religious knowledge I posses screams at me to hate it, to curse it, to destroy it in the Emperor’s holy name, and yet I must instead pretend to be its friend. This is a truly loathsome state of affairs. However, as is always the case, orders are orders. Feelings must give way to necessities. As per your wishes, I am doing everything I reasonably can to keep the creature intact and cooperative. I have been continuously engaging it in various innocuous activities for its petty amusement, humiliating as the task is.

After some time I was finally able to get it to reveal substantial amounts of new information. While I have conducted numerous sessions prior to the one whose transcript I now send you, they have not featured anything substantial beyond various play activities. I feel that with the innate slowness and unreliability of Astropathic communication, I should not waste your precious time with transcripts of truly inane games and childish rhymes, coupled with the occasional psychological breakdown. Of course, if my Lord Inquisitor feels that it should be otherwise, he need simply say so.

++Interrogation the Forty Sixth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell is still brightly lit. Xeno is lying on cot, apparently asleep.
Kylara: Hello Twilight! How are you feeling?
Twilight Sparkle: Oh, hi Ky! [The creature has nicknamed me. Does the degradation never cease?]
K: Are you feeling alright this morning?
TS: Yep!
K: Great. You know, I had a thought.
TS: Yeah?
K: Perhaps we could try playing a new game?
TS: Really? That’d be great! I mean, it’s not like Regicide and all the rest aren’t great and all, but…
K: You’re getting a little bored?
TS: Yep.
K: Then I think I know just the thing for someone as smart and curious as you. [The xenos appears to have been some sort of scholar, and had evidenced curiosity in prior sessions. It appears susceptible to flattery vis-à-vis its intelligence.]
TS: Go on.
K: It’s called the question game. I ask you a question that you answer as fully and completely as you can. Then you do the same to me. Then me again, then you again, and so on.
TS: I get to learn more about your species?!
K: Yes.
TS: Alright, let’s get started! Ask away! [How it has failed to make the connection between questions and its mental breakdowns is unknown, but this is a clear another indication of the inherent inferiority of xenos.]
K: What are you?
TS: I’m an alicorn pony. I was a unicorn pony until I ascended.
K mumbles inaudibly. [I accidentally almost blurted out what I thought about celebrating its own mutation. Of everything, that disgusts me most.]
TS: What?
K: Nothing. Please, go on.
TS: Alright. What are you?
K: I’m a human. What was your home called?
TS: I’m from Equestria, home of the ponies. I was born in Canterlot, but I lived in Ponyville. At least, until they came…
K: Stay calm, you’re safe. Stay with me.
TS: Where… where are you from?
K: I’m from the planet Damnos, part of the Imperium of Man.
TS: Imperium of Man?
K: Ah ah ah. You’ll have your chance in just a minute. Now, who were your rulers?
TS: Princesses Celestia and Luna. Who’s yours?
K: The God-Emperor of Mankind, and His regents the High Lords of Terra.
TS: God-Emperor…
K: What was your system of government?
TS: After Celestia and Luna defeated Discord, they took over leadership of Equestria, raising the sun and the moon. Unfortunately, Luna became jealous of the ponies shunning her night for Celestia’s day, and fought her sister as Nightmare Moon. With the Elements of Harmony, Celestia banished her sister to the moon for 1,000 years. During that time, she ruled alone. A few years ago, Nightmare Moon returned, but my friends and I… my friends…
K: Snap out of it!
TS: R-right, Ky. My friends and I managed to use the Element of Harmony to get rid of Nightmare Moon and bring back Luna. After that, she and her sister ruled Equestria… until they came…
K: Twilight! [What have I been reduced to? Playing nursemaid to an insane xenos?]
TS: Right, right. Who’s… I mean, what’s your Imperium like?
K: We’re an installer empire that stretches across one million worlds and more throughout the galaxy. We are united by our faith in the God-Emperor.
TS: A million worlds…
K: Yes, one million worlds, all unified beneath our Emperor in the name of humanity. [It felt good to see the xenos realize just how insignificant its backwater planet had been.]
TS: I just can’t even get my head around that. How could anypony possibly manage to do that? I-
K: It’s my turn now, Twilight. You’ve mentioned every member of your species was somehow magical. Can you elaborate?
TS: Earth ponies were the ones without wings or a horn. Their magic came from an inherent connection to the earth, making them stronger, tougher, and more able to grow plants than the rest of us. Pegasi had wings. They could physically touch and move clouds and such. They were able to control the weather. Unicorns had horns. They could make conscious use of their magic, though most only ever used minor telekinesis and perhaps a few showy cantrips. I was the exception. Alicorns had wings and a horn. They can use more powerful magic than any other pony, and had all the strengths of the other three as well. Their lifespans are much longer. [I guessed as much, if this Celestia truly reigned 1000 years before her apparent death or abduction.]
K: Thank you.
TS: No problem. Now, how in Equestria did your kind manage to get 1 million worlds? I’ve studied evolution, there’s no way humanity could have evolved spontaneously on all of them, but the sheer scale of population needed to even maintain a minimal presence on a planet… what drove you to it?
K: The Emperor commanded us to spread ourselves amongst the stars, to claim the galaxy for our own.
TS: Unbelievable…
K: What was your place in the social order? You mentioned you had been born a unicorn to unicorn parents, but now you are an alicorn. What happened?
TS: When I accidentally switched my friends’ cutie marks, I had to finish Star Swirl the Bearded’s final spell to undo that. When I created that new magic, combined with everything I learned up until then, Princess Celestia summoned me and told me that I was ready, and she helped me become an alicorn. [Star Swirl the Bearded? Celestia could create new alicorns? This raises so many questions.]
K: Interesting.
TS: Besides me, and…. them, have you met any other aliens while colonizing the galaxy?
K: Yes.
TS: Who? Where? What were they like?
K: Only one at a time, Twilight.
TS: Oh, right. Your turn.
K: You mentioned cutie marks? What are those?
TS: Like this here. They were marks a pony would get when they discovered their special talent. That would help a pony know what they wanted to do with their lives. They magically appeared whenever you found what you were meant to do. [Seems like the perfect system of social control to me.]
K: Really now.
TS: Yep. Now, my turn. What were the other aliens you found like?
K: Hostile, vicious, murderous, and bloodthirsty. They warred with us. [True in most cases, though not all. Xenos civilizations can hardly be permitted to exist either way.]
TS: R-really? [I suppose the failure to detect my deception means that the creature is not a telepath.]
K: Really. You’re the first I’ve encountered that didn’t try to murder me. [Not true, incidentally. But reinforcing the idea that our species alone is capable of reasoned conduct makes it more likely to divulge something useful about its attackers.]
TS: That’s horrible. I’m so sorry for you.
K and TS embrace
TS: Your turn.
K: Can you tell me something of what you know about whatever it is that ended your planet? [A risky question, but the xenos seemed most likely to give me what I wanted while in such an emotional state.]
TS: O-o-ok. It started with Z-Zecora. She lived out in the Everfree, we d-didn’t know she was gone for days. Next it was the… the… the Apple f-family. They were… they were… they were…
K: Focus, Twilight!
TS: They were taken! They were skinned! Their hides were left out in… No! No! NO! I beg of you.... Please… Please, please leave them alone! Don’t take them! Don’t take them! Don’t take them!
K: Please, just turn the damned thing off.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

My Lord, while there are many questions remaining, this particular interview has yielded much information on the nature of the xenos society, and in particular its leadership. We now know that the diarchs took power after deposing the previous ruler in a coup with some manner of mystical artifact called the Elements of Harmony. These appear to have played a reoccurring role in Equestrian history, enabling the defeat of Luna by Celestia, and later the second defeat of Luna by Twilight and her mysterious friends. If the descriptions of their powers are accurate, they possess both the powers of teleportation and imprisonment, as well as mind control.

The question of how these artifacts behave is a relevant one. In one case, these artifacts are described as banishing an individual to "the moon" (presumably Equis III's) for an entire millennium. In another, they are described as being used to "get rid of" the same individual's undesirable personality traits and reintegrate her into society. This of course raises the question that if this Celestia sincerely wished to rule with Luna in a diarchy, why did she use the Elements to banish her to the moon rather than simply purging the "wicked' elements of her sister to start with? Why send one's own sibling into exile for a thousand years, if other options were available to her?

