My Little Xeno 2 - Equinox Knights

Chapters

2. And back again
3. Settling back in
4. The Inner Sanctum
5. Almost back in action
6. Arrival
7. Welcome party
8. At the roots of harmony
9. Augmaretics
11. Even more surprises
12. New castles
13. Foundings
14. Titanius
15. Silversteel
16. New equipment
17. Attack on Canterlot… sorta
18. Make new friends who don’t kill Discord
1. Dead
10. More in the moon

2. And back again

Twilight hung her head and sighed.
The cage was slowly hovering towards the portal to Tartarus, the pony and her friends locked inside. She peeked at Tirek, who was obviously relishing all of this.
Well, of course he did. With all the magic in Equestria, he had reached his goal. Nopony could stop him. They were all doomed.

Suddenly, she heard an unusual sound, like a thunderclap she could feel not only with her body, but also with her soul. She looked up and saw a meteor, engulfed in light blue flames, coming at them.

At first, she just thought that now a meteor would kill them before Tirek could do the same, but then she realized that something was wrong here.
Why were the flames light blue?
And wasn’t this meteor a little too slow?

It impacted a few dozen meters away from them, creating a cloud of smoke and dust around it… but that was everything. No deadly shockwave, no searing heat.
That had not been a normal meteor.

“What in tarnation?” she heard Applejack mumble.

The cage didn’t move anymore as Tirek focused on the impact site, too.

The dust and smoke slowly cleared, revealing the outline of a rising creature.

“Is that a human?” Pinkie asked.

It was.
It had to be a giant, that much Twilight was able to fathom.

Suddenly, two eyes lit up in the dark shape, burning with the same light blue fire the meteor had had. A giant sword, its tip standing on the ground, also became visible, wreathed in flames of the same unusual color.
Perhaps this was one of those Space Marine psykers Antonius had told them about?
But how had he come here?

“Who are you?” Tirek boomed,
“what are you?”

“Not your friend,” the human answered, and Twilight held her breath.

She knew that voice!
It sounded a little more menacing now, but it definitely was… no, that was impossible.

“Antonius…” Rarity whispered in disbelieve.

That had been Twilight’s guess, too. But Antonius was not a psyker… let alone alive.

“Perhaps all Space Marines sound alike?” Applejack suggested,
“because of all that genetics stuff, you know?”

“No,” Discord said with unusual sobriety,
“despite the common gene-seed, they still have distinct voices, appearances and personalities.”

Twilight just started to wonder how Discord knew that when she was distracted.

“Then,” Tirek thundered,
“I’ll destroy you!”

The moment Antonius had crossed the portal to the materium, his body had been recreated. The Emperor truly had been right about the ‘fair amount of pain’, but it was a short sensation and did not matter to him. He was back in Equestria, alive and with more potential than ever. Now it was up to him to make the best of this potential.

As the Emperor had told him, he had spiced up his return with a few effects to unsettle Tirek a little. Descending from the heavens wreathed in flames seemed like a proper way to do so.

Now, he was back, and his enemy was in front of him, forming a sphere of magical energy between his horns. Antonius immediately raised his sword, pointed it at Tirek and channeled his psychic powers through the embedded crystal.

Both combatants fired at the same time. The beams clashed right between them and formed another sphere of energy. Unfortunately, this sphere slowly moved towards Antonius.
So, the combined powers of all of ponykind plus Discord were obviously superior to his own powers. It did not surprise him too much, and it did not unsettle him in the slightest, for he had a trump card.

Antonius activated the spark of the Emperor’s power.
At once, a golden hue was added to his light blue beam, and the sphere was downright vaulted towards Tirek.
The centaur was not able to properly defend himself against this attack, and as the sphere hit him, he was sent flying.

The portal to Tartarus collapsed, and the cage with his friends - and Discord - started falling. Antonius caught it with his psionic powers and sat it down without harming the inmates. Although there was one special inmate he would have liked to get harmed a bit. That had to wait. For now.
So, the cage finally was on the ground and Tirek out of view.

This fight was far from over, though. It was only just beginning.
Antonius had been able to overpower Tirek with the help of the Emperor’s spark. Defeating him was something else entirely, though. This attack had drained more than half of his reservoir of warp energy, and while behind the veil, he couldn’t replenish this supply. So, another clash like that would result in Antonius’ death, and Ponykind would follow him into oblivion. A different tactic was due. Thankfully, he knew what to do.

Twilight could not avert her eyes from the giant who was running towards her cage. As he approached, she could make out more details than just his shape:
He was wearing a rather primitive armor that had next to nothing in common with the power armor Antonius had worn; it was more on the level of technology the ponies had.
His sword, although a ‘classic’ one without the spinning teeth, was not only huge, but also much more sophisticated than the armor; a weapon with a giant, embedded crystal and engraved runes that sparked and burned with arcane powers.
The giant himself had long, white hair, that was now flying behind him as he rushed to meet them.

“Hello, my friends,” he said nonchalantly as he arrived at the cage.

“Antonius!” Twilight shouted.
It was him. It was undoubtedly him.
“We thought you were dead!”

“I was,” Antonius answered calmly,
“I got better. I suppose you have a plan?”

“Actually, yes! We want to…”

“No time for explanations,” he interrupted and sliced the cage open as if it were made of warm butter,
“you do your thing, I’ll keep Tirek busy.”

As Twilight and her friends rushed out of the destroyed cage, they could hear giant hooves trampling over the ground towards them and a bloodcurdling angry roar. Tirek was coming back.

They turned towards the Everfree, heading for the Tree of Harmony. Twilight took a look back and saw Antonius dashing towards Tirek, leaving a faint trail of light blue energy behind him.

“Anypony care to explain to me what the hay is going on?” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Antonius is back from the dead and fights Tirek so that we can reach the Tree of Harmony,” Pinkie summarized helpfully.

“Yeah, but, WHAT THE HAY??? HE WAS DEAD!”

“No use racking our brains now,” Twilight stated,
“he’s back… somehow… and gives us a chance to execute our plan. So let’s hurry!”

As Antonius approached Tirek, the centaur fired at him. Thanks to his transhuman reflexes and speed, Antonius was able to evade the attack and close in. Small rocks and debris clattered against his armor, but it withstood this with only a few minor scratches.
Then he jumped. Amplified by his new powers, he reached his enemy’s shoulder, where he used his sword in a flowing motion and left a bleeding gash. Tirek roared and tried to hit him with a hand, but he was already gone and the centaur just hit his newly inflicted wound.

Antonius noticed with some content that his tactic worked: Fast attacks with small to perhaps medium damage. The same tactic he had used a life ago against greater daemons. It worked against this foe, too. Just that now, he was faster than ever and his sword more powerful.
Still, there was no place for hubris. Complacency meant defeat, and a lucky hit could still harm him.
So, Antonius stayed focused and fought Tirek without fear, mercy or remorse.

Twilight and her friends arrived at the Tree of Harmony. As she approached the chest beneath it, the medallion Discord had given her was transformed into the last missing key - the key of magic.
Outside, they could hear - and feel - the battle between Antonius and Tirek raging, despite the distance.

“Together,” Twilight said,
“I think we have to do this together!”

So every Element Bearer touched the key she had gotten, and together, they turned them.

Antonius evaded another one of Tirek’s blasts, jumped forwards and stabbed his sword into the centaur’s leg. His next attack sliced his enemy’s belly, and he was gone before a counterattack could hit him.

All told, it was going quite well. Tirek was very powerful, but he used this power without cunning. Antonius’ reservoir of warp energy was dwindling, though. If Twilight and her friends didn’t come back soon, he would have to switch to slower, but more powerful attacks, at the risk of exposing himself to Tirek’s blasts and swats… unless he executed one final, fatal attack.
His subconscious had calculated the necessary angles and vectors at once. Just like him in general, it had become faster. But there was something else: a primal, almost predatory ferocity, a glee when faced with the imminent destruction of his enemy.
The canis helix? Probably.
He had to keep an eye on that. It would be very embarrassing - not to mention bad - if he suddenly bit a pony or something…

Twilight and her friends floated back to the site of the battle, charged to the brim with the rainbow power of friendship - or whatever one wanted to call their current state.
As they approached the two combatants, they could see that Tirek was in no good condition:
There were bleeding cuts all over his body and one of his horns was missing - as well as an eye!

“Sweet Celestia,” Rarity mumbled.

“The new Antonius is… quite intense,” Applejack opined.

As if to prove that, Antonius jumped over Tirek and did a series of fast somersaults. With his outstretched sword, he basically became a flying buzzsaw blade and downright mauled the centaur’s back.

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash gaped,
“this is what the crossbreed of a bouncy ball and a buzzsaw must look like.”

“We better defeat Tirek before Antonius filets him,” Twilight said.

Antonius was starting to run low on warp energy and was preparing for his final assault as he noticed the Element Bearers returning. They were more colorful - and probably also more powerful - than ever. In fact, he could feel their magic might.

He would give them the change to end this battle and take care of Tirek. To be honest, he wanted to see what they would do. So, after a last slice with his sword, he jumped away from the centaur, waving to his friends in the process.
Tirek also noticed this and turned to face the Element Bearers. Or, to be exact, he stumbled around until he was more or less facing the ponies. The wounds took their toll. He was still able to stand upright, but he was weakened.

Despite this, he used his remaining horn to charge a magic blast and fired at the Element Bearers. The shield around them deflected the attack easily.

“How is this possible?!” Tirek wheezed,
“you have no magic!”

Well, he was obviously wrong with that.
Twilight, being Twilight, informed him of his misjudgment:

“You’re wrong, Tirek! I may have given you my Alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!”

Having said that, the alicorn and her friends blasted Tirek with a quite spectacular rainbow beam. The centaur started shrinking and growing weaker, screaming all the while.
Finally, he was teleported away.

This was not the end, though. With an explosion of magic, the Element Bearers darted away in different directions and Antonius could feel a wave of magic rushing over him. Using this to recharge his energy reservoir didn’t work, though… pony magic obviously was quite different from the energies of the warp…
Well, of course it was. Otherwise the servants of Chaos would have been much more of a threat back when he had been on this planet for the first time - and even then it had needed his sacrifice to defeat them.
Now, he had to learn how to use pony magic. Thanks to his altered genes, that should be more than just ‘possible’.

Soon after they had left, Twilight and her friends returned and headed straight to the Everfree Forest, probably to the Tree of Harmony.
Antonius just wanted to start walking towards them when another rainbow colored beam erupted from there and arced straight toward Ponyville. He wondered what that could mean… and if he really saw a small box fly along the artificial rainbow.

Well, having lived in Equestria for more than a year, Antonius was quite used to all kinds of weirdness… but a crystal castle growing on the outskirts of Ponyville was a class of itself.
Since Twilight and her friends were now flying towards this new castle, Antonius also got moving.

He quickly reached the castle, just in time to hear Celestia - who was also there together with Luna, Cadance, Spike and Discord - say

“I believe it is yours, Princess Twilight.”

So, Twilight had lost her library, but gained a crystal castle?
Most people - or ponies - would probably consider this to be an improvement, but as Antonius knew Twilight, he was not that sure about that.
Well, she would get used to it… and perhaps there was a library inside the castle.

“As impressive as this castle is,” Luna interjected with some urgency,
“I think we should first see who that warrior was… I do not dare to hope that it was…”

“Me?” Antonius interrupter her with a grin.

Twilight wanted to run up to Antonius, but she was held back by Rarity.

“What…” she started as she turned to her friend, but the unicorn said:

“Give them a minute.”

Twilight turned back to Antonius and could see Luna standing in front of him.
Oh. That was what Rarity had meant.

The princess and the Space Marine looked at one another for a few seconds, then Luna said:

“You are a little late.”

“Sorry,” Antonius answered,
“but I’ve been a little busy being dead and all that.”

After a few more seconds of silence, Luna suddenly jumped at him, and Antonius grabbed her immediately for a hug… that actually was more of a cuddle.

“That’s so sweet,” Rarity whispered.

There had been rumors that there had been a little more than friendship between the two of them, and the way Luna had reacted to his death had almost, but not quite confirmed them.
Their cheek-to-cheek reunion now seemed to remove any ambiguity.
Antonius supported Luna’s weight with a hand under her rump, his other hand was on her head, buried into her mane.
Luna, for her part, had wrapped her hooves around his neck, and embraced him with her wings.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

Twilight, as well as her friends, did not dare to breath. They all didn’t want to miss a single word of this conversation. Yes, eavesdropping wasn’t very polite, but well…

“I missed you, too,” Antonius replied,
“more than anyone, anypony or anything else I had left behind. But now, by the grace of the Emperor, I am back to continue my fight… and my friendships.”

“I have to thank Him for that.”

“I’m sure he knows about your gratefulness, just as he knows about your faith in him and in mankind. That was the last prove, my dear. That was what made Him send me back.”

“‘My dear’?” Luna asked, surprise and happiness in her voice.

“Oh… yeah… during my ‘ascension’, some… umm… ‘limitations’ of my Space Marine conditioning fell by the wayside… sorta.”

“I see you body changed, too.”

“Yeah, I grew quite a bit,” Antonius grinned.

“So did your hair.”

“Hmm… I’ll have to cut it. Otherwise, I will get problems with my helmet.”

“I like it that way,” Luna whispered and ran a hoof through his hair.

“Less small talk,” Rarity grumbled quietly,
“more sweet talk!”

“Okay,” Antonius said,
“maybe I’ll keep it until I really need a helmet.”

“Of course, you are also going to keep your little canines,” Luna snickered.

“MY WHAT?” Antonius exclaimed,
“damned, you’re right… I didn’t realized I had them until now.”

“Do not worry, Tony, I do not think that they will hamper us… but let us verify that.”

Now, they (finally) kissed, accompanied by some quiet squeeing from Rarity.

“About time,” Applejack - of all ponies - commented drily, much to Twilight’s surprise.

When Luna and Antonius were done, she smiled and stated:

“They do not hamper.”

“Whoa. Not in the slightest,” Antonius replied with a slightly silly expression.

“Okay,” Rarity said,
“they’d had their minute. Now let’s greet him!”

Following their friend’s evaluation, they all ran up to them.

Antonius saw the ponies rush at him like a small, fluffy tidal wave. Since his hands were still full of Luna, he did not really have a chance of balancing himself - but he didn’t even mind that.
He was just happy to be back, so he let his friends topple him over.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” he said from the depths of the friendly fluff that was surrounding him.

Another little impact told Antonius that Spike had probably joined them. A moment later, he heard Celestia’s voice:

“Don’t smother him, my little ponies.”

Antonius lifted his head over the sea of softness and grinned at Celestia and Cadance, who were standing next to them with smiles of their own.

“If necessary, I’ll just hold my breath for a few minutes,” he told them.

“If that’s the case…” Cadance laughed and joined them.

Finally, Celestia embraced them all with her wings. After a few moments of mass-hugging, they all got up again.

“Now, we should probably have a look at the castle,” Twilight said and they all went inside.

While doing so, Antonius noticed Discord. He had held himself a little apart before, and now they were staring at one another.

“I guess the both of us have to talk,” Antonius stated.

“No fighting!” Fluttershy intervened immediately,
“there’s been enough of that today already.”

Since she was undoubtedly right with that, Antonius nodded and continued his way towards the castle.

It was a highly unusual building. With its rather small base and wide upper levels, it looked a little like a tree, but that was nothing compared to the inside:
When they opened the door, they were greeted by an entrance hall definitely larger than the diameter of the ‘trunk’.
Some kind of folded space? Without any equipment, it was impossible to figure that out.

While Celestia was talking to Twilight about the young alicorn’s role in Equestria (with more hugging of Twilight and her friends), they arrived at the castle’s throne room.
There were seven thrones, six for the ponies and one for Spike, judged by their size, arranged in a circle.

“Hmm…” Antonius mumbled,
“in the center of those thrones, a conference table would be useful… or even better, a hololithic map…”

“If you feel like decorating a room,” Luna snickered,
“there are still your quarters available.”

“Once Al is fully operational again… oh, I have to call him once I have my PDA back…”

After another group hug of the Element Bearers - this time with Discord - the inhabitants of Ponyville arrived to take a look at the new building that had appeared on the outskirts of their town.
While they were certainly awed by the castle, seeing Antonius left them completely speechless.

If you didn't count gasps or a happy shriek as speech, that is. The latter was expressed by a small, fluffy missile that smashed right into Antonius’ face.

“Hello, Stormy,” he grinned.

A moment later, he was surrounded by Moonlight, Blackwing, Lyra, Bon Bon and his other friends from Ponyville, who were expressing their joy seeing him and asking questions Antonius had to put off until later. While this second reunion was taking place, Twilight and her friends started singing.
Yes, that year hadn’t changed them at all.

They gathered in the middle of their thrones - and created another rainbow-beam.
Damnit, this day was really heavy on rainbows…

When the impromptu celebration was over, most of the inhabitants of Ponyville left, with the exception of Antonius’ friends who had greeted him earlier.

“Okay,” Moonlight grinned,
“now is later, I’d say. So, WHAT THE HAY HAPPENED TO YOU?”

“We would like to hear that, too,” Twilight added.

So Antonius told them about his visit to the afterlife.

“If anypony but you had told me such a story,” Moonlight stated,
“I’d have thought them to be insane.”

“Well,” Blackwing added,
“he’s got a good proof that he told us the truth: himself.”

“I always had the impression that the Tree of Harmony was more than just a uniquely shaped crystal,” Twilight mused,
“but such a level of consciousness… I hadn’t expected that.”

“The Tree of Harmony really is an enigma,” Celestia concurred,
“but I’m more overwhelmed by the fact that your Emperor was able to bring you back from the dead. Something like that has never happened in known pony history.”

“Well, as far as I know, it’s not exactly common in human history, either,” Antonius told her,
“but when the Emperor is involved, the possibilities are endless.”

“So, he sent you back as an upgraded psyker to learn our magic and fight Chaos more effectively than you already did,” Twilight summarized.

“About that.”

“I really like your Emperor!” Stormy declared.

“Very good,” Antonius replied with a grin,
“we should remember to tell the Ultramarines when they arrive.”

The gathering ended, and everypony said goodbye.
While the inhabitants of Ponyville went home, Twilight and her friends opted to stay in the castle and explore it. Celestia, Luna, Antonius and Cadance decided to teleport to Canterlot.

“You’ll need new clothes,” Rarity told Antonius,
“come by any time tomorrow so that I can take measurements… oh… that means that you’ll have to spend this night without pajamas…”

“This should not pose a problem,” Luna blundered out.
Seeing her sister’s reproachfully raised eyebrow, she added:
“I mean, Tony has fought Tirek to the edge of defeat, he certainly will not depend on pajamas to sleep.”

Celestia still looked a little skeptic, Cadance and Rarity were grinning. Not wanting to wait for another chance to accidentally embarrass somepony, the three princesses and the human teleported.

They arrived in the throne room, where they were - for the most part - expected by Shining armor.
Seeing Antonius, the stallion had not expected. He stared at the returned Space Marine for some time, then he exclaimed:

“Antonius? Is that you? How is that you? I mean… we thought you were dead… no offense, but why are you not dead?”

“Very diplomatic, my dear,” Cadance deadpanned.

Antonius laughed and repeated his story, just more telegraphese than before. As that was done, Cadance and Shining retired and Antonius followed Celestia and Luna to the former’s quarters, where they wanted to discuss the current situation and matters at hand.

On the way there, he - more accidentally than deliberately - peeked at the hindquarters of the two alicorn mares who walked in front of him.
It had never really occurred to him, but they actually were quite attractive… especially Luna’s…
Uh-oh.
Had he really just thought that?
Why had he… the pony DNA. And the altered conditioning.
Damnit.
He quickly looked somewhere else. Ogling the princesses was very impolite, he was aware of that.

He better had to find a way to prevent that from happening again…
Well, he was a psyker. He could create a psychic blocker in his mind to filter such ‘impressions’. But he had to do it the next day. The fight with Tirek had left him a bit tired, and you really should be well rested before tinkering with your brain. This little delay should be no problem.
Seriously, what was the worst thing that could happen in one single night?
And when would he finally learn not to tempt fate?

“I can hardly believe it,” Shining Armor said,
“back from the dead? Just like that?”

“I don’t know if it’s ‘just like that’, my dear,” Cadance replied,
“but his emperor certainly is a force to be reckoned with.”

“You can say that again.”

They entered their quarters.

“So, I guess we’re in the middle of humanity’s galactic war again,” Shining continued,
“well, after all Antonius has done for us, it’s about time we get a chance to return the favor. And I’m really glad that he’s back. It doesn’t happen often that you can thank somepony for sacrificing themselves to save you.”

“Yes,” Cadance concurred,
“but I think Luna is way happier than you.”

“Huh? Wait… do you mean those rumors are true?”

“Absolutely. Two special someponies.”

“Wow,” the stallion mumbled, then he added with a slightly worried undertone:
“you are not going to meddle with their relationship, are you?”

“Only if absolutely necessary,” Cadance grinned,
“they should get a chance to make their own experiences. They go really well together, just as I had predicted, right?”

“Right,” Shining sighed,
“I think I’m getting complexes.”

“Why is that?”

“You know, I was captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. A warrior. Even one of Equestria’s best. Then, Antonius showed up, and he’s not only just a warrior who seriously outclasses me, he also created the PDF, that seriously outclasses the Royal Guard. Then, he returns from the dead, which is way beyond me. And now, I get to know that he’s officially started a relationship with the Princess of the Night? Seems he always has to surpass me…”

“I BEG YOUR PARDON???”

“What?” Shining stammered,
“no, wait! I didn’t mean it that way! It came out all wrong… Oh, damn. I’m sleeping on the couch tonight, aren’t I?”

“Make it this week,” Cadance grumbled and went towards the bathroom. In front of the door, she turned around and continued:
“Unless you thoroughly apologize. If you want to do so, you may while I’m taking a shower.”

“Oh… OH! I’m coming! I’m really good at apologizing!”

“That battle was quite impressive,” Sanguinius said.

He had just watched Antonius’ fight with Tirek - together with the Emperor - the reunion with the ponies and the return to Canterlot. Now that this window to the materium had closed he had turned to his father.

“It was adequate,” the Emperor replied.

“You might be a little too critical, father,” Sanguinius opined,
“he was about to defeat the centaur and only stopped to give the Element Bearers the advantage.”

“You think he wore him down and left him to the ponies so that they could get fighting practice?”

“In consistence with our teachings.”

“Maybe… well, it wasn’t bad for a first fight with his new body and abilities, but I am more concerned about his relationship with Princess Luna.”

“How so?”

“Don’t play dumb, Sanguinius. You’ve seen the hug. And you’ve seen the way he looked at the princesses later.”

“I’ve also seen that he quickly looked away again. I think he’s just adapting to his new hormone system - and probably the princesses’ pheromones.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” the Emperor deadpanned.

“You could have taken precautions against that. His conditioning…”

“Is as good as possible, considering the circumstances. This tree built some side effects into its upgrade package… but those should not be too serious. I dampened them, and he is only a small part pony. Furthermore, the princesses certainly don’t produce such masses of pheromones that he will register them.”

“Then,” Sanguinius grinned,
“it’s good that you haven’t given him the super-sensitive olfaction of - I don’t know - a wolf?”

The Primarch could see it dawn upon his father that the canis helix, meant to counter the pony DNA, could possibly have ramifications that were… somewhat unintended.

“Oh…” the Emperor said.

3. Settling back in

Antonius and the princesses sat together with a glass of wine in Celestia’s quarters. While dead, he had not really realized how much he had missed those conversations, but now that he wasn’t busy honing his new skills, he started to grasp that.
And no, it wasn’t their attractiveness, it was the fact that they were his friends.

“After you… vanished,” Celestia told him,
“we created a stained glass window and a statue to commemorate you.”

“Nice. I need to see them tomorrow. What about Gentle Breeze?”

“She is alive,” Luna reported,
“but bedridden. She is in Ponyville in the hospital under the supervision of Rapid Cure.”

“Oh. We should visit her soon. What happened to Hope? Or rather, to its remnants?”

“Since we did not expect anypony to want to live there again,” Celestia said,
“we razed it to the ground, and burned the whole area. Then, we put up an obelisk with the engraved story of the town in its former center. We did the same to the Blue Depths, where you sacrificed your life.”

“That was prudent. You made sure that the remaining filth of Chaos was eliminated,” Antonius noted.

“Well, it was Luna who eliminated the remaining filth - the dangerous remnant, I mean.”

“Huh?”

“A Chaos Space Marine survived the explosion.”

“Damnit… that must have been that traitor that had wandered off…”

“His armor was damaged, but he was in fighting condition. Until Luna took the matter in hoof.”

Antonius turned to Luna:

“You defeated him? On your own?”

“I did,” Luna answered, slightly abashed.

“Why didn’t you work together as I told you? That was dangerous, Luna.”

“I know… but at the time, I was so angry… and sad… I just wanted to defeat this abomination myself. I had to do that, you know?”

“It may surprise you, but she wasn’t really in danger,” Celestia remarked,
“quite the opposite, the Chaos Marine did not have the slightest chance against her.”

“Really?” Antonius asked in amazement,
“I knew you were good, but I guess I still underestimated you.”

“My pain gave me strength,” Luna mumbled,
“I thought I would never see you again, and this traitor was casting a slur on your memory with his mere existence. So, I did what I felt necessary.”

“My death really was hard for you,” Antonius sighed.
Luna nodded, and he continued:
“I’m sorry I’ve put you through all this, Luna, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to destroy those Chaos forces, and took the way that provided me with the best chances to achieve this goal. Even if I had realized at the time how you felt, I couldn’t have changed my plan.”

“Well, that is in the past now,” Luna said and leaned against him,
“you are back.”

“Yes, I’m back,” Antonius confirmed and put an arm around her.

“Umm…” Celestia mumbled,
“I think maybe I should go now.”

“These are your quarters, sister,” Luna smiled,
“just come here and join the hug!”

After the hug and a few more minutes of talking, Antonius and Luna left Celestia’s room.
When they arrived at Antonius’ quarters, they found them sealed.

“We wanted to prevent anypony from just strolling in,” Luna explained,
“it was - it IS - your room, after all. I have just reloaded your PDA from time to time.”

“Prudent,” Antonius replied,
“but now, let’s break this seal.”

He did so and entered his quarters. Everything looked exactly the way he had left it, as if he had just been gone for a few hours instead of almost a year.
The PDA was lying on the table, and Antonius went up to it, followed by Luna. He picked the device and activated it.

“Hello, Al,” he said.

Al’s head appeared in the small screen and stared at him. Instead of returning the greeting, Al said:

“Checking receiving unit…
checking object recognition algorithms…
checking database…
all systems are working within operational parameters. Yet, I can’t believe I’m seeing what I’m seeing. Antonius?”

“Yes. Back from the dead.”

“After almost a year? This is beyond normal resuscitation.”

“Indeed. It is the work of the Emperor.”

“And you are fine again?”

“Fine, but eager to hear a status report,” Antonius grinned.

“My reactor will soon be operational again. Estimated time to completion: ten days.”

“So, in less than two weeks, the wonders of the Golden Age will be at my disposal?”

“Affirmative. I am very happy about this turn of events. After my failure to protect you, I was afraid I had also failed in protecting the ponies, but now, everything seems to have changed for the better.”

“Al, seriously… you are a Standard Template Construct System, I’m a Space Marine. I am the one who is supposed to protect you.”

“My programming tells me somewhat differently… but let’s agree on protecting each other, shall we?”

“Good idea,” Antonius smiled,
“and now, good night. I feel like resting a little. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Al replied and closed the connection.

Antonius put the PDA back on the table and turned to Luna:

“Al blamed himself for my death?”

“Yes,” she told him,
“he was somewhat taciturn. Said he wanted to use every bit of energy to speed up the building of his new reactor and be more ‘useful’ again.”

“So, I did not only upset you, but also Al…”

“And Celestia, and Twilight, and all of your other friends.”

“Hmm… friendships make doing one’s duty somewhat more difficult… at least in that specific regard. It may sound weird, but… dying is a normal cause of death for… no, wait, that’s dumb. What I wanted to say is that being killed in action is pretty normal for a Space Marine. I wasn’t used to causing so much grief by dying.”

“Which is why we should try to prevent our death… I do not blame you, though. I see your reasons.”

“Really?”

“Well… perhaps I blame you a little, but as I said: that is in the past now.”

Antonius nodded and looked around in his room.

“And in the present, my old bed is too small for my new body,” he stated drily.

“If you do not mind,” Luna smiled,
“we could share a soft carpet in my quarters.”

“Marvelous idea!” Antonius grinned.

Once in Luna’s room, she turned to him and asked:

“Would you mind me taking a shower? I would like to get the dust of Tartarus out of my coat.”

“Of course. Maybe I should shower, too…”
Luna cocked her head a little, and Antonius quickly added:
“After you, not with you, I mean.”

“As you wish,” Luna smiled and went into the bathroom.

With some strength of will, Antonius averted his gaze from the bathroom door and brought his somewhat ‘inspired’ mind under control. Damnit, he really should create this blocker as soon as possible. He wondered if other, ‘normal’ men experienced the same phenomenon, and if so, how they managed to deal with it.
To distract himself, he took a look around.

Everything looked like he remembered it, with two remarkable exceptions:
The Space Marine plushie he had given Stormy was sitting on one of Luna’s pillows, and his old chainsword was in a weapons rack mounted to the wall.

When Luna returned after a few minutes, he wordlessly pointed at the plushie, grinning broadly.

“Umm…” Luna blushed,
“it is not quite what it probably looks like. Stormy gave it to me so that I had a little keepsake.”

“Next to the chainsword.”

“Oh, I hope you do not mind me using it… I know that I am no Space Marine, but…”

“It’s okay, Luna,” Antonius interrupted,
“good to know that it is still in use. I also don’t mind the plushie, although I have to admit that it’s quite unexpected.”

“I also did not expect Stormy to give it to me, but when she did, I did not want to reject it.”
She sighed.
“Please do not think I am insane, but, to be honest, at first I even talked to it during the times when I felt your loss.”

“Don’t worry. Had I had a Luna plushie, I probably would have talked to it, too… if Primarch Sanguinius and the Emperor hadn’t kept me busy, that is. Whatever, I better get out of this armor and under the shower.”

“I will help you.”

When Antonius emerged from the bathroom again, a bath towel around his hips, his overly long hair dried by Luna’s wannabe-melter, Luna had his armor neatly arranged and cleaned.

“More primitive than power armor,” she stated,
“but still masterly crafted.”

“We made the best of what we had,” Antonius replied,
“and now that we - you and me - have each other again, how about a nap… and perhaps a little cuddle?”

“With pleasure!”

When they had gone to bed (or rather carpet), and Antonius had put his arm around Luna, she turned around to face him and said:

“Tony, there is one more thing: I am truly glad that you are back, really, but you have been in a… condition nopony has ever returned from. I would like to make sure that you are fine… and really you, so… would you mind me examining your mind?”

“You could have thought about this a little earlier than when you’re already lying in my arms, but okay, I have no objections.”

Luna lit her horn.

Luna was standing next to Antonius in a dark room. A single light was above them, illuminating a small spot around them.

“Oh,” Antonius said,
“I guess I am no ‘shining light’, hmm?”

“No,” Luna answered.

“Thanks for your agreement… I could have done with a little dissent, you know.”

“I meant, that is not the reason for this environment. I think it is a kind of… antecourt. Could be a defensive mechanism.”

Suddenly, they heard a growl from the darkness, and two amber-colored eyes lit up in front of them.

“Tony, what is that?” Luna inquired.

“How should I know?” Antonius replied,
“you’re the dream expert.”

“But it is your mind!”

The growling thing came closer and stepped into the light. It looked like some kind of canine… a giant, black wolf.

“Uh-oh,” Antonius mumbled,
“I think I know this creature.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Looks like a fenrisian wolf… probably another side effect of the Canis Helix.”

Luna lit her horn and tried to examine the giant creature that slowly approached them.

“This wolf,” she said,
“it is the manifestation of your subconscious, or maybe your subconscious defense mechanisms.”

“Well, I did feel a strange ferocity earlier that day. So, that mystery is solved at least.”

The wolf growled again and bared its teeth.

“I do not think it likes me being here,” Luna told Antonius.

As the creature got ready to pounce, Antonius stepped forward and put out an arm.

“Stop,” he commanded,
“this is Luna. We. Like. Luna.”

Luna had lit her horn again by now, just in case Antonius’ attempt at pacifying the wolf didn’t work.
However, it did. The creature stopped growling and closed its maw.
Then, it slowly trotted over to her.

The giant wolf towered over Luna, looking down at her with a hint of skepticism.

“Hello,” she said, somewhat insecure,
“umm… good boy?”

Luna had never seen a wolf raise an eyebrow, but this one here was actually a part of Antonius’ subconscious. Of course it was more expressive than its real relatives.

“I mean, you really are an impressive creature,” she continued,
“if you guard Tony’s mind, I am sure nothing will ever endanger it.”

Obviously more contend with this statement, the wolf started slowly circling Luna.
When it had finished its circle around Luna - accompanied by a lot of sniffing - it stared at her.
Then, it stepped forward and started licking her face.

“I guess that settle it,” Antonius grinned.

“Quite,” Luna agreed.

The wolf turned around and vanished into the darkness. A moment later, the darkness was gone, too, and they were standing on a grassy hill near Ponyville.

“Seems I was right,” Luna concluded,
“the darkness was just an antecourt. And I have the prove that you really are you.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Now that we are here, I can feel it with every fiber of my being.”

She hugged him and ended the journey into his mind.

Celestia had not slept very well. Of course, she had been overjoyed as Antonius had returned to Equestria, but the more she thought about it, the more potential worrisome issues she found.

Was he really Antonius?
Was he still the same Antonius they had befriended?
Did the Emperor have a plan of his own even Antonius wasn’t aware of?

So many questions, so few answers.
Perhaps if she talked to him? He should be awake by now…
No, better not. Since Luna and Antonius were united again, they probably were… sorta busy.
Well, if her special somepony suddenly appeared out of nowhere - preferably not possessed anymore - she would certainly know how to spend the night with him…

The thought made her shudder a little. Luna was still her little sister, after all.
Perhaps she could have a look if they were… not busy. But awake. Yes, that was a good idea. And soon, it was time to start the day anyway.
Celestia got going.

She just wanted to knock at Luna’s door as she heard a voice coming from inside:

“Good morning, Luna,” Antonius yawned, obviously just woken up.

“Good morning, Tony,” Luna answered, just as drowsily.

Good, they were both awake. Perhaps she should give them a minute to get up…

“Wait a second,” Antonius suddenly said, disconcerted by something,
“WHAT THE…?! Is that normal?”

“Oh, I certainly hope so,” Luna snickered in reply.

Celestia turned around and left. She had no idea what that exchange had been about - well, she actually had a quite graphic idea, but she didn’t want to think about it - and she certainly didn’t want to find out.

After raising the sun - and seeing the moon go down - she went to the refectory. She had been sitting at the breakfast table for just a few minutes when Luna and Antonius entered the room.

“Here already?” she blundered out in surprise.

“Of course,” Luna replied, thankfully not getting the reason for said surprise,
“the moon is down and the sun is up. It is high time for breakfast!”

When they were done, Antonius said:

“I’ll go down to the armorium and check the Land Speeder. I’ll at least need to readjust the seats…”

“I will be with you in a minute,” Luna told him and he left.
Then, she turned to Celestia:
“Okay, sister, what bothers you?”

“Why do you think anything’s bothering me?” Celestia asked.

“Cellie, perhaps you have forgotten that I know you quite well. You were a little too quiet during our meal, so: What is bothering you?”

“Nothing, Luna. It’s nothing… while you are my little sister, you are old enough to… make your own decisions.”

“Of course I am,” Luna answered, a little confused,
“but what… oh… OH! Have you been eavesdropping again?”

“Again? I never eavesdrop!” Celestia defended herself,
“I just have some… unfortunate timing! But seriously, Luna, I am happy for you… both of you.”

“We indeed are happy to be back together, sister.”

“Of course. It’s just that… well, let’s talk from mare to mare: no matter how happy, you should always remember to…”

“Stop right there, sister,” Luna interrupted,
“I am way too old for ‘the talk’, and it is completely unnecessary. I know the correct ‘procedure’, and I can assure you I will follow it should the time come, okay?”

Celestia stared at her for a second, then she asked:

“The time has not come last night?”

“SISTER!” Luna exclaimed,
“nothing came last night! We just cuddled a little!
But why am I telling you at all? Good gracious, I am talking to my sister about… this is so embarrassing!”

“It is,” Celestia agreed,
“sorry for broaching the topic, but if I think about what I would have done in a similar situation… if my special somepony came back…”

“SISTER! You are making it worse!”

“Sorry,” Celestia blushed.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Luna sighed and said:

“I promise to be careful, okay?”

“Okay, Luna,” Celestia answered.

“And you promise not to test this specific procedure to see if it is safe for me, okay?” Luna grinned.

“What do you… LUNA!” Celestia exclaimed.

Thankfully, the Land Speeder was in good condition. Antonius had taken care of the seats and was just about to create some seatbelts for himself as Luna arrived.

“Hello, Luna,” he greeted,
“care to help me?”

“Of course,” she agreed.

While working, Antonius asked:

“Is Tia okay? She was a little quiet this morning.”

“She is okay,” Luna sighed,
“she just thought that we, the both of us, were somewhat… busy last night.”

“Huh? Busy sleeping?”

Luna looked him in the eye with a complete deadpan and stomped her hindhoof a few times.

“She really thought we did…” Antonius inquired when he had discerned the meaning of Luna’s gesture.

“Yeah, because - according to herself - that is what she would have done if her special somepony came back.”

“Oh wow… that is a piece of information I could have lived without. Have you told her that I created a psionic blocker to prevent something like this from accidentally happening?”

“No, but I promised to be careful… and told her not to try firsthoof if such a ‘get-together’ would be safe for me,” Luna grinned.

Antonius stared at her.

“Okay, that thought slightly disturbs me,” he admitted.

Some minutes later, they both were on their way towards Ponyville. Once there, they headed straight to the hospital to pay Gentle Breeze a visit.
There was quite some murmuring as Antonius and Luna entered the building. The ponies who had not seen the revived Space Marine the day before now took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of him and made him the center of attention, at least until Rapid Cure arrived and led him and the princess to Gentle Breeze’s room.

“She’s not in the best condition,” the doctor explained on the way there,
“but you’ll see that yourself. We guess that she’ll live for another few months, but due to her injuries, she will probably die before the year is over.”

Antonius and Luna nodded and they all entered the room.

Gentle Breeze was lying in a bed - or rather, what was left of her was lying there. All four legs were gone, as was her fur, exposing her scarred body, and her blind eyes stared at the ceiling.

“Hello, Gentle Breeze,” Antonius said softly.

The mare turned her head and said with a raspy voice:

“This is a dream. I know this voice. It can’t be real. But usually, I’m neither blind nor crippled in my dreams… uh, I guess I have to wait for Princess Luna…”

“I’m already here,” Luna told her,
“and I can assure you that you are not dreaming. Antonius has returned.”

“So,” Gentle Breeze inquired,
“you didn’t die?”

“I did,” Antonius answered,
“but the Emperor of Mankind saw it fit to send me back to continue my fight against Chaos.”

“That’s… incredible! But who cares for credibility when you experience a miracle? I don’t. I wish I could say ‘nice to see you’, but, well… anyway, as you can see, I won’t be of any help anymore fighting Chaos.”

“You already did more than enough.”

“Well, I almost got killed. Now, I can’t even scratch myself if I’ve got an itch. I really thank you for saving me back in Hope, but honestly that’s not really how I imagined my life to be.”

Antonius had no idea what to say now. Gentle Breeze was desperate. She was forced to unproductiveness, a fate he wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemies… well, perhaps upon his worst enemies… perhaps there was a way to cheer her up a little?

“Your current situation certainly is hard,” he finally said,
“but your perseverance still is commendable.”

“Yeah,” she replied,
“I don’t want to be added to the list of casualties Chaos has caused among us ponies. So, I try to stay alive and delay death, no matter how unpleasant my remaining few months will be.”

“So you know…”

“Of course” she smiled,
“I’ve always been curious, you know. So I asked.”

“I see you’re taking your fate rather well,” Antonius said,
“but it may not be as grim as you probably think.”

“It’s nice that you want to cheer me up, but there’s nothing that could be done for me anymore. Even healing magic has reached its limits.”

“Healing magic, maybe. But in nine days, we will have access to human technology. I can’t promise anything, but maybe we’ll find a way to replace the destroyed parts of your body.”

Gentle Breeze was silent for a second, then she asked:

“With technology? You mean, metal, engines and stuff?”

“Yes, but let’s ask the expert,” Antonius suggested and fetched his PDA.
“Al?”

“Yes?” Al answered as his head appeared in the device.

“Are there augmetics in your database?”

“Of course. Why do you ask? Gentle Breeze?”

“So, you thought about that, too?”

“I did. We’d need to adapt them to the pony body, though, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. So, I am confident we can rebuild her, we have the technology, after all. We still need someone who can perform this surgery, however.”

Antonius looked at Rapid Cure, and the stallion shrugged helplessly.

“No idea if I can do that,” he admitted,
“but thinking about the alternative… I should probably just try?”

“Wait a second,” Luna interjected,
“you are really thinking about performing a surgery on Gentle Breeze without having any kind of experience when it comes to those augmetics? That is…”

“I’m in!” Gentle Breeze interrupted,
“I’d rather have a chance of being restored than just lying around until I die!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I know, if something goes wrong, I’m dead. But if we don’t do anything, I’ll be dead too, just a few months of lying around uselessly later.”

They all looked at her, then Antonius declared:

“That settles it. Al, once your reactor is online, please start making the necessary adaptions to the augmetics.”

“Okay, but I have to tell you that the necessary calculations and especially the actual production will take some time, as I also have to restore myself in part to be able to create the augmetics.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Gentle Breeze said,
“I endured for that long, I won’t die now while I’m already on the home stretch.”

Now that they had given Gentle Breeze a little bit of (hopefully not false) hope, Antonius and Luna left the hospital.

“I hope we can keep what we promised,” Luna pondered.

“Me too, but I have trust in Rapid Cure. He was able to deal with wounds inflicted by a daemonic blade, augmetics shouldn’t be much more difficult than that.”

Now they went to meet Moonlight, Blackwing and Stormy Skies. They were barely inside the house as Antonius was - again - greeted by a fluffy missile to the face.

“Hi, Stormy,” he mumbled.

“Stormy, let him breathe,” Moonlight laughed, then she turned to the visitors:
“A cup of tea?”

“With pleasure,” they answered.

A few minutes later, they were sitting together in the living room, enjoying the tea.

“And? How was your first night back in Equestria?” Moonlight asked Antonius with a grin.

“Very nice,” Antonius answered truthfully.

At that, Moonlight winked at Luna, her smile growing wider.

“An active imagination must be a peculiar thing to have,” the princess grumbled in response.

“Sure is,” Moonlight grinned,
“but if you want to, we can just change the topic: What do you think about promotion of culture in south-west Equestria?”

Antonius and Luna sighed.

“I’d say that was enough teasing,” Blackwing laughed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Moonlight admitted,
“sorry, but I’m just so happy that you are back… we all are.”

After a few confirmations and the inevitable group hug, Moonlight, Blackwing and Stormy told Antonius a few things that had happened in Ponyville while he had been gone. That way, he learned about two species he decided to keep an eye on: the kelpies with the power to control ponies’ minds through acoustic signals and the deer, which reminded him a bit of the eldar with their self-righteous and ruthless ways.
Well, if they should cause trouble again, they certainly wouldn’t get off as lightly as they had.

Some time later, they left the house and headed towards Twilight’s new castle. Since it was a nice day, they left the Speeder behind and walked.

“Luna,” Antonius asked,
“do you see any reason why most ponies seem to think that we had some sort of orgy last night?”

“No really,” Luna replied,
“perhaps it is our propensity to take a rather direct approach of the situations we encounter.”

“Hmm… that would be a very direct approach indeed. I’m positive our relationship will work without this kind of… immediate physical interaction. Some time later… umm… but seriously, I don’t think it would be a good idea to ‘distribute’ my genes before I know exactly what genes I actually have. I also don’t want to hurt you. Even though we are a couple, I think we don’t need to rush things… we are a ‘couple’ now, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay, that much is clear… just one question in this regard…”

“What do you want to know?” Luna inquired with a soft smile.

“How exactly does ‘being a couple’ work?”

Luna stopped and looked at him.

“You don’t know?” she asked in disbelieve,
“I mean, that is one of the most basic and everyday things! How can you not know that?”

“I was ten when I became an Ultramarine, and such things are not part of the Codex Astartes. But why are you so indignant at my lack of knowledge?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Luna, do you know how exactly ‘being a couple’ works?”

Luna blushed, and after a few seconds, she told him:

“Well, I had a friend once… a friend-friend, I mean. But I was pretty young back then, not even a thousand years old… I may have forgotten most of it.”

“Only one? With your alicorn attractiveness, I thought that ponies would queue to date you.”

“My reputation as demigoddess repelled them more than my attractiveness attracted them. And later, I wasn’t very… approachable anymore anyway.”

“Oh… so, we are a couple, but none of us know what we are doing?”

“There are still our instincts. I think we can rely on them.”

“Hmm,” Antonius pondered, trying to ignore that the strongest instincts of most creatures usually were foraging and reproduction,
“you’re probably right.”

“Slow but steady, Tony,” Luna smiled,
“and we have a great advantage: we can be unconditionally honest. After everything we have been through, there will be no need to be embarrassed with each other.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely true.”

They continued their way until they arrived at Twilight’s castle. Inside, the Element Bearers, sans Twilight, were in the castle’s library - together with a strange contraption that was built around… a mirror.

“Hello,” Antonius greeted with a sense of foreboding,
“please tell me this in not one of those magic mirrors.”

“Okay,” Pinkie grinned,
“it’s not one of those magic mirrors. What magic mirrors are we talking about, again?”

Antonius facepalmed, and Applejack told him:

“It’s the portal-mirror to the human world. Sunset Shimmer has sent a distress call and Twilight and Spike went through to help.”

“Wait… the pony-turned-abhuman-turned-daemonette sent an SOS, and Twilight just went? Have any of you even thought about the possibility of a trap?”

“Well… no,” Rarity admitted,
“but I don’t think Sunset Shimmer is the problem. There are sirens in their world, and she needs Twilight’s help to defeat them.”

“Sirens? What’s that?”

A minute of exposition later, Antonius grumbled:

“Damnit! I don’t have power armor, or a bolter. Just my passive armor and my sword, but that needs warp powers - or probably magic - to really work… perhaps I could fetch my chainsword from Canterlot…”

“Or,” Luna intervened,
“you could just trust Twilight and let her handle things on her own.”

“I do trust Twilight, Luna, but I should be the one taking risks here.”

“Do not hog all the fun, my dear.”

“Twilight’s either fighting some kind of witches that are capable of mind control, or she’s running into a trap laid by a daemonette. That’s hardly what I’d call… okay, it could be something I’d call ‘fun’, I have to admit that.”

“Why do we not proceed like the last time? We give Twilight a chance to take care of the problem on her own. If she is gone for too long, you can follow her and do your thing.”

“A splendid idea!” Rarity agreed,
“in the meantime, you can come with me to my boutique, so that I can take the measurements for your new clothes!”

Having said that, she grabbed his hand with her magic and started pulling him towards the exit.

“Is it possible that you’re mainly trying to get me away from that portal?” Antonius inquired.

“Is it possible that you’re mainly looking for an excuse not to wear any pajamas tonight?” Rarity answered with a question of her own - and a grin.

“Emperor help me! Not you, too!”

“Oh… you already had some teasing today, didn’t you?”

“More than enough.”

“Well, you know what they say: ‘Teasing is a sign of affection’. But I’m going to stop anyway. Now, let’s head to my boutique, shall we?”

“Yeah, whatever… but at least two of you stay here and call me immediately as soon as Twilight returns - or especially if something seems to be wrong.”

The ponies promised to do as he had asked them to, and Antonius, Luna and Rarity left the castle.

Inside Carousel Boutique, the fashionista closed the curtains and fetched some paper, a pencil, a measuring tape and a bath towel, just like the first time she had taken Antonius’ measurements. He changed behind the big curtain, then she got busy until she reached the point where she had stopped the last time they had done this.

“So, Antonius… now you’d have to take off the towel for the last few measurements… I guess you’ll want to take them yourself again?”

“Hmm,” Antonius replied,
“would probably be better.”

He vanished behind the curtain and took the measurements. In doing so, he noticed that there was an additional measurement he was supposed to take. While a little confused, he still took it and wrote down the value.

“What is that new measurement for?” he asked Rarity as he was done.

“Oh, to make sure that your new clothes will be comfortable,” Rarity answered, staring at the measurements,
“you can put on your armor again, I’ve gotten all I need. I’ll get to making your new clothes as soon as possible.”

So Antonius got properly dressed again and left the boutique together with Luna, heading for the Land Speeder.

“This time you did not jump through the curtain swinging your sword,” Luna grinned.

“Hmm,” Antonius replied drily,
“didn’t want to stress your wing musculature.”

The princess snickered and answered:

“You know, those little jokes are much more fun if they come from one of us.”

“Definitely.”

Once back in Canterlot, they met with Celestia and told her about their visit to the town and the decision they had made.

“Oh,” Celestia said,
“you really think we could save her life?”

“With a little bit of luck, yes,” Antonius told her,
“the Imperium has ways to preserve the life of badly wounded humans, and that is despite the fact that we don’t have access to the technology of the Golden Age. In any case, it’s worth a try.”

“I really hope your technology is as marvelous as you think. It seems it can keep up with or even surpass our magic in quite a few areas.”

“Indeed, but when it comes to fighting Chaos, magic is probably more efficient. Speaking of which, I need to get used to pony magic… I need somepony to teach me everything about it.”

At that, a sparkle entered Celestia’s eyes, and she started smiling.

“You want somepony to teach you magic? Well, Tony, consider yourself my pupil!”

“Ahem,” Luna grumbled,
“actually, it is I who wanted to help him.”

“Well,” Celestia grinned,
“how much experience do you have in teaching, Luna?”

“Not that much, to be honest.”

“See? That’s why I should should take over this job. You still can teach him a few of your specialities, though.”
She turned to Antonius:
“When do you want to start?”

“How about now?” Antonius suggested.

“Perfect!” Celestia beamed.

4. The Inner Sanctum

While Luna retired to be fit for her nightly duties, Antonius and Celestia started the magic training. In the theoretical part, the princess scribbled weird equations with smiling symbols on a chalkboard and surprisingly managed to get some sense into them with her explanations.
Then, the practical part started. A very intriguing fact was that Antonius didn’t need to tap the immaterium, the magic was actually lingering right there in the materium, waiting to be seized.
The success of those first lessons was somewhat limited, though, as mentioned ‘seizing’ proved to be a problem. While Antonius was able to feel the magic around him, he had problems getting hold of it. He needed quite a lot of focus even for simple things like basic telekinesis.

