(We have corn!. . . Wait, I mean Khorne! Three Weeks ALI)

I heaved a sigh as I walked through the halls of my castle toward the barracks. It was a real pain in the ass convincing all those rednecks that no, I was NOT THE GOD OF CORN!

Ahem. My feelings aside, the massive increase in followers was a great boon as it allowed me more power, and with more power came more control over my domain. With this control I could… well, not expand it but more grow it while somehow having it take the same amount of space as the territory of my siblings.

Alternate realities composed of thought tend to get freaky like that.

With this new development of my lands, I was able to include a dedicated forge, a barracks with an armoury, and I even had a few sports fields created. Though, as a side effect, my domain was starting to naturally produce new daemons with redneck accents and more ornery behaviours, but nothing a little discipline and training can't fix.

I finished that train of thought as I entered the training field and saw many of my troops practising, carrying their equipment, and other basic drills. I found a member of my Honour guard overseeing a few of my new Brave Soldiers on range training.

These ones were a bit different to the honour Guard and Hopeful Squires, in the sense that while they were more mediaeval in their arsenal, Brave Soldiers were stylised after the Imperial Guardsmen of 40k. Full-covering flak-armor and helmets containing a literal burning mass of courage wielding what was in reality just an empty casing to focus their flames through in the shape of a Lasgun. I thought the design fitting because I found humans to be pretty brave to march out and face the enemies of man instead of cowering solely behind the Astartes.

"FIRE!" The honour Guard who had taken the rather hilarious moniker of ‘Crowley’ shouted and the soldiers unleashed their ‘guns’ firepower, most of the shots hitting on or near the bullseye. He was about to yell another command but he must've seen me coming and shouted for a break. "Sir," He said, saluting me with a fist over where a man's heart would be as I approached him.

"Crowley," I spoke, returning the salute. "How goes training?"

"Well, sir," He responded, "The new recruits have more attitude compared to the first groups but they're learning well and are enthusiastic. Maybe a little too enthusiastic." Muttering that last sentence.

I nodded as I looked around, taking note of everything and seeing the Squires carry out their tasks. Even with Tzeentch’s approval I had to admit I had gotten excessive. I had ended up forging another four thousand Squires as well as twelve-hundred Brave Soldiers and another two honour Guards. There were two hundred Braves for each legion of one thousand Squires and each honour Guard was in charge of one of these legions.

With the original two-thousand Squires and four honour Guards I had initially made, that came to a total of six legions in my army. I did not know whether to consider it disappointing or excessive, because on one-hand even two legions of daemonic forces was more than I’d need with Equestria, and I haven’t even figured out a design for cavalry yet…

But on the other, I look at the walls encompassing this section of the warp, or rather, beyond it, and I can’t help but feel I have far too few.

But as I found myself watching the Brave Soldiers in their drills, I noticed something, "Are we missing a Brave?"

My newest honour Guard twisted his head around, startled. How could a daemon of Khorne, a being forged of loyalty and justice, go AWOL? “I'll call for a headcount, sir." He spoke before shouting, "Fall in!" This caused all the nearby daemons to scramble and form up. The end result was ten columns of three, with one having only two. Considering that there were one hundred and seventy resting in the barracks, that meant only one thing.

"We are missing a Brave." I muttered, perturbed. I had the remaining twenty-nine and the honour Guard search everywhere nearby but after an hour (or was it a few minutes?), we couldn't find him. I notified the other two generals about a missing soldier.

Where could he have gone?

{The soldier in question before he went MIA}

"Dammit," I muttered, adjusting my ‘rifle’ as I rushed to the range. "I shouldn't have spent so long painting my helmet," I knew that Khorne wished us to express ourselves but it shouldn’t come at the cost of readiness. "I'm probably going to have to run laps for this."

As I dreaded the punishment ahead of me, my attention was grabbed by something that shouldn't be there, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't another Thundershrike flapping around and peeking into the weirdest places. No, this looked more like a rather deliberate circle carving itself into the air, almost like a portal… and that’s when it hit me.

Someone was reaching into the Warp!

"I better report this to the General," I said to myself. Unfortunately, that was when an actual Thundershrike showed up in my face and left me off-balance. I did manage to keep myself standing, but in so doing, I broke the first rule when it comes to the unknown.

I touched it.

"FUUUUU-" I yelled before I was pulled through.

{One minute ago, in the material realm a pegasus named Crazy Rider is up to something}

"Are you sure this will work?" Stubborn Stock, my ever skeptic earth pony friend, asked.

I heaved a frustrated sigh as I finished the altar to this 'god of war' in my basement. "I don't know but I don't see any other option. Blitz is still recovering and I don't see how help will arrive before those Diamond Dogs destroy our town." I adjusted my father's hunting bow to ensure it wouldn't fall off.

"I know, I know." Stock reassured, but wasn't satisfied, "But do we even know if these gods exist? You know Inky has some weird dreams." The stallion in questioned said Luna came to his dream several nights ago and said to pray to the Gods of Chaos for help if they were ever in trouble. The word chaos alone made Stock uneasy.

"I'm not sure but I'm willing to try," I spoke before getting on my knees and began to pray aloud, "Khorne, God of war, Justice, and honour, I ask of thee! save our village! And I shall unite the villages of Galloping Gulch under your banner!"

I then began making up prayers of Martial prowess like, "Let my blade be sharp so that I may slay my foes. Let my resolve be my armor and my faith as my shield." I didn't need to see to know my friend was rolling his eyes. Give me a break!

