Chapters Sci Twi pinched her nose as she and Pearl waited outside the Wondercolt statue. "Are you really sure this is a good idea?"
Pearl shrugged. "Hey, the princess's the one who asked me. She seemed really interested in it when we talked about it in Equestria. I don't see what's so wrong with this." She smirked. "Besides, I've seen you at Games-Workshop's store before."
Twilight rolled her eyes. That was true, even though she didn't really play the game itself. "Point. Knowing me as I do, I just hope Twily brought enough bits for at least a model or two."
Before Pearl could respond, the portal shimmered, before Princess Twilight came stumbling out, grabbing onto the base to steady herself. "I will never get used to that, no matter how many times I do it," she grumbled.
Twi giggled as she kissed her girlfriend. "Join the club. One of these days, we really need to make this more of a fun trip." She saw the backpack the princess was wearing. "Are you planning to stay for a while?" She smirked. "Do I need to worry about losing you to a younger model?"
Pearl blushed, while Twilight giggled, booping Twi's nose. "As if. Rainbow would kill me if I did something like that. And I did bring a few things, just in case I do stay longer than a day." She looked at Pearl with a worried look. "Um. That is not a problem is it?"
Pearl shook her head, smiling. "Naw. Mom and dad know all about Equestria and magic, and all of that. Hell. They've known it since before I was born. And with Rainbow having stayed over a few times now, I can make room for both of us if I need to."
Twilight sighed in relief, before tilting her head. "I do not know why you said I should bring some money with me. Or how much I needed. So I brought several hundred bits, just to be safe. I think that comes out to several hundred dollars."
Pearl smirked. "You say that, Twilight. But I saw the look in your eyes when I explained it to you. Even if you don't start playing Age of Sigmar, you'll want a few models of your own. Trust me. I was the same way once."
Twilight rolled her eyes, while Twi giggled before departing. "Have fun you two. Me? Another test from Professor Kazumi. I don't know why she seems so interested in me."
Pearl just smiled as she and the princess went in another direction. "Oh, she has her reasons. She always does."
Twilight wanted to ask about that but felt it wasn't her place. "So where do I even start with something like this? There has to be something for a beginner like me."
Pearl nodded happily. "There is. Luckily, AOS just changed over to 3rd Edition, and I have the Core Rulebook. That's usually a good place to start. It's also a good place to get an idea of which army you might wanna collect and play with. Rainbow's actually read the whole thing through. Still don't know if she plans to play or not."
Twilight nodded. It was a good idea. But she was still a long way from making any kind of decision about any of this.
For as hot-headed and passionate as Pearl was, Twilight was pleasantly surprised to find that her bedroom was clean and not a disaster zone as she had almost thought it would be. Alongside a tv, there were the usual things to be found in most girls' bedrooms, with Pearl's bed able to look out a nearby window.
What stood out, however, were several display cases alongside a long wall. One held quite a few mechs of some kind. Rainbow had mentioned them several times. Gunpla, Twilight believed they were called. She made a note to look at them at some point. They looked rather interesting.
But it was what was in the other two cases that held her attention for the moment, as she walked over and looked inside. She understood enough of Age of Sigmar to know that they were all Stormcast Eternals. There were three distinct color schemes she could see. One was a lustrous black, another was a dark purple, and the third was in an iron and purple color scheme. All three had gold along the edges of many armor sections.
But what stood out for the princess was the diversity of the armor types Pearl had on display. All shared a common design aesthetic, but there were major differences between them that even Twilight could see.
Pearl smiled as she joined her, putting her own things down on her bed. "Not bad for seven years of work, huh? Comes in handy when I have the cash to spend. I haven't gotten any of the new Thunderstrike armor from Third Edition yet, though I want to."
Twilight gave her a curious look. "Why does the armor look so different? It is not the different color schemes. Even I can see there are differences here."
Pearl nodded as she pointed at the black-armored models. "There is a reason for that. My Sons of Mallus here are meant to be an Exemplar Chamber. Or at least part of one. They're part of the Paladin conclave. Elite reserve basically."
Twilight nodded. "And the Paladins all have the same weapon why?"
Pearl smiled widely. "It's all based on a passage from the old battletome. They're all Decimators, armed with Thunderaxes. The guy out front is Lord-Castellant Selithon Blackstar. I'm working on Lord-Celestant Cornus Bloodshanks and Lord-Relictor Vorghinus Direcaller now."
Twilight giggled. And ponies thought she could lecture. But something stood out. "You gave them names?"
Pearl giggled. "Well yeah. My Heroes at least have names. I am still working on giving all of them a name. Same with my Astral Templars and Blades of Dawn."
Twilight was surprised by this, but what did she know about all of this, as she looked down at the second shelf. She was surprised to see what they were wearing. "Do these have a thing for robes or something? They remind me of the robes a Court Mage would wear."
Pearl giggled. "Not really. This is meant to be a Sacrosanct Chamber for my Astral Templars. Magic-use heavy is their thing. I blame Kazumi for this one actually. She can really unleash the storm when she's mad." She shuddered at the memory. "Luckily it wasn't aimed at me," she grumbled as she pointed at the models out front. "Lord-Arcanum on Celestial Dracoline, Arcine Crow-Fighter. Lord-Exorcist Arcor Beast-Crusher, and Knight-Incantor Thostonsiba Valorborn."
Twilight rolled her eyes. She would have to take Pearl's word for it. "Do they have their own models, or do they all share the same?"
Pearl shook her head. "No. They do have their models. The Sequitors have a Stormsmite Maul and Soulshield, the Castigators have a Thunderhead Greatbow, and the Evocators have a Tempest Blade and Stormstave. I'm working on getting a Celestat Ballista though."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she looked down at the final shelf, and was surprised to see how empty it was. Only a Lord-Celestant riding atop a dragon of some kind. But not like any she had ever seen in Equestria or the Dragon Lands. To her surprise, though, the rider was a woman. "I give up on this one. Is there something wrong? There's only one model. And that is like no dragon I have ever seen before."
