“Ex historius damnatur qui non referre, Caelastia.”
- attributed to a ‘Captain Dragen’. No Royal Guard Captain with that name recorded.
In Silver Clad
Harbinger
Many, many years ago, Before the tyranny of Sombra, the chaotic rule of Discord, the rebellion of Nightmare Moon and the thousand year reign of Celestia, a great evil was fought across Equestria.
A group of evil stallions, led by a great demon rampaged across the lands, venturing forth from the artic north of Equestria. The group of strange stallions corrupted many Equestrians and others to their cause, and leaving many more casualties in their evil wake. Despite the valiant actions by the High King and the Royal Guard, including the heroic, selfless sacrifice made by Queen Theia, many ponies fell before the corrupted ponies that had given their loyalty to the demon.
At the moment all seemed lost during a battle in the rolling lowlands, something intervened to aid the Equestrians.
No one knew who or what had entered the fray, but at the battles end, the corrupted unicorn leading those that fought against their king for the demon, was found with a strange tattered seal stuck to its body, the words ‘Mortem tuam est redempos.’ written upon it.
High-King Hyperion walked amongst the survivors of the battle, both friend and foe, searching for anyone to give the identity of whomever had saved them. His answer came from the standard bearer of the guard, who spoke of their ‘Silver Saviours.”
Possessing a power unlike any other, a group of giant armoured stallions redeemed those corrupted, lifting the veil of lies the demon had pulled over their eyes, but the ponies that stood their ground at demons side, and those possessed and horribly mutated, were put to the fearsome blades of the knights weaponry in punishment for turning their backs on those that had protected them, no exceptions were made.
When asked of the groups whereabouts, Hyperion received no answer to help him. It was as if the knights had vanished into the mists from whence they came.
More reports and sightings happened soon after, all ending the same way. The attacking force was decimated, but the knights nowhere to be found.
In the end of the dark times, while hardly seen through out most of the battles, the demon itself and its cohorts attacked a small, remote mountain side community known as Canterlot. During the battle, the son and two daughters of Hyperion, who had been sent to the mountain town for safety, where confronted by the demon. Untempted by the demon’s words, the siblings attempted to stand there ground against the monster. The demon was driven off by the Royal Guard, but not before two seeds of greed and bitterness were planted in the hearts of the Prince and youngest Princess.
In the battles final moments as an act of desperation, the foul demon tried to harm the two young princesses. Once more, the brave group of knights entered the fray. This time revealing themselves to all. Eight knights, their eyes blazing with white light and with each wearing a spiked halo of light about their heads, decimated those besieging Canterlot. The Captain of the knights saved the young fillies, but was struck low by the cowardly demon, until the High King leapt into the battle to protect the stallion that had saved his daughters.
Sadly, the King was unable to match the dark power of the demon and was mortally wounded.
His sacrifice however, was enough for the Knights to gather their strength and as one, unleashed a mighty blast of psychic power, striking the demon from the top of Canterlot. Just as before at the battles end, the knights mysteriously vanished, leaving only the ’Legend of the Silver Stallions’ in their mysterious wake.
The demon, seemingly abandoned by its cohorts was found barely alive at the lowest level of Canterlot.
Hyperion, the last High King of Equestria, used his magic to send the demon into a great sleep, frozen in time unless the counter-spell was cast and its name was spoken aloud to waken it. While speaking the name aloud would not have any effect, to enforce the order and in an attempt to wipe those dark moments from Equestrian history, the name of the demon was stricken from any record before the spell was cast. Soon after this final order to the kingdom, King Hyperion succumbed to his wounds. The Kingdom was divided in two, the brother being eldest, established his kingdom in the artic north to guard Equestria against any more attackers from beyond the northern border, while the sisters made their home in the Everfree Forest Castle.
As time passed, the time of peril was forgotten and passed into legend, until Princess Celestia and Luna were the only ponies in the Equestria that could still say they bore witness to the true horrors of the dark time, and the only two that knew some legends are true.
The followers the demon had brought with it from their world, vanished into the land, fearing the wrath of the Equestrians. No one know what became of them.
As for the Knights, no trace was ever found where they went or made their camp. Stories began to fill the history of Equestria, strange stories of invading armies turning back in fear at the borders, attempted rebellions crushed at their source before any momentum could be gained. One well respected noble, who had sought to overthrow the Princesses and become the President of Equestria, came before the Princesses, begging to be thrown in the dungeons before ‘they’ found him. Even the Royal Guard ponies and Equestrian military gave reports of isolated groups being saved by a pair of armored stallions, wielding a powerful form of magic despite not being unicorns. One report even stated eight of the powerful stallions had fought together, decimating an army from the eastern land of Tiger-Lam.
All the stories had one thing linking them all; all the mysterious stallions wore silver armor.
===
Princess Celestia Solaris had never believed in monsters.
She always knew they were just made up in stories her father told her to cheer her and Luna up when they where upset. Something to make life and the boring days of royal duty in the castle a bit more interesting.
Their father always ended his stories with a warning to check under their beds for the monsters and the legions that served them. Then Celestia would giggle as her mother scolded her father in a worry that the sisters might get nightmares.
Sombra, her older brother, acted brave and stated that such stories didn’t scare him. Nothing would scare the Prince of the Realm. Everytime, Celestia could see the twitch in the corner of his mouth and the subtle shudder he gave, and she had even caught him peeking under his bed more than once. Celestia knew monsters didn’t live under her bed, it was far too small for one.
Luna however, was still young and often believed her fathers stories. Celestia often found her little sister coming to her room in the night to check her room for monsters, then the little midnight princess had asked her ‘big brave sister‘ to check her own room. Celestia always did, and always teased Luna about the Princess of the Night being afraid of the dark. Sometimes however, Luna looked so scared that Celestia would let her sleep in her own bed.
No, Princess Celestia did not believe in monsters.
Until now.