No, the description of events leaves me with little doubt that Celestia was the real ruler. After disposing of her sister for an extended period, she was able to secure total power, politically, culturally, and religiously over her nation. Later, at a time and place of her choosing, she was able to manipulate Twilight and her companions into brainwashing her sibling into becoming a bulwark supporting her own throne. By doing this, she was able to present herself as a benevolent monarch to an adoring public while simultaneously eliminating the only viable threat to her power. A clever move, if I am being honest, much as it pains me to credit anything to a false xeno goddess. Many noble houses of the Imperium would be green with envy over such a deft feat of political maneuvering.

This theory of Equestrian history is further backed up by the subject’s choice of words with regards to her own ascension: Celestia, and Celestia only, is said to have dubbed her ready. Despite being nominal diarchs, Luna’s approval was neither mentioned nor apparently needed. If they were equals, would they not logically collaborate on events as important as the elevation of one of their subjects to apparent demigod-hood? That they did not is very telling. Combined with the xenos’ prior oaths to her as if a deity, and her place in their society becomes relatively clear. The xeno's apparent thoughtfulness at the mention of the God-Emperor thus takes on a new meaning.

The other valuable nugget from this process is a clue into the nature of the attack on this Equestria. Apparently, at least at the beginning, the process was slow and measured. The initial target, Zecora, is described as being far from civilization – in the Everfree, whatever that was. Presumably some sort of isolated or dangerous reason where a missing person would not be immediately noticed. The second target, the Apple family, shows us that the invaders had knowledge of, and appreciation for, terror tactics. The family was evidently abducted, murdered, and their flayed hides deposited by stealth in some sort of public area. The means and motivation for this are presently unknown. Still, such tactics are a start in our question to narrow down the source of the world’s destruction.

The modus operandi of the mode of attack described fits in well with the prior description of the attackers as "the dark ones." Certain enemies of the Imperium, such as the Night Lords Traitor Legion and Eldar Corsairs, are known to use such tactics while striking from darkness. This would explain the association between darkened areas and Twilight's attackers. In many cases, these forces also choose to wear dark-colored armor, a further point in this theory's favor. On the other hand, neither of these groups are known for picking a planet entirely clean - they prefer to leave survivors behind to spread the message to Imperial would-be rescuers. Certainly neither of them have been noted to be so thorough in destroying the opposition as to wipe out the entirety of a planet's non-sapient population with such a precise scalpel as seems to have been used.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Reversal

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZY007, Kyne’s Fury 3.717.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: Ruthlessness is the kindness of the wise.

My Lord,

The xeno is beginning to regain some of her nerve. It appears that the earlier phenomena were at least in part a reaction to psychic imprints left on her home planet by the genocide of her species. She grows somewhat more relaxed the farther we go from it, though I stress this is a relative term. She has also demonstrated a greater level of courage when in realspace, despite the fact that she doesn’t consciously sense the difference (or at least doesn’t tell me if she does). If not for the current streak of bad luck (another Ork attack, a pirate raid) afflicting the Imperial planets with which we have attempted to rendezvous, I would have given her a prolonged interrogation in the Materium rather than continued our work while in Warp transit. Now that we are some distance from Equis III, it is my hope that she might soon prove up to recalling useful intelligence within the comforting confines of natural reality.

Our work with her world’s cultural objects seems to back up my theories on the origin of the xenos species. They used primitive tools such as hammers, saws, forks, and other such things with little to no modification from the way mankind creates them, in spite of the manifest unsuitability of these objects to their fingerless bodies. Much of “their” culture appears to have been directly appropriated from a backwards human society. When questioned about this, the xenos seemed more interested than offended. She commented that the idea sounded fascinating, and that she wished to participate in these studies. For the first time, she requested to be let out of her cell. I denied the request, of course, but she does not seem to have given up. It is in this context that the below interview should be taken.

++Interrogation the Fifty Eighth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell remains brightly lit. Xenos is batting game pieces around on the table absentmindedly.
Kylara: Hello Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle: Hey there Ky. What’s up?
K: Oh, nothing too much is new. How are you?
TS: Fine… Fine… Don’t worry about me, I’m just peachy in here!
K: You’re not feeling well, are you?
TS: Too much?
K: You’re not very good at subtlety.
TS: Maybe I need to work on that.
K: Perhaps. Now tell me, what’s wrong?
TS: It’s just… All this… is great and all. But I’m just… I’m just… getting tired of this place. I’ve been in here for one month, one week, five days, fourteen hours Equestrian time. I know it’s to help me, but why can’t I go out? I can help you. I’d like to meet your scientists, talk with them about their theories. Who knows, maybe our species did meet before. Maybe we did borrow stuff from you. I’d like to get out and do something again.
K: Really?
TS: Yeah! I can learn about you and teach you more about us! And we can go out and see other planets and catalogue what we find and everything! [I have understandably been reluctant to let her know what my actual profession is. She has been led to believe that we are more of a group of explorers and scientists.]
K: Very well.
K walks up to door and inputs access code. TS claps hooves in a manner suggesting excitement. The door opens momentarily.
K: Go on.
TS walks up to doorway, looks outside.
TS: NO! NO PLEASE! Please, make it stop! They’ll get you! They’ll get me! HAVE MERCY!!! [Just as anticipated.]
K: Coming?
TS screams incoherently. K seals door behind herself.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

My Lord, this is becoming unacceptable. The xenos is increasingly asserting her own wishes into my attempts at interrogation. I may have dissuaded her from leaving her cell at this juncture, but my instincts tell me it will not be long before she simply requests more light out there, and then freedom. Her mind, as best I understand it from prolonged interaction with her, is too sharp to be fooled by any obvious lies about inadequate ability to light up the corridors. She has at least a basic understanding of our technological levels, if not much of one of our society.

If I give in to this, she will start asking for more and more. Thus far I have declined to reveal official Imperial policy on xenos, due to the strong sense of betrayal and moral outrage this would almost certainly cause in the xenos. If she learns that the Emperor commands us not only to never befriend the xenos, but to actively seek out and exterminate all who will not bow unconditionally to humanity's will, her reaction is likely to be severe. She would immediately turn against us, out of both self-preservation and moral indignation. In the best case scenario, she would clamp up and refuse to speak to me any longer. In the worst, she could become outright violent, lashing out with her not-inconsiderable psychic abilities. As I noted before, we may not win such a confrontation.

If even the best case scenario were to happen, all my work at “befriending” her would almost certainly be for naught, and I would be forced to start from scratch with a much more hostile subject. As before, torture might simply destroy what is left of her sanity altogether, making her worthless except as a subject for dissection. On the other hand, a refusal to allow her out might also cause her to lose faith in me. She might believe (correctly) that I am conspiring to keep her in the cell for reasons beyond her own good. This would similarly make my efforts thus far in vain. Now that she believes me her friend, she is expecting certain things from me.

Of course, I will admit that I was the one who fostered this idea in the first place by my attempts to use more gentle persuasive techniques. I now question my own methodology in this case. Have I inadvertently spoiled the xenos so much that she will refuse to talk until she gets what she want? In such case, I may be forced to break her the old fashioned way. Gaining the information on the menace to our Imperium is too important to leave to the whims of a pony seemingly out of some inane children’s animation. Still, you have given orders to preserve her if at all possible. Beyond that, there remains the risk of destroying her mind in the process and making interrogation of any kind utterly untenable. Despite all our efforts to acquire one, we have no backup specimen to speak to. If this xenos dies, any chance of learning about the dire threat you have spoken of dies with her.

Therefore, Lord Rovini, I must seek your guidance in this matter. Do I have your permission to go to more forcible methods if she does not crack soon? I request a response as soon as you can.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Progress

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZY018, Kyne’s Fury 3.725.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: The burden of failure is the most terrible punishment of all.