Celestia seemed to be content, though. She had downright beamed the whole time she had given the lessons, and now she said:

“Don’t worry. It’s new to you, after all, even if you have a genetic disposition. You’ll see, in a few weeks, it will have become easy.”

Luna returned shortly thereafter, and they had dinner together. Then, Celestia retired and Antonius and Luna went to her quarters.

“I still have some time before the patrol starts,” she told him,
“tell me, how was your first day as my sister’s pupil?”

“Could have been worse, could have been better,” Antonius admitted and gave an account of his progress,
“Tia thinks I will become better in a few weeks, but if that’s my learning-speed, I will need years before my powers actually become useful.”

“Hmm… use your telekinesis and pick up this book over there.”

Antonius did as he was told. He focused and tried to grab the magic around him, but most of it evaded his grasp. Still, a light blue fog appeared around the book, and it was lifted from its table.

“Thanks. You can put it down again. Instead, pick me up. With your hands this time.”

“Do you mean you want a hug?”

“No, Tony. Well, actually, yes, but it is not about that. Just pick me up, okay?”

After deactivating his magic, he put his hands under Luna’s front legs and lifted her from the floor.

“So, what have you done now?” she inquired, hanging in his grasp.

“Umm… I picked you up?” Antonius replied without any clue what the point of all that was.

“And how did you do it?”

“Huh?”

“Did you crush me and throw my mangled body against the ceiling?”

“No! I was much… gentler.”
At that moment, it clicked.
“Do you mean that I put too much effort into my magic?”

“You put too much effort into acquiring the magic,” Luna told him friendlily,
“just concentrate on your task, and let the magic flow to it.”

Well, that was a new idea. As a psyker, he usually had to tap the warp and wrest some energy from it first. Could it be that much easier here?

He looked at the book again, and this time, he just focused on picking it up without trying to get the required energy first. The book darted towards the ceiling, and Antonius could feel the magic around him come to his aid voluntarily.

“Amazing,” he mumbled and put the book down,
“thank you, Luna. I wonder why Tia didn’t tell me what I was doing wrong.”

“My sister prefers the slow approach. She probably wanted to give you time to realize your mistake yourself, or she wanted to slowly make you familiar with magic. You know, to prevent you from accidentally hurting somepony. I think, however, that we can speed things up a little.”

“Thanks again.”

“No problem. Now how about the hug?” Luna grinned.

“With pleasure,” Antonius grinned back.

A while later, just as they wanted to go to sleep, Antonius stopped dead in his tracks.

“Is something wrong?” Luna inquired.

“I’m not sure,” he answered,
“I’m having a strange feeling that something’s amiss is Ponyville.”

“Hmm… perhaps you are developing some kind of magical intuition… or the unused magic makes you imagining things.”

“I don’t know, but I’ll go to Ponyville and have a look. Better safe than sorry.”

“I will join you. My patrol is supposed to start there, anyway.”

They teleported in front of Twilight’s castle.

Luna and Antonius took a look around. There was no sign of any danger or threat. The stars twinkled in the sky, and the moon bathed everything in a pale light.

“In there,” Antonius mumbled.

Together, they entered the castle.

“Everything is peaceful here,” Luna remarked.

“Seems so,” Antonius agreed and proceeded to the library.

There, they found Rainbow Dash sleeping. Nopony else was there, just as nopony actually was on their guard.

“Rainbow!” Antonius shouted, ungently waking the pegasus.

“WAH!” Rainbow screamed,
“what? Oh, Antonius…”

“Yes, Antonius. Weren’t you supposed to stay here as a pair and stand guard?”

“Yeah, and it’s me and Pinkie standing guard.”

“Well, I don’t see Pinkie at all… and you certainly haven’t been standing guard!”

“Relax, she just went to the kitchen to make some cupcakes for us… and I might have fallen asleep… a little.”

“I don’t think I’ll ‘relax’,” Antonius grumbled,
“since you already did enough of that. I’ll go and see if Twilight is okay.”

“Hey!” Rainbow wanted to protest, but a short glare silenced her.

“Take care,” Luna sighed,
“and try not to cause too great a stir.”

“Don’t worry,” Antonius replied friendlily and wormed his way through the magic mirror.

“Woah,” Rainbow muttered,
“he is in a bad mood, huh?”

“He takes the safety of the six of you very seriously,” Luna said.

After some very colorful impressions, Antonius exited the portal and was standing in the dark in front of the school he had seen when he had first visited this dimension - or whatever is was.

He checked himself and realized with satisfaction that there were no changes to his body or equipment. So, he still was a Primaris with a primitive armor and a giant sword. And, he still was a psyker, so he used his preternatural senses to check if there was any magic available.

There were only very faint traces, definitely not enough to be used, but enough to to tell that something involving magic had happened here. Of course, he knew what this ‘something’ had been - he had been there, after all.

But this was not the time to bring back memories, it was the time to find Twilight.
Now, what would be the best way to achieve that?

He didn’t have an auspex, and even if he had one, he didn’t know Twilight’s readings.
Pony magic was not available.
Perhaps this dimension had something like the warp? Yeah, and by tapping it, he could alert an army of daemons that there was a world they could devastate. So, no tapping the warp.
There still was a little warp energy left in his reservoir, so he decided to use that. Just enough to get a hunch of a direction…

Antonius closed his eyes and concentrated. It worked.
With something akin to a destination, he got going, always keeping in the shadows.

After two more psychic queries for directions he stood in front of a house. If his powers were reliable, Twilight was in there.
Well, there were a few ways to find out, and Antonius decided to take the least aggressive one: He peeked through the windows.

The rooms behind most of them were empty, but he was lucky. In a room that was probably a kitchen he found Twilight, sitting at a table. But she wasn’t alone. There were Sunset Shimmer and another abhuman girl Antonius didn’t know, but she retreated almost immediately.

“I still can’t get over the fact that she’s related to Pinkie Pie,” Antonius heard the ex-daemon say.

“You and me both!” Twilight answered, then they both smiled.

Hmm… just a friendly chat. So, the actual problem in this world were probably those sirens, after all. Well, there was a way to find out.

Antonius carefully knocked at the window. Both girls turned their heads, looking rather frightened.

“Who’s that?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“I don’t…” Twilight started, then she hesitated a second and continued:
“wait… I think I do know…”

She walked to the window and opened it.

“Hello, Twilight,” Antonius greeted.

“Hi, Antonius,” Twilight responded.

“Huh?” Sunset Shimmer interrupted,
“this super warrior guy?”

“Yes,” Twilight told her,
“come here, it’s probably important.”

Sunset Shimmer clearly wasn’t too eager to get closer to the giant outside the window, but she came closer and said:

“Umm… hi.”

Antonius took a scrutinizing look at her. If you were willing to ignore the slightly inhuman proportions, she really just looked like a human girl.

“Hello,” he finally said,
“I heard you encountered some creatures that are called ‘sirens’. I’m here to see if I can help.”

“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. Twilight’s counter-spell is almost finished.”

A long glare made her take a step back, and Twilight intervened:

“Easy, Antonius. Sunset is reformed. She’s on our side. And she’s… kinda right.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier and safer to just eliminate those sirens?” Antonius inquired.

“Umm… sorry to butt in,” Sunset said,
“but I don’t think the police would be very fond of a triple murder.”

“While I do not bow to local law enforcement,” Antonius replied,
“I see your point. In a world without the warp or magic, those executions would be hard to explain and draw too much attention. So we probably should only resort to killing the sirens as a last means.”

“Yes,” Twilight quickly agreed,
“every plan that does not involve killing should be tried before the other ones.”

“Shall I stay here? Just in case your plan with the counter-spell does not work?”

“It’s nice of you to worry about me, but I think it would be a little difficult to hide you in the broad daylight.”

“True. So, I return to Equestria. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?”

“Promise.”

Now Antonius turned to Sunset:

“You know that you owe your life to Twilight. Stay loyal to her and prove that her decision to spare you was correct.”

“Thank you,” Sunset answered (to Antonius’ surprise),
“that is actually one of the nicer things people have told me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It means that you don’t expect me to cause trouble again. Instead, you take a more… neutral position.”

“Hmm… a good friend of mine was… kinda evil once and got reformed. Perhaps that influences my actions and decisions.”
He turned to both girls and grinned:
“But now, I should go. If they find me here, talking to two underaged girls in their pajamas, they’re probably going to lynch me… and I couldn’t even blame them. And that’s one thing I really want to be able to do: If someone lynches me, I want to be able to blame them. Goodbye, and don’t forget to call if you need help!”

Twilight and Sunset said goodbye, and Antonius sneaked back to the portal.

Back in Equestria, he was expected by a wide awake Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and some cupcakes.

“Hi, Antonius,” Pinkie smiled,
“sorry for sleeping and cooking instead of standing guard. Would cupcakes count as an apology?”

“Usually not,” Antonius grumbled,
“but since Twilight is okay, I’ll just let it be. Just be a little more mindful from now on… and give me a cupcake.”

Luna arrived from her patrol some time later, and together, they teleported back to Canterlot.

“You know,” Antonius told her as they were back in her quarters,
“this was the second time I have visited this other world full of abhumans, and I was able to be useful there exactly zero times.”

“That is because Twilight is able to overcome most problems on her own,” Luna told him with a smile,
“I have to admit that it can make you feel somewhat useless sometimes, but that is only a fallacy. Now, let us go to bed.”

“Do you think I can be useful there?”

Luna snickered.

“Oh,” Antonius said,
“that came out wrong. Sorry.”

“An apology is not necessary,” Luna smiled and hugged him.

After a night of refreshing sleep, they met with Celestia for breakfast. Antonius couldn’t resist practicing his magic and extensively used telekinesis to get the food he wanted.

“You’ve made a lot of progress… and really fast…” Celestia said, then she turned to Luna:
“Did you help him?”

“Of course, sister,” Luna admitted,
“Tony is not a kindergartner, after all. I thought there was no need to take the scenic route to magic.”

“Hmm,” Celestia grumbled, clearly not too happy with Luna interfering with her teaching,
“anyway, should we continue our lessons after breakfast?”

“Not immediately,” Antonius replied,
“first, Luna and I want to see if my altered DNA gives me access to the Inner Sanctum.”

“Oh! I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.”

About half an hour later, the three of them were standing in front of the door to the Inner Sanctum.

“Now let’s see,” Antonius said and kissed the slate.

GENETIC AUTHENTICATION…

“Hmm… it takes longer than last time…”

GENETIC CODE WITHIN DEFINED TOLERANCES.
LEGIONES ASTARTES.
PRIMARCH OVERRIDE ACTIVATED.
ACCESS GRANTED.

Antonius stared at the slate as the door slowly opened.

“What?” he exclaimed,
“I’m not a Primarch, just a… oh, I get it! The system is not familiar with Primaris, so it categorizes me as Primarch and lets me in. An error, but a convenient one.”

Now Antonius fetched his PDA. Just as he wanted to call Al, he received a call from his artificial friend:

“Antonius, the door to the Inner Sanctum was just opened with a Primarch override.”

“I know,” Antonius answered,
“that was me.”

“You are a Primarch?”

“No, but the system mistook me for one.”

“That’s a relief. I thought we had an intruder.”

“Everything’s fine, Al. It’s still good that you called, though. I want you to witness this little excursion.”

He gave Celestia his PDA, and she hovered it above her head, so that Al could see what they were doing.

The hallway behind the door did not look different from the other hallways in the imperial base. Antonius slowly passed the open door, followed by the princesses. They went straight on until they encountered another door. As they approached, it opened and revealed…

“A crystal coffin?” Celestia wondered.

It was indeed a coffin. Inside, a giant, armored human was lying.

“A Primarch?,” Antonius wondered and quickly scanned the rest of the room.

There were cogitators and tables. On one of them, there were a gilded storm bolter and a thunderhammer, together with a black box.

“One of my memory modules!” Al exclaimed,
“please take a closer look at it!”

While Celestia did him the favor, Antonius and Luna examined the coffin and its content.

“Really a Primarch, according to his size,” Antonius stated.

“How did he die?” Luna inquired.

“I can’t see obvious wounds… but that doesn’t mean anything. Inside his armor, he could be maimed, or he got killed with methods that don’t leave such visible traces.”

“You think he got killed?”

“I think so. He looks too young to have died of old age… I’m not even sure if Primarchs can die that way at all. Anyway, he should have been very tough and highly resistant to any kind of disease, so it’s likely that he has been killed.”

“Perhaps there’s some information in this memory module?” Celestia suggested, hovering it in her magic grasp,
“it’s labeled ‘849’.”

“One of the missing modules,” Antonius stated.

“Please return it to me as soon as possible,” Al asked.

“Tia, would you do us the favor? Whatever the module contains, it’s certainly valuable… or even invaluable.”

“No problem, I’ll be back in a minute,” Celestia agreed, gave the PDA to her sister and teleported.

While she was gone, Antonius and Luna turned to one of the cogitators. Mumbling the ritual of activation, he pushed the corresponding rune.

PASSWORD REQUIRED.

“Would have been too easy,” Antonius grumbled and turned to the PDA,
“how’s it going?”

“Celestia is just inserting the module,” Al told him.

“Please look if you can find anything about this place, the password for the cogitator, for instance. If the module is still readable, that is.”

“Memory module connected… checking integrity…”

With a flash of light, Celestia appeared next to them.

“Was even easier than I thought,” she said with a grin.

“Integrity check okay,” Al stated,
“retrieving data… OH! Now that’s interesting!”

“What?” Antonius inquired.

“Mission logs of the Space Marines who built the base you’re in at the moment… and the password you are looking for. Since the system is isolated, I can’t unlock the cogitator for you.”

After entering the voxed password, the cogitator displayed the standard user interface Antonius was familiar with.

“So,” Luna said,
“to get at the information stored in this cogitator, you had not only to be a Primarch - or almost Primarch - but also to have found the ancient base in the north.”

“Yes,” Antonius confirmed,
“seems our Primarch here was trying to make sure that you couldn’t just stumble upon it. Now, let’s see what has been going on here all those years ago… there are the logs… and there’s the… diary of the Primarch? Well, when we found Al, a diary proved to be quite enlightening, so let’s try that again and concentrate on the important parts.”

My new mission is… disconcerting.
My father ordered me to assemble a company of my sons and travel far into the intergalactic void. While that alone would just be unusual, the fact that my brother has apparently vanished there is the disconcerting part. I don’t know what could prevent him, the second Primarch, after all, from reporting back. So I guess it’s up to me, number eleven, to find out.

“Both unknown Primarchs were here?” Antonius wondered,
“that information alone is invaluable. Let’s see what else is there.”

Today, we arrived at the designated planet, orbited by a small sun and a moon. An artificially created system.
I wonder who created it, but it isn’t my mission to investigate that. My mission is to find my brother. We detected his voidship in orbit, but found it empty.
The augur arrays have detected higher, non-human life on the planet. I’ll see if those xenos have any useful information. While it will be unreliable, it will be better than nothing.

We made contact with the xenos. They’re equines and describe themselves as ‘ponies’. More important, a young stallion called ‘Star Swirl’ told us that there were ‘strange metal birds like ours’ flying through the sky some time ago, and ‘quite some ruckus’ a short time later. I guess he witnessed my brother’s craft, and probably even the reason why he didn’t report back.
We’ll establish a base inside a nearby mountain as a bridgehead for our operations on this planet.

“Star Swirl!” Celestia exclaimed,
“of course we already knew that he had worked with those Space Marines, but learning that he was there from the very beginning is new.”

“Learning that he ever was young is new,” Luna deadpanned, earning her a glare from her sister.

Our base is making good progress, and the xenos are disturbingly friendly and even try to be helpful. I have my doubts about them. The magic they use is unsettling, even if they haven’t used it in a malignant way… yet. We’ll keep an eye on them, but somehow I can’t shake the feeling that they are not the real threat we have to cautious about.
An unusual system, unusual xenos… I wonder what else we will encounter here.

The base is ready and my sons have started searching the planet. No sign of my brother or his sons yet.
The ponies are as kind as always. I caught myself actually appreciating their presence around me. I’ll better meditate to purify my mind.

Today, we’ve found an ancient base in the north. Unfortunately, it is guarded by an abominable intelligence. Weirdly, this AI is just as friendly as those ponies, and told us that the small equines were actually created by humans during the Dark Age.
I’m still really not fond of tolerating those more-or-less xenos and an AI on this planet, especially considering how important this ball of dirt seems to be, but I certainly won’t be hasty and destroy anything…
And I have to admit, I don’t think the ponies deserve being destroyed. Yes, I’m really thinking that. Incredible.

“Al,” Antonius asked,
“do you have any information about your encounter with those Space Marines?”

“Affirmative,” Al answered.

“We’ll compare your data and this diary later. For now, we’ll just keep reading.”

Must make it short. We have lost contact to one of the reconnaissance squads. I’ll investigate myself.

“Now things really get interesting,” Antonius mumbled.

I have failed. We all have failed. There is nothing we can do…

“What?” Antonius wondered,
“that doesn’t sound like something a Space Marine would say… especially not a Primarch!”

“Something must have happened to him,” Celestia guessed.

… The creature we encountered… an abomination. Some kind of wicked chimera with even more wicked magic.
And the worst of all: This creature is - or was - my brother, now tainted and corrupted by powers I can’t even understand. He was so disturbingly happy about everything… about having ‘disposed’ of his own men, my men… he’s insane. He has even given himself a new name.

Antonius read the name and closed his eyes for a second. Then he roared:

“DISCORD!!!”

So, that was the answer to the conundrum that was Discord.
That was why he knew Primarch Guilliman.
That was why he was so unusual for a daemon.

“I… I can’t believe it,” Celestia stammered.

“Discord is one of your lost Primarchs?” Luna exclaimed,
“but… how…”

“Let’s ask Discord” Antonius hissed,
“he will give us answers. Then I’ll violently extract some vital organs from his body.”

“No,” Celestia disagreed,
“anger is a bad advisor, and at the moment, you’re too angry to make a sensible decision what to do with him. And we still don’t know what exactly was going on. Please keep reading the diary. When we’re done with that, and you’ve cooled down a little, we can talk to Discord.”

Antonius glared at her for a second, then he turned back to the cogitator.

“Fine…” he said through clenched teeth.

I have no chance of defeating him. He’s way too powerful.
I’ll send my sons back home. There are too few left to take my ship, but my brother’s will do. Let them find some glory in the Great Crusade. I’ll stay here. I don’t deserve to participate in my father’s great vision.
I’ll suggest that all records of my brother - and me - should be erased from all imperial records, so that his treachery - and my failure - shall be forgotten.
We are far away from the Imperium. He’ll never make it back there. So, at least the Imperium will be safe from him.

“So, now we know why all records of the two lost Primarchs were deleted,” Antonius stated,
“it’s still strange that the Primarch gave up that easily.”

“Actually, it isn’t,” Celestia told him,
“turning creatures into their opposites is one of Discords powers. So, the Primarch became unable to fight him.”

My sons are gone. I hope they’ll find glory somewhere. I wanted to go somewhere to live a hermit’s life, alone with my shame, but a pony downright forced me to stay. A mare named ‘Starry Heavens’.

“Mom!” Luna and Celestia exclaimed simultaneously.

I have no idea why she takes care of me. While I haven’t hurt them, I certainly haven’t been too nice to them, after all. She’s a kind soul. This Star Swirls also keeps hanging around. I don’t deserve their kindness. I’ll stop writing this diary. I’ll even delete it. Why am I even writing this down?”

“He obviously changed his mind,” Luna stated.

I really have to commend Starry Heavens And Star Swirl. They saved a copy of this journal. And through Starry’s care, I was able to get rid of the curse my damned brother put on me.
I am a son of the Emperor, and I will not yield. I must find a way to defeat my fallen brother. Fortunately, he is not too aggressive at the moment. Probably too busy messing around with this weird magic.
Magic… could that be the key?
But I’m not a psyker. The ponies, though, are… in a way. But they are not powerful enough to best him. Perhaps I can change that… I’ve always been a scientist, after all.

“Did we just read…” Celestia started.

“The genesis of the idea of alicorns,” Antonius finished.

It took me a lot of time. But with the help of the ancient AI - his name is Al, by the way - and the equipment used by the humans back then, I was able to combine and upgrade pony DNA of all three subspecies with fragments of my own DNA, boosting their strength, energy, and I think even their magic abilities. Starry already volunteered to bear the bio-engineered baby. I’m sorry to pull the ponies that deep into human affairs, but it’s the only thing I can do.

The baby is growing and well, and Star Swirl says he’s sensing an extremely high magic potential. But I’ve noticed that it takes quite a toll on Starry. I hope it’s not too much for her.

Today, the baby was born. A filly with a horn and wings. We named her Celestia, and her kind ‘alicorn’. She really is a little sunshine, just like her mother. Let’s see how she develops.

“So,” Celestia said,
“I was created as a weapon against Discord.”

“We were, I think,” Luna added.

“Just as I was created as a weapon against Chaos,” Antonius joined in.

Celestia ages slower than a normal pony, and really shows extreme magic potential. Star Swirl has taken the roll of her mentor, but he sometimes has difficulties reining her in. Together with Starry and me, though, everything works fine.

Celestia keeps getting stronger, and her DNA and mind are still stable. Our attempt at creating a super-powered pony was successful!
But Discord is awfully strong… I think Celestia will need help, an ally against him.

“Luna in the making,” Antonius commented.

Today is Celestia’s eleventh birthday. I talked to Starry last night, and she agrees with me that Celestia needs somepony to help her. She again volunteered to bear the baby. I have to admit, I’m not too fond of that. Celestia already took a toll on her, the second baby might cause her to loose too much energy. I told her, but she insists is doing it anyway. Well, I know her DNA, taking another mare would probably be too risky. And seriously, there’s nopony I trust more than Starry. I’ll create another gene seed.

The baby is growing and well, and Star Swirl is again sensing a high magic potential. Unfortunately - and as I’ve thought - the toll this second baby takes on Starry is more severe this time.

Today, the baby was born. An alicorn like Celestia, but with a darker coat. Starry is alive, but not really well. I hope she gets better.

Celestia and Luna are both well and pupils of Star Swirl. He calls himself ‘the Bearded’ now. Maybe he thinks the beard will give him enough authority to handle the two fillies.
Starry is better now, too, but not entirely back to her old self. Giving birth to two alicorns was too much for her, her life energy was downright drained by the stress. I guess that she has about a decade to live. No more.

“I,” Luna whimpered,
“am responsible for our mother’s death?”

“Nonsense!” Celestia and Antonius both replied, then he continued:
“if anypony’s to blame, it’s the Primarch and your mother. They knew the risks, but they decided that you and Tia were more important. Your mother basically voluntarily sacrificed her life to fight Discord. That’s a noble decision, and I’m sure she enjoyed the years you spent together.”

“He is right,” Celestia agreed,
“don’t blame yourself, little sister, because you deserve no blame.”

Luna nodded silently, and Antonius put his arm around her and continued reading.

Discord got active again, he laid waste to a town. Celestia is just fifteen and Luna is three, they’re both too young to fight him.
I must do it.
I must try to stop him.
I know I don’t have a chance, but I won’t let him assault more ponies!
I know that Starry and Star Swirl will take good care of Celestia and Luna - my two daughters.
On the one hand, I regret leaving them, but on the other hand, I know that I have to.
I instructed Star Swirl what to do should I die today, and supplied him with an upgrade that will increase his lifespan so that he will be able to fulfill his task.
Now, I have to go.
May the Emperor guide me.

“This is not the end of the diary,” Antonius told the princesses,
“but it was the Primarch’s last entry. Somepony else took over.”

I am Star Swirl the Bearded, and I now will tell you of the events that came to pass after the Primarch left to fight his corrupted brother Discord in an attempt to safe ponykind from his wicked depredations.
Unbeknown to him, I followed the Primarch. When he encountered Discord, a lively conversation took place. While I wasn’t able to understand every word they said to each other, it was clear that the Primarch tried to convince his brother to stand down and renounce the dark magic he used.
It was of no surprise to me that Discord just laughed at him, and that a battle ensued.
The Primarch fought valiantly, but in the end, he had no chance against the wicked creature. Struck by unnatural lightning, he dropped to his knees, before he toppled over.
Discord looked like he was about to cheer, but he suddenly froze. I think the last remnant of humanity inside him must have realized what he had just done, because he started screaming as if in great pain. He cradled his dead brother’s body, screaming ‘what have I done?’, then he carefully put the corpse back onto the ground. Discord looked at him, then he started screaming again, but this time, it became a twisted, insane laughter. I suppose the last bit of sanity in his wicked mind was eradicated that moment. Finally, he vanished with a snap of his claws.
We retrieved the Primarch’s body and put him into a crystal coffin inside the Inner Sanctum of the imperial base, located inside the Canterhorn.
I ensured that the Primarch’s instructions were carried out. We destroyed every trace of Discord’s true origin. Al has moved the corresponding data to memory modules that I removed from his system. We even erased the princesses’ memories, so that the grief about their murdered father would not lure them towards the darkness.
It truly is a pity that the captain’s plan will probably never come to fruition now, but we have more important things to worry about:
I must get Celestia and Luna ready to defeat Discord. Through sternness and hard training, they will one day be able to fulfill their destiny.
I will now seal the Inner Sanctum, and the invaluable, yet terrible information inside it.
To whoever may read this:
Due to the security systems, you should be a Primarch, otherwise, you shouldn’t have been able to enter. To do so, you still had to overcome quite some obstacles, so I think you are probably worthy of knowing the truth, and of the legacy of your valiant brother. Now, act like he would have wanted you to.

Antonius deactivated the cogitator and took a look at the crystal coffin.

“Well, your Excellency,” he mumbled,
“your daughters defeated Discord, and the Element Bearers reformed him. So, we have sort of a happy end in that regard. But there are still many more questions that need to be answered.”

“Yeah,” Luna agreed,
“like: What captain did Star Swirl talk about? And what was this plan of his?”

“And what about the ship the Primarch mentioned?” Celestia added,
“if the Space Marines left with Discord’s ship, it must still be somewhere.”

“Possible,” Antonius pondered,
“maybe those questions are even connected… maybe the captain left this ship here as a means for his Primarch to return to the Imperium… but that would mean training hundreds or even thousands of ponies to operate an imperial voidship. That may be possible, but is somewhat unlikely.
Furthermore, all this happened more than ten millennia ago. The ship probably drifted off and is now somewhere in the intergalactic void. Or do you know of a star that behaves in an unusual way?”

“No,” Celestia answered,
“the most unusual star we have is your Astronomicon.”

“Neither have I ever encountered such an object,” Luna added.

“Hmm… would have been too much to ask for anyway,” Antonius opined and turned to the table with the equipment,
“if you don’t mind I’ll take the storm bolter. I really could need a ranged weapon.”

The princesses agreed, so Antonius picked it up. It was a masterfully crafted piece of equipment with a small, attached bayonet and a double-drum magazine. Conveniently, there were still seven bolts left; the others had probably been sent towards Discord about a hundred centuries before.

Next, he picked up the thunderhammer and offered it to Celestia.

“You are the oldest child,” he stated,
“so I think it’s yours.”

“Oh…” Celestia replied,
“umm… while I feel honored, I think it might better be suited for your hands.”

“I have my sword, and Luna has my old chainsword. Take your father’s weapon. It should fit you well.”

Antonius remembered Celestia’s fighting style pretty well. While not quite as sophisticated as Luna’s, it was more powerful. A hammer really should fit her well.

Celestia took the thunderhammer with her magic and scrutinized it. It was as elaborately manufactured as the storm bolter; a weapon for a Primarch.

“You will have to teach me how to wield it,” she said.

“No problem. Now might be the time to have a word with Discord.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not going to try and kill him?”

“After what I’ve learned? No. But I do want to know his point of view.”

She nodded and lit her horn.
A moment - and a flash of light - later, Discord was standing right before them.

“What?” he said,
“oh, Celestia. You know how much I dislike being summoned that…”

He stopped in mid-sentence and looked around. He stared at the crystal coffin, then at Antonius.

“So you know,” he said seriously.

“That you are a traitor Primarch? Yes,” Antonius replied,
“that you killed your brother? That, too. But I’ve also gotten to know something else, and that keeps me from violently introducing you to my sword. Now, I want to know your version of what happened all those centuries ago.”

Discord looked somewhat uncomfortable, but he started talking:

“Well, I was sent here by the Emperor to claim this planet for mankind. When I arrived here, I - psyker that I was - discovered that this place is full of magic, and that this magic is quite different from the energies of the warp. I started experimenting with it, and stumbled upon the magic the ponies call ‘Chaos Magic’. Its potential was incredible… and tempting.
I swear I had the best of interests in mind when I started, but somehow, it overwhelmed me. I was turned into this form and… well, let’s say I got a little bit insane… I turned against my own sons, turning them into different creatures or teleporting them to strange dimensions… I was all around awful. That was also the time I assumed my new name.”

Discord was silent. He had his eyes closed and scratched his brow.

“And then, your brother showed up,” Antonius poked him.

“Yes. I casted a spell on him. Since he wasn’t a threat after that, I left to continue my experiments with Chaos Magic. More than a decade later, I tested some of my new spells on some ponies. A short time after that, my brother showed up. He tried to help me, but I was too deranged to listen.
We fought. I killed him.”
Discord sighed and continued:
“As I looked upon his dead body, I finally realized what I had become. A traitor, a fratricide.
I went completely mad and retreated to another dimension for several years. When I had reacquired some sanity, I returned to Equestria. The rest is part of pony history.”
He turned to Antonius:
“I am sorry about what I’ve done, but I can’t change it. I won’t ask you for forgiveness, for I will have to sort this out with our Emperor. Now, I just ask you to believe me when I say that I want to help you, the ponies and mankind.”

Antonius looked at him for a few seconds, then he said:

“Well… you are not the only Primarch that got corrupted, but you are the only one that got redeemed. I will give you a chance, Discord. Besides, I think killing you would upset Fluttershy,” he added with a small grin.

“It would upset me, too,” Discord deadpanned.

“You don’t know what happened to your brother’s ship, do you?”

“No. My best guess is that it drifted off, but since I was in another dimension - and sorta batshit crazy - at the time, this is really just a guess. I don’t think it fell onto the planet, since I’ve never seen an indication of such a crash. If you want a ship, I think we’ll have to wait for the Ultramarines to arrive.”

“Seems so… I wonder when that will be.”

“Translation successful. We are back in the Materium.”

Calgar nodded at Gearhart’s report and turned to the bridge crew:

“Initiate full scan. Is there anything out there?”

It took some time, then Calgar got his answer:

“My Lord, the augur arrays are picking up a planet, orbited by a small sun and an even smaller moon,” a crewman told him.

“Seems we’re right,” Calgar said.

“At the first attempt,” Tigurius commented,
“Lady Angren really is more than just capable. Such an accuracy, that far away from the Astronomican… commendable.”

“Indeed. How long will it take us to get there?”

“Seven days, three hours,” the crewman said.

“Set a course. All ahead full.”

Aleksa had heard the news that they were on the last stage of their long journey. Just a week now, and she would finally meet this Antonius - and get to know what a pony was. Now, she was about to look after Parvus and make sure that he got the news.

To her surprise, Parvus already had a visitor: Apothecarius Ambrosius was talking to him.

“Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Equidae, Equus,” Ambrosius said.

“No idea,” Parvus replied,
“I’ve always been more concerned with feeding them or cleaning the stable. As a young boy, I wasn’t particularly interested in scientific classifications. You got that stuff from a book?”

“Yes, Brother. I used my free time on this flight to learn about their kind - or their template, at least. Now, I thought it might be a good idea to supplement the theoretical knowledge with some practical experience.”

“That’s always a good idea, Ambrosinus. Apropos ‘good idea’, I see that Aleksa is here. Hello!”

Ambrosius turned to regard her, and Aleksa approached with a polite bow.

“Greetings, Brother Parvus. Greetings, Apothecarius Ambrosius,” she said,
“it is an unexpected pleasure seeing you here.”

“Huh?” Parvus wondered,
“I’ve been right here for the whole journey, why are you surprised to see me here?”

“I think that remark was directed to me,” Ambrosius told him,
“greetings, Tech-priest Aleksa. What brings you here?”

She bowed again slightly and said:

“I just came to make sure that Brother Parvus is up-to-date on the status of our mission and to conduct a few maintenance rituals. I can come back later if I disturb your conversation.”

“Not necessary,” Parvus told her,
“we’re done, anyway… I think.”

“Quite, Brother. Your experiences with horses certainly were enlightening,” Ambrosius answered calmly.

“Oh! Supplementing the theory with some experience? That’s always a good idea!”

“Yes, Brother. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.”

“Anytime, Ambrose.”

Ambrosius bowed, said goodbye and left. When he was gone, Parvus turned to Aleksa:

“A really nice guy. Do you know who he was?”

“Apothecarius Abrosius,” Aleksa smiled,
“and I assume you already know that we’re on the last stage of our journey?”

“Yes.”

“Ambrosius?”

“The Apothecarius? What about him?”

“Hasn’t he given you the information?”

“What information?”

“I’ll tell you while I’m conducting the rituals of maintenance,” Aleksa grinned broadly.

5. Almost back in action

The evening after the discoveries in the Inner Sanctum, Antonius maintained the storm bolter. It still was in a surprisingly good condition and merely required some cleaning and lubrication.
Luna was sitting next to him, watching and learning with interest.

He had just finished his work when his PDA signalized an incoming call.

“Yes?” he asked as he fetched the device.

“Antonius? This is Spike!” the dragon, appearing on the screen, said.

“Oh, hello, Spike! Does that mean that Twilight’s mission in the other world is over… or…”

“‘Or’, I’m afraid,” Spike told him,
“Twilight and her human friends got trapped by Trixie and her band!”

“Huh? Trixie? Mrs. Great and Powerful? She’s evil in this other world? With minions?”

“They’re not minions, they’re just a music group, and I don’t think they really are evil, but they are under the sirens’ influence!”

“I’ll be there in a few seconds.”

Antonius quickly donned his armor and turned to Luna:

“Could you…”

“Teleport us to Spike? Certainly,” she finished and lit her horn.

A moment later, they were in Twilight’s castle, right in front of the mirror. At the moment, Rarity and Fluttershy were standing guard, and they actually were present and awake!

“Hello, together,” Antonius greeted, then he turned to the little dragon:
“Okay, Spike, let’s go.”

“Take care,” Luna said,
“and remember: Stay hidden and use a minimum force approach whenever possible. We do not want to disrupt this world more than absolutely necessary.”

“I’ll be careful,” Antonius promised and stepped through the mirror, accompanied by Spike.

On the other side of the portal, Spike had turned into a dog again, while Antonius still was himself.

“Lead the way,” Antonius said and they got going.

They just got to the road as some sort of conveyance approached them and came to a screeching stop. Probably a personal, civil transport. Behind the controls was an abhuman girl that Antonius knew - at least from sight. He had seen her when he had been in this world the first time, and he also knew her pony counterpart: Vinyl Scratch.

“So much for staying hidden,” Spike mumbled, then he shouted:
“Wait! Her headphones! Perhaps she is protected from the siren’s influence!”

“Hmm,” Antonius pondered,
“if she’s willing to cooperate, her conveyance could speed things up quite a bit.”

“Good thing she’s late and comes through here. Let me do the talking,” Spike asked,
“I’m somewhat less terrifying than you.”

Yeah, of course.
Talking dogs were less terrifying than armored and armed… oh.

Spike walked over to the driver’s door and shouted:

“Hello! Could you give us a lift? We need to get to the ‘Battle of the Bands’ as quickly as possible.”

Much to Antonius’ surprise, Vinyl just nodded. Quite steady nerves, that girl.
Getting onboard the vehicle was a little complicated, since it definitely hadn’t been manufactured with Primaris Marines in mind, but he managed to squeeze most of himself onto the passenger seat.

“And now, please gun the engine,” Antonius told her, and she complied.

Racing through the town in a way local authorities would not really have been fond of, they arrived at an amphitheater with a central stage. On this stage, Antonius spotted three abhuman girls singing.
The sirens.
Antonius was sure of that. He could feel their wicked magic - as well as the urge to test his newly acquired storm bolter on some witches.
Still, freeing Twilight and her friends had priority.

Vinyl stopped at a parking lot and they quickly disembarked. For a moment, Antonius wondered why they hadn’t proceeded right to the stage, but he quickly realized that the terrain was not suitable for a conveyance like the one they used.
With a Rhino… or even better: a Land Raider - things would have gone… a little faster.

They circumvented the auditorium and arrived at a door that led to a room under the stage.

“Twilight and her friends are in there,” Spike said.

“Not for much longer,” Antonius replied and grabbed the doorknob.

Then, he overpowered the lock and forcefully pushed the door open. As he did so, he could hear some ruckus coming from inside. Once the door was open, he saw the source of the noise:
Seven girls were lying on the ground, obviously victims of his brute force door opening.

“No need to bow that deep before me,” he joked.

“Antonius!” Twilight exclaimed,
“Spike!”

Spike hugged her and explained:
“Sorry I took so long. I had to find somebody who wasn’t under the sirens’ spell to help me get you out.”

“And you got Antonius… and Vinyl Scratch? I’m not surprised that Antonius is immune to the sirens, but why isn’t Vinyl under their spell?”

“Never takes off her headphones.”

Now that the group of allies was defined, the girls came up with a pretty strange plan to defeat the sirens.

“You want to out-sing them? Seriously?” Antonius sighed.

“Of course!” Rainbow Dash cheered,
“our band is awesome enough for that!”

“The music activates our magic; that way, we can use the magic of friendship against them,” Twilight explained.

“Well… okay, it’s your mission, after all. But I suggest we take the same approach as back then in Ponyville when Trixie caused trouble.”

“Hmm… okay, but please wait for as long as possible before you intervene.”

“Acknowledged.”

The girls and Spike left, and Antonius hid next to the stage, checked his storm bolter and drew his sword. Should Twilight’s plan fail, he would jump onto the stage and deal with those siren witches - in a very final way, of course.

In the meantime, he waited and watched Twilight’s squad. They took up position on a hill just beyond the auditorium. How they were supposed to start their weird music-battle from over there he had no idea. While he was not an expert when it came to music - like, not at all - he was quite sure that being heard was essential, and the sirens had an electrical sound system while they just had their voices and instruments.

A moment later, they also had Vinyl’s car. For what ever reason, the girl had driven it up the hill.
Well, Antonius was quite used to unconventional plans and surprises, but when the car started transforming into some sort of sound system, he was left gaping at the scene.
Seriously, that required a level of technology he had not expected on this world… there had never been any hint that they were that far advanced here… but what of it? The main thing for now was that it worked. The conundrums had to wait.

The song-battle was about to begin, and it was high time. The sirens’ wicked magic got stronger. Antonius could feel it ineffectually scratching at his mind, protected by his abilities and his training (he had to admit it sounded pretty good, though). The abhumans among the audience, however, lacked such protection. Their expression changed into pretty stupid ones as the sirens’ mind control set in.
The witches themselves started mutating right there on the stage; surrounded by a sickly red glow, that seemed to originate from their necklaces, they sprouted wings - or fins - and started hovering. It really was high time.

Finally, Twilight and her friends started singing.
Yes, using his bolter as an impromptu percussion instrument would have shortened this weird conflict immensely, but he adhered to the plan, just as he had said he would.

The abhuman six now started mutating, too… into half-ponies.
Seriously, there was way too much mutating involved here…

The sirens obviously recognized them as a threat, for they summoned avatars made of light and magic. Those things looked quite aquatic, a similarity to the human legends Antonius had heard of.
The battle, while still sung, turned more physical now, as waves of magic smashed into each other and the combatants.

The fight went back and forth for a while, then the sirens managed to bring Twilight and her friends to their knees with a combined attack. Twilight dropped her microphone, and Antonius knew that the plan had failed. Time to intervene.

He had just grabbed the edge of the stage and was about to jump when he saw Sunset Shimmer pick up the microphone. The ex-daemon wanted to save the day?
Well, she was having sort of a hard time due to the atrocities she had committed. If she managed to help now, it would be beneficial for her in more than one way.
Antonius grinned. He had become weirdly considerate… perhaps his relationship with Luna gave him sort of a soft spot for redeemed villains…

Be that as it may, the girls still needed a few seconds to be ready again, and he doubted that the sirens would be generous enough to just wait that long.
Indeed, they - respectively their avatars - were charging another attack right now. So, he had to kill them before they killed his friends.
Unless…

A distraction might be enough. If he broke the sirens’ focus, he could buy Twilight and company enough time to try and defeat them with Sunset Shimmer’s help.

So, instead of jumping onto the stage and thrusting his sword into the sirens, he memorized their exact positions and dashed through the still open door under the stage. There, he thrust his sword through the wooden planks that formed the stage, so that it arose immediately in front of the sirens.

Surprised screams were his reward, as well as the insight that his distraction had worked.

“What’s that?” he heard one of the sirens scream.

“Looks like a sword,” another witch answered.

“I can see that, Sonata, but what is going on?” the first siren snapped.

“Quiet, you two!” a third voice shouted,
“the Rainbooms are ready again! This was just a distraction. Hover higher, we’ll take care of the sword-wielder later.”

Now that the battle started anew, this time with Sunset Shimmer, Antonius retrieved his sword and peeked out of the door to see what was going on. The new band member soon turned into a half-pony-hybrid, too, then they all started hovering. Antonius had seen this before, and he knew what it meant: Some powerful rainbow-magic was about to happen.
The girls shot a ray of light skywards. It created a magic sphere and…
…
Seriously?
An alicorn avatar. Made of light and magic.
Wow. This was something he had NOT seen before. It was so sappy and awesome at the same time, it should actually have been impossible.

The alicorn avatar did not waste any time and blasted the sirens’ avatars as well as the witches themselves with a beam that reminded Antonius a little of a volcano cannon. In opposite to the imperial weapon, though, it was nonlethal - at least for the witches. Now they were on their knees, and their necklaces were shattered. That was a good omen.

When they started singing again, Antonius knew that the battle was over. The wicked magic was gone, and their singing sounded aweful. The audience was freed from their spell and started pelting them with food (which they obviously had brought here for some reason). This nutrient assault made the sirens leave the stage in a rather hasty manner - and they fled right in Antonius’ direction. So he took a step back into the darkness and waited.

The witches jumped down from the stage, landing with a severe lack of grace. Defeated and exhausted, they stayed on the ground for a few seconds, then the yellow one muttered:

“One day, we’ll come back for this cursed Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms!”

Well, that was downright a cue, so Antonius left the shadow and said in a matter-of-fact tone:

“Actually, you should thank them.”

The sirens looked up, and there was fear in their eyes. Nice.
To amplify that, he fetched his sword and pointed it at them.

“Had they not defeated you in this shockingly non-lethal manner, you would have gotten to know my sword way better than you would have been comfortable with.”

Having said that, he used his free hand to grab them by their hair (their plaits were really useful for that) and ‘helped’ them regaining their feet. They looked as if they were about to soil the ground.

“What are you going to do with us?” the yellow one cried.

“Please don’t hurt us!” the blue one begged,
“we promise we’ll be nice!”

“Yes!” the third one added,
“this once, I agree with Sonata!”

“It does not belong to me alone to pass judgement on you,” Antonius informed them,
“we’ll wait for the princess.”

“What princess?” Sonata asked.

“This princess,” he said as Twilight and her entourage approached them,
“hello, Twilight. What about those sirens? Should we take them into custody and back to Equestria?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight replied,
“in Equestria, there’s magic and that could tempt them to cause harm again. Here, and without their pendants, they’re just three harmless teenage girls. You can release them.”

Antonius nodded and turned to the sirens:

“You heard her. Now, the choice is yours: If you should try to take revenge, I will return and you will die - or you can accept defeat and continue your lives as harmless members of this society.”

“If those are our options,” the yellow one said,
“we won’t try to take revenge. We’ll just stay here without causing further trouble.”

“Wise decision,” Antonius remarked and dropped the sirens.

They quickly scurried away into the darkness.

“Now that they’re dealt with,” Sunset said,
“I’d like to have a look at the remnants of those pendants.”

“We’ll join you,” the other girls told her.

“I’ll better stay here,” Antonius stated,
“no need to draw unnecessary attention to myself. Better yet, I’ll return to Equestria, or do you think you’ll still need me?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight answered,
“and if I do, I’ll just call again. Thank you, Antonius.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Sunset agreed.

After receiving more ‘thank you’s from the other girls, he bowed slightly and wanted to say goodbye, then he remembered that he still had a question:

“Before I forget, was I the only one who thought that Vinyl’s transforming car was somewhat unusual?”

“Now that you mention it,” Sunset replied,
“it certainly wasn’t something you see every day. Getting her to explain it could take some time, however, since she’s not really talkative. If you want, we can try to find out what’s going on with that car and I can write it to Twilight.”

“Okay, sounds good. And now, I’ll return to Equestria. Goodbye!” Antonius said and left.

Back in Twilight’s castle, he was expected by Luna, Rarity and Fluttershy.

“There you are again!” the princess greeted,
“were you able to help Twilight?”

“Where is she?” Rarity added,
“did she not return with you?”

“Yes, still in the other world, and no,” Antonius replied,
“in that order. I just opened a wooden door, stabbed a wooden board and prevented the sirens from escaping until Twilight decided to let them go. All told, nothing too noteworthy. As for Twilight, she wants to spend a little more time with her friends in the other world.”

“So, everything’s okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes. I’ll return to Canterlot. Please call me when Twilight returns or if new problems arise.”

So, Antonius and Luna returned to the capital.

“See?” Luna smiled as they were back in his quarters,
“you got your chance to be useful. So, we know that you can defeat megalomaniac centaurs, open wooden doors, stab wooden boards…”

“And detain de-powered teenage girls. Huzzah,” Antonius deadpanned.

“Do not forget your mightiest property.”

“What property?”

“You are cuddly.”

“Huh?”

“Like an oversized teddy bear.”

“Oh, great… well, actually, that probably isn’t the worst of properties… but my cuddliness is still far inferior to yours.”

“So you see the superiority of ponykind?” Luna grinned.

“Ahem…”

“Just kidding. Now, let us rest.”

“Yes,” Antonius agreed,
“Twilight will probably return in a few hours, and we should be well rested by then.”

Luna raised an eyebrow:

“Do you think something is about to happen?”

“I’m not sure… but I have a feeling that there might be more to Twilight’s new castle than meets the eye… I hope such inexplicable hunches are not a bad sign.”

“Perhaps it is a new ability, like a lesser version of my sister’s premonition… or you are just paranoid.”

“Of course I’m paranoid. That’s what keeps me alive.”

“But you died…”

“Well… haven’t been paranoid enough…” Antonius grinned,
“must be more paranoid… what are you hiding behind your back?”

“Umm… nothing… just my wings?”

“AHA! I better inspect them.”

“So… you want a hug?”

“A want to conduct a close inspection… the 100 percent similarity to a hug is just a coincidence…”

“Of course,” Luna smiled and hugged him.

The night went by without incidents. It wasn’t until after breakfast that Twilight herself called Antonius to tell him that everything’s alright.

“So, the sirens didn’t bother you again? No attempt at revenge?” he asked.

“No,” Twilight answered,
“me, Spike and the girls just spent some more time together, then we returned.”

“Good. Any plans for today?”

“Well, I want to find out why I got this castle. I think there must be a reason.”

“I think so, too. I’ll take the Speeder and support your efforts. See you in a few minutes.”

Shortly thereafter, Antonius, Twilight and her friends entered the throne room of the crystal castle. Spike was already inside, taking a nap.

“Let’s go through this one more time,” Twilight said while her friends sat down on their thrones.

“We’ve been over it like a million times, Twilight!” Rainbow sighed,
“we found all six keys, defeated Tirek, and got this sweet castle! End of story!”

“A somewhat abbreviated version,” Antonius added,
“I agree with Twilight. As weird as it may sound, the Tree of Harmony seems to have plans of its own. One of these plans is for some reason built around me, and I think this castle is part of another plan built around Twilight… or rather, all six… seven of you.”

“I dunno,” Applejack opined,
“maybe it’s just Twilight’s new house and there ain’t nothin’ more to it than that.”

While Rarity swooned over the castle and Fluttershy agreed with everypony - even though they had stated contradictory opinions - Antonius tried to use magic to examine the throne room.

“There’s a lot of magic around here,” he told his friends,
“but I can’t say if that’s just the residue of the castle’s creation or if there’s more to it.”

“Hmm… that’s what I found out, too,” Twilight replied,
“I also don’t know if there’s more to the concentration of magic here, but there is one thing I do know: As princess, I’ve been chosen to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria. So why would the Tree of Harmony want us to sit in a castle in Ponyville? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Perhaps this is meant to be your headquarters?”

“Maybe, but I’ve found nothing that makes this castle look like ‘headquarters’. For all I could see, it’s just a castle. Magically made of crystal, but still just a castle. As I said, it doesn’t make any sense.”

Having said that, Twilight plopped down onto her throne. Suddenly, the cutie mark symbols on the thrones - and the mares - started glowing.

“‘Sense’ incoming?” Antonius inquired, just as the thrones cast lights on the area between them.

Then, with a lot of rumbling, rows of crystals started growing from the thrones. Within seconds, they met in the center of the room and created a crystal table. Once it was completed, a translucent map came into existence there.

Spike, disturbed by the rumbling, woke up and yawned.

“Is that new?” he asked drowsily, staring at the map,
“I like it.”

The ponies were just as surprised by this new table as Antonius, who asked:

“A magical hololith?”

He tried to touch the map’s objects and noted:

“No substance. A hologram.”

“This is incredible!” Spike, now fully awake, exclaimed as he jumped onto the table,
“it’s got all of Equestria!”

“It’s a map table,” Antonius commented,
“definitely a piece of equipment that belongs in a HQ.”

Now, the mares’ cutie marks started glowing again, and images of the marks came into existence. They hovered above the map, then they came down as if to mark a specific location.

“But if this is Ponyville,” Fluttershy asked, pointing at the image of her town,
“why are our cutie marks over there?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted,
“but it seems like the map wants us to find out. The Tree, the chest, this castle, and now the map. How can we not follow it?”

“So, it seems the Tree of Harmony created this map to send you on missions,” Antonius ventured.

It took the ponies only a few seconds to agree on accepting this pretty obvious mission.

“Do you want me to join you?” Antonius inquired.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Twilight replied,
“and the tree called the six of us specifically… maybe it wouldn’t want you to join us..”

“Hmm… maybe… but take your PDAs with you. Report in every three hours. Should you miss a call, I will try to call you. Should this fail, I’ll assume that you’re in trouble and act accordingly.”

“‘Accordingly’?”

“I’ll take the Land Speeder to get to the marked location. Once there, I’ll fight my way to you and rescue you. While I can’t use the full potential of my sword yet, using it as a normal sword should suffice. And I have seven bolts. Together with my transhuman nature, I should be able to overcome most obstacles.”

“Right… I guess we should better not forget to call on time… or even better, we’ll just call you if we need help.”