After ten minutes of praying, Stock put his hand on my shoulder and said with a defeated look, "Hey, I don't think he's gonna answer. Probably busy with a war or something."

I wanted to deny him but I was almost out of steam. I sighed, "One more try?" He took in a breath through his snout and nodded. I nodded back in thanks before turning back to the altar. "Khorne, I beg of thee. Lend me you aid so that I may protect what I care about the most." I poured every bit of desperation and hope into this.

And he answered

A red haze formed around the altar. "Something's happening." I heard Stock say as he pulled me away. I would end up being thankful for that.

Because the air in front of the altar split

A hole in reality itself formed. I heard colors and smelt sounds that shouldn't exist. When the tear seemed to harden and stabilise, something came through.

The being landed in a kneeling position before standing up. It was taller than either of us at what I think six and a half hoofs, wore some strange leather and cloth armor that covered his entire body, the only glimpse into the creature’s true form was the glowing orange behind a visor of its helmet, that seemed to be painted to depict a shark-like smile. In its hands it held a large blocky object with a hole in the front of it, much like something to channel through. On its hip hung a steel red blade, about as big as a dagger but bearing only one edge. Nevertheless, it looked like it would have no problem cutting through somepony. The being's face raised to face us directly, and it felt like suddenly I was bathed in a warmth that came from within my soul, a courage within that drove me to help my fellow ponies even if I needed to fight tooth and hoof to do so.

"I think he heard you that time," Stubborn mumbled, staring at the being before us.

That seemed to have alerted the warrior, because what else could he be, that he wasn't alone. He stared at us with a bit more awareness and we tensed, before he groaned and brought a hand to his head.

"The General's going to have my ass for this."

{Ethereal Comments}

Khorne: …well holy shit, the ponies figured out summoning on their own?
Tzeentch: And fortunately for us, even before our more direct interference, it didn’t require any blood sacrifices.
Discord: I reluctantly agree on that, having to pay in blood and souls was never a pleasant concept.
Slaanesh: I’m not going to refuse the semen and milk offerings.
Nurgle: of course you aren’t.
Slaanesh: Don’t you start judging me Nurgle, or do they need to know how I helped you with your daemons?
Discord: oh so that’s why Nurgle’s garden is a big furry orgy.
K+T: wait what??
Nurgle: guys, no, please, let me explain before you—

{Forest Of Cycles, Third Person POV}

He was running.

Honestly that was usually what his tribe was good at, thick muscled thighs carried him through the paths, long ears upright kept him alert to the sounds of the pack as they chased him down. They had raided his home again.

The wolves liked his tribe’s thighs too, plenty of meat.

He shook away those thoughts quickly, now was not the time to let dread sink in. this was their lives, feeding on the fruits of the forest, dashing through the thicket to evade and survive. One would think their creator cruel, as it was also responsible for the wolves and tigers and other beasts that hunted them.

They knew better, because the creator didn’t lie once to them about their purpose. The forest, the green expanse, this was the wild. The creator could easily just wave his hand and have all his creations grow fat and happy, but to do so would be far from a kindness.

This world worked to train them, make them stronger. If they were able to relax and feel safe then it would only be from the satisfaction of taming this wilderness with their own hands. He could already see it in his kin, the more they succeeded in evading the predators hunting them, the more their bodies became stronger, and faster, and smarter. The creator told us that he, this little runner, was close to becoming an Apex, and soon he would be able to pay back those hunters ten fold for attacking his people.

The grass shifted wrongly, it was in his path, it was too late.

The long eared boy stumbled as a weight crashed into him and pinned him to the ground. He feared the inevitable sight and yet he opened his eyes all the same.

Pinning him down was one of the wolves, the flaking wisps of black telling him this one had learned the shadowstep. That wasn’t to say the wolf had become inclined to stealth, as her rippling muscles and firm abs showed off the strength she held.

She looked down at her catch with a toothy grin, licking her lips in triumph. This was it and they both knew it, her maw descending almost agonizingly slowly to claim her prize.

Ah… perhaps next time…

{And Nurgle’s here too.}

“Hmm?” I blink, turning away from one of my newest potted flowers as I heard a loud squeaking noise. Turning I look to find I had wandered to the Forest of Cycles, one of the newer environs of my domain to find…

Ah.

A wolf girl was currently ‘eating’ a rabbit boy’s lower half, softly nibbling on the softer areas to get reactions out of the Wild One.

“Another raid, hm? Ah… and she got you… well, you’ll get the chance to ascend on the next time.” I comment as I reached down and patted the captive creature’s head with a finger. I found the situation turn lewder as my attempt at comfort relaxed him too much and led him to climax in the wolf-girl’s mouth.

This little Wild One, the general catch-all term for my more animalistic Daemons, was something of a pet project of mine. I’m pretty sure the other three have proactive ideas of what they want to do to influence ‘canon’, no doubt, and I was already tending to my little idea. This little guy, once he’s managed to overcome the cycle, grow beyond the confines of the wild domain and become an Apex, an evolved version of a Wild One, is going to make an impact. He will be one of the first Daemons I seed into Equestria, his flesh grown from the land to be the perfect, stable vessel with which to move into the material realm and survive without need of sacrifice or souls.

He would become a permanent fixture of the world, the perfect link to the main characters… after all he would be close to one of them.

“Until the next chase, little Angel.”

Author's Note

bet you didn't expect that last part, eh?

special thanks to detectivebrony, as he was the one to offer the majority of the first half of this chapter.