My Lord,

Per your orders, we have continued to try gentler means but added a greater sense of urgency to it. Banking on the creature's emotional bond to myself and our species, encouraging it to feel guilty if it fails to aid us with knowledge, seems to be an effective approach to this matter. By playing it thus, we shift the topic away from giving it more knowledge about ourselves and why it continues to be banned from leaving its cell. We will keep this method up until and unless it seems that this approach will do us no more good. Torture will be the last step, if necessary. My latest attempt at communication with the xeno proved more fruitful than the last – I have several insights on the nature of this enemy that may beset our Imperium. Without further ado, the transcript:

++Interrogation the Fifty Ninth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell continues to be brightly lit. Xenos is sprawled over the cot. Expression comparable to a bored human.
Kylara: Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle: Kylara? Can I help you?
K: Twilight, I need your help. Now.
TS: Yes?! What is it? [She sat up very quickly at this point, and seemed almost worried in her tone.]
K: Twilight, listen closely.
TS: Yes?!
K: Millions… No, billions of lives could depend on what happens in these next few minutes. [Her eyes widened and her ears flattened when I said this, signs of fear among her kind.]
TS: What can I do?!
K: The enemy you faced…
TS: Them... No… No… No… No No No No No-
K: SNAP OUT OF IT!!!
TS: Yes… You’re right…
K: You need to be strong, Twilight. For all our sakes. For the sake of my people.
TS: Yes… Got to….
K: For me. [I actually took her hoof in my hand when I said this, degrading though it remains.]
TS: Yea… Of course, Ky. What can I do?
K: What you faced… We don’t think that was the end of it.
TS: T-There are more?!
K: I have reason to believe as much, yes. Listen carefully, Twilight: My people have millions of worlds. Billions of humans on each of them. All of them people like me. Like you. [A disgusting but necessary lie.]
TS: Y-Y-Yes?
K: I have reason to believe that the same ones who destroyed your world want to do the same to ours.
TS: NO! … Not again…
K: Yes, again. Now, I want to save these people. Do you?
TS: How can you even ask that?! Of course I do!
K: Then I need you to reach back. Back to when this all started. I need to know everything about what happened. Can you do that?
[She was silent and staring at her hooves for some time before speaking again.]
TS: Yes. Yes, I’ll help you.
K: Good. I’m here for you. Now, please begin.
TS: A-A-Alright…. It s-started with Z-Zecora… She lived in the E-E-Everfree Forest. Where nopony else lived. Where thousands of wild magical c-creatures lived. Where all the weather… ran itself. [She said that as if it were the strangest thing in the universe.]
K: Go on, please.
TS: Right… Right… She only came to town ever s-so often. When she didn’t show u-u-up for a few days, we didn’t think anything weird was happening. She did that from time to time. B-But then a week passed… then two… then three… And nopony had seen hide nor mane of her. Applebloom was really worried… Applebloom… Applebloom…
K: Stay with me.
TS: Yes… Anyway, Applebloom was really worried. She w-went out into the forest by herself. She wanted to see if everything was alright. She came running back… Said that Zecora’s cottage was broken open, but nopony was there. Nothing was taken. The rest of us… Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and I went in to have a look. It was true. We spent hours looking through the Forest… I used all the magic I knew… But we couldn’t find her. I sent a letter. To Princess Celestia, through Spike… Told her what had happened… Had to sleep for the night. The next day… the next day…. the next day…
K: Focus!
TS: The next day… The Apples… It was horrible! Sweet Celestia, it was horrible!
K: Tell me what happened.
TS: They were dead! Skinned! Their pelts were… their pelts w-were in the town square! For everypony to see! Everypony… Granny Smith… Big Mac… Applejack… E-Even little Applebloom. Dead! Skinned! And somepony threw displayed their hides in the town square!
[She entered a prolonged period of hyperventilation at this point, going on for several minutes before I managed to calm her down.]
TS: Mayor Mare called a town meeting… I contacted the Princesses… Celestia, Luna, Cadence… Told them everything that had happened… They were f-f-far away… Diplomatic mission… Said they’d be back immediately…
K: And this meeting?
TS: Mayor Mare said we h-had to do something. We gave them a funeral… Best we could. Then everypony packed themselves in the town hall… Stationed guards outside… My friends and I, w-we searched for who had done this while we waited for the other princesses… Spent all day looking… Most of the night… Came back to the hall… Mayor Mare w-w-was skinned! She was skinned like the Apples! Nopony knew what had happened… She was alone in her office… Contacted the Princesses again…Tried to rally the ponies… Keep some order… Didn’t keep a close enough eye on him… No No No No NO NO NO N-
K: SILENCE! [I should mention at this point she was openly weeping as she spoke.]
TS: SPIKE VANISHED! THEY TOOK HIM!!! THEY’LL TAKE ME!! THEY’LL TAKE US ALL!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
[She continued on with repeating that word for a full hour. I gave up trying to get her out of it about fifteen minutes in and simply allowed her to tire herself out.]

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

Lord Rovoni, though this evidently caused no small amount of mental stress to the xeno, this account tells us many valuable things about the enemy and their capabilities. The attackers obviously had done some reconnaissance prior to their opening gambit, understanding as they did the xenos psychology. It further seems to confirm my earlier analysis that they prefer stealth and terror attacks. The initial attacks served the purpose of demoralizing the enemy, as well as removing one of the potential obstacles in the form of one of the bearers of these Elements of Harmony. Notice how they then forced their targets to gather together for protection, then demoralized them still further by slipping through their security to graphically execute the local leadership within the very walls where they thought themselves safe. If war comes, we must alert our fortress commanders to always have bodyguards on hand and ready to fight.

Next, our mysterious invaders presumably acted to cut off communications, removing this “Spike” from the field and nullifying the link he provided to the distant rulers. Imperial communications should be ready for a repeat of such decapitation and isolation strategies in the event of war. Our astropaths, the precious psychic links that tie our worlds together, must be carefully guarded on any worlds that may be beset by this foe in the future. Their ability to observe and rapidly respond to xenos activity indicates they have some method for spying on their enemies. Granted, this could be simple benefit of high technology against primitive alien scum showing its hand. On the other hand, underestimating an opponent's capabilities is foolish, and countermeasures must be considered.

Though we do not at present have the exact specifications of the security measures the xenos took, it seems reasonably probable that the attackers had some means of either obscuring themselves from vision altogether or else a method of teleportation. The “Warp Spiders” of the Eldar have been known to possess the ability to enter and exit the Warp at short range to teleport. It is true that these beings are more associated with the Craftworld Eldar than with the outright piratical brand, but who are we to say that the technology is not shared between the various branches of that xenos filth? The Eldar are ever fickle, untrustworthy, and unpredictable, and the Emperor's servants must be diligent.

While the stealth and terror elements of this attack certainly fit with the modis apparendi of the Night Lords Traitor Legion, they tend to spurn the sorcery that would make such precise teleportation as demonstrated possible. And it seems doubtful that they would be able to slip past the xenos defenses totally unseen to kill one target and abduct another without massacring others along their way. Wanton butchery, not subtlety was ever the method of the VIII Legion, even in the days before the Great Heresy. And why they would choose to do so in any case is vague, though minds clouded by the Dark Gods cannot be called rational. Another factor worth considering is that the xenos buildings were not built for Astartes-scale beings, which would make such a stealthy approach even more difficult.

My earlier theories of daemonic incursion now seem less and less likely in my own mind. While certain daemons have been known to exhibit comparable behaviors, particularly on hive worlds or starships, they do not do so in number sufficient to overwhelm a world. Particularly not a world as filled with psychics as Equis III seems to have been. If daemons overran the planet, there should have been a far more active offensive on all areas of it over the course of hours. Simply put, this does not match the profile we have of Chaotic incursion, though as always the irrational and unpredictable nature of the enemy remains a formidable puzzle to wrestle with.

Finally, the possibility of some as of yet undiscovered enemy being the cause of these attacks must be considered. If this is the case, then we must know more about them. I hope to interrogate the xenos creature on what happened next tomorrow. I will send you anything more I learn, as always.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Advancing

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZY023, Kyne’s Fury 3.729.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: By the manner of their death we shall know them.

My Lord,

We are finally getting somewhere of true and immediate significance in the debriefing of this creature. I am pleased to report that I was able to wring several more important bits of information from the xeno today, albeit with some difficulty, due to the ever-irritating mental derangement. The mental effects of this trauma, even so far removed from Equis III, are proving annoyingly resilient. And I worry that this creature’s willingness and/or ability to talk is close to reaching its end. Hopefully, they will be followed shortly by its wretched life.