As the rain hit her face, soaking her pink mane and sticking it to her neck, she knew monsters were real.
The demon had entered the small mountain town of Canterlot with the intent to capture the Prince and Princesses to use them as leverage against Hyperion, and claim the throne for itself. It seemed to be acting out of desperation, as if something was driving it to accomplish its goal quickly. It was as if the demon was scared of something.
She could feel the tears running down her face as she looked upon her father, the High-King Hyperion, looking helpless. It was a strange and almost unbelievable thing to see, her father looking scared and at a complete loss for a solution. It almost fooled Celestia into thinking that this was a nightmare. Nothing scared her father, nothing. Celestia noticed Sombra was missing, and a dread began to creep into her heart.
Luna was in a similar state with her sobs more audible.
“It’s going to be alright Luna, we’ll be ok…” said Celestia, reaching over to place a hoof on her sister’s shoulder in comfort.
“Father!!” called Luna.
“Let them go demon! You battle isn’t with them!” called the King.
The demon chuckled, the rumbling sounds of multiple voices echoing back on each other made Celestia sick to her stomach.
“You knew they would be part of this from the beginning.”
Behind the Equestrian, Celestia could here other languages, strange, dark ones she had never heard.
“Release them demon! You have already taken my Theia! Don‘t take my daughters as well!”
Celestia choked back a sob as Hyperion spoke the name of his wife, and Celestia and Luna’s mother.
With a mighty beat of its black leathery wings, the demon took to the air, and over the edge of the balcony. Celestia felt her stomach lurch as they moved, then heard herself scream as the next piece of solid ground plummeted thousands of feet below her. Dizziness overcame her senses as she found herself watching the raindrops plummet towards the dark spires and rooftops, the weather vanes reaching out like clawed hands, ready to take her into their iron embrace.
“NO!” shouted Hyperion, his guard jumping in front of him.
“You should be careful in your choice of words King.” rumbled the demon.
“What do you want?! Anything! Just don’t hurt my daughters!” shouted Hyperion.
The demon laughed louder.
“Ignorant fools. So blinded by love and du-”
“NARBERIOS!!”
The demon froze, as a mechanical roar cut through the sound of the rain and fighting in the city below.
“Impossible.”
Everyone on the balcony turned to the tower doorway.
Standing taller and broader than any pony in Equestria, stood the Silver knights that had been spoken of. Wherever they hailed from, the armour was most certainly not forged in Equestria.
Hyperion and the guard took a step backwards.
“Its true…” Hyperion whispered, “The knights exist…”
The shining armour of the knights were stained with red streaks, running into the scratches and claws marks. The same red liquid dripping from the blade of the weapons they somehow held with right hooves.
Sombra stood before them, having risked his life in the battle below to find and lead the Knights to the highest residence to save his sisters. Sombra was taking heavy breaths, his armour and body in a similar state to the Knights.
“This is the end monster!” he called, “Release my sisters and fight like a true warrior!”
When the first battle had been fought, Celestia and Luna had been ordered by their father to remain in Everfree Castle so they would not see what the horrors of battle looked like. Now, during the battle for Canterlot, Celestia and Luna had been given first-hoof look at what war was, and what it did. Looking at the knights, Celestia could tell they had been bred for warfare of the most foul kind, no other pony wore armour such as they did, armour that completely encased the stallion within. The only part that told her that they weren’t some kind of automaton were their grey tails.
The stallion that led the knights walked on to the rain soaked balcony, dwarfing Sombra.
“Non dissipabit illud in sermonibus tuis, Princeps Sombra.”
The water began to wash the blood from his armour, the crimson stained the rainwater on the roof, stretching out and fading away like the orange glow of the sun at night as it fell from the balcony with the many miniature waterfalls. The tingling sound of the rain as it bounced off his armour was soon replaced by a quiet sizzle as his blue eyes gave a dull pulse.
As the armour gleamed with a blue sheen, the blade atop the fearsome halberd he carried suddenly crackled with energy, lightening dancing across its killing edge.
With what seemed like an unspoken command, the rest of the Knights armour and weapons bore the same look simultaneously. Celestia noted every Unicorn or Alicorn winced as if in pain, some holding their heads. Celestia herself felt a dull ache at the back of her head.
Celestia looked down briefly as she heard the demon grunt, and she could smell something burning. Celestia could see the demons dark red flesh beginning to char. Whatever the knights were doing, it seemed to affect the demon a lot more than the Alicorns and Unicorns.What kind of power did the knights posses? They were neither unicorn nor alicorn, yet wielded what Celestia thought was magic unlike anypony else.
“Dicam vobis tantum semel Narberios... dimittere eos.”
The voice of the Knights leader cut over the sound of the rain and battle below, and although she couldn’t understand them, Celestia heard each strange word laden with a hint of the power he commanded. The Knight’s voice was deep, overpowering, commanding and noble all at the same time. It sounded dangerous.
Celestia felt the rumbling chuckle in the demons chest.
“Just as I told the King, Dragen. A poor choice of words.”
The Knight, Dragen, lowered his head slightly.
"Ego elegit diligenter verba mea. Dimittere eos."
Celestia saw a spiked halo of light shimmer into existence behind the Knights head, the glowing blue eyes suddenly blazed white.
"On your head be it, Captain. Strange, is it not? How history repeats itself?"
The demon flew backwards, further from the balcony, and Celestia felt its grip slacken.
“Invictus!” called the Captain.
“Nas sumus malleus!” answered the Knights.
The next thing she saw was in slow motion, her father screaming in denial, her brother breaking free of the guards hold, the knights advancing…and the edge of the balcony as she felt the wind in her mane rush past as her wings wouldn’t move. As she and Luna fell towards the ground, Celestia did the only thing her body would let her do, she screamed.
--
“AHHH!”
