Arms of Arceus

The Tyranids that had landed west of Fort Sina numbered in the tens of millions. They had devoured the zombies in droves, the power of the Hivemind and the tyranid’s own incredible immune system preventing their zombification after the death of the first generation. Cadance and Shining Armor had watched the horrifying scene unfold from the fortress gates. Together they had made massive crystal spears to pierce and disable several hive ship tentacles that had attached to the ground, though the spells had been tiring.

Unable to gain a foothold as it battled foes in the void and on the surface of Battleworld, the hive fleet sent a constant stream of transport creatures to deliver warrior strains to the ground. The automatic gun turrets opened fire on enemies who came too close to Fort Sina, though their ammo soon ran dry and the turrets shut themselves off. The Army of Love had no real use for them. They were forgotten in favor of lightning bolts, massive tornados, and volleys of special attacks.

The Orks had come not long after the hive ship assault. Their ramshackle vehicles were laden with guns and missile launchers. They wore black and red armor; their faces painted with strange, mismatched colors. The grunts carried two guns apiece with cybernetic eyes that allowed them to target more easily. They fired bullets and explosives at everything that moved and wasn’t orkey. Each one of their leaders had a flamethrower attached to one arm and rocket launchers attached to their shoulders, all of which they used liberally. The few areas of exposed skin between their armor showed signs of extensive scarring. More of them were landing all across Ashes, and they voiced a single chant as they marched: “Da’ weak’uns iz ded, da Grimmuns iz come.”

Orks and Tyranids clashed with each other as they marched on For Sina. Teams of Gretchin looted what they could off the bodies of the remaining zombies as more undead approached from the south. Lady Rose and Lord Gil had taken up the southern front and built lines of warriors to prevent further incursion into Dallas and Fort Worth. A steady procession of Grimer and Trubbish carried the toxic waste left in the wake of Pestilence and Miasma to the poison-types at Fort Sina. Upon eating it, their toxicity had risen to levels so extreme that even the advancing Tyranids had no defense.

Lord Hal had pulled the northern army back to the fort towns as more chaos ships made landfall. The most worrying was the arrival of two ships that hovered just above the cities. The titanic Great Unclean Ones cheered in glee as they saw the bloated, putrid Nurglite ship descend through the storm clouds. Pestilence and Miasma only watched, unsure if they should be interested or horrified by the bulbous craft. Eventually, they chose to be angry and quickly set about destroying the ground troops as they landed. The titanic greater daemons intervened, and the devastating battle between the four monsters continued.

Cadance and Shining Armor approached the incursion site with caution. In the distance, they could see newly born Grimer rising out of the sludge left by Miasma as she oozed across the land. The bag-like body of Pestilence had been torn in places, revealing organs covered in trash piles where Trubbish busied themselves with fixing the damage done to their parent. They fought off giant plague flies and man-sized roaches that crawled up the Garbodor’s body to try and infest his innards.

Many Trubbish joined the Grimer as they pushed back an ever-increasing army of Nurglings and Plaguebearers. The most powerful of them evolved mid-battle, giving their forces a boost in strength. Weezing, Koffing, Voltorb and Electrode exploded in the midst of their enemies, as nurses in hazmat suits followed behind them with carts full of Max Revives. Ghost-types moved through the festering throng, tearing their plagued enemies to pieces and dodging volleys of explosive phlegm. Thousands of steel-types defended the nursing staff from pustulent mutants, while teams of Mawhile launched fast attacks on convoys of plague carts and rotting daemon engines. The fighting was horrific, but it was only one reason why the prince and princess were cautious.

Across from the plague ship, high in the clouds, sat a pink and purple vessel. It was long and elegant, with eight giant figures decorating its sides and three broadcast towers at its peak, two of which seemed to have been destroyed. The decorations were in the shape of humans, bound, gagged, and dressed in skintight clothing that seemed to writhe over their flesh. They moved their bodies in response to the sensation of their clothes, but made no sound.

The music of Slaanesh came from the vehicles, and soldiers that served the chaos god. Each one carried an amplifier on either their backs or shoulders. The humans had their load surgically implanted, and wires dragged behind them as they marched into battle. The amplifiers pumped the air with a dark, melodic, driving rhythm. The mutants wore earphones through which they listened to the music directly, their eyes glazed over in ecstasy. Cadance was just glad that what she and her army could hear wasn’t quite loud enough to be earsplitting.