Pearl shook her head, sighing as she looked over at her desk, which was crammed full of sprues, half-finished models, and paint. "Nothing's wrong. I just started this Blades of Dawn army. This is going to be an Extremis chamber. She's Lord-Celestant Henys the Reverent, and she's riding a Stardrake. Everyone in this chamber rides a Stardrake or a Dracoth. I don't have anyone else at the moment to show the differences."
Twilight's mind finally could not take anymore, and she flopped down onto the floor with a groan. But she was impressed by all of this. "I am impressed, Pearl. Even though a lot of this is going right over my head. But why this last one?"
Pearl shrugged as she flopped down onto her bed. "Dad. The sea has been his whole life. His whole family's basically in one form or another. So I couldn't help it even if I tried. It's in my blood."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she sat up and looked at the first shelf again. "And the Sons of Mallus?"
Pearl seemed to deflate a bit. "They were my first army. I've won several local painting competitions with them. And lost a few as well. I wanted to do a Stormhost that no one else in Canterlot was doing, and they don't have a lot of information on them in the fluff. So I have more freedom there to make things up for them as I build. That could change of course. Same with my Blades of Dawn."
Twilight was surprised by one bit in particular. "They have painting competitions for these?"
Pearl nodded excitedly. "Oh yeah. The big one most Warhammer players aim for is Golden Daemon. Maybe even the coveted Slayer Sword for the overall winner. I am so not there yet." She sighed. "My first competition? Came in last place out of ten entrants."
Twilight's heart dropped. "I am so sorry."
Pearl waived it off. "Don't be. Yeah, my pride took a big hit that day. But it was a learning experience. And everyone was super nice to me as well and helped me get better. We've lost a couple of people from that first group. Moving away mostly, and we've got a few new players as well. But we still help each other out. Except when it comes to beating each other of course."
Twilight smiled. It was always good to hear something like this. Competition was never a bad thing. But when they all helped each other to get better afterwards, especially for the one who came in last? Then they were all winners. "Okay. I admit that I am interested now. But where would I even start?"
Pearl grinned as she rushed over to her desk and pulled out a drawer. Rummaging around a moment, she pulled out a single model and handed it to Twilight. "I've had him since I first started the game. I never painted him since I could never make up my mind what Stormhost he's part of."
Twilight looked the model over. She recognized it as one being used in Pearl's Blades of Dawn. "What is he exactly? You did not say."
Pearl nodded. "He's a Liberator. Line infantry basically. He's got a Heavens-wrought Weapon and Sigmarite Shield." Looking over at the emptiest shelf, she pointed out the squad there. "One of them has a Grandhammer and another has a pair of Warblades. Rule of cool mostly. Using them in-game comes second."
Twilight's head was spinning once more. "And how should I paint him? Even if this does turn out to be a one-off thing, I cannot leave him like this. It just does not feel right."
Pearl nodded happily. "That's just it. There is no right or wrong way to paint him. It's your choice." Moving over to a nearby bookshelf, she pulled out something called the Stormcast Eternals battletome. "But if you don't want an eyesore on your shelf, or still can't choose. there's plenty in here that can help."
Twilight blinked as she took the book. It did have a nice cover, and it was decently thick, so it was not a quick read at least.
Pearl stood and headed for the door. "Come back to me once you've read up to the Forces of Sigmar section. We can go from there. Everything past that is for if you want to play the game itself. And for crying out loud. Use my bed, not the floor. A princess shouldn't use the floor like this," she giggled, before dashing off.
Twilight huffed but did as she was told. Pushing aside the idea that this was still a bad idea, she began to read.
Author's Note
These are the Sons of Mallus. For those wondering anyway.
Pearl's Exemplar Chamber army is based on this little snippet from the 2nd Edition battletome:
When the siege towers of Dagram Thule approach the Baeyrd lodge in Aqshy, twenty retinues of Decimators from the Sons of Mallus strike down into the Chaos horde's midst. Led by Lord-Castellant Selithon Blackfist, they cleave their way toward the towering constructs before hacking the legs from the twisted gargants that push them. In doing so, they save the magmahold and forge an unbreakable bond between their Stormhost and the Fyreslayers lodge.
"Are you sure you do not mind?" Sci Twi asked as she and Pearl entered the latter's home. "I am about ready to drop dead right this second. I don't know how I'm going to survive four years of this."
Pearl giggled. "Trust me, I know. Kazumi's tutored me several times when my normal teacher couldn't make it. Even when we are friends, she is ruthless when she is teaching. No matter who you are." She smirked. "And I think pony you needs a friend. I can only do so much."
Twilight shook her head. "Oh come on, you're not that bad. This is just the sort of thing Twily loves. She can deny it all she wants, but I have it on good authority from her Shining Armor that she loves this kind of thing."
Pearl rolled her eyes as they made their way up to their bedroom. To her immense relief, the pair found Princess Twilight still on the youngster's bed, looking out the nearby window, seemingly deep in thought. She smiled as she spotted the pair and made for them. "Hey. I couldn't help it, but I read the whole thing. Even if I didn't understand any of what came after the painting section."
Pearl rolled her eyes. "Somehow I'm not surprised. And I'm glad you didn't touch anything. I have everything right where I know they are and where I need them."
Twilight giggled as she wrapped an arm around Twi as her love sat down next to her. "I wanted to so many times. I just can't stand this kind of mess on your desk."
Pearl only smiled. "Organised chaos, princess. It works for me. I literally kicked Kohaku out of here when he tried to fix it a few months ago. He got the point after that. Glad I don't need to repeat the process."
Twilight's eyes twitched at the use of the words organized chaos. Two words that should never go together. "I do think I found one I like. But are you the only one who plays this army?"
Pearl shook her head. "Nope. Another girl plays a Ghyran Guard Vanguard Auxiallary Chamber. She has a massive rivalry with a Maggotkin of Nurgle player. Good-natured of course. They usually play against each other once a week. And another guy plays Celestial Vindicators. I know Rainbow is interested in the Lightning Hawks. Her eyes all but lip up when she saw them and the Harbinger Chamber. She's not very good at hiding what she's thinking.