++Interrogation the Sixtieth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell remains as brightly lit as ever. A human continuously exposed to this degree of lighting would have developed severe ocular problems by this point. Xeno is curled up on bed.
Twilight Sparkle: Don’t let them get me… Don’t let them get me… Don’t let them get me…
Kylara: Twilight? Are you alright?
TS: Huh? Wha- Oh… Oh, it’s you, Ky. Hi again. [The xeno stared at me for an abnormal period after this. It never blinked.]
K: Twilight, can you…
TS: Talk to you? YOU BET!!! [The manic grin on her face was more than a little unnerving.]
K: My thanks.
TS: Whadda ya need?
K: I still need to hear the rest of your story. Millions of lives are depending on-
TS: *incoherent screaming*
K: Twilight! [It took me three minutes to get her to cease screaming and rolling around on the floor. I worry that forcing her to recount the story this way may be unraveling what’s left of her mind. I suspect she maintains what little sanity she has by suppressing the memories.]
TS: Oh… Oh… Where were we?
K: Spike had been… taken, I believe, was the word you used?
TS: Yes… Yes… That’s right. [The manic grin appeared again.]
K: Do go on, please.
TS: Right. Well, my friends and I were scared, see? You know how it is. Everypony was freaking the buck out and Spike vanished. I wanted to go and tear the world apart until I found him, but as a princess I had a duty to lead. With Mayor Mare dead and Ponyville obviously compromised, I had to get everypony to safety. The safest place in Equestria… well, that’s obviously Canterlot! Everypony knows that! [Emperor, that grin sends chills down my spine. And I’ve seen the grins of men possessed – literally.]
K: Uh huh.
TS: So anyway, my friends and I and some other ponies managed to get the train started up. There’s a railway from Ponyville to Canterlot. Only a few hours ride. Fastest way of moving that many ponies. So we loaded everypony up into the cars. I would stand with the drivers up front to make sure nothing happened to them. Rarity and Fluttershy mingled with the passengers. Pinkie Pie took the coach. Rainbow Dash and some other brave pegasi flew around the cars. Acted as escorts and scouts, see? That way nopony could sneak up on us while we evacuated.
K: I see.
TS: Nopony could sneak up on us! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! [Random switching between laughter and sobs did not do much for my opinion of her mind.]
K: Please, continue.
TS: Yeah, so, we set off with all of Ponyville crammed into little train cars. Everypony was scared out of their brains, but they trusted me! After all, I was the hero! The princess! I’d see them there safely myself, then I’d go find Spike! Great plan! But then it was all dark!
K: What do you mean?
TS: Well, clouds don’t move themselves, silly! But suddenly there were a lot of dark clouds overhead, blotting out the sun! It was mid-afternoon or so at that point! I thought about trying to get some of the clouds out of the way, but then I remembered that would take a long time. There were an awful lot of them, you know?! So I asked some pegasi to go up there and take a look around! They didn’t come back! Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!
K: Are you… feeling alright?
TS: Never better! Why?
K: … No reason. Continue.
TS: So anyway, Rainbow Dash got all mad and stuff. Said she wouldn’t be cowering down here with us while the others were in danger. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn’t listen. So she went up there too. Hee hee hee. And she didn’t come back! Fluttershy was crying. And so was I, I think. I wanted to go help but I couldn’t just leave hundreds of ponies by themselves. They might have gotten lonely! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! So, yeah, we had reached the mountains where Canterlot was. Lovely place, really. You should see it sometime, Ky!
K: … I have seen it, Twilight.
TS: Really? Hunh. Guess it must have slipped the ol’ noggin! Hope you liked it!
[I honestly had no idea what to say here, with the obviously deteriorating mental state of the xeno, so I opted for silence.]
TS: Now, where was I? Oh yeah! We were starting to climb the mountain when one of our pegasi came back and said somepony had been awfully naughty. They’d torn up the tracks ahead of us! So we had to hit the brakes! It was close, but with a bit of magic everything worked out in the end! The train didn’t go careening off the side of the mountain with everypony still inside! Hee hee hee! So I had to get everypony out of the train cars again. We had to walk the rest of the way to the city!
K: I see.
TS: Yep! But that’s when I saw those… fly-y thingies.
K: Fly-y thingies?
TS: Yep! I could see Canterlot in the distance. With a bit of magic magnification, I saw some weird thingies swooping in and out of the clouds above it! They were firing something down at the city. Inconsiderate of them, wouldn’t you say? But somepony was firing back, and eventually they went away. I saw one of BBBFF’s shields go up! It was pink, just like at the wedding!
K: These things. Describe them.
TS: BBBFF…
K: Twilight… [I knew this creature well enough to see something coming.]
TS: BBBFF!!! NO!!! NO, DON’T TAKE HIM! PLEASE, NO! HAVE MERCY! NO NO NO NO NO NO!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
K: TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT!
[It was, naturally, of little use to attempt to reason with the xeno in its utterly irrational flashbacks. Ten minutes of trying availed me little. Recordings indicate it continued alternating between begging for mercy and fits of hysterical laughter until it passed out from exhaustion hours later.]

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

Firstly, here are the new pieces of information on the nature of our enemy. As before, they enemy appears to have had a strong information network in place, accurately plotting the train’s intended destination and heading it off, forcing hundreds of civilians to make a dangerous trek up a narrow path to presumed safety. They would make easy targets for a massacre by ground troops. The same information network allowed them to locate and eliminate any xenos that breached their cloud cover, which was presumably artificially made. Eldar holo-projection, perhaps? Or maybe they had some way of manipulating the existing weather control system?

We have confirmation on aircraft of some sort, though the exact details have yet to be determined. These craft seem, at least thus far, would to be more for strafing and dive-bombing than high altitude attacks, as indicated by the xeno’s comments on “firing back”. Nothing we found in their civilization indicates any proficiency with antiaircraft weaponry. This tells us that the xeno most probably spoke of retaliating with psychic energy blasts, none of which could be expected to accurately hit or damage aircraft very far above the xenos’ collective heads. We can thus assume that the enemy makes use of such variety of craft for preliminary airstrikes on fortified positions. Canterlot, from its ruins, was one of the best defensive locations in the xenos nation, and would have been difficult to attack conventionally without at least softening it up first. We thus learn that the attackers are at least somewhat reluctant to commit to open battle on a defenders’ terms. This is valuable information for us to pass to our commanders. We may also presume the existence of some sort of fighter analogue, which is presumably what eliminated trespassing xenos flyers above the clouds.

This reluctance to commit to a straight attack right off the bat is well within the established combat doctrines of both the Eldar and Night Lords. Neither xenos nor heretic is willing to give open battle, slinking, faithless curs that they are. They know that they cannot stand to confront the Emperor’s wrath face-to-face, and thus hide in the shadows like the cowards they are whenever they can. The Eldar are, at least from my limited experience with their kind, more likely to employ outright airstrikes than the Traitor Astartes, but one should not underestimate the willingness of the foul heretics to do whatever it takes to win.

I believe that, with this new evidence, we can safely discount the theory of a daemonic incursion. Daemons are not known to employ aircraft, having little patience for softening up an enemy before attacking. In any case, it is doubtful that they would have had the time to do so, as they can generally only maintain a foothold in the Materium for a few hours at a time. By this point, the xeno describes the attack as having continued for days. Any daemon army would have overrun the planet or else have been pulled back to the foul hell of their Dark Gods by then. I do not know whether I should take comfort in this new knowledge that the Warp's progeny were not directly behind this or not.

On the subject of the xeno specimen. My Lord, I feel our subject is breaking down rapidly. While the information I am getting continues to be plausible and of some strategic and tactical value, the creature’s mental state cannot be relied upon for much longer. Indeed, it may already be unwittingly feeding us false information via inaccurate or damaged memory. If I keep dredging up its past, I believe it will soon lose all grip on reality. If this becomes the case, even torture will do us no good whatsoever for the purposes of acquiring further information. Speaking as a woman who has tried on more than one occasion, one cannot gain knowledge from a mind that no longer meaningfully functions. I must again request you orders, Lord Rovini. How do I proceed?

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Calm Before the Storm

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZY031, Kyne’s Fury 3.735.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: There are no answers. Only death.