A powerfully sweet perfume wafted through the air. Cadance gagged at the odor, while Shining Armor put the facemask of his helmet down. With five hundred crystal guard ponies at their backs, the prince and princess watched as the door of an elaborately colored troop transport opened and a serpentine figure slithered out. It wore dark purple armor with gold embossed on the chest plate, and golden wings covering the hilts of the four swords it carried. Two immaculate, dark wings stuck out of its back. Its arms moved with a beautiful, lupine grace that spoke of a mastery of killing beyond mortal comprehension. Most of all, the prince and princess felt an aura of unbridled pride emanating from the daemon.

“I am Fulgrim,” the Daemon Prince said, his voice beautiful and enticing. “I’ve come for your magic. Give it willingly, and Slaanesh will reward you with pleasures beyond your wildest dreams.”

“Your ‘pleasures’ make me sick,” Shining Armor said as he looked out at the enemy troops. They celebrated as they marched in step with the music that blared in their ears. They drank strange liquids from colorful hip flasks, smoked cigars that smelled of spice and burning flesh, and snorted blood colored powders. Most of them were half naked, their bodies scarred by self-inflicted wounds. Others wounded themselves as they walked, moaning in pleasure as their leaders began the call to war.

“Don’t you have any decency?” Cadance asked, as she watched the repulsive horde. Visions and warnings ran through her head as she spoke. She looked from her husband to the daemon prince, and the couple quickly formed their strategy through the psychic link.

“There is no pleasure in ‘decency’,” Fulgrim said as he twirled his swords through the air. They made a sickeningly bright purple arc as his mutated Phoenix Guards raised their guns. “Do you accept? Or shall I have the pleasure of killing you?”

“I think you’d be better off getting back on your ship and leaving,” Cadance said. More obscene creatures and garishly decorated vehicles were being unloaded every second. Lord Son and his fire-types were already gathering close by as they prepared to face the chaotic horde. The crystal pony guards stood bravely to attention behind their leaders.

“My brothers are in orbit, fighting one another. The orks are looting the wreckage of whatever is left up there, and they’re beginning to come down here to do the same. You have no way out, little creatures. It would be easier, and much more desirable for you if you cooperated. Trust me. Once you’ve seen my god, you will fall deeply in love with all his ways.”

“I know a thing or two about love, and you clearly don’t. True love is a beautiful thing. It takes sacrifice and courage, and sometimes it isn’t returned as expected. But when true love is found, and reciprocated, it always leads to joy.”

“Joy can only be found in excess,” Fulgrim said, condescendingly. “That is its true nature. For it is easy to lose ‘love’ to war, disease, and selfish moments of impulse. But love of excess is undying. You must realize that selfish moments drive all life forward. My father is a perfect example. He thought himself a man when it fancied him, and he ordered that all others think of him as such. Yet he behaved like a god, and deep in their hearts, humanity worshiped him because they knew he was one. He indulged himself in this doublethink every day of his life, enjoying the moral superiority he felt from his false humility alongside the excesses of his position. Are you willing to claim that you are better than he?”

“I don’t know your father, so I can’t really speak to your question. I feel like you don’t really know his side of the story, though. To truly love, we must sometimes sacrifice that which we desire. We must sometimes sacrifice our own pride to gain a greater understanding of those we care for. We must always be humble and willing to learn. If you could make that sacrifice for your father and speak to him, I’m willing to bet you’d learn about a few sacrifices he’s made for you.”

Fulgrim’s eyes narrowed in scorn at Cadance’s words. Then he brandished his swords and charged.

“I think we’re done talking now,” Shining Armor said as he lifted the ground beneath the Primarch and threw him backward. Fulgrim regained his balance and continued his charge with natural grace and unbelievable speed.

The Emperor’s Children opened fire as their Primarch lunged for the ponies. Their attack had barely begun when crystals erupted from the ground beneath them and impaled them where they stood. Cadance was quick and precise, making their deaths as painless as possible. Under orders from their monarchs, the crystal ponies stood to attention and waited.
Fulgrim’s swords collided with Shining Armor’s shield spell. The psychic energy of the Chaos blessed blades crackled against the prince’s unicorn magic.

“I can see the anger and hatred in your eyes,” Shining Armor said as he looked up at the Daemon Prince. “I don’t think anything I can say will reach you.”

“There is nothing to reach!” Fulgrim shouted. “I am the most powerful of Slaanesh’s servants! I am a Daemon Prince the likes of which has never existed, and never will again! I am perfection incarnate!”

“You’re a raging psychopath,” Cadance said, giving up on trying to reason with the monster. Fulgrim swung his swords and she blocked them with a shield of crystal. “You’ve indulged yourself in the most evil things imaginable for who knows how long!”