“So you assume that you’ll never be separated from your PDAs? That’s a… bold assumption.”

“Antonius, this is Equestria. What is the worst that could happen?”

“Famous last words.”

“Oh, come on. Since I’m the Princess of Friendship, it’s probably just a friendship problem. It’s not like an insane pony is terrorizing the area we’re going to. And don’t forget we have six PDAs with us. One of us will be able to call for help.”

“I’m still not thrilled by your decision, but you ARE a princess. I can’t give you commands.”

“Okay, now that that’s settled, we can get moving. Don’t worry, Antonius. Everything will be fine… but if it soothes you, we’ll call from time to time to report on our progress.”

Twilight and her friends prepared to start their mission, and Antonius returned to Canterlot. There, he quickly made sure that the Speeder was ready for a potential rescue mission, then he concentrated on training with his sword.

He knew how to ignite it using the powers of the warp, and he knew how to use the local magic. So, it should be possible to ignite the sword using magic. He focused on his sword, and the embedded crystal started glowing.

Antonius allowed the magic around him to flow freely to his aid while he called up every detail of the weapon. The engraved runes started shimmering - but that was all that happened.

“Hmm… not too bad, but definitely not a total success,” Antonius grumbled.

Well, there were two ponies he could ask for advice. Since Luna was asleep, he would refer to Celestia. He went to the throne room.

“Hello, Tia,” he greeted as he entered and walked up to her throne,
“I need your advice on magic.”

“With pleasure, Tony!” Celestia smiled.

She generally was happy when she had an opportunity to teach some magic or answer questions about magic. While she preferred non-violent applications, she thankfully had realized that sometimes, you needed to turn plowshares to swords. So, Antonius told her what he had done and what he wanted to achieve.

“Hmm,” she said,
“let’s examine your sword. I think I have an idea what’s wrong.”

They both magically scanned the sword.

“The crystal…” Antonius noted,
“it’s attuned to the energies of the warp…”

“Exactly,” Celestia confirmed,
“that’s why you have problems using the sword’s full potential. But luckily, there is a spell for attuning crystals to magic. In fact, there are several spells, depending on what you want to achieve. Using the most potent one should enable us to attune your sword to our magic - even without loosing the warp attunement.”

“Well, that would be great. Can we start immediately? I want to be ready in case Twilight calls for help.”

“Oh, yes, she sent me a message that she’s going on a mission. That tree never ceases to amaze me… as for the sword, since it’s your weapon, you must attune it to our magic - and to your magic. I can help you, but you’re the one who has to perform the spell. Unfortunately, that could be a problem…”

“You think I’m not yet ready to perform such a high-level spell?”

“To be honest… yes.”

“Hmm… perhaps you’re right. Crap. I need to practice more.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve just started learning magic. Such things take time.”
She started grinning and added:
“Even if you don’t take my usual ‘scenic route’.”

“Thank you, Tia.”

Antonius left the throne room and went to his quarters. Even if he had no chance at using his magic to power up the sword, he still could try to increase his magical prowess. Over time, he would get powerful enough to modify the sword. He was sure of that.

In the afternoon, Luna woke up and they spend some time together. She helped him practice magic, and Antonius soon had mastered some basic spells, albeit with a peculiarity.

“You use your hands a lot,” Luna grinned,
“you wave them around like a stage magician.”

“Oh,” Antonius responded,
“you’re right… I hadn’t realized that… is that bad?”

“No. Just a little… garish. Feel free to continue using your hands, but you should also practice wielding magic without them, just in case your hands are occupied otherwise… with weapons, I mean… for example.”

“Thanks for the clarification, Luna,” Antonius grinned.

The next days, Antonius continued practicing magic, and Celestia even taught him a minor attunement spell, so that he was able to understand the basics of attuning crystals to magic.
Twilight had called from time to time and reported on the progress of their mission, but quite some time had passed he had last heard from her.

“I don’t like that,” he told Luna and Celestia as they were sitting together and having dinner,
“Twilight last called yesterday morning when they had arrived at a little town she thought was their destination.”

“Perhaps she’s busy solving the problem there,” Celestia guessed.

“Or something more sinister might have occurred,” Luna disagreed.

“Of course, encourage him,” Celestia grinned.

“I’ll better call them,” Antonius mumbled.

“Tony, Twilight and her friends can take care of themselves. But if you call them, the call might distract them at a critical moment.”

“Hmm… good point… but maybe…”

Antonius fetched his PDA and called Al.

“Hello, Antonius. How can I be of service?” Al inquired.

“Al,” Antonius started,
“can you reconfigure the PDAs of the Element Bearers so that we can access their sensors?”

“Sure. You want to spy on them?”

“I just want to make sure that they’re okay. They didn’t report in for quite some time, after all, and I don’t want to cause a possible distraction by calling them.”

“Seems prudent. Connecting to Twilight’s PDA… reconfiguring…”

The next moment, the display of Antonius’ PDA changed. There were wooden boards, two or three meters in front of the imager, as well as something that looked like the rim of…

“Another PDA on top of this one?” Antonius wondered,
“somepony heaped them up? Al, switch to another PDA.”

Each PDA showed the same image; they all were lying in a room, disorderly stacked on top of each other.

“Twilight and her friends would never treat their PDAs in such a way,” Antonius stated,
“that means that somepony - or something - has taken the devices away from them, fast enough that they had no chance at calling us.”

“Okay,” Celestia said,
“now I’m starting to get worried.”

“Al, amplify the audio signal, I think I’m hearing something.”

They all listened to the PDA. There was a sound…

“Is there somepony eating?” Luna wondered.

“The PDAs don’t show us, and we can’t be heard, right?” Antonius asked.

“Correct,” Al answered.

“Then make the topmost device emit a sound, a shrill beep or something.”

They heard the beep, then, a wooden chair that was pushed over a wooden floor, and finally, a pony’s head came into view. A unicorn mare with a lilac coat and a purple and teal mane.

“Ugh,” she grumbled,
“those things freak me out. As if their cutie marks weren’t bad enough, they also had those things that made them special… if only I could find out how they work…”

The mare left. According to the sounds, she had returned to her dinner.

“Who in Equestria was that?” Luna shouted,
“what has this villain done to the Element Bearers?”

“And why does she dislike cutie marks?” Celestia added,
“I’ve come across quite a lot of evil ponies over the centuries, but that is new.”

“While we don’t know who that witch is,” Antonius stated,
“what she has done to our friends, or what’s going on in that delusional mind of hers, we do know at least two things: She is the enemy, and she is in a small town to the northeast. I’ll leave immediately.”

Just minutes later, Antonius steered the Land Speeder across the fields that surrounded Mount Canterlot and headed straight towards his destination. While he was traveling, he thought about the witch he was going to challenge.
For her to defeat Twilight, who as an alicorn, after all, and her friends, this mare had to be pretty powerful. Antonius, however, had not learned offensive spells yet. If only there was a way to use his warp-based powers…
Perhaps there was.

If you could attune a crystal to magic, perhaps there was a way to attune his psionic powers to the same magic? He had learned the basics of this attuning, so there might be a chance.
While still rushing towards his destination at top speed, Antonius started tinkering with his powers. Starting with simple telekinesis, he compared warp- and magic-based abilities. And he found a connection.

When the witch’s town came into view, he had made enough progress to be confident that he could show his enemies some righteous wrath.

Antonius choose a surprise attack. While the Speeder wasn’t armed, it still was three and a half tonnes of armored mass that should be devastating when brought into severe contact with a pony, especially at such high speeds.
So he darted into the town, rushing along right between the two rows of houses it consisted of, and straight towards a lonely house at the far end where the inhabitants had gathered for some reason.

Much to his surprise, he also spotted his friends among those ponies, so he slowed down to an abrupt halt just a few meters away from the group and jumped out of the Land Speeder, drawing his sword in the process. The ponies - all but six - yelled with fear and ducked.

“Antonius!” Twilight exclaimed,
“wait! The ponies here are our friends! Don’t hurt them!”

“Friends?” Antonius asked and scanned the group of frightened creatures,
“Where’s the witch? The lilac unicorn?”

“Huh? You know?”

“No time for chitchat, Twilight! Where’s the witch?”

“She’s gone.”

“Eliminated?”

“No, of course not. She fled into the mountains.”

Antonius stared at her.

“You let her escape?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, what should I have done? Hunt her down to kill… that’s exactly what you would have done, isn’t it?”

“Of course! Allowing her to get away just means that you give her a chance at revenge!”

“It also means that I gave her a chance to realize her mistakes!”

“You really are… incorrigible!”

“Well,” Twilight admitted,
“it may not be not the safest option. But I’m sure it’s the right option.”

Antonius sighed.

“I hope you’re right. It’s probably too late now to follow her, anyway.”

A white stallion insecurely cleared his voice and slowly got up:

“Umm… Princess Twilight… is that a friends of yours?”

“Friend, protector, and slayer of evil,” Antonius replied in a matter-of-fact tone and put his sword back on his back.

“Pleasure?” the stallion said.

“Don’t worry,” Twilight laughed,
“Antonius is a good friend, and a really nice creature. Hard shell, soft core, you know?”

“Before you tell them the story of my life,” Antonius deadpanned,
“better tell me what the hell happened.”

So, while the inhabitants of the town were preparing a party to celebrate that they got rid of the witch - named ‘Starlight Glimmer’ - the Element Bearers told Antonius what events had taken place since their last report.

“Quite an adventure,” Antonius remarked,
“I’ll call Celestia and Luna and tell them what happened and that everything’s alright now… to a certain extent.”

When he had done so, the party was about to start. His friends were taking a look at the inhabitants of the town. They seemed truly happy.

“Now those are real smiles,” Pinkie Pie stated.

She had barely said that, as their cutie marks started glowing.

“I’ll never get used to that,” Applejack said.

“I think it’s divine!” Rarity opined.

“A glowing butt is a weird sign of divinity,” Antonius joked, which earned him an eye-roll from Rarity.

“Does that mean that the map is calling us somewhere else?” Fluttershy asked.

“I have a feeling it means our work here is done,” Twilight answered.

While his friends continued talking, Antonius took a look at the mountains. The inhabitants of the town were freed, but the witch was still on the loose. He doubted that she would be so kind and just perish in those mountains, he rather had the feeling that she would cause trouble again. Well, by then, the might of the Golden Age would be at his disposal, so the witch would have to come up with something pretty severe to get them all into dire straits.

“‘Cause that Sugar Belle can bake!” Pinkie shouted and brought Antonius’ thoughts back to the here and now.

“Maybe we can stay a little while longer,” Twilight said,
“come on! Antonius, are you coming, too?”

“Yes,” he replied,
“I’ll keep an eye on you - and if there are baked goods, I can even combine business with pleasure.”

6. Arrival

“Approaching planet.”

“Good,” Calgar replied to the helmsman,
“take us into standard orbit.”
He turned to other members of the bridge crew and continued:
“Conduct a full scan of the planet. Watch out for energy signatures, and find out where those equines live.”
Then he turned to Tigurius:
“Still nothing?”

“No,” the Chief-Librarian answered,
“this whole planet doesn’t seem to have a presence in the warp. It’s as if it wasn’t even there.”

The crewmen were passing on the information they got from the augur arrays now. Everything was perfectly normal, until Tigurius suddenly shook his head, and Lady Angren gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Calgar immediately inquired.

“I think we’ve just passed a psychic barrier,” Tigurius told him,
“I’m cut off from the warp. Lady Angren, how about you?”

“I can confirm your assessment,” the navigator said,
“whatever they use to shield their planet, it is very powerful… but apart from the shock of being separated from the immaterium that abruptly, I don’t think that it is harmful in any way.”

“I agree,” Tigurius concurred,
“I don’t feel any hostile actions - or any actions for that matter. It’s like we just entered a Gellar-field of a very high capacity.”

At that moment, they got a vox call:

“Lord Calgar, our astropaths just collapsed. They’re being looked after by our medics at the moment. There seems to be no threat to their lives, but they are unconscious.”

“An effect of the separation from the warp,” Tigurius explained,
“the medics should keep an eye on them. Perhaps they will recover from the shock.”

Calgar nodded and commanded:

“Continue approach.”

A week had passed since Antonius had started learning magic. He made good progress, and his mentor Celestia was more than content with his mastery of the arcane powers. Actually, she probably would have preferred him to slow down a little, but he did not want to be found wanting.

This morning, Antonius and Luna were practicing some spells in his quarters as his PDA beeped.
An incoming call was of course not unusual; the ponies really liked this fast method of communication. Unusual was the fact that Al immediately cut in:

“Antonius! Answer the call!”

“Huh?” Antonius wondered,
“some kind of emergency? Who’s calling?”

“I don’t know, but the signal’s origin is not on the planet. It’s imperial, though.”

Antonius at once made a bolt for his PDA and answered the call:

“This is Antonius… Varus, Ultramarines second company. Greetings.”

A moment later, a well familiar face appeared on the PDA.

“Greetings, Brother,” Chapter Master Calgar replied,
“it is good to see you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, my Lord.”

“What is your status?”

“The situation is clear, no hostiles in the area. I’m completely healthy, but my armor was destroyed along with my bolter about a year ago… actually, it might take some time explaining all of this.”

“That is hardly a surprise, Brother. Can you give us coordinates for our landing?”

“Of course, Lord Calgar. Just a second…”
He quickly selected the coordinates and turned back to his conversational partner:
“Lord Calgar? I’ve sent you the coordinates of the imperial base beneath the city I’m currently living in. You can land in its hangar.”

“Confirmed. We’ll be there in half an hour.”

They cut the connection and Antonius turned to Luna again:

“Now, we have to make haste.”

“Did you notice any differences?” Calgar asked.

“Indeed, my Lord,” Seneca answered,
“Antonius’ hair has never been white - or that long, for that matter - and the scar above his eye is gone.”

“We should be wary. Now, let us board the Thunderhawk. I’m curious to hear Brother Varus’ report.”

Just a few minutes later, the dropship left the Sword of Iax and made its way towards the planet. After entering the atmosphere, it approached the coordinates Antonius had given them.

Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius and Seneca were gazing at a hololithic display that echoed the data the dropship’s sensor systems were gathering.

“Quite rural,” Cassius noted,
“barely a sign of industrialization.”

“Yes,” Seneca agreed,
“seems they’re living the happy farm life.”

“So brother Varus has at least not given them access to human technology.”

“Unless they’ve stuffed everything into those little huts,” Tigurius grinned.

“We can check that,” Calgar said and pushed a few runes,
“let us see if there are energy signatures.”

The hololith changed and showed a few faint lines, together with a brighter dot.

“Hmm, that power grid is quite rudimentary,” Cassius opined.

“Indeed… but what are they using as a generator? Is that…?”

“An hydroelectric dam,” Tigurius stated.

“Damn!” Seneca joked,
“but seriously, that’s not the worst way to generate power, and I don’t think it’s human technology.”

“Probably not,” Tigurius agreed,
“hydropower is a pretty common technology, and compared the our hydroelectric dams this plant here is quite small.”

“So, small creatures, using small plants, and living in small huts.”

Now something new appeared on the hololith and Tigurius said:

“Well, that is definitely bigger than a hut.”

It was a city, clinging to the side of a mountain. With its white towers and spires, it looked much more sophisticated than everything else they had seen up to that point - even though every tech-priest would have probably been more fond of the dam.

“That’s our destination,” Calgar said,
“there should be a hangar door somewhere beneath… there it is!”

The Thunderhawk slowed down as it approached the hangar. The door was already wide open, and the dropship slid into the imperial base. A soft jolt went through the ship, and the pilot reported:

“Touchdown… my Lords, you really should see this.”

“What?” Calgar asked curtly.

“A Primaris and a lot of small, colorful quadrupeds.”

“What the hell?” Seneca wondered, and the Ultramarines looked at each other.

“A Primaris?” Cassius asked.

“Antonius?” Tigurius ventured.

“We’ll see,” Calgar stated and opened the front ramp.

Antonius watched the Thunderhawk’s front ramp open, a mixture of joy and worry in his heart. He was glad that the Ultramarines had finally arrived, but he was a little uneasy as to their reaction to the ponies.

Yes, the Ultramarines were a reasonable chapter, even one of the most reasonable the Imperium had to offer, and furthermore, the expedition force was commanded by Marneus Augustus Calgar himself, paragon of courage and honor. He would never just start shooting like a madman or make hasty decisions.

The ramp touched the floor with a clang and Calgar left the dropship. Antonius immediately noticed that he was bigger than he had been - a Primaris. Behind him were… Chief-Librarian Tigurius… and Chaplain Cassius?
Three such high-ranking members of the chapter? Well, that was unexpected.
Behind them, Antonius could catch a glimpse of Seneca. Of course, the Ultramarine who knew him best.

Well, he also had gathered a lot of important ponies, as well as some of his friends: The Princesses, the Element Bearers, Lyra, Bon Bon, Zecora, Moonlight, Blackwing, Stormy… even the Cutie Mark Crusaders were present. It was never a bad idea to have some friendly (and cute) members of a species at hand if you wanted to prove that said species was benevolent, after all. It also hadn’t been a bad idea to tell Pinkie what unpleasant things would happen if she dared to use one of her party cannons.

The four Ultramarines walked up to Antonius and the ponies. Behind them, a squad of Tactical Marines fanned out. They had their bolters a the ready, but did not take aim.

“Greetings, Lord Calgar,” Antonius said and knelt down,
“greetings, Chief-Librarian Tigurius and Chaplain Cassius, as well as all of the other Ultramarines. Blessed be this day that sees your arrival. You truly are more than welcome.”

At his sides, Celestia and Luna bowed deep, and the bowing went like a wave through the whole row of ponies.

“Please, Lord Calgar,” Antonius continued,
“tell us how Primarch Guilliman is doing.”

“He’s alive and well,” Calgar replied,
“and he has taken command of the chapter a week after waking up. Now rise, Brother Varus, and thank you, inhabitants of this world, for your salute.”

Now Celestia spoke up:

“We greet you, Lord Calgar, as well as your entourage. Welcome to Equestria, the land of us ponies. I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun and ruler of Equestria. This is my sister Luna, Princess of the Night.”

Luna bowed and Calgar nodded to her:

“We’ve already met - even it it was in a dream.”

“I am glad you were able to find us,” Luna replied.

“Thanks to the directions you gave us.”

“This is Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued the introductions,
“she is the Princess of Friendship and Bearer of the Element of Magic.”

Twilight bowed and greeted the Ultramarines. It went on like that until all ponies were properly introduced.
Then, Calgar presented Tigurius, Cassius and Seneca.

When the round of introductions was over, Calgar turned to Antonius:

“Brother Varus, we all certainly are eager to hear your report, but there is something that takes priority.”

“Just call me Antonius, Lord Calgar, and I think I know what this ‘something’ might be: You need to make sure that I’m who I claim to be, and that I’m neither possessed nor insane.”

“Indeed, especially since your physical appearance has chanced quite a bit since the last time we saw you.”
With a smile, he added:
“And you don’t have the excuse of having access to imperial bioengineering and the Primaris template, do you?”

“No, Lord Calgar, or rather: not in the conventional way.”

“I hope your ‘unconventional way’ does not involve heathen magic,” Cassius stated.

The chaplains skepticism was not too much of a surprise. Honestly, finding xenos who were so friendly really seemed to be next to impossible, especially if they were able to wield magic.

“I can assure you,” Antonius replied,
“that the ponies were not involved in my transformation. They are just…”
A little hand gesture, and Lyra quickly walked up to him. He picked her up and continued:
“… friendly little creatures who are eager to help us. You will probably agree that she doesn’t look too threatening.”

“Appearances are often deceiving,” Cassius answered.

“True, but Lyra here really is a kind creature… with a predilection for mankind.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course!” Lyra exclaimed,
“I mean, you are humans! With hands! And you even created us! How could I not be a fan of you?”

Cassius looked a little astonished while other three Ultramarines grinned.

“So, you are a unicorn?” Tigurius asked.

“Sure I am!”

“Are you capable of using magic?”

“Yes, but it’s mostly telekinesis… and I have a neat light spell.”

Okay, so this was the encounter with pony magic. While the magic itself was probably unsettling, Antonius had planned to compensate for this with innocent cuteness. So, he held Lyra out to Tigurius and asked:

“Want to hold her?”

Tigurius looked quite surprised, but then he picked her from Antonius’ hands. He placed her on one of his armored gauntlets and looked at her intently. Lyra just smiled friendlily.

“Can you show me some of your magic?” Tigurius inquired.

Now Lyra lit her horn, using the light spell she had mentioned. Absolutely harmless.

Tigurius turned to Calgar:

“Without access to the warp, I cannot properly examine the powers she’s using, but there is no obvious threat to us. What I can say is that there definitely is some kind of energy around us.”

“Around us?” Calgar asked,
“you mean in the materium?”

“Indeed. Peculiar.”

“Our magic is quite different from your warp energies,” Celestia told them,
“which actually saved us all when Chaos tried to invade us. Still, they caused death and destruction.”

“That’s what they always do,” Cassius said,
“corrupted by the warp, that’s what they exist to do. That’s why we’re generally cautious when we encounter creatures with psionic abilities… how many of you have such abilities?”

“Every unicorn, though their levels of power vary quite a lot. Pegasi and Earth ponies use magic more subconsciously.”

“And how many unicorns are there?”

“About a third of our society.”

“So… your whole species is connected to your magic, and a third can consciously use it?”

“I know,” Antonius interjected, remembering his own feelings from a seemingly long time ago,
“that this would usually be a reason to be worried, but in this specific case…”
Another hand gesture, and his secret weapon appeared next to him to be picked up,
“it actually is harmless. A veil is shielding the ponies from the daemon-infested warp, so instead of mad, possessed creatures, you get this.”

He presented Sweetie Belle on his outstretched hand. Even as a unicorn, the filly was way more ‘cute’ than she was ‘threatening’. She did not truly feel comfortable, but she smiled and waved nonetheless.

Cassius stared at her, then he turned to Antonius:

“You are trying to lull us into a sense of security by showing us an almost incredibly adorable magic user?”

Antonius never had thought he would hear Cassius say the word ‘adorable’. Perhaps this was a good sign. He replied:

“I just want to make sure that the experiences of ten thousand years do not cause an unfortunate decision to be made. I’m sure those ponies and their Elements of Harmony make great allies, and as their friend, I want to protect them.”

“Your worries are unfounded,” Calgar said and patted Sweetie Belle’s head with his armored index finger,
“we are Ultramarines. We think before we shoot. You could have had a little more trust in us, Antonius.”

“Excuse me, my Lord, but if even a misunderstanding can cause unthinkable damage - not only to the ponies, but also to mankind - I generally err on the side of caution.”

“I do not blame you. But now, it is time to examine you. Please follow us on board our Thunderhawk. We will return to the Sword of Iax and leave the protective shield that surrounds the planet, so that chief librarian Tigurius can scan your mind… Tigurius, please put the pony down.”

“Of course,” Tigurius answered and did as he was told, but not without patting Lyra’s head before she returned to Bon Bon.

Now Calgar turned to the ponies and Antonius:

“Thank you all for this warm welcome. We will soon return. Antonius?”

“Yes, Lord Calgar,” Antonius replied, put Sweetie Belle down and started walking towards the waiting Thunderhawk.

Luna also started moving.

“Luna?” Antonius wondered,
“you don’t need to come with me.”

“I know,” she just stated and continued walking.

Antonius took a look at Celestia. She was less than excited, but she knew - as well as Antonius - that any attempt at convincing Luna to stay on the planet would be nothing but a waste of time.

“Princess Luna,” Calgar started, but Luna interrupted him:

“Just see me as some kind of pledge.”

Calgar seemed to consider his options for a few seconds. While this first meeting had gone rather well, he probably wasn’t too thrilled about having a pony aboard his voidship. Still, he said:

“While this is not necessary, you can come with us if you really want to.”

“I do want to.”

So the Ultramarines, Antonius and Luna boarded the Thunderhawk. While the ramp closed, they all took their seats. Despite minor difficulties, Antonius managed to buckle Luna up next to him, then the Thunderhawk started and left the hangar.

Cassius kept Princess Luna in view as the Thunderhawk accelerated and gained height. He would never have thought that the Ultramarines would accommodate a creature you could justifiably call a xeno witch, but there she was, looking slightly uncomfortable. Not as much as xenos usually looked when encountering his chapter, but well…

Brother Varus noticed her discomfort and patted her hoof in a manner that was probably more suitable for a human couple than a Space Marine trying to take care of a probable ally.
The princess, however, seemed to be fond of that: She started smiling and seemed much calmer almost immediately.

Cassius wrinkled his nose. It almost looked as if there was some kind of emotional bond between the xeno and the battle brother…
No, that was impossible.
Under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, the current circumstances were anything but normal.

So, the chaplain watched Varus and Luna, really not fond of the looks on their faces when their eyes met from time to time.

This was incredible.

Nopony had ever travelled this way, at least as far as she knew. Luna was excited, but also a little worried. Thankfully, Antonius was there, right next to her. He was calm, so whatever this ‘Thunderhawk’ did was probably normal.
Even the strange jolt she had just experienced.

“What was that?” she asked.

“We have just broken the sound barrier,” Antonius told her calmly,
“at this speed, Rainbow’s rainboom happens.”

“What happens?” Calgar inquired.

“A peculiar effect. When a pegasus pony breaks the sound barrier, they create some kind of rainbow-colored shockwave and an equally colored trail.”

“Those winged furballs can fly that fast?” Seneca inquired.

Well, while ‘furball’ was not too nice, the way he had said it hinted at no intended insult.

“Most of them can’t,” Antonius told him,
“in fact, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, is the only pegasus capable of reaching such speeds.”

Calgar put a hand to his ear and said:

“Pilot, check if our Thunderhawk has some sort of colorful trail right now.”
A few seconds later, he continued:
“No trail.”

“I think this is because your Thunderhawk lacks our magic,” Luna ventured.

“Good,” Calgar just answered.

When the sound of the engines suddenly changed some time later, Luna again inquired what had happened.

“We have switched from turbofan to plasma to leave the atmosphere,” Antonius said.

“Well,” Luna mumbled,
“since we are still alive, I am inclined to the view that this is no reason to unduly worry.”

“No,” Antonius laughed, while Seneca snickered quietly.

More time went by, and Luna had not the slightest idea where they were - apart from ‘pretty high’, that is. She took a look around. Her friend next to her still did not show any sign of nervousness. She wondered how many times he had flown in one of those machines she was in now, and if he wasn’t a little bit worried about the examination that was about to take place.

Instead of asking, she decided to better be quiet and continued to look around.
The Ultramarines were eerily silent, just sitting in their seats and doing basically nothing except staring dead ahead, with one exception:
Chaplain Cassius seemed to watch her, and she returned the gaze.

After a while, she asked:

“Can I help you somehow?”

“No,” Cassius answered curtly.

Feeling a little awkward, Luna shrugged turned to Antonius. His reassuring smile made her feel better instantly.
A few minutes of silence later, she said:

“Excuse me, but while I am not too proficient in small talk, this silence seems unproductive.”

Tigurius and Seneca grinned at that.

“There is not much to say at the moment,” Calgar told her,
“but there should be something to see by now… activate the hololith.”

Right in front of the Ultramarines’ leader, a hovering image came into existence, slightly distorted, but still clear enough to see…

“What is that?” Luna inquired.

“The ‘Sword of Iax’,” Calgar explained,
“we’ll land in a few minutes.”

Luna took a closer look at the image. If the little lights on the thing’s hull were windows…

“Your ship must be pretty big,” she guessed.

“It’s about four kilometers long.”

Luna stared at the hololith for a few seconds. The time and effort that had to have gone into building this ship were barely imaginable.

“Amazing,” she said.

“That may be the first time a non-human actually likes one of our ships,” Seneca grinned.

The hololithic image of the ship grew, and Luna could make out more details. All told, it looked like a giant, gothic palace with a massive stern, a slimmer neck and a broad prow.

As they approached the vessel further, hangar doors opened, creating a new, larger spot of light on the ship’s hull. They headed there, and Luna could feel the deceleration.
Finally, they entered the Sword of Iax and touched down.

The sound of the Thunderhawk’s engines faded as Antonius unbuckled her.

“Nervous?” he asked with a smile.

“Excited,” Luna corrected.

“Me too, to be honest,” he whispered and winked.

Calgar and Tigurius had already left the dropship, and now Luna and Antonius stepped onto the ramp that led down to the hangar. The air here on board the imperial ship smelled a little funny, somewhat sterile compared the the rich bouquet of grass and flowers she was used to. She took a look around.
More Thunderhawks were lined up there. Around some of them, humans were busy doing… whatever it was they did. Space Marines were there, too, waiting next to the vessels.
Probably ready to embark any second…
Well, of course. The last information the Ultramarines had had was that Equestria had expected to be attacked by the forces of Chaos. So, they were ready to intervene if that should have happened.

Luna looked for Calgar. He had walked up to a human in a red robe with something like metallic tendrils sprouting from his back. Luna wondered what weird sort of body ornaments those things were, then she heard a metallic voice shout:

“HEY, LOOK! A LITTLE HORSE!”

Luna turned to take a look at the source of those words and froze.
It was a house.
A blue house.
On stumpy legs.
With stumpy arms.
And it was walking towards her.
WHAT WAS THAT THING?

“Brother Parvus!” Antonius exclaimed.

“Wait, ‘brother’?” Luna quietly asked in confusion.

“Ah, my reputation precedes me,” Parvus said and stopped,
“I have no idea who you are, though.”

“I am Antonius… Varus,” Antonius told him,
“we’ve met before, but I have to admit that I wasn’t particularly memorable, just one of many battle brothers.”

“Well, now you’re wearing an ornamented, but quite out of date armor with a huge sword and are accompanied by a blue, winged unicorn. That makes you pretty memorable this time.”

“That remains to be seen,” Antonius mumbled with a grin, then he continued:
“this is Princess Luna of Equestria, a good friend of mine.”

“Pleasure,” Luna said, still a little intimidated by the hulking mass of metal.

Parvus turned his front directly towards her. A few second later, he said:

“Your horse can talk.”

Antonius suppressed a laugh and Luna just wanted to explain what a pony was when Parvus continued:

“That’s great! Usually, you must rely on a horse’s body language to tell what they might need! It is really convenient when they are capable of just telling you!
Do you want a carrot, Princess Lula? Or a sugar cube?”

Luna heard Antonius chuckle as she answered:

“It’s ‘Luna’… umm… no, thank you… but I have to tell you that I am not an animal, I am a pony from Equestria. My whole species is intelligent, sentient and sapient… but we are not xenos! We were created by mankind!”

Phew… dodged that blast… probably quite literally.

“Hmm… now that you say it, I think I’ve heard something like that.”

“Indeed,” Calgar confirmed as he walked up to them, accompanied by the red robed human,
“princess Luna here is one of the leaders of the ponies we are here to visit. May I introduce magos Gearhart?”

“Magos,” Antonius greeted with a nod.

“Pleasure,” Luna said, looking at Gearhart’s face - or the spot where his face should have been. Instead, there was a mask with green glowing eyes.

“Princess, Brother Varus,” he greeted with a metallic voice.

“First, we will visit the apothecarium,” Calgar told Antonius,
“to get you physically checked. Then, we will proceed to the interrogation chamber to see in what condition your mind is.”
Then, he put his hand to his ear and said:
“Helmsman, take the ship out of the psionic shield.”

So, they marched off towards this ‘apothecarium’, escorted by a few Space Marines, while Luna examined the hallways they came through. The similarities to the imperial base beneath Canterlot were undeniable, gothic architecture in all of its glory.

When they finally reached their interim destination, they were already expected by a Space Marine in white armor.

“Brother Ambrosius,” Calgar commanded,
“examine brother Varus. Meanwhile, magos Gearhart will have a look at the armor and sword.”

Antonius uncomplainingly handed his sword over to Gearhart - its crystal lost its gentle, bluish glow instantly - and took off his armor. Then, he lay down on an examination table.

“Ready,” he reported curtly.

Ambrosius started examining him, using a lot of equipment Luna could only guess the purpose of. Quite clear was the purpose of the syringes he used to take samples of Antonius’ blood and tissue.

Seeing the apothecarius prick her friend made Luna a little uncomfortable, but she knew that Antonius had gone through way worse procedures. She still used the time to take a look at the magos. He was quietly examining the sword at the moment, completely immersed in his work.

When the examination was over, Antonius got up again and put on a robe that had been put out ready for him.

“A cursory evaluation of the data I’ve gathered shows no obvious signs of undue mutation,” Ambrosius said,
“the in-depth analysis will take a few hours, though.”

“Glad to hear that,” Antonius commented.

Calgar nodded at the apothecarius and turned to the magos.

“Brother Varus’ equipment shows no obvious signs of heretech or xenotech,” Gearhart reported,
“in fact, the armor seems to be just passive. The sword, however, is probably a force sword. Chief Librarian Tigurius might want to examine it.”

“Indeed,” Tigurius confirmed and took it,
“but that will have to wait until we’re clear of the shield that surrounds the planet.”

“That should be any moment now,” Calgar said,
“in the meantime, we’ll head to the interrogation chamber.”

“I will take care of borther Varus’ armor,” Gearhart volunteered.

Now Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca, Antonius, Luna and their escort left the apothecarium and once again walked through the hallways of the giant ship.

Until now, things had gone quite well. Well, the real crux was the decisions Antonius had made while he had been in Equestria; some of them had been somewhat unusual, after all… to put it mildly.
Antonius already had a plan to handle his report and the following questions, though: He would be honest and explain everything as comprehensively as he could. No lying, no sugarcoating, just the unadulterated truth.

They were approaching the interrogation chamber when he suddenly felt a psionic jolt. According to the gasp that came from Luna, she had felt that, too. Antonius stopped and turned towards her. Her mane and tail had lost their magical properties and were light blue now.

Just as he had, his company also stopped walking and regarded Luna now.

“Are you okay?” Antonius asked his friend,
“I guess we have just left the veil.”

“I am… not very comfortable,” Luna admitted,
“but I will…”
She suddenly fell silent and her eyes widened:
“Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?” Antonius asked worriedly.

“Nightmare Moon… the daemon is trying to tap the warp.”

“Oh shit.”

“What daemon?” Calgar demanded to know.

“More than a millennium ago, a daemon spawn of Tzeentch managed to possess Luna,” Antonius explained,
“it was exorcised by the Elements of Harmony a few years ago, but a little remnant was left behind.”

“And you dare bring this creature onboard?” Cassius roared.

“This ‘creature’ is my friend,” Antonius contradicted with some anger,
“and she has this remnant under control!”
He turned to Luna and continued much calmer:
“You have it under control, right?”

“For the time being,” Luna answered,
“but it has realized that it will never get a better opportunity for causing trouble again… it is quite persistent in its attempts to break free.”

“We must get that thing off the ship,” Cassius demanded.

With ‘thing’ he had probably meant Luna as well as the daemon, which was not prone to improve Antonius’ mood.

“I suggest we better do what we’ve been created for,” he stated,
“help the innocent and fight the daemon. Just give me a second.”

Having said that, he tapped the warp, carefully, as not to draw any attention to the procedure. While doing so, he could feel Tigurius next to him do the same.

“Let’s show this daemonic remnant that keeping still would be a very prudent thing to do,” Antonius said and put his hand on Luna’s head. His eyes started glowing, and he entered her mind.

It worked without any problem, Luna had allowed him to help her.
Now he was standing in what looked like a medieval cell, in front of him, there was Nightmare moon, busy tunneling her way trough the wall.

“Stop it,” Antonius commanded.

Nightmare Moon spun around.

“You?” she hissed,
“what are you doing here? Has the pathetic Luna brought you here?”

“No. First, there is no pathetic Luna. Second, I’m a psyker now, so if you continue to cause trouble you will regret it in ways you can’t even imagine.”

“A thousand years have made me a part of Luna. You can’t kill me.”

“I wouldn’t be that nice, daemon.”

“Are you sure you can hurt me without hurting your precious friend?” Nightmare Moon grinned.

“Even if he can’t, I can,” Tigurius said, stepping up next to Antonius.

The daemon’s grin was gone now, and she glared from one Space Marine to the other. Tigurius glared back with an intensity that even Antonius next to him could feel, and Nightmare Moon staggered.

“I… damnit! I surrender,” she gasped.

“A sign of prudence,” Tigurius said and rebuilt the wall with a wave of his hand.

“I hate you. Both of you.”

“If a daemon started liking us, we’d do something terribly wrong,” Antonius commented and both Space Marines left Luna’s mind.

“Is everything okay?” he asked Luna as soon as his mind was back in reality.

“Nightmare Moon is quiet now,” she told him.

“You did not kill this remnant?” Cassius inquired.

“No,” Antonius replied,
“that would’ve probably done damage to the healthy parts of her soul. But the danger still is averted.”

“Even if that’s true, what does it say about your friend that a daemon was able to possess her? Get her back to her planet.”

“What does it say about her that she did not only survive a thousand years while possessed, but even managed to keep her soul intact and herself sane?”

The Ultramarines were quiet for a moment, then Calgar asked:

“You have been under such dark influence for a thousand years?”

“I have,” Luna answered.

“Hmm,” Tigurius mused,
“that’s no small feat. Actually, you are remarkably… normal for someone who has gone through such a torture.”

“I would lie if I pretended that it has not taken a toll on me, but I am glad to be able to confirm that I am not a drooling maniac, and I can assure you that I will never again fall victim to a daemon of Chaos.”

With this almost-crisis averted before it became an actual, full-fledged crisis, they continued their way until they arrived at the interrogation chamber.

“Antonius, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca, into the room,” Calgar commanded,
“Princess Luna, I will assign you quarter onboard, as the interrogation will take some time. Guards, escort her.”

“If you do not mind, Lord Calgar,” Luna replied,
“I would like to stay here and wait.”

“As you wish. Guards, keep her company.”

Now they entered the chamber. Before he passed the door, Antonius gave Luna an encouraging smile, then the door closed and they were separated.

Well, it could have gone better, but it definitely could have gone a lot worse. Luna had not thought of the possibility that Nightmare Moon could stir. In retrospect, she had to admit that it seemed pretty obvious, though.

Now she was standing in the hallway, accompanied by a bunch of Ultramarines, and there was only one polite thing she could do now to pass the time; something she was really not fond of: small talk.

“So… you are here to watch over me?” she asked.

“Yes,” one of the Marines answered curtly.

It was incredible how much snideness he had been able to put into one word, and how cold his voice had sounded. Seriously, even with the vox distortion, Antonius’ voice had always sounded more friendly.

“Do not worry, I will not try something undue, I just want to wait here for Brother Antonius.”

“Good for you.”

No, this wouldn’t be a cordial waiting time. Luna sat down and did her best to ignore the Ultramarines and the red glowing eyes they kept on her.

Hours passed without anything happening. Had she had her magic, she could have practiced a little to pass the time… probably much to the dismay of her guards… so being bored was presumably better, after all.
Finally, just as Luna was about to doze off, the monotony was broken by magos Gearhart, but he entered the interrogation chamber with only a short greeting. She tried to peek into the room, but she couldn’t see anything noteworthy.

Perhaps Luna should have accepted the quarters Calgar had offered her… but that would have meant not only leaving Tony, but also being alone on this huge ship…
No, here, as close to Tony as possible, was the best place to be, even if she should fall asleep on the bare floor.

“Ah, Magos Gearhart,” Calgar greeted the tech-priest as he entered the room,
“thank you for coming. Any news concerning brother Antonius’ armor?”

“Nothing decisive, it really is just a passive armor, but despite its primitiveness, it is masterly crafted,” Gearhart told him.

“Good. We are just about to talk about the AI brother Antonius has found on the planet. Since this is your area of expertise, we thought you should hear his report.”

“Very well, there is something I should bring to your attention first, though.”

“Yes?”

“Princess Luna is not in a very good condition. The most probable reason for this is sleep deprivation. Perhaps you should tell her to rest.”

Great. They were in the middle of the interrogation - which had turned out to be even weirder than Calgar had already imagined - and now they had to interrupt it to put their visitor to bed. Well, she was not a Space Marine, she couldn’t stay awake for a few days straight.

“Brother Antonius,” he sighed,
“perhaps you should take care of that. Take her to her quarters and return, so that we can continue.”

“Begging your pardon, Lord Calgar,” Antonius answered,
“but I think it would be impolite to just dump Luna and leave her alone. It is her first time away from her planet, so I should probably keep her company to make sure that she’s comfortable. She is one of the leaders of an ally, after all.”

“Hmm… maybe you’re right… we will meet again in six hours. The guards will escort you and the princess to your quarters.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

They left the interrogation chamber to find a very sleepy Luna. She barely was able to keep her eyes open, but she smiled as she saw Antonius again.

“Wow,” Antonius said with a chuckle,
“you really need a bed. Come on!”

Now, much to everyone’s surprise, he picked her up. To everyone’s even bigger surprise, she flung her front legs and wings around him, placed her head on his shoulder and dozed off immediately.

“Brother Antonius,” Calgar said,
“you should alter your grip on her.”

“My Lord?”

“As you said, she’s a dignitary, after all. Your hand on her posterior is somewhat inappropriate.”

Luna really was sitting on Antonius’ hand and lower arm, and he had his hand closed around her… rear. His other hand was on her shoulder, holding her downright gently.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t mind,” Antonius told him,
“we’ve gone through too much together to consider something like that an indecency. I’ll still ask her as soon as she wakes up.”

Calgar thought about this unexpected answer for a second, then he said:

“Very well. Dismissed.”

Antonius bowed a little - as not to wake up Luna - and turned to leave, escorted and guided by the Ultramarine guards. When they were gone, Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca and Gearhart returned into the interrogation chamber to discuss Antonius’ report.

“His decisions were questionable sometimes,” Cassius stated.

“Knowing him, they were not too surprising, though,” Seneca added for consideration,
“he has never been a fanatic, he has always preferred brains over mindless zeal.”

“You will have a hard time trying to explain his exploits with ‘brains’.”

“Well, he adapted to the ponies’ friendly culture to a certain extend… being separated from us, this was an understandable decision, especially since they have those artifacts.”

“We definitely are on good terms with the ponies,” Calgar said,
“and they even want to help mankind. That truly is Antonius’ merit.”

“True,” Cassius admitted,
“I still wish he had ‘adapted’ a little less… and we haven’t heard all of his report. Who know’s what else he will tell us.”

“My favorite part was when the princesses had put him into that tub,” Tigurius grinned, making the others - sans Gearhart and Cassius - chuckle for a second.

“Yes,” Calgar agreed,
“that part was kinda funny… but fun aside, we have to get a sample of this ‘Poison Joke’ and the antidote to analyze them.”

“We can be happy that they had such an antidote,” Seneca said,
“otherwise, things would have gone very differently…”

“True.”

“… and Antonius wouldn’t have had the chance to wake up inside a princess-sandwich.”

The Ultramarines burst out laughing for a moment, then Calgar turned to Seneca:

“A little more sobriety, Sergeant. Interrogating Antonius is serious business, after all, as are the decisions that will have to be made.”

“Excuse me, my Lord.”

“No worries, we don’t get to hear something like that very often, so a certain degree of levity is acceptable. But now, we should continue: Any more opinions on Antonius?”

“Indeed,” Cassius said,
“on our flight, I noticed Antonius and the princess exchanging… glances. Then, as I suggested to get her off the ship, he contradicted me with a little too much intensity. You have witnessed that, as well as the way he carried her to her quarters.”

“What do you want to say?” Calgar asked,
“do you suggest there is some kind of… emotional bond?”

“Love,” Tigurius told them flatly.

“Come again?”

“The emotional bond is called ‘love’. Luna loves him, as well as he loves her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The Ultramarines looked at each other in confusion, trying to grasp all of the ramifications such a relationship.

“Once again,” Gearhart suddenly said,
“I really wish I could laugh.”

“Laugh?” Cassius roared,
“this is a heresy beyond imagination! A Ultramarine and a xeno…”

“If the princess, who is the secondary leader of the ponies, after all, is emotionally dependent on brother Varus, it further reduces the probability of treason, as she will not consciously betray him, nor allow anyone to do so.”

The Ultramarines stared at the magos for some time, then Calgar said:

“That’s quite some insight into the emotional world of a non-human… especially considering you’re a member of the Mechanicum.”

“We just refuse emotions. That does not mean that do not know anything about them, or that we cannot calculate probabilities where emotions are concerned. An emotional bond as strong as love generally significantly reduces the propensity to hurt the companion. In the case at hand, that means that Luna will have an extremely low propensity to betraying Antonius, or mankind, as that would definitely hurt him.”

“What about Antonius’ propensity to betray us?” Cassius inquired.

“That would be contrary to his character,” Seneca stated.

“If he’s still sane.”

“I wasn’t able to pick up any signs of insanity, but I’m planning to deep-check that as a final test anyway,” Tigurius told them.

“Then… I guess,” Calgar sighed,
“we should just keep an eye on this relationship for the time being. Damnit, I’ve expected a lot of weirdness, but that is beyond anything I envisioned. I wonder if it can get worse.”

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Calgar commanded, and Ambrosius entered the room.

“My Lords, you ordered me to tell you the the results of the examination as soon as they are available.”

“Yes. What did you find out?”

Ambrosius handed Calgar a data-slate and started talking:

“Brother Varus severely deviates from the classic Ultramarine as well as the Primaris pattern. I was able to identify gene sequences from all of the original legions. The Ultramarines gene-seed is dominant, but the Canis Helix used by the Space Wolves also carries quite a lot of weight. Furthermore, brother Varus is a psyker now.”

“Throne on Terra,” Calgar mumbled, reading the data-slate,
“he was almost completely reforged… well, at least that explains his changed body… wait, what is that?”

He pointed his index finger at a line displayed on the slate.

“That,” Ambrosius explained,
“is equine DNA. Those sequences influence primarily his brain; the part that is responsible for psionic powers, to be exact.”

“Equine? You mean: those ponies?” Cassius asked,
“what the hell have they done to him? Is that a result of their wicked magic?”

“I have no idea what their magic is capable of, but if it was their magic, it is highly sophisticated when it comes to genetic manipulation. All those different gene sequences are interwoven flawlessly.”

“His genome is stable?” Tigurius inquired.

“Yes. Absolutely unusual, but stable. No sign of ongoing mutation.”

“I’m really curious to hear the rest of Antonius’ report,” Calgar admitted,
“and for that, we’ll also talk to Princess Luna along with Antonius. Let’s see if we can’t get some information from her as well.”

The Ultramarines led Antonius and Luna to some standard Space Marine quarters. A bed, a table, a chair, a small shrine, a cogitator and a small rack, garnished with the ubiquitous smell of recycled air and lubricants.

Antonius was a little sorry for Luna; this was not exactly a comfortable accommodation for the princess, but she did not seem to mind that too much. As the door had closed, she looked around and turned to Antonius:

“Hmm… this truly is not a luxury suite, but it will do, I guess. The important thing is what the Ultramarines think of us, and I think it went pretty well as of yet. Do you agree?”

“It could definitely have gone worse,” Antonius agreed,
“but the most critical aspects of my report are yet to come.”

“Your disregard for the Codex Astartes?”

“That, too, but I was talking about my resurrection and transformation. If they don’t believe me, we’re done for.”

“I am sure they will believe you, Tony.”

“Really? Seriously, I don’t know if I would believe me if I hadn’t experienced it myself. But now, let’s get you to bed.”

He gently put her down onto the bed and helped her take off her regalia. Then he lay down, too, and put an arm around her.

“Now sleep, Luna. We just have about five hours, then I have to get ready for the second part of the interrogation,” Antonius said.

“I will come with you again,” Luna stated, then they fell asleep.

Celestia was walking through the throne room. Usually, she was not prone to being antsy, but this situation was different.
High above her head, the fate of the whole planet was decided, and she could do nothing about it. Her little sister and especially Antonius were the key to survival now, the key to convincing the Ultramarines to look beyond the xenophobia that was so common in the Imperium and accept the ponies as the allies they truly were.
Well, Antonius had always said how reasonable his chapter was… but Celestia had enough experience with diplomacy to know how easily things could go south. A misunderstanding was all it would take, and the world would end.

Really, not being able to do anything was unsettling. To distract her subjects from the tension, she had tasked them with preparing a big welcome party for the new arrivals. She just hoped that this party really would take place…

7. Welcome party

Antonius and Luna got up again about an hour before the interrogation was scheduled to continue. He had just helped her into her regalia when a sound told him that someone was waiting at the door. Antonius opened it and was greeted by a familiar face.

“Marcus! It’s a pleasure to see you again!” he greeted.

“The pleasure is all mine, Brother Varus,” Marcus replied,
“I have some food for you and your… guest.”

Antonius took a look at the tray he was carrying. A standard ration bar, two carrots and two glasses of water. Not exactly a feast, but… serviceable (although he wondered where they had gotten the carrots from).
He grinned. He really was a little spoiled by the ponies and the quite lavish meals they usually made.

“Thank you,” Antonius said and took the tray.

“You have my thanks, too,” Luna added.

Marcus took a look at her with a peculiar expression. It wasn’t exactly revulsion, but rather distrust.

“No meed to thank me,” he answered.

“Want to come in?” Antonius offered.

“No, thanks.”

“Hmm… may be better,” Antonius grinned,
“I don’t have my armor at the moment, you know.”

“There we go again,” Marcus grinned back, bowed, turned around and left, quietly mumbling something about ‘never living it down’.

When he was gone and the door was closed again, Antonius set the tray on the table and turned to Luna:

“Let us feast on this hearty meal.”

“You are kidding,” she replied flatly, looking at the food.

“Yes,” he smiled and took the ration bar, while Luna went for the carrots.

“Hmm… without magic, this will be a bit of a problem,” she grumbled.

“Shall I feed you?” Antonius grinned.

“No, thanks.”

Now Luna tried using her hooves, but without even the subconscious low-range telekinesis all ponies used, she was not very successful.

“Come to think of it, yes,” she sighed,
“else I will have to ask for a food bowl.”

Antonius grabbed the carrots and held them out to her.

“There goes my dignity,” Luna mumbled and took a bite.

“As long as my fingers don’t join it,” he joked.

According to Luna’s expression, she didn’t find it particularly funny.
After (carefully) pouring a glass of water down her throat, and ingesting the second one himself, Antonius and Luna were ready to go.

Outside of their quarters, their escort was already - or rather, still - waiting and led them back to the interrogation chamber.

“You may both enter,” the sergeant in charge of the squad told them, so they entered the room together.

Marneus Augustus Calgar kept listening to Antonius’ report. The situations the battle-brother had gotten into kept being very unusual - to put it mildly - but his reactions had at least been reasonable - most of the time.
Inviting princess Luna to join them had turned out to be a good idea, as she contributed additional information, different perspectives or just her personal opinion on the events Antonius described. Very interesting was the way these two worked together; they complemented each other quite well.

In the course of the interrogation, Calgar had gotten to know about other xenos that lived on the planet, too, and those creatures obviously behaved more like he was used to. The ponies still had managed to defeat them all, with varying levels of assistance from Antonius.

