Warhammer 40000: Imperial Guardspony

A/N: I have returned, and I am happy to serve you all up some pony and Warhammer silliness once more.

Chapter Nine

The town hall was where they found their quarry. His minions included scores of daemonettes and cultists. With shield spells, powered armor, bolter and magic, their foes fell in great number, the daemonettes included. Their great speed seemed hindered by the unicorns' presence, and their psychological effects on the Space Marines were moot. The sorceror cackled through his tainted, ancient armor as he performed his final ritual, at the same time shielding himself from the combined fire of the squad.

"You... are too late!" the sorceror yelled before teleporting away. The ground shook, and began to open before their very eyes. From this chasm rose a huge frame of chaotic energy. The remaining ponies were frightened, while the Space Marines held their ground, awaiting orders. There was no way to destroy the portal with what weaponry they had, and daemon engines would soon be pouring from the hole in normal space.

"By the Emperor!" the Marine sergeant exclaimed, then held two of his fingers to his comm-bead. "Requesting emergency extraction."

"What do we do now?" Torch asked.

"What we do now, xeno, is leave this place. There is naught we can do to stave off this invasion just now," the sergeant said.

"What about the others? The other ponies?"

"They are already dead, xeno. There was no plan for you to live through this mission, either," he said, plainly.

"Will you kill us?"

"We have no reason to do so. You xenos have shown no quarter to the foes of the Imperium today, and even though you are sent to your deaths, you carry out your duty, like any good servant of the Imperium. You are not our enemy today."

Torch didn't really understand what that meant, but she accepted it. The Marines wouldn't be killing them just for surviving. She was grateful for that. The group retreated through the streets, eventually arriving at their destination, a large courtyard. More cultists and several daemonettes followed them through the streets, and the next few minutes was spent holding them off, waiting for the Thunderhawk to arrive. When it did, the group hastily boarded, and departed for orbit. Through the rear porthole windows, the ponies could see the Kasr's fate; destruction by massive orbital bombardment. The ponies were too tired and shocked to express anything. None of their friends had escaped, but the two ponies that had signed up together, trained together, and three others, were still alive. The five equine survivors of this battle. Those blessed- or cursed- with survival against all odds. Their company was dead. Probably to the last pony and commissar. What was there left for them? The answer was all too simple; revenge was their only desire now. That and to go home.

The spacecraft docked, and the ponies were silent as they were led to a decontamination and debriefing, at which they only spoke when spoken to. They were just too tired. Afterward, without even a medical examination or ever being asked if they were okay, they were put off-duty until something for them to do could be found. Soon after, they were sent to one of the ship's massive munitions bays to load ammunition with their telekinesis. The ponies were having difficulty keeping awake, and their constantly diminishing strength was soon evident to the munitions master, who sent the ponies to get some rest. Ponies were treated slightly differently when compared to a typical guardsman, as per the conditions of the Imperial-Equestrian agreement. Ponies were not subject to summary execution outside of battle unless sabotage or other hostile actions were evident. The munitions master wished them gone and dead, but he'd have to settle for the former.

Torchlight, Blinding Flash, Tin Kettle, and the two ponies they knew now as File Keeper and Zap Apple. When asked about her heritage by Flash, who knew all about Ponyville's founding, she said that she was an anomaly in the family, sometimes even shunned by her kin just for being a unicorn and not an earth pony, claiming she'd never know the 'earth pony way' that they had lived by for generations. She joined up so she could do something her family might be proud of. File Keeper, on the other hand, was a mail clerk in Manehattan who lived a fairly normal life, too normal for his taste. Why he signed up was obvious. However, just like the rest of the remaining five, they did not want to be there. Not anymore. After their meet-and-greets, they all retired to open bunks, hearing the sounds of battle as the Battle Barge fought with the rest of the Imperial fleet.

The Battle Barge was still in orbit fighting when the ponies woke up. The battle had been raging for almost a full day now. Upon waking, they were informed that they were to be transferred, grafted, into yet another unicorn unit stationed on a troop transport that would be arriving shortly. The journey to the transport was perilous, as attack craft strafed the thick armor of the Battle Barge to no avail, and Imperial interceptors were intent on taking them down. With escort, however, the shuttle craft made it through the line to the waiting transport vessel, where they were immediately debriefed and sent to the barracks, their full complement of one hundred having made it here. They were all new arrivals. The Five, as they now called themselves, made small talk only amongst themselves. They didn't want to see more of their friends die, so they concluded not to make any more. It was a time of despair for them, as they were briefed for their next deployment, to a ground war being fought outside of a major city on the surface.

Soon, they found themselves in a landing craft, also filled with around two hundred guardsmen. The hundred and five ponies aboard were separated into units of twenty-one, and not a single one of the Five remained together. Torch and Flash both despaired as their best friend was to be thrust into battle without the other. The others had similar mindsets, and all were dispondent as the craft entered the atmosphere of Cadia, landing to disgorge its cargo of man, material, and pony. It was time for total war.