Twilight nodded. That made sense, from what she had read. And that was true of Rainbow as well. "Well, I would be lying if the Knights of Azyr don't sound interesting. As a scholar myself and always looking to recover lost knowledge. Though I don't know what a Lumineth elf or Hysh is."
Pearl rubbed her forehead. "It is a very long story, and I'm the wrong girl to ask about the Lumineth Realm-Lords. And Hysh is one of the Mortal Realms. Just like Azyr and Ghyran are. But that's a whole other story with all eight of them. Not counting the Eightpoints as well."
Twi giggled as Twilight groaned. "I think we might break her at this rate. Maybe we should move on?"
Pearl rolled her eyes as she began to grab things from her desk. "Fine. Grab the model and follow me, princess. This first step needs to be done outside for safety. Luckily, I have just the paints you need for this Stormhost."
Twilight wanted to ask more but decided to hold for now as she grabbed the Liberator and followed Pearl outside with Twi not far behind.
"Now I understand why Spike does this outside," Twilight said, as the trio returned inside, her model now an even black color. "I always knew paint fumes could be dangerous. But I didn't think it would smell so much."
Pearl nodded. "Yeah. Usually, Kohaku tries to help in some way during this, but he can't take the smell of the paint, no matter what I do. He's usually back by the time the primer is dry. Chaos Black is good for a darker color. The shoulder pads will be harder to do right since white isn't easy to make look good."
Twilight rolled her eyes as Pearl made space for her at her desk and began pulling out paints.
Twilight had an idea in mind for how she would do this, as she thinned her first paint. Spike had always said it made sense to start with the largest areas on the model and paint them first. In this case, it would be everything but the shoulder pads, shield, and hammer.
Starting from the head, steadying her hands as much as possible, she dipped her brush into the pot of Kantor Blue and began to paint. She smiled as the helmet went from a drab black to a dark blue. Careful to keep the blue off from the halo, she next moved down to the main armor panels of the chest.
She smiled as this too began to take shape, both front and back. By the time she was done with this section, Twilight was beginning to understand why so many found this relaxing. As the arms began to take shape as well, a well of excitement began to grow inside of her. And even if it wouldn't be seen because of the shield, she made sure to paint all of the Liberator's left arm and hand.
The legs felt like she had just finished a major part of a test, even as she very carefully painted around what looked like a lightning bolt on the right leg. But as she finally pulled away for a moment, Twilight sighed, knowing that was far from the truth.
"This is going way better than I thought it would," Pearl whispered as the princess added Retributor Gold to the halo, shoulder pad trim and hammer symbol on the right pad, shield trim and hammer symbol, belt buckle, loincloth, the hammer on the shield, and the decorative symbols on the knife scabard. "You sure she's never done this before?"
Twi nodded, impressed by all of this. "No. Spike has plenty of models in his room. But Twily's never done any herself. For a long time, she thought they were a waste of time." Her smile grew. "But if there's one thing Twily is? It's that she never does anything half-baked. No matter how long it might take."
Pearl chuckled. That she could believe.
Twilight tuned out the background noise. She knew that they were talking about her, but this was too important to think about anything else at the moment.
Her Liberator was really starting to look like a proper Stormcast Eternal now. and it made her feel good to see it all come together, as she began to paint the tabard's trim with Ushabti Bone, before adding Khorne Red to the assets and weapon hafts, Leadbelcher to the hammer's head, and the lightning bolt on the right leg.
Now came the part that worried her the most, as she cleaned her brush once more. She knew how hard it was to get white right on a model. Spike complained about it often enough that even she could understand that. But damn it all if she stopped now as she grabbed the pot of Celestra Grey.
Starting with the shield, Twilight began to carefully paint around the hammer and lightning bolts. This was easier said than done, as the parts she was trying to get to were so small. Scrunching her eyes, Twilight fought the growing urge to speed this up. Not now. This was too close to the end. She was too invested to even think about stopping now.
After a moment, she smiled as the shield came out in an off-white color she was happy with. She didn't think there was anything else she could do to get it any whiter. Now came the final parts. The left shoulder pad was rather easy to paint since it was nothing but a flat surface, only making sure to avoid the edges.
But it was the right pad that worried Twilight the most. If the shield had small areas she needed to get to, the shoulder pad was even worse if possible.
Twi saw the growing worry in her girlfriend's eyes and made to stand. Only to have Pearl put an arm on her shoulder and push her back down with a shake of her head. Twi went to argue. But the glare in the girl's eyes said that this was for the better. Especially at this critical moment.
Twilight bit down on her worry, and moved ahead. She wouldn't get anywhere sitting here like this. Very carefully, using only perhaps a single brush hair, or maybe two (she couldn't tell), she painted in and around the hammer symbol on the shoulder pad. By the grace of whatever gods may be watching (or she was better at this than she thought), Twilight managed to keep the grey off of the gold.
Only once she was sure that she had not missed anything, triple checking to be sure, did Twilight allow herself to relax as she set the Liberator down, releasing a breath she hadn't known she had been holding, as Twi rushed over and pulled her into a hug.
Pearl also let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as she joined them and looked the model over. "Well. That went way better than I thought it would. Are you sure you haven't done one of these before?"
Twilight chuckled. "I'm sure. But now I can understand why people like doing things like this. Is there anything else I need to do?"
Pearl shrugged. "There's a few more for the model itself. And then you really should give it a proper base. Do you have anything in mind?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not really. I still know so little of this game, so I wouldn't know what to put on it."
Pearl nodded as she pulled out some new paint pots. Drakenhof Nightshade, Reikland Fleshshade, Nuln Oil, and Seraphim Sepia. "Then we can use the one they did in the battletome." She smiled sheepishly. "And this next step? Well... I'm going to do it." She held up a hand as Twilight went to argue. "I know you did great on the rest of the model. But this is one step that can go wrong if you're not careful. Give it a few more models before you do it."
Twilight bit back a retort as Twi held her close. She wanted to fight this. This was her model after all. But the look in the young girl's eyes told her that she was not ready. At least not yet, she sighed. "Fine. What about all of the highlights?"