My Lord,

Results continue to be mixed. On the one hand, the xeno continues to talk and give us valuable information on what happened to its world. On the other hand, I continue to observe that the process of doing so is destroying what is left of the creature’s psyche. I now fully believe that its mind, unable to immediately cope with the loss of its deity, species, and homeworld in one fell swoop, essentially disassociated the memories as a defense mechanism. Dredging them up is causing it to deteriorate rapidly. From our recordings, the xeno is now reliving the extinction event even when completely alone. Several sessions have ended without my gaining any useful information whatsoever from its deranged ranting. I am no xeno-psychologist, but I estimate it has no longer than perhaps a week or maybe two left before the process ends. At that point, what becomes of the creature will essentially be down to the xeno’s own mental strength and the Emperor’s will. It may or may not survive, retain its sanity, or retain any memories at all

Understand that I bring this up not out of concern for the creature’s welfare, but to allow you time to give me any final orders with regard to it. I intend to squeeze every last drop of useful information from the alien’s mind before it collapses into insanity or worse. As ever, my Lord Inquisitor, I await your command.

++Interrogation the Sixty Fourth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell continues to be lit at all times. Xeno is curled in a ball on the floor.
Twilight Sparkle: *nervous giggling*
Kylara: Hello? …Twilight?
TS: HI!!! [Here it once again used those wings to get directly in my face with astonishing speed.]
K: Emperor’s bloody arse!
TS: Hey Ky! How ya doin’?
K: I’m… I’m fine. Thank you for asking.
TS: No problem! That’s what friends are for! Did you come here because you wanted to hear some more stories?
K: I did.
TS: Great! I’ve got plenty! There’s the Mare in the Moon, an old favorite, there’s the Knicky Knack in the Everfree for the little fillies out there, there’s that one where Spike and I got attacked by a twelve-headed hydra on the way to Pony Joe’s donut shop, there’s-
K: I need the rest of the story! The one about your planet being attacked!
TS: Oh! Why didn’t you just say so?! Sure I’ll tell you that one! Now, let’s see… where was I…
K: You had just seen your brother place a shield over the capital city from a distance. You were standing on the pathway with your refugees.
TS: Thanks! Now, anyway, I saw that there was a big pink bubble over Canterlot. It reminded me of the one from Shiny’s wedding day! Except that didn’t turn out so well. I remember, when the changelings broke through, I-
K: Twilight, please focus on the events of the attack and not other anecdotes.
TS: Sure thing! So, I knew we still had to get everypony to Canterlot. I mean, we couldn’t just leave them in Ponyville, and where else could we take them? All the other cities are further away! Well, except Cloudsdale, but they’re more a part of our town and were along anyway! Fluttershy was really scared for everypony. She wanted to go looking for Spike and Rainbow Dash. But I told her that we had to make sure everypony else was safe first, or else they might all be killed while we were looking! She didn’t like that, but I managed to convince her to stay with the group. Then we started mountain climbing! Well, it wasn’t really mountain climbing since there was a path up through the area that the train tracks followed, but that’s not the point. But I suppose a pony could argue that any form of unpowered ascent up a mountain is, in a sense, mountain climbing, but-
K: Twilight.
TS: Oh, right! Story! So, up we went! I was taking the lead, like a good princess should. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy had the back of the group. They made sure nopony fell behind or got lost. We marched up the pathway for a little while. I had a watch with me at the time, and when I looked at it I noticed something. It was past 8:00 at night by that time. But the sun wasn’t set! Even with the clouds blocking it, you could still tell that the sun was up by all the light around us. I remember getting really worried. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence weren’t in Canterlot. With Spike gone, I couldn’t send them any letters. What if something had happened to them?!
K: They rose and set the sun and moon, correct?
TS: That’s right! If they didn’t, then those things would freeze where they were forever! And that would be bad! [Her giggling was once again unnerving, but I am inclined to give her belief system some credence based on the fact that Equis III really has stopped having a moon and sunrise since whatever fate befell their leaders.]
K: Please go on.
TS: So, up we go! We had to go through tunnels in the mountain, and I remember being really worried about that. They were the perfect spot for an ambush. And then there were those fly-y thingies. I saw them firing down at Canterlot already, what if they strafed us? We’d be sitting ducks. I got really scared, but I had to put on a brave face for the other ponies. So I did what I could to light up the tunnels as we passed through, and kept a careful eye on the sky. But nothing happened! I dunno why, but everypony made it to the gates of Canterlot without being attacked. The gate guards were jumpy and paranoid. They thought we might be a trick. I yelled at them, but then Shiny made them let us in.
K: Who was “Shiny”, exactly?
TS: Shining Armor! My BBBFF! Captain of the Royal Guard! [So why wasn’t he guarding the royals?]
K: BBBFF?
TS: Big Brother Best Friend Forever!
K: Ah. Do continue.
TS: Shiny helped get the residents of Ponyville to at least some safety. We had to commandeer a couple of the nobles’ mansions to make everyone fit, but that’s ok because a lot of them were dead already! [Insert hysterical giggling here.]
K: What happened?
TS: There had been a murder spree in Canterlot over the last day or so. Nobles kept disappearing, or even turning up skinned. Prince Blueblood, Fancypants, Fleur dis Lee, Jet Set, Upper Crust, Rousing Speech, Center Stage… A lot of Equestria’s nobility had been eliminated in the past few hours. Shiny had no idea what was going on and the princesses were out of contact. [And yet the leader of the military forces wasn’t targeted by these assassins? Perhaps their information wasn’t as good as I thought.]
K: Go on. What did you do next?
TS: As the only princess on the scene, I was in charge. But Shiny knew the Royal Guard a lot better than me, so I let him make the plans and just added in a few bits here and there if I saw the need. I told him about what had happened in Ponyville. The murders and bombing had stopped since he put the shield up, so that was something. We were trying to organize defenses and maybe search parties when a pony ran up from the walls. He made us go look out through Princess Celestia’s magic telescope. I felt kinda bad about doing it without permission but Shiny said it’s what she would have wanted. That’s when we saw… them. They were coming.
K: Who were coming? Describe them!
TS: No… No… No…
K: Not again! Not now!
TS: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!
K: Damnit, out with it you xenos filth!
TS: NO!!! DON’T TAKE THEM!!! HAVE MERCY, PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!
K: EMPEROR DAMN YOU ALL TO THE WARP!

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

While this session was not as productive as I was hoping for in terms of identifying the enemy, we did at least acquire new pieces of the puzzle. The enemy apparently had access to the xenos capital city well ahead of time, but either avoided targeting or chose to pass over the leader of their military, while destroying most anyone capable of mounting a political challenge to him. This suggests one of two things: either their intelligence is not so great as I had believed… or else they wanted the military command structure intact. If the latter, we must puzzle as to why. The Orks might do such a thing so as to generate a better fight. The Eldar might do it for the sadistic thrill of the act, or in accordance with bizarre alien designs. The Night Lords might do it because that’s what the voices in their heads told them to do. I strongly believe that the attackers chose to avoid killing this Shining Armor, seeing as how their intelligence was good enough to time the attack for when the most powerful psykers of the race were away from their stronghold and to continuously harry the xeno specimen’s party for as yet unknown reasons.

In related news, the fact that the xenos column was not attacked on the way up the mountain is yet another mystery. We know for a fact that the attackers had aerial assets in the immediate vicinity that were capable of attack runs on ground targets. Nothing in the description leads me to believe that these were shot down. And yet they chose to ignore a perfect chance to eliminate hundreds of enemy civilians in one swift stroke. We must consider why they did this. We can dismiss out of hand any high-minded humanitarianism, considering the unprovoked attacks already visited on this same group. Similarly, arguments that it was done purely for resource conservation fail in the face of local geography. I have seen that path with my own eyes, heavily damaged and worn though it was. Any army with even a small amount of aircraft could have turned that area into a killing field for the xenos. That they did not do this, in conjunction with their puzzling failure to eliminate the enemy military leadership leads me to one inescapable conclusion: they desired to make a fight of it. Victory in and of itself was not enough; they wished to win on very specific terms. This is highly valuable information on our enemy’s psychology, which we should not hesitate to use.

Though I do not yet know what happened next, I believe it safe to presume that there will be a battle very soon in this story. I will continue to press the subject for all available information until her mind gives out. And, as ever, I await your reply, Lord Rovini.

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Death of a World

++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZY035, Kyne’s Fury 3.742.873.M39++
++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++
++ Transcript Appended++
Thought for the Day: Know thine enemy.

My Lord,

I have little to say in preface to this other than the fact that there was one more unproductive interrogation between the last one I sent you and this one. I believe this will be the last interrogation I shall be forced by cruel necessity to do on the xeno, for reasons that shall shortly be obvious.