“Ten thousand years!” Fulgrim yelled as all four of his blades collided with Cadance’s shield. The second strike shattered it, and Cadance teleported herself and her husband several meters away. The Primarch charged the couple, covering distance and dodging crystal spikes with lightning speed. Shining Armor caught Fulgrim in the chest with a blast of magic, destroying part of his chest plate. Still the daemon prince came, a look of sadistic delight on his face as his swords collided once more with Shining Armor’s shield spell.

Cadance took to the sky, her wings now covered in crystal spikes as she swooped down on Fulgrim. Between the efforts of both ponies, they pushed the daemon prince back. The Slaaneshi army rolled forward at a call that went out through their headphones, and the Pokémon quickly followed suit.

“Charge!” Son roared. The enormous Darmanitan charged down the hillside, his fire-types creating an inferno out before them as they ran. Sasha joined them, her dark-types shattering the psychic forms of daemons with ease. Groups of rolling Miltank and Snorlax made first contact, their Barriers and Light Screens protecting them from the worst of the enemy’s weapons. Harmony stood atop her mate’s shoulder, healing her allies at a frenzied rate as Roll led thousands of normal-types against the Army of Slaanesh. Below the mutant’s feet rose an overwhelming host of ghost-types that paved the way forward, allowing the other Pokémon to advance steadily and with fewer injuries.

The crystal ponies formed a large, protective circle around their monarch’s battle. Though they struck down foes that came too close, the forces of Slaanesh showed no desire to interfere. The unicorns took advantage of this, tripping dangerous foes from a distance to allow the Pokémon to take them out more easily.

“We’ve still got this, right honey?” Shining Armor asked as he was forced backward by Fulgrim’s incredible blade work. His shield shattered and he was forced to dodge what would have been a killing stroke. He looked up just in time to see two Lords of Change descend on his wife and pin her to the ground from behind. The single-headed daemon raised his halberd to cut the princess’s wing. Without a second thought Shining Armor charged the daemons, blasting the creatures as he went.

They dodged the blasts so easily the prince figured they must have seen them coming. Fateweaver raised one claw and launched a ball of chaotic energy at Shining Armor, forcing the prince to block it. The explosion echoed across the battlefield. Cadance teleported away from her attackers and raised a number of spikes from the ground beneath them. The Lords of Change dodged these, as well. Destiny Slayer laughed as he rose into the air. Beneath them, Shining Armor was dodging Fulgrim’s strikes once more. Every shield he made was shattered, every attack he dodged seemed slowed, and every attack that landed was non-fatal. The daemon prince was allowing him to live just long enough to savor his fear.

“We can see your every move!” Fateweaver’s heads yelled in unison. Purple flames lit up his palms, burning the air and warping space-time around him. “We knew you would escape the paradox, just as we knew you would be weak here. Our god sends us the knowledge we need to take you captive. You will be ours!”

“You know,” Princess Cadance said as she raised four rotating crystal shields around herself. “You’re not the only ones who can see the future, and your god is a bit out of his element here.”

Fateweaver threw the flames he held. They exploded harmlessly against Cadance’s shields. Destinyslayer appeared above the princess, his halberd raised. Cadance extended her crystal shields to surround her. The halberd collided with the shield and shattered. A moment of shock crossed the greater daemon’s face before he was gripped by Cadance’s telekinetic magic and thrown backward to crash into his cohort.
Below the Lords of Change stood Fulgrim, licking his lips as he prepared to make the killing stroke. Shining Armor panted, several Slaaneshi symbols cut into his armor with perfect precision. He removed his armor and threw it aside in disgust. With a cry of victory, Fulgrim lunged for the prince only to hit an invisible wall.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed by now,” Shining Armor said with a sly smile. “But we’re pretty good with shields.”

“Impossible!” Destinyslayer yelled as he tried to teleport outside of the shield and failed. “We are empowered by Tzeentch!”

“And we are empowered by love,” Cadance said. With a single nod, her horn lit with magic and the shield her husband had made was filled with crystal spikes. The daemons screamed inside their prison as Cadance came to land beside Shining Armor. One of Fulgrim’s bloody hands flexed madly against the shield, unable to do anything else. After two agonizing minutes, it stopped.

“They’re dead, majesties,” Lord Hal said through the psychic link. “They can return, but not immediately. Their souls have gone back to their own domains. Let us be grateful that the will of Arceus keeps the fullness of Chaos back, for the moment.”

“I’m just grateful to your psychic-types for helping us win that fight,” Shining Armor said. “We couldn’t have done that without their predictions. How goes the battle?”