Pearl shrugged. "Depends. Do you want them? He'll look great even without them. But they'll make him look even better."
Twilight thought for a moment, before smiling. "Then he deserves the very best. If this turns out to be a one-time thing for me, I want something that will look great on my shelf. But I want to do something before this is all done."
Pearl nodded happily as she set to work. "Then you can definitely do the base. It's not that hard. Even for a rookie."
Twilight pouted at being called something like that, even as Twi giggled.
Twilight watched Pearl work with not a little bit of awe. She didn't think hands could do something so delicate as highlighting things so small on the Liberator, but again, she had been proven wrong.
And again, as she watched Pearl work with an intensity she found both cute and impressive at the same time, there came the persistent itch in the back of her mind that they should have been something more than just friends. Much more. Both here and in Equestria.
"I don't think my hands will ever be this good," Twilight said, as Pearl put down a pot of Fire Dragon Bright, having finished highlighting the tassets.
Pearl giggled as she grabbed for the pot of Pallid Wych Flesh to finish off all the highlights. "Give it time. It took me years to get this good. Nobody starts out knowing how to do this." She smirked at the growing pile of notes at the princess's side. "And Rainbow was right. Your note-taking is crazy. You'll be doing this in no time at this rate."
Twilight pouted while Twi giggled at her marefriend's expense. It took only a few minutes before Pearl sighed and pulled back, cleaning her brush thoroughly as she did. The model looked even more amazing now, to Twilight. Something she hadn't thought possible before. "Now comes the fun part."
Twilight went over as Pearl stood up and began to pull several things out of storage, even as she returned most of the paints to their proper places. "You only need a few things for this step, princess," she said, handing her an old brush that had seen much use. "And this is better for one step in particular."
Twilight frowned as she sat down once more, as Pearl set out something called Citadel Sand, and another called Middenland Tufts, alongside Steel Legion Drab. This last one, at least, made sense, as she very carefully painted the outside edge of the base with it.
Giving it more than enough time to dry, Pearl handed Twilight some PVA glue with a smile. "Now? Just apply this to the whole base, making sure to avoid his feet. That's why I use an old brush."
Twilight wasn't sure what this was supposed to do but did as she was told, moving the glue around with the brush to make sure it got an even coating.
Pearl nodded as this was done and opened the sand. "Now you just cover it with the sand. Make sure you shake off the excise. Then add a few tufts, and then just wait for the glue to dry before doing anything else."
Twilight blinked, but did so. There was a sweet sense of satisfaction as she added two tufts to both the front and back of the Liberator. "Now what?" She asked, leaning back in her chair.
Pearl smirked. "Now? Let the glue dry for a while before moving it again. You don't need to be back in Equestria any time soon, do you?"
Twilight shook her head. "Well. No. But Chancellor Neighsay has been asking for me lately. I do not want to make wait for me too long."
Pearl blinked. "Neighsay? What the hell is he chancellor of anyway?"
Twilight shared a surprised look with Twi, who only shook her head in bemusement. "The Equestrian Education Association. Why? Is he not in this world?"
Pearl shook her head. "No, he is. But he's the store manager for Games-Workshop here in Canterlot. He's rough around the edges. But he does genuinely care and does what he can to help new people in the hobby."
Twilight was taken aback by this, as Twi rocked her gently. But it was something for later. Right now? She just wanted to relax after all of this.
Author's Note
To answer something SuperSaiyanDiclonius said. Neighsay will be in this story. Changed my mind on this. Very different from what he is in Equestria. No spoilers though. And as The Blue EM2 said, we need more stories like this.
And it's nice to find fellow Warhammer hobbyists in Aresnightsworn, Warpsmith, and Iron Comet. Here's what the Knights of Azyr, Ghyran Guard, Celestial Vindicators, and Lightning Hawks look like.
For those who might care, I myself play Astral Templars.
"Are you sure this is alright?" Twilight asked, sitting with her love and Pearl at the latter's kitchen table. "I know that this is rather sudden."
Cirrus Storm, Pearl's mom, smiled. "Of course, dear. And it would be nice to have a nice quiet night for once with a visitor from Equestria. Rainbow Dash has far too much energy for her own good."
Twi rolled her eyes. "And us?"
Cirrus rolled her eyes. "Honey. My husband and I have known about Equus and Equestria for longer than any of you have been alive. I admit that I never thought any of this would happen. But this barely qualifies as in the top twenty of the strangest things I've seen."
Pearl huffed as she crossed her arms. "I'm still peeved you didn't tell me about either of those sooner, mom."
Cirrus smirked as she rustled her daughter's hair. "Pearl. Need I remind you of what happened when you discovered Kohaku's real form? Or your reaction when you found out about his whole family?"
Pearl winced, blushing deeply as she sunk into her chair. Twilight and Twi shared a confused look. "What happened?" Twilight asked.
Cirrus chuckled. "Oh. Only the meltdown to end all meltdowns. Our families have been friends for generations. Kohaku had only just been able to hold his human form for any length of time. Getting to be friends with Pearl was an accomplishment in and of itself."
Pearl huffed in annoyance. "He gave me more heart attacks than I care to count. I finally cornered him and demanded to know why." She smiled at the memory. "Turns out it's his way of showing he cares for his friends. Or his best friend in my case. I knew our families had a long history together. But..."
Twilight nodded, seeing where this seemed to be going. "But it was hard to reconcile all of that with someone who seemed to be nothing but a pest?"
Pearl nodded. "Yeah. It took me a while to really get into it. But I wouldn't trade our friendship for the world now." She smirked. "I'll save the rest of that story for later though."
Twilight and Twi shared a look but shrugged. "So where will we sleep?" Twi asked.
Pearl smiled. "I've got an extra sleeping bag for when we go camping. Little tight, but you should be able to both fit in it. Just save the lovemaking for your own room. Some of us have to sleep."
Cirrus nodded. "Your friend Rarity came by earlier. She seemed to know this might happen, so she dropped off both of your pajamas. How she had them I do not know."