Princess Celestia awoke with a jolt with her hooves flailing at the air, spreading her massive wings to their fullest span to stop herself falling, which resulted in her tiara and necklace being knocked off her bedside table. The clatter as the jewel encrusted gold snapped Celestia back to her senses. Cold sweat ran down her back, and she fought to catch her breath. She looked around the room rapidly to re-assure herself that she was in the Royal Castle of Canterlot, behind her castles walls. She wasn’t falling from the highest tower, she was in her chambers, safe in her bed.
Celestia’s usual ethereal mane was tussled and messy, and she found herself tidying it into its usual flowing shape with her magic out of habit before she stopped herself.
The room was dimly lit from the glow of the embers in the fireplace place and Luna‘s moon. The sounds of the wood remnants crackling with a red and orange pulse were the only sounds apart from Celestia’s heavy breathing. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to stop the dizzy remnants of vertigo coursing through her feelings. Celestia grit her teeth, finally forcing her breath to its usual calm pace.
A light breeze drifted through the window that felt colder against her damp coat from the sweat. Celestia shook her head again, trying to banish the hazy memory to the deepest, darkest part of her mind where it belonged.
Celestia rubbed her head with her leg, over a thousand years later, and the memory of the demon still haunted her. Celestia lay her head back on her pillow, taking a deep breath and swallowing slowly.
“Three…two…one…”
Celestia’s bodyguards burst through the doors. Never more than fifty steps away from her, Celestia had personally chosen the six ponies from the ranks of the Guard if they had shown great bravery or commendable skill. They fanned out, the three unicorns horns glowing, two earth ponies looking around the room, and the Captain hovering above them on his wings. Celestia sighed quietly, she had hoped that no one had heard her and she could get back to sleep.
“Princess Solaris! What is it?!” he called out.
Princess Celestia Aurora Solaris.
Celestia disliked the Royal Guard calling her by her family name, she wished she could remove it and just be known only as ‘Celestia’ officially, so she could be on more level ground with her subjects.
“It’s Celestia, Captain Steel. Just a silly little bad dream. Everything is fine, really.” she said, lifting her head.
“It didn’t sound that way.” said Steel as he landed.
Celestia smiled slightly at the straight-to-the-point attitude of her Captain.
Steel-Shield was acting as overall Captain of the Guard now that Shining Armour was Prince Regent of the Crystal Kingdom with Cadence. Shining and Steel had gone through the academy together, and Celestia was convinced the two life long friends would work something out for who was going to take the role of Captain of the Guard permanently.
“Please Captain Steel, don’t make me have Shining Armour remind you of how to address me…again.” she said softly.
“…Your highness.“ said Steel as he smiled smugly, “Sorry Princess, it’s a bit hard to shake the back alleys of Manehatten sometimes.” he grunted, rolling his shoulders.
His attitude was the reason Celestia liked Steel. Unlike most of the ponies in the court, even Canterlot to an extent, who would agree with everything Celestia said, Steel would speak his mind.
Celestia smiled, “I understand Captain.”
A flash lit up the room, and Princess Luna appeared.
“EEP! Oh no, no, no!”
Luna never had perfected the teleportation magic while moving like Twilight had managed, and the midnight Princess skidded and tumbled along the floor, and finally into a table. Celestia had to stifle a giggle, it was quite comical to watch.
“Sister! I heard your cry! What is it? Is it Discord again!? Changelings?!” cried Luna looked rapidly around the room as she stood.
“No, Luna…” said Celestia.
“Oh! I’m sorry sister!” cried Luna, as she saw the table she had crashed into. Her horn glowed blue as she used her magic to right the table and the things placed on it.
“Luna, its fine, don’t worry about that.” sighed Celestia. She was worried Luna wanted to prove herself to her, even now. Though Celestia had told her she didn’t have to.
“Captain Steel, you are dismissed. I’m sure I’ll be fine with Luna protecting me.”
“As you command Princess.” said Steel as he saluted, then turned and led the guard out of the room, closing the doors behind him.
“I did it!” said Luna happily. The table and its contents were back in the arrangement they had been before Luna had crashed into it.
Luna turned to Celestia.
Her older sister was looking down, her eyes closed and taking deep breaths.
“Your not fine, are you Tia?”
Celestia looked up.
“…no.” she said weakly.
Luna walked over and knelt on the bed next to Celestia.
“You had that dream again, about the Demon.” she said, blinking slowly.
“Yes. It just…gets to me. The voices, they remind me of father.” said Celestia, “Where were you Luna? I thought you were supposed to save us from our…nightmares.”
Luna blinked and sighed sadly.
“I know, sister…but I cannot enter that dream…I fear nothing, but that memory…it scares me. Do you still wake up at the same moment?” asked Luna.
“Yes, just as he lets us go and the knight’s eyes turned white. Every time.”
Luna arched her eyebrows and sat down, then rested her head against Celestia‘s shoulder. She was young when the demon attacked, but she could still remember every vivid detail.
The demon’s arm holding herself and Celestia in front of it, knowing that their father wouldn’t dare attack with his daughters used as a shield. The mocking tone of its distorted voice, and the way its skin crawled as she squirmed in an attempt to get out of its grasp. She remembered the fear in her fathers eyes, and the hopeless feeling emanating from the Royal Guard. Luna remembered the rain hitting her face, falling all over mountain village.
Then she remembered the knights. Their eyes turning white, and the halo of light that appeared behind their heads, and she remembered the falling. She couldn’t remember anything after that, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
“That’s when I wake up too.” she said quietly. Celestia rested her head against her sisters, closing her eyes.
Luna had an idea, Celestia always liked walking through the royal gardens. Luna was about a stroll, when a scroll appeared in burst of flame.
“EEK!” Luna jumped and fell off the bed, causing Celestia to laugh.
“Relax Luna, its only a letter from Twilight.”
Luna pulled herself up, looking annoyed.
“Does that mare ever sleep?” she grumbled. Celestia smiled as she used her magic to unroll the letter.
