For the Empress!

For the Empress: A MLP and Warhammer Crossover
Chapter 2: Interesting Ways to (Nearly) Die

Glimmering Lake, 15700 AD
"Fancy, you are being so kind to me right now, I would almost think that you wanted to sweeten me up for something."
"Whatever gave you that idea my flower?"
A younger Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis were walking along the edge of a beautiful lake. The pair were enjoying themselves, chatting, exchanging insults, the sort if things young adults do. Fancy had a picnic in his saddlebags, though the pair were about to have their plans for the afternoon spectacularly ruined. Fancy Pants went quiet, staring at the ground. Fleur noticed, and nudged her friend, lifting his head up to hers.
"What is it Fancy?"
Fancy Pants looked up at her. Fleur had a smile on her face. That beautiful smile on her perfect face. Now or never Fancy. He stiffened slightly, opening his mouth, but Fleur frowned suddenly. "What's that?"
Fancy turned around.
"An airship of some sort, metal, travelling at high speeds, heading down. It looks like its on course to hit the lake..."
Fleur's eyes widened. "Can you really tell all that from just looking at it?"
Fancy shrugged. "It's a guess. A bit ironic, seeing as how the lake was supposedly formed by an object hitting the area a long time ago." He looked up. "It's certainly moving fast. I think it's going to... Let me see..." Fancy quickly drew some things in the dirt. "I think it should miss us. There's a one in 25,000 chance I'm wrong, and that's including shrapnel if it hits the ground."
Fleur laid on top of him suddenly, making him stagger a bit. "Show off. Anyone would think you tried to make your head look bigger."
Fancy shrugged her off. If the object, which was now rather close, was going to hit the lake, then... "Fleur, watch out!" Fancy yelled, putting up a shield, as the falling ship crashed into the water, sending a huge wave over the pair. Fancy's shield was nowhere near strong enough, and the pair were soaked by the small wave. A bird in a nearby tree tweeted unhappily*.
"My mane!" Fleur gasped, her coat clinging to her. Fancy ran over to the lake, looking at the sinking vessel.
"There are ponies in there!"
Fleur gasped again, and ran over next to Fancy as the pair began wrenching plates off of the ship and pulling out the ponies in the part of the ship that crashed. They found two, unconscious and clinging onto each other, so badly hurt one had even lost his horn, and Fancy set to work reviving them.
"We need to get them proper help." He decided quickly, looking to Fleur. The budding supermodel nodded, levitating the smaller white one onto her back, while Fancy took the larger grey one. The pair made swift progress back to Fancy's home, not even worried that he had lost two very fine saddlebags in the process.

Cog awoke slowly. He was in some pain, and he was less than happy about the state his wings were in, but he was alive. He slowly tried to get up, but after trying to use his hands to balance several times, he remembered the events of the crash. He dropped onto all fours and looked around.
The room he was in was quite large, with a double bed, writing desk, bedside table, and bookcase. There were three doors, and when he opened the first he found nothing but a pole and some shelves. "Primitive storage." he muttered. The second one he opened was a full en-suite bathroom, complete with toiletries. At this revelation, he began to prepare some relaxation, with the best looking soap and shampoo he could find.
As he was about to get in, he realised that he had a bandage around his chest. It looked safe, but unwinding it showed that his right wing had lost some of its feathers, while he had a huge scar up his left side. He sighed and carefully poked it. Luckily, it appeared that he had kept his healing abilities, aside from the feathers, and he happily dived in the water.
About half an hour later he got out, and began towelling himself off. He realised that he probably ought to find out where he was. There was a bell pull on one wall, so he made use of it. He turned around to find, much to his shock, that there was a butler standing behind him.
"You rang, sir?"
Cog blinked, and quickly looked over the pony. He was, in every way, a butler. Posture, clothing, manner - Cog decided that if he settled down he would definitely get one from the same stock. "Can I first ask your name?"
"Wilkins, sir." The butler replied. "Might I ask your name, sir?"
"Solos Mechanicus, but most people call me Cog."
The butler nodded. "Thank you sir. Would you like any refreshments, sir?"
Cog rubbed his throat. It was rather dry after his rest. "Can I have a cup of tea?"
"Of course sir." Wilkins replied. "I shall inform the master of your awakening and bring up your drink post-haste."
Cog nodded. As Wilkins reached the door, Cog suddenly spoke.
"Wait."
Wilkins turned around, one eyebrow raised.
"Can you tell my friends I'm up?"
"I shall sir. However, there was only one other pony on the vessel, sir, and he is still not awake." Wilkins said, leaving the room. Cog sat down, staring at the door. He was still there when the butler returned with Fancy Pants a few minutes later.