++Interrogation the Sixty Sixth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell is still constantly lit. Xeno is curled in a ball and cowering underneath the bunk.
Twilight Sparkle: No… No… No… No…
Kylara: Twilight?
TS: No… No… No…
K: Twilight?!
TS: No… No… No…
K: TWILIGHT!!!
TS: AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
K: It’s me! Kylara! [The xeno breathed heavily and stared at me for some time before responding.]
TS: Oh… Oh, it’s just you. Thank Celestia.
K: Twilight, I know this must be hard on you, but I still need your story.
TS: Yes… Yes, of course. We’re friends… And friends help each other.
K: That’s right. [I am thankful I will not have to indulge its delusions any longer.]
TS: Where were we? I… I don’t remember.
K: You had looked through your leader’s telescope. You said you saw them.
TS: Yes, I did, didn’t I?
K: Indeed. Describe them.
TS: They were like nothing I’d ever seen before. There were hundreds of black and green craft in the sky, all shaped like crescent moons. They were pouring out of the clouds miles away from Canterlot.
K: What were they doing?
TS: Moving our way. Individually they were faster than any pegasi I’ve ever seen. Even Rainbow Dash… Rainbow Dash…
K: Focus!
TS: … Right. They were very fast; they could have been on us in seconds if they’d tried to. But they kept making large circles in the sky instead. They would come towards us, but then circle back around to meet up with the ones still coming through. The whole mass was moving towards us, but a lot more slowly than they could have.
K: What did you do?
TS: What do you think we did?! We had nothing that could fight that many flyers! Shiny and I reinforced the shield over the city as best we could. We ran back down the tower and got every unicorn we could find who knew anything at all about defensive magic to contribute. We set all the Royal Guard into defensive positions all over the city I didn’t think it would do any good, really, but what else could we do? We couldn’t outrun them, and there was nowhere else to run to in any case.
K: What happened next?
TS: It took almost an hour. At first you could only see them with the telescope, but the group slowly came closer. A pony could see the clouds darkening as they did. The air was getting colder too. There were green lightning flashes in the clouds. After a few minutes, you could hear them coming closer. It was a high-pitched whine like nothing to be found in nature. I don’t know how they were making that sound, but something was just… wrong with it. You could see ponies shaking as it got louder. More than one screamed and bolted, trying to get away. Most of those we caught, but some slipped outside the shield. I don’t know what happened to them. I was just trying to keep everypony’s heads on.
K: I see.
TS: They started swooping around Canterlot. Not firing or anything, just flying in loops around the protective bubble. The sound was so loud by then that a pony had to shout to be heard more than a foot from his face. Pretty much anypony who wasn’t a soldier was in a panic at that point, running and screaming in all directions or cowering in their residences. I saw one pegasus try to make a run for it. The moment she was outside the bubble, one of the things fired at her. A quick green burst from one of the little rods sticking out from the center of the crescent. She… disintegrated on the spot. I felt like a little filly wanting to hide from the boogie-mare again. [She was, at this point, actually hiding under the table while she spoke to me.]
K: Go on.
TS: They just soared around the city for what felt like hours. It couldn’t have been that long, though. Maybe it lasted ten, fifteen minutes at the most? You could see that there were a veritable parasprite swarm of them. Hundreds, maybe thousands, just looping around our city in expanding rings, making a lot of noise and killing anypony who set hoof outside Shiny’s shield. [This was almost certainly a terror tactic, and an effective one judging by the xenos’ reported response. However, why they felt the need to use such measures at that point given their overwhelming conventional military advantage is less than clear.]
K: What did they do then?
TS: That’s the weird thing. Most of them started to pull up. They were flying rings near the clouds, but not attacking. The rest of them made passes over the path to the city. There were green flashes on the ground, and things started to appear… Them.
K: Describe them.
TS: Horrible… black… metal… skeletal… things. Most of them walked on two legs and had two arms, like minotaurs, or your kind. But some looked more like floating insects, beetles mostly. Some of the really big things looked like giant centipedes. Others were walking spider vehicles of some kind, with the metal skeletons in them as pilots. They had floating vehicles with pilots too. The smaller, skeletal ones were the soldiers, mostly carrying long, glowing green tube-things. Their weapons, a little like your… guns, was that what you called them?
K: I believe that would be the right word.
TS: I saw one of them near the front with spider legs. It had a long face with a really big eye, and a polearm of some kind with a glowing green thing on the tip. Then there was the one with two legs that looked like it was wearing a hood and carried some kind of staff. Had a long, blue cape made of large metal scales. They were unique, and looked like some kind of leaders. But then one appeared at the very front, and I could tell it was the leader.
K: How could you tell?
TS: The way everypony was looking at it. It had some kind of… magnetic pull to the eye. It had the air of somepony who was in charge and knew it.
K: Describe it.
TS: It was… big. Taller than most of the things that weren’t insects or vehicles. Had a green-black cape and golden shoulderpads. There was some kind of gold halo-crown thing around its head. It had a long staff with a gold center, green jewels on both ends, and what looked like some kind of weird double green axe head on one end. That was in its right hand, and it had really long fingers on its left. It just stood there for a while, and I think it was letting me get a good look at it. [Showing off, perhaps?]
K: I see. What happened next?
TS: It was getting really dark by that time. The sun was still up, I know now, but the clouds were blocking it out more and more. You could see the glowing pieces of the things, but not very much else without a light spell of some kind. I saw the leader-thing make a gesture with its staff. It pointed at Shiny’s shield. All of… them pointed their weapons. At some signal, the guns flashed like green lightning. Thousands of bolts hit our barrier at once. I could feel it crumbling after just one volley. The second smashed through most of the defensive matrixes. The third volley brought it down altogether… Sweet Celestia, that hurt.
K: What did?
TS: The magical backlash when our shield went down. I was only involved in strengthening it, and I got a splitting headache. Shiny… he had to be helped back to his hooves by guardsponies. He could barely walk, much less put up another barrier. That’s when I knew for certain we were all doomed. What could we do? There was nothing to stop all those flying things from just blasting the whole city out of existence. Or the army on the ground from firing until everypony was so much ash on the wind.
K: But they didn’t. [I know. The city I saw was damaged, but not vaporized.]
TS: No, they didn’t. I don’t know why they did what they did, but the leader started marching towards us, and the whole army followed it. They weren’t running at us, just marching along at an even pace. Those ponies on the wall… I felt so sorry for them.
K: Where were you?
TS: Near the palace. With Shiny and the others. I was watching from a balcony. I had a good view, for whatever it was worth.
K: What did they do?
TS: The ponies on the wall were some of the bravest I’ve ever seen. Even with all they’d just seen, they still tried to defend their posts. They shot magic and arrows and javelins at the dark ones. Anypony who did got vaporized by those green lightning shots in the next second or two, but they didn’t stop trying until there weren’t any more ponies on that wall. It couldn’t have taken more than fifteen seconds…
K: Twilight, stay with me!
TS: Y-Yes… Yes… I saw the gates smash open. No, not just open. Off their hinges. The pieces went flying. I think they may have crushed somepony. They probably got off lucky, really. It was the leader standing in the portal where the gates just were. Then he broke into a charge. The rest followed him. Some through the gate, others just broke down the walls. Some didn’t need to break them down. The bulk of the Royal Guard was near the gates of the city to meet them. It was… awful. I saw ponies getting vaporized, getting impaled by the giant insect things. I saw the green flashes as they were getting ripped apart down to nothing. There were horrible creatures that appeared out of nowhere. They were covered in bloody flesh and they’d cut ponies to pieces and cover themselves in their insides. [The xeno was, at this point, openly weeping as she spoke. I have edited this bit for clarity and to remove the stuttering.]
K: There there… It’s alright, you’re with me now. Nothing will hurt you. [I was hugging her, to my eternal humiliation.]
TS: There were these disgusting beetle… worm… things. They went straight through the walls. I saw them dragging ponies off. The ponies were screaming, begging. It didn’t do any more good than fighting. I saw one of the dark ones take a spear right through its face. It crumpled to the ground, but then pulled it out and got up. Its face flowed back together in a matter of seconds! What were we supposed to do against that?! We were outnumbered, surrounded, outgunned, and the enemy seemed impossible to kill! The guards near the gate were totally overrun in less than a minute. Those that didn’t get vaporized or skinned were dragged off by the horrid insect things. I never saw what happened to them, but I hope it was quick.
K: What did you do?
TS: I’m a princess of Equestria! I couldn’t just leave my subjects to die like that! I jumped off the balcony and flew down to lead one of the last squads I could find. If I couldn’t do anything else, at least I could die with my little ponies. We were jumped by a handful of those loathsome ones covered in blood and guts and skin. I blasted them with all the magic I knew. The guards’ weapons were almost completely ineffective, but magic seemed to do it. More than half my squad was torn apart, but we managed to put them down. But by that time… Canterlot was basically overrun. I couldn’t see any other guards outside the castle itself, and those were fighting for their lives. The dark ones were tearing into houses, dragging ponies out and away. I wanted to save them, but what could I do? The army was between me and them, and advancing fast. I had to call the retreat.
K: To the castle?
TS: Yes. It was a last stand, and I knew it. Running away wouldn’t do any good – I saw the few that tried get incinerated by the flying things that were still swooping overhead. More of them were still coming into the city through the gate or smashed walls. The guardsponies and I bolted back to the castle. By the time we got there, the courtyard was almost free of ponies. So we ran back into the palace itself. [And no one stopped her? I see evidence that she was being deliberately herded, even at that point.]
K: Go on. [There was a halt of several minutes as she hyperventilated and I tried to calm her. I reiterate that I have edited her remarks for readability – the original was filled with stuttering, pauses, and sobs.]
TS: Alright… Alright, where were?
K: You had just entered the palace.
TS: Right. I was trying to direct whatever ponies were left to group up and retreat with me. The dark ones were still coming, thousands strong to a few dozen guards left and some servants hiding somewhere. They smashed down the palace doors and stormed in after us. They broke through at other points too. I didn’t see it, but I saw them swarming in the side chambers, exterminating whatever was in there. Several ponies died as I tried to shield them, vaporized by that green lightning. We were backed into the throne room. [Yet more evidence she was being herded.]
K: What happened there?
TS: Somepony had beaten us there. I saw that blue caped one with the staff. Celestia’s vault was torn open, and it had the box.
K: What box?
TS: The one with the Elements of Harmony in it. It said something out loud. It was the first to talk, and I wasn’t totally paying attention to it at that point. I heard the words “Such a shame…” in a mechanical monotone and that’s it. Then it vanished in a flash of green light. [So these artifacts of apparent mystic power are in the hands of these xenos machines? Wonderful.]
K: Alright. How did you escape?
TS: Escape?
K: You aren’t dead.
TS: … No, I’m not. But I swear to Celestia that I didn’t try to run. I maybe could have teleported myself away if I’d tried really hard, but I’m not that kind of pony! I wouldn’t leave everypony else to die just to save my own skin!
K: Then what happened?
TS: Listen and I’ll tell you. The dark stopped on the door of the throne room. Just paused and waited. Not firing or anything else. By that point, it was me and a half-dozen other guardsponies left alive. We could have attacked them, but honestly we didn’t want to question the respite. It gave us a moment to catch our breath. Then we heard footsteps. A few seconds later, the ones by the throne room door parted, and the leader stepped through.
K: The one with the golden crown who directed the initial bombardment?
TS: The same. I recognized it easily.
K: What did it do?
TS: It raised its hand and gestured for the others to hand it something. It was… Shining Armor. He was unconscious, but breathing. Looked like he’d been beaten pretty badly. The leader picked him up by his armor with one clawed hand and tossed him across the throne room at my hooves. Then it spoke to me.
K: What did it say?
TS: Its voice was this low, mechanical growling sound. I could barely understand it, but it said, “This one is valuable to you, is it not? Best me in single combat, and I will spare its existence.” [So, it values one-to-one combat, does it? Valuable information for us.]
K: Go on.
TS: I looked at the guardsponies around me. I couldn’t just leave them to die to these monsters! So I demanded that it agree to spare all of them if I could beat it. It looked at me for a second, then said, “Agreed.” Then it charged me with that staff. It was fast, very fast. I teleported out of the way, but it seemed to know exactly where I was without looking around. I shot a burst of magic at it, but it caught the beam on the green ax-heads of its staff. They dispersed my spell harmlessly. I teleported again. It turned to face me and pointed its staff head at me. A giant wave of green energy shot out. I ducked behind the princess’s throne and threw a shield over myself, but it disintegrated the throne and smashed my magic. The burst threw me against the wall. I think I broke something. Probably my neck. I couldn’t get up, or even move anything that wasn’t my head. I couldn’t feel much of anything either. The leader just walked right up and stood over me. It stared down like it was making some kind of decision. Then it used its green blades to cut a long mark across my chest before speaking again.
K: And?
TS: It told me. “Know that your doom comes at the hands of Imotekh, called Stormlord, Phaeron of the Sautekh Dynasty, greatest Nemesor of the Necrontyr race. Tell them, if they come for you.” Then it made another gesture to the dark ones waiting outside. They stormed the throne room. The gaurdsponies tried to fight, but they didn’t last ten seconds before they were subdued or dead. I screamed, I begged for mercy from them. I pleaded with them to take me instead, just leave the others alone. [There was an enormous amount of crying here, interspersed with actual begging as if I were this Imotekh and had the power to spare her fellow xenos. It really was quite pitiful.]
K: Yes? Go on.
TS: Then it… he… just looked down and tapped me lightly with the butt end of his staff. I blacked out. The next thing I remember, I woke up whole and healed, except for this scar on my chest. [As I didn’t know the importance of it until now, I hadn’t mentioned it in my reports. But yes, there is a scar about seven inches in length running down her chest, though her coat covers it from all but a detailed medical examination.]
K: And that’s it?
TS: Yes. When I went outside, the clouds were gone. Everpony was gone. I’ve searched hundreds of miles and used every kind of magic I know, but I haven’t seen anypony since that day. Until you came along. Please say you won’t leave me. [At this point, she wrapped herself around my leg and looked rather pathetic.]
K: I won’t.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