“Oh, you know Twilight, once she gets…an idea…in…her…head…Oh...this isn't from Twilight...”
Luna frowned as Celestia trailed off, her voice becoming quieter and more fearful.
“Tia?” she asked, pulling herself higher.
“Oh…Oh no. No!” cried Celestia.
Luna leapt to her sisters side, realising that her sister had become how she was before she had teleported into her bedroom.
“What is it sister? What’s wrong?” asked Luna, holding her sister shoulders, she could feel Celestia shaking.
Celestia’s eyes had grown wide and her breathing had become rapid and heavy again.
“This is impossible!” said Celestia, jumping from the bed, “How? Its not possible! It‘s here! I‘ve kept it locked up here!”
“Tia?” asked Luna, “Kept what here?”
Celestia’s horn began to glow, and Luna felt her fur begin to stand on end.
“Oh no you don’t!” cried Luna, diving forwards.
“Your not teleporting an-!”
*CRACK!*
“-d leaving me…here…” said Luna, here words trailing off and growing quieter as she looked around.
They had landed in a dark room that looked like the archives, but the shelves here towered above the height of the book shelves Luna had walked between. All around her was darkness occasionally lit up by candles, it enveloped her like a shroud of cold air on a winter morning. She could see a tint of dark blue around the shadows, cobwebs hung in corners. Luna wasn’t scared of the darkness, she was it’s princess after all, but in this place, she felt uneasy. A musty smell filled her nostrils, and she could taste the dust on her tongue. When she inhaled, she found the air thick and old. Luna felt as if something was watching her. Somewhere in these towering shelves, something was alive.
“Luna!” said Celestia.
Luna jumped as Celestia spoke.
“Sorry Tia, but I’m not letting you out of my sight in such a state!”
“I...! Well…alright.” said Celestia.
“Where are we?” asked Luna, as she looked around the dark room.
“The old archives, below the castle.” said Celestia, “Now, I must insist you stay here while I speak to the Book-keeper.”
“Someone…lives down here?” asked Luna fearfully.
Celestia nodded, “Yes, please wait here for me.” she said, then walked down one of the aisles, leaving Luna alone.
Luna glanced around the chamber. The ceiling towered above her, higher than the ball room in the castle, or maybe the darkness was playing tricks on her perception. The books looked centuries old, but new at the same time, as if something was cleaning them regularly.
Luna shook her head to clear her mind of her fears.
She was the Princess of the Night! No longer a scared little filly, she was the Angel of Darkness, the Nightbringer! Luna stamped her right hoof as if to make a point to invisible ponies, if she was expecting an ovation, all she was answered with was the unnatural silence.
Luna realised how had taken the smallest noise for granted. Even in her chambers, it was never completely silent. Her chambers always sounded with the noise of her paint brush sliding across the canvas, the scratching of her quill as she studied her night sky and made notes on what looked right or out of place, or the crackle of the embers of her fireplace.
Down in this place however, there was nothing, no crackle of embers, no scrape of a brush nor shuffling of paper or creak of her telescope, only the faint voice of her sister somewhere in the background. It wasn’t natural, it un-nerved her, and she began counting her own heartbeat as it rang in her ears.
Luna could hear Celestia talking, but no pony replying or asking her the questions she seemed to be asking or answering.
Her sisters voice was growing more and more distressed, and Luna gave into her sisterly concern and began to take small careful steps down the aisle Celestia had taken.
Luna stopped when she heard a screech of steel hinges, then a dull metal echo as something heavy struck something solid.
“NO!”
Luna froze as Celestia scream then began running.
“Stay away from my sister!” she shouted as she rounded the corner.
Luna stopped when she saw Celestia standing alone before what appeared to be a strong box of the highest quality.
Luna looked around for whom Celestia was talking to, but saw nothing. Luna glanced to the floor, and with unsurprising feeling in her sub-conscience, she saw that no hoof prints had disturbed the dust on the floor.
“Sister, what is it?” asked Luna, turning her head back to her sister
“It true…It’s gone…” whispered Celestia.
Luna looked up at the strong box, and indeed it was empty. Before Luna could ask, her vision turned to light and she found herself standing in Celestia’s bed chamber once again.
“Summon the guard quickly!” cried Celestia, as a scroll and quill levitated towards her.
Luna turned her head, "Samar!"
Luna frowned hard and closed her eyes tightly to try and get rid of the glare from the light of the teleport. One of Luna's night-guard seemingly melted out of the shadows, and bowed his head towards the princesses. His yellow eyes gave off a faint glow in the darkness, and Luna felt a small form of comfort knowing her loyal guards where only a call away.
"My Princess," he spoke to Luna, "What do you require of me?"
"Prepare the guard," Luna turned back to look at her panicking sister, who war repeating 'It's gone' over and over.
“Tia! Whats gone missing?! What was in that box?!” shouted Luna.
Celestia turned to look at her with terrified eyes. Luna took a step back out of shock, she had never seen Celestia look so scared, even when Discord had escaped she had been more angry than frightened.
Celestia looked at her sister, still not believing what Twilight’s letter had said.
“The Liber Daemonica! It's gone!”
==
Author's Note
Super updated version! Now, what happened was...Season 3. Season 3 happened. After watching it I realized there was so much in season 3 that could be used within this, so I've decided to add those elements to it. As for what extent has yet to be seen.
And to make things more interesting, more Grey Knights and Chaos Space Marines appear in this version, hope you enjoy!
Everything that has a beginning...
In Silver Clad
Prologue: I. Everything that has a beginning…
"Don't go looking for snakes you might find them..."
Daring Do, explorer extraordinaire of Equestria, Professor of History and Curator at Canterlot Museum University, crawled through the cramped dusty passage on her stomach, keeping her wings pinned tightly to her sides to avoid damaging her delicate feathers.