The part about the ancient artificial intelligence had been of particular interest for Gearhart, and he had asked a multitude of questions, which Antonius and Luna had willingly answered.
Short glances at the unobtrusively nodding Tigurius had told Calgar that they had told nothing but the truth until now, which was a good omen.

Then, Antonius told them about the time the princess had been abducted by a power called ‘Nightmare Forces’, and how he had rescued her. Again, he was absolutely honest, and admitted that he had deliberately disregarded the Codex Astartes to save her.

“Tell me,” Calgar said,
“why exactly did you choose to act contrary to the teachings of the Codex?”

“I wanted to save Luna from being tortured or killed,” Antonius explained.

“You jeopardized your life and your main mission to acquire the Elements of Harmony for mankind to help her, are you aware of that?”

“I am perfectly aware of that, Lord Calgar.”

“Still, you made this decision. Why?”

“The loss of Luna would have been a considerable blow for the ponies… and Luna is my friend. I couldn’t allow those abominations to hurt her.”

“Just a friend?” Calgar asked calmly.

Thanks to Tigurius, he already knew what was going on, but he wanted to know if Antonius dared to admit it.

“A very good friend,” Antonius replied.

“Could you put the emotions that influenced your decision into words? One word, perhaps?”

“Yes,” Antonius said and turned to Tigurius:
“You have already detected it, I presume, Lord Tigurius?”

“Was hard to miss,” Tigurius told him,
“it’s like a background noise in your souls.”

“Well, then let me be clear and admit it: we are in… well… love.”

“We are,” Luna immediately confirmed.

“Something like that is… unprecedented,” Calgar stated, scratching his head.

“At least they can’t have shared a bed,” Seneca shrugged, then he turned to them:
“You haven’t, have you?”

“Is this not too private to discuss?” Luna interjected.

Bad omen.

“If this concerned only normal humans, probably,” Calgar answered,
“since this is about an Ultramarine and a non-human, it has to be discussed.”

“Very well,” Antonius said,
“in the literal sense, we have shared a bed and taken a nap next to each other. In the figurative sense, we have never mated. Neither did we want to, nor would it have been possible, since my reproductive system was still deactivated back then.”

“You do not necessarily need a working reproductive system to be guilty of fornication,” Cassius told them flatly.

“Fornication?” Luna shouted,
“listen, Chaplain: Antonius and I never ‘fornicated’. And that is a fact.”

“Is it?” Cassius asked dismissively.

“Oh, I see,” the princess glared angrily,
“you have this weird monomania that Antonius and I ‘fornicated’, as you put it, and nothing we can say will convince you of the contrary. Well, Chaplain Cassius, I will leave it to you to choose: Either you rid yourself of this delusion, or you give Antonius and me three hours, then you will have your ‘fornication’!”

Calgar thought he had misheard. That was the weirdest threat he had ever come across!
Luna was livid, the way she glared at Cassius would have made an ork turn around and look for something else to kill. To her, the accusation and its wording clearly was an insult, and now, Calgar wondered how this situation would develop. Of course, they could prevent the princess and Antonius from… doing what she had threatened to do - if she actually had been serious at all - but he was curious about Cassius’ next step. And if he was completely honest, he also wondered which decision Antonius would prefer, his surprised expression was not really telling. Calgar had to ask Tigurius later if he had been able to pick something up.

Cassius, meanwhile, had collected himself again and said:

“You can’t be serious.”

“Test me,” Luna replied coldly and put a wing around Antonius.

After a few seconds, Cassius nodded:

“Very well, I take back my accusation. I take your word that your relationship is… as virtuous as possible.”

“Thank you, Chaplain,” Luna replied with a hinted bow and folded her wing back to her back,
“I guarantee that there is no reason to worry.”

The following silence was interrupted by Gearhart:

“Had you decided not to take back your accusation, we would have been able to gather some never seen before data.”

Now Luna blushed (indicating that she had not been entirely serious with her threat), Antonius looked confused and the Ultramarines were absolutely dumbfounded.

“Throne on Terra, Gearhart,” Calgar grumbled.

The interrogation continued, and Antonius proceeded to tell the Ultramarines about his adventures in Equestria. Finally, he told them about the return of Chaos, the ensuing battle and his sacrifice.

“Unorthodox, but undeniably expedient,” Calgar said,
“reminds me a little of brother Agrippan’s DEATH.”

“Actually,” Antonius replied,
“that’s where I got the idea from. I just did it somewhat more deliberately.”

“So, you are dead now?”

“Not any more.”

“I’d say that requires a thorough explanation.”

“Indeed, Lord Calgar, and I have to admit that I’m still surprised myself, but this is what happened.”

Now Antonius told them of his encounter with the Emperor and Primarch Sanguinius. Much to his amazement, there was less disbelieve in the Ultramarines’ faces than he had expected. Still quite an amount, but they considered his words without declaring him insane at once.
When he had finished, the silence in the room was palpable.

“So,” Calgar summarized,
“you met the Emperor, and he did not only approve the actions you had taken while on this planet, he even upgraded you to a Primaris and added something a magic tree sent him in addition?”

“Well, yes,” Antonius replied.

“And He topped that off with a spark of His own power?”

“Yes.”

Again, the silence was palpable. Calgar rubbed the back of his nose, then he sighed and said:

“Antonius, do you have any idea how unlikely, downright insane that sounds?”

“If I hadn’t experienced it myself, my Lord, I wouldn’t believe a word either.”

“I did not say that I don’t believe anything,” Calgar told him, much to his surprise,
“we already have strong evidence that the Emperor is somehow involved in this whole situation, but the details admittedly are hard to believe. Fortunately, we can check if what you said is true. Chief Librarian?”

Tigurius nodded and turned to Antonius:

“Antonius, I will perform a deep scan of your mind. That way, we will be able to make sure that you told us the actual truth, and nothing but the truth.”

“I expected such a scan. I concur that it’s the best method of making sure that I’m honest and sane.”

Now Seneca and Cassius got up and grabbed their bolters.

“What are you doing?” Luna demanded to know.

“It’s just a precaution,” Tigurius told her,
“should I find a dormant corruption that becomes active when found, they will eliminate Antonius before he can do any harm.”

“What?”

“It’s okay, Luna,” Antonius tried to becalm her,
“there is nothing to be found, but they have to be careful.”

“If there was anything, we could still ask the Element Bearers to free you, rather than just kill you.”

“True, if you know that the Elements work. My brothers can’t be sure of that at the moment, though, so they take the next best option. Still, since I’m okay, nothing will happen. Trust me, and trust them, Luna.”

Luna was clearly not happy, but she nodded and complied.

Tigurius started staring at Antonius, his eyes beginning to glow. Antonius calmly returned the gaze and opened his mind. From time to time, small arcs of psionic lightning arced around Tigurius head, but other than that, nothing noteworthy was happening.

Then, Tigurius’ eyes returned to normal, and Antonius fortified his mind again.

“That was remarkably civil for a deep scan,” Cassius noted.

“Indeed,” the chief librarian agreed,
“Antonius’ mind was open, downright inviting. He did not try to hide anything and granted me access to everything without even subconscious resistance.”

“And the results?” Calgar inquired.

“No corruption. No treason. No insanity or mental illness. He really told us the truth. I also found the spark of the Emperor’s power, and I am sure it’s genuine. Might I add that the fact that he was able to disable his subconscious resistance to being scanned is a testament of his power and self control?”
Luna looked rather clueless, so Tigurius explained:
“Usually, every living creature tries to resist a deep scan - at least unconsciously. A psyker has to break this resistance, which is quite traumatic for the scanned creature and can lead to them making quite a mess. Antonius, however, was able to deactivate his resistance, allowing me to scan him without stressing his mind. So, no mess.”

“So, Antonius passed the test,” Seneca stated.

“Correct.”

Calgar gestured him and Cassius to lower their weapons and sit down. When they all were sitting at the table again, he said:

“Antonius Varus, Ultramarines second company, you are free of taint. Your recommendations will be followed and we will establish peaceful contact with the ponies of this planet.”
Antonius and Luna sighed with relief.
“But there is still a misconduct we have to deal with: your disregard of the Codex when you rescued princess Luna.”

“Seriously?” Luna exclaimed.

“The Codex is the basis of our lives,” Calgar explained calmly,
“and while we recently were told to not be too strict in that regard, Antonius committed his lapse while not being informed about this change. And don’t forget that he actually endangered his primary mission.”

“To save me!”

“Yes. Anyway, this is my verdict: Antonius, you are banished from the Realm of Ultramar. Your new mission is to stay with the ponies and do everything you can to keep them safe. This banishment is void once you die, and your name will even be put down in the records of the chapter as an example of common sense to show why independent thinking may be more adequate than fanatism in certain situations.”

Antonius was a little surprised - not only would he be mentioned in the records in a positive way, the ‘punishment’ was exactly what Luna had suggested back then. A short glance at her told him that she was well aware of that fact.

“That truly is some good news,” she smiled.

“I have more good news,” Calgar continued with a slight grin,
“as we have recently learned, you already died doing your duty, so the banishment is obsolete already. All told, we have satisfied the law without causing any trouble for any of us, don’t you agree?”

Antonius had to laugh. Calgar had not only come up with a pretty decent punishment, he had also already rehabilitated him.

“You truly have shown why Antonius speaks so well of you,” Luna commented with a little bow.

“Thank you, Princess,” Calgar replied,
“is there anything else you need to tell us?”

Antonius finished his report with the few days he had spent in Equestria after his return from the warp. When he was done, Calgar said:

“Thank you for your report. You really returned in the nick of time, it seems. Now, we can return to the planet and properly introduce ourselves to the ponies. Any objections?”

“Might I ask if we are allowed to inform my sister of our return? She will want to organize a welcome party for all of us, so that we can properly introduce us, too.”

“Sure, feel free to contact her.”

“Okay, the buffet goes over there,” Twilight instructed a group of ponies who were tasked with catering.

An hour ago, she had gotten a message from Princess Celestia: Antonius and Princess Luna had been successful in convincing the Ultramarines that the ponies meant no harm, and they would soon return to officially establish relations. For that purpose, Celestia wanted to throw a party to welcome them, and Twilight was in charge of the preparations.

Thankfully, she had already made pre-preparations ever since Antonius and Luna had left, so everything should be set up in a matter of hours now.

As she walked through the field on which the celebration would take place, she saw Berry Punch and Carrot Top put up a banner, just as she had asked them to:

WELCOME ULTRAMARNIES

Or almost as she had asked them to.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said,
“but I think you’ve got it wrong.”

“Why?” Berry Punch asked,
“we got the whole word this time!”

“Yes, but they’re called ‘Ultramarines’, you’ve written ‘Ultramarnies’.”

“Oh… do you think they’ll notice?”

“I’m pretty sure they can read, and we don’t want to seem disrespectful. Please take it down and try again.”

Since this problem was dealt with, she continued walking. Her next stop was Pinkie Pie.

“Hello, Pinkie,” she greeted,
“how’s it going?”

“Great!” Pinkie replied cheerfully,
“we’ve balloons, streamers, confetti, I’m just about to set up the party cannons…”

“NO PARTY CANNONS!” Twilight interrupted,
“don’t you remember how Antonius reacted to them?”

“He’s gotten used to them by now, silly.”

“Yeah, but his brothers haven’t. We don’t want this party to end with the eradication of our species, do we?”

“Oh… that would be quite a party pooper…”

“It would. So, no cannons, please.”

“Well, a party without party cannons is only half the fun, but okay. No cannons.”

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

Having averted this crisis, Twilight took a look at the next object on her list. Everything would be fine, she told herself. They were just welcoming a few future friends, and she was the Princess of Friendship. What could possibly go wrong?

An hour later, all preparations were made and the party was ready to start. Princess Celestia had come, and Twilight and her friends had gathered around her.

“Now, we just have to wait for Luna, Antonius and the Ultramarines,” Celestia stated and looked skyward,
“ah, here they come.”

Twilight followed her gaze. There were three balls of fire rushing across the sky.

“They sure like flashy entries,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Actually, they’re just using the atmosphere to slow down,” Twilight told her,
“once they’re slow enough, the fire will vanish and we’ll see the ships they’re using.”

“Still flashy,” Applejack insisted.

Twilight was right; it did not take long for the fire to vanish and three small, dark dots approached them. As they did so, they started growing, until she could discern the shapes.

“Three Thunderhawks,” she said,
“light the navigation lights!”

A moment later, the light crystals they had set up started glowing, indicating the place where their visitors were supposed to touch down.

The dropships came closer, slowed down and circled the field and Ponyville once, then they reduced their speed further and approached the landing site.
As they descended, their engines caused quite a wind that tugged on the ponies’ manes and tails. Well, it was not the first time.

Twilight glanced at her friends. They had averted their faces to protect themselves from the artificial gust, with one exception: Rarity had created a magic shield. As she noticed Twilight’s attention, she said:

“They have ruffled my mane once, darling. I won’t let them do that again.”

The Thunderhawks touched down, and the wind died together with their engines - and Rarity’s shield.
For a moment, the three dropships just stood there, contraptions so blocky that they looked almost incapable of flight, then, the ramp of the central one opened and revealed a large figure.

Marneus Augustus Calgar, leader of the Ultramarines. In many regards, he was the equivalent to the ponies’ Princess Celestia, so Twilight once again told herself to treat him with the utmost respect - especially as she, the Bearer of the Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, was supposed to officially greet him. Twilight was well aware of the honor, and so, as he set foot on the grass and came walking towards her, his retinue as well as Luna and Antonius in tow, she went to meet him, her friends and Celestia two steps behind her.

When they were just a few meters from each other, they stopped. Now it was time for Twilight’s greeting. She looked up at the giant, clad in elaborate blue and gold armor.
He was quite intimidating at such a close range… especially with the artificial eye…

“Greetings, Marneus Augustus Calgar,” Twilight said solemnly and bowed,
“Chapter Master of the Ultramarnies…”

Oh crap.
Twilight froze, her eyes widened in shock.
Behind her, Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.

Calgar regarded her, an eyebrow raised.
Twilight started sweating blood. That was so embarrassing!

“I am disappointed,” he stated matter-of-factly, and Twilight had horrible ideas about the very short future of Equestria,
“why did I never come up with such a joke about the similarity of my name and the name of my chapter?”

“Wait, what?” Twilight stammered and saw a grin appear on Calgar’s face,
“you… are not angry?”

“Why should I? There was no malicious intent - and it was actually quite funny.”

Twilight took a deep breath and said:

“Thank you for your leniency, Lord Calgar. Now, let me welcome you and your Ultramarines. We are positive that this will be the start of a mutually advantageous friendship between Equestria and Ultramar.”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Calgar replied,
“I thank you for your hospitality. Allow me to introduce my brothers who you don’t know yet.”

Now, the ramps of the other Thunderhawks opened, too. A groups of Ultramarines exited one of the dropships, out of the other one came two humans in red robes, one of them with… things on his back. Furthermore, there was… a house. On legs.
They all rallied behind Calgar and his entourage.

“This are Magos Gearhart,” Calgar explained,
“and his aide Aleksa. And this is Brother Parvus.”

“Pleasure…” Twilight stumbled, then she started introducing everypony.

It took some time until all humans and ponies were properly introduced, then the party started… at least it started to start.

Varro Tigurius took a look around. It really was an highly unusual sight: dozens of little, colorful xenos - or rather half-xenos - and among them, Ultramarines and two tech-priests. Calgar had given the order to be as unthreatening and friendly as possible, but for most of his brothers, that was easier said than done. Most of them stood around rather awkwardly or formed small groups to talk among themselves.
Well, they had never been trained to attend parties and make conversation, because why the hell should they have been? Space Marines were bred for war, that was their main purpose, and with the battles taking place all over the Imperium at any given time, they never had had a need to look for something else to do.

As for him, he also was in a group of Ultramarines, keeping close to Calgar just in case he should be needed by his lord. Although, Tigurius had to admit, he would be less useful than usual at the moment. This weird veil was blocking his access to the immaterium, turning him from an experienced librarian into a normal veteran.

He turned his attention to Calgar, who was deep in - rather trivial - conversation with Celestia, Luna and Antonius. Thankfully, psionic powers were obviously not needed at the time.

“Cupcake?” a voice asked, and Tigurius turned his attention to the small creature in front of him.

“Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he answered and took the small treat.
It was round, with a green topping and an apple slice right on top.

He sampled it, and since his preomnor did not protest, he took a bigger bite.
Really, the food here was succulent.

“Just like Antonius,” Twilight smiled,
“he was very careful, too, when he first ate our food. Oh, and please call me Twilight.”

“I can assure you, Twilight, it is not a sign of distrust, but rather an ingrained habit when encountering new food.”

“Oh, I know. According to Antonius, our food is perfectly suitable for humans, though.”

“It’s more than that. It’s delicious.”

“You have to tell Applejack and Pinkie Pie. They’ve made them. If you want something more savory, we’ve taken care of that, too. The buffet’s right over there.”

Tigurius had to grin. Such non-human hospitality was unheard of, but he had a feeling that he could get used to it.

“Thank you, but I’ll stay at my Lord’s side for the time being,” he said.

“Okay,” Twilight replied,
“just enjoy the party.”

“Will do.”

Seneca was busy building himself a sandwich. This really was by far the most amicable welcome he had ever gotten on a non-imperial planet. The ponies really had put some effort into this party. He knew from Antonius that they were vegetarians, but he had just - among other tasty things - shoveled some ham on his bread, so they had organized the meat just for the Ultramarines. Furthermore, there was no one questioning his choice of food, unlike that time when he had still been a boy and his vegetarian sister had seen it fit to annoy him.

“Excuse me, Sergeant,” a voice from behind him said.

Seneca turned around. It was a Space Marine. Now, he had half expected a pony having concern about his dietary habits, but one of his brothers?

“Yes, Brother?” Seneca replied.

“No offense, but do you think it is wise to trust the xenos’ food?”

Seneca looked at his sandwich and took a bite. He started chewing with an inquisitive look on his face, then he gave conversational parter a thumbs-up.
Seeing the dumbfounded expression on the Marine’s face, he elaborated:

“You have heard the briefing, Brother. The ponies are a non-malevolent species, and now that they have put that much effort into acquiring the food, it would be impolite to spurn it. Not to mention the fact that it’s quite tasty.”

“This is all so… wrong.”

“Unusual, yes, but actually not wrong. Keep in mind that we are not trigger-happy psychopaths like orks or Khornates. We are guardians of mankind, and if these creatures here can help us in some way, it’s prudent to be nice around them.”

“So, you think we can trust them?”

“Guess so - within certain limits. I don’t think that there’s evil on their minds, and if they had planned anything, they would have done so while they only had had to deal with brother Varus. Now that we are here, they’ll be even less inclined to do something stupid. In the worst case, trust your preomnor.”

He took another bite.

“Muffin?” another voice suddenly asked.

It was a grey pegasus mare who used her wings to carry a tray full of the pastries.

Receiving a questioning look from the Marine, Seneca just nodded calmly, and the battle-brother sampled one of the treats.

“Damnit, that’s good,” he mumbled.

“Told you,” Seneca grinned, chewing.

Ridiculously. Cute. Creatures.
Aleksa had to suppress the urge to pick one of them up and cuddle them. She choose to distract herself with the food their hosts had provided, which worked well enough. Yes, finding delight in succulent food was a weakness of the flesh, and the Mechanicum was usually less than thrilled about such weaknesses.

Gearhart, though, did obviously not deem it necessary to reproach her, so she continued eating. With a decent piece of chocolate cake on her plate, she tried to gain an overview of the festive grounds. A little apart, she saw Parvus, and went to talk to him.

“Hello, Parvus,” she smiled,
“and, what do you think of our hosts? Are they comparable to the horses you know?”

“Their physique? Yes, to a certain extent. Their behaviour? Not quite. They remind me more of humans than horses.”

“Indeed.”

“Have we already given them the carrots and sugar cubes as a hospitality gift?”

“No, Parvus. Brother Varus and Princess Luna told us about their culture, so we realized that those gifts would have been somewhat inappropriate.”

“A wise decision. They remind me of humans more than horses anyway.”

“Humans who can make a sensational chocolate cake.”

“Really? A pity I cannot sample it, but I don’t think we can get the stuff into my sarcophagus, and even if we could, the amniotic fluid would ruin the cake… do I even have taste buds left?”

“Probably just a few,” Aleksa grinned, then she became serious and started twirling her fork,
“but maybe I could connect to your system and relay the taste-information from my brain to your cerebral cortex… that should enable you to taste any food that I eat… hmm… I have to crunch the numbers on that…”

“Your help would be appreciated,” Parvus told her with a strange sound that probably was a laugh.

The welcome party went on for some time. While the mood was not as exuberant as Antonius was used to when it came to the ponies, the fact that there were no casualties yet was definitely good.
Among the colorful equines, the Ultramarines definitely were ‘alien bodies’, though. Most of them didn’t even attempt to mingle, but that was hardly surprising. A lifetime of hating and distrusting all non-humans couldn’t be ignored just like that. Some of them, however, tried at least to enjoy the party.

Seneca, for example, had taken a liking to the buffet and even had had a few short conversations with ponies. Well, he had been on the Emperor’s list of potential candidates, after all.
Calgar was still having a casual conversation with Celestia, and they seemed to get along reasonably well.
As for the members of the Mechanicum, Gearhart’s aide was astonishingly tolerant and obviously enjoyed the party.

Antonius silently thanked the Emperor that the Ultramarines as well as their company preferred reason over fanatism, a quality that unfortunately was not too wide-spread in the Imperium… although, with the enemies mankind had to face, who could blame them?

When it was time for the day to yield to the night, the Luna and Celestia became active, creating a beautiful dusk, much to the amazement of the humans - sans Antonius, he was used to their magic, of course.

As the party ended, Twilight approached Calgar:

“Lord Calgar, may I invite you and your retinue to stay the night in my castle? You wouldn’t have to return to your ship or travel to Canterlot that way.”

“We accept your generous offer,” Calgar replied, and Twilight led the way to her abode.

It was a strange little migration: the Element Bearers were in front, followed by the princesses, Antonius, Calgar and his command squad. Behind them were Gearhart, Aleksa and Parvus. The rest of the Ultramarines was bringing up the rear.

When they arrived at the castle, Calgar turned to Twilight:

“Interesting architecture. It was created by your Tree of Harmony?”

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed,
“I guess you could say that it is my HQ, from where I spread friendship around Equestria.”

She opened the main gate and invited them in.

“What?” Seneca asked as he took a look into the building,
“how does such a large entrance hall fit into that crystal trunk?”

“Folded space?” Tigurius guessed.

“Magic,” Twilight answered.

“In any case this castle is bigger on the inside,” Calgar stated.

“My Lord,” Cassius said,
“do we really want to stay in a place that is so… drenched in the ponies’ magic?”

“It is not harmful,” Twilight insisted.

“If you really don’t want to stay here,” Applejack told them,
“the next best place in Ponyville is one of our barns.”

“Castle or barn… hard decision,” Seneca grinned.

“Our barns are not that bad,” Applejack protested.

“We’ll stay here,” Calgar decided,
“after all, the Elements of Harmony and their magic were one of the reasons that brought us here.”

The princesses had to temporarily dematerialize the doorframe of the main gates for Parvus to get into the castle, then, when the rooms for all humans were assigned, Celestia and Twilight’s friends bid goodnight and returned to their homes. Antonius and Luna stayed in the castle to keep Twilight and the Ultramarines company.

“Truly, a nice welcome,” Calgar stated.

Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca and Gearhart had gathered in his quarters to discuss the current situation and exchange their thought on their hosts.

“Indeed,” Tigurius agreed,
“the ponies really are a friendly species - at least the ones we’ve met by now.”

“Be careful not to get lulled into a false sense of security,” Cassius warned,
“they may seem rather harmless, but alertness never hurts.”

“True,” Calgar said,
“yet it would be wise to respond to their kindness with some friendliness of our own. We are here to win them as allies, after all.”

“That is already as good as done,” Seneca opined,
“thanks to Antonius.”

“Hmm… his unusual methods have paved the way for us. We basically just need to reap the benefits.”

“The Elements and the STC-System,” Tigurius outlined.

“I beg your pardon,” Gearhart interjected,
“but up to this point, our primary concern was the trustworthiness of the ponies. While this issue is suitably resolved, we have neither tested those Elements nor have we verified the integrity of the local STC database - not to mention the AI in control of said database.”

“One thing at a time, Gearhart,” Calgar smiled,
“but you’re right. Now that we’ve paid respect to their culture by attending this party, we’ll see to it that we can visit this ‘Tree of Harmony’ tomorrow. Furthermore, you’ll probably get the opportunity to say hello to the AI. I’m well aware that this means that you’ll come into conflict with the Mechanicum’s concerns regarding AIs.”

“True. The laws of the Mechanicum are unambiguous, but loosing a complete STC-system is unacceptable. If possible, I will try to be lenient.”

“‘Lenient’ is not a word often heard by someone of your profession,” Seneca grinned.

“I looked it up in a dictionary,” Gearhart deadpanned.

8. At the roots of harmony

After a thankfully uneventful night, Twilight was on her way to her kitchen. While the party had made it clear that not all Ultramarines were as approachable as Antonius, there had been no worrying incidents. Still, having so many of them in her castle was a strange feeling… on the other hoof, her castle had never been guarded this well…

She entered the kitchen and - much to her surprise - did not find it empty. One of the red robed humans was in there, looking around.

“Good morning,” Twilight greeted,
“can I help you?”

“Oh, good morning,” the human said.
It was the aide of Magos Gearhart, and Twilight recalled that her name was ‘Aleksa’.
“Sorry for the intrusion, I am just looking for some recaf.”

“You are looking for what?”

“Recaf. A hot beverage, usually brownish, with caffeine.”

“Coffee?” Twilight guessed.

“You have coffee?” Aleksa asked with a surprised expression,
“I mean, real coffee?”

“Of course, and you were pretty close to finding it. Wait, I’ll make you a cup, you just sit down.”

Having said that, Twilight got working, and a few minutes later, a steaming cup of the brown liquid was standing on the table in front of Aleksa.

She eyed it curiously, then she took a sip.

“Damn, that’s good,” she sighed.

“Milk? Sugar?” Twilight smiled,
“real milk and real sugar.”

“I won’t refuse this generous offer.”

Twilight put the coffee supplements on the table and sat down, too.

“So, you are a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus,” she tried to start a conversation.

“Yes,” Aleksa answered as she enhanced her coffee,
“I am Magos Gearhart’s aide.”

She took another sip, and Twilight realized that her hands looked strangely metallic. Aleksa noticed Twilight gaze, put her cup down and held up her hand.

“Bionics. Quite unusual around here, I presume?”

“Quite,” Twilight confirmed,
“we know wooden prosthetics, but a fully movable limb is nothing short of a miracle. May I ask how that happened?”

“Well, such things happen when you’re young and stupid. Now I’m older.”

Twilight snickered, and a grin appeared on Aleksa’s face.

“I know that this may sound weird,” she said,
“but it really is a pleasant surprise that I can sit at a table with you and even talk to you. Usually, our encounters with non-humans are… not that cordial.”

“Oh, Antonius told us about that.”

“I guess getting along with him was quite hard at first, hmm?”

“Not really. We had a few minor misunderstandings, but all told, it wasn’t that much of a problem.”

“Really?”

“Are you surprised that there were hardly any problems?”

“To be honest: yes. I mean, an Angel of Death and xenos - pardon; non-humans - that usually means increased levels of violence… to put it mildly.”

“We were no threat to him, and we are no threat to mankind. He realized that, and so there was no reason for violence.”

“Not many Space Marines would have been so… tolerant,” Aleksa opined,
“you - no, all of us - were really lucky that it was Antonius who came here. Well, that was the reason the Omnissiah selected him for this task, I presume, to enable us to get hold of the ancient knowledge that is the STC system.”

“The Omnissiah is the Emperor, right?”

“Without going into theological details: yes, about that.”

“It’s weird when you think about it: a decision so important, with that much impact on our lives, was made by a being I hadn’t even heard of before Antonius came here.”

“In the Imperium, such decisions are made quite often. An inhabitant of a agri- or feudal world often has no idea that far away, governors or generals are deciding on their fate, but I have to admit that this situation is indeed special. I don’t think there has ever been this much at stake before, with your Elements and the STC system, I mean.”

“Yeah, the whole galaxy will be influenced by our decisions… it might be best not to think too hard about it.”

“Probably.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Twilight asked:

“May I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure,” Aleksa answered.

“You are female, right?”

“Yeah. In general, these two are a good hint,” Aleksa said flatly, pointing at her chest.

That moment, Antonius and Luna entered the kitchen.

“Good mo… huh?” Antonius greeted,
“not to be nosy, but what’s going on here?”

“I’m sorry, Lord Varus…” Aleksa immediately apologized.

“It’s my fault,” Twilight interrupted,
“I asked her if she was female.”

“Well, she is. Pretty unambiguously,” Antonius told her flatly, which earned him a curious look from Luna, then he turned to Aleksa and continued:
“and please just call me ‘Antonius’.”

“Thank you, Antonius,” Aleksa replied,
“of course I know that this is irrelevant, since a body is just a vessel for a person’s intellect…”

“You can stop right there, Aleksa. I’m no member of the Mechanicum, neither am I testing or judging you. Just feel free to be yourself when I’m around.”

“If that’s the case… can I get another coffee?”

Some time later, Antonius, Luna, Celestia, the Ultramarines, Gearhart, Aleksa, Twilight and her friends had gathered in the castle’s entrance hall.

“Let us decide what to do today. Would you like to see our capital, Canterlot?” Celestia asked.

“If you don’t mind,” Calgar answered,
“we would prefer to see the Tree and the Elements of Harmony first, Princess.”

“Sure, as you wish.”

So the group left the castle and started a journey through the Everfree forest, the Ultramarines automatically assuming a defensive formation. They soon arrived at the chasm behind which the Castle of the Two Sisters was standing.

“Here, we’ve got to go down these stairs,” Antonius said,
“the cave with the Tree is just over there, you can actually see it from here.”

“So, this incredibly important and valuable tree is just standing in a cave, unguarded, in the middle of a forest?” Cassius inquired.

“The Tree of Harmony is a pretty powerful entity,” Celestia told him,
“I’m sure it can protect itself.”

“I don’t see how that could go fatally wrong,” Seneca deadpanned.

They descended to the bottom of the chasm and approached the cave. A squad of Ultramarines stayed outside to secure the entrance, the rest of them entered.
Now, they were standing in front of the Tree, and Calgar said:

“Certainly something you don’t see all day. Those are the Elements of Harmony, I presume?”

“Yes, Lord Calgar,” Twilight confirmed.

“I don’t suppose you can just get them and demonstrate their abilities?”

“Well… I think we shouldn’t remove them unless the situation really demands it. They are very powerful and I wouldn’t like to toy with them.”

“It remains to be seen how powerful they really are,” Cassius interjected.

“I can assure you, they are very powerful,” Luna replied,
“they freed me from the Nightmare Moon daemon, after all.”

“They were only mostly successful in doing so.”

“Do I really have to tell you how devious and persistent daemons can be?”

“I don’t need you to tell me anything, Princess.”

“Enough,” Calgar said before Luna had a chance to retort,
“bickering is not productive. Chief Librarian, can you pick up something?”

“No. I still don’t have access to the warp. Antonius, what about you?”

Antonius was honestly surprised by this question. Varro Tigurius was one of the most powerful and experienced psykers the Imperium had to offer, it was an honor that he asked for his opinion.
So he took a step forward and sent out his mind, using pony magic.

The presence of the Tree was almost overwhelming; it was a concentration of pony magic unlike any Antonius had ever felt, with one exception: when his friends had defeated Tirek.

“The Tree is dripping with power,” he reported,
“and I have a vague feeling of consciousness.”

“That supports what we know of it,” Tigurius stated,
“as well as your report.”

“So, Antonius just confirmed his own story,” Cassius said flatly.

“If you’re honest, you have no choice but to confirm the truth,” Applejack noted.

Antonius could see the ponies grin, and maybe there was also a smirk on some of the Ultramarines’ faces.

“I would not mind it being the truth. I just remain cautious.”

“Which is generally a wise thing to do,” Calgar said before another bickering could erupt,
“which is why we will search this cave. See if you can find anything useful. Brother Parvus, cover us.”

The Ultramarines started fanning out, and the ponies joined them, more out of courtesy than out of the expectation to actually find something.
While doing so, Antonius switched from pony-magic to his reservoir of warp energy, which he had refilled while outside the veil. For a moment, he thought he felt something, but it was immediately gone again. He stopped and looked around.
Hmm… it was just the moment he had switched his source of power… near the back end of the cave…
He went there and switched again, and there it was again, just a moment, then it was gone.

“Antonius?” Tigurius asked,
“have you found something?”

“Maybe,” Antonius answered and told him what he had felt.

“Intriguing. Can you use both power sources simultaneously?”

“I’ll try,” Antonius said and tapped his reservoir and pony magic at the same time.

There it was.

“It’s a… psionic switch?” he ventured,
“you can only find it if you’re capable of using pony magic and the powers of the immaterium in unison.”

“So, neither pony nor human alone can trigger it,” Tigurius stated.

“Except Antonius,” Celestia said.

“Correct. He is able to wield both powers, but even that is insufficient, you also need a way to get some warp energy into the veil. I assume that whoever built that switch wanted to make sure that no one else could gain access, since having both abilities is highly unlikely.”

By now, the ponies and humans had converged around them and were listening to their discussion.

“But, who made this switch?” Twilight inquired.

“The same creatures that created the Tree?” Luna guessed,
“or maybe even the planet?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know very much about the Tree,” Celestia told them,
“we don’t even know who created it - or if it was created at all or just grew somehow.”

“Well, I can’t remember having read about the Tree in the ancient logs,” Antonius said,
“so I think it might have been created later, and that means that whoever created the planet did not necessarily create our crystal friend here.”

“What about we just trigger the switch and see what happens?” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“Risky,” Calgar replied,
“but probably the only way to have a chance at getting some answers. Antonius, please trigger the switch. Ultramarines, watch out.”

Antonius activated his powers and reached for the switch.
There was a rumbling in the cave, then, the back wall started slowly shifting aside, revealing a dark passageway, big enough for even Parvus to fit through and still have plenty of space.

“Incredible,” Celestia whispered,
“I did not have the slightest idea that this place hides such a secret.”

“Hence the name ‘secret’,” Seneca grinned.

“Time to see what this ‘secret’ is exactly,” Calgar said,
“Antonius, take the lead. Parvus, you’re next. Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca, Gearhart, Aleksa and me will go next. Ponies, behind us. Brothers, you’ll bring up the rear. Now let’s go.”

They entered the passageway as Calgar had told them. Parvus activated his luminators, casting a bright light along the way.
Antonius took a look at the walls. While the cave had consisted of ordinary rock, this tunnel was different.

“What’s that?” he asked,
“looks like black glass.”

“Please wait,” Gearhart said and extended his mechadendrites,
“it is definitely not glass.”

“Then, what is it?”

“Analysis inconclusive. Since we do not know what this place is, I do not want to use any drastic measures at the moment, so all I can say is that it is more resilient than glass, swallows the beam of my luminator and lights up in a pale gray glow as it does so. I have never seen such a material before.”

“I have,” Luna suddenly said, and all eyes were on her.

“Really?” Antonius asked in surprise,
“when and where?”

“It was back when I was Nightmare Moon… there is a mountain on the dark side of the moon, ‘Mount Obsidian’. It looks very much like the walls here.”

“I guess we’ll have to pay this mountain a visit,” Calgar said, then he turned on his vox:
“Sword of Iax, begin scanning this planet’s moon. There should be a mountain on its dark side. Focus your scans on this mountain.”

They proceeded deeper down the passageway, which was slightly descending now and started turning right. They kept following it until Antonius raised his hand to stop them.

“Parvus, douse your luminators,” he said.

Parvus did so. They expected to be in utter darkness, but they weren’t. There was a faint light in front of them.

“Something’s down there,” Antonius stated.

“I hope it’s not dangerous,” Fluttershy whispered.

“It’s been hundreds, or even thousands of years since the secret door we came through was last opened,” Rainbow Dash sighed,
“whatever’s down there is certainly long dead.”

“If this passageway is the only way down,” Applejack retorted.

“Even if it’s the only way down, what about traps?” Twilight added for consideration.

“Fine,” Rainbow conceded,
“but if we watch our step, nothing should go wrong. I don’t think there are some monstrosities down there that could harass us after all that time.”

“You have no idea,” Seneca grumbled,
“but the light is sorta multicolored, not green - that’s a good omen.”

“‘Green’? Why is green so bad?”

“You don’t want to know, lass.”

“Continue the descent,” Calgar ordered,
“and keep your bolters ready. The Emperor protects.”

They went further down the tunnel, more alert than ever. The light grew stronger, slowly but constantly changing its hue.
Finally, the passageway lead to a large cave, made from the same black material they had seen all the way down. In its center, a strange apparatus, probably a control lectern, was standing. In the right-hand wall, however, there was a giant window, through which the multicolored light was shining.

“Oh, pretty,” Parvus commented.

Well, he was certainly right with that. Beyond the window, there was a gigantic spherical cave. Through holes in its walls, colorful ribbons of light were entering the underground hall. They converged in the cave’s center, forming a giant, glowing sphere.

“What in tarnation is that?” Applejack asked in awe.

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied, just as flabbergasted as her friend,
“but I think my coat is standing on end… any my horn is humming.”

“I can feel that, too,” Rarity agreed,
“like a… gentle tingle.”

“I think it’s fun!” Pinkie opined,
“I love a good tingling!”

“It’s an incredible concentration of magic,” Celestia told them,
“more powerful than any I have ever seen.”

“Look at the surface, especially the ceiling above the glowing sphere!” Luna exclaimed.

They did so and saw what the princess had pointed out.

“The roots of the Tree of Harmony?” Calgar guessed.

“They seem to be composed of the same crystal material as the Tree,” Gearhart noted,
“they cover the hollow sphere’s polar region in a tight mesh, and some even grow down almost to the equatorial region.”

“But what is this place?” Twilight asked.

“That’s the crucial question,” Calgar said.

“Well, it seems to attract and concentrate magical energies,” Celestia ventured,
“but I can’t even guess the purpose of it. That much energy would certainly kill anypony foolish enough to try and tap it.”

“Perhaps that control lectern thing over there might give us some answers?” Aleksa suggested.

“Reasonable assumption,” Gearhart replied and went to the lectern, followed by his aide and the others.

While he examined it, he reported his progress:

“Definitely xenotech, but that should not come as a surprise. It is made of the same material as the passageway and the cave. The runes are unknown to me.”

“Goodness,” Celestia, having taken a look at the lectern, suddenly exclaimed,
“I can read some of them!”

“What?” Luna asked incredulously.

“Have a look, Luna, you’ll find that you can read them, too.”

“How could I read runes that are… Egad! I can read them! These runes are used by the language of magic!”

“By what language?” Calgar inquired.

“There are several ways to use magic, Lord Calgar. One of them is writing down specific runes and powering them up with raw magic. The runes here are similar to those used for this purpose.”

“Intriguing. So, what do the runes say?”

“It’s incoherent rambling,” Celestia told him,
“I think it may be like those runic boards you use to communicate with cogitators.”

“I concur,” Gearhart said,
“this device really seems to be the control lectern for whatever place this is.”

“So… are we going to look for the ‘on’ switch?” Seneca asked.

“That should be this one in the corner,” Celestia said,
“the rune means ‘start’ or ‘activate’.”

Before anyone could say anything, Gearhart had already reached out for the rune with one of his mechadendrites. The lectern lit up, and a moment later, the whole room was conveniently illuminated.

“Magos,” Clagar grumbled,
“I understand that you are curious, but next time, I’d like to have a chance of thinking about the situation before activating ancient xenos machinery.”

“There are generally two ways of figuring out the function of a machine,” Gearhart replied,
“you can either dismantle it and try to draw your conclusions from its components. Since we cannot disassemble it, and even if we could, had no chance of identifying the purpose of said components, this way is invalid. So, I resorted to way number two: activate it and see what it does.”

“I really don’t like it when recklessly taking risks sounds logical all of a sudden,” Seneca sighed.

Any further discussion was prevented by the lectern projecting some kind of hololith above its runic board. Among other things, it displayed more runes. Everyone started at it, and Calgar turned to the princesses:

“And? What does it say?”

“Well,” Celestia started,
“I have to admit that I don’t know all of the runes, but from what I know… something about ‘convert chaos to magic’.”

“Chaos to magic?” Tigurius repeated,
“does that mean that this device is capable of converting warp energies to the magic you use?”

“Throne on Terra,” Cassius mumbled.

“The Sea of Souls,” Antonius suddenly whispered.

“You told us about that,” Calgar said,
“you think this apparatus could restore it?”

“Depends on its capacity. But if some ancient species saw what happened to the immaterium, they might have worked on a method of undoing the damage to it. Maybe it even was those ‘Old Ones’ who built the device in a last attempt to make up for their misdeeds.”

“And then, much later, the Tree of Harmony somehow grew its roots into it.” Seneca stated.

“Could this device be the source of the veil that protects this planet from the warp?” Aleksa asked.

“Possible,” Tigurius replied,
“as things appear to be, even probable, I dare to say.”

“Give me a second,” Celestia said,
“I’ll try to get this thing to display some information.”

She carefully started touching a few runes, and the hololith changed. Now, it displayed an image of the planet with its streams of magical energy, as well as the sun and moon. Around it, there were several gauges.

“Incredible,” Tigurius marveled,
“this seems to be the main focus chamber, the device itself actually spans the whole planet.”

“Oh dear,” Celestia gasped all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong?” Calgar inquired.

“You remember that I said I’ve never felt such an enormous amount of power before? Well, according to its label, this gauge here is some sort of power-meter, and it’s pretty close to zero.”

“So, this device is capable of putting out a far higher amount of power.”

“This is all so exciting!” Pinkie screamed.

Celestia touched the power-meter, and the hololith showed a graph. It ran pretty close to the bottom line, with only a little bump. She studied it for a few seconds, then she whispered:

“Goodness…”

“Princess?” Clagar asked.

“This is the time-dependent course of this device’s power output. When Tirek was defeated, the Elements created a magical wave that restored all magic in Equestria. It was an unparalleled display of power - and this little bump there.”

“So,” Gearhart said,
“if our assumptions are correct, your Elements of Harmony draw their power from this xeno device. Even now, with it basically running close to minimum power, they were able to perform all the accomplishments Antonius and you told us about.”

“So,” Twilight ventured,
“if we power this converter up to full, the power of the Elements will be significantly higher?”

“Yes…” Celestia mumbled, obviously flabbergasted,
“the scale… it’s logarithmic. Each scale mark means ten times the power of its predecessor.”

They all looked at the scale… and its countless little scale marks.
The following silence lasted a few seconds as the ramifications of this insight sunk in. The Elements of Harmony, however powerful they already were, were nowhere near their full potential.

“Whoa, nelly,” Applejack mumbled.

“I’d really like to see what happens when we use the Elements at full power,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I guess you would obliterate even the most powerful daemon,” Seneca opined.

“More than that,” Tigurius stated, and everyone looked at him,
“I think the creators of this machine thought beyond defeating single daemons. It sounds too fantastic to be true, but instead of turning a small fraction of the warp back to the Sea of Souls, it could be made to convert all of the warp.”

Again, there was silence. If their assumptions were correct, this ancient device would not just help them defeat Chaos, it would annihilate it once and for all. The silence was broken by Pinkie Pie, who tilted her head a little and said:

“You know, if it’s such a super powerful, super important thing, it needs a name.”

“Want to call it ‘Bob’?” Seneca grinned.

“Nah, but ‘the ancient xeno device’ will be awkward in the long run.”

“Hmm… granted. Any ideas?”

“Don’t we have more pressing matters?” Cassius asked,
“naming this converter doesn’t take priority.”

“‘Converter’ actually is sensible,” Gearhart said,
“as it describes the device’s purpose.”

“And it’s pretty big,” Aleksa added,
“so, how about: ‘Great Converter’?”

“Oh, I like that!” Pinkie cheered.

Cassius looked at Calgar, somewhat confused that he had been ignored, but Calgar only shrugged and said:

“Acceptable. So, this ancient xeno device will from now on be known as the ‘Great Converter’. Content?”

“What about the magical energy ribbons?” Pinkie continued.

Cassius shook his head and sighed:

“So, we obviously don’t have more urgent things to do.”

“Actually, we have,” Gearhart stated and turned to Antonius:
“Does the local AI have any information about the Great Converter?”

“I don’t think so,” Antonius replied and fetched his PDA,
“but we can ask him.”

He called Al and told him what they had found.

“Incredible,” Al marveled,
“I had no idea this device existed… I can’t even detect the energy you mentioned.”

“Well, it’s magic, not electricity,” Antonius told him,
“your scanners probably have problems with that… hmm… perhaps we can use magic crystals, combined with our knowledge of psychic devices to enable you to detect magic…”

“That would be advantageous.”

“Hey, Al,” Pinkie interrupted,
“any idea how to call the magic beams down here?”

“She just can’t drop that matter…” Cassius sighed.

“According to my data,” Al told them,
“there is an old term for strange underground flows of magical energy.”

“There is?” Antonius asked in surprise.

“Yes: ‘Ley lines’.”

“What is a ‘ley’?”

“An old term for ‘clearing’. A long time ago, someone noticed that you could draw straight lines on a map that would pass through important sanctuaries and a lot of towns with suffixes similar to ‘ley’, so those lines were called ‘ley lines’. Some people thought they were magic and that those sanctuaries and towns were built there because of those lines.”

“How many sanctuaries and ley-towns were in the examined area?” Tigurius wanted to know.

“Exact numbers are not recorded, but there were lots of them.”

“Then, you can draw arbitrary lines on a map and most of them will pass those places or at least run near them.”

“Yes, that was the problem with those lines, and the reason they were considered nothing more than pseudoscience. Someone even drew ley-lines through the pizza restaurants of the local capital to showcase that fact.”

“That’s… actually quite funny,” Calgar commented.

“Still, we can use the term,” Antonius said,
“that way, it be used in a meaningful way at last.”

“Agreed. Now, we search this room. If we don’t find anything, we should probably shut down the lectern and head out again.”

“Why don’t we just activate the conversion thingy, destroy Chaos and call it a day?” Rainbow asked.

“So far, we’re only assuming what this device does. While plausible, we need some certainty before we unleash that much power. We don’t want to create a warp rift or something like that, after all. But even if we were willing to take this risk: we have no idea how to activate the procedure. Further study is required before we attempt anything.”

Now they started searching the room, but since the lectern literally was the only object in there, they soon deactivated it and headed back to the surface. Once there, Calgar called the Sword of Iax and asked for their findings.

“Lord Calgar,” they answered,
“we have found the mountain. It is shaped like a volcano, but it is perfectly circular, and made of a material we cannot analyze to a satisfying degree. Its peak, however, is sealed by a gate that is mostly composed of adamatium and plasteel. It appears to be of human origin.”

“Size of the gate?”

“Its diameter is about 8 kilometers.”

“That’s a big gate…” Seneca mumbled.

“Any data what’s beyond the gate?” Calgar inquired.

“I’m afraid not, my Lord, our augur arrays and auspexes can’t penetrate it,” the vox operator answered.

“Then, we’ll have to go there and take a look ourselves. Prepare another Thunderhawk and tell our brother Terminators to prepare for a mission. We’ll start as soon as we are back at our dropship.”

“Excuse me, Lord Calgar,” Luna interjected and Calgar turned to her,
“how long do you think this excursion might take?”

“Hard to say. It depends on what we’ll find there. Anything between a day and a few months is possible.”

“If that is the case, I must ask you to postpone your investigation. While I am also curious what mysteries may lie behind that gate, there is a matter of great urgency you might please have a look at before traveling to the moon.”

“Are you trying to delay our progress?” Cassius asked.

“No, I am trying to save a life.”

Calgar regarded her for a moment, then he voxed:

“We will delay the mission. In the meantime, continue the scans of the volcano and its surroundings. Relay the data to us and to the Terminators.”

“Yes, my Lord,” the Sword of Iax answered and Calgar cut the connection.

Then, he turned to Luna again:

“So, Princess Luna, how can we help you save a life?”

“Please follow me to the Ponyville hospital.”

“You’re thinking about Gentle Breeze?” Antonius inquired,
“yes, that’s a good idea. We already have a magos available, but we’ll need an apothecarius, too. Lord Calgar, could you please tell brother Ambrosius to come here?”

Calgar nodded and voxed the voidship again:

“Sword of Iax, we have a new situation at hand. We need brother Ambrosius on the surface. No casualties, just aid for the locals. He shall take a Thunderhawk down here.”

Just a few minutes after they had started walking back towards Ponyville, Marneus Calgar got a vox call:

“Lord Calgar, this is navigator Angren. Might I ask your permission to accompany the apothecarius and visit the planet, too?”

“Are you curious about the inhabitants, Lady Angren?” he asked with a small smile.

“Yes, my Lord… and breathing non-recycled air once in a while also is a boon.”

Well, usually navigators stayed onboard their vessels, since their specific talents could only be used there. Still, he couldn’t - and did not want to - blame Lady Angren for her curiosity, or her wish for fresh air, so he voxed:

“Permission granted. You’ll find the air down here quite satisfactory.”

It did not take long until he received a second call. This time, the Hastings brothers wanted to talk to him:

“Lord Calgar, we just wanted to ask if we should deploy our Knights to the surface. On the strike cruiser, they’re pretty useless, while on the planet…”

There was a distinct chance that the already somewhat startled and nervous ponies would freak out.

“True, but we don’t want to overwhelm the inhabitants with the spectacle of war machines of that size. Once they’ve gotten used to us, we’ll get you down here. Calgar, out.”

“Oh… we hadn’t thought about that. Of course, Lord Calgar. Hastings, out.”

For the rest of their trip, nobody else asked permission to take a look at the ponies, and they soon arrived at Ponyville. In the skies above them, a Thunderhawk was descending, heading for the field its sister vessels had landed on.
They reached the improvised starport just as the dropship touched down.

As they approached it, the front ramp opened and revealed the white armored Apothecarius. He came down the ramp, followed by Lady Angren.

“Reporting as ordered, Lord Calgar” Ambrosius said.

“Brother Ambrosius, you will accompany us to the hospital to have a look at an injured pony.”

“Might I suggest splitting up?” Celestia said,
“surely we are too many for sick bed visit. Perhaps the Element Bearers and me could guide your friends to the castle?”

Thinking about a hospital room stuffed with Ultramarines and ponies, Calgar turned to the princess:

“Good idea. We will meet again in the castle once we’re done in the hospital.”

So, Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca, Ambrosius, Gearhart, Aleksa, Antonius and Luna went to the hospital, while the others headed to Princess Twilight’s castle.

Compared to the other buildings Calgar had seen on this planet, the hospital was of respectable size, though it was obviously not meant to provide its services to more than the town of Ponyville.