Twi rolled her eyes. She had long ago given up trying to understand how her fashionista friend did what she did. As she had with Pinkie Pie. The less said about those, the better. She pulled the princess close with a knowing smile. They needed more snuggling time anyway. Perfect.
"So what comes next, princess?" Pearl asked, flopping down onto her bed as the girls made themselves comfortable with their shared sleeping bag. It was a tight fit, but there was enough room for both of them.
Twilight looked over at her Liberator, now with the lightning bolt symbol of the Redeemer conclave on his left shoulder. She was glad Twi had reminded her of it earlier. "I'm not sure. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in doing more of these. But I wouldn't know where to go next, and I didn't bring any bits."
Pearl scrunched her nose. "Can't you both go to GW's store in town? I've got cash to spare if you need any."
Twi shook her head. "I go in often enough that it would not shock anyone to see me. But everyone knows that Shining is my only sibling, and I have no one else in my family that looks like me." She pulled Twilight close with a kiss on the cheek. "I can teach you to fake being me though."
Twilight saw a problem with this though. "What about your glasses? You know what they do to my eyesight."
Twi smirked, booping her nose. "Easy. Contacts. I use them sometimes if I feel I can go a day without losing them. I'm still hoping Princess Celestia can correct them for good with magic. I know it's possible to do so. And your hair being down wouldn't look weird. I do it sometimes."
Twilight giggled. "Aw. but you look so cute with them."
Pearl heaved off to the side as the two giggled. "Leave it in your own room, you two lovebirds."
Twilight giggled even more, before frowning slightly. "I would hate to use your money though, Pearl. It doesn't feel right."
Pearl waved it off with a smile. "Hey. Anything for a friend. And I won't take no for an answer."
Twilight smiled, before blinking. "You consider me a friend?"
Pearl nodded, pulling her blanket up around her with a small smile. "Well. Yeah. I don't care if we still don't know each other super well. It's never stopped me before. A part of me wonders if things had been different, we could have been more than just friends." She looked at Twi. "Either of you. I tried to be your friend when we were younger, Twi. But you always had your nose firmly stuck in a book. I finally just gave up."
Twilight pulled herself close. The thought had crossed her mind as well. Both for this Pearl, and her counterpart in Equestria. Twi winced at the reminder, remembering the times Pearl had tried to get them to do something together. Attempts she had always rebuffed. Only once they met at Spectrum had she remembered all the times the two had met before, and the friend she had turned away.
Pearl looked out her window toward Canterlot High. "Rainbow's told me what you girls did that Summer Sun Celebration. Ponies you barely knew at the time. On a quest that should've killed you, if Nightmare Moon had meant it. Us? This is normal compared to all you've done and the friends you have."
Twilight blushed as Twi smirked at her. Well, when someone put it like that. "Well, when yu put it like that..."
Pearl's smile grew. "You've made a friend in me that will last forever. Two if I can get my favorite pest in on this as well. And I never leave my friends hanging. I will put my life on the line for them. Never think I won't."
Twilight giggled, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You've convinced me. But I still don't know where to start with any of this."
Pearl nodded. "Luckily there's a solution to that. Games-Workshop has several starter sets for Age of Sigmar. Each one is a great starting place for Stormcast Eternals. If you don't mind the second army that also comes in the box. But that can wait for tomorrow. I'm going in myself. We can go together."
Twilight wondered just what exactly Pearl meant by several parts of that, but as Twi kissed her gently and pulled herself close, she decided that it was something that could wait for the morning.
Author's Note
To clear things up. This is the symbol of the Redeemer Conclave on these Hallowed Knights and Astral Templars Liberator models. The symbol is on their left shoulder pad.
"This is so weird," Twilight grumbled, as Twi did up her hair in her own style. "I happen to like this look. It saves me a headache every time I come here, knowing what I'll look like each time."
Twi chuckled. "Oh, stop complaining honey. I don't know how you walk around with your hair down like this," she gestured at her own, now down like the princess's usually was. "I put mine up because it was getting so long," she chuckled, clasping her own hair clip into place. "There you go!"
Twilight looked at a nearby mirror and smiled. She would say Twi had replaced her if she didn't know any better. Only their clothes and her lack of glasses stood them apart. "You sure this is a good idea?"
Twi nodded smiling gently. "You know I can't go with you and Pearl. There's no way either of you could explain it to everyone. Besides, I already promised to help Fluttershy at the rescue today." She frowned at the rain pouring down outside. "Bad weather and all. It'll also help explain why you don't have glasses."
Twilight nodded. No matter how long it had been, the fact that the weather acted on its own in this world still unnerved her. "What about tomorrow?"
Twi shook her head. "It's a school day. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. Graduation is only in two months. Even on the weekend, there is so much I need to do. We're lucky I had a free weekend this week." She smirked. "And one other thing for post-graduation, but I'm not saying what that is just yet."
Twilight pouted, but no matter how hard she tried, Twi would not relent, giggling as Pearl finally came back upstairs. She pinched her nose at the sight of the princess's new look. "You two are going to be the death of me one of these days. I just know it."
Twilight giggled as all three headed for the door. "You signed up for this when you started seeing Rainbow. Don't blame me for any of this."
Pearl rolled her eyes. Maybe. But that didn't mean she had to like it. "Rainbow's said the same thing." She frowned. "Now. Are you sure you can fake knowing anything about AOS? Reading the battletome can only do so much. Trust me. I had to coach Rainbow the entire time when I took her the first time."
Twilight gulped, as Twi held her close. She didn't like the sound of that. "How bad could it be?"
Pearl sighed. "Hard enough. So much changed after the Broken Realms saga. Even more, than it did after Malign Portents and the Soul Wars." She giggled as she patted her own backpack. "Luckily, I know how much you love to read, so I brought a few things to catch you up. Hopefully, it works for now."
Twilight could only do the same, as Pearl grabbed an umbrella, the two of them heading for the nearest bus stop, leaving Twilight to wonder how much of a trainwreck this would be with a giggle.