Daring was annoyed. A three day trek through the Everfree forest had led her to the ancient fortress held deep with in its unnatural grasp. She had been hoping for the old citadel to be intact, like most ruins deep in the Everfree forest, but this one had collapsed in various places for reasons she couldn’t understand, forcing her to find alternate routes around blockages.
As she crawled, Daring lifted her gaze to an opening, and a what looked like a corridor on the other side.
“Finally, a little bit of room…” she said to herself as she dragged herself through the gap and dropped to the floor below.
Daring looked around the corridor, noting that it was more decorative than the other corridors. It must have been the passage way to the throne room or something of great value.
“The Demon’s Eye must be down here!” she said, her ears perking up as her wings extended in excitement.
Daring had been searching for the elusive artefact for years, ever since she had read about it. Every time she had chased down a lead, she had discovered it had be for naught, only leading to another riddle about the location. When Daring had searched out that location, she found she was starting from the beginning all over again.
From what she could gather from her fathers and her own research, the ‘Eye’ was part of the armour worn by a great demon that had attacked Equestria over one thousand years ago, before Nightmare Moon, before Sombra and even before Discord.
The Eye had been dislodged from the Demons armour during its final battle with the legendary ’Silver Stallions’ and King Hyperion. Forgotten or overlooked in the battle, the eye had disappeared from general knowledge and into folklore.
Daring had decided that if she could find it, she might be one more step to finding her true goal, the Silver Stallions themselves, and maybe, just maybe complete her fathers quest.
Daring began to walk down the corridor, but found herself unable to shake a foreboding feeling that see was being watched.
Daring had walked down countless corridors, escaped untold hundreds of predicaments and talked her way out of every bad situation she had with her more aggressive rivals, but this corridor pulsed with a strange energy that Daring felt down to her very bones.
Daring glanced to her left, looking at one of the huge statues placed at various intervals in the corridor.
With an inquisitive frown, Daring approached one of the statues, and realised it was actually a suit of armour. It looked as if it had been in the same place for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Not that that made Daring feel any different, an old suit of armour was hardly uncommon on her quests.
Daring frowned. This armour however, was nothing like any ancient pony armour she had ever seen, it looked far too big for any pony to ever wear. Even the biggest flesh and blood stallion she had ever seen would have room to spare wearing this suit of armour.
It looked strange, as if it were more advanced than anything she had seen. A high headdress arched up from the sides of the helmet. Two open, rectangular boxes that looked like vents where placed on each side of the back.
Huge armoured paldrons covered the shoulders, and a strange weapon Daring had never seen before was slung over its shoulder. What Daring’s experienced brain could not comprehend, was that the weapon looked years ahead of Equestrian technology, but the statue had been here for years…it was impossible.
Daring’s eyes where drawn to the strange symbol on the armours chest piece. A eye like orb with what looked like flame at the top and bottom.
Daring rubbed her chin. The huge suit of armour was covered in a layer of dust, and Daring could feel something urging her to wipe away some of the sandy covering.
Daring reared up and placed one hoof against the armours chest plate. She felt a little uneasy when the suit didn’t move. Surely, a suit of armour so old, and without a doubt empty, should of shifted under her weight. Daring gulped down the uneasy feeling, and stretched out her left hoof to the right side of the helmet.
Daring swept her hoof across and froze in fear. Her hoof revealed blue armour that was trimmed with gold, and not Equestrian made…and a dull, but glowing, green eyepiece.
Daring jumped backwards in shock and stumbled, thinking quick, she covered her mouth to stifle her scream, and waited for the obviously alive suit of armour to turn on her.
After the longest ten seconds of silence in Daring’s life, she realised the suit wasn’t going to move.
Daring swallowed and stood, walking closer to the suit. She waved her hoof around in front of it, but received no response.
Deciding that she needed to find the artefact and get out of the ruin a lot faster, Daring set off, sporadically glancing over her shoulder every few steps. It didn’t help her paranoid feeling when she past another three of the same suits.
Before Daring reached the end of the corridor, a scroll appeared before her in a flash of light.
“Ack!” Daring yelped as her vision became starry.
After blinking away the glare, Daring picked up the scroll.
“A note from the Princess? What could she want?”
Daring’s eyes floated across the wording.
Daring,
I need you to return to Canterlot immediately. The Liber Daemonica has been taken.
Princess Celestia.
“Oh…Oh that’s not good…” whispered Daring as the felt icy talons begin to worm their way around her heart.
Daring rolled the scroll back up and placed it in one of her saddlebags.
“Guess I’ll be making a return trip…The Eye can wait...” she said to herself as she turned to head back the way she came.
"Why did I agree to sign that contrac-"
A faint noise floated through the air. A barely audible light scrape of cloth against stone.
Daring frowned and closed her eyes, she had imagined it…she must of. She looked towards the end of the corridor she had been head up, and could see the faint glow of light from around the corner.
With a frown, Daring began to creep forwards. After several tense moments, Daring reached the turning at the end of the corridor.
Peeking her head around the corner, Daring could see an huge archway, the flames of lit torches casting flickering shadows. There was somepony, or something inside the room.
Two more of the statues stood at guard before the doorway, these ones free of dust leaving their blue and gold armour visible to the world and their green eye pieces glowing brightly.
Daring gulped and took a step back.
Daring knew she should leave, answer Celestia’s summons and get as far away from these strange beings as she could.
Daring’s curiosity however, had been tweaked. She had to know what was in that room.
Turning back and following her tracks, Daring searched for an alternative way into the room.
Daring looked up to the ceiling, and saw another passageway, the bridge connecting it to the opposite wall long fallen, but the rubble had been cleared.
Maybe that was why I didn’t notice it the first time…she thought.
With a few flaps of her wings, Daring landed softly on the ledge, fully expecting to be greeted by one of the huge guards.
The pathway was clear, obviously not been used for hundreds of years, and the same flickering light lit up the opening at its end.