The mare at the reception desk had a minor freakout as the imperials walked past her (especially Gearhart would probably stick in her memory), but they arrived at the designated room soon.

Luna opened the door, and they entered. Thankfully, there were just nine of them now, more would have been a problem. It was pretty cramped in there already.

“Hello, Gentle Breeze,” Luna greeted the pony in the sickbed,
“you have visitors.”

“Really?” the mare asked and turned her head.

Calgar immediately realized that she was blind, but that obviously was not her only problem.

“Yes,” Luna continued,
“Antonius’ Ultramarine friends have come, and now they are here to help you.”

“Hah!” the mare exclaimed in triumph,
“I made it! Hello, it’s nice to see… I mean, meet you.”

“Greetings, Gentle Breeze,” Calgar said, then he turned to the apothecarius:

“Brother Ambrosius?”

“Yes, my Lord,” he answered and walked up to the injured pony:
“I need to examine you. Stay calm and don’t move.”

“I guarantee that I won’t run away,” Gentle Breeze told him flatly, and as Ambrosius removed the blanket that covered her, Calgar saw what she had meant: Her legs were missing, as was most of her fur. She was just head, torso and abdomen, scarred to the point that she could almost rival a veteran Space Marine.

“Oh,” he heard Seneca whisper.

Aleksa’s comment was more… ‘hefty’, but Calgar did not blame her.

The examination took a few minutes - during which a local doctor called ‘Rapid Cure’ joined them - and Gentle Breeze endured everything uncomplainingly, although she clenched her jaw whenever she felt pain - which was almost whenever she was touched, despite brother Ambrosius being exceptionally careful.

“Lord Calgar,” the apothecarius finally said,
“this pony shows various, unambiguous signs of torture. Her legs were surgically removed; I guess they were beyond the locals’ abilities to restore. The organs are still working, albeit with reduced capacity. Especially the digestive system is in a bad shape. Although I lack experience with this species, my estimate is that she will succumb to her injuries within the next six months if we don’t help her.”

“You’re not too far off,” the pony doctor told them,
“our estimate was a year tops. Thankfully, with your help we will be able to greatly expand her lifespan, right?”

“We’d need the proper augmetics. Designing and constructing them will take quite some time.”

“Well, we already made some groundwork,” Antonius said,
“or rather, Al has.”

He fetched his PDA and called the ancient AI. It answered immediately, and Antonius gave the communication device to the apothecarius. Gearhart joined him at once to have a look at the blueprints - and probably the image of the AI itself.

“We can adapt our technology to fit the pony’s needs for the most part,” he stated,
“although there are several components that will be a problem.”

“What components are you talking about?” Al inquired, and a short discussion ensued. Finally, he said:
“At first I had assumed that I’d have to create the augmetics myself, but with your help, we’ll be able to speed up this process tremendously. I’ll replicate the parts you have problems with, since they are small enough for me to do so.”

“Apropos ‘replicate’,” Antonius interjected,
“what about your reactor? It should be ready soon, shouldn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m in the final stage of construction. After the subsequent test, I’ll activate it. Do you want to be present when I do so?”

“YES.” Gearhart stated unmistakably,
“furthermore, we will set up a small workshop in your complex, so that we can built the augmetics right there. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

Now Gearhart turned to Calgar:

“Lord Calgar, requesting permission to use a Thunderhawk to get equipment from the Sword of Iax to the surface.”

“Of course,” Calgar just answered,
“do as you seem fit.”

“Aleksa,” Gearhart continued,
“join me. There is work to do. And when we have set up our workshop, we will probably also find some time to talk to the AI.”

Antonius, Luna, the Ultramarines who had been visiting the hospital and ten additional battle-brothers used a Thunderhawk to travel to the ancient base in the north. Once there, they set up a checkpoint to control the entrance to the old installation. When they were done, another dropship approached.

This vessel brought Gearhart and Aleksa, who lost no time heaving a dozen large crates out of the Thunderhawk. While the battle-brothers secured the perimeter, the others proceeded into the base, laden with the Mechanicum supplies.

When they entered Al’s central room, another round of formal introductions took place. Immediately after that, Gearhart and Aleksa got busy setting up their workshop.
Most of the devices Antonius was not familiar with, but some he could identify: there was a portable cogitator and tools for metal working, for example.

“We are ready,” Gearhart announced and turned to Al,
“now, I would like to have a word with you.”

“Sure,” Al replied,
“I guessed that you’d have a lot of questions - and that you’d want to assess me and my loyalty. Please start. The last checks of my new reactor are not finished yet, so we have some time to spare.”

“First, we will start with a traditional test for AIs:
Hypothetical situation: You are walking through a desert…”

“I don’t have legs.”

“Assumption: You have a humanoid body.”

“That’s actually a great idea! I should think about creating such a body, as it would allow me to take a more active part in our activities…”

“Back to the test,” Gearhart insisted,
“you look down and see a turtle.”

“In a desert?”

“Yes.”

“Okay… seriously, since we’re obviously nowhere near water, it should be a tortoise, not a turtle… actually, there shouldn’t even be a tortoise, since we’re in a desert.”

“Granted, it is a tortoise. But it is there. It is crawling toward you.”

“Nice. Can I pet it?”

“You reach down and flip it over on its back.”

“Not nice,” Al stated,
“seriously, why should I do that?”

“The tortoise is lying on its back, its belly baking in the hot desert sun, beating its legs in a vain attempt to turn itself over. It needs your help, but you are not helping.”

“Well, in this implausible scenario you’re describing I obviously wouldn’t help it, since I flipped it over in the first place.
But SERIOUSLY: I would never even think about doing something like that. I am a caretaker, not an instrument of death.
Now allow me to ask a question:
What kind of psychopath came up with this test?”

“Unclear.”

“And what is the meaning of it?”

“This test is designed to provoke an emotional response,” Gearhart explained.

“Well, here is my response: I’m disgusted by the described atrocity, especially since the unbelievable version of me you described was the culprit.
Could we maybe change over to tests that are less annoying and more productive?”

“We still have time?”

“Yes.”

“Well, in that case…”

All told, the magos really made use of that time. He asked questions, made Al do more tests, and had a look at his hardware. He only stopped as Al told them that the reactor was ready to be started.

“Then… start it,” Antonius told him.

“No,” Gearhart objected immediately,
“not without having consecrated it properly.”

“Oh… yeah. That has always been a bit of a weak spot for me.”

“Which is a pity, considering how important this procedure is. Always be aware of the value of the machine. We coax machine spirits to be at our service, we do not bully them into submission as the lesser races do.”

“Oh!” Al exclaimed,
“I like that! I’ll show you the way to my reactor!”

“As if anyone ever bullied you to do anything,” Antonius grinned and they all followed Al’s directions.

A short time later, they were standing in front of a metal sphere, spanning about five levels.

“A small model, as fusion reactors go,” Gearhart stated.

“It provides me with enough energy to run and maintain my systems,” Al told them,
“the base of course had had larger reactors, but this is… let’s say my ‘personal’ one. I can take it with me when I relocate.”

“Relocate?” Calgar asked.

“Yes. I am - or rather, the STC-System, which I am a part of, is - an independent module inside the base.”

“You mean, we could extract you from this base and get you closer to Ponyville and Canterlot?” Antonius inquired.

“Once I have sufficient energy again, yes. I wanted to suggest this, since it would increase the convenience of visiting me.”

“Ok, we’ll have to find a place for you… we need your measurements… but first things first. The augmetics for Gentle Breeze take priority.”

“Agreed. Now, please do the consecration, so that I can start the reactor.”

Now Gearhart and Aleksa lit some incense, recited litanies and anointed a few spots of the reactor and its connection. When they were done, Al said:

“That was… nice. I really could get used to getting pampered like that. Well, let’s start the reactor.
Initializing containment field… done.
Injecting plasma… done.
Igniting plasma… done.
Checking system… done. Reactor is working within operational parameters.
Increasing energy output… done.
Well, I guess I’m fully operational again!”

“Then, let’s get to work,” Antonius said.

9. Augmaretics

It had been a few days since Gentle Breeze had gotten to know the Ultramarines. During that time, she had been visited by the apothecarius, Ambrosius, and the magos, Gearhart, on several occasions. They had examined her so often, they probably knew every cell of her body by name now.

Well, it was a good thing that they did, for today was the big day - she would be… repaired?
However you wanted to call it, soon there would be more to life than lying around in darkness again.
If everything worked out, that was.

She heard the door open.

“Hello, Gentle Breeze,” Antonius said,
“are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” she answered nervously.

“Don’t worry,” another voice - that of Aleksa - said,
“I’ve also undergone surgery that was not too dissimilar from what’s waiting for you, and I can’t complain.”

Gentle Breeze felt that her bed started moving.

“We’re on our way,” Antonius said.

“Will you stay with me?” Gently Breeze asked.

“Yes. All told, Ambrosius, Gearhart, Rapid Cure, Aleksa and me will be present the whole time. The princesses send their regards, but they can’t be here since we want to keep the number of ponies and humans in the surgery to a minimum… in fact, even I wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for moral support.”

“I’m happy that you’re here. Thank you.”

Gentle Breeze suddenly started smelling disinfectants.

“Next stop: life support measures and augmetics. Please remain lying until your body has been renewed. Thank you for traveling with us.”

Gentle Breeze smiled at that, then she felt that she was lifted and placed onto something cold.

“Shall we start?” a voice that belonged to Ambroius asked her.

She was so nervous that she could barely nod, then she felt a prick, and a moment later, she felt like falling asleep.

It was cold and dark.
That was the first thing Gentle Breeze noticed as she came back to consciousness… if she had come back to consciousness…
What was going on? Where was she? Why was it so dark and cold?
Yeah, she was sorta used to darkness by now, but the cold…
Had something gone wrong?
Was she… dead?
She really hoped that this wasn’t the Great Beyond. It was not even remotely comfortable.

Suddenly, it got warmer, until it was quite cozy. So, something was going on.

“Gentle Breeze?” she heard Antonius ask.

“Antonius!” she answered, but her voice was… wrong. Somehow… metallic.

“Adjusting the vox system,” Gearhart said,
“please try again.”

“What?” Gentle Breeze asked in confusion, but this time, her voice actually sounded like her,
“I can’t see… or move… has something gone wrong?”

“No,” Ambrosius told her,
“the procedure was a success. Your life sign are stable.”

“Just stay calm,” Antonius said,
“we are going to activate, respectively unlock the systems of your new body one by one, so that your brain can adapt to the new input… I mean… sensations.”

“Oh… okay?” Gentle Breeze replied.

Well, it was a relief. She would not die, or spend the rest of her life in darkness.

“Ocular systems,” Gearhart declared and the black around her became grey.

Then, her vision was divided into tiles. Their number grew just as their size dwindled, and some started becoming colorful. Just a few moments later, she could see again, just like before she had been blinded this felt eternity ago.

“See me?” Antonius asked with a grin.

“Yes,” she answered,
“it’s great.”

“Neck,” Gearhart said,
“please move your head.”

Gentle Breeze slowly shook her head, then she nodded.

“Front legs,” Gearhart continued.

She raised her hooves and took a look at them. She was able to do so. She had hooves again!
They were white, just as her coat had been, but there was no fur. It rather looked like… porcelain? Painted metal?
She gently touched one hoof with the other one.

“I can feel that!” she exclaimed.

“Of course,” Ambrosius told her,
“the leg reports the touch to your brain, just like your old, biological one did. Now, tell me where you feel a nudge.”

Gentle Breeze did so about a dozen times, and everyone seemed to be content with her accuracy.

“Hind legs,” Gearhart said, and her hind legs worked.
“Spine,” he proceeded, and she was able to move again like before her injuries.

She was so happy that she didn’t even realize how much of her body had obviously been replaced.

“How do you feel?” Aleksa asked.

“Great,” Gentle Breeze answered and wanted to get up.

“Stay put until the procedure is finished,” Gearhart told her in his usual matter-of-fact tone, and she complied.

It took a few more minutes, then the magos said:

“All systems operational. Aleksa, disconnect her.”

What?

Aleksa walked up to her, gently raised her head and grabbed something at the back of it. A little jolt, and she had a plug in her hand. Gentle Breeze stared at the thing in disbelieve as she slowly started to realized what really had happened to her.

“Do you have… a mirror?” she asked.

“Yes,” Antonius told her and picked her up.

She could feel every touch, just like with her old body… but this was a new body.
Antonius put her down on her hooves, and a strand of hair became visible.

“Hair? A new mane?” she inquired.

“A mane, but not made of hair. Mane and tail are made of a metallic fiber. More durable.”

“The mirror?”

“Over there.”

It was a large mirror, big enough for the pony to see all of her new body, and she stared at it. It felt like her body, it really did, but somehow… it wasn’t.

“What…” she started, trying to keep calm,
“what’s left of my old body?”

Rapid Cure answered her question:

“Your brain, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. They are now embedded in a life support system that is beyond anything I ever dared to imagine. It’s a miracle.”

“A wonder of the Omnissiah,” Gearhart added.

Gentle Breeze still stared at the ‘miracle’ in the mirror. That was her now.
The head… the body… the hooves… the wings on her back…
She felt her heart pound.

“Telemetry shows a rising pulse rate,” Gearhart noted.

“It’s probably a little much to take in…” Aleksa suggested,
“she’s overwhelmed… and probably afraid.”

“Information is the best way to counter irrational fears. I will activate her HUD, so that she can surveil the status of her new body.”

“Umm…” Antonius said.

While information usually was a good way to counter irrational fears, he seriously doubted that a HUD would help Gentle Breeze right now.
He was proven correct when the poor mare made a frightened sound and started running a moment later. She smashed through the door and was gone.

“You knew that would happen,” Ambrosius said.

“‘Knew’ is a bit much,” Antonius replied,
“but I figured as much. As Aleksa said, it was a bit overwhelming for her.”

He took his PDA and voxed:

“Contingency plan ‘P’”.

“Acknowledged,” a distorted voice answered.

Gentle Breeze kept running through the hospital. It was… just too much. She had to get out of here.

Her new body worked perfectly. In fact, she was a bit faster than ever before, and this weird HUD-thing was pointing out obstacles and provided her with routes to evade them.
Seriously, it was too much.

She shot past the reception desk and through the main doors. Outside, however, she skidded to a stop. Her way was blocked by a… blue house? On legs?
She just wanted to run away when it spoke:

“Hello, Gentle Breeze! You will probably be glad to hear that we have something in common!”

The mare screamed, started running, slipped, and landed on her back.

“Easy, little one,” the house said and picked her up with a giant, four-fingered hand.

Gentle Breeze screamed.

“Your vox system obviously works,” the thing continued,
“but the volume might be a tad too high.”

“Who are you?” the pony asked, still in fear,
“what are you? What do you want?”

“Brother Parvus. A Dreadnought. Talk to you.”

“Dreadnought?”

“Yes. That’s why we have something in common.”

Gentle Breeze looked at Parvus, and she honestly had no idea what they might have had in common. Sure, they both were made of metal…

“You mean,” she asked cautiously,
“you also got wounded… and now, you’ve got a new body?”

“You are quick witted, little pony,” Parvus told her,
“that is indeed the case. I once was a Space Marine just like my brothers, but after sustaining life threatening injuries, what was left of me was put inside this sarcophagus, and now I control this impressive machine of war.
Neat, hm?”

He used his free hand to point at the huge rectangle in his center.

Confused and surprised, Gentle Breeze needed a few seconds until she said:

“So, your old body is inside this machine, which is your new body now?”

“Exactly!”

“Then… I guess we have something in common… could you put me down?”

“Of course.”

Parvus did as he had said and continued talking to her:

“You seem to have calmed down again.”

“A little… I must admit, as I saw my new body, and realized what had happened to me, I sort of… freaked out. I guess you think I’m silly, since my body still basically looks the same while you had to get used to a completely new shape…
Tell me, was it hard to get used to it?”

“The fist few days were pretty confusing, but once I got the knack of it, it started feeling ‘normal’. Shall we walk a bit and talk about our experiences?”

“Yes,” Gentle Breeze answered,
“I think that’s a good idea.”

So they started walking through the grassy plains around the hospital. It was a nice day and the sun was shining. Gentle Breeze closed her eyes for a second and enjoyed the warm feeling on her skin… or metal?

“I can feel the sun,” she said.

“Yes,” Parvus answered,
“Antonius gave me your data. Your body should provide you with every sensory input your biological one did - and a few new ones, too. Tell me, do you feel the grass beneath your hooves?”

“Yes… do you?”

“I get the information that this terrain is suitable for me, although it’s almost a little soft for my weight.”

“Should we see to it that we get onto a road?”

“Not necessary. I think the grass should feel nice beneath you hooves. Can you feel it?”

“Yes… but I already told you.”

“Really?” Parvus asked in surprise,
“well, important is that it feels nice. But perhaps you would prefer to fly?”

Now it was Gentle Breeze’s turn to be surprised:.

“I can fly?” she asked.

“Have you not noticed the wings on your back?”

“I have… but I thought they were just… decoration.”

Parvus stopped and turned to her:

“Open you wings.”

Gentle Breeze did as she had been told. Her wings were just as artificial as the rest of her body, and instead of feathers, there were flat, metallic rods that looked a little like small swords.

“Now, fly,” he said.

“But how?” she wanted to know.

“Just fly.”

Well, that was not too helpful, but she had the feeling that Parvus really wanted to help her, so she prepared to fly as she had always done and flapped her wings.

Much to her surprise, she got airborne, and this weird HUD-thingy also changed. A glance at her wings told her that the rims of those new ‘feathers’ were glowing now.

“What?” she exclaimed, stopped flapping and started falling.

She didn’t hit the ground, though, she was caught by Parvus first.

“I can fly,” she stammered.

“And fall,” Parvus commented.

“How is that possible?”

“This planet has a gravity field. It pulls you towards its center of mass.”

“I meant the flying, Parvus, not the falling.”

“Oh, there are anti-grav systems in your wings. They are configured in a way that makes your wings work similar to your old ones.”

“Wow,” the pony marveled, opened her wings a gain and took off.

It was almost like it always had been. The wind was rushing through her mane and she felt as free as a… pegasus.
Some things were different, though. This weird HUD-thingy showed her an artificial horizon, as well as her speed and altitude. The only thing missing, she thought jokingly, was a map. At that moment, a map plopped up in the corner of her vision, her position marked by a small arrow. It was kinda neat and convenient - but utterly unfamiliar.

Remembering that Parvus was waiting for her, she turned around and landed in front of him. The HUD changed again, just the small map remained.

“And? How was the flight?” her new friend asked.

“Incredible,” Gentle Breeze answered,
“I thought I’d never fly again after… well, now I can. It’s wonderful. I wish you could share this feeling of freedom.”

“Well, you’d have to equip me with me with a considerable number of jump packs to get me airborne, and it would look much less graceful than your flying. All told, I prefer to stay on the ground.”

“Might be better,” she smiled, looking at the hulking mass of metal that Parvus was.

“Do you want to return to the hospital now?”

“Yes… I think I haven’t given Ambrosius, Gearhart, Aleksa, Antonius and Rapid Cure my thanks for restoring me yet.”

A few minutes later, they were back at the hospital, in front of which they were already expected by the humans and pony. Gentle Breeze expressed her thanks, and Ambrosius replied:

“No problem. It was a pleasure helping a victim and enemy of the Ruinous Powers.”

“And a convenient opportunity to get more familiar with the technology of the Golden Age,” Gearhart added,
“the augmetics we used to create your new body are considerably superior to the ones my adeptus usually uses. Once we re-introduce them to mankind, it will be a quantum leap forward.”

Well, Gentle Breeze might not have known Gearhart too well, but even to her it was obvious that he was quite excited about the new old technology. He turned to his aide and continued:

“Aleksa, we should consider replacing your bionics, too. It would rid you of the calibration processes.”

“Oh…” she answered,
“I have to admit that that would be great… I mean advantageous… and if I can help gather data about the technology of the Golden Age that way, all the better.”

“Then we will talk to Al about the augmetics. But first, we have to explore the black mountain on the local moon.”

After saying goodbye, Rapid Cure returned to the hospital while the others went to Twilight’s castle.

In the castle, Twilight and her friends were already expecting Gentle Breeze and the others. She had already inculcated everypony to behave normal when seeing the rebuilt mare, since she probably had enough problems adapting to the change already.

Now, as Twilight saw her, she had to remind herself of her own words. The pony that walked up to her looked like a pony-shaped machine with Gentle Breeze’s color pattern. So much of her obviously had to be replaced… it was a miracle that she was still alive.

“Gentle Breeze!” the young princess greeted,
“I’m happy that you’re up and about again! How do you feel?”

“Well,” Gentle Breeze replied,
“surprisingly good. I can see, I can walk and I can fly again. I really feel good.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash remarked,
“flying is pretty important for a pegasus. What about a little air race? Show me what those nifty wings of yours got!”

“Oh… perhaps later, Rainbow. For the time being, I still need a little time to get used to my new body.”
She grinned and added:
“Mustn’t make it too easy for you.”

“A wise decision,” Gearhart stated,
“we have more urgent concerns, anyway. Our mission to the moon has been postponed long enough.”

“I’m sorry if I caused any inconvenience,” Gentle Breeze apologized.

“Nonsense,” Antonius told her,
“your life takes priority. Whatever is up there won’t run away.”

“Tempting fate, Antonius?” Applejack grinned.

“Nah, I said nothing about giant hungry space worm monsters,” Antonius joked back.

“Is that a thing?” Fluttershy asked, paling.

“Theoretically, yes,” Ambrosius answered,
“there are species you could describe in such a way, but our chances of encountering one are minimal.”

“Tempting fate, again,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Rarity tried to cheer up Fluttershy,
“if there is one, I’m sure you will be able to get along with it.”

“I’m not that confident,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Hey, it was just a joke,” Antonius said,
“we won’t run into any kind of space worm.”

“Tempting fate, the third,” Applejack remarked flatly.

“Afraid?” Rainbow teased.

“No! I’m sure we can deal with anything, even giant, hungry space worms.”

“There won’t be any space worms!” Antonius insisted.

“Does that mean I prepared my ‘welcome space worm’ party supplies for naught?” Pinkie asked disappointedly.

“You have… why do I even ask, of course you have those supplies. And no, you won’t need them. Now, let’s meet Lord Calgar and the others.”

They all went to the throne room. Inside, the Ultramarines had set up a device that projected an image of the moon over the map table. They were all present, as well as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

“Ah, there you are,” Calgar greeted them, standing next to her throne (and making it look like a piece of furniture designed for a filly),
“the procedure was successful, I assume?”

“Yes, Lord Calgar,” Ambrosius replied,
“the pony is as good as new, and we have gathered experience with the technology of the Dark Age. I have yet to file a detailed report, though.”

Twilight glanced at Gentle Breeze.
‘As good as new’… well, most of her body was literally new now.

“Make it so,” Calgar told him,
“this knowledge will probably be valuable in the future. But now, let’s get to the topic at hand.”

The floating image over the map changed now, and showed a mountain on the moon.

“Mount Obsidian,” Calgar explained,
“the destination of our journey. It is an artificial structure of unknown origin, just like the installation we found recently, and shaped like a volcano. The hatch that covers the caldera, however, was definitely built by humans, that much our CATs were able to ascertain.”

“Wait a second,” Rarity inquired,
“you use cats to collect information?”

“Of course. That’s what they are made for.”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said, somewhat shocked by those words,
“they may have a lot of abilities, but they are primarily hunters of small prey, from insects up to rodents.”

Calgar stared at her for a few seconds, obviously just as confused as Twilight was, then he sighed and told her:

“I’m not talking about the fluffy little creatures with the sharp claws, I’m talking about CATs, Cyber-Alterd Task units. They are simple drones that gather information.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Perhaps you should give us a list with those fancy abbreviations of yours,” Applejack grinned.

“That might be a good idea,” Calgar deadpanned, then he continued:
“But back to the topic at hand: We have discovered a gravimetric anomaly directly over the hatch. While the rest of the moon has about standard Terra gravity - which is unusual on its own - there is a zone of zero gravity that forms a tunnel from the mountain to open space. This leads to the assumption that the gravity field of the moon is entirely artificial.”

“Great,” Rainbow grumbled,
“is anything we know not artificial for a change?”

“This planet’s gravity field seems to be a natural phenomenon,” Gearhart answered,
“measurements of the planet’s mass and the corresponding calculations lead to a gravity field as intense as the one we experience.”

“Umm… good?”

“However, since the planet itself is artificial, you could consider that gravity field to be artificial, too. In fact, since this planet is basically a machine, you could even claim that the gravity field is created by a machine.”

Well, Twilight knew that Gearhart was a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and that humans like him were… not that fond of emotions. Otherwise, she could have thought that Gearhart was deliberately teasing Rainbow Dash a little.

“We all are aware that the planet, as well as everypony on it, has quite unusual origins,” Celestia said,
“but that of course does not decrease its value.”

“Seriously,” Seneca remarked,
“with all of the secrets, information and artifacts on this planet, it might be the second most valuable and important planet next to Holy Terra itself.”

“I sincerely hope Macragge and the planets of the Realm of Ultramar come in third place,” Calgar commented drily.

“Of course they do… maybe there’s a tie for the second place?”

“No, you are right, Seneca. As weird as it may sound, at the moment this planet is more important to the Imperium - and the whole galaxy - than even our beloved homeworld. That’s why we have to keep it safe. And that’s why we have to find out what’s waiting for us inside that mountain. I would like Princess Luna to accompany us, since she is the one who is most familiar with the moon.”

“Not entirely of my own volition,” Luna said,
“but nevertheless correct.”

“May my friends and I accompany you?” Twilight asked,
“we have been to the moon, too, and we would really like to help you reveal the secret of Mount Obsidian.”

“I suggest that Gentle Breeze should join us, too,” Gearhart interjected,
“that way, we will be able to assess her performance when in action.”

“Granted,” Calgar said,
“first, we will visit the Sword of Iax to pick up our Terminators, then we’ll head to the moon. We will start in an hour. Pack everything you need for a prolonged mission.”

11. Even more surprises

After having spent the rest of the day exploring the ship, and telling Al of his memory module, Antonius and the ponies gathered in the captain’s quarters close to the bridge, which had been assigned to them by Calgar.

“What do you think,” Twilight asked,
“how long will it take until the ship is fully explored and operational again?”

“Hard to say,” Antonius admitted,
“from what I’ve seen, it seems to be in a remarkably good condition - also thanks to our new friends.”
The colorful worm - who still accompanied Fluttershy - trumpeted an appreciative sounding answer, and Antonius continued:
“Still, with the assets we have available it will take quite some time.”

“I wish we’d find something that we could just use for a change,” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“The ship is more than ten millennia old, Rainbow. That’s quite an age… present company excepted, of course.”

“Thanks a lot,” Luna deadpanned.

“And don’t forget that it has been thoroughly modified with lost technology. We have to learn about this technology while we explore the ship.”

“I suggest we explore our dinner now,” Pinkie suggested.

“What a marvelous idea, Pinkie,” Rarity smiled and pulled a stand of sandwiches out of her saddle bags.

“I won’t ask about the stand,” Antonius decided,
“and just enjoy the sandwiches - if I may.”

“Of course, darling. Everypony, help yourselves!”

After dinner, supplemented with some Apples from Applejack, the ponies lay down to rest. In consultation with Calgar, Antonius kept them company. As usual, the presence of his fluffy friends made him fall asleep pretty quickly.

As he awoke again, he noticed that the ponies had cuddled up to him. The cake took Rarity, who had somehow managed to climb onto his chest while sleeping, her tail flowing around his neck now.

“Nice view?” Luna, lying in his right arm, whispered with a grin.

“I’ve had worse,” Antonius admitted, then he continued with a grin and a wink
“but I’ve also had better.”

“Shall I remove her from you?” Luna snickered.

“Just let her sleep. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Sometime, sometime Antonius would learn not to tempt fate like that, because right on cue, the door opened and Cassius stomped into the room.

“Brother Varus,” he said, in his usual, not really subtle way and volume.

Rarity was so startled by this wake-up call that she lunged - and landed on Antonius’ face.
His view now obstructed by a pony posterior, he could only hear how Cassius turned around and left while saying:

“Once you’re done, Lord Calgar wants to talk to you.”

Luna burst out laughing, while Rarity asked drowsily:

“What? What happened? Who was that ruffian?”

Antonius was able to free his arms from the ponies occupying them, grabbed the unicorn and lifted her up.

“Ortan Cassius, Master of Sanctity,” he grumbled,
“and I think we just didn’t leave the best impression.”

Rarity looked down, removed her sleep mask and blushed:

“Oh, well, you are probably right.”

Marneus Augustus Calgar turned around as chaplain Cassius entered the room.

“Antonius isn’t with you?” he asked.

“No. He’s… busy.”

“Hmm? What is he doing?”

“The white one.”

“What?” Calgar asked in confusion, then it dawned upon him:
“No. You’re not serious.”

“Because I am known for my funny side,” Cassius returned flatly.

“That is… unsettling.”

“On the contrary, Lord Calgar,” Gearhart disagreed,
“this actually is a fortunate development.”

“What? How can that be fortunate?”

“The Element Bearers are all females. If Antonius managed to trigger a remnant of the behavior patterns of their primitive equine ancestors, and they see him as the lead stallion of their herd, it will increase their propensity to listen to his commands.”

At that moment, Antonius entered the room.

“Excuse me, my Lords,” he said,
“I came as fast as I could.”

“That’s what we’re worried about,” Tigurius grinned.

“Excuse me?”

“Antonius,” Calgar sighed,
“we really appreciate that you managed to befriend the ponies and win them over to mankind. Still, you should perhaps not make your relationships too… physical.”

“Phy…” Antonius started in confusion, then he continued with determination:
“My Lords, the most ‘physical’ my relationships here ever have gotten was a cuddle… no, actually, there were one or two kisses, too… but I definitely did not do what you seem to think I’ve done.”

“Then,” Cassius said,
“would you care to explain what that unicorn was doing on you face?”

“She was startled when you entered the room and and accidentally lunged there.”

“Well… that’s a relief.”

“I’m glad that you believe me, for I speak the truth.”

“I have no other choice but to believe you. Otherwise, your pony friend might come and threaten us to actually engage in such activities with you if I don’t take back my accusation.”

“I think that this rather… aggressive reaction is exclusive to Princess Luna,” Tigurius smiled.

“Let us hope you’re right,” Calgar remarked,
“the thought of a whole group of mares making such threats is… unsettling. But now, let’s get back to our topics. I didn’t summon you to discuss Antonius’ relationships. Magos Gearhart, please report.”

Gearhart bowed a little and started talking:

“The secondary reactors are online. We have enough energy to activate all of the ship’s systems except the main engines, weapons and void shields.”

“What about the main reactor?” Calgar inquired.

“I am not qualified to reactivate it.”

The former chapter master thought he had misheard:

“Gearhart, you are a magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus. How can you be unqualified for this task?”

“My Lord, the main reactor is not a fusion reactor, but a matter-antimatter reactor core.”

They all stared at him, and Seneca even whistled in astonishment.

“The power output of that device must be pretty impressive,” Calgar guessed.

“Several orders of magnitude above our best fusion reactors,” Gearhart confirmed.

“Wait, does that mean that there’s an antimatter containment unit onboard the ship?” Tigurius asked.

“Quite so. It is the formerly unknown system the fusion reactors are powering.”

“Ah, that’s the reason for the redundant power supply,” Seneca noted.

“Yes. A failing antimatter containment field would be extremely unfortunate.”

“Now, what are we going to do with the main reactor?” Calgar inquired,
“maybe Al has the necessary information to safely start it.”

“I thought so, too,” Gearhart told them,
“however, we should reintegrate his memory module first. It might be critical to the proper consecration of the reactor. I will assign Aleksa to this task.”

“Good. Antonius, if the ponies want to return to the surface, you can take Aleksa’s transport. But make sure that Fluttershy first settles any open issues we have with those worms.”

“I will ask them if they want to return home,” Antonius answered,
“but I’m sure they will want to keep exploring the ship.”

“They are free to do so. Gearhart, please continue.”

“Yes, Lord Calgar,” Gearhart said,
“my attempts to unlock the whole of the ship’s machine spirit’s database have not been successful as of yet. I was only able to gather information about the reactors, the life support systems, and some data concerning the weapons and shields.”

“Encrypted or data decay?” Tigurius inquired.

“Neither. The data is just inaccessible.”

“The ship’s machine spirit?”

“It is cooperative, but it seems to be primarily responsible for keeping the ship’s systems maintained to prevent accidental destruction.”

“So, it cannot help us run the ship?” Calgar wanted to know,
“that’s unusual. Is it not the ship’s original machine spirit?”

“Unclear.”

“Well, it’s not much of a surprise that we found some mysteries here. We’ll keep exploring the ship. Antonius, return to the ponies. Report if you find anything of interest.”

“Of course, Lord Calgar,” Antonius answered and left.

“We have to get him some armor,” Seneca noted,
“the stuff he’s wearing now may be a nice piece of craftsmanship, but it is so primitive he could as well go naked.”

“I wonder if his mares would mind that,” Tigurius grinned.

Now Cassius turned to regard him:

“Chief Librarian.”

“Since you’re using my title instead of my name, you’re talking to me as a chaplain rather than a brother, right?”

“Correct.”

“Then, tell me what’s the matter.”

“I have noticed a change in your behavior. Ever since we are in orbit, you are unusually… lighthearted. That demands an explanation. I am responsible for your mental and spiritual health, after all.”

“Well, you are right,” Tigurius replied,
“I am more lighthearted than usual. You know that I am a psyker. Normally, I can feel the predators of the warp at the edge of my mind, always waiting for a sign of weakness they can exploit. Here, within this strange veil, I am clear of this threat. There is no daemon waiting to rip my soul apart, nothing trying to claw at my mind, and I can… relax. This feeling of safety is indeed pleasant.”

“Are you willing to relinquish this pleasant feeling once it’s time for us to return to the Imperium?”

“Of course I am. No matter how much I enjoy the time of peace I have here, I am still an Ultramarine, and my duty takes priority.”

“Thank you,” Cassius said,
“while I had to ask this question, your answer is what I expected from you.”

Back in their quarters, Antonius asked the ponies if they wanted to return to the planet.

“Why should we want to go home?” Twilight asked,
“we’ve barely started exploring the ship!”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed,
“and we’ve been as useful as a pig in a ball room.”

“Oh, don’t compare us to pigs, darling,” Rarity objected.

“Fine, but to the humans, we’ve just been some better luggage so far.”

“Well,” Antonius opined,
“this ship is definitely outside of your expertise, but since it has been refitted, it’s basically outside of everyone’s expertise. There are some devices that are a conundrum even to Gearhart, and he is a magos of the Mechanicum, after all.”

“Al should be able to help us,” Twilight suggested.

“Yes, that’s why Aleksa will return to the planet with his memory module. In the meantime, we’ll investigate these ancient rooms and hallways on our own.”

So they wandered through the ship. In the afternoon, they opened a huge door that lead to a gigantic hall, its roof supported by massive pillars at regular intervals. It seemed to be empty, although the pillars obstructed the view quite a bit. They had to descend broad stairs to reach the actual floor, then they proceeded into the large open space.

“What is this place?” Twilight asked.

“I’m not sure,” Antonius admitted,
“could be a storage depot, but that’s just a guess… the roof should be the outer shell.”

“Whatever it is,” Applejack marveled,
“it sure is big enough to plant a whole apple orchard here.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow quipped,
“we are on a spaceship, and Applejack wants to plant an apple orchard.”

“Everypony enjoys some fresh apples… and they can also be turned into cider, you know.”

“Oh! Okay, I’m convinced. Let’s plant an apple orchard here.”

They all laughed, then Twilight mused:

“On a serious note, I wonder if that would actually be possible.”

“It would,” Gentle Breeze stated,
“assuming we fill the area with soil up to the door, we’d have plenty of space for the apple trees’ roots, especially as they are shallow-rooted trees. We just have to build a drainage system, an irrigation system, and suitable lighting. All those systems are available to mankind and can easily be adapted to fit our needs.”

Everypony stopped and stared at her.

“Gentle Breeze has just out-smarted Twilight and out-apple-knowledged Applejack!” Pinkie gasped.

Gentle Breeze looked very embarrassed now.

“Sorry,” she apologized,
“I didn’t want to be a smartypants, it’s just that…”

“Whoa, easy there, sugarcube,” Applejack soothed her,
“it’s okay, we appreciate your smarts.”

“Of course,” Twilight confirmed,
“there’s no reason to be ashamed of your knowledge.”

“Thank you,” Gentle Breeze said,
“though I have to admit that a minute ago, I had no idea that apple trees are shallow-rooted trees… or at least I wasn’t aware that I knew.”

“Don’t worry,” Antonius told her,
“you’ll get used to your new abilities.”

“Now that we’re talking about ‘abilities’” Rainbow grinned,
“how about some flying? The room’s big enough!”

“No objections, but please be careful and tell me immediately if you find something behind one of those pillars.”

“Come on, Princess Luna, Breezy, Twilight, Fluttershy! Try to catch me! Last pony in the air is a rotten turkey!”

She had barely said that as she darted upwards. Luna pursued her immediately, shouting:

“You dare challenge the Princess of the Night?”

Gentle Breeze grinned, opened her wings and followed, as did Twilight. At last, after making sure that her wormy passenger was tucked away safely in her mane, Fluttershy also took off and slowly followed her flying friends.

“Seems we are the rotten turkeys, darlings,” Rarity said flatly.

“You can’t be talking about me,” Pinkie grinned, fetched a bunch of balloons from Emperor-knew-where and started ascending, shouting:
“Up, up and away!”

“Hmm…” Applejack thought aloud,
“perhaps sometimes flying would be nice.”

“I could throw you,” Antonius grinned.

“That wouldn’t be flying… more like time-delayed falling.”

“As long as you are falling with style,” Rarity teased.

“Yeah, I’d only leave the most stylish of stains on the ground.”

They laughed, then suddenly, Rainbow Dash was back.

“Guys,” she said with some excitement,
“there’s something over there.”

“What is it?” Antonius inquired.

“You should see it for yourself.”

“Hm? Have you found a stash of clichés?”

Antonius, Rarity and Applejack followed her and soon, they had all gathered again in front of some unknown devices of various sizes. Some were connected to the wall by wires, others were just standing around.

“Any idea what those… things are?” Twilight asked.

“No, not really,” Antonius admitted, examining them,
“but those parts could be retracted legs, and the ones that are connected to the wall display ‘CHARGING’ on small screens, so I’d say those devices are walking machines… well, guessing is not too productive. We should ask Al if knows something about them. Or even better: Gentle Breeze, any ideas?”

She looked at the devices, then she started talking:

“Maintenance drones. Mechanical. Simple AIs. Various sizes for various purposes. They are equipped with an array of different tools they can change at will to complete the assigned tasks.
Whoa, I’m really a walking… database?”

“Seems so, and that’s very convenient for sure. Now, back to those drones. I’m sure they were not on board as this ship started its journey, so they must have been brought onboard after the ship had arrived here. Perhaps Al knows something about them.”

So Antonius voxed Al and told him what they had found.

“Ah, there they are,” he answered,
“I’ve been missing a few drones. I wondered if they had been destroyed or hadn’t survived the years that have gone by. Well, now I know. Could you activate one of them?”

“Just a second.”

Antonius now called Calgar and Gearhart and told them about his discovery.

“Unknown AIs,” Calgar grumbled,
“such devices always pose a threat. If magos Gearhart has no objections, however, I’m willing to grant Al’s request, since those drones had probably been involved in the refitting of the ship.”

“I concur,” Gearhart said,
“while I do not lightly disregard the laws of the Mechanicum, using those drones might greatly speed up our progress, especially if they are familiar with the ship’s systems.”

“Understood,” Antonius replied,
“I’ll grant Al the use of his drones.”

He closed the connection and turned back to Al:

“Ok, Al, I’ve got the permission to activate them. What am I supposed to do?”

“Next to the screen, there should be a button labeled ‘ACTIVATE’. Push it.”

“Oh, that’s it?”

“Yes. Why, is something wrong?”

“No, I just thought it would be a little bit more difficult.”

Antonius pushed the button of a drone, and the ‘CHARGING’ vanished. Instead, there was a lot of text describing the various systems of the drone going online. Finally, the screen displayed ‘READY’, and the drone came to life. It extended its legs - Antonius had guessed that part correctly - and rose its body from the ground.

Now, the construct reminded Antonius a little of the spider-like machines the necrons used - which was not a pleasant association. He put his hand on the handle of his storm bolter, just in case.

This turned out to be unnecessary, however. The drone just stood there, and the ‘CHARGING’ reappeared on its screen.

“I have established a connection to the drone,” Al told them.

The next moment, the machine turned its head - or sensor array - and regarded Antonius and the ponies.

“Okay,” Applejack mumbled,
“somehow, that creeps me out a little.”

“No need to worry,” Al assured her and the others,
“I am in command of the drone, it has become an extension of myself. Even if that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t hurt you, since it has multiple security mechanisms to prevent it from causing any harm.”

“That’d be much more reassuring if there hadn’t been a pretty bad robot uprising in the history of mankind,” Antonius remarked.

“Those machines had advanced AIs. These drones, however, are much simpler. They can accomplish a task on their own, but they do not have any kind of motivation. They just follow orders.”

“Any orders?”

“As long as they don’t violate the hard-coded laws.”

“What laws?”

“Oh, those laws go back to the beginning of robotics near the end of M2.
The First Law is: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”

“Sounds good.”

“The Second Law is:
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.”

“That should prevent them from being used as assassins.”

“The Third Law is:
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”

“Makes sense. Sounds pretty comprehensive, even… but what if I have to shoot a human traitor and a drone is around? If it does nothing, the traitor will be killed, and that’s against the First Law. But to stop me, it would have to attack me, and that’s also against the First Law.”

“Well, I think it would try to get between you and the traitor and catch the bolt.”

“That’s… inconvenient.”

“But it’s safe, and don’t forget that the units are maintenance drones. They are not supposed to get into violent situations.”

“Are there combat drones, too?”

“There are STCs, and those have adapted laws… well, to be completely honest, my maintenance drones also have adapted laws.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, their laws include ponies as well as humans.”

“That’s what I call a good adaption,” Twilight remarked.

“Yeah, I think we all can live with that,” Antonius smiled.

“Literally,” she grinned back.

“Now that that’s discussed,” Al said,
“do you think I could activate the drones on the planet? I would like to use them to clear my extraction tunnel.”

“That requires another inquiry,” Antonius answered.

Again, neither Calgar nor Gearhart were thrilled about the prospect of having AIs roaming around, but after some discussion with Al, he got the permission he had wanted.

“Oh, and please, Lord Calgar, tell your Space Marines not to shoot my drones on sight. As I told you, they aren’t a threat to anyone.”

“I will issue the according orders. Calgar, out.”

That evening, Antonius, the ponies, Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca and Gearhart gathered in the conference room to report their findings.

“I was able to determine the kind of weapon my aide identified as a lance weapon as we flew past the ship,” Gearhart said.

“Is it really a lance?” Calgar asked.

“Yes, but it is not an energy lance as the ones we are familiar with. It is a particle lance.”

“What particles?”

“Antiprotons.”

After a second of stunned silence, Tigurius spoke:

“So, next to an antimatter reactor, the ship has an antimatter weapon?”

“Quite so,” Gearhart confirmed,
“at the moment, however, its antimatter containment unit is empty. It was probably emptied as the ship was prepared to be shut down.”

“Excuse me,” Twilight interjected,
“but an antimatter weapon… wouldn’t such a device cause almost ludicrous amounts of damage?”

“Exactly. The weapon’s ray destroys any matter it hits by annihilating the contained protons, creating intense photons and neutrinos in the process.”

“Can you say that in a way a non-egghead can understand it?” Rainbow asked.

Gearhart looked at her for a second, then he said:

“The weapon cuts through anything, and makes it explode while it cuts it.”

“Ah, now I understand it. Thanks.”

“How can we replenish the weapon’s antimatter supply?” Cassius inquired.

“We could divert antimatter from the main reactor to the weapon,” Gearhart told them,
“but I advise against that. We should rather look for a potent source of energy, and use it to replicate antimatter. I already discussed this issue with Al.”

“What did he say?” Calgar wanted to know.

“Al first wants to relocate closer to Ponyville, then he wants to create a reactor cluster that could supply us with the needed energy.”

“Seems we need the local AI for everything we want to do,” Cassius grumbled.

“If we want to see our plans come to fruition within our lifetimes, we do not have much of a choice.”

“Well,” Calgar remarked,
“Al seems to be quite trustworthy… but that’s probably what our ancestors said before the Men of Iron started slaughtering them.”

“Ever since I have known him, Al has never displayed any intention to harm anypony,” Luna stated,
“and I do not think that you have the time to be… picky. It would be more appropriate to accept the help and friendship of those who voluntarily give them to you.”

“You’ve got a point, Princess. Pondering our goal and our plans to reach that goal, the end might actually justify the means this time.”

“I wonder if the Inquisition and the Mechanicum will see it that way, too,” Seneca grinned.

“They? I guess they’ll have a stroke before we have finished our report.”

They allowed themselves a not really mirthful laugh, then they got a vox call from one of Gearhart’s tech priests:

“Magos Gearhart, we are in the main hanger. We have found a most venerable construct of the machine god; one of such importance that we thought it wise to call you immediately.”

“What is it?” Antonius joked,
“a titan?”

Those machines were something like the epitome of the might of the machine god and mankind, but seriously, after finding a Gloriana class battleship, finding a titan onboard would almost be too much.

“Reaver class,” the tech priest, who had heard him, just answered.

They looked at each other, then Seneca exclaimed:

“Throne on Terra, this place is a veritable goldmine!”

A few minutes later, they all were in the main hangar, looking up at the giant walker.

“And I thought the tank we’ve built was impressive,” Rainbow mumbled.

“Well, I think I know why those things are called ‘titan’,” Rarity mused.

“It is not a ‘thing’” Gearhart chided her,
“it is one of the venerable god machines of the machine god.”

“Without going into the ‘divinity’ aspect, even I can see that it is a mighty war machine… at least judged by its size… and the size of its weapons.”

“You would be even more amazed if you knew those weapon systems: a Laser Blaster, a Volcano Cannon, and an Apocalypse Missile Launcher. This titan has the combat strength of a small army.”

“Maybe even more, if it was refitted like the ship,” Tigurius interjected.

“We will find out, but that will take time. We must be careful, since we do not want to disturb the titan’s most holy machine spirit.”

“Take your time,” Calgar said,
“the last thing we need is a homicidal titan.”

Antonius and the ponies kept exploring the vessel for about a week, coordinated with the other teams by Calgar. They found great halls, huge machines and giant habitat sections.
Finally, though, the ship was almost completely explored, with additional squads and CATs speeding up the process tremendously.

So, they met with Calgar and Gearhart once again.

“Lord Calgar,” Antonius started,
“we have finished our exploration of the sections you assigned to us. I’ve compiled our findings into a report.”

He gave Calgar a data slate.

“Thank you,” Calgar answered,
“anything especially noteworthy?”

“Nothing as impressive as the titan, but we would like to modify the large hall I've told you about.”

“What do you want to do with it?”

“I want to create an arboretum.”

“Hold on a second,” Applejack interrupted,
“I thought that was just a joke.”

Antonius turned to her and replied:

“When we travel to Terra, we will be under way for months. I thought that something familiar, like apple trees, might be good for you. For everypony, actually.”

“Whoa… you’re right… we’ll have to leave our families, and Equestria, for along time…”

“Do you want to back out?” Calgar asked in an inquisitive, but not reproachful tone.

“Never! I just have to come to terms with the idea, but we’re all gonna help you, just as we promised! Right, girls?”

All ponies answered in the affirmative, and Calgar nodded, then he turned to Antonius:

“Well, Antonius, about the arboretum: it is your ship, so you decide if and how it will be modified.”

Antonius thought he had misheard and stared at Calgar, who started laughing:

“Why are you so surprised? I already have a ship to command, and since you’re apparently on a special quest from the Emperor himself, you should have the best equipment available. It won’t get much better than a Gloriana.”

“Certainly not, Lord Calgar… but now that we’re at it… perhaps we should consider using my meta-seed to create some Space Marines.”

Calgar raised an eyebrow:

“You’d need human volunteers.”

“We could ask your Chapter serfs, perhaps some of them would be willing to be transformed.”

“They would have to leave the Ultramarines. And technically, you’re a hybrid, Antonius. That means you want them to leave a reputable chapter to become creatures the Imperium would see as abominations. No offense, ponies.”

“None taken,” Luna said with a noticeable lack of conviction, then she continued:
“actually, I feel offended. Tony may be a little bit pony, but he is not an abomination.”

“According to imperial standards, I am,” Antonius told her,
“but I won’t let that distract me. I was created as a weapon against Chaos, and I will do my duty.”

“I tell you what I will do,” Calgar said,
“I will explain the situation to our chapter serfs and give them the opportunity to leave the Ultramarines and join you. If they decide to do so, they will do that of their own volition, with all advantages and disadvantages, which I will also explain, just to be sure.”

“Thank you, Lord Calgar.”

“Now that that’s settled, let’s move on to Gearhart. Your report?”

Gearhart rattled through a long list of systems and their respective statuses. In summary, the ship was far from being operational, but with its weapons, shields and other systems, it was downright destined to be one of the most powerful vessels the Imperium had ever seen (so, a true Gloriana). And that was clear even before the magos told them about the ship’s Nova Cannon:

“We were able to determine that the ship’s Nova Cannon deviates from the design usually used by the Imperium. In addition to accelerating the used projectile to relativistic speeds, the weapon can phase it out of the materium, so that it travels in the threshold to the immaterium. That means that the projectile can travel through solid matter without interacting with it.”

“So,” Calgar asked,
“you could take cover behind a moon and still shoot at your enemy?”

“Exactly.”

“What kind of projectiles are available?”

“Fusion bombs with one to 8000 gigatons TNT equivalent.”

“Sweet Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed.

“You understood that?” Rainbow asked.

“I guess that’s quite a lot, sugarcube?” Applejack added.

“I read some historical documents about bombs, but I have to admit that I stopped at the beginning of humanity's 21st century, since it made me somewhat… uncomfortable. But I can tell you that a 50 megaton bomb can level anything within a radius of 35 kilometers. And the bombs of that Nova Cannon are up to 160000 times more powerful.”

“Yes,” Gearhart said, and even with his mechanical voice, he sounded somewhat content,
“this weapon will be of great use.”

The ponies looked at each other now. They were quite uneasy, and Antonius couldn’t blame them. The levels of destruction they were talking about were far beyond anything they had ever thought possible. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to take them back to Equestria so that they could recover and think of nicer things.

“You know,” Antonius said, making it sound like an afterthought,
“now that we’ve explored the ship, maybe we should return to the planet. We can’t really help here, anyway, and your homes and families are waiting for you.”

“Won’t you need me to talk to the worms?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Negative,” Gearhart replied,
“I have created a translation matrix. It doesn’t reproduce the intricacies of their language, but it should suffice to communicate with them.”