"Do you even know which Chamber you might go for?" Pearl asked as the bus turned a corner. "I saw how you were looking at my Astral Templars. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised with how much you're into magic."
Twilight blushed. "The thought had crossed my mind. They remind me of the old Battle Mages of Unicornia, and even into the Celestial Era we are living in. Combining magic with martial skills. There has not been one for over a century, and even then they were rare."
Pearl nodded. "Well. It'll be hard to get those models specifically. Did you notice all the animal pelts, furs, and bare heads on the models?"
Twilight nodded. It had made them stand out compared to Pearl's other models for sure.
The youngster smiled. "It's called kitbashing. Taking pieces from other models and using them to make certain ones really stand out. I used bits from an old Space Wolves box I got years ago." She saw the light that was lit in Twilight's eyes and giggled. "Give it a bit more time there, princess. Get more experience before you do though. It'll save you serious headaches down the line."
Twilight made a mental note of that. But even now, her imagination ran wild with the possibilities.
Pearl pinched her nose as she saw the shop come into view. "There's another problem as well. Those models came from the Soul Wars box, which Games-Workshop no longer produces since Dominion came out." Her heart dropped as she saw the princess slump slightly. "But I think Neighsay has one last Tempest of Souls box. It's not fully the same as the main box, but it would give you a start on a Sacrosanct army."
Twilight wasn't sure what all of that meant but decided that Pearl understood this far better than she did, as the young girl signaled a stop, before pulling out her umbrella.
Twilight could hardly believe her eyes as she wandered between the shelves. So many models, and from factions, she could only guess at, and for games, she only knew from seeing books for them on Pearl's shelves. Her mind was spinning from all of it.
Finding the Age of Sigmar section was simple enough thankfully, and then it was a simple task to find the Stormcast Eternals. They tended to stick it out seemed. Why they were all painted as Hammers of Sigmar was beyond her, except for one she recognized as Gardus Steel Soul.
What she didn't expect was... "Sunset?" Twilight asked, unable to hide her surprise.
Her fiery-haired friend turned, surprised, but quickly smiled. "Twilight?" She smirked as she saw through the disguise. "Never thought I'd see you here. That is not a good look for you."
Twilight snorted. "Well we both can't be here now, can we? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were into this."
Sunset shrugged. "I'm a returning convert. Fluttershy is very convincing when she wants to be. Plus I can indulge in my darker side with the army I'm working on." As if to prove her point, she grabbed a box of Deadwalker Zombies for the Soulblight Gravelords.
"Really?" Twilight deadpanned.
Sunset just smirked wider. "Hey. I was a Vampire Counts fan back in the day. Took them long enough to bring them back at all. I'll take it."
"Do you two know each other?" A new voice asked as an older man joined them. One Twilight recognized, even if she did not know him personally.
Sunset saw it as well, but nodded. "Yeah. We're schoolmates. Didn't think I'd see her here though."
Neighsay nodded as he turned to Twilight. His eyes narrowed for a moment before it went away. "Then do you have an idea? I know you've been looking around for some time now."
Twilight nodded, making sure she remembered how she had rehearsed this moment. "Yes. If it's possible, I was looking at a Sacrosanct army. I'll work out which Stormhost later."
Neighsay smiled. "It is possible. Unfortunately, there was a young girl in here earlier today who had the same idea. I just could not say no to a fresh face, and I sold the last of our stock of the Tempest of Souls box. You are an edition late when it comes to an easy way to start such an army."
Twilight slumped. Darn it. There went that idea. Now what?
Neighsay this, and sighed. "But if you are still set on doing a Stormcast Eternals army, then the Warrior Starter Set is the best place to start. It will give you experience playing the army, and then you can decide where you wish to go from there if you wish."
Twilight tapped her chin as she looked at the box in question, next to the Harbinger and Extremis versions of the set. "Well, it wasn't my first choice. But it was probably wishful thinking on my part," she sighed as she grabbed a box. "If I can drag Pearl away from everything that is."
Neighsay chuckled, looking over at the red-haired youngster. "I doubt that. It would take her parents, or that strange boy she is usually with, to get her away from here. I've tried."
Twilight and Sunset giggled as they headed in Pearl's direction That sounded about right for her.
Author's Note
So this is the Warrior Starter Set for Age of Sigmar 3rd Edition.
For the Stormcast Eternals, you get 1x Knight-Arcanum, and 5x Vindictors, one with a Banner of Apotheosis. And for the Krulebozy, you get 1x Killaboss with 1x Stab-grot and 10x Gutrippaz.
The Fun of Model Building
"And now you know one of the pains of this hobby," Pearl giggled, as she, Twilight, and Sunset left together. "Kinda surprised it lasted this long. Still better than it being out of stock all the time. Way too many factions have that problem."
Sunset nodded, glad that the storm had now passed. "Or, even worse, they nuked the entire faction in the End Times. Far too much was lost with that stupid waste of literally everything!"
Twilight wondered what any of that meant, but the dark looks that came to the faces of her friends told her that it was probably best not to ask. "I can't even be mad either. It wouldn't be right of me to expect to be treated any differently from someone else."
Sunset nodded, as a bus pulled up. "Well. You three try not to get into a three-way." She smirked. "Don't think Rainbow would appreciate that."
Pearl groaned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Sunset's smirk grew as the trio boarded. "Don't play dumb, Pearl. I've seen how you look at Twilight here." She leaned and whispered. "She's much better looking as a pony though. Both of them."
Twilight rolled her eyes as Pearl blushed.
"Still no idea which Stormhost you'll do?" Pearl asked as Twilight was deep into her newly-purchased battletome. "You don't even need to play one of the named ones. There are so many unnamed ones out there."
Twilight nodded. "I know, but I just don't know. I liked the Knights of Azyr when I did my Liberator last night, but now? I'm not really sure."
Sunset rolled her eyes. "That's what you get for picking Stormcast Eternals. It's why I picked Soulblight Gravelords. Much easier to pick a sub-faction for them."