Cog checked his opposite’s physique. Mech had, unfortunately, taken the crash rather worse than Cog, and was practically a mummy. His horn hadn’t healed, and his wings had torn where – if Mr Pants was to be believed, he had been pierced by several shards of metal. Cog looked over at the clock. He had been in there for five hours, and Mech hadn’t healed at all. Cog spread his wings and looked them over. He’d regained his feathers during his talk with Fancy Pants, and had realised that the incredible pain in his torso was where his rib grew back**. The doctor had commented on his healing before mentioning that Mech was still healing, and Cog had launched himself upstairs. Cog looked back at the dark Alicorn in the bed. Maybe it had something to do with their horns...
“Sir, the master would like to speak to you again. He is on his way upstairs now.”
Cog leapt around at the sound of the butler. He shook himself down, coughing. “Right. Thank you.”
Cog watched the Butler walk slowly outside, and breathed out. That man was unnatural.
Except... It wasn’t man. It was pony.
Cog sighed and looked around at his companion. His placed his hooves on the bed, and bent his head. “I need you right now Mech. Wake up. Please.”
“Mr Mechanicus?”
Mech looked around. Fancy Pants stood by the door, flanked by two ponies in armour. He looked very nervous.
“These gentlestallions would like to speak to you. There’s somepony else who may get involved as well...”
“Cog! I can’t believe it!”
“Tia! Look at you! You’ve grown so much!”
“You haven’t changed a bit!”
Fancy Pants and the guards stared in shock at the two ponies standing in front of them hugging. Fancy looked ready to faint.
The pair moved apart. Cog looked at Celestia and grinned. “And how is your father’s daughter doing?”
Celestia beamed and hugged Cog again.”All the better for seeing another alicorn. I haven’t seen anything more advanced than a gas oven since we populated this place.”
Cog tutted and moved away from her, sitting down. “I expected better than that from you Tia. You and Luna said that you were doing so well the last time I heard from you.”
Celestia looked down at the ground suddenly. “Yes. Me and Luna...”
Cog moved to her, pulling her head up so he could look at her. “Tia, what happened. We last heard about you from a warp message that said something about an argument between you.”
Celestia gasped and stood up. “But that- I mean, I sent- What year is it?” She asked him suddenly.
Cog put his hoof to his chin and paused. “I remember it being early 36th millennia.”
Celestia groaned. “This is exactly what I was worried about happening. You and Mech upstairs are the only members of your ‘party’ who made it to the now. The rest are somewhere else in time.”
Cog frowned, eyes closed. Fancy Pants gaped. “Sorry your Majesty, but by that do you mean that the larger group... Is in another time period completely?”
Celestia nodded. Cog looked at Fancy Pants again. “I don’t mean to intrude on you Fancy, but could I use your library? I have a feeling that it will help greatly with this.”
Fancy nodded. Celestia pushed herself up and looked at Fancy. “Fancy, I would like to see the other pony that was in the ship. My last thing before I head off to look for something important.”

“Orion, Swiftwing, Brutal Blade, Crushing Blow, Burning Rain, Freezing Thought... How hard can it be to find mention of an Alicorn?” Cog muttered, trawling through the legends of Equestria. “That’s Celestia... Hey this might be it!
“The Mare in the Moon. Hmm... Well, worth a shot! Let’s see, ‘Long ago, the land of Equestria...’”

A/N: Because I roughly know the story, this won’t be entirely accurate. Consider it a revised edition.

Long ago, the land of Equestria was ruled by two alicorn sisters. One controlled the sun, while the other controlled the moon and stars.
For a time, they ruled in harmony.
But the sister who controlled the moon became jealous of her sister, for while the ponies played and revered the day, they shunned and slept through her beautiful night.
One day, with no warning, she refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun.
The other sister tried to convince her to lower the moon, but her words only hit a harsh barrier inside her younger sibling. Her hate and jealously hate been brewing, causing turmoil inside, and had turned her into a creature fuelled by hate.
Nightmare Moon.
In a desperate gambit, the older sister used our world’s most powerful magic, the Elements of Harmony, to stop her sister. They sealed Nightmare Moon away, putting an end the endless night.
The older sister took over both duties, of the moon and the sun, and the land returned to peace.
But the seal was not perfect, and after a thousand years, the stars shall aid her, and the sister shall break out from her prison, in an...

“... attempt to bring night eternal again.”
Cog stared at the book. The Primarchs, like Terra, were immortal, so they could survive that long. They would have power armour, so they could breathe, but they would need to eat again in a few weeks, so-
“I wouldn’t take that book literally.”
Cog wheeled around at the sound of Celestia’s voice. She picked up the book and put it back in it’s place, pulling out another one.
“This one should have what you are looking for.”
“The Elements of Harmony... A Reference Guide?” He asked, snorting. “Who wrote this?”
“Sanguine, just before he left to the east.”
“Sanguine!” Cog yelled. “But this thing isn’t even red, how could he have made it?”
“Horus helped.” Celestia replied. “They both haven’t been seen for a little under 10,000 years.”
“10,000? But the book...” Cog looked at Celestia and sat down. “Alright Tia, what REALLY happened?”
Celestia sighed and sat down. “Well, I owe that to you. This story takes place a little under 10,000 years ago, when the fledgling world could still produce power armour and Space Mareines. I was aiding a patrol out on the western borders, looking for signs of what sounded like a magical disaster...”

Coming up, yet ANOTHER alternative NMM creation story!
And, where are the Primarchs?
Also included, pointless fluff!
*Dumb Pegasi! Got soaked!
**They do for most ponies after all.***
*** [Whispered] No they don’t!