“All fronts are contained. Rose and Gil are slowly pulling back while launching fast assaults behind a wall of ghost-types. The orks are more interested in the Tyranids than anything. The Tyranids desperately want to reach our forces, but the orks keep them from engaging us in any significant number. Some of the more powerful zombies are wreaking havoc on both sides, as well. Rose and Gil are happy to allow it. They have yet to take a casualty.”

“And how are your troops?” Cadance asked. “I hope all of you are doing well.”

“We are, majesty,” Lord Ra said, a note of satisfaction in his deep, commanding voice. “Just as it is in the south, my ghost-types have taken the brunt of the enemy’s wrath. Many have returned to their graves, but the living have not followed. It would also appear that the two closest ships belong to rival gods. Once we realized this, it was easy to confuse their troops into fighting one another. We confused many of the weaker warriors into attacking the other faction first. Now, their leaders struggle against their own hatred for their rivals as they try and martial their troops against us. The third army that arrived saw the bloodshed and promptly forgot about us. The infighting between the chaos hosts has proven to be their greatest weakness.”

“You and your ghost-types have our thanks, Lord Ra,” Shining Armor said. “You’ve taken losses for us, and saved many lives in the process.”

“At the very least, the combined might of our species, the tactics we have deployed and the information we gained on Octaria have proven invaluable in these battles. Death is not a concern for ghost-types. We were held back on Octaria and couldn’t contribute properly. Many joined our ranks as a result. Only a handful have done so on Battleworld.”

“What of your wife?” Princess Cadance asked. “How is Sakura doing?”

“I am fine, princess,” Sakura said through the psychic link. “Thank you for asking. I am happy to announce that my fellow Froslass and I have frozen many foes to death. Many bodies have been stripped of their souls, and even more have been slain through other means. The best specimens are being moved to a more secure place for transport back to God’s Breath. They will make wonderful decorations. How does your own battle go? Do the daemons run now that they have lost their betters?”

“Yes, they’re running scared now,” Cadance said as she leaned against her husband and smiled. Pestilence and Miasma were wading through the remains of the Great Unclean Ones they had slain. They laughed as they threw the rotting pieces of their foes at the plague ships. The plague army showed no signs of fear as they continued their march, but there was no doubt about it. They were being quickly routed.

Several Keepers of Secrets marched with the Slaaneshi army, the threat of their presence driving their soldiers forward. Even so, the Slaaneshi forces were weakened and disheartened at the loss of Fulgrim. The only soldiers that seemed eager to fight were those whipped into a frenzy by the Keepers to avenge their fallen daemon prince.

Mutants and daemons clashed with the Crystal Guard now, though the ponies were eager to meet them. Empowered by the waves of love and light emanating from the prince and princess, they tore the enemy apart with hoof, wing, and horn. In the sky above the battle, four legendary Pokémon soared. Rom and Rem lit up the night sky with celebratory lightning and fire as the newly freed Ho-oh and Lugia rained destruction down on the forces of Chaos.

Rainbow Dash darted down to attack Primal Groudon, her Doublade slicing at its red collar as she soared overhead. Behind her flew Shiek, her Flygon. On either side of Shiek flew her two Charizard, Char and Scorch. They followed Rainbow Dash loyally, zooming all around their friend to beat away enemy flyers that came too close. For the last two hours, the orks and tyranids had been sending stronger troops. Greenskins with jetpacks and machine gun mounted flamethrowers fought groups of flying-types and pegasus ponies in the sky. Landing parties of def dreads and battle carts launched strange explosives into the quarantine line, covering the defenders with burning liquid in the few places where Protect failed. Fluttershy and the other nurses continuously ran back and forth, healing all they could reach with potions and powers.

The Tyranids launched troops of larger, more agile warriors and tens of thousands of gargoyles. Most were thrown into the army of hulks before they landed, where they could be dealt with away from the quarantine circle. Some managed to land in the midst of the formation, or behind it. The more dangerous creatures were stopped by groups of Mr. Mime that created invisible boxes around them. Led by Pinkie Pie, the Mr. Mime were busy sealing off the Tyranid organisms as fast as they could. Some Tyranids seemed to mutate on the spot, developing wings that broke through their thick shells and gun creatures that evolved out of gaps between their armor. Rainbow Dash abandoned the fight with Primal Groudon to help deal with these new abominations.

