Prologue -The Mare in the Warp

Planet Canterlot, third planet of the Equis System, capital of the Pony Imperium
Imperial Palace surroundings, near the Adeptus Equustodes barracks

The streets of Canterlot were busy as always. Even this close to the imperial palace, there were still hundreds of thousands of citizens trying to have an audience with the Empress, trying – and more often than not, failing – to get passed the Administratum army of clerks and bureaucrats.

Could be worse, Spike thought, reminiscing about the outskirt of the imperial city. A shiver went through his spine at the thought. A waiting line... becoming an entire town? That’s madness.

He quickly dismissed these concerns and focused on the task at hand. Lady Twilight had summoned him... and he had to pay a visit to a friend. The dragon kept going, trying to organise his thoughts as he was closing on his destination.

The Equustodes quarters were somewhat out of place in the great imperial city. Attached to the palace like a power armour to its warmare, the small functional barracks looked almost bare amidst the exuberant and richly decorated temples and offices. Granted, the golden adamantium walls and statues of heroes of forgotten wars, kneeling before their glorious mistress which delimited the outer court in front of the entrance, were nothing short of ostentatious. Its residents didn’t care much about it however, for those four heavily defended walls marked a ground as sacred as any temple in the galaxy. For these walls housed the chosen children of the Empress, created for and devoted to her service and protection. They were Equustodes, the Empress’ champions and guardmares, they earned it by birthright and the blood spilt on the battlefield. This title and what it encompassed carried more weight than gold and was as holy as any relic, and they were proud of it.

The building had one visible entrance which was guarded by two heavily armed Equustodes at all times, unmoving and threatening, living statues in stature and posture. None could hope to escape their watchful gaze, none could get passed their unwavering attention. If one was lucky enough to be admitted inside, they would be greeted by martial rooms, linked by heavily defended corridors and guarded by eerily similar pairs of golden clad warmares, standing next to every door.

Dozens of the elite warriors lived here. This was their home whenever the Princess didn’t need their services, should it be in the Palace itself or around the expanding Imperium. Every second of their time, save for the few moments they occasionally needed to sleep or eat, were dedicated to making them better, worthier, through extensive martial training, lengthy tactical and strategic discussions or meditation and mental strengthening. Every moment of their life was dedicated to honing their already impressive, gene-crafted martial skills and willpower.

Excellence is not enough when perfection is expected.

Twilight Sparkle believed firmly in those principles, but her interpretation of them was considered by many to be unconventional.

She understood the value of training, she did her share with compliance and enthusiasm, but it was still not enough. Something in her ached for knowledge and she could never resist the urge to consult the immense library, deep under the building, holding some of the most hidden secrets of the Imperium. The time her kin spent bonding and improving their mutual experience, she spent between bookshelves, learning about the early age of the Imperium, about the few secrets of the Warp that she could safely learn, on the entities that reigned on the fringe of the galaxy, or sometimes outside of it.

And that day, the genetically enhanced mare had found the opportunity to do more than one at once.

The book in her hooves was ancient – antediluvian even. Its covers were bare with the exception of the front, decorated with a silver unicorn sigil. Its content was so old most of the information inside would have surely been deemed heretical had it been written this millennium. Yet the data was too valuable for Twilight to dismiss.

What she had between her hooves was an antique and original historical record from the Early Imperium. It was by no means like one of those old Administratum records that hold nothing of real interest. No, this one was an incredibly rare and fascinating exception; an authentic and original report of various conflicts having affected the Canterlot system itself with a heavy emphasis on the Great Heresy and the Nightmare War.

Twilight had a hard time containing her excitement. Military minds of the highest levels had tried to outsmart each other in battles spreading across entire sectors, armies had been used in the most clever ways to achieve victories over the rebels, planets had been sacrificed to ensure the security of other systems...

Even though the report didn’t detail every detail of the fights, it was still enough to give her an accurate view of the conflict and its ramifications. There was definitely a lot to learn from it.

Something, however, had managed to top it all.

The resolution of the war was shrouded in mystery, as there were a limited number of people able to write a detailed and precise recollection of the facts at the time. Twilight knew the legends, she knew the history and she, of course, knew of the parts that were kept hidden from the regular citizens. She knew of the renegade Primare’ch and the war that ensued the Warmistress’s treason, she knew of her fallen sisters and what the darkness of the Immaterium had turned them into. She knew of the secret war the Imperium was waging against Chaos and the heretics and renegades that served it.

What she didn’t know, however, was the exact way the Nightmare War had ended. It was said that in the last days of the Great Heresy, the Warmistress had a deadly fight with the Empress which ended with her victory upon the traitor. Nothing more. This vague account was good enough for the common pony, to keep them hopeful and productive while reminding them the power of the throne, but having faced the force of Chaos first hoof, she suspected it was just part of the necessary propaganda. The Warmistress had been the favoured warmare of the Empress. She had the reputation of a ruthless and careful general who chose her battles carefully and never engaged unless she was sure to win. Surely the final fight had been more complex than that. Now Twilight had the confirmation that her suspicions were right.