Pearl nodded. "Why do you think I have three armies already? With my Sons of Mallus, there's so little known about them that I can make up a lot of stories for them myself. Kinda the same with my Blades of Dawn, though they're also kinda based on Dad's side of the family."
Twilight nodded. "And your Astral Templars? I doubt I'll paint mine as that Stormhost."
Pearl smirked. "Kohaku. A lot of it was based on having to deal with him for years as a constant pain in my ass. Even knowing now why he did it and what he is, I couldn't help it. He doesn't care either way of course."
Twilight giggled, as the bus stopped in front of Pearl's house, before waiving goodbye to Sunset. That sounded about right.
"There's no way that I will keep all of these," Twilight grumbled as she pulled out all of the contents of the Warrior box. "What am I supposed to do with... Whatever the Kruleboyz are?"
Pearl shrugged as she flopped onto her bed. "Hold onto them anyway. Maybe one of your friends will want them? I know our Fluttershy plays Orruk Warclans, which is what the Kruleboyz are part of."
Twilight snorted. "Fluttershy? Really? I find that hard to believe."
Pearl giggled. "That's what a lot of us thought too. But she can be a proper follower of Gorkamorka when she wants to be. She really gets into character when we're playing a game."
Twilight only sighed as she opened one of the books that came in her box and started to read. Maybe there was something she was missing then.
For a while, the only noise was the occasional page turn or grunt of interest from the princess. Knowing what it was like to be in the zone, Pearl left her to her reading and started working on her newly bought Dracothian Guard for her Blades of Dawn. Now she could finally get started on the Lightning Echelon, which meant Fulminators for now. Not her favorite models, but she had to start somewhere. Her Drakesworn Templars would come last.
Maybe then she could finally get started on her Stormdrake Guard. She'd been chomping at the bit to build and paint the Knight-Draconis.
"Is there a reason why I should give a name to this Warrior chamber?" Twilight suddenly asked, now reading through the game book that came in the box. "They're called the Auric Lions here. But I'm not doing the Hammers of Sigmar. I know that already."
Pearl shrugged. "I mean. You don't have to. But it makes them feel more real if you do." She ticked off each of her armies. "My Sons of Mallus are the Blackstars Exemplar chamber. My Astral Templars are the Howling Griffons Sacrosanct chamber, and I'm still working out a name for my last one."
Twilight rolled her eyes. Just her luck. Something for the future then. Right now, she was rather interested in the Valedictor Temple. She only wished there was something in Equestria that worked the same way as what they had. Think of everything she could remember?!
Pearl, meanwhile, felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out, she found a text from Twi. She sighed as she read it. "Well. Looks like it's just the two of us now. Other you got called home for some kind of family emergency, and she's not coming back over tonight by the sound of it."
Twilight's heart fell as she heard more to the girl's voice than she let on. It had begun the night before. "You had a crush on her, didn't you? I saw how you looked at her at Spectrum. Me as well, and then at Kohaku's birthday as well. Rainbow saw it as well."
Pearl winced, but there was no accusation in the princess's voice. She finally slumped with a sniff. "Yeah. I did. This was years before you came to Canterlot High. A few years before Sunset did as well. It was part of why I tried to be friends with her. On top of seeing just how badly Twi needed a real friend. Dean Cadance could only do so much. But I could only take being blown off or just flat-out ignored before I quit!" She sniffed, as tears began to gather. "You two have no idea how much it hurt when we met at Spectrum, and Twi didn't even remember my name until after you told everyone."
Twilight's head fell. "Do you hate me for being with her then? You know how much I love Twi. I don't care how weird it is to some. We don't need to justify it to anyone."
Pearl wiped her eyes and tried to smile. "Maybe a part of me is. But those feelings died a long time ago. I'm not gonna rip you two apart for something that'll never happen now." She giggled. "Maybe you can be a three-way with pony me if you ever meet."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she pulled out all she needed to get her models started. She doubted that would ever happen. They didn't even know Equestria's Pearl Rose.
"Are you going to keep all the extra parts?" Pearl asked as Twilight finished her Knight-Arcanum. "Every self-respecting gamer has a bits box where we keep all the extra parts we don't use on our models. Never know when they might come in handy for a custom model or a kitbash."
Twilight nodded as she set the unhelmed heads off to the side for the moment. She was not ready to try and pain flesh just yet. Perhaps one day she would try. "I will now." Shaking her head, she began to snip out the pieces for her Vindictor-Prime. Call her old-fashioned, but she found it nice to see there was an option to make the prime a woman. So that's what she would do.
Only fitting her shield was a pain, but it finally slid into place with a bit of wiggling. Next came the banner bearer. Twilight was actually looking forward to painting the Banner of Apotheosis when the time came. It reminded her of the old battle standards from Unicornia and the Pegasus Enclaves. She was also glad to see the Redeemer symbol was now molded into the left shoulder pad. It made things easier since she wouldn't have to add a transfer now. Again, the shield took some wiggling to get into position, but it too soon slid into place.
Sadly only one more Vindictor was able to be built as female, but Twilight supposed it would be too boring to make them all the same sex. Variety never hurt she guessed. Perhaps it was just her, but all the shields took more work to fit into position than seemed normal, but they all fit nonetheless. Adding the little bits of scenery to the bases made them feel all the more complete.
Pearl nodded happily as the last Vindictor was finished. "That went a lot better than I thought it would, princess. I'd leave the Knight-Arcanum off of her base. At least until you paint the base. It's so much easier that way."
Twilight nodded as she slid the rest of her models into their bases. That made sense. "Now what? I've still got too much energy."
Pearl looked outside. The sun was low in the sky now. "It's too late in the day to prime them now. Unless you need to be back in Equestria in the morning, we can do that in the morning." She giggled at the sheer amount of paints Twilight had bought. "I think you've got more than enough paints."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "I couldn't make up my mind. Neighsay didn't seem to mind though." She looked at the sprues that remained. "Are you sure you don't want these? I won't use them."
Pearl rolled her eyes as she stood up and took them, along with the empty Stormcast Eternals sprue. "I'll ask Fluttershy when I next see her. She'll probably want them. She's talked about getting Krulebozy for a while now." She pulled out her phone with a wide grin and began typing. "Pizza it is then!"