This new information provides a great deal of tactical and strategic insight into our enemy. Not admittedly being a specialist in such matters myself, I shall leave it to those more attuned to strategy to puzzle out the exact ramifications for our war plans should we encounter this Imotekh or others of his kind, as you predicted. Nonetheless, we now know much more than we did about these so-called Necrontyr. If and when they face the Imperium of Man, they will not find us such easy prey as these weak xenos.

I do feel I must note a handful of things, however. Our enemy is an apparent believer in the virtues of single combat, and yet chose to spare the life of a defeated enemy commander. Moreover, if this report on its words is accurate, it knew or at least suspected that the xeno would be retrieved by one or more parties, possibly including the Imperium itself. It not only did not deny us any potential information, but actively allowed it to disseminate. While this is consistent with a desire for personal glory through single combat and its puzzling desire to intentionally make a fight of the apparent final battle, I am unsure as to whether this information leak reflects vainglory or is some sort of deliberate terror mechanism. Both are consistent with the observed tactics and strategy used in the conquest described.

My Lord, it is my duty to tell you that shortly after this interview, the xeno slipped into a coma. Though we have it in the med-bay at present, there is little we can do medically for a species we know so little of. It is, as I predicted, in the Emperor’s hands. And yours as well, Lord Rovini. What would you have me do with it?

Your servant,
Interrogator Kylara
++Message Ends++

Author's Note

And now you know. The epilogue should be up in a few days.

One question for you guys: I'm considering creating a sequel to this. Do you think I should?

Epilogue: War

++Departmento Munitorum Report 717-4591-62b-385++
++Kar Duniash, Ultima Segmentum++
++3.217.880.M39++
++Status of Sub-Sector Pathoris++

++Vital Statistics++

Name: Sub-Sector Pathoris
Sector: Kalan
Segmentum: Ultima
Number of Recognized Worlds: 24
Estimated Population: ~200 billion
World Classifications: Hive (3), Civilized (8), Agri (6), Frontier (4), Feudal (1), Feral (2)

++Imperial Forces++

Planetary Defense Force: ~2 billion
System Defense Force: 2 Sword-class Frigates, 8 Defense Monitors
Imperial Guard: ~35 million
Imperial Navy: 2 Retribution-class Battleships, 6 Lunar-class Cruisers, 4 Dictator-class Cruisers, 8 Cobra-class Destroyers, 8 Sword-class Frigates, 6 Firestorm-class Frigates
Adeptus Astartes: Thunder Serpents (5 Companies, 1 Battle Barge, 3 Strike Cruisers), Deathwatch ([Sealed by order of the Holy Inquisition])
Commanders: Lord Admiral Aies Hassari, Lord General Yevira Callien (deceased), Lord Inquisitor Tas Rovini, Chapter Master Essei Tagaran.