The first two Tyrant Guards that took to the sky did so to protect their leader. They lashed out at anything nearby, choosing the greatest threats first. Several large Braviary fell to their claws, and were immediately grabbed and carried off by a team of Chansey. Char and Scorch set the beasts on fire from a safe distance. The Tyrant Guard only screamed and lashed out more violently as their shells began to melt. The Hive Tyrant they were assigned to protect opened fire with its two arm canons as it rose into the air. The attacks hit a Protect cast by a nearby Mandibuzz that covered Rainbow Dash and her friends. The second Protect failed, and the Mandibuzz was struck by one of the plasma blasts.

Screaming in anger as the Pokémon fell from the sky, Rainbow Dash launched herself at the Hive Tyrant. The Hive Guard flew to engage her. Uncaring of their injuries they raised their claws to tear her apart. Shiek’s Earth Power tore open the melting shell of the Guard on Rainbow’s right. Char followed up with a Dragon Claw aimed at the newly formed hole, and the Tyrant Guard perished. Scorch landed atop the second Guard’s back and blew fire in its face as he pulled it away from Rainbow Dash. Nodding her gratitude, the pegasus pony met with the Hive Tyrant in close quarters.

She dodged point blank fire from the gun creatures on the Tyrant’s arms while her Doublade clashed with the monster’s boneswords. The first cut she landed was to its torso, and it screamed in pain as it backed away. It wasn’t a normal scream, however. Filled with the psychic might of the Hive Mind, the Tyrant’s scream revived its slain guard and sent its other guard into a frenzy. Their injuries were beyond repair, but their bodies oozed strange liquids that instantly scabbed over their wounds. The Mr. Mimes on the ground used Psychic to pull the creatures down while several earth ponies launched ice arrows into their mouths. By the time they reached the ground they were frozen, though their eyes still glared from one target to the next as they worked to free themselves. Lord Chompy put an end to that, crushing their heads as he and his Dragonite moved along the line to systematically destroy the monsters that had broken through.

The ground shook as dozens of massive cocoons crashed onto the battlefield. The psychic protections around the cocoons were too powerful for their trajectory to be controlled by the ground forces. The cocoons unraveled to reveal Hierophants and Dominatrix bio-titans. Slightly smaller cocoons opened to unleash Dactylis bio-titans, who began launching spore mines all across the battlefield. Harridans screamed through the sky as they led millions of Gargoyles into battle. The hulks retaliated with spears and arrows. Some took hold of unhached cocoons and threw them at the newly arriving monsters. Some leapt into the air and cut their enemies apart with crude axes. Since the start of the battle, they had been successful in drawing the majority of the fighting away from the quarantine line. It kept injuries down to a minimum, and relieved the nursing staff from what could have been a far more desperate situation. Rainbow Dash smiled as she watched the Tyranids and Orks continue to focus on the hulks.

“What now?” Pinkie Pie asked as she looked up at the Dominatrix that had landed behind the quarantine line. The beast opened fire on everything around it, its projectiles only blocked by the shields conjured by the inner line. Rainbow Dash looked around desperately, hoping that the shades would come and take some heat off of her friends. That’s when she realized that the Forces of Destruction had abandoned the battlefield. Only the enslaved legends remained.

“We have to stop those giants!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she zoomed through the air. A Harridan blocked her path, its bio-canons firing at high speed. A Swellow flew just above Rainbow Dash’s head and cast a Protect over the pony and her three guardians. The canon fire exploded harmlessly against the shield. The bio-titan launched its young, but they were immediately engaged by two-dozen flying-types led by Lady Potpourri. Several dozen unicorns on the ground below grabbed the titan as it prepared another volley. Together, they threw the massive abomination into the head of the nearby Dominatrix.

The beasts roared in anger as they righted themselves. The Dominatrix raised a massive claw and brought it down to crush the ponies. The unicorns were able to escape, but they were forced to the ground in coughing fits as they inhaled the spores released from the titan’s body. More unicorns came to their aid, desperately trying to heal their friends with spells and potions. The titan raised its foot once more, but it and its foot were dragged backward.

Twilight Sparkle stood atop Kalith’s head as the titanic Steelix wrapped itself around the bio-titan. In the Steelix’s mouth was a piece of dull, red metal. His parents held similar pieces of metal as well.

“Don’t worry, girls,” Twilight Sparkle said as she flew off the Pokémon’s head and landed on the ground. “We just made a new friend.”
Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack emerged from the inner line. They had abandoned their tasks to join their friends, and the Spirits of Harmony were reunited. The ponies glowed with the light of friendship and their Rainbow Powers activated. Their Pokémon guardians were empowered by their bonds of friendship, and those who could Mega Evolve did so. The light was beautiful, and the nearby combatants cheered in appreciation.
“I knew that enchantment was worthwhile!” Rarity said as she looked around at the armor her friends wore. Each rung of mail now glowed with a soft light that matched the color of the wearer.