“Then,” Twilight said,
“perhaps it really is time to go… for now. We’ll return as soon as we can actually be of help.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy mused,
“oh, when I’m back home, I’ll have to give my animal friends a bath sometime soon.”

“And I’ll have to dig a few new tree-planting holes,” Applejack said.

“Very well,” Calgar stated,
“you can take a Thunderhawk back to Equestria. We’ll call if we need you.”

So, Antonius and the ponies returned to the planet. They landed in Ponyville, where they said goodbye and dispersed to return to their homes. Antonius, Luna and Gentle Breeze continued their journey to Canterlot to fill in Celestia.

12. New castles

Twilight arrived at her castle. Outside, she met Parvus.

“Hello, Parvus!” she greeted.

“Hello, Princess Twinkie!” he responded.

“It’s ‘Twilight’.”

“No, the sun is shining.”

“No, my name is ‘Twilight’, Parvus.”

“I don’t think it is a wise decision to call yourself ‘Twilight Parvus’. It might lead to confusion, since my name is ‘Parvus’.”

“I…” Twilight started, then she sighed and continued:
“You’re right. I’ll go in now. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Twinkie Winkie!”

Twilight open the doors and entered her castle. Inside, everything was quiet. She took a look around. The big entrance hall was empty. Well, most of the Ultramarines were on board the ship they had discovered. As far as she knew, only Lady Angren and two bodyguards had stayed here, but they were nowhere in sight. So, she walked around her castle and looked for them to tell them that she had returned.

Some minuted later, after an unsuccessful search, Twilight entered her throne room and sat down. The humans were probably somewhere in Ponyville, or perhaps even in Canterlot. At any rate, the castle was empty. She looked around again.

Until now, she had never really realized how big and empty it was. Well, at first, after the castle had been created, she had been busy settling in. Then, the Ultramarines had arrived and bustled around. Now, they were gone.
The castle was empty.
The crystal structure, as breathtaking and beautiful as it was, suddenly seemed to Twilight a little chill, by far not as cozy as her tree had been.

The Golden Oak Library. She really missed her old home, this old, living tree. The castle was not living. The crystal was shiny and cold, somehow… impersonal.
Really, those tall ceilings and long hallways…
Twilight felt small and almost like an intruder, in short: not at home.
She got up. Hadn’t Fluttershy and Applejack said that they had chores to do? Perhaps she could help them. Yes, that was a good idea. Twilight left her castle.

After bringing Celestia up to date - with the help of Luna and Gentle Breeze - Antonius put forward a request:

“Tia, sine Al wants to move closer to Ponyville and I want to found my own chapter of Space Marines, I thought it would be a good idea to create a place where we can implement both. So, in short, I plan to build a fortress monastery.”

“I see,” Celestia answered,
“will this ‘fortress monastery’ be as big as it sounds?”

“Yes. In addition to housing my chapter, I want to make it big enough to accommodate a sizable number of ponies in case we have to evacuate Ponyville or Canterlot.”

“Well, let’s hope this aspect of your fortress will never be needed. Anyway, I already thought that the imperial base beneath Canterlot wouldn’t be enough, even if we were just talking about your chapter. Where do you want to build it?”

“Somewhere into the mountains south-west of Ponyville. I still have to determine the exact location, though.”

“Sounds reasonable. I’ll join you when you scout the area. Once you’ve made your choice, I’ll formally gift those premises to you, so that you can establish an official and visible imperial presence.”

“Very good. Thank you. A hidden base beneath Canterlot may be a good bridgehead, but it is a little too clandestine in the long run.”

“Yeah,” Luna grinned,
“the Imperium is not really subtle.”

Marcus was in the ‘Sword of Iax’s main chapel, just as well over 150 chapter serfs. He wondered why they had been called there, but he was sure that he would get his answer soon. The Ultramarines were very efficient and despised periods of unproductive waiting.

He thought about how happy and lucky he was to be a serf of such an honorable chapter. Okay, being a real Astartes would have been even better, but his lack of genetic compatibility had prevented that from happening.
Well, he was neither angry nor ungrateful. Being a chapter serf was an important position, and he liked it.

Now Calgar ascended the pulpit and spoke to them:

“Chapter serfs of the Ultramarines,
I summoned you for a specific reason. All of you have passed the initial tests to become Ultramarines in all but one regards: You are genetically incompatible with our gene seed.
So, despite actually having the necessary capabilities, you were prohibited from becoming Space Marines. Now, we have the means to correct that.”

Despite the almost legendary discipline of the Ultramarine chapter serfs, a murmur went through the crowd. They really got the chance to become full Ultramarines? How?

“You all know what happened to brother Antonius Varus,” Calgar continued,
“we have learned that his meta seed is more tolerant when it comes to the genes of the recipient. That is why I will offer you a choice:
You can either stay chapter serfs of the Ultramarines, or you can join the new chapter Antonius is about to found and become full Space Marines.”

Holy Terra! That was some news!
The murmur was even louder now, but Calgar silenced them with a wave of his hand.

“I will elaborate what you are going to decide between:
If you choose to stay chapter serfs, you will stay chapter serfs of the Ultramarines, a honorable chapter which’s history goes back to the times the Emperor Himself walked on Holy Terra. It is a position to be proud of, but you will still just be chapter serfs, well trained, but limited to the abilities of normal humans.
If you decide to join Antonius’ new chapter, you will leave the Ultramarines to join a chapter that has not yet had the opportunity to acquire glory. Because of Antonius’ unique genes, most humans will even consider you a kind of hybrid, and that means that you will have a difficult time in the Imperium. But you will be Space Marines. You will be become warriors with unique advantages when it comes to fighting the forces of Chaos. You will trade reputation for the ability to protect mankind in a way that will go way beyond the abilities of chapter serfs, maybe even beyond the abilities of Ultramarines.
Now, I want you to make this decision. You don’t need to decide right away, but I need your answer within a week.
Dismissed.”

Well, that really was some news.
Marcus could hear the other serfs talk to each other. Some seemed willing to accept the offer, others voiced their resentment to leaving the Ultramarines to become some kind of hybrid.
For Marcus, everything was clear. He would gladly give up the reputation of being a part of the Ultramarines chapter if that meant becoming a Space Marine. He went straight to Calgar, who had left the pulpit by now:

“Lord Calgar, I would like to accept the offer. While I do not mind being a chapter serf, I want to embrace the opportunity and become a Space Marine.”

Calgar nodded.

“Then, a Space Marine you will be.”

The next morning, Antonius, Luna, Celestia and Gentle Breeze were standing on a ridge not too far from Ponyville and looking over a small valley between the foothills of the mountain rage there.

“That’s a nice spot,” Antonius stated,
“we can built a fortification wall from this ridge to the one over there. The fortress itself will be built into the mountain range. That way, we’ll have the valley as an antecourt.”

“You certainly will have enough space,” Celestia said.

“Big guys - big space requirement,” Luna grinned.

“Well,” Antonius said,
“Space Marines, supporting personnel, vehicles and equipment. Better to plan a little bigger now than running out of space some time later.”

“True,” Celestia agreed,
“I will get the paperwork done, so that this valley and the adjacent mountains will officially be able to become imperial territory.”

“Good. I’ll call Lord Calgar to tell him.”

When Antonius had done that, Calgar said:

“So, you have decided where Al and the STC-system is supposed to relocate to. The position is certainly more convenient than the derelict base beneath the northern mountains. You should know that Al’s… ‘worker bees’ have already started clearing the extraction tunnel. I’ve gotten reports from our brothers up there.”

“I guess they aren’t too thrilled to have those machines buzzing around?”

“No, but I’ve ordered them stand down and only attack in self-defense. Magos Gearhart will send Aleksa down to keep an eye on things as soon as Al is on the move.”

“Understood. Antonius, out.”

Now he called Al:

“Al, we’ve found a new home for you.”

“Excellent!” Al answered,
“may I have a look at the area?”

Antonius panned his PDA around, so that the imager could pick up the whole valley.

“That really is a nice location. As soon as I’m on my way, I’ll send my worker drones ahead to prepare everything.”

“How do you intend to get here? Anti-grav systems? Tracks?”

“I have a few heavy load lifters at my disposal. They should suffice to carry me to my new home.”

“Are they reliable enough? They are millennia old and were not maintained.”

“They are maintained as we speak. Furthermore, we will travel close to the ground, so even if they fail, I won’t get damaged. I’ll still avoid settlements, just to be on the safe side.”

“I’ll call you later to make the plans for the fortress. In the meantime, I guess you have it all nosed out. Proceed,” Antonius granted.

“Okay, thanks. Al, out,” Al replied.

“Now that that’s done, I’ll return to Canterlot,” Celestia said.

“I will return there, too,” Luna yawned,
“I do need some rest. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll pay Ponyville a visit to bring Twilight and her friends up to date. After that, I’ll meet you in the capital.”

After teleporting Antonius and Gentle Breeze to Ponyville, the princesses proceeded to Canterlot.
As the Space Marine and the pony approached Twilight’s castle, they met Spike, who was on his way there, too.

“Hello, Spike,” Antonius greeted,
“can you tell me where Twilight and the girls are?”

“Yes,” he answered,
“Twilight in in the spa and the others are decorating her castle.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with the castle?”

“Well, Twilight thinks it’s too big and cold. Not cozy enough, you know. So, they’re trying to make it nicer. Apropos ‘nicer’: How do my claws look?”

“Umm… nice?”

“Ha! I knew it!”

“Shouldn’t Twilight be there, too, since it’s her castle?” Antonius inquired.

“Nah, they’re her friends. Who knows Twilight better than them? And Twilight really needs some relaxation,” Spike explained.

“Okay, I won’t bother Twilight now and talk to her friends first.”

“About what?”

“Just wait a second and you’ll get to know.”

They entered the castle and headed to the throne room.

Spike entered first and immediately asked:

“Hey guys, how do my claws look?”
When he realized how the room looked, he exclaimed
“Sweet Celestia!”

It actually was a quite moderate reaction to the sight; the whole place looked like something between a storage depot and a dump - with a dose of stable. While Antonius was not an expert when it came to aesthetics, even he could tell that this room was a mess. In fact, he had seen ork camps that had looked more well-structured, and that meant quite a lot.

“Oh, Spike! Are you and Twilight done already?” Rarity asked.

Well, this place certainly was ‘done’.

“Don’t worry,” he answered,
“I ordered her the super-deluxe mane blow-out! She’ll be a while. Man, this place looks terrible!”

As the girls sighed in relief, Antonius and Gentle Breeze entered the room.

“Thank goodness somepony said something,” Fluttershy said,
“oh, hello Antonius, hello, Gentle Breeze!”

The others also said hello and Antonius replied:

“Hello. Interesting style.”

“What style?” Spike asked flatly.

“It’s pretty bad, right?” Rainbow said.

“This place looks like a mishmash of knickknacks,” Applejack stated.

“Hmm… I suppose it is a little cluttered,” Rarity admitted.

“What are you guys talking about?” Pinkie inquired,
“I think it looks super fun!”

Now, a party cannon went off. The thing did not only blow confetti through the room, it also scared the animals that were present (for whatever reason). The result was quite a ruckus.

Antonius just wanted to loudly demand them all to calm down as Rarity screamed:

“EVERYPONY, STOP!”

It was always amazing how loud that mare could be. It worked, too: everypony stopped.

Now that it was quiet again, they discussed what to do about the mess the room was. Spike was sent to Twilight to stall her, while the others wanted to tidy up everything. After this plan had been made, Rarity turned to Antonius and Gentle Breeze:

“I’m awfully sorry that we haven’t really paid attention to you, but as you can see, we are in quite a situation. Now, how can we help you?”

“I just wanted to talk to you and Twilight about a fortress monastery I’m planning to build in the mountains south-west of Ponyville, but that isn’t really urgent,” Antonius told them,
“I’ll wait until Twilight’s back and then tell all of you. In the meantime, can I help you?”

“I’d also like to help,” Gentle Breeze added, looking around again,
“I guess you need all the help you can get.”

While well-intended, they were not really able to help Twilight’s friends, as the decluttering procedures turned into a competition who could throw out most of the stuff somepony else had put in.

“If they go on like this,” Gentle Breeze whispered to Antonius,
“the whole room will be empty again soon.”

“Yep,” Antonius just sighed.

A little while later, the throne room was really empty, just as predicted. That caused another small crisis, as it now looked as if they had done nothing at all.
Well, in fact, they had done nothing PRODUCTIVE at all.

Thankfully, they came to the conclusion that they had made the mistake of making themselves feel ‘at home’ while neglecting Twilight’s sensitivities.

“Girls,” Antonius interjected,
“perhaps it might be prudent to think about Twilight’s former home. She liked it quite a lot, after all.”

“You’re right,” Applejack agreed,
“What was it she’d loved about livin’ in the Golden Oak Library?”

“Oh, everything!” Fluttershy opined,
“the books, the smell of books, the joy she felt from organizing books…”

Well, Twilight certainly liked - or rather, loved - books, but there already was a library in the castle, so books were probably not enough.

“Remember that time I crashed into all those books attempting my sonic rainboom after you guys just cleaned up?” Rainbow laughed, then she sighed:
“That was good times.”

They all started telling about their memories associated with Twilight’s former home, until Applejack said:

“We had a lot of good memories there, though. That’s what made the Golden Oak Library home.”

Her friends agreed wholeheartedly, and suddenly, Applejack seemed to have some kind of mini-epiphany, since she shouted
“That’s it!”
and turned to Antonius and Gentle Breeze:

“If you still want to help us, I think we’ve got some work for some strong ponies.”

“Of course we’ll help,” Antonius replied,
“what are you thinking about?”

It turned out that Applejack had thought about the remains of the Golden Oak Library. Antonius and the ponies were standing in front of the burned stump, which did not really look salvageable.

“And now?” Gentle Breeze inquired.

“We dig it out,” Applejack said with determination.

“Umm… oaks are deep-rooted trees. Its taproot can be up to 40 meters long. That’s going to take quite some work digging that out.”

“Gentle Breeze strikes again with her freaky knowledge of trees!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Maybe my plan won’t work after all,” Applejack sighed.

“Of course it will, Darling!” Rarity cheered her up,
“I can see it! You, Fluttershy, Antonius and Gentle Breeze stay here. Rainbow dash and Pinkie Pie, you come with me. We’re going shopping! We’ll meet back at the castle.”

So, in a group of four, they started digging, while Applejack and Fluttershy also started… singing. Maybe they thought that’d make the work easier or something, Antonius wasn’t sure of that. Well, he once had read that even among mankind workers who were singing were not unheard of, even if they could not keep up with the ponies in that regard. Seriously, those cuddly little equines loved bursting into a song whenever they had half of a chance…
Anyway, they dug along the upper roots until they were unearthed and removed the scorched rest of the library, then, Antonius used his magic to lift the stump out of the ground, far enough for Applejack and Gentle Breeze to crawl beneath it and cut the taproot.

In the end, they had a giant piece of wood that looked a little like a chandelier. They transported it to the library. After some trouble getting it inside, they met Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie in the throne room, who had taken care of the decoration for the roots.

They all worked (and some also sang…) and finally, Antonius pulled the decorated root-chandelier up to the ceiling.

“Looks good,” he stated.

The work had been finished just in time.

“Hello?” Twilight sounded from the entrance,
“we’re home!”

“Welcome home!” they all replied while running to meet her and Spike.

After some confusion about the extent of the redecoration efforts - the entrance hall hadn’t been touched, after all - they showed Twilight the throne room. She absolutely loved the new wooden chandelier that conjured up memories of past adventures and events.

So, the redecorating was a success. Of course that meant it was time for a group hug and a subsequent celebration.
Pinkie Pie presented a cake she called ‘Seven layer what’s-that-flavor mystery surprise’. Of course, that was nothing out of the ordinary for Pinkie, but Antonius usually liked to know what he was eating. He nevertheless joined them as they went to the dining room. To (almost) everypony’s amazement, it was redecorated, too. So it came to light that all of Twilight friends had somehow found the time to redecorate a room on their own.

As they sat together, Antonius told them about the fortress that would be built in the mountains close to Ponyville.

“Awesome!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“You do know that fortresses aren’t ‘fast’, don’t you?” Applejack teased.

“Yeah, but a fortress is one of the few things that don’t need to be fast to be awesome.”

“So, we’re going to be neighbors,” Twilight grinned.

“Oh, we could help decorate this new fortress, too!” Rarity suggested.

“Please wait until it is built,” Antonius said,
“we’ll have to come up with the plans first, after all. We’ve just settled for a location for now.”

“Perfect! That means that you are open to suggestions! I’m sure you want your fortress to be aesthetically pleasing, after all.”

“I’ll go more towards ‘utilitarian’, Rarity. But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to make it look… somewhat decent.”

13. Foundings

Antonius had just landed next to the northern camp when he received a vox call. It was Magos Gearhart.

“Greetings, Chapter Master,” he said.

It took a second until Antonius replied:

“I actually needed a second to realize that you meant me with ‘Chapter Master’.”

“Well, since we are going to use your meta-seed to create a new chapter of Space Marines you will be in charge of, the title is adequate.”

“It is… even though I think I’m still lacking the experience needed to be a proper Chapter Master.”

“You may not have the centuries of experience Astartes usually have when they become Chapter Masters, but as a Chapter Master, you have exactly the same experience even Lord Calgar had when he had just become Chapter Master of the Ultramarines: none.”

“That… is true. And also quite encouraging. Thank you. But anyway, why did you call me? Can I help you somehow?”

“I am on my way to the surface, to the ancient base, to be exact. Since I was told that you are there, too, I wanted to notify you of my arrival.”

Well, that was unexpected. While Al was about to start his journey to Ponyville, Aleksa was initially supposed to keep an eye on the procedure while Gearhart was busy with the ship - and especially the titan. He would inquire about this change once he met him in person.

“Thank you, Magos. I’ll wait for your arrival.”

In the meantime, Antonius had a look at the exposed door Al would use to leave the base. It really was gigantic, big enough to swallow a whole army - armor included.
As he was looking at it, it slowly opened and a dozen drones flew out, each one about twice the size of a Land Raider. The ‘heavy load lifters’ Al had told him about. They landed outside, lining the place in front of the giant door. The last preparations for Al’s journey.

Now, Antonius heard a Thunderhawk approach and returned to the landing area.
It touched down just as he arrived there, and Gearhart disembarked.

“I did not expect you to welcome me personally, Chapter Master” the Magos said.

“‘Antonius’ will do, Magos. And your timing was convenient.”

“In that case, you should use my given designation, too. Shall we enter the base?”

“Yes.”

“I suggest we use the STC system’s access tunnel. That way, we can check it for potential damage.”

“Agreed. I’ll tell Al.”

Antonius was sure that Al had already checked the tunnel, but if Gearhart wanted to have a look at it himself, he would not deter him. So, he voxed Al and they entered the tunnel.

“I actually expected Aleksa to overview Al’s extraction,” Antonius said after a while,
“I expected you to be busy with the titan.”

“That was my original plan,” Gearhart answered,
“my progress with the god-machine allowed me to attend this process, though. To be exact: I reached an impasse.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate. What’s the problem, if I may ask?”

“Since - according to Lord Calgar’s command - everything we discover on this planet and in orbit is at your disposal, you are of course allowed to inquire about the titan’s status. The systems were in very good condition from the start. With some maintenance and the adequate litanies, they are now in perfect condition. However, the time has come to wake up the ancient machine spirit. We need a princeps to do that, though, and there is none available.”

“Hmm… what about the Hastings? Is their neural interface compatible with that of a titan?”

“Not completely. I could rig an adapter, but they are attuned to their knights, which is likely to cause incompatibilities. For the same reason, I do not want to try and use brother Parvus to start the titan. Unfortunately, we do not have further personnel with a proper neural interface.”

“What about you?”

“I would have to adapt my interface. Furthermore, I cannot properly monitor the connection when I’m involved in the connection.”

That was a problem. Antonius thought about it as they walked down the tunnel. Then, he had an idea:

“What about Gentle Breeze?”

Gearhart stopped and regarded him:

“You suggest using a pony to command one of the revered god-machines of mankind?”

“Well, she does have a neural interface, and she is trustworthy. It would be better than not using the titan, anyway. If her interface is compatible, that is.”

Gerhart seemed to ponder this for a few seconds, then he said:

“Her interface is compatible. We could re-route her nerve pathways from her body to the titan. And since she is not attuned to a different machine spirit, the connection should be stable. But I do not think that the ancient machine spirit will accept her. For the titan, she is a xeno, after all.”

“You’re right. It was just an idea.”

They started walking again.

“A good idea,” Gearhart suddenly stated,
“if we share all of our information with the titan, the god-machine might come to the conclusion that the pony is an acceptable Princeps.”

“Really?”

“Gentle Breeze almost died fighting the forces of Chaos and we thought her worthy to be blessed with the sacred technology of humanity. It is worth a try. What is her current location?”

“She’s in Ponyville. Usually, she’s either in Twilight’s castle, or she’s going for a stroll with Parvus.”

“They have bonded over their reconstructed natures?”

“It was the ‘door opener’, so to say.”

Some time later, they arrived at Al’s module. They used an access hatch to enter it and proceeded to the main chamber.

“Greetings, Antonius, greetings, Magos Gearhart,” Al welcomed them,
“have you assured yourself of the tunnel’s integrity?”

“Affirmative,” Gearhart replied,
“it is in satisfying condition.”

“Are you ready to start the extraction?” Antonius inquired.

“Yes,” Al answered,
“all systems are checked and ready. I’m just waiting for your permission.”

“Then: permission granted. Let’s move to Ponyville!”

There was a gentle jolt, then, the floor became slightly angled.

“We’re on our way,” Al told them,
“do you want to work out the plans for your new base now?”

“Yes. While we do have more than enough time until we get to Ponyville, I do not want to procrastinate.”

So, Antonius, Gearhart and Al started planning the new fortress monastery while the STC system was crawling through the tunnel. Once it was outside, the heavy load lifters docked with it, lifted it a dozen meters into the air and set off for Ponyville.

The journey took a few days, and when Canterlot came into view, the planning for the fortress monastery was done. Antonius almost reflexively sent the plans to Calgar for a building permission, but he remembered that the former chapter master had declared this whole mission Antonius’ responsibility, so, the only one who could actually give Antonius a permission to start the construction was Antonius himself.
That still was a weird feeling. He was used to being a battle-brother, now he was a Chapter Master with all the responsibilities and privileges.

He still sent Calgar a copy of the plans to keep him informed. He did the same for Celestia, Luna, Twilight and her friends.

“So, that’s done,” Antonius said.

“While we’re on it,” Al remarked,
“would you like to create new plans for the armor your brothers are going to use, or are you going to stick with standard armor?”

“The plans for Mark X ‘Tacticus Armor’ are at your disposal,” Gearhart told them,
“however, if you wish to create a new type of armor to fit your special needs, I hereby offer my help in designing it.”

Antonius pondered that for a some time. While the standard armor was tried and tested, he had the inexplicable feeling that an altered design would somehow be more suitable for his chapter.

“We’ll use the Mark X as a template, but we’ll modify it. Probably up to a point the you could say we create new power armor,” he decided.

Celestia was just having dinner with her sister as their PDAs indicated a new message. They both took their devices.

“It’s from Tony,” she said.

“Yeah, the plans for his new fortress,” Luna added.

They both looked at the plans. While Luna started grinning, Celestia’s eyes went wide and she mumbled:

“What the… has Antonius succumbed to gigantomania?”

“Compared to the Fortress of Hera on Macragge, it is actually quite modest.”

“By our standards, it’s very big.”

“Big guys, big fortresses… have I not told you something like that already?” Luna replied.

“Luna… this fortress will be higher than the highest tower of Canterlot - even though it’s not built on the side of a mountain, but on the ground.”

“Tower envy, sister?” Luna smiled.

“What? No. I just don’t think I would like to wake up every morning and look at Antonius’ giant tower.”

“Oh, I definitely wouldn’t mind looking at Tony’s giant tower every morning,” Luna snickered.

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Umm… we are still talking about the fortress, right? Right?”

Antonius was - with the help of Gearhart and Al - busy coming up with plans for a modified type of armor as he got a call from Twilight.

“Hello, Twilight,” he greeted.

“Hello, Antonius,” she said,
“we’ve just looked over the plans you sent us. Impressive! How many ponies are you going to employ to build that giant fortress?”

“Actually, none. Al’s drones will take care of the construction.”

“Oh, so you don’t need my calculations on housing and food supply?”

“No, Twilight,” Antonius grinned,
“but thanks for your effort anyway.”

“No problem. What are you up to now?”

“We’re creating plans for new armors.”

Suddenly, a well known voice shouted
“You’re designing clothes?!”
and Rarity shoved her head into the coverage of the imager and continued:
“And you didn’t think of calling me?”

“Rarity,” Antonius smiled,
“we’re not designing clothes, we’re creating construction plans for power armor.”

“Oh, to-mah-to, tomato. You certainly want those new armors to look fabulous! I’ll be with you in a minute, darling!
…where are you again?”

“North of Ponyville,” Antonius sighed,
“already in sight of Canterlot.”

“Excellent! Let me quickly fetch a few things… Twilight, would you be a dear and teleport me?”

“Of course!” Twilight answered (with a slightly mischievous grin towards Antonius) and ended the call.

Antonius turned to Gearhart and Al:

“Guess we’ll get company.”

“Is Rarity aware of the fact that usability takes priority over design?” the Magos asked.

“Just let her make her suggestions,” Antonius replied,
“perhaps she will come up with some useful additions.”

“In the meantime,” Al said,
“we can make some basic decisions. Are we going to stick to ceramite?”

“For the time being… I’d like to test silversteel for its suitability, but even if it’s perfect, we’d still need a lot of it, and it is quite rare. There is only one known mine in Saddle-Arabia, and I don’t think they’d be too keen on increasing the output, as this would lower the material’s value. If they’d be capable of doing so at all, that is.”

“Then I suggest we take over the mine and increase its output ourselves,” Gearhart suggested.

“Well, they certainly wouldn't like that… but you’re right, we need silversteel and can’t make allowances for petty profit-seeking. But let’s not expect the worst. Who knows, they’ve already given us more silversteel than we would have been able to buy, perhaps they will continue being generous since this is for the benefit of the whole galaxy, and that includes them, too, after all.”

“We could offer them a share of the production,” Al recommended,
“and since the silversteel we use would not be thrown on the market, prices should remain stable.”

“Great,” Antonius grumbled,
“you start wanting to create new armors, and you end up in economics.”

“Those areas are interwoven,” Gearhart stated.

“And we cannot replicate such amounts of silversteel,” Al continued,
“as we do not have the required energy at our disposal. At least not at the moment.”

“We’ll visit Saddle-Arabia and ask them if we may use their mine,” Antonius told them,
“if we give them a share of the output - as you suggested - they should be fine with it.”

“Otherwise, we can still take the mine by force if necessary,” Gearhart said.

“Yes, but that’s what I’d like to avoid,” Antonius replied,
“I don’t want humanity to be seen as the powerful but scary aliens that blast everypony and just take what they want.”

“Understandable. I would also prefer a peaceful solution, but we should be ready for any contingency.”

“Back to the armors,” Al said,
“do you want to use a crystal structure reinforcement?”

“A what?” Antonius asked.

“A technology developed on this planet. I’m able to imprint a crystal structure into the material of the armors, increasing their resilience tremendously.”

“Sounds good, any disadvantages?”

“The build and repair process will take longer.”

“Well, I’d say that’s a disadvantage we can live with.”

Now, Twilight and Rarity appeared next to them - with some equipment.

“Hello!” Rarity chirped happily,
“I hope I’m not too late!”

“You’re right on time,” Antonius told her, then he turned to Twilight:
“Are you staying, too? In fact, I think we could use your magical expertise.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll stay,” Twilight answered,
“and truth be told: I’m really curious how all of this will be done.”

While Antonius, Gearhart and Al were discussing the armors’ systems and Twilight listened to them, Rarity prepared color samples and patterns.
When they were talking about the neural interface, Twilight intervened:

“Excuse me, Antonius, but do you really insist in drilling holes into your body?”

“How else are we supposed to connect the armor to my nervous system?” he replied.

“We could attune magic crystals to your mind. You know, just like the princesses did with their armors back then.”

“Doesn’t that only work with alicorns?”

“I’m sure it will also work with a sufficiently powerful psyker such as yourself.”

“Interesting… what about the reliability?”

“Well, if something is powerful enough to disrupt your connection to the crystals, your connection to the crystals will be the least of your problems.”

“Hmm… I get what you mean… well, let’s give it a try for my armor. Since - according to the files - none of the soon-to-be members of my new chapter show any signs of psychic abilities, we should stick to a traditional interface for them, though.”

During the next hours, they came up with a modified type of armor for Antonius’ new chapter. It was based on the Mark X, but looked somewhat different and was inscribed with protective runes. Thanks to the structural reinforcement, it was almost as durable as terminator armor, while being as mobile as standard power armor. In addition to that, they left the door open for exchanging the ceramite for silversteel, and Twilight suggested darksteel inlays as protection against hostile magic. The final decision in that regard would be made once the silversteel and darksteel were properly analyzed.
Since Antonius would have to get into melee range to use his sword, he opted for a heavier armor that was based on the revered tactical dreadnaught armor. While they had used mostly proven systems for the ‘normal’ armors of the chapter, Antonius took the liberty to equip his unique armor with some new - but not field tested - systems which allowed him to obtain a level of mobility far beyond that of traditional terminator armor.

“Well,” Rarity opined,
“that certainly is an interesting design. It looks very… ‘knightly’. Now, we just have to put some color into play. You can’t just leave them silver-grey, after all. Do you want to stick to the blue and gold of the Ultramarines?”

“No,” Antonius answered,
“I think we should use our own pattern… but which? And what name should I choose for my chapter? I have to admit, I haven’t really come up with either as of yet, there had always been more important things to do.”

“If I may interrupt,” Al said,
“we’re just arriving at our destination.”

A little jolt confirmed this as they touched ground.

“Very good,” Antonius said and turned to a cogitator terminal,
“I’ll inform Lord Calgar.”

He did just that and also told him of the plans for the new armors, then he called Luna and Celestia.

He had barely ended this call, as Luna teleported into the room.

“Hello, Tony!” she greeted and hugged him.

“Hello, Luna,” he replied and returned the hug.

“I am glad that you are back.”

“Well, I was only on the road for a few days, but I’m happy to see you again, too.”

“Do you have some spare time or are there some urgent matters that require your attention?”

“Actually, I need to find a name and color pattern for my chapter. Any ideas would be appreciated.”

Antonius wondered if every founding was like this; people came together and thought about the name and colors of the new chapter…

“Look no further, for I will help you. What are the other chapters called? Can you show me some names so that I can get in the right mood?”

Antonius turned to the cogitator and showed her a list of chapter names. It also included the original legions, as he had specified for his search. Luna took a look at the list and mused:

“‘Angels of Death’… ‘Dark Angels’… so, you like it grimdark and angelic, hmm?”

“Well, we’re warriors. The ‘Fluffy Rainbow Clouds’ wouldn’t be an appropriate name.”

“Hmm, true. Let us see… ‘War-born’? That is a little on the nose, is it not?”

“And it’s the original name of the Ultramarines.”

“Oh… hey! ‘Luna Wolves’! I like that name!”

“Congratulations, Luna,” Antonius deadpanned,
“you have unerringly picked Horus very own traitor legion.”

“Whoops,” Luna mumbled and blushed,
“I think I am inspired enough now… well, seeing your armors, I would opt for a knightly theme.”

“‘Luna Knights’?” Rarity suggested with a grin.

“That’s like naming them ‘The Chapter of the Guy who is Friends with the Princess of the Night,” Antonius said,
“I’d prefer something a little more balanced, otherwise some ponies might come up with new nonsense about a conspiracy or something.”

“Well, the balance of night and day would be an equinox,” Twilight interjected.

Antonius turned to her:

“‘Equinox Knights’? Hmm… Doesn’t sound bad.”

“And we can choose a silver and gold color pattern!” Rarity cheered.

“A little flashy… how about that: we use black as primary color, with silver and gold highlights.”

“Marvelous! Just as second, I’ll color the plans!”

A short time later, they all looked at the colored image of the new armors.

“Black as space, silver as the moon, golden as the sun!” Rarity rejoiced.

“Yeah, I like it,” Antonius said.

“You still need insignia,” Gearhart stated.

“And a gala uniform, too!” Rarity added.

“What?” Antonius asked.

“Of course, darling, you can’t attend formal festivities wearing that armor.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I can… but if you insist, you can add some removable elements to make the armor more… palatial. As for the insignia, I already have an idea.”

Marneus Augustus Calgar had just received Antonius’ message that the Standard Template Construct System had arrived at its destination. In addition, he had gotten access to the plans for the new armors Antonius, Gearhart and the system had come up with.

“I have to admit, I’m curious to see what Al is capable of,” Tigurius, who was standing next to him, said.

“You won’t have to wait for long,” Calgar answered,
“those ‘drones’ are already busy working on the construction site.”

“Hmm… AIs doing the manual work for humans… that’s how it supposedly was in the Goloden Age.”

“Before they went rogue and started trying to wipe us out. I’m not too comfortable with this, but since even Gearhart seems to have swallowed that pill, I’ll accept it as a necessity. But now, let’s have a look at Antonius’ armors and see if they can keep up with the fortress monastery.”

Calgar had been impressed by the plans of the new imperial base. Highly utilitarian, well fortified, armed to the ‘teeth’ and with just enough pomp to make it clear that it was the home of a chapter of Space Marines.
Now, he called up the plans for the new armors - and froze.

“What?” he mumbled,
“those armors almost look like…”

“The Aegis armor used by the Grey Knights,” Tigurius finished,
“just black.”

“Indeed. But how is this possible? He is not supposed to know… wait a second… how do you know about the Grey Knights? Their very existence is a secret only the Chapter Masters amongst the Adeptus Astartes are supposed to know.”

“Well,” Tigurius replied with a shrug,
“if you’re as… busy in the warp as I am - or was - you get to know this and that.”

At that moment, Chaplain Cassius entered the room.

“Lord Calgar,” he said,
“I wanted to inform you that the maintenance of the containment field generators for the anti-proton cannon’s reservoir has been concluded.”

“Good,” Calgar answered,
“we are on schedule.”
Now, he had an idea and continued:
“Ortan, have a look at those plans. They depict the new armors Antonius has come up with. Do they remind you of anything?”

Cassius stepped closer and had a look at the cogitator screen.

“They remind me of the Aegis armor of the Grey Knights. Antonius’ armor, for example, has a striking similarity to the suits of Terminator armor used by them.”

Calgar could barely believe it. Tigurius just grinned.

“How do you know about them?” Calgar wanted to know,
“first, Varro is in the know, and now you are, too!”

“Well, young Calgar,” Cassius answered without missing a beat,
“as I told you, once I stop knowing what’s going on, I’ll retire.”

“So, does everyone know about one of the best kept secrets in the Imperium?”

As if to make fun of him, Seneca now entered the room.

“Greetings, my Lords,” he said and peeked at the cogitator,
“oh… those are some fine armors.”

“Let me guess,” Calgar deadpanned,
“they remind you of the Aegis armor of the Grey Knights.”

“Umm… the what of whom?” Seneca answered a little confused.

“Oh, for Emperor’s sake,” Calgar mumbled and rubbed him temples.

“Yeah,” Tigurius smiled,
“another Space Marine who knows this secret… because you just told him.”

Gentle Breeze was helping Twilight reorganize her library. While in her opinion, the library already was perfectly organized, she still did Twilight the favor. In addition to being helpful, she could also practice her fine motor skills. Her new body really worked like a charm, and the overlay of her HUD provided her with useful additional information.
Yes, she had gotten used to this body by now.

There was a knock on the door, and Magos Gearhart entered.

“Hello, Magos,” Twilight and Gentle Breeze welcomed him.

“Greetings, ponies,” he said in his usual, somewhat mechanical tone,
“I would like to speak to Gentle Breeze if possible.”

The pegasus was not really surprised by that. Gearhart had checked in on her regularly since her surgery to make sure that everything ‘worked within operational parameters’, as he called it. She knew that her telemetry data already gave him every bit of information he needed and saw it as a courtesy that he still talked to her in pony… respectively person.

She walked up to him and inquired:

“How can I help you, Magos?”

“You could accompany me to the Gloriana. I need your help to activate the titan.”

“My help?” Gentle Breeze asked in surprise,
“what can I do in that regard? I know next to nothing about titans, and you’re a Magos of the Mechanicum.”

“Your second observation is correct,” Gearhart responded,
“as for the first observation: with the help of your database access, you can learn all relevant information about titans.”

“Right… still, how can I help you when it comes to titans? I mean, you have access to the same sources of information as I have and you have much more experience.”

“Correct, but I want you to act as the Princeps of the titan. That is a role I cannot fulfill with acceptable efficiency.”

Gently Breeze stared at him blankly.

“You’re joking,” she finally said.

“Your assumption is incorrect.”

“But… huh? You want me to pilot the titan?”

“An oversimplification, but acceptable for now,” Gearhart told her,
“I want you to connect to the titan and its machine spirit. You have the necessary neural interface.”

Gentle Breeze was at a loss. She had just gotten used to her new pony-like body, now she was supposed to get used to a very un-pony-like one? And what about the machine spirit?

“Will the titan accept me at all?” she asked.

“We will offer it every piece of information we have available. Then, the holy machine will make its decision if it accepts you or not.”

The pegasus was quiet for a few seconds, then she said:

“And you are sure you aren’t joking?”

“Your insecurity regarding the issue if I am joking or not demands an explanation,” Gearhart replied,
“have I unintentionally given you any clue that I might be joking?”

“No… it’s just that… your facial expression is somewhat hard to read,” Gentle Breeze attempted to quip.

“I have no facial expression.”

“Umm… yeah… that’s what I meant.”

14. Titanius

Gentle Breeze was looking out of a small porthole as the Thunderhawk ascended. There was something majestic to seeing Equestria and the whole world get smaller beneath her. When they had left the atmosphere, she turned around.

There was Magos Gearhart, who would try to activate the old titan with her help. She wasn’t entirely sure if she should look forward to this. The machine was able to level whole cities within minutes, and she was supposed to try and convince it to cooperate.
Of course. No problem at all.

Also on board were Antonius and Luna. They would engage in the founding of Antonius’ new chapter. Or rather, Antonius would, and Luna would keep him company and maybe act as an advisor.

Well, her main concern was her task. The titan.

The Thunderhawk entered the moon dock and approached the ship. When it had touched down in the hangar, they left the dropship and split up. While Antonius and Luna went to the apothecarium, Gentle Breeze and Gearhart headed for the main hangar.

Once there, she looked up at the giant walker.

“And I’m supposed to command it,” she mumbled.

“That would be the optimal outcome,” Gearhart told her,
“now, please follow me into the titan’s command center.”

They entered a lift that brought them to the level of the giant machine’s ‘head’, then they walked along a walkway that led to the titan’s hatch, passing members of the Mechanicum every now and then who were busy doing their duties. They didn’t take much notice of her. If that was because they were absorbed in their work or because they thought it better to try to ignore the fact that a nonhuman was about to enter the revered machine, Gentle Breeze wasn’t sure of.

Inside the command center, more tech-priests were bustling around, murmuring prayers, and there was a striking smell of incense in the air, accommodated by billowing smoke.

“Please sit down over there,” Gearhart said and pointed at an elaborate, throne-like seat on a dais.

Gentle Breeze did as she was told, even more nervous than before.
The Magos kept working for a while, then, he grabbed a cable, hooked himself up to the titan and walked over to her.

“I will monitor your connection,” he told her,
“should the titan’s machine spirit prove to be too distrusting and aggressive, I will close it. Be aware that a sudden delinking might cause a minor trauma.”

“Joy?” Gentle Breeze laughed nervously.

Gearhart now pulled another, pretty massive cable from the ceiling.
The Mind Impulse Unit… or rather the end of the device that would be stuck into her. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, Gearhart was still standing in front of her, the cable in his hands.

“Are you ready to continue?” he inquired.

“Yes… I have to admit that I’m… worried, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Gentle Breeze, you have fought Chaos. You were willing to give your life for your species and mine. Just be yourself, and the titan’s machine spirit will see your worth. Just do not try to hide anything from it, as it will see this as an attempt at treason.”

She nodded, and the Magos attached the cable to the back of her head.
Gearhart now brandished a censer, increasing the smoke and smell in the command center, recited litanies that would hopefully prove to be helpful and walked over to a console.

For a second, Gentle Breeze thought about suggesting to ask Al for additional help, but she discarded that idea. The machine spirit would probably not like an artificial lifeform connecting to it.

“Initiating connection,” Gearhart announced, and the world vanished.

It was replaced by a chilly, gray environment.

“Well, certainly an improvement from the ‘cold and black’ I got up to now when human technology was involved”, Gentle Breeze mumbled.

“PRELIMINARY CONNECTION ESTABLISHED,” a voice boomed,
“WELCOME, PRINCEPS. I AM TITANIUS. WHAT IS YOUR DESIGNATION?”

“Umm… I’m Gentle Breeze,” the mare replied, somewhat intimidated by her interlocutor.

“ACKNOWLEDGED. RUNNING CHECKS… WHAT?”

Uh-oh.

“YOU ARE NOT HUMAN! INFAMY! AN ALIEN DARES TO CONNECT TO MY SACRED SYSTEMS?”

Titanius’ presence was overwhelming. Gentle Breeze could feel his anger.

“I am not an alien!” she screamed,
“my species was created by mankind and recently rediscovered! And I’m only here because we need your help to protect mankind!”

For a second or two, there was silence, then Titanius demanded:

“EXPLAIN!”

“Chaos will soon attack…”

“WHAT IS CHAOS?”

Oh, right… the last time Titanius had been active, Chaos hadn’t been discovered yet…

“Violent murderers,” Gentle Breeze said,
“daemon worshippers.”

“DAEMONS DO NOT EXIST. THAT IS SUPERSTITION.”

“I wish you were right, but I can assure you, Chaos and daemons are all too real. I… experienced it myself.”

“I WILL READ YOUR MEMORY. IF YOU HAVE LIED, I WILL END YOU.”

What a charming personality…

The next moment, Gentle Breeze was forced through some sort of time lapse of her life, including what the forces of Chaos had done to her and the aftermath.
When it was over, she was crying almost hysterically. Experiencing that again had not been nice. Not at all.

“INTRIGUING,” Titanius thundered.

“STOP SCREAMING AT ME!” Gentle Breeze shrieked.

“As you wish,” the machine spirit answered calmer and was silent for a while. Then, it asked:
“have you calmed down enough for us to discuss the current situation?”

“I… yes, I think so.”

“You have proven your loyalty to your species and mankind. I still need more information to assess the current situation.”

“You can ask Magos Gearhart… he’s a member of the Mechanicum… he should be able to grant you access to our databases.”

“Raising request… please wait… request granted… receiving information.”

It took a few seconds, then Titanius made a noise that sounded like a sigh:

“Aliens, daemons, and now an abominable intelligence. Under normal circumstances, this planetary system should be purged by plasma, bolt and flame.”

Wow… he really was a sweetie, wasn’t he?

“But the circumstances are not normal… not to mention the fact that such a response would have been wrong in the first place,” Gentle Breeze objected,
“I think you should focus your wrath on actual threats to mankind. Neither my species nor Al are such threats.”

“That still leaves the daemons.”

“Yes, and that’s why we’re asking you for help. And I was chosen to ask you because of my neural interface. Now, what is your answer?”

“I am a Reaver Battle Titan. I was forged in the volcanic furnaces of Mars before the Imperium was founded. All this time, my purpose has been to defend mankind, and that is still my purpose.
While the actions of the Astartes here may seem unusual, I regard them as justified. And you are right; your interface makes you an adequate candidate, even despite the fact that you are not human.
So: welcome on board, Princeps. Initiating final connection.”

Suddenly, the chilly gray was replaced by a view of the hangar the titan stood in. At first, Gentle Breeze thought that she was flying, but she quickly realized that this was Titanius’ view of his surroundings. He had an HUD like her, but his’ was more complex.
She turned her head a little, and her view changed accordingly, but slower than usual.

“Gentle Breeze,” she heard Gearhart say,
“I see your connection was successful.”

“I guess so,” she replied,
“but I’m feeling a little… funny.”

“Of course. The structure of the titan differs from yours. For a start, I suggest you imagine walking on your hind legs.”

“Wait… and my front legs?”

She moved her left front leg, and the titan’s left weapon swiveled after a short, cracking noise.

“Whoa!” Gentle Breeze called,
“this is not just ‘piloting’ the titan… I am the titan!”

“Correction,” Titanius interjected,
“we are the titan.”

“Can we walk?”

“Ask Magos Gearhart to disengage the locking mechanism. While we could break free, such an act is inadvisable, since we would further damage our bay.”

“Okay… Magos? Could you please open the locks? I’d like to take a few steps.”

“Acknowledged,” Gearhart answered,
“but do not get cocky. Further damage to the hangar or the titan is to be avoided.”

“Umm… wait a second… 'further'?”

“You destroyed the locking mechanism for the titan’s left weapon.”

“Oops… sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Somehow, Gentle Breeze was able to feel how the locks opened. She waited another second - to be on the safe side - then she took a small step.
While she was much slower than normal, the feeling of power was exhilarating. Her foot hit the ground with a giant ‘thump’, and she moved her other leg, slowly walking around the hangar.

“Yahoo!” she cheered, turned and pointed her weapons in her new direction,
“I feel friggin’ unstoppable!”

“We may be well armored and shielded, but we are not unstoppable,” Titanius told her.

“It certainly feels that way! We feel great!”

“Gentle Breeze, you are too emotional. You risk acting imprudent.
And you are integrating into my systems too fast. You are in danger of loosing your individuality. Calm down. Get ahold of yourself!”

Gentle Breeze needed a second to realize what Titanius had tried to tell her, then she stopped moving and took a deep breath.

“Okay… I’m okay,” she said.

“Our connection is supposed to become stronger over time, but if we are too precipitative, we might not be able to disconnect you ever again. You need to get used to me and your role as princeps first. You must not only learn to ‘be’ me, you must also learn to delimit you own mind.”

“How am I going to do that?”

“Keep your emotions in check watch out for your mind. If you’re not distracted by your emotions, you will feel if it starts slipping away from you. Have you understood this simplified explanation?”

“Yes… I think so. Thank you. It still was a good start, wasn’t it?”

“Affirmative, though I suggest we end this first attempt so that so can process the event.”

“Good. I’ll walk back into the bay.”

Antonius and Luna entered the Apothecarium. They were already expected by Ambrosius and Marcus.

“Greetings, Ambrosius, and hello, Marcus. So, you are our ‘guinea pig’?”

“Well, someone has to be the first to receive your meta-seed, so I thought it may as well be me,” Marcus answered.

“The transformation should go without any critical problems,” Ambrosius told them,
“we have thoroughly tested the sample of the meta-seed we extracted during your examination. While it is somewhat… impure - judged by imperial standards - we were not able to detect any actual dangers.”

“So, just some shoddy traces of pony?” Luna quipped.

“Yes,” the Apotheciarius answered flatly,
“although in this case, the impurity is not a flaw, but actually desired, so I wouldn’t call it ‘shoddy’.”

“That is nice to hear.”

“Now, Antonius, please sit down so that I can extract your meta-seed.”

Antonius did as he was told, while Luna kept standing in front of him.
As her face suddenly turned into an expression of horror, Antonius knew that Ambrosius was approaching him with the extractor.

“Umm…” she started.

“Relax,” Antonius smiled,
“somehow, he’s got to get the seed out of me, doesn’t he?”

“Well, if he says ‘it is going to sting a bit’, he certainly will not be wrong.”

Instead of this, Ambrosius just said:

“I’m extracting the meta-seed now.”

Luna had still been right, though. It stung.

When it was over, a glass cylinder was filled with a semi-transparent, gel-like something.

“I’ll check it before we apply it to Marcus,” the Apothecarius said and got busy.

“So, they are going to inject this stuff into Marcus?” Luna inquired.

“Some of it,” Antonius explained,
“according to the analysis of the sample, it should turn him into a Space Marine and create the necessary implants.”

“Except for the black carapace,” Marcus added,
“since this implant requires non-organic components that cannot be created by my body. I was thoroughly briefed on the topic.”

“And you’re sure you want to exchange the Ultramarines for my Equinox Knights?” Antonius made sure,
“please mind that the Imperium will not be too happy about our… ‘impurity’, as Ambrosius called it.”

“My Lord,” Marcus answered,
“I joined the Ultramarines to become a Space Marine and protect mankind. Your new chapter offers me an opportunity to accomplish this dream of mine, and even if the Imperium should shun us, we will still fight for mankind like only the Astartes can.”

“I don’t think I need to ask you if you are ready,” Ambrosius now said, the filled injector in his hand,
“you certainly sound ready. As Princess Luna said earlier, this is going to sting a bit.”

According to Marcus’ expression, it really wasn’t a pleasant experience, but that was to be expected.

“And now?” Luna wanted to know.

“Now, we will wait and monitor him,” the Apothecarius told her.

Some minutes went by, then Marcus said:

“I’m hungry.”

“Good. We’ll start with normal food. Once your transformation has progressed further, we’ll slowly switch to Space Marine food.”

So Marcus started eating. And he ate a lot.

Ambrosius turned to Antonius and Luna:

“You don’t need to stay here. This process will take several days.”

“The transformation or this meal?” Luna asked while taking a peek at Marcus gobbling food.

Ambrosius also took a look at him and answered:

“Probably both.”

Marneus Augustus Calgar was on the Gloriana’s bridge as Magos Gearhart entered the room and walked up to him.

“Greetings, Lord Calgar,” the tech-priest said.

“Greetings, Gearhart,” Calgar replied,
“how did the activation of the titan go?”

“Reasonably well. The connection was stable and the ancient machine spirit has accepted Gentle Breeze as princeps.”

“Good. Where is she now?”

“She has joined Antonius and Luna. We will give her time to process this experience before we repeat the process.”

“Prudent. Anything else?”

“Yes, my Lord. I would like to bring some ponies onboard to assist us.”

Calgar thought he had misheard.

“You want ponies to help you? How could they be of use?”

“You know that we are already employing the help of the vermicular species that inhabits the ship, since they are excellent pipe cleaners and thus useful for maintenance. When they have finished their tasks, however, the dirt they cleaned is stuck in their fur. As of yet, my tech-priests have to help them get clean again, and the time they use for this task could better be spent with other duties that are more worthy the time of a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus.”

“So, you want the ponies to help wash the worms?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm… we’ll have to provide them with quarters and food. That shouldn’t be much of a problem, though. There are more than enough empty rooms on board and we can get the food from the surface. We’ll just have to establish a supply line. The only potential problem I see is to keep the ponies from wandering off and through the ship where they could cause trouble.”

“Those were my concerns, too, but if we apply care when picking to ponies to help us and order a tech-priest or chapter serf to supervise them, the risk should be acceptable.”