Voices drifted up from the chamber, some resonating with a metallic echo.
Realising that she was in an observation balcony for the chamber, Daring dropped to her stomach and began crawling towards the opening.
The voices got louder, along with the sounds of stone scraping metal. Daring edged her head up as much as she dared to look down upon the gathering. She made a sharp gasp when her eyes revealed the sources of the voices.
Five armoured stallions, bigger than any pony Daring had ever seen stood around an old stone table.
Two more of the same guards Daring had seen earlier stood at the end of the chamber, with the same glow coming from their eye pieces.
A cloaked stallion wearing a dark, golden helmet that reminded Daring of the ancient Athanatoi stallions from Marediterranean, except this helmet was like the armour they all wore, years ahead of the current Equestrian armour. The pieces of visible armour underneath the dusty white cloak where the same faded blue as what Daring decided to refer to as the ‘Guards’. He ‘held’ an ornate staff in his right hoof, the other placed upon the table.
“The time is upon us, we must act.” he spoke. Daring frowned at the voice. It was as smooth as velvet, and as deep as a chasm in the forest outside. What pulled Daring’s curiosity however, was the rough mechanical grate.
“ACT!?”
Daring jumped as a red armoured stallion slammed his hooves down on the table, leaning towards the cloaked stallion.
A wild black mane hung across his white fur, mad red eyes glaring across the table.
Daring felt something inside her lurch as she saw the skulls of various races chained to the armour, including some still wearing the helmets of the Royal Guardsponies. Daring caught glimpses of wiring embedded into the back of the stallions head, disappearing into the neck piece of the armour. Daring looked over the battered wings on the stallions back, the white feathers looked stained with red, and even the wings had dirty chains and skulls threaded through.
“We have hidden like rats for years, Imhail, and now you want to ‘act’?!"
Someone’s got anger issues…thought Daring, I wonder who ‘Khorne’ is…?
Daring heard Imhail give a distorted sigh.
“So simple minded, Skarax. That is why you are simply the muscle.”
“Watch your tongue. If we were not allies, sorcerer…”
“But we are, World-Eater.” came a voice Daring could only describe as ‘colossal’.
A gigantic, battle worn, pale metallic green machine stomped out of the shadows on two legs, and took it’s place at the table. A black, stylized eye in the center of its body stared out at the room.
The robed stallion, ‘Imhail’, turned to the colossus and bowed his head.
“Azakael, we should act now.” hissed the robed stallion, turning to the gigantic machine, “We know where our lo-”
“Regardless, Imhail.” spoke the one that had been called ‘Azakael’, waving on its his colossal arms, “She is the one that leads us. We do not act without her leave.”
“Why are we letting a xenos command us!?” shouted Skarax, “Lord Angron would of let me take her skull years ago!”
“Because she could end us with but a faction of her power.” answered Azakael, “The winds of the warp here are not Imhail's to manipulate.”
The red armoured stallion grunted and turned away.
“Who needs your sorcery…it’s the cowards way.” he answered, picking up a blade and stone. The World-Eater sat down and began sharpening a blade he pulled from his armor.
Azakael turned to Imhail, who simply shrugged.
“Merrok?” asked Imhail, gesturing to the table.
Daring took a sharp breath as another stallion in dirty, dark iron armor walked up to the table. This stallion was enormous, even bigger than the other stallions, but stood only half the size of Azakael. He wore different, bigger and more boxy armor and a tusked helmet. A giant hammer was slung over his left shoulder, and a box like device with two barrels at its end bolted to its right front leg. Like Skarax, he too had skulls chained to his armour, most impaled upon spiked racks at his back.
Daring frowned at parts of his armour, marked with black and yellow warning chevrons.
“The citadel they call ‘Sky-Reach’, will fall. I have observed and found the weak points. It cannot stand before our combined might.”
Merrok spoke with the same deep, metal grate as Azakael, but unlike Azakael’s noble sounding voice, Merrok spoke in a monotonous rumble.
“Merrok, are you certain the gates will fall?” asked Imhail.
Daring frowned harder and shifted her weight to get a better look at the group.
What could they want in Sky-Reach Prison?
“The entire wall will come down with the correct amount of force in the right place.” answered Merrok.
“Heh, if there’s one thing you know, it’s siege craft. Eh Iron Warrior?” called Skarax from where he sat. Merrok’s helmeted head turned to the red armoured stallion.
“More than you…World-Eater.”
“Just get me through the breach, I’ll get us through the guard.”
“If she discovers that you have planned a strike with out her consent, she will not be…humoured.” warned Azakael.
“Pah!” spat Skarax, “She’s like you, relies too much on sorcery. Where’s the joy in that? Where’s the honour?”
“Not all problems are solved by force, son of Angron.”
A sickly whisper drifted through the air, and Daring saw a pale green armoured stallion carrying a battered old scythe. The stallion wore a tattered and dirty white cloak, its hood covering his helmet. The armour rusted and rotted in various places, wiring and cable hanging from openings, and Daring swore she saw a centipede crawl across the left shoulder paldron and disappeared down a hole in the armour. Her stomach lurched in disgust just from setting eyes upon him.
The stallion gave a wracking cough, shuddering through his frame.
“Ephesius.” greeted Azakael.
“Glad you could join us, Doctor.” said Imhail, “I assume your work is complete?”
“My…” Ephesius made a gurgling cough, “…My work never ends, Imhail. One in a thousand are compatible…one in a hundred survives the first stage…not even half survive the following procedures. We cannot build a legion from the equestrians. Too much work, not enough time.”
The voice made Daring’s skin crawl, deathly ill would be an understatement to describe the stallion.
“How many of those…zombies did you create in your ‘quest’?” rumbled Merrok.
Ephesius gave a wet chuckle.
“A few…I think I culled them all…But you know how things are if you get…distracted.”
Daring frowned.