This book, however, despite its concise nature, contained great details on the end of the crisis and many of them were quite intriguing. It was stated that the Empress had used a powerful weapon to get rid of the Heretics assaulting the planet, including the Warmistress: the Elements of Harmony. Yet, there was no mention of such a weapon in any books of her knowledge, which, admittedly, covered a lot of books. The fact that such an asset would go forgotten was troubling.

Needless to say, she had been looking for clues about it in hope of finding some answers. As hours piled up she had started to form some good hypotheses. All she needed now was more sources and data to go on.

Steps on the stone floor interrupted her train of thoughts. She did not need to see to whom they belonged; they were clawsteps, not hoofsteps, and that tended to eliminate most other potential visitors – notwithstanding the fact that her superior hearing and eidetic memory could help her identify individuals based on their sole step patterns; but she did it anyway, for negligence was the root of heresy.

As she expected, a small purple and green dragon, wearing the grey and black meditation robe indicative of his serf status, entered the room and took his place next to her. He had an inquisitive look on his face, as he always had when he caught his Lady starting research on a new topic.

“Right on time, Spike,” started the unicorn, returning to the record. “I need you to fetch some books for me...”

“Huh... sure, Lady Twilight,” Spike answered awkwardly. He tiptoed a moment, clearly torn about something. Twilight didn’t notice, nor pay attention, as she was already focused on the document. After few seconds, he finally dared speak. “Shouldn’t we go to Moondancer’s funeral though?"

“Oh, Spike! Don’t be silly!” she dismissed absent-mindedly. “We don’t have time for this sort of thing. Now could you find me a copy of Predictions and Prophecies? And books related to the legend of the Mare in the Warp too.”

“The Mare in the Warp?” he answered, his body almost moving on its own. “But that’s just an imperial guards’ scare story...”

“I do not think so. Not anymore anyway. I have a feeling there’s more to the legend than we were led to believe...”

Spike opened his mouth to retort, then resigned himself with a sigh. There was no talking to Twilight when she was in that mood. The dragon serf quickly disappeared between the shelves.

I’ll see you later, Moon Dancer, he thought with a hint of guilt. It’s not like you’re going anywhere anyway…

☀☀☀

One would think finding the date, or at least a very close approximation, of a previously unknown astronomical event relying only on a few legends and poorly dated historical events would be an impossibly difficult and possibly lifelong task. And in most cases, one would be right. But one would not have access to an imperial library, nor an extensive memory on everything book-related driven by an extraordinary focus.

It only took three days for Twilight to find the answers she was looking for. They were not reassuring.

“Spike?” she called. “Write a message to the Throne. Use my accreditation codes.”

The dragon nodded and took an antique piece of vellum and a quill out of his uniform.

Beloved Empress,

Please forgive my boldness, but my researches in ancient lores, warp magic and historical battles have led me to believe that we’re on the brink of a catastrophe.
If my calculations are correct, the Warmistress and part of her armies that were previously defeated and exiled in the Warp could, and I have very good reason to think that they indeed should, come back in a matter of weeks, if not days.
I humbly suggest that the highest defence protocols should be put in place as quickly as possible.

I eagerly await your orders.
Your faithful Equustode,
Twilight Sparkle.

After a quick check of her serf’s work, she nodded in approval and let him send the letter through his magic.

“Are you sure this is okay?” the dragon asked.

“Of course,” she affirmed with unwavering confidence. “In all my years of service, I’ve never done anything but my best for the Empress. I’ve been her most loyal citizen, guard and student. She knows I wouldn’t send her such a note without reason. She will consider my words.”

She had no sooner finished her sentence than a big, rolled up sealed parchment blurted out of Spike’s mouth in a green flame. A knowing grin drew itself on the mare’s face. The dragon took the letter, and with his Lady’s approval, unsealed it and began its lecture.

TO: EQUUSTODE TWILIGHT SPARKLE
FROM: THRONE OF CANTERLOT

YOUR MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE EMPRESS. AS USUAL, YOUR DILIGENCE AND THOROUGHNESS DOES YOU CREDIT, AND THE EMPRESS GREATLY VALUES THE INFORMATION YOU BROUGHT AND THE EFFORTS NEEDED TO PUT THEM TOGETHER. SHE WILL PONDER UPON IT AND ACT ACCORDINGLY IN TIME.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE TIME YOU SPEND IN THE LIBRARY AND THE TOMES YOU HAVE CONSULTED. YOU ARE ASKED TO RETHINK THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR TIME.

AS A REWARD FOR YOUR DEDICATION NEVERTHELESS, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO CHECK THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEFENCE SYSTEM OF PV-01, IN THE PONYVILLE SYSTEM. MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE EFFICIENT. A LIST OF THE PONIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PLANETARY DEFENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, IN EIGHTEEN HOURS. FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR MISSION, YOU WILL COLLABORATE WITH THEM AND ASSUME A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IF NEED BE.

MAY THE EMPRESS LIGHT ALWAYS BE WITH YOU.
SUCCESS IS COMMEMORATED; FAILURE MERELY REMEMBERED.

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence.

“Well at least she considered your words...” he tried, in a comforting tone.

Twilight only grunted in response.

Author's Note

Chapter's reading by Krickis available here!