++Imperial Losses++

Planetary Defense Force: ~100 million
System Defense Force: 3 Defense Monitors
Imperial Guard: ~2 million
Imperial Navy: 2 Lunar-class Cruisers, 3 Sword-class Frigates
Adeptus Astartes: Thunder Serpents (~55 Astartes, 1 Strike Cruiser), Deathwatch ([Sealed by order of the Holy Inquisition])
Planets: 2 Agri-worlds
Civilians: ~15 billion
Level of Losses: Acceptable

++Xenos Forces++

Species: [Sealed by order of the Holy Inquisition]
Ground Forces (Estimate): > 25 million
Naval Forces (Minimum): 3 Battleship analogues, 12 Cruiser analogues, 15 Frigate analogues
Commanders: Unknown.

++Xenos Losses++

Ground Forces (Estimate): ~7 million
Naval Forces: 1 Cruiser analogue, 1 Frigate analogue

++Summary++

Sub-Sector Pathoris, located on the spinward fringe of Kalan Sector, itself near the spinward border of Ultima Segmentum, has fallen under heavy xenos attack. Once a comparatively rich and influential sub-sector across the region, the two dozen worlds of Sub-Sector Pathoris, the worlds of this sector now find themselves menaced by an unknown xenos species. Reports are sketchy, in part due to distance and war affecting sub-sector Departmento branches, in part due to the ongoing interference and censorship of outgoing materials by Ordo Xenos of the Holy Inquisition.

The xenos forces are, from intermittent reports received from Departmento Munitorum agents in the area, very powerful. They began their offensive into Imperial space with a two-pronged naval attack, scouring the agri-worlds Prosperity and Agathara of life from orbit in the early stages of the conflict before Imperial forces were able to respond. Three months in, they penetrated the Imperial blockade around the hive world Denton III to land considerable ground forces, which have dug in and engaged elements of the PDF, Imperial Guard, and Astartes. Despite a year and a half of sustained combat against numerically superior forces, the xenos have yet to be evicted, though they are no longer advancing to any significant degree. Lord General Callien, who attempted to personally command the battle, was instead assassinated by apparent xenos sniper attack. Lesser Imperial ground forces have similarly engaged smaller numbers of xenos attackers on the feral world Getheris IV and the agri world Emperor’s Bounty. In both cases the xenos are considerably outnumbered, but appear to be making slow headway. The reasons for these choices in worlds to attack rather than raze from orbit are unknown at the present.

In space, the Imperial Navy and SDF are similarly in stalemate with the enemy fleet. The xenos ships seem to be both faster and more powerful than their Imperial equivalents, but they are being used far more sparingly. As of yet, there has only been one prolonged naval engagement, resulting in the destruction of 2 Lunar-class Cruisers and 1 xenos Cruiser analogue. Though the forces of the God Emperor seem to have gotten the worst of this in terms of numbers, the enemy commander seems to be under the impression that it has far fewer ships in reserve than the Imperium, and has yet to commit to another such engagement. Instead, all naval battles since have been hit-and-run affairs against isolated planets or ships. However, the Exterminatus-scale bombardments seen in the initial invasion have not yet seen a repeated performance, presumably because the xenos wish to conquer rather than destroy the sub-sector outright.

We know that some within the Inquisition anticipated, or at the very least suspected, this attack. Over the five years prior to the initial engagements, Inquisitor, later and presently Lord Inquisitor, Tas Rovini and affiliated members and factions of Ordo Xenos had been making a concerted effort to draw military resources to the Kalan Sector. Their greatest success in this effort was a pledge to defend the sector by the Thunder Serpents Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. The precise origin of their foresight is unclear, though disturbing rumors have trickled back of the use of Sanctioned Xenos, a Radical measure that many would believe highly inappropriate to the relatively low-level warfare thus far seen, and possibly even heretical were it to be proven. Some among our Departmento feel that it may be proper to forward such evidence to the Kalan Inquisitorial Conclave for it to handle.

++Recommendations++

Kalan Sector: 5% increase in Imperial Tithe for the Imperial Guard, 10% increase in Imperial Tithe for the Imperial Navy. Let the Kalan Sector pay for its protection.
Sub-Sector Pathoris: Additional elements of the Sector Fleet should be dispatched to even the naval odds and force the xenos to battle. Replace the late Lord General.
Denton III: 15% increase in Imperial Guard reinforcements.
Emperor’s Bounty: 25% increase in Imperial Guard reinforcements.
Getheris IV: Exterminatus. This world produces nothing of value to the Imperium.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

++Personal Log, Sergeant Samuel Adoner++

The preachers were right after all. There is a hell, and I’m in it. Lost five of the lads yesterday to those things. Bloody command won’t even tell us what they are, and they expect us to purge a hive of them! Ha! Ha bloody ha. One second we’re patrolling “secure” territory, the next there’s a swarm of those infernal metal bugs coming out the ceiling. Julius was first. Two of them right in the eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much screaming. Ralthorne, then Yenir get crunched while we try and make a run for it. Malthus and Jacobson aren’t fast enough. So I toss every bloody frag grenade on my belt at the swarm, and that finally fugging does it, even if it doesn’t leave much left of the lads for them to identify.

And now I’m being investigated by some pompous, head up his arse Munitorum git for “misuse of the Emperor’s Holy Ordinance”. I tell you, the Emperor has a cruel sense of humor sometimes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

++Personal Log, Sanctioned Xenos Twilight Sparkle++

I have work to do.

Author's Note

Ok, so I finished the epilogue a bit early. Have at it.

(Bonus) My Dear Illuminor

++Contents of Hyperscroll Message to Illuminor Szeras++

Most Esteemed Illuminor Szeras,

Working with you in this endeavor has been quite the honor. It is good to see that your skills with upgrading the weaponry of our soldiers have not been oversold – indeed, I feel the stories do not do the reality of your work justice. Our recent joint operation against the equines was phenomenal success; many are the wonders that now reside safely in my collection. A trio of living alicorn psykers, an utterly unique Warp creature called a draconequus, a centaur, a three-headed canis lupus, and many more artifacts and creatures that can be found nowhere else in this galaxy are now safely in my galleries on Solemnace. I trust that you are also happy with the specimens you culled from their population? Their many and varied psychic talents should serve your research purposes most admirably. Your quest to understand the mysteries of life is one step closer to its culmination, thanks to our efforts.

I will confess to being somewhat surprised at your decision to bargain for the honored Phaeron Imotekh’s leadership of the assault. Did you feel our joint forces were inadequate to the task of overwhelming a planet of primitives? Yes, some of them were psykers of some note, but between the two of us we would have had more than sufficient strength to take what we desired from the equines. I request that you bring such doubts to me prior to such additions should we choose to repeat this endeavor in the future. Phaeron Imotekh demanded that the fourth alicorn psyker be let go as part of his price, and I was in no position to object to him. I regrettably cannot complete the Fall of Canterlot set, to my enduring sadness. Alas, I fear my display shall forever be unfinished. Still, I cannot fault the Phaeron’s strategy, nor can I debate his results. We took the planet in 23% less time than my most optimistic projections, and claimed thousands of specimens for our respective purposes.

Meanwhile, I have not forgotten our bargain. Along with this missive you will find an attached package, bearing all the Eldar specimens I captured in stasis at the Fifth Battle of Ynethor IV. Of course, why you chose to ask for all the Eldar captured in stasis at a battle between the Orks and the Imperium of Man is rather a mystery to me. From my limited perspective, I would have felt that the Eldar captured at Fifth Battle of Yethor IV, at which I was actually present, would have been the superior choice. Nonetheless, I am certain you had your reasons. I bid you happy experimentation and I sincerely look forward to our next encounter.

-Trazyn the Infinite

Author's Note

Just a little bonus for all my faithful readers, which should hopefully answer a few of your questions.