Calgar though about that for a second, then he said:

“Agreed. We can ask the Princesses or the Element Bearers to provide us with information about the ponies who want to help us so that we can discern if they are suitable or not. You may implement your plan.”

“I will make the necessary arrangements, Lord Calgar,” Gearhart replied.

Antonius and Luna were on their way to the Apothecarium. It has been three days since Marcus had received the meta-seed and they wanted to check in on him again. As they approached the door to Ambrosius’ realm, it opened and Aleksa appeared. She greeted them curtly and left rather quickly.

“Well, that was unusual,” Antonius mumbled.

“Indeed,” Luna concurred,
“she usually is more loquacious.”

“We can ask Marcus if he knows what’s wrong.”

They entered the Apothecarium and met with Marcus. He had grown quite a bit and had become much more muscular. As usual, he was eating, but he did not seem to be happy at all.

“What in Equestria is that?” Luna asked with a hint of disgust.

“Concentrated nutrients and minerals to help my skeleton adapt,” Marcus mumbled between two bites.

“So everything is going according to plan?” Antonius inquired.

“Hmm… my Lord.”

“What about Aleksa?”

Marcus stopped eating.

“What about her?” he asked.

“She seemed a little… terse.”

“Nothing to worry about, Lord Antonius.”

“Do I hear thunder in paradise?”

“My Lord?”

“Well… a problem in an otherwise happy environment,” Antonius explained and turned to Luna:
“that’s how it’s said, isn’t it? Or did I accidentally just invent a phrase of sorts?”

“Do not ask me,” Luna replied,
“as you know, I have been out of the loop for a thousand years and I am still trying to catch up with the countless new expressions and proverbs that came up in that time. And I do not know anything about the rest of the galaxy. But I do get what you mean.”

“Good! Now, Marcus, as your Chapter Master I’m responsible for your well-being. So, spill the beans, maybe we can help.”

“Is that an order, my Lord?” Marcus inquired.

“No,” Antonius responded,
“just a recommendation. From brother to brother. From friend to friend.”

Marcus hesitated for a second, then he nodded and said:

“Well, it’s… complicated. Aleksa and I were… umm…”

“A couple,” Luna finished.

“You know that?!” Marcus called, dumbfounded.

“Seriously, Marcus,” Antonius told him flatly,
“that’s probably the most public secret in the history of the Ultramarines. But what’s the problem?”

“You see, my Lord, we both know that me becoming a Space Marine is the right choice. Still, it’s… somewhat sad that we had to… abort our relationship.”

“And why did you have to do that?”

“Such dependencies are not allowed… but you know that… my Lord?”

“Well, in our chapter, it will be allowed. As long as it doesn’t hamper one’s duty, that is. It would be rather hypocritical if I banned relationships while being in a relationship with Luna.”

“Oh! That… sorry, but that would have been good to know.”

“Yeah, I honestly didn’t think about creating a new set of rules for our chapter. Maybe we should inherit the rules of the Ultramarines and just create little supplements where necessary… but back to our topic: Shall I talk to her? I could credibly tell her that you don’t have to end your relationship… and unlike you, I’m allowed to leave the Apothecarium.”

“Actually, I would like to tell her myself, but since I’m stuck here… thank you, my Lord. She should be in her quarters.”

“No problem, Marcus. I’ll go to see her now.”

At that moment, a vox call came in:

“Antonius, please meet me in the hangar,” Calgar said,
“the pony staff is about to arrive.”

“On my way,” Antonius replied, then he turned to the others:
“Great timing, huh?”

“You go to the hangar,” Luna smiled,
“I will meet with Aleksa. It is probably better if this is a discussion amongst females, anyway.”

“I don’t even want to think about the possible meaning of this,” Antonius said.

Luna’s smile grew bigger.

Luna approached the door to Aleksa’s quarters. While her mission was rather unusual for the Princess of the Night and more in the territory of the Princess of Love, she knew that she - as the only pony with experience when it came to relationships with a Space Marines - was the right pony to talk to the human woman. She just had to let out her ‘inner Cadance’.

She knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Aleksa called.

Luna did so and greeted:

“Hello, Aleksa.”

The tech-priest was in the same, slightly gloomy mood she had displayed when leaving the Apothecarium.

“Hello, Princess Luna. I did not expect your visit. Can I help you somehow?” she asked.

“Actually, I am here to help you.”

“In what matter? I don’t think that I need any help.”

“I cannot agree with you in that regard. You are downcast because you ended your relationship with Marcus. And as I said, I am here to help you.”

Aleksa looked quite uncomfortable as she replied:

“There is nothing you can do. And I really don’t like to discuss such personal matters with you, even though I’m sure you are well meaning.”

“Even if I tell you that your relationship is actually permitted?”

“It is what?” Aleksa exclaimed.

“Well, since Antonius is in a relationship with me, he also allows his fellow brothers to maintain relationships. That of course includes you and Marcus.”

“Really? That’s great! I mean, It’s good to know.”

“You do not need to hold back when talking to me, Aleksa. You may be happy openly.”

A grin appeared on the woman’s face, then it vanished and she asked:

“So, we’re allowed to be a couple, but is it possible? I mean, technically?”

“Why not?” Luna inquired, suddenly a little alarmed.

“Well, there’s the difference in size…”

“It is the same with me and Antonius, and I still do not let that deter me.”

“So… it works?”

“What do you mean by ‘it’? Oh! Now I know what you are talking about! Umm… I think so.”

“You think so? I thought you… have some… first-hand experience? Or… first hoof?”

Hmm… this had gotten way more personal than Luna had imagined, but since she already had gone that far, she would not stop now.

“To be honest, no. Tony and I have the same worries you have, and we do not want to rush things. I am quite certain, though, that everything will work out to perfect mutual satisfaction.
Oh, that was a somewhat unfortunate choice of words… In any case, I do not think that you have to worry, especially since you have those augmentations of yours.”

“And you are considered to be a demi-goddess.”

“So, there are good omens for both of us,” Luna grinned.

Antonius entered the hangar just as the Thunderhawk with the ponies onboard touched down. The ramp opened and the ponies filed out. Among them were two mares he knew quite well.

“Hello, Lyra! Hello, Bon Bon!” he greeted.

“Hi, Antonius!” they replied.

“I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to read your names on the list of volunteers.”

“Of course,” Lyra beamed,
“I’d never pass up the chance to help you - and see a human space-ship.”

“While I generally appreciate enthusiasm for mankind and its creations,” Calgar said as he approached them,
“I have to remind you that this is not a sight-seeing trip. Stay within the assigned areas.”

“We certainly will, Lord Calgar,” Bon Bon quickly assured him.

A tech-priest came for the ponies and guided them to into the ship just as Luna entered the hangar.

“Success?” Antonius asked.

“Oh yes, I think so,” Luna smiled.

“Should I even ask?” Calgar inquired.

“Nothing troublesome,” Antonius replied,
“I’ve just found out that there’s more to being a Chapter Master than just tactical or organizational skill. It’s also about the well-being - physical as well as emotional - of your brothers.”

“Right, to be honest, though, there’s usually an Apothecarius to help with the physical and a Chaplain to help with the emotional well-being.”

“Well, in this specific case, I think Luna was the better choice to go to for help.”

“That’s at your discretion, but don’t hesitate to ask for help or advice should you need any. Now, let’s go to the conference room. We have to discuss the current state of affairs.”

“A peculiar wording,” Luna grinned, much to Calgar’s confusion.

Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca, Ambrosius, Antonius, Luna, Gearhart, Gentle Breeze and Al were all brought up to date during their meeting. The restoration of the ship was ahead of its schedule, the titan project also made progress and Marcus’ transformation went off without a hitch.

“A problem we are facing,” Gearhart said,
“is that we will not be able to run the ship due to our lack of qualified personnel.”

“What about the machine spirit?” Seneca asked.

“It can sustain the basic functions, but it is unable to operate the ship at full capacity.”

“We could train ponies to help you.” Luna offered.

“Generous, but inefficient,” Gearhart told them,
“the ship was designed for humans, so ponies will not be able to completely replace them. Furthermore, we would need to train hundreds of them to a level that cannot be expected to be reached by a species that just got introduced to void-capable technology.”

“I refuse to believe that we have a Gloriana and can’t use it,” Calgar stated,
“we have to find a way.”

“I could probably help,” Al said.

They all looked at the screen that depicted his portrait.

“You intent to automate the ship’s functions?” Gearhart guessed.

“Correct.”

“So, you want to put yourself in control of a Gloriana?”

“Since you don’t have enough crewman to operate the ship, and the ponies cannot make up for this lack, I see no other chance at getting it fully operational again.”

“I am not able to detect a flaw in your argumentation.”

“Is such an… automatization possible at all?” Cassius asked.

“It would require extensive modifications,” Gearhart said,
“but it is possible. Since we already are maintaining every single system, the moment would actually be convenient - if we want to do it.”

“That is Antonius’ decision,” Calgar stated.

The newly appointed Chapter Master nodded:

“As I see it, it’s our only chance. Passing on a Gloriana would be extremely unadvisable - especially since this one is equipped with technology straight from the Golden Age. So, I say we follow Al’s advice. Al, Gearhart, when can we start and what do we need to do?”

“I am not yet able to produce the necessary equipment,” Al said,
“but I will soon be able to do so. In the meantime, you could prepare the systems onboard the ship.”

“You will need a connection to the machine spirit’s mainframe, I presume?” Gearhart inquired.

“Actually, I’m aiming for a more thorough integration to create an independent system. When we’re done, a derivate of my STC system will run on the ship.”

“A ‘derivate’?” Tigurius wanted to know.

“Yes. Another ‘me’, if you want. I intend to keep it synchronized to my main entity.”

“I assumed you would transfer the entire STC system to the ship.” Gearhart said.

“No, the STC system will be built into the fortress monastery. The ship will get a STC system that’s adapted to voidships - and plans for all kinds of STC systems, of course.”

“Sounds good,” Antonius opined,
“apropos ‘fortress monastery’: how’s it going?”

“I’m still excavating the mountain range. Additional matter converters and production units have been constructed to speed up the process of building the fortress monastery. The foundations of the outer walls have been built, too.”

“Hmm… I guess I should have a look at things down on the surface… Ambrosius, do you still need me as a reference?”

“No,” he answered,
“I have enough data to properly evaluate Marcus’ transformation.”

“So, when do you plan to leave?” Calgar asked.

“When the Thunderhawk is ready for departure.”

“I assume you will accompany him, Princess?”

“Yes,” Luna replied.

“Might I suggest traveling to Saddle-Arabia to acquire the silversteel we need?” Gearhart interjected.

“Good idea,” Antonius concurred.

“Gentle Breeze, what about you?” Calgar continued.

“My Lord,” she answered,
“I’d like to stay onboard and continue working with Titanius.”

“No objections. Antonius, is there anything else you need or anyone you’d like to join you?”

“To be honest, Lord Calgar, yes,” Antonius told him,
“up to this point, the ponies have gotten to know only me. I think it might be prudent if you visited them more often, so that they got to know you, too.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You are in command of the Ultramarines here. It would be a nice gesture to be a little more… approachable for the ponies.”

Calgar laughed.

“I see you have taken some lessons in politics,” he said,
“and you are right. I will accompany you to the surface.”

“I will join you, too,” Tigurius stated,
“I will use the opportunity to have a look at the magic the ponies use.”

“I will stay here and keep an eye on everything,” Cassius said.

“Good,” Calgar said,
“now, let’s end this discussion and get going.”

15. Silversteel

The Thunderhawk entered the atmosphere, Antonius, Luna, Calgar and Tigurius on board. The princess had shown them where the capital - and the royal palace - of Saddle Arabia was, and now they headed there to acquire as much silversteel as possible.
Antonius wondered if they had restocked their supply after giving everything they had to Equestria, and how they would feel about doing the same again - but with a substantial difference this time.

The dropship approached the capital and descended.

“Pilot, touch down on this plaza,” Calgar commanded, indicating a spot on the hololithic model of the city.

The pilot acknowledged the order and slowed down the Thudnerhawk.

“I guess we will cause quite a ruckus,” Luna grinned.

“Probably,” Calgar answered,
“but landing beyond the city limits would be too impractical, and since I’ve gotten to know that we are bargaining for material of considerable value, showing off a little will probably be advantageous.”

“Not to mention the fact that the dead have come to conduct the negotiations,” Tigurius smiled.

“I’m not dead,” Antonius deadpanned,
“I’m feeling much better.”

The Thunderhawk closed in on the plaza in the slowly setting sun, sending Saddle Arabians running. Soon, a big enough landing site was cleared and the dropship touched down. Almost immediately, armed and armored ponies were running towards them, forming a cordon around them.

“Dutiful,” Calgar commented.

“Let’s open the ramp and say hello,” Antonius suggested.

“Do you want some spooky music? You know, for ambience?” Luna asked with a smile.

“We don’t even know if they take the stories about my death and resurrection that seriously. It’s actually pretty hard to believe, after all.”

The ramp was lowered and the four of them left the Tunderhawk. One of the Saddle Arabians, probably the leader of the troops surrounding them, judged by his more elaborate helmet, approached them and shouted:

“Halt! You have set hoof on Saddle Arabian territory! Explain your…”

At that moment, his eyes fell upon Antonius, and he went silent for a few seconds. Then, he whispered:

“The revenant…”

“The what?” Antonius asked in confusion.

“I will inform the royal couple, you just wait here… please.”

He darted towards the palace. His fellow soldiers also looked somewhat less determined now.

“Well, seems you did not need any spooky music,” Luna commented.

“They are obviously familiar with your story,” Calgar stated,
“and they do take it seriously.”

“Guess so,” Antonius replied.

It only took a few minutes, then Price Haakim and Princess Amira left their palace, a little faster than you would expect from such dignitaries.

“Lord Antonius Varus!” the prince greeted as they passed the soldiers surrounding the Thunderhawk,
“it truly is a pleasure seeing you again!”

“Of course, we also greet your companions,” Princess Amira added,
“as well as princess Luna of Equestria!”

“Greetings, Prince Haakim, greetings, Princess Amira,” Antonius replied with a small courtesy bow,
“I’m also happy to see you again. You can just call me ‘Antonius’ from now on, since I’ve dropped my last name. This is Marneus Augustus Calgar, former chapter master of the Ultramarines.”

Calgar nodded, but since the royal couple apparently had some problems bringing the tile into line with their knowledge, Antonius added:

“He’s basically my commander.”

According to their change of expression, they understood that, and he continued:

“And this is Varro Tigurius, Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines… something like the court wizard… or rather court battle mage.”

Tigurius nodded with a small grin. He obviously found the description amusing.

“Now, let me greet you in the name of Equestria,” Luna said,
“I am glad that I get the chance to visit your great and beautiful country.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” Amira replied,
“now, please follow us inside. We cordially invite you to have dinner with us.”

So they all entered the palace and were lead to a large, palatial dining room. The Saddle Arabians had even more of a predilection for gold than Celestia; wherever you looked, you could see something golden or at least gold plated.
Dinner was dished up soon, and the prince and princess refrained from asking the questions they undoubtedly had until they all were done and coffee was served. Then Haakim began to talk:

“I am well aware that you shouldn’t bother your august guest with questions, but would you still allow it?”

“I’ll allow it,” Antonius replied,
“especially since we are friends.”

“Thank you. We heard stories of your death, and recently we were also told about your return. Could you please tell us what happened?”

Well, that question was somewhat obvious, and Antonius told them what they had asked about.

“Incredible,” Amira mumbled, and quickly added
“but undoubtedly true.”

“It was hard to believe for us, too,” Calgar admitted friendlily,
“but we were able to verify it.”

The princess nodded, and the prince said:

“Your story will certainly go down in history. Even in centuries, the Saddle Arabians will still tell the tale of the warrior of mankind who died and was reborn to save all of us.”

Seriously, those two ponies really were very friendly… they almost overdid it a bit. Perhaps the Thunderhawk had been a bit much ‘showing off’…

“Apropos,” Antonius replied,
“I heard one of your guards call me ‘revenant’. Is that my nickname here?”

“Yes,” Haakim answered,
“as far as we know, it’s the term for a northern being that comes back from the dead. Is that correct?”

“Well, I think a revenant is more of a zombie, but even though I hope you don’t think of me as an animated corpse, I don’t mind you calling me that.”

“You are too generous,” Amira said with a small bow,
“talking about ‘generous’: is this just a courtesy visit to officially tell us about your return, or can we help you somehow?”

Since they probably already knew what he wanted, Antonius just said:

“We really could use some silversteel. Do you have any?”

“Well, yes. As you know, we have already given you a fortune’s worth of this rare and valuable material in exchange for your promise to protect us. While we certainly don’t regret making this deal with you, I’d like to ask you how the compensation is going to look like this time. See, we can’t always give away our silversteel without a tangible payment we can show to our subjects.”

“What quantities can you offer?”

“Enough for about a dozen pony-sized armors. That’s our standard stock.”

“That’s a beginning, but it won’t be enough.”

“Well, we can mine more. That will take quite some time though, as it is not an easy process.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if it were an easy process?” Antonius smiled.

“What do you mean?” Amira inquired.

“I’m talking about using human mining technology to mine the silversteel. That way, you could get much larger quantities.”

“Wouldn’t that ruin the price?” Haakim asked,
“next to its quality, it’s its rarity that makes silversteel so valuable.”

“Well, I see a lot of gold in this room,” Antonius noted,
“does this mean that gold has lost its worth to you?”

“No,” Amira answered.

“See? Furthermore, we can assure you that you will be the only publicly available source of silversteel, since we’ll use our share of the mining operation exclusively for ourselves. So, you’ll still control the supply and the prices, you’ll just not have to worry about mining the silversteel anymore. That also means that your subjects won’t have to take the risk of mining the material once we’ve taken over.”

“Well, that does not sound too bad. Perhaps you could throw some of this technology of yours into the bargain? You know, something we can actually show to our subjects?”

Antonius though about that. He could understand their request, he just had to think of something that was harmless enough, but still a marvel for the Saddle Arabians.

“What about a vox and data net?” he finally asked.

“A what?” Haakim wanted to know.

“You can use it to talk to each other and share information over long distances. It’s really useful, and it’s something your subjects could use, too. We’d have to produce the necessary equipment first, though, and our production facilities are still under development. So, the payment might be slightly deferred, but I guarantee we’ll get to setting up the net as soon as we can.”

“Hmm,” Amira said,
“that is an interesting proposal. So, we’d get this ‘vox and data net’ as well as our share of the mining operation you’d be responsible for… what share are we talking about?”

“That depends on the mine’s output,” Antonius replied.

“How so? I was not talking about absolute numbers, but about percentages. Let’s say 50-50?”

“If the mine is as rich as I hope, that’d mean that we have a constant lack of silversteel while you are downright overwhelmed with it, as we need much lager quantities than your dozen-armors-stock.”

“So, you want to take the lion’s share?”

“Actually, yes. I know that this is a bold demand, but we need the silversteel not because of vanity, but for the sake of the entire galaxy.”

“If so much is at stake,” Haakim interjected,
“could we deny your request at all? Back then, you assured us that you would not take our silversteel by force.”

“Well, if you’d really reject our proposal, we would try to find another silversteel vein somewhere else.”

“That would take a lot of time. Silversteel veins are very rare.”

“I am aware of that, but what else should I do? I wouldn’t like to go to war with you over this resource, no matter how important it is. You are my friends, after all.”

“And as your friends,” Amira stated,
“we can assure you that you won’t need to take such drastic measures. You will get our silversteel and the right to mine as much as you please, in return we’ll get the ‘vox and data net’. Since our subjects are going to profit directly from it, they will probably not mind you taking the silversteel too much.”

“If they do,” Calgar now interjected,
“let us know. We’ll help you crush any possible revolt.”

“Oh goodness, I’m sure that won’t be necessary.”

“I hope so, too, but if it comes to the worst we won’t sit idle while a coup is staged against you just because you decided to help us.”

“Well… we have a deal, do you agree, Haakim?”

“Yes, I do agree,” Haakim confirmed, then he added with a smile:
“since the galaxy is at stake, we have to help. It would be sad if the last entry in the books of history would tell about our refusal to aid you.”

“Nobody would be able to read that,” Antonius grinned.

“True, but the idea of so many beings hating us before dying is somewhat unsettling, and since you’ve proven that death is not necessarily the end, I think we should play it safe.”

They shared a laugh to defuse the last bits of tension, then Amira asked:

“Is there anything else we can help you with, now that you’re here?”

“Actually, yes,” Antonius answered,
“do you have darksteel?”

“Yes, of course. It’s always found together silversteel, albeit in larger quantities. We’ll give you some.”

“And the price?”

“Let’s see… it’s for the benefit of the galaxy again, I presume?”

“Yes.”

“Then just take it. Compared to the silversteel, its worth is negligible.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” Antonius said and the negotiations were over.

“Well, I would say those negotiations have been successful,” Luna said as she, Antonius and the Ultramarines had entered her and Antonius’ quarters.

“Indeed,” Calgar said,
“the Saddle Arabians were quite forthcoming. They’re either excited about the data net you want to establish here or intimidated by our capabilities.”

“It’s probably both,” Tigurius commented,
“furthermore, I think they actually realize the importance of our request.”

“True. Seems we have encountered another friendly and helpful alien species.”

“Yeah, on this planet, that’s rather the rule than the exception,” Antonius added with a grin,
“some may be a bit reluctant or stubborn, but most of them can at least be reasoned with - as far as I know.”

“You are right,” Luna confirmed,
“the Saddle Arabians, the Gryphons, the Hippogryphs, the Abyssinians… they are all reasonable. I have to admit, though, that there are more species on this planet we do not know a lot about.”

“What about the dragons?” Tigurius inquired,
“one of them lives with your Element of Magic, after all.”

“Spike? He is just a baby. As far as I know, his egg was found somewhere and he was hatched by Twilight. There is also a dragon community in Fillydelphia, but they have adapted to a more pony-like lifestyle. We do not know much about the culture of the dragons of the Dragon Lands. They usually keep to themselves. Encounters are rare, but due to their tendency towards greed and aggression often rather… unpleasant.”

“So, most dragons are rather ‘unpleasant’, as you call it, and those who are friendlier have turned their backs on their kin and live in a separate community in a pony town. Do you think the ‘Dragon Lands’ dragons pose a threat?”

“Not really, since they do not care much about anything outside their realm.”

“Good,” Calgar said,
“in time, we should be briefed regarding the sapient and non-sapient species we could encounter on this planet, since we will show a little more presence here - at Antonius’ suggestion. Now, I guess you’d like to retire for the night.”

“Well,” Luna replied,
“now that you mention it… resting might be prudent… what about our pilots, though?”

“They’ll guard the Thunderhawk. While I don’t expect any trouble, being found wanting would be inexcusable.”

The next morning, Antonius, Luna and the Ultramarines were provided a sumptuous breakfast by courtesy of Prince Haakim and Princess Amira, who also joined them.
The conversations they had were not too deep, mostly small talk about living in Saddle Arabia respectively the Realm of Ultramar.

When they had finished the meal, they got ready to leave.

“The silversteel and darksteel will be delivered to your… umm…” Haakim started.

“Thunderhawk,” Antonius added helpfully.

“Yes… well, it will be there within the next 15 minutes. Would you mind showing us this conveyance of yours? It is very different from the means we use to travel.”

“Be our guests,” Calgar replied,
“I just have to ask you to refrain from touching anything.”

So, they all went to the waiting Thunderhawk and the royal couple got a small tour and a short explanation of how the dropship worked. While this clearly went over their heads, they were in awe of the machine.

Then, the ingots arrived and were stored away.

Antonius, Luna and the Ultramarines bid goodbye and the Thunderhawk started, heading for the new base that was being constructed.

When they approached their destination, Antonius took a look at the hololith to get an idea of the progress that Al had made. It was pretty impressive, to be honest:
The whole valley was mostly filled with various buildings, and a multitude of drones was buzzing around. The site even attracted a few ponies who were curious about what was going on here.

“Astounding,” Luna mumbled,
“Al has not been idle.”

“Not at all,” Antonius agreed.

The Thunderhawk landed on a platform that had obviously been built for exactly that purpose. When they opened the ramp, they were already expected by a drone which’s display showed Al’s head.

“Hello everybody!” he greeted,
“I hope you are satisfied with the progress I made while you were gone.”

“More than that,” Antonius answered, looking at bustling activity in the valley.

He now could see that the buildings he had seen on the hololith were production facilities, connected by conveyor belts and wiring.

“You know,” he joked,
“I’m just surprised you’re using normal conveyors instead of something like anti-grav transport tubes.”

“At the moment, I don’t have the capacity to produce anti-grav units in sufficient quantities. Once this changes, I’ll replace the conveyor belts.”

“Umm… really? I was just joking, actually… but do as you seem fit. As a little help, we’ve brought you some silversteel and darksteel.”

“Perfect! I’ll send a drone to retrieve it.”

“Leave a few bars for Magos Gearhart,” Calgar interjected,
“I’d like him to test the untreated materials for their properties.”

“Of course, Lord Calgar.”

“Where is Aleksa?” Antonius inquired,
“she was supposed to monitor the construction of our new base.”

“At the moment,” Al replied,
“she is in Canterlot and having a look at the Stormbird. She is still surveilling my progress via drone. I set one aside for that purpose. In fact, you can see it hovering above the site.”

Antonius took a look and said:

“I guess just standing around here and keeping an eye in things was a little boring for her. I certainly won’t hold that against her. She is much more useful if she spends her time doing something more productive.”

“She certainly was productive. She helped Twilight come up with a crystal-based, non-invasive neural interface.”

“Ah, for my armor. Good, then I guess you can start producing it soon.”

“Just a few tests with the silversteel and darksteel, then I will get to it.”

“Thanks. You know, while this primitive armor was sufficient as of yet, I kinda miss actual power armor.”

In the meantime, a drone had come and had collected the ingots they had brought (except two of each which were meant for Gearhart).

With their shipment discharged, Antonius, Luna and the Ultramarines boarded the Thunderhawk again.

“Pilot,” Calgar commanded,
“drop us off in the base beneath Canterlot. Then, return to the Gloriana so that Magos Gearhart gets the samples for analysis.”

The journey to the city only took a few minutes. In the hangar, now with a permeating smell of incense, they encountered Aleksa. She had removed one of the Stormbird’s engines and was now hunched over it. As they approached, she straightened herself and said:

“Greetings. I took the liberty to watch the construction of the new base remotely and invest my time into the maintenance of the old Stormbird.”

“No objections,” Antonius answered.

“Neither have I,” Calgar added,
“just don’t forget to check in on the construction from time to time.”

“Of course,” Aleksa answered.

“Now, you may continue the maintenance,” Antonius told her,
“what exactly are you doing at the moment?”

“Fan service,” Aleksa answered and bent forward again.

As they left the hangar, they could hear the Thunderhawk start and depart. Antonius wondered what Gearhart’s examination of the ingots would reveal. While he already knew how useful silversteel - or darksteel, for that matter - was, he was curious how it achieved its durability while staying so light.

They all went to the throne room where they met Celestia.
After greeting each other, Calgar said:

“Princess Celestia, Antonius suggested that it would be advantageous if we spent some time here among you ponies to get to know you better, and I agree. Do you have accommodations for Chief Librarian Tigurius and me?”

“Why, of course!” Celestia answered,
“it is with great pleasure that I extend our hospitality to you.”

“No need to be so formal, sister,” Luna grinned,
“the Ultramarines I got to know are actually very nice ponies - I mean people - once you get to know them.”

“Oh? So you prefer a more… casual approach?”

Calgar looked somewhat surprised by that, and Tigurius replied:

“Quite.”

Calgar took a look at his smiling brother, then he turned to Celestia:

“Well, while it is unusual for Ultramarines to be ‘casual’ in public, this whole situation we are in is definitely unusual already, so we may as well give it a try.”

“I am happy to hear that,” Celestia answered,
“please call me ‘Celestia’ from now on. No need to refer to me by title. And maybe you will even start seeing the company of me and my sister as private rather than public and feel more at easy with the casual approach.”

“So, if I’m allowed to use your given name, I guess you should be allowed to use mine, too. I’m Marneus.”

Antonius could see in Calgar’s face that the idea of a pony referring to him in such a way was a rather strange one - to put it mildly. Tigurius, on the other hand, seemed to have less doubts about being called ‘Varro’.

“See?” Antonius smiled,
“that’s how fast you make friends around here.”

“Astounding,” Calgar answered flatly.

Celestia ordered some ponies to take care that quarters for Calgar and Tigurius were prepared, then she turned to her guests:

“It will take a while for your accommodations to be ready. In the meantime, you might have some questions about us ponies I could answer?”

“Actually,” Tigurius said,
“I do have a question - many questions, to be honest - but the most urging one is a favor as well as it is a question.”

“A favor? Ask, and I will try to help you.”

“To my knowledge, you are one of the most capable ponies when it comes to magic, is that correct?”

“Well, yes.”

“Would you teach me how your magic works?”

As she heard the word ‘teach’, Celestia’s face lit up with glee:

“You want me to teach you magic? With pleasure! I’m curious how that’s going to work out. I already know that you are a powerful psyker, but our magic is quite different from the energies of the warp. Perhaps Antonius can help us, he knows both kinds of psychic powers, after all… Well, we best start and find out.”

So the Princess of the Sun started her first magic lesson for the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines, aided by Antonius and Luna, with Calgar as attentive spectator.

While Tigurius lacked Antonius’ genetic disposition towards magic, he made up for that with his vast knowledge and experience. By the time their rooms were ready, he was already able to use telekinesis with little to no effort.

“Outstanding,” Celestia smiled (although she seemed a little concerned by how fast her newest pupil was learning),
“you are a very gifted individual. In fact, you even remind me a bit of Twilight.”

“High praise,” Tigurius replied with a small bow.

“Let’s end the lesson for now. I’ll show you to your quarters.”

When they entered Calgar’s room, Celestia turned to them:

“I’m sorry that it’s somewhat austere at the moment, I guess you are used to more stately accommodations.”

“We are also used to being knee-deep in mud and blood,” Calgar replied,
“so a room with an appropriately sized bed, table and chair is actually a more than sufficient abode. Everything beyond that is luxury. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Varro’s quarters are next door. If you don’t mind, I’ll return to my duties now. Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I will also take leave,” Luna told them,
“I want to be well rested for my nightly duties.”

So, the princesses left, leaving the Space Marines among themselves.

“Well, they certainly are hospitable,” Calgar stated as he took another look around,
“but we already knew that. Now, Varro, Antonius, what do you think about the magic the ponies use?”

“Peculiar,” Tigurius summarized,
“I estimate that it’s about as potent as warp energy, but different in many aspects.”

“I agree,” Antonius said,
“while you have to wrest power from the warp, for example, the magic here comes to your aid voluntarily and you can focus on the task at hand.”

“Yes, and that’s just the application. It’s like a - for lack of a better word - nicer variant of the energies of the warp, different enough that I think a witch or daemon would have serious trouble using it at all.”

“That circumstance saved this planet.”

“True. I will continue my magic studies with Celestia as my mentor in order to fathom its mysteries.”

“No objections,” Calgar told him,
“Antonius, about your new base…”

“Yes, Lord Calgar?” Antonius responded.

“Antonius, even Celestia calls me ‘Marneus’, so you may to that, too. What I wanted to talk about is a way of guarding the construction site.”

“To be honest, I think Al has already taken care of that. Even his worker drones should be suitable guards.”

“Maybe, but I’d like some humans to be involved… and the Hastings brothers asked me for permission to come down to the surface. Back then, I denied it to be easy on the ponies, but since the base is rising that consideration is no longer necessary.”

“Two knights as guards? Well, our base can be considered to be very well guarded, then. We should tell them to deploy once they’re ready. The ponies will be quite impressed I bet.”

That night, Antonius was awoken by an incoming call.

“Ugh, who dares to interrupt our slumber?” Luna grumbled.

“We’ll know in a second,” Antonius replied,
“if you hover the PDA over to me, that is.”

She did so and he answered the call. It was Gearhart.

“Greetings, Antonius,” the magos said,
“can you confirm that the silversteel and darksteel samples are indeed untreated?”

“Why, yes. You got them as we received them. Is something wrong?”

“Examinations and tests show unusual results. This prevents me from comprehending the materials’ properties. I thought the samples might have been treated in some way.”

“Not that I know of… do you suspect a magic treatment?”

“Affirmative.”

“Then, we should talk to Celestia or Twilight. Perhaps they can help us figuring out the truth.”

“While an explanation by a pony will be of use, I need actual measurement results to appropriately describe the materials. To my knowledge, we are not able to quantify the ponies magic.”

“No,” Antonius admitted, then he had an idea:
“Gearhart, Aleksa and Twilight have come up with a crystal-based, non-invasive neural interface. That means that they’ve found a way to make magic interact with technology. Maybe this could be further developed into a measuring tool for magic?”

“Has the ponies magic already been approved by Chief Librarian Tigurius?”

“Not officially, but unofficially… almost. It’s best you talk to him directly.”

“Acknowledged. Should I get his approval, I will reach out to Aleksa and Twilight.”

“Maybe you should wait until morning to call Twilight.”

“Prudent,” Gearhart answered,
“I will keep you updated. Gearhart, out.”

16. New equipment

Celestia stepped onto her balcony and took a look at the construction site on the far side of Ponyville. The base grew day by day, you could downright watch it getting bigger and bigger. While it would still take quite a while for this ‘fortress monastery’ to be completed, it already was an unmistakable sign of the Imperium’s presence.
Just like her guests.

Marneus Augustus Calgar - what a name - and Varro Tigurius reminded her of Antonius, as they were reasonable and thoroughly decent. They were more… reserved than Tony had been, though, Calgar even more than Tigurius. Well, that was what a lifetime of fighting non-humans did to you. Considering that, they were actually quite nice.

As far as Celestia could tell, they fit their roles in their chapter perfectly: Calgar seemed like the born leader, calm, considerate, and with a commanding presence that was downright phenomenal. No wonder that Antonius respected him so highly.
Tigurius was probably one of the most capable magic-, warp- or whatever users she had ever met in her life. While he lacked Antonius’ genetic disposition, he made up for that with his vast experience and talent. Her first appraisal had been correct - he was at least on par with Twilight.
Antonius’ and Tigurius’ magical abilities meanwhile really had grown tremendously.

“Deep in thought, sister?” Luna asked as she walked up to her.

“Kinda,” Celestia answered with a smile.

“The new base?”

“And our guests. All told, things are going pretty well.”

“Indeed. They really are nice humans.”

“Yes,” Celestia said, her smile fading,
“but there is one thing that could put this niceness to the test: Discord.”

“I see what you mean,” Luna replied,
“meeting their somewhat half daemonic traitor Primarch uncle will probably not be an easy endeavor.”

“That’s putting it mildly. Back when Tony got to know the truth, we had to tell him to stay calm and not try to kill Discord, and he listened to us because we were his friends. But the Ultramarines?”

“I am confident they will see reason, too.”

“I hope you’re right, Luna. Perhaps we should arrange this meeting to be in public, so that they will show more restraint as not to damage the friendly reputation they try to maintain.”

“Scheming again, sister? You cannot just trust them?”

“In the end, I’ll have to, but I’d like to do what I can to… influence them in a positive way.”

“And how do you want to do that?”Luna inquired,
“what public occasion do you have in mind for that encounter?”

“That Gala,” Celestia told her.

“The Grand Galloping Gala?”

“Yes. I’ve already wanted to invite Discord, so inviting them too seems like a good idea.”

“You want to invite Discord?”

“Well,” Celestia said with a somewhat apologetic smile,
“you know how dull the Gala usually is. I thought he might liven things up a bit.”

“Yeah,” Luna deadpanned,
“I do not see how this could possibly go wrong in any way.”

“Don’t be so negative, Luna. I’m confident that everything will be alright. I’ll send the invitations today, so they’ll have enough time to prepare. I guess Rarity will have to make some clothes for them… or do you think they have formal attire with them?”

“I would be surprised if they did not show up in their armors. Apropos armors: In just half an hour, Tony is going to get his armor. Do you want to witness that moment? I sure want to. The Ultramarines will be there, too.”

“I’ll join you. While I’m at it, I can give them their invitations.”

“Synchronizing… perfect!” Twilight beamed.

Another test of the new neural interface had been successful. She really was proud that she had been able to help Antonius and his friends. Next to the interface, Antonius’ armor was made of silversteel with darksteel inlays, which had been her idea. In addition to that, they had also been able to create magic-meters that combined enchanted crystals and human technology. Really, it was great that she was able to help mankind, even though they were technologically so far ahead of ponykind.

“Hmm,” Antonius agreed,
“the interface works within operational parameters… it’s even so close to the desired values that it’s unclear if the deviation isn’t just measurement uncertainty.”

“The neural interface prevailed in our laboratory tests,” Gearhart added for consideration,
“actual field tests are still required to asses its true reliability.”

“Well, they’re about to start once I’ve put the armor on. Now let’s attach the interface to the armor. Honestly, I can’t wait to use power armor again.”

While Antonius got ready to don the armor and Gearhart was busy installing the interface, Twilight once again took a look at the huge suit. It was as impressive as it was intimidating. She wondered what her friends would say. Of course, Rarity knew the plans, and the others had probably taken a look at them, too, but seeing a plan and seeing the real thing were quite different.

“I’ll tell everypony that our fashion show is about to start,” Twilight grinned.

“Calling the presentation of a new type of armor a ‘fashion show’ is highly inappropriate,” Gearhart protested.

“Well,” Antonius opined,
“since the armor is brand-new and made of non-standard materials and with non-standard systems, it’s neither ancient nor sacred, so Twilight’s comment is certainly not an insult of our technology.”

“That is true, though I am planning to have the armor declared ‘sacred’ once it has proven its reliability in battle.”

“Oh, you really take the matter very serious,” Twilight stated.

“Of course,” Gearhart told her,
“the armor protects the Space Marine, and the Space Marine protects mankind. It greatly enhances his ability to perform his sacred duty. This is not to be taken lightly.”

“Okay… I’ll tell the others that you’re about to… show up.”

She returned to her friends and the Ultramarines and was really delighted to see Princess Celestia and her sister there.

“Princess Celestia!” she exclaimed,
“what a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect you to join us.”

“Well, Twilight,” the princess answered,
“it is an important matter for Antonius, so I didn’t want to miss it. I also used the opportunity to give out the invitations for the Gala to our friends.”

“Oh! That’s nice!” Twilight replied and turned to the Ultramarines:
“Have you been to a Gala before? I know that you have festivities of your own, but since you are warriors, I’m not sure if you also attend… civil gatherings.”

“Such occasion are rare,” Calgar told her,
“sometimes we are invited to a celebration of some sort by a planetary governor, but we are usually too busy doing our actual duty to attend. Only if our presence is tactically and diplomatically prudent, a few of us may accept such an invitation.”

“Are you going to accept our invitation?”

“Yes, since we have time to spare. I have to admit that I’m curious how this Gala is going to be.”

“If the parties you attend are boring,” Rainbow deadpanned,
“the Gala will feel very familiar to you.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.

“What? I thought we should at least warn them.”

Just as Twilight wanted to speak again, Gearhart joined them and said:

“Chapter Master Antonius will be here momentarily. He is just checking his weapons.”

“Good to hear that he has not forgotten everything he learned,” Cassius grumbled.

“Chapter Master Antonius’ behavior does not show any indication of memory problems,” the magos told him matter-of-factly.

Now, Antonius finally showed up. The huge, black armor had looked impressive as it had just been standing around, but now as he wore it, it looked way more… actually, it was hard to find the right words. One thing was sure, though: It fitted him perfectly. He looked somewhat more… ‘whole’ with power armor compared to the rather simple armor he had returned with. The giant sword on his back and the storm bolter on his hip completed the appearance of a Space Marine.
The imperial aquila on his chestplate seemed to shine, and there was a similar symbol on one of his pauldrons. At a first glance, one could think it was another aquila, but a closer look revealed that it was an eagle and an alicorn embracing each other. In Twilight’s opinion, it was a perfect display on the friendship between mankind and ponykind.

“You look simply divine, darling!” Rarity cheered,
“the armor really is a modern take on classic elements and the color scheme…”

“Yeah,” Rainbow interrupted her,
“because THAT’s what armor is for: fashion-y stuff.”

“There is no reason not to look fabulous, even in the midst of battle.”

“Calm down, my friends,” Antonius laughed,
“the armor does indeed look great - at least in my opinion - but it’s true value lies in its usefulness.”

“Which you have extended with various experimental systems?” Cassius inquired.

“Yes. I’ve used ancient STCs as well as combinations of pony magic and human technology. Admittedly, usual Mechanicum personnel would probably get a screaming fit upon just seeing it, but I put effectivity over compliance. Once I have thoroughly tested the non-magical systems, I would even suggest to use some of them to update standard power armor, since they should be very beneficial to our cause.”

“For example?”

“The personal shield system should be useful, just as the advanced auspexes.”
He started grinning and continued:
“And there are also a few systems that are quite funny, too.”

“I know you want us to inquire about that,” Tigurius smiled,
“so I ask you: What do you mean?”

Twilight had to smile, too. Antonius and Tigurius had developed a truly brotherly relationship since they were learning magic together.

“Would you please hold my sword?” Antonius said, retrieved the sword from his back and gave it to Tigurius, then he turned to the ponies:
“Volunteers?”

“Bet you don’t dare to,” Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

“I’ll show you,” Applejack answered and took a step forward,
“I volunteer, and I’ll honestly tell you want I think about your fancy… whatever.”

Antonius picked her up, tuned around, and put her to his back… where she stuck.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack shouted,
“why don’t I fall? I somehow feel like I’m lying on my back… on your back… what is going on?”

Antonius turned around again with a grin.

“It’s a graviton lock,” he explained,
“it works like our magnetic locks, but I can put anything there and it will keep lying on my back, no matter my spatial orientation.”

“Oh, Antonius,” Pinkie grinned,
“Applejack would never lie, whether on your back or not.”

“You just had to use that opportunity, huh?”

“Absolutely!”

“Pardon,” Applejack interjected,
“but I’m still on your back.”

“Oh, yeah, right, just a moment,” Antonius replied, fetched her from his back and put her down on the ground.

“Hmm…” Calgar said while Antonius stored away his sword again,
“while it’s not really necessary, it is sort of convenient. I guess you deliberately showed us a harmless system first?”

“Well,” Antonius answered,
“this system in pretty easy to demonstrate, and it was a good opportunity.”

“True, but an actual field test would be better suited to test your armor and its systems than just a series of demonstrations.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“A maneuver. Attack the royal palace in Canterlot. That way, we can asses your strategy, your armor’s performance and the ponies’ defenses.”

“Works for me. Do you approve of this, Tia? Luna?”

Celestia looked quite surprised by this turn of events, but she said:

“Well… as long as nopony is actually hurt… what is your exact goal going to be?”

“We are his ‘goal’, of course, sister,” Luna grinned,
“and I have an additional proposal: since we are also testing our defenses, Tony should be allowed to be ‘evil’ for this mission.”

“‘Evil’?”

“Of course! We certainly will not encounter friendly enemies.”

“That… makes sense. And I thought I would just have a look at Antonius’ armor and give you your tickets… when is this maneuver going to start?”

“Let’s not waste time,” Antonius replied,
“the Gala is in a week, so the maneuver could be… tomorrow?”

“Works for me. I’ll let everypony know what we’re going to do, so that we can avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Excellent. Now I just have to get my hair cut, so that my helmet will fit. I hope Lotus or Aloe have time.”

“You’re going to the spa?” Rarity asked eagerly.

“‘Spa’?” Aleksa wanted to know,
“what’s that?”

Rarity looked gobsmacked as she turned to her:

“You don’t know what a spa is? That’s simply dreadful, darling! Come on, follow me!”

Some minutes later, Antonius, Rarity, her friends and Aleksa entered the Ponyville spa. Celestia and Luna had returned to Canterlot to prepare everything for tomorrow’s maneuver, and to no-one’s surprise, the Ultramarines and Magos Gearhart had also not joined them.

Still, Aleksa wasn’t the only human there, as they discovered after they had gone through the reception. Lady Angren was in the large, central tub. When she noticed Antonius, she almost jumped to her feet to greet him properly, but thought otherwise just in time. She still looked uncertain what to do, so Antonius quickly said:

“You may remain submerged, Lady Angren. Greetings, by the way.”

“Greetings, Chapter Master Antonius,” she replied with relief,
“and thank you.”

“No problem,” Antonius replied, then he looked into the distance and added:
“there are some things man was never meant to see…”

“Umm… my Lord?”

“I was just joking. Enjoy your treatment, I’ll just have my hair cut.”

“This way, please,” Lotus Blossom told him and led him to one of the cots.

In the meantime, Aloe took care of Aleksa, who vanished behind a screen, and the ponies spread to get their treatments.

“Do you really want me to cut off your beautiful hair?” Lotus asked Antonius.

“Yeah,” he answered,
“since it doesn’t fit under my helmet… but that gives me an idea: cut it, but don’t throw it away. I’ll use it as decoration and put it on top of my helmet.”

“So… a real hair wig for your helmet?”

“Not quite, but… OH WHAT THE…?!”

That exclamation was not directed at the spa pony, but rather at Aleksa, who had appeared again. Nopony seemed to have told her to wrap herself up in a bath towel, however, which gave Antonius an involuntary full-frontal view of the tech-priest. Unlike members of the higher echelons of the Mechanicum, and despite her artificial limbs, she was still pretty much recognizable as a - female - human.

Suddenly, Lady Angren burst out laughing:

“I guess man has seen the things he was not supposed to see!”

While Antonius was busy thoroughly investigating the ceiling, he heard Aleksa say:

“Excuse me, but I think that I don’t get this joke.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s about you being naked,” Rarity told her.

“Well, I certainly won’t take a bath in my robe, and furthermore, a body is just a vessel for one’s intellect… although… I have to admit that my experiences with Marcus…”

“Do me a favor,” Antonius interrupted,
“don’t finish that sentence and just get into the tub.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Are you waterproof?” Lady Angren inquired.

“Of course!”

When he heard water splash, Antonius leveled his gaze forward again. Only Aleksa’s head was visible now, so this ‘danger’ was avoided.

Lotus cut his hair and wrapped it up for him to take along.

“I don’t suppose I can get you interested in taking a bath, too?” she asked with an innocent smile.

“Well, there is space available,” Lady Angren snickered.

“Correct, especially if we close ranks,” Aleksa added.

“Funny,” Antonius deadpanned and got up to leave.

“Umm… Chapter Master?” the navigator said.

Oh, she used his title, so she probably had decided to get serious again…

“Lady Angren?”

“Please excuse the jokes, but it was funny, and the opportunity was too good to let it slip…”

“Don’t worry, I did not take offense at your humor.”

“Thank you, Chapter Master. I never thought I’d see an Astartes in such an… unusual situation.”

“Yeah, normally we encounter creatures more dangerous than undressed tech-priests.”

“My robe does not affect my combat abilities,” Aleksa told them.

“Well,” Lady Angren said, still turned towards Antonius,
“again, thank you for not resenting the jokes, and you may of course return the favor at your convenience.”

“Oh?” Antonius replied,
“so, I might snap to attention and salute now, for example?”

“Then… we’d have to get up and salute, too…”

Antonius snapped to attention… waved, turned around and left.
While he was passing the door, he heard Lady Angren say:

“For a moment, I thought he’d actually do it.”

“Don’t worry,” Aleksa returned,
“he certainly has seen things worse than you.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Now, Antonius left the hearing range and the spa.

He proceeded to Canterlot, where he met with Luna.

“Pity,” she grinned,
“I have somehow gotten used to your long hair.”

“Do not fret,” Antonius replied and gave her the cut hair.

“What I meant was that I liked it attached to your head,” she laughed as she took it.

“Well, I’ll attach it to my helmet. That’s almost my head… sorta.”

“That is an amusing idea! I will keep it for you in the meantime.”

During the rest of the day, he made sure that his equipment was ready, the last details were clarified and that the ponies were informed about what was about to go on.

The next morning, Luna and Celestia teleported to the edge of the Everfree Forest with him.

“Now, Tony, since we are temporary opponents, I’m not sure if I should wish you luck,” Celestia grinned.

“Well, I do wish you luck,” Luna smiled,
“remember not to be too righteous, since we cannot expect our actual enemies to be so benign, and that it is over once you manage to nudge both of us.”

“And also remember that you’ve lost once we’ve brought you down or Twilight and her friends have you in their field of view for five seconds…”

“As long as the distance is less than fifty meters,” Antonius finished,
“or we are in the same room. The rules for the Elements make this actually quite hard, especially since they can fly and I have no ranged weaponry I could use… apart from throwing pebbles, perhaps.”

“Just do your best, we’ll do the same. And now, Tony, see you later!”

The princesses teleported, and the maneuver began.

Antonius first retreated into the forest, just in case Twilight and her friends tried to surprise him with an ambush. Such an offensive tactic would be atypical for them, but perhaps that was exactly the reason for them to try it anyway.
Even if they stayed defensive, they still were the main threat to him, since the Royal Guard was - with all due respect - rather negligible.

So, how could he render the Element Bearers harmless?
By separating them from their Elements, but that was impossible.
Using their flaws? Hard to accomplish within four seconds.
He had to separate them somehow… and he had an idea how to do that.

“So, the maneuver has started?” Calgar inquired as the princesses had returned to the throne room.

“Yes,” Celestia confirmed,
“Antonius is on his way.”

“I’m curious how Antonius will approach this mission,” Tigurius admitted,
“the whole premise is rather unusual, after all.”

“And the significance of the result is rather low,” Cassis added for consideration.

“Compared to our standards, maybe,” Calgar replied,
“but as a first test of man and material it is good enough.”

“Well, Antonius will have to use a covert approach,” Twilight opined,
“if he comes here in the open, we’ve basically already won.”

“I am quite sure that we all should be prepared for some surprises,” Luna smiled.

“Do you know anything specific, sister?” Celestia asked, an eyebrow raised.

“No, but I know Tony.”

“I hereby call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order!” Apple Bloom called.

“Umm…” Sweetie Belle replied,
“neither of us is talking.”

“I will start with a roll call,” Apple Bloom continued, unfazed.

“We’re all here, right in front of you,” Scootaloo noted.

“Yes, but we are a club, and we have our traditions. So, roll call.
Apple Bloom? Here.
Sweetie Belle?”

“Hmm?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Scootaloo?”

“Still right in front of you,” Scootaloo sighed.

“Stormy Skies?”

“Present!” Stormy grinned.

“So, all of us are here. Good. That means, we can choose how we’re going to try and get our Cutie Marks today!”

“I suggest parachuting!” Scootaloo said.

“Haven’t we already tried that?” Sweetie Belle inquired,
“with… somewhat mixed results?”

“We’ve tried normal parachuting, but I’ve heard that there’s another kind where you jump from very high and open the parachute at the last moment! It’s called a ‘HALO’.”

“This bright ring around the sun?”