Twilight giggled. That sounded good after a long day like this.
Author's Note
So Pearl's Extremis Chamber is based in part on this little story from the newest Stormcast Eternals battletome:
Anaka found Vexonroth curled atop a mountain of ogor dead. The Draconith's gaze lingered on the horizon, blood still drying where it had splashed across his amber scales. Anaka did not blame him: she had hardly felt the need to cleanse her own wargear. As the Astral Templar came to stand beside her bonded drake, Vexonroth favored her with an acknowledging hiss.
"We wrung the truth from the survivors," Anaka said. "More of the ogors come."
"Good," Vexonroth's accent was rough and odd- the voice of one clearly unused to speaking Azyrite and doing so only as a courtesy. But the fact that he was willing to try was a good sign that this alliance was working. "We will rip them asunder." Silence stretched between them once more, until Vexonroth shifted in place and snarled, letting an agitated burst of smoke spill from his nostrils.
"These... things," he said at last, claws flexing to eviscerate tattered ogor corpses. "They stink of the Drogrukh. I despise them. Do you think the Twin Princes felt such fury when they..." He trailed off then, but Anaka roughly understood. It amazed her, sometimes, how mercurial Vexonroth could be: he was a force of relentless savagery on the battlefield, yet when away from it, he was akin to a brooding, uncertain younger sibling in need of subtle reassurance of his place in the realms. Still, would she have been any different had Stormcasts' Long Wait lasted centuries more?
"There's purity in rage, aye," Anaka murmured, reaching over to offer a gentle pat. "Take heart. When this last wave has broken, we will have claimed another stronghold for the God-King's folk."
"Wonderful," Vexonroth deadpanned. As Anaka's glare bored into him, the Draconith let out a rumbling chuckle, finally giving a fanged grin. "I jest. You, warmblood, I like."
Before Anaka could respond, the air was split by distant roars and bass tribal drumming. On the horizon, the Astral Templar could pick out the ragged banners and brutish shapes that marked the ogors' advance. Instantly, her hunter's blood quickened. She knew Vexonroth felt it too. Deftly climbing into the Draconith's saddle, Anaka raised her blade even as Vexonroth stood. As her reptilian companion loosed a gout of blazing flame, Anaka felt contentment wash through her. In this, at least, they were as one.
"Well then. Let's be about it."
Pearl's Astral Templars, and by extension mine, are based on this little story from the 2nd edition battletome. Plus a few bits and pieces elsewhere.
"That one's mine!" Balarus Kingslayer barged through the nomads of the caravan towards the looming wyvern-thing that was decimating its horsemen. One of the attacking orruks swung its double-handed cleaver low as he threaded through the melee. Balarus vaulted over the blade as if he was wearing no more than the loincloth of his former life, and landed with a crunch on a sneaking grot scavenger. He nearly lost his footing, bouncing hard off another orruk's back before sprinting away. No time to tarry. He had thicker necks to slash.
"Out of the damn way!" shouted Balarus, slamming through a thin line of mud-smeared pikemen towards his quarry.
The giant scaled beast bit the head off of a warhorse, hurling the bloody remains into a phalanx of Liberators even as its orruk rider took the head from a Fulminator. Balarus heard the whinny of horses as a hurtling wagon careened into a ditch nearby. He ducked behind its thick wooden slats as crude orruk arrows shot overhead, then jumped aboard the coach plate and eyed the creature he had come to kill.
The stallions thrashed, wild-eyed, as the monstrous orruk warbeast spread its tattered wings. Balarus tensed and leapt, spear raised high. Sun glinted on his gore-spattered plate as he came down to embed his spear deep in the monster's spine, just as his father had taught him. He hung on for grim life with one hand, as the roaring beast flapped into the skies. The orruk warlord atop the creature turned with a rattle of chains, battle-lust glowing in its red eyes.
Balarus grinned. This was what he had been made to do, and it felt fine.
And this little story from the 3rd edition Core Rulebook.
Liberator Scipion smashed his shield into the orruk's face and felt a satisfying crunch of broken bone. The Astral Templar grinned through a mouthful of bloody spit, only to be bent over double as his metal-clad foe responded with a savage kick to his unmentionables. Grunting, the two warriors slammed into each other, clawing and hacking, until the rocky shale beneath their feet gave way and they tumbled down the hillside.
The orruk came to a halt first, landing square on his broad back. Scipion crashed down atop the brute, then rolled away and to his feet as the greenskin's cleaver swiped at his crown, missing only by a gnat's wingspan. They had landed on a cracked and pitted boulder, dotted by patches of oxide-stained quartz.
"Ah, but this is a fine dance," Scipion said, chortling through swollen lips, blood drool spilling down his ruptured breastplate. His opponent hauled himself upright, piggish eyes fixed upon him, and roared something unintelligible. In answer, there was a low, rumbling sound, and the boulder beneath them began to rise into the air, sending Scipion and his foe tumbling once more to land amidst a pile of bones and splintered skulls.
The living rock stretched out two ape-like arms. As it turned, Scipion saw a great wedge of a face, with two beady yellow eyes set beneath a rocky brow.
"Get you gone, troggoth," Scipion grunted. "I'm not done with this one yet."
Roaring, the troggoth lashed out with one lumpen fist. Scipion ducked just in time, but his orruk foe was not so lucky. Its head came apart like a pulped juga fruit.
The troggoth was turning its attention back to Scipion when an almost comical confused expression crossed its face. The earth the monster stood upon cracked apart in a shower of soil and shattered stone. A great, serpentine mass of shining scales surged forth, its circular maw enveloping the troggoth up to the armpits in a single, gulping, bit. The slab-headed brute roared in a mixture of surprise and agony before the rockgrinder wyrm swallowed it whole. Then, the immense creature's fang-stuffed head swiveled towards Scipion.
"Well met, abomination," he said, cheerfully. "I believe you owe me a worthy fight."
And with a howl, he raised his shield and hammer and charged.