Zombies!? What kind of stallions are these?! What do they want with Sky-Reach? Why do they need a Legion!?
“Humored? Perhaps she'll be wondering why you babble on and on and on about something you have no control over.” came a voice, a female voice.
Daring lifted her head as high as she dared to observe the newest arrival, and saw a much smaller pony wearing a dark blue cloak with strange symbols upon it. Daring couldn’t see her face, it was covered by a helmet shaped like a demonic birds skull, and the exposed parts of her body were covered in a blue and gold armour like Imhail and the ‘guards‘. The mare’s tail caught Daring’s eyes. It looked as if it was changing colours, shifting between spectrums into colours Daring couldn’t comprehend.
Daring could tell it was a mare from her voice.
Daring frowned. Whoever this mare was, the giant stallions in the room all silenced at her entry. The colossal blue, or was it green?, automaton was the first to address her.
“Mi’lady…Your presence is-”
The mare waved a hood dismissively.
“I do not have the patience for your grovelling. Why has an attack on Sky-Reach been planned?”
“We think it is time for our master to be released, it has been too long!” said Imhail.
“There’s no ‘we’ in this, sorcerer.” snarled Skarax. Merrok grunted in agreement.
The mare sighed, sarcastically.
“Really. There is a reason I havn’t ordered you to Sky-Reach yet. That reason is returning in a few days. When that situation has concluded, then we attack Sky-Reach. He has waited over a millennia, I’m sure he can wait a little longer.”
“You would dare speak that way about our master!?” screeched Imhail, raising his staff,
“It is an insult that you used your power to wipe his name from our memories when you first approached us after Canterlot!”
“…and you shall do what, Imhail?”
Imhail froze. A magical aura covered his form, holding him in place.
“Remember, your powers here are nothing compared to what they are in your universe. You will always be two steps behind me.”
Daring decided she had seen enough. She had been summoned by Celestia, and had a story for her new book. She would leave this little encounter out however, and let be a bad memory.
After she had reported it to Princess Celestia of course.
As Daring turned, her back hoof dislodged a rock and sent it cascading down the to the chamber in the loudest noise she had ever heard.
Daring flattened herself against the rock as silence enveloped the chamber like water flowing from a breached dam.
“What was that?” came the voice of Imhail.
Daring swallowed.
“Probably nothing. Rocks fall all the time in here. Not scared are you sorcerer?” Skarax answered.
“You dare!?”
“Send the Rubric.” said the mare.
Daring tensed.
She heard the rhythmic stomp of hoof steps. Daring guessed it was those silent armoured stallions she had seen standing at the back of the room.
Daring knew that they could not climb up to her hiding spot, if she remained quiet then she would be safe…
*KA-BLAM!*
Daring let out an involuntary squeal as the rock above the exploded. The noise of whatever had done it made her ears ring. What ever it was, it wasn’t magic.
Without realising and out of fear, Daring jumped to her feet.
She turned her head, staring down at the strange stallions and mare that held the gathering. They looked back at the Pegasus with a look of shock, surprise and growing anger on those not wearing helmets.
“Uh-oh.” she managed to speak.
“No! Nononono!! Get her!!” screamed the mare, her voice becoming frantic, “She can’t tell the Princess of this!”
The red armoured stallion was already charging before the mare sentence had finished.
“Khorne calls for your skull!” he bellowed.
Daring turned and ran. She heard something coming to life in a grinding metallic roar behind her, and knew what ever weapon the stallion carried would only offer her a very messy end.
“Come back here!” roared Skarax.
“Oh yeah! Like I’m going to do that pal!” shouted Daring over her shoulder.
Skarax howled in rage, and began to charge.
Daring realised, despite his size, Skarax was faster than her. A lot faster.
She could feel the stone beneath her begin to shake as the giant stallion got closer.
Daring jumped to her left just as a roaring metal axe smashed into the floor.
Skarax roared and wrenched the free, blood tinted spittle landing on the floor. The wild red eyes turned to focus on Daring, and the explorer knew she couldn’t talk her way out of this situation. She could see it in his eyes. A raw, unbridled blood lust that only hers could slake.
Thinking quickly, Daring swept her hoof through the grit and sand, sending it towards Skarax’s unprotected eyes.
Skarax howled in rage and stumbled slightly, giving Daring the chance to scramble to her hooves and run.
Daring started to throw a cocky salute, until a dagger the size of her leg embedded itself into the wall next to her head.
“Time to go!” she yelped, ducking to avoid another.
“Your skull is mine!” screamed Skarax, still trying to clear his vision.
Daring turned and ran, and had only made seven steps when a third dagger sliced through her back leg.
“AHHH!”
Daring stumbled, but grit her teeth and ignored the pain as she continued to run.
Daring got back to the ledge looking down into the corridor, and was unsurprised to see the statues shaking off dust as they came to life. Daring turned and began to run as best she could with an injured leg.
Daring spread her wings and glided to the floor, landing awkwardly to avoid putting pressure on her injured leg.
Just as she was about to reach the doorway, the wall in front of her exploded as a giant metal fist punched through, and the old stone work crumbled as the gigantic Azakael pushed through.
“It will be over quickly.” he rumbled, “Do not make this harder for me.”
“Sorry big guy! Got too much to do before I punch my ticket!”
“Then you leave me no choice.”
Azakael opened the claw like appendages on the end of one of his metal arms.
“Uh-oh…”
Daring dropped to the floor just as the palm of the claw barked three times, stitching the wall behind her with powerful projectiles and blowing chunks from the stonework.
Azakael's arm turned for him to look at it as Merrok followed behind him, silently rising his right leg with machine-like precision towards Daring, the double barreled box pointing directly at her head.
Daring was already running, straight towards Azakael.
“Merrok, the bolters!”
Merrok pulled back his leg.
"I know." he growled, and hefted the hammer, "I wonder..."