“Wow!” Fluttershy said. “It’s so pretty!”

“What does this enchantment do?” Rainbow Dash said as she marveled at the light.

“It makes us more beautiful, of course,” Rarity said as her two Klefki flew about her head excitedly. “You’ll notice that all of our cutie marks are shaped into the mail and formed into the pattern. They glow just a little bit brighter than the other rings when our Rainbow Power is active. This way, wherever you go in this, your friends are there with you in spirit.”

“I’d noticed that,” Fluttershy said, appreciatively. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

“What are the battle conditions?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “I’ve been a bit busy.”

“Despite the monsters pushin’ our lines the majority are still outside of ‘em fightin’ hulks,” Applejack said. “We’ve got groups on Confuse Ray and Supersonic duty, and it looks like the unicorns are finally takin’ control of the weather.”

“Groudon is letting up a bit on his ability,” Rainbow Dash said as a magical, obscuring mist began to roll through the battlefield. It sought out the enemy and began freezing their feet in place, causing them to fall and making them easy targets. “Between Spitfire and Fancypants leading the weather changes, we should be able to disorient our foes long enough to find a way out of this mess.”

“Our casualty rate is incredibly low, too,” Fluttershy said. “I hate to think that we’d lose anyone, and since the reorganization, we haven’t. Thanks to the nursing staff and the battlefield predictions of the psychic-types, everyone is either avoiding damage, or getting healed up almost as quickly as they get injured. The worst cases have been taken to the nursing tents in the back for treatment.”

“Dorris and Harmony really have outdone themselves,” Rarity said. “They’ve pushed their teams to their limits, and it shows. Between them, and all of the healers from Equestria, our army is in good hooves. It also helps that the other factions are all fighting one another. By staying in our formations and not playing offense, we’re the lesser threat. That makes us easily overlooked.”

“I’ve already got our victory party planned out in my head,” Pinkie Pie said, cheerfully. “What do we do now, though?”

“We flood the battlefield with friendship!” Twilight Sparkle said as she spread her wings and took to the sky. The others eagerly voiced their agreement. With laughter and singing, they split into pairs and took to the field.

Kalith crushed the Dominatrix in his grip, shattering the creature’s armor and strangling it. The bio-titan screamed in pain as it struggled to break free. Nostril appendages grew from its back to try and give it air. Hierophant titans landed at its sides to defend it, only to be grabbed and restricted by Sesha and Serea. The Mega Steelix roared in victory as they crushed their foes. In the distance, Ork Gargants were making landfall as well. They had only their shields to protect them as they fell through the atmosphere, though that seemed to be enough. They crashed to the ground all across the battlefield, their ramshackle construction shaking and rattling as they landed. The Orks cried in joy and excitement as they opened fire, uncaring of their method of arrival, only that they had a fight on their hands.

The Pokémon had predicted this, and Protects were used to guard against the assault. Primal Groudon, newly freed from Dark Arceus’ control, used Precipice Blades to cover the quarantine line and separate the Army of Harmony from the battle. Then, with a cry of fury, it charged a large Gargant that had landed behind the formation. Its war cry followed the six friends as they soared through the sky to assist and reinvigorate their army.

Rarity smiled in spite of the horrid battle raging around them. With her Rainbow Power active she could fly alongside her beautiful Mega Altaria. They glided low to the ground, singing joyfully as they approached the mountain peak. Pinkie Pie flew next to them, laughing and giggling as her Mega Lopunny easily kept pace. The Forces of Harmony were engaged in a desperate battle here. Chaotic mutants and daemons riding brutal war beasts were chasing down unicorns and psychic-types that exchanged fire behind the scrap metal of broken ork vehicles. With the shades gone, the pegasus ponies and flying-types could focus on aiding the ground troops, but they were injured and tired. Their movements were slowed, and their strength had been sapped by hours of combat. This changed upon the arrival of Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Their presence was healing. The Rainbow Magic that they exuded gave strength to their allies, allowing them to fight harder despite the ever-increasing numbers charging out of cramped troop carriers. Several sorcerers fired globs of viscous disease at the friends. The attacks exploded against the aura of their Rainbow Power, transforming into harmless ash that blew away in the wind. Rarity only glanced at the sorcerers. With a grin, she hit them with a beam of magic that turned their wet, diseased clothes into clean and immaculate suits. With another spell, she transformed their bodies to reflect their clothes. The sorcerers screamed their disgust before being dragged down by their allies.

“That didn’t quite go as planned,” Rarity said with a grimace. “I’d hoped to show them that they could be more caring about their health and appearance. Yet they thought my changes disgusting before they… before they died.”

“You can change their looks, but I don’t think you can change their minds and hearts,” Pinkie Pie said as she watched the mutants rise from their victims and begin firing at her. The lasgun shots collided with the rainbow aura that extended past her armor. With each shot that hit, a different colored balloon was created and released into the atmosphere. Rarity was shot at, as well, and each time her shield was hit a brilliantly colored diamond appeared nearby. The ponies turned to look for their friends as their Pokémon guards forced the mutants back.

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy were flying in circles above the quarantine line, stars and butterflies showering the air each time they were hit by an enemy attack. Rainbow Dash and Applejack flew through the air toward Dystopia, apples and rainbows trailing behind them. Pokémon and ponies alike cheered as the battle suddenly became a bit less grim. None of the other factions seemed impressed, however.

“The hulks are all frowning, now,” Pinkie Pie said. “But I think it’s pretty!”

“Don’t mind them, darling,” Rarity said. “They clearly have no taste.”

“No taste at all!” Shirley said. The Mega Lopunny lifted her foot from the broken body of an ogryn berserker and smiled up at her friends. “They don’t matter, though. Look! You’ve given Lady Lorna and Dorian their strength back!”

The three looked up at the sky to see the wind around Mega Rayquaza die down. Lorna and Dorian held different ends of their opponent’s neck. They suddenly released their hold and flew a few feet away from Rayquaza. Pieces of the legend’s red collar fell to the ground and the Pokémon roared its newfound freedom. Another call rose from the sea of Dystopia as Lord Bartholomew and Gyara freed Primal Kyogre. With the Forces of Destruction gone, the ice-types had been given the chance to create a thick wall that kept out the battle in the greater part of Dystopia. Orks, Tyranids, and daemons still landed in their midst, but their numbers were far fewer than they had been.

“That’s it!” Twilight Sparkle said over the psychic link. “We’re done! Mission accomplished! Fall back to Equestria!”

“That’s easier said than done, your majesty,” Dorris said. “I just received word that the daemons somehow used the portals we came through to manifest in Equestria. They’ve got footholds in God’s Breath and the uninhabited land below Canterlot. Our forces there have taken losses, but they have the problem contained. However, moving the army back could allow for another incursion.”

“Then what do we do?” Fluttershy said.

“Make more pretty things!” Chompy yelled happily. “They hate that!”

“Pretty things it is!” Rarity said as she began turning the mutants around her into brighter, more cheerful looking versions of themselves. The change was only aesthetic, and the mutants moaned in disgust. Pinkie Pie began jumping from place to place. A sparkling pink streak was left in her wake as her Mega Lopunny crushed the monsters in her path. Pinkie cared only for cheering on her friends now, leaving the fighting to everyone else. Her Doublade moved of their own accord, cutting down everything that got close to her. Mega Rayquaza soared up in the sky and began tearing apart every enemy craft that came through the clouds. Precipice Blades and Origin Beams tore enemy titans to shreds as they landed. The armies entered into strong defensive formations as the sky was filled with rainbows.

“Those things are huge!” Vincent said as he stared at the chaos ships hovering over the golden chain. The Victini’s mere presence had granted unbridled confidence to his allies, and his cheering had given them the strength to overcome many powerful foes along the way. Though, for the most part, the enemy was too busy fighting amongst themselves to care for the army on the golden chain.

“They’re repurposed moons,” Luna said as she flew above her army, directing her unicorns in the creation of massive bolts of lightning and mist to hide their presence. Hundreds of battle cruisers and battle ships still littered the void around them, engulfed in the dream clouds and the storms the ponies had created. Amplified by numbers and led by the masterful princess, the ponies were able to create lightning bolts powerful enough to disable void shields and cripple enemy ships.

“They look terrible,” Dain said as she walked diligently behind the princess. She used Heal Pulse with each step, and effortlessly shot down nearby flyers with Moonblasts. “Are those volcanoes of pus?”

“And other diseases we’re best to steer clear of,” Master Thomas said as his many spoons tipped in the direction of his targets like the keys of a typewriter. “I predict nothing good if we come into contact with them. Unfortunately, our goal is directly beneath them.”

“Where the golden chain changes colors,” Master Trickster said. His grin had grown more sadistic with each new wave of foes. His methods of killing them, and the joy he felt in doing so, seemed endless. “I think we’re about a mile off, aren’t we?”