Daring dived to her right to avoid the hammer as it smashed the slabs into fragments, and pushing through the pain, darted beneath Azakael’s legs, and headed down a random corridor. She could feel cold air as she ran, and could see the sunsets light ahead of her.
As Daring got closer, something moved out of the darkness before her. The battered blade of the scythe sliced through the darkness, the horrifying form of Ephesius following it.
“This is as far as this goes, Pegasus. I’m going t-” Ephesius paused as a cough shuddered through his body, and Daring fought the urge to vomit after a thick phlegm like substance fell through the grill of his helmet.
“…I’m going to enjoy dissecting you.”
Five more shapes crawled out of the darkness behind him, five creatures that looked like pegasi, but their wings arching up, melding with a strange machine pack on their backs. The ends of the their hooves ended in hawk like talons, their sharp featured helmets reminding Daring of birds of prey…if those birds existed in her nightmares.
The group looked to be uneasy on the ground, as if they were desperate to be out in the open air.
They snarled at her, scratching the floor with their claws, red eyes glowing a demonic red against dark brazen armour.
One of them, standing a little more a pony should, inched closer to the Death Guard Apothecary. Its head twitched to the right, a short, low screech cascading through its vox-grill.
“Kill this one? Yes?” hissed the horror.
“Not yet, Nivark. I’ll find something more worthy of a hunt for you…how does the element of loyalty sound?”
Nivark hissed and slunk back to the shadows with his brethren.
Daring turned as the voice sounded behind her, and saw four of Rubric standing still and silent behind Imhail, the hulking form of Merrok behind them.
All of their weapons levelled. Daring swallowed.
"You are troublesome." said Imhail, "..and you know to much."
“H…Hey…guys…I’m sure we can talk about this…”
“All is dust.”
Daring’s eye’s widened as the ghostly whisper bled into her ears. In the same moment, Daring realised that they were going to fire on her. She dove backwards into the twilight, spreading her wings.
Daring decided to for go her usual quip, and focused on getting away from the stallions behind her…until something slammed into her back leg and tore across her wing. Four more of the shots, multicoloured flames trailing behind them, scythed past her head.
Daring screamed as she realised one of the projectiles from the weapons had only grazed her side, but the wounds burnt as if she had been set alight. The burning even reached into her very being.
Daring began to spin from her wing injury.
“No! Nononono!!” she cried, desperately trying to fight the pain to straighten herself.
“It’s not going to end like this!”
Daring aimed towards the river, if she could reach that, she could crash land and let the current carry her downstream.
“This is unfortunate Daring, I was quite fond of your stories.”
Daring’s eyes widened and her pupils turned to pinpricks as the voice of the armoured mare sounded next to her.
Daring looked down to see the mare was standing on a metallic disc, strange symbols burned across its surface, making the explorers eyes hurt.
Daring lifted her head, just in time to see the mare lift a hoof, and twisted her body away from the strange mare, just as lightning erupted from her hoof.
Daring fell into the water, just like she wanted to, but her vision grew darker, and the rushing water became her lullaby.
The armoured mare watched the brave explorer get carried away downstream.
“You’ll live, run and tell her...but your far too late to stop what is coming, Daring.”
The mare turned the disk, and moved back to the fortress, settling into the courtyard of the ancient citadel.
The Chaos-Space marines walked from doorways, the ground thudding with each step.
The Raptors, free from the confines of the hallways, leapt into the sky, taking up perches on ruined pillars.
“Well…?” she hissed, the fury in her tone evident.
Azakael turned.
“Forgive us, mi’lady.”
The cloaked mare let out sigh.
“I wonder if he is ready to be released if you cannot stop one single pony.” she said.
Merrok turned to Azakael and tilted his head slightly, responding to something only they knew of.
“If Skarax had not rushed in, I could of destroyed her!” snapped Imhail.
“With sorcery!? Sometimes you need actions instead of tricks!”
“Your simple-minded attack was what caused her to ru-”
“RRRAAARGGH!!”
Skarax dove forwards, Imhail reacting quick enough to block the chainaxe in its descent.
Skarax growled and pushed harder, while Imhail’s eyes began to glow with blue light.
“Enough.”
Ephesius hooked his scythe beneath Skarax’s chainaxe and lifted the World-Eater effortlessly from the Thousand Sons sorcerer.
"Why!?" screamed Skarax, pounding the cobblestone with his hooves.
"This is not the time for your petty squabbles." rumbled Merrok, hauling Imhail to his hooves.
"Petty!?" screeched Imhail, "This imbecile will be the end of us!"
"Elios will re-join us soon, Skarax will have his attention focused on that Slannesh worshiping bastard then." answered Merrok, "Providing the idiot hasn't discovered the ultimate pleasure in his mis-guided quest..."
“Are you quite finished?”
The group turned to the mare.
“Look at you. Your like a bunch of school fillies. You failed. Accept it. Don’t fail again. It begins tomorrow. I will not tell you the location, so do not ask for it. Carry on with the plan. The time is close, I can feel it. Soon your master will be unleashed, and Equestria will tremble before us.”
“What of the elements?” asked Imhail, “They could prove…problematic.”
The mare chuckled.
“The elements are gone, you need not worry about them. I know of a certain amulet that will increase my power tenfold. I will break the former bearers like water on rocks, just incase."
“You know that amulet is possessed, it corrupts and drains the soul of its user.” said Imhail.
“Not if I tame the daemon within, which will be an easy feat for me.”
"Is it necessary it break them?" asked Merrok, "It could be a waste of time."
"I don't want any loose ends." answered the mare, "They could still bare some residual power and I don't want them ruining my plan."
“What of the Gr-”
“The Silver Stallions," she hissed, "...are an Equestrian legend. Nothing more.”
The mare turned, sweeping her hoof across the assembled Chaos marines.
“The gods smile upon us brothers, our time is now.”
Author's Note
I'll probably end up going over this chapter at some point. But here it is for now.