“Yes, dear,” Mistress Ann said. The Mega Bannett poked more holes in her own body with each passing moment. She and her sister laughed as the nearby mutants cried in pain. “We are a mile off from reaching the horizon of the first set of ships. The one with bloody rivers and the one with towers made of writhing flesh are the closest, I believe.”

“I’m glad I don’t live in their universe,” Luna said with a grimace.

“Indeed,” Mistress Lynn said. “They have no tact. Wade thinks so too. Gruesomeness is better when it’s implied. Visual representation should be kept for special occasions.”

“I’d rather avoid gruesomeness if I can help it, especially as it relates to what we’re seeing now. We’re lucky that these monsters have a long history of hating each other. They are more powerful and more violent than the creatures we faced on Octaria, but they are much less focused on our destruction. Watching them kill each other is bound to cause nightmares, though.”

“We’ll get the Beheeyem to remove all the bad memories later, majesty,” Master Thomas said, sagely. “Their skills are bleach for the brain. For now, how do you propose we deal with these repurposed moons?”

“We walk under them and hope they ignore us,” Luna said as she cast another lightning bolt that shot down an Ork deffkopta. “If they attack, I’ll use them for a game of marbles and see if I win.”

“I think I see two large humans fighting atop one of those blood drenched mountains,” Dain said. “Do you see them, majesty?”

“Yes. One has a hammer and the other, an axe. What of them?”

“Well, the one with the hammer, and those dressed like him, don’t seem to be evil in nature. Are you sure you shouldn’t wait for that game?”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Luna said, impatiently. “We’ve all got warm beds waiting for us, and this mess is growing tiresome. I can’t believe these creatures have really been at it for over ten thousand years.”

“That’s what those nurse-like humans said,” Mistress Lynn added. “They were nice.”

“They tried to kill us for being psychic,” Master Thomas said, angrily.

“I’m going to cut the chain, now,” Luna said as her army approached the drastic color change that marked the point of daemonic control.

“Do I look like a witch to you, princess?”

“Are you really letting that woman’s words get to you? They were rather hateful…”

“Just answer the question, please.”

“Have you ever turned anyone into a newt?”

“I turned a young boy into a Kadabra once. It’s a joke we Alakazam play on humans from time to time…”

“You turned a human child into a Pokémon?”

“He got better.”

“Majesty, there are giant arms reaching out of the void over there,” said Mistress Racilla. The majestic Cressalia watched in horror as six pairs of glowing appendages reached out of the Immaterium toward the army on the chain. “I get the feeling they don’t want a hug. At least, I’m pretty sure they don’t, and if they do it can’t be good.”

“Did anyone see that coming?” Princess Luna said as she counted the arms.

“I did,” Master Thomas said. “I knew they’d come out if we got close enough. They whispered it in my mind.”

“I truly hope you aren’t corrupted.”

“He’s always had a screw loose, princess,” Mistress Racilla said. “It gets worse when he’s around other types of crazy, though. Oh, look. The hands are inviting us forward now. They do want a hug. That’s not terrible at all!”

Four of the arms were human shaped, and one pair was shaped like the clawed hands of a Tyranid warrior. They stopped at a point, seemingly unable to move far enough to reach the moon ships. At that moment, every piece of ordinance that could target the army did so. The army huddled close as shields were cast and recast every second. Luna took hold of the moons with her magic, and with monumental effort, she threw them into the outstretched hands. They were batted away like garbage to fall into the warp. The hands continued their struggle to reach the chain.
The low, guttural laughter of Orks rumbled through the void as time seemed to slow down. Luna saw two more pairs of hands, humanoid and green, reach through the Immateriam to grab at the group. All of the hands seemed to glow with some sort of electric force, and with each attempt to reach further down the chain, the electric force intensified. The gods were being held back by something, but it wasn’t enough. The hands curled their fingers and beckoned. The border marker on the chain changed position, moving just under the waiting appendages. With no choice given to them, the army moved forward.

The hands reached down as they approached. Luna drew upon the power of the dreams that surrounded her, and felt the Unown respond. They released their hold on the Dream World, and Luna was filled with more dream energy than she had felt since she had been one with the Nightmare. As the gods of the warp reached greedily for her army, she willed her Tantabus to form into the shape of eight pairs of enormous dragon claws that rose out of her back.

She grappled with the hands as the force that held them increased its power. She knew trying to beat them was hopeless, but she put her all into holding them off as countless enemies swarmed her army from out of the void. She felt her sword fall from her back, and she barely managed to catch it in time. Holding it with her magic, she unsheathed the blade and cast it down at the golden chain with all her might. The void shifted as the chain was cut, and a bright light filled her vision as four separate realities were reset.