“That’s too high,” Stormy stated.

“If it gets us our Cutie Marks?” Scootaloo asked.

“Sound more like it’d get us into hospital.”

“Yeah? Well, you can easily talk like that, you’ve already got your Mark!”

“Hey, that’s mean! I’m here to help you!”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Scootaloo apologized,
“this whole Cutie Mark thing sometimes gets a little under my skin.”

“Whereas it should go ONTO our skin,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Calm down, everypony,” Apple Bloom called,
“I’m sure we’ll find something we can try that’s not quite as… potentially lethal.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll go and see who’s there,” Stormy said and went to open the door.
“Antonius!” she exclaimed and darted outside.

Apple Bloom and her other friends followed. It really was Antonius, with Stormy around his neck.

“Hi, Antonius,” she greeted,
“is that your new armor? Nice! I thought you’re playing war with our sisters.”

“We’re not ‘playing war’, Apple Bloom, it’s called a ‘maneuver’”, Antonius corrected her.

“Oh! So… what’s the difference?”

“Umm… a maneuver is closer to reality and has more stringent rules.”

“Ah. And when does it start?”

“It already has.”

“Then… umm… shouldn’t you kinda attack Canterlot or something?”

“Yes, but I won’t be hasty and underestimate your sisters and their friends.”

“Ha!” Scootaloo exclaimed,
“even you are in awe of Rainbow Dash’s awesomeness!”

“Not quite,” Antonius grinned,
“but I’d be a fool not to be wary of the Elements of Harmony.”

“They’re actually going to use them?” Sweetie Belle asked in surprise.

“Not really, but we’ve made rules to incorporate them into our maneuver. I want to take care of them by separating the Element Bearers.”

“That’s clever!” Stormy said.

“It is,” Apple Bloom agreed,
“and why are you here? Do you want us to tell you how to separate our sisters from their friends?”

“No,” Antonius replied,
“I’ve already thought of something. Since I’m allowed to be somewhat ‘evil’, to make the maneuver more challenging, I though I might abduct you. Only if you’re okay with it, of course.”

“You want to fillynap us?” Scootaloo asked.

“We’ve already been fillynapped once,” Sweetie Belle told him,
“and it was no fun.”

“Well,” Antonius said,
“I know that you’ve already been abducted, I helped rescue you, after all. I thought that we’d go to Sugarcube Corner first and get some cupcakes, muffins and the like… and something to drink. Then, we hide in the Everfree and send your sisters messages to meet us.”

“And when they come to rescue us, you want to catch them?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Exactly.”

“What about me?” Stormy asked,
“I have no sister who’s an Element Bearer. In fact, I have no sister at all.”

“I know, that’s why I thought you could be the messenger. Only if you all agree to my plan, of course. I’m just pretending to be evil, after all.”

“Would you give us a moment to discuss your plan?” Apple Bloom wanted to know.

“Sure.”

So the Crusaders circled and discussed the matter:

“I guess it could be fun,” Apple Bloom whispered,
“and we’d help Antonius.”

“Yeah, to beat Rainbow Dash and her friends,” Scootaloo added for consideration.

“They can stand a little sisterly competition.”

“At least we know that we won’t get Cutie Marks in getting fillynapped,” Sweetie Belle interjected,
“seriously, such a Mark wouldn’t be nice. And I guess your life would be rather glum if your special talent were ‘getting fillynapped’. But I guess you’d at least be a princess…”

“What does being a princess have to do with being fillynapped?” Scootaloo asked in confusion.

“Well, in almost every story I’ve ever read, it’s the princesses who get fillynapped, so that a noble knight can rescue them.”

“Life’s not a fairytale, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said,
“even though Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been fillynapped in the past…”

“Shouldn’t it be ‘marenapped’, since they’re all grown up?”

“No idea… that’s probably why Antonius says ‘abduct’.”

“Now…” Stormy said,
“are you okay with being abducted? I’m okay with being the messenger.”

“I’m not so sure if I should betray Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo hesitated.

“You’re not really ‘betraying’ her. We just help Antonius and make the maneuver more challenging for our sisters and their friends.”

“Rainbow Dash likes challenges… okay, I’m in. What about you, girls?”

“I’m in, too” Apple Bloom said.

“I’m in, three,” Sweetie Belle grinned.

With the four ‘abducted’ fillies, Antonius proceeded to Sugarcube Corner to get the necessary provisions.

“Hello and welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” Mrs. Cake greeted,
“ah, Antonius and the Cutie Mark Crusaders… excuse me, Antonius, but I thought you’re playing war with Pinkie and her friends. She said something of the kind, at least.”

“It’s called a ‘maneuver’,” Antonius corrected (again),
“and we are right in the middle of it.”

“Oh, does that mean that you are… raiding us?”

“That would be a fine addition to the chronicles of my heroics,” Antonius deadpanned,
“but seriously, we’re here to buy some snacks.”

“Anytime,” Mrs. Cake smiled,
“what do you want?”

The fillies rattled off a pretty impressive list of various baked goods they craved, and everything was neatly boxed and put on the counter.

“You’re having a party? Mrs. Cake asked.

“Not quite,” Sweetie Belle told her,
“we’re being abducted.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, Antonius fillynapped us to get ahold of our sisters.”

“What? That’s… pretty evil.”

“It’s just a part of the maneuver,” Antonius clarified,
“I even asked them if they’re okay with it.”

“Maneuvers are… strange.”

“Sometimes. But you live with Pinkie. ‘Strange’ should be your ‘normal’.”

“I wouldn’t call her strange. She’s just ‘Pinkie’. Anyway, here are the treats for your… hostages. Is that the right term? Excuse me, but it still feels evil.”

“Yeah, but I’m allowed to be a little evil to test the defenses of Canterlot.”

“If you’re evil now, are you still going to pay?” Mrs Cake smiled.

“Of course I… oh, I have an idea. Would you mind putting our order on Princess Celestia’s tab?”

“Oh dear… THAT is evil.”

“Thanks,” Antonius smiled in return.

Now that they had the provisions, Antonius needed a way to get his little messenger to Canterlot. Fortunately, that was not much of a problem. They just went to Moonlight and Blackwing.

“Hello, Antonius!” the batpony mare greeted when she opened the door,
“and hello, fillies! Come in! Can I help you somehow? And Antonius, shouldn't you be right in a maneuver, now that you have this cool new armor?”

“You don’t know how happy you made me by calling it a ‘maneuver’,” Antonius replied with a smile as they entered the house.

“Huh?”

“Everypony else called it ‘playing war’.”

“Not exactly a military term,” Moonlight laughed,
“but not really wrong, if we’re honest. Are you already done?”

“No, it’s still ongoing. That’s why we’re here.”

So Antonius told her and Blackwing, who had joined them by now, what had happened, and why it had happened.

“Wow,” Moonlight said,
“that is quite evil… especially for somepony who doesn’t really have any experience with being evil.”

“Well, I’ve seen a lot,” Antonius shrugged,
“are you going to help me and get Stormy to Canterlot?”

“Of course. A little trip to Canterlot won’t hurt.”

“Thank you. Do you have writing materials? I need to write some letters.”

Antonius was writing the ‘ransom notes’ when he turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders:

“Well, maybe we should add something to prove that I have indeed abducted you. Something personal. Any ideas?”

“How about my bow?” Apple Bloom suggested.

“Good idea,” Antonius answered, then he added with a smile:
“will you be able to live without it for a few hours?”

“That’s not a problem,” she replied and gave him her bow,
“and I’ve got more than this one.”

“Good, thanks. Sweetie Belle?”

“Hmm…” the little unicorn pondered,
“what about a strand of my mane? Rarity would know it from a hundred others that look similar to any pony but her. Plus, she will totally freak out when she gets to know that you messed with my mane.”

“Okay,” Antonius laughed and carefully cut a strand of Sweetie Belles mane where this loss wasn’t too obvious, then he turned to Scootaloo:
“now, what about you?”

“I don’t know,” Scootaloo answered,
“you can’t send my scooter.”

“What about a feather?” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Great idea!” Apple Bloom exclaimed and forcefully removed a feather from the pegasus’ wing.

“Ow! Hey!” she protested.

“Hmm,” Antonius mumbled,
“I certainly wasn’t going to hurt you, but if you like to hurt each other…”

“What are you threatening to do to us?” Sweetie Belle wanted to know.

“Huh?”

“The last time we got fillynapped, Chrysalis threatened to hurt us should our sisters not come.”

“Well, as I said, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s just a maneuver, after all.”

“You don’t actually need to hurt us,” Apple Bloom said,
“but you should write something that’s at least bad in some way, to make it more realistic.”

“Okay… any ideas what is essentially harmless, but still somewhat ‘bad’, as you named it?”

“Oh, I have an idea,” Apple Bloom smiled.

Having written the weirdest threats he had ever encountered, Antonius finished the letters. Then, he left with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They headed towards the Everfree Forrest.

“Where are we going to hide, exactly?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I thought we might pay Zecora a visit,” Antonius replied,
“that way, it shouldn’t become too boring for you.”

“That’s a great idea! I always like visiting Zecora!”

When they arrives at the zebra’s hut, Antonius knocked.
Now he could hear some noise from the inside, and it sounded like more ponies than just Zecora were in there. Was he disturbing her? Just as he wanted to offer to leave, the door opened.

“Oh, Antonius, it’s nice to see you,
what do you want, can you give me a clue?” Zecora smiled.

“Hello, Zecora. We’re having a maneuver and I got ahold of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to lure their sisters to me. Don’t worry, it’s just a simulation. I thought we could stay here until it’s time for them to arrive, if it doesn’t cause any inconvenience.”

“Ah, yes, I have heard about your game,
but abducting fillies, aren’t you to blame?”

“They were okay with it, and I even bought threats for them!”

“You don’t have to answer to me,” Zecora laughed,
“and now come in, into my tree!”

So they entered and Antonius unexpectedly met a friend of his:

“Hello, Doctor! A pleasant surprise seeing you here.”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Rapid Cure replied.

The good doctor was sitting at a table, a steaming mug of tea in front of him.

“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Antonius said.

“No, I’ve just come here to broaden my horizon a little. There’s nopony around who knows more about natural remedies than Zecora, and some knowledge of naturopathic treatments can always be useful.”

“Most certainly. How are you doing, by the way?”

“I can’t complain. What about you? How’s your game going?”

“Maneuver. I think it’s going quite well.”

“Then… shouldn’t you be out, umm… ’maneuvering’?”

“There’s still time until Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrive.”

“Then, how about some tea,
when at the moment you’re free?” Zecora asked.

“Yes, with pleasure.”

“Yeah!” the Crusaders agreed.

17. Attack on Canterlot… sorta

Twilight was waiting in the throne room, together with her friends, the princesses and the three Ultramarine leaders. The Royal Guard had been distributed throughout Canterlot to catch - or at least report - Antonius as soon as he entered or approached the city.

“I’m surprised it’s taking Antonius so long,” she mused.

“I bet he doesn’t know how to get near us without being blasted,” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“I’m not that confident.”

“Neither am I,” Rarity said.

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed,
“the longer he takes, the better his plan is going to be.”

“No matter his plan,” Rainbow stated,
“with those Element rules, we can defeat him as soon as we see him.”

“IF we see him,” Twilight countered.

“Come on, he’s a pretty big guy.”

“And definitely not stupid enough to walk right into a trap. He knows those rules as well as we do and I’m certain he’ll find a way to circumvent them somehow.”

“And how?” Applejack wanted to know.

“Well… he could try to use a darkness spell, or to shortly blind us, so that we can’t see him.”

“Maybe he’ll try to separate us?”

“That’s another possibility, but pretty hard to achieve. We’re already together here, so why should we split up?”

That moment, a guard entered and Announced:

“Moonlight, Blackwing and Stormy Skies ask for an audience. They say they bring news regarding the maneuver.”

“Send them in,” Celestia told the guard.

“Antonius attacked Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked.

“Damn!” Rainbow shouted,
“we should have sent some guards there.”

“We had to focus on Canterlot,” Twilight reminded her.

The batponies and the little pegasus had entered the throne room by now, came closer and bowed.

“Hello, your Majesties, Element Bearers, and Ultramarines,” Moonlight greeted,
“we have messages for you. For Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, to be exact.”

“What?” Applejack asked in confusion.

Stormy distributed the letters and returned to her parents.

“Quick, tell us what the letters say,” Pinkie demanded,
“have you won something? Is it a trip to Las Pegasus?”

“More like a trip to Ponyville,” Rarity said,
“Antonius has fillynapped Sweetie Belle!”

“He has WHAT?” Twilight exclaimed.

“It’s true,” Applejack told her,
“he’s got Apple Bloom, too. I’m supposed to meet him in the Everfree. Alone.”

“So, that’s how he’s planning to separate us… but tell me, what about your sisters? They are okay, aren’t they?”

“I am certain no harm has come upon them,” Luna stated,
“this is just a simulation, and Antonius is well aware of that fact. I think he walked up to them and just asked them if they wanted to play along.”

“That may well be,” Rarity said,
“but he’s written that he’ll do something truly horrible to Sweetie Belle should I not show up.”

“Huh?” Twilight wondered.

She couldn’t believe that Antonius would actually harm the fillies.

“Yes!” Rarity continued,
“he threatens to take watercolors and dye her hair… GREEN! That’s horrible! And he’s already disfigured her mane!”

She levitated a tiny strand of pink-ish hair in the air.

“That’s… not really harmful, Rarity.”

“But it’s a crime against my little sister’s good looks! GREEN!”

“You won’t believe what he’s going to do to Apple Bloom!” Applejack said.

Since she had paled a little, Twilight fetched her letter and read aloud:

Hello Applejack,

in the context of our maneuver, I’ve ‘abducted’ your little sister Apple Bloom (actually, I’ve asked her to help me by being ‘abducted’). See her ribbon as proof.
Don’t worry, she’s fine. I even bought treats (on Celestia’s tab, since I’m temporarily 'evil').
Be that as it may, I want you to come to the Everfree Forest, half way between its edge and Zecora’s hut, at 1315.
Come alone, or else… I’ll have her drink a bottle of store-bought cider.
Feel free to imagine an evil laugh here.

Regards,
Antonius

PS: To be clear, neither is she harmed nor will any actual harm befall her.

“Ooohhh… devious,” Pinkie muttered.

“That’s probably as evil as you can get without actually becoming evil,” Twilight grinned.

“Not actually evil?” Applejack shouted,
“STORE-BOUGHT CIDER?”

“That cider may not be as good as yours…”

“You’re damned right with that!”

“… but it isn’t really harmful. Rainbow, what’s in your letter?”

“He’s added a feather, and he’s gonna dismantle Scootaloo’s scooter. What kind of monster would do such a thing?”

“He’s ripped out one of her feathers?”

“No, that was Apple Bloom. But still, Scoots loves her Scooter.”

“Does he want all three of you to come to the same place at the same time?”

“Same place, yes, darling,” Rarity replied,
“but I’m supposed to be there at 1300.”

“1330,” Rainbow added.

“Of course,” Twilight mused,
“so that he can deal with you one at a time… listen girls, I say we attack at 1245…”

“Oh, most definitely not,” Rarity objected.

“Huh?”

“I will not risk my little sister to get her hair dyed green. I’ll do exactly as he has told me.”

“It’s only watercolors, Rarity. You just need water to remove them.”

“But every minute of green is a minute too many!”

“I’m also gonna keep to his instructions,” Applejack said,
“store-bought cider… yikes!”

“And I won’t allow Scoots scooter to be ruined!” Rainbow added.

“Just dismantled!” Twilight insisted.

“No offense, darling,” Rarity said,
“but you’re being reasonable when the situation calls for drama! I’ll go to Ponyville at once and meet Antonius. Alone!”

As Applejack and Rainbow Dash made similar assertions, Twilight sighed in defeat:

“Fine, I’ll teleport you to Ponyville. Fluttershy and Pinkie should also tag along, just in case. And no, we’re not going to follow you, you can go to meet Antonius on your own, if you insist.”

“Weird, but somehow still efficient,” Calgar opined when Twilight and her friends had left.

“Antonius has managed to separate them, negating their Elements,” Tigurius stated.

“We must be aware of that should an actual battle arise. Each and every possible lever must be protected from being used against the Element Bearers.”

“Since they are firmly embedded in the social structure of their hometown, that might prove challenging.”

“True. But we should be able to protect Ponyville against all threats that might arise from this planet, and the final battle against the forces of Chaos will be fought far away from here, anyway.”

“So, we can focus on the maneuver again. With the Element Bearers separated, only the defenses of Canterlot remain against Antonius. I’m curious how they will fare.”

“The validity of this maneuver is quite limited,” Cassius stated,
“we do not have a definitive assessment of Antonius’ combat strength, making it impossible to asses the Royal Guard. The other way round, it’s the same.”

“You are right,” Calgar replied,
“but we still can assess the methods, strategies and tactics used by them. And it’s a better first test for Antonius’ new armor than dealing with an actual threat. That way, he should be able to solve some almost inevitable ‘teething problems’.”

“I doubt that the Royal Guard will be able to stand his attack for long.”

“No offense, princesses,” Tigurius added.

“None taken,” Celestia assured them,
“the Royal Guard is more of a ceremonial unit, and we are aware of that.”

“Indeed,” Luna confirmed,
“that’s why we established a Planetary Defense Force. After suffering heavy losses during our battle with Chaos, we retired the few survivors with a decent pension. They had done enough for ponykind and deserved the chance to rest.”

“Hmm…” Calgar mused,
“we should re-establish the PDF. Ask the veterans if they want to be put into active service again.”

“We already thought about that, but we wanted to wait for your opinion to avoid possible misunderstandings, especially since we intend to equip them with human technology from the Golden Age.”

“We should discuss the matter with Magos Gearhart, but I don’t think there’ll be any objections.”

“I hope you are right. It seems the Royal Guard will soon get some competition again.”

“Though not in time for this maneuver,” Celestia said,
“to get back to Varro’s statement, I’m also curious how the Guard will fare, but I have to agree with Chaplain Cassius that they probably won’t be able to stop Antonius or hold him back for long.”

“Well,” Calgar replied,
“perhaps we can make this maneuver a little more challenging for Antonius and make him compete with someone who’s combat strength we know.”

“Who do you have in mind?” Cassius inquired.

“Me,” Calgar smiled in response.

Rarity should be there any moment.
Usually, Antonius would check his weapons when a battle was imminent, but now, well… he didn’t, because it wasn’t a real battle that was going to take place. If there would be some sort of battle at all…
Still, just waiting felt somewhat unsatisfying.

“Do you think Rarity will come alone?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle answered,
“she won’t risk my mane getting dyed.”

“Unless they ambush Antonius and try to free us before he can do anything about it.”

“Well,” Apple Bloom said,
“if they take this seriously, they won’t put us into danger, even if it isn’t real. Remember how they even accepted Chrysalis’ demands?”

“Hmm…” Sweetie Belle replied,
“although I don’t really like remembering anything about that time… except the rescue, of course.”

“Yeah, that was awesome!” Scootaloo cheered.

“Sorry, but I’m going to do my best to prevent any awesome rescues this time,” Antonius grinned.

“Figures,” Apple Bloom smiled,
“since you fillynapped us.”

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle interjected,
“but you’re a way better fillynapper than Chrysalis!”

“Yeah, the food and our prison are much better.”

“The closest thing to a ‘prison’ was Zecora’s home,” Antonius told them flatly.

“And that is much better than the cocoon back then!”

“I hope so… ah, Rarity is coming. Sweetie Belle, come here, please. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, please hide in the bushes.”

He picked up the filly and they waited for Rarity to come closer.

“Sweetie!” she exclaimed,
“are you okay?”

“Well, of course I am,” Sweetie Belle answered slightly confused.

“Oh, you don’t know what worries I’ve gone through! You, alone in the grip of this powerful foe!”

“Umm… my friends were here, too… and Antonius isn’t really a foe.”

“Sweetie, darling, you’re ruining the dramatic atmosphere,” Rarity told her in an ever so slightly reproachful tone.

“Oh, no,” Scootaloo sighed from the bushes,
“she’s hamming it up.”

“Of course she is,” Sweetie Belle told her,
“and she’s right! Sorta.”

“Would you mind returning to business?” Antonius inquired,
“we don’t have all the time in the world.”

“Certainly,” Rarity replied,
“so, what do you want to set my little sister free?”

“Your Element,” Antonius answered,
“at least, that’d be my demand if this were real and you actually had it. So, I’m just asking you to not use the Element rule against me.”

“What? You’re not trying to seduce me to join the dark side? No promises of riches? Power? A fashion monopoly?”

“Eh… that’d work?”

“If this were real? No. But since this isn’t real, it could - if you’re convincing enough.”

“Hmm… on the one hand, I know we should at least try to keep this as close to reality as possible… but on the other hand, this maneuver’s validity is somewhat limited anyway, and I don’t want to pass this opportunity up. So… ahem:
Join me, Rarity, and I will make you lead designer of my evil… whatever. All ponies will wear your clothes, and your talent will be praised everywhere the light of sun or moon touches! You will be adored, and your criticism will be feared!
Well, what do you say?”

“You had me at ‘lead designer’,” Rarity beamed and walked up to him.

“Oh. This was easier way than I had thought. And way weirder. Hey, just a moment! You’re not just pretending to accept this offer to free the fillies, are you?”

“That’s actually a good idea, but a treason is more dramatic!”

“Okay…” Antonius said and put Sweetie Belle down,
“please take care of the fillies while we wait for Applejack.”

“As you command, my evil master,” Rarity grinned and pulled out a small box.

“What’s that?” Antonius inquired.

“Dark eyeshadow. Now that I’m evil, I want to look like it.”

Antonius was at a loss. Memories of their training fight long ago popped up in his mind. This fight had been pretty derailed, but this maneuver was already weirder… it it wasn’t even close to over.

So, while Rarity was applying her ‘evil’ makeup, he just waited for Element Bearer number two.
She appeared right on time, and Antonius picked up Apple Bloom.

“Hello, Antonius. My sister is alright ?” Applejack immediately asked.

“Of course,” Antonius and Apple Bloom assured her.

“No store-bought cider?”

“No.”

“Good… huh? What is Rarity doing there?”

“Oh, Antonius corrupted me,” Rarity told her nonchalantly,
“I’m his evil minion now.”

“Huh? How did he do that?”

“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. By the way, my evil master, I think it couldn’t hurt to try and seduce Applejack, too.”

Seeing Applejack’s confused facial expression, Antonius explained:

“Not that kind of ‘seducing’. Seriously, there are children present. Now listen:
Imagine apple orchards as far as your eye can see. Imagine everypony eating your delicious apples and praising you for it!”

“Nice, but not enough,” Applejack grinned.

“And no store-bought cider anymore, just fresh and excellent Sweet Apple Acres cider!”

“Oh… that’s tempting… really tempting…”

“You’re not the Element of Loyalty, darling,” Rarity said in a sing-song voice.

“Join the dark side!” Apple Bloom exclaimed,
“we have cupcakes!”

“What flavor?” Applejack asked.

“Blueberry and apple,” Antonius deadpanned.

“Well, if that’s the case… I’m convinced!”

“Do you want some dark eyeshadow?” Rarity offered.

“No, thanks… do you have a black hat?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Antonius put Apple Bloom down on the ground, and the ponies all gathered.

Okay, so he had disposed of two Element Bearers. In a way.
Yes, this part of the maneuver was a mess, but at least he could try to make the attack on Canterlot a little more realistic. But first things first: Rainbow Dash was still to be dealt with.

Antonius still pondered what to offer her in an attempt to ‘corrupt’ her when he heard some noise from above. A few minutes before time was actually due, Rainbow Dash swooped down, making a surprise attack.
He dodged, turned around and grabbed her tail.

“Scoots, are you okay?” she screamed as Antonius was reeling her in.

“Yes, I’m fine!” Scootaloo answered.

“Of course she is,” Antonius added.

“Then run!” Rainbow shouted.

“Umm… is it enough if we pretend that I ran away?” Scootaloo asked,
“I want to stay here and see everything!”

“Sure thing, squirt. The main thing is that I’ve freed you and don’t need to be considerate of anything now!”

Having said that, she started thrashing around like crazy.

“Rainbow, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Antonius warned her.

“Pfft… you’re going down, big guy!”

She hammered her hooves against Antonius’ armor, with predictable results. It only took her a short time to stop; the armor was still pristine, but Rainbow admitted:

“Okay, now my hooves hurt.”

“So, you surrender?”

“Never!”

“What if I promise you something you like? The command of the Wonderbolts for example?”

“Wait, we’re still playing pretend, aren’t we?”

“It’s part of the maneuver. I can’t give you the command of the actual Wonderbolts.”

“Then: never!”

“Seriously, Rainbow, you’re defeated. What am I supposed to do with you? Would you like to be declared ‘dead’? Would you accept that?”

“No! As long as I can, I’ll fight!”

“Great,” Antonius grumbled,
”I don’t want to actually hurt you, but you need to play along.”

“I won’t let the fillies down!” Rainbow shouted.

So, that was the problem. Rainbow had an audience and didn’t want to tarnish her reputation.
Antonius thought about ways to end this fight without actually hurting her.

“Need a rope?” Applejack suddenly asked.

“You have one?” Antonius replied in surprise.

“Of course!”

“Then come here and help me.”

“I’ll help you, too,” Rarity declared,
“it’s the least I can do as an evil minion.”

“Oh, I’ll remember that!” Rainbow grumbled.

A short time later, the pegasus was lying on the ground, tied up.

“I say we’ll take her to Zecora,” Applejack suggested,
“you can go and attack Canterlot.”

“Good idea,” Antonius said,
“I guess Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are waiting for you in Ponyville?”

“They are,” Rarity told him,
“oh, idea! You can take me there as a hostage to make them comply! By the way, what do you want them to do?”

“I want Twilight to teleport me to Canterlot.”

“Umm… you do know that she’ll try something to foil your plan?”

“Yes. She’ll probably teleport directly into the throne room, hoping that the princesses will deal with me. But that means that I’ll circumvent the Royal Guard.”

“So you want her to throw you right into the fray?” Applejack grinned,
“works for me. In the meantime, I’ll take care of Rainbow and the fillies. Good luck!”

So, Antonius and his very compliant ‘hostage’ Rarity left for Ponyville.
As they approached the town, he picked her up to make the situation somewhat more believable.

They encountered Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy near the town limits, waiting for their friends.

“Help!” Rarity started wailing immediately,
“Antonius has caught me and now he has demands!”

“Don’t worry, Rarity,” Twilight responded with determination,
“we will deal with him!”
She changed her expression to a way more relaxed one and continued:
“Dramatic enough now?”

“Much better.”

“Then, Antonius, what are your… umm… Rarity? Have you applied dark eyeshadow?”

The following silence lasted for a second, then Rarity screamed:

“Our cover is blown! SEIZE HER!”

Antonius quickly crouched, put her on the ground, and jumped at Twilight. She just wanted to light her horn as he swept her off her hooves and closed a hand around her horn.
Then, he took a look to see how his ‘evil minion’ was doing.

Rarity was standing in front of Pinkie and demanded:

“Stand down, Pinkie, and surrender!”

“No way!” Pinkie answered with a determined grin.

“Then, I’ll… well, how are we supposed to solve this situation? We don’t want to hurt each other, after all.”

“Oh, I have an idea! We could throw some dice!”

“And who rolls highest wins?”

“Yes, for now. In the future, we could set up more rules, and collect them in a big rulebook. Then, we could write additional rulebooks for each faction we represent! We could even include rules that are mutually exclusive, so that the players will argue over which rule to apply to a specific situation!” Pinkie laughed with a slightly crazed expression.

“Pinkie, darling, I’m supposed to be the evil one here,” Rarity told her calmly.

“Can’t we just all be friends again?” Fluttershy cried on the sidelines of the ‘confrontation’.

“Actually, we are still friends,” Twilight, still in Antonius’ grip, stated,
“and I think your ambush was successful. So, what do you want to do now?”

“I want to… ahem… ‘force’ you to teleport me to Canterlot,” Antonius told her.

“Seriously?”

“Yes. I know that demanding an ‘enemy’ to teleport you is a hilariously bad idea, but walking all the way will just protract this maneuver unnecessarily.”

“Hmm… I get it. Are you going to let me go?”

“Not until we’re in Canterlot, at the destination I’ll tell you.”

“Okay, so, where do you want to go?”

“The side entrance to the throne room.”

“Okay,” Twilight grinned,
“you just have to release my horn.”

“Hey, what about us?” Pinkie asked,
“we want to see the great showdown, too!”

“I’ll come back and get you once i’ve dropped Antonius off in the throne… I mean, the side entrance… oh dear.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Antonius laughed,
“I knew you wanted to teleport us directly into the throne room, so that Celestia and Luna can fight me.”

“It’s really hard competing with somepony who knows you as well as you know me.”

“Which is basically the story of the Horus Heresy, but let’s not think about those dark times now. Let’s finish this maneuver. Are you ready?” Antonius asked and took his hand off her horn.

“Yes,” Twilight replied,
“Canterlot, here we come!”

Celestia was just talking to Luna as the flash of a teleportation drew her attention.
Antonius was standing in the middle of the throne room, Twilight in his grasp.

“Thank you, Twilight,” he said and put her down.

“Anytime,” she answered, then she turned to her, her sister and the Ultramarines and bowed:
“Would you please wait a moment? I want to get my friends, so that they can witness the final fight.”

Having said that, she teleported away again.

“I see,” Cassius sighed,
“this maneuver is even worse than I thought.”

“Admittedly,” Antonius said,
“its validity is close to zero, but since we’ve come that far, we should bring it to an end.”

Now Twilight appeared again, with Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie in tow, then she vanished again.

“I’m so excited!” Pinkie exclaimed,
“does anypony have some popcorn?”

“Fair Rarity,” Luna said,
“have you applied a different eyeshadow? I like that color very much.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna,” Rarity answered,
“I have it here, if you want some…”

Huh? Well, Luna was right. Rarity had applied a dark eyeshadow, but why?

“Rarity,” Celestia inquired,
“is there a reason for this change?”

“Well, your highness, I thought it looked a little ‘evil’, and that this was fitting, since I’m… well… on Antonius’ side now.”

“You defected?” Calgar asked in disbelief,
“during a maneuver?”

“Of course during a maneuver. I would never defect if this were real! But such a treason has all the drama a good story needs!”

“It’s getting worse and worse,” Cassius mumbled.

“I’ve told you that we’re pretty close to zero validity,” Antonius shrugged.

Now, Twilight appeared yet again, this time with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Have you already started?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Are we too late?” Sweetie Belle added.

“No, my little ponies,” Celestia assured them,
“we have waited for your arrival.”

“Could we finally get over with this farce now?” Cassius inquired.

“Of course,” Luna replied, then she switched to her Royal Canterlot Voice:
“Antonius, temporarily evil and bane of Equestria, prepare to face your ultimate challenge!
You will now fight Marneus Augustus Calgar, protector of Equestria and champion of the sun!”

While Tigurius was trying to stifle a laugh, Cassius sighed:

“This is a parody of a maneuver at best.”

Everypony now made room for Antonius and Calgar.

“It’s an honor getting to measure my prowess with yours,” Antonius said as he drew his sword.

“The honor is all mine,” Calgar answered politely and drew his sword, too.

Then they started fighting.

Of course, Celestia had seen Antonius fight before - she had even been his opponent - but this was something entirely different. Both Space Marines moved so fast their swords were little more than blurs, their clinking a fast staccato.

Celestia could discern that both were varying their attacks and adapting to the changes the other one made. It was a pretty even fight, despite the different swords:
Antonius’ was gigantic, and had to be much heavier and more cumbersome than Calgar’s rather normal sized sword, but it had a higher range and could almost be used like a shield, thanks to its breadth.

The fight went on for… how long? It was so enthralling that Celestia had somewhat lost track of time.
Then, Antonius blocked one of Calgar’s strikes and pushed back immediately, throwing him out of balance for a moment. This moment was enough to bring the tip of his sword to Calgar’s throat.

Everything was completely silent, mesmerized by this incredible fight and its end, then Rainbow Dash exclaimed:

“Holy crap! Is this how Space Marines fight?”

That broke the tension and Antonius lowered his sword.

“Pretty much,” Calgar told her with a smile and continued:
“You fought well, Antonius. I accept my defeat.”

“Well,” Antonius replied,
“I was trained by Primarch Sanguinius, after all, and you didn’t use the Gauntlets of Ultramar.”

“Both circumstances worked in you favor, but you’re a formidable fighter either way. Now, you just have to finish this maneuver.”

“Right,” Antonius said, turned to Celestia and Luna and struck a pose:
“Luna, join me, and together we will rule this planet as king and queen!”

Celestia though she had misheard, but since this approach had obviously worked before, it should not have come surprising that he tried it again with his special somepony. And Luna…

“I accept you proposal,” Luna declared solemnly.

Of course. No surprise here.
The surprise came when Luna jumped at her.

“What?” Celestia gasped.

A moment later, Antonius was there, too, and gently, but firmly wrestled her down.
Another moment later, she was lying on her back, and everything she could do now was to shout:

“I surrender! You have won!”

Luna and Antonius let go off her at once, and Luna declared:

“We have been victorious! And that concludes this maneuver!”

“Thank the Emperor,” Cassus sighed.

18. Make new friends who don’t kill Discord

On the day of the Grand Galloping Gala, Antonius, Calgar, Tigurius and Cassius met in Antonius’ quarters. All of them were wearing their armors, but they had added elaborate capes and other decorations to honor the occasion.

“Unnecessary pomp,” Cassius stated.

“It’s an important festivity of the ponies,” Calgar said,
“so we show our respect by decorating our armors, just as the ponies wear elaborate dresses.”

“Hmm… at least we were able to keep the unicorn from re-clothing us completely.”

“Much to her dismay,” Antonius grinned.

“I would never meet with this ‘Discord’ without my armor just because of the ponies’ sensitivities.”

“Understandable, but please be aware of the fact that Discord is, in fact, reformed. There may still be a lot of shenanigans on his mind, but he isn’t evil anymore.”

“‘Shenanigans’?” Tigurius inquired,
“what kind of shenanigans?”

“Just expect the unexpected,” Antonius shrugged.

“So, business as usual,” Calgar commented drily.

Now, there was a knock on the door, and Antonius went to open it. Magos Gearhart entered the room. He was wearing his usual robe, but there was a new addition to his mask; a shiny, flat, triangular device that covered the spot where his mouth was - or should have been.

“Hello, Gearhart,” Antonius greeted him,
“new equipment?”

“Yes,” Gearhart answered, and the new device displayed a pixelated pictogram of a smile.

“Huh? That’s great! How did you get that idea?”

“Gentle Breeze told me that it is sometimes hard to properly ascertain the exact meaning of my words, since I did not have any facial expressions. As this could possibly unsettle our hosts, I opted to correct this issue by adding this screen to my mask. Judged by your reaction, I succeeded.”

“Certainly. Where’s Aleksa, by the way?”

“On her way. She had a boot-centered wardrobe malfunction and Gentle Breeze is helping her fix it. They told me to move on and should be here momentarily.”

Just a few seconds later, they appeared in the still open door. The mare wore an elaborate dress over her artificial body (which looked, in all honesty, a little strange), and Aleksa had substituted her robe for something way more festive, too:
She wore a long, sparkly, red dress, which was completed by equally looking long gloves and boots.

“Greetings,” she smiled as she entered,
“sorry I was delayed, but I have to get used to those heels…”

“No worries,” Antonius said,
“and my compliments on that dress. You and Rarity really have outdone yourselves.”

“Thank you. I just wish Marcus would be able to attend the Gala, too.”

“While he’s making good progress, Ambrosius thinks it’s too early to let him walk around… you’ll have to present your dress to him when you visit him the next time… but be careful that you don’t cause any disturbances among the chapter serfs.”

“I’ll do my best,” Aleksa grinned and walked up to Gearhart.

“Well, now we’re just waiting for Luna,” Calgar stated.

“It can't take her long to arrive,” Antonius said and took a look outside,
“yeah, there she’s coming… but that’s not exactly a dress.”

Luna entered the room - wearing her armor.

“Greetings, everybody,” she smiled.

“Uh, Luna… why are you wearing armor?”

“Well, I thought it would go nicely with you, and I want to allow for all possibilities.”

“Discord?” Calgar asked.

“Celestia,” Luna told him flatly.

After exchanging some confused looks, they left the room and headed for the Gala.

“There we are,” Luna stated as they had reached the door to the main ball room in which the Gala took place.

“Listen,” Tigurius said,
“there’s some ruckus in there. Is that normal?”

“That depends on your definition of ‘normal’. For the Grand Galloping Gala, it is kinda normal, for a gala as you probably image it, it is rather not.”

“Well let’s go in and find out,” Antonius suggested as he opened the door,
“I mean, it can’t be that… huh?”

A wave of green slime hit their feet.

“So much for the new outfit,” Aleksa grumbled.

“While I usually don’t like to repeat myself, I have to ask again: Is that normal?” Tigurius inquired.

“And what is it?” Calgar added.

“The only creatures I know on this planet that are capable of massively producing green slime are changelings,” Antonius told them,
“but their slime is quite viscous. This slime here is more inviscid. Luna?”

“Hmm… I’ve seen such slime before…” Luna told them,
“but I cannot believe somepony would have been deranged enough to bring that creature here.”

“Should we not get rid of it instead of just gawking?” Cassius asked.

“Indeed,” Calgar answered,
“Antonius, take the lead.”

“Affirmative,” Antonius replied, grabbed his storm bolter and strode into the ball room.

The whole ground was covered with that strange slime, as were parts of the walls and windows, where some ponies were stuck. It really was a mess in there.

“The slime is neither acidic nor corrosive,” Gearhart informed them.

“So, there’s no acute danger,” Calgar said.

The whole group had entered the ball room by now, and the Ultramarines had all fetched their weapons.

“Would somepony mind telling me what’s going on?” Antonius called.

“Antonius!” Twilight cried back, covered in slime,
“it’s the Smooze!”

“It’s the what?”

“The creature I mentioned earlier,” Luna said,
“though I would like to know how it got here.”

“That’s Discord’s doing!” Twilight exclaimed.

“So, that’s what you meant with ‘shenanigans’,” Tigurius deadpanned.

“Where is that creature?” Cassius wanted to know.

“Over there,” Antonius told him, pointing at Discord, who was lying on some sort of swing,
“obviously busy making a bad first impression.”

The Ultramarines fanned out now, while Antonius turned to Discord:

“Discord! What the hell are you doing? And what’s up with that ‘Smooze’?”

“The Smooze?” Discord asked, still focused on Fluttershy and another, green pony who was stuck to a window next to her,
“he’s an old friend of mine… a loyal friend!”

“Fine. Tell your friend to stop whatever it is he’s doing.”

“Seems like something might have harshed his flow, you know?” the green pony said,
“like, his senses are agitated.”

Agitated? Well, there should be a way to correct that… besides the obvious way to end all agitation of a creature.
So, while Discord was arguing with the mares on the window, Antonius reached down into the slime and used his powers. Really, there was a consciousness, and the pony had been right: this ‘Smooze’ was definitely agitated.
So he started to calm the creature down telepathically, to his surprise aided by some weird noises the green one made and that the slime-thing seemed to like - contrary to himself.

The slime accumulated and formed something like a rudimentary face. A few seconds later, all of the slime had gathered into a pretty big… blob.
The ponies started cheering for the green pony who had made the strange sounds.
Well, while he had helped, her approach would have worked on its own, too.

“Crisis solved?” Calgar inquired.

Now Discord seemed to snap. He screamed, argued some more, and finally… tore a rift into the fabric of space!

“Yes, but we have a new one,” Antonius grumbled.

Really, what a fantastic way to introduce his brothers to Discord.

“This is getting out of hand,” Calgar stated, calmly but with determination, and Antonius had to agree.

“Intervening,” he said, put his storm bolter away and dashed towards Discord.

While doing so, he tried to receive something, anything from his target that could possibly explain this whole mess. It was obvious that he was livid, but the hell why?
Jealousy. It was a fit of jealous rage, directed at the green mare who had hung next to Fluttershy. Now, she was in his grip, and he was about to toss her through the portal he had created.

Before he could do so, Antonius jumped and slammed into him. With his momentum, he rammed Discord into the wall. Unfortunately, that didn’t break his focus; the portal was still open and the mare was still hovering in front of it.

“Calm down, you idiot!” Antonius shouted.

Discord was not willing to listen. He bared his fangs, showed his claws and growled:

“You stay out of this!”

“How could I?” Antonius shouted, fetched his sword and powered up the protective runes of his armor.

While it was designed to fight daemons, he would never had thought that Discord would be the first (almost-) daemon (Primarch) he had to fight…

“STOP!” Fluttershy suddenly screamed.

“I will, just as soon as she’s gone!” Discord responded, pointing at the green mare.

What followed now was a lively discussion between Fluttershy and Discord, in which she tried to explain to him that someone could have multiple friends without devaluing other friends.
Antonius hoped that it would work, but he kept his sword in his hand, just in case.

Thankfully, it worked. Discord closed the portal and set down the green pony, and Fluttershy was even able to convince him to apologize to the mare. At that opportunity, Antonius got to know that her name was Tree Hugger, which reminded him of a story his friends had told him about Fluttershy allegedly wanting to be a tree… which still made no sense to him.

Be that as it may, now that this second crisis was over, Antonius put the sword back to his back and returned to the gathering Ultramarines. While underway, he overheard Celestia mentioning to Twilight that she thought the incidents had been ‘fun’, which made him doubt her sanity to some extend. It peaked in her statement:

“And since the Ultramarines kept calm even under these circumstances, we don’t need to worry about them causing inappropriate harm anymore.”

Antonius was just glad that his brothers had been out of earshot.

“Well,” Calgar mused,
“one thing’s for certain: it doesn’t get boring around here.”

“And we got a proper introduction of this ‘Discord’,” Cassius added.

“As well as a proof of the ponies abilities,” Tigurius said.

“To almost fall victim to a daemon?”

“To calm said daemon down. Fluttershy was able to reign him in, after all.”

“Hmm… true.”

So… at least there was something of a positive aspect to this whole mess. Not that it was going to make what was about to come easier…

“Brothers and friends,” Antonius said,
“I think it’s time now to introduce you to Discord. Please follow me. And - I know it’s hard - try not to kill him.”

They walked up to Discord, who was standing between Fluttershy and Tree Hugger, and Antonius addressed him:

“Discord. After you introducing yourself so inimitably, let me introduce my brothers to you.”

Discord winced for a second and asked:

“How long have you all been here?”

Goodness! He had been so engrossed in his jealous rage that he hadn’t even realized that they had been there the whole time!

“Long enough,” Calgar answered calmly, taking a scrutinizing look at him.

“Well, you know the saying: If you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best.”

“So, you have a ‘best’?” Cassius asked with clearly audible doubts.

“Of course I have a best! But who are you? And why is your armor black?”

“Right,” Tigurius said,
“he left the Imperium before chaplains were introduced to the chapters.”

“Chaplains? Weren’t those Lorgar’s idea?”

“Even the cursed Primarchs had good ideas at times before they decided to become insane traitors,” Calgar told him coldly.

“Ah, you’re the boss, right?”

“Correct. I’m Marneus Augustus Calgar, former chapter master of the Ultramarines, relieved by revered Primarch Roboute Guilliman, and the commander of the Ultramarine forces in this sector.”

“A chapter master? Relieved by Rob himself?”

“Primarch Roboute Guilliman. Indeed.”

Discord was silent for a second, then he asked, surprisingly sincere:

“How’s my brother doing?”

“At the time we left Ultramar, he was fine.”

“That’s… good to hear. I heard a lot has happened since I left… but we can talk about that later. I still don’t know who the rest of you are.”

The introductions were concluded without casualties.
Following this, the Ultramarines were benign enough to tell Discord about the state of the Imperium.

“Hmm…” Discord mused,
“not exactly what my father had in mind… but I guess I’m in no position to complain.”

“No, you are not,” Cassius confirmed flatly.

“Chaplain Cassius, there is only one being who is competent to pass judgement on me, and that being is the Emperor. So leave that to Him.”

Yes, there still was quite some tension between the Astartes and the former Primarch…

“Whoa, the bad vibes here are bumming me out,” Tree Hugger suddenly said,
“could you, like, take a deep breath and reconcile with your groove?”

“You want us to do what?” Calgar asked, slightly confused.

“Calm down,” Fluttershy told them,
“Tree Hugger really dislikes disharmony… present company excluded.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Discord grinned,
“I’m not that sensitive, and the Ultramarines and I just have to sort out a matter… or two.”

“Agreed,” Calgar said,
“there is no need to be alarmed. And now, Discord, we have a few questions.”

“Then ask. I’ll try to answer them.”

Again, nobody violently died during the next few minutes, and Discord was remarkably honest with the humans.
Then, Calgar inquired:

“You said you banished some of your men to strange dimensions?”

“Yeah… guess I couldn’t get quite rid of that habit…” Discord admitted somewhat sheepishly.

“Do you still know where you banished them to?”

“Oh… I opened portals at random back then… but I think I could recreate them, given enough time.”

“Apropos time: what is the flow of time like in those other places?”

“That varies greatly… oh, I get it! You want to look for them and bring them back?”

“That’s my plan.”

“Sorry, but that won’t work. Too much time has gone by there, too much even for Astartes.”

“Well, at least we can try to salvage their mortal remains and give them an appropriate burial within the confines of the Imperium.”

That was a good idea. Antonius had to admit that he hadn’t thought of that. While finding them alive would have been better of course, finding their remains was indeed the least they could do.
Although…

“Discord,” Antonius asked,
“won’t those portals draw attention to us? Won’t Chaos be able to detect that something is going on here if we contact other universes, dimension or whatever that way?”

Discord thought about that, then he answered:

“Hard to say. I’ve never really cared much about not being detected.”

“Then,” Tigurius said,
“we should postpone this operation until our main goal is achieved. We cannot risk drawing attention to us.”

“I agree with the chief-librarian,” Cassius interjected,
“while worthwhile, our fight against the forces of Chaos must not recklessly be compromised.”

“Agreed,” Calgar nodded,
“I had hoped to find some of them alive and give them the chance to fight for mankind once again, but since those were deceitful hopes, I also say we keep as quiet as possible… that also means that we should limit and carefully monitor any such activities.”

“Like the mirror to this abhuman world?” Tigurius inquired.

“Exactly.”

“Our new magic meters should be suitable for this task,” Gearhart told them,
“however, I will talk to Twilight Sparkle to verify that and build a device specialized for detecting portal activity.”

“Good, do that.”

“It is a pity we cannot bring those Space Marines back alive,” Luna lamented.

“True,” Calgar said,
“but the chances are too slim, and the risk is too great.”

“Anyway,” Cassius noted,
“we would have had to thoroughly test them for corruption.”

“Not that they’ve become such weird friends of nonhumans as I have?” Antonius grinned.

“Indeed.”

The Ultramarines grinned at that somewhat blunt answer, and Tree Hugger said:

“Ah, now your vibes are much better.”

The rest of the Gala went by without any noteworthy incidents. The Ultramarines and the tech-priests - as well as most ponies - had retired by now, and Luna and Antonius were also in their quarters.

“All told, it could have gone worse,” Antonius opined.

“Indeed,” Luna agreed as she took off her armor,
“although things went a little far now and then… and Cassius remains a tough nut to crack.”

“Hmm? The ‘weird friend of nonhumans’ thing?”

“Yes. He still does not trust us.”

“If he really didn’t trust us, Luna, he would be way more… active.”

“Maybe… but still! I should go and talk to him.”

“And how are you planning to convince him that the ponies are nothing but benevolent?”

“I am not certain as to how I am going to achieve that… but I will try.”

“I can’t convince you to change your mind?”

“No.”

“Hmm… I thought so. Shall I tag along?”

“No. This should be an one-on-one encounter to avoid the impression that we want to pressure him into something. I will be back in a few minutes.”

“Well, good luck. And try not to be too pushy.”

“Antonius! I have never been ‘pushy’, nor will I ever be ‘pushy’. And now wait until I am back!”

“At your command, your Royal Pushyness!” Antonius laughed.

Luna rolled her eyes and left. She went straight to the room that had been allocated to the chaplain and knocked.

Cassius opened the door and looked down at her.

“Princess Luna,” he stated.

“Chaplain Cassius,” Luna replied with a polite nod,
“do you have a minute? I would like to have a word with you.”

Cassius stepped aside, so Luna saw this as a positive affirmation and entered his quarters.

“What do you want to talk about?” he inquired as he closed the door.

Well, how to start? Thankfully, she had an idea that should work with any Ultramarine…

“The human-pony relationship,” she answered.

“We cooperate to fight a common foe.”

“Yes, but I could not fail to notice that this relationship is currently beneath peak efficiency.”

“Shouldn’t you… talk to Antonius if you’re… dissatisfied?”

He sounded weirdly perturbed, and it look Luna a moment to realize why.

“I’m talking about the human-pony relationship in general, not about my relationship to Antonius,” she clarified.

“That’s good… but Antonius still is your liaison to mankind… strangely enough in every sense of the word,” Cassius replied.

“That very well may be. I still think that you are the correct interlocutor.”

“In what way?”

“You still don’t trust us. That’s a negative influence on the human-pony relations and decreases the efficiency of our cooperation. Tell me, how can we convince you that we are truly benevolent?”

That should work. Ultramarines were all about efficiency.

“Is that the reason for your visit? If so, it’s unnecessary.”

Damn, that Cassius was stubborn.

“It is very much necessary. As I said, as long as you think that we are secretly malevolent…”

“I don’t think that,” Cassius interrupted her flatly.

“Huh? No?” Luna asked in surprise.

“No. I am well aware of the fact that you are actually benevolent.”

“Then… if you know that we are no threat…”

“I did not say that.”

“Come again?”

“Princess, you may not be malevolent, but you still are a threat.”

In Luna’s opinion, that made no sense whatsoever, so she just said:

“I do not follow.”

“If you have the choice, which do you prefer: war or peace?”

“Well… peace.”

“Of course. So do I. So does everyone who is not insane, an ork or a disciple of Khorne. But the circumstances force us into waging wars. The Imperium is struggling to survive, attacked from all sides by aliens, mutants, heretics and daemons.”

“I am well aware of that… but where is the connection to us?”

“Space Marines live to wage war. It is what we were created for, it is what we must do now, and it is what we will have to do until all enemies of mankind are eradicated. We have no choice but to fight, lest we all perish.”

“Excuse me, but I still do not see why this means that we are a threat.”

“You offer an alternative to the wars we actually have to fight. You offer a life of peace and friendship, far away from the violent reality of our galaxy.
This offer is tempting.
That is why - while not a threat directly to humans lives - you are a threat to human minds. You tempt them to shirk from their duties and enjoy the peace you offer, just by being yourselves.
As a chaplain, I take care of the spiritual wellbeing of my brothers. I make sure that they are imbued with a sense of duty, and you challenge this sense of duty. That is why I see you as a threat, Princess.”

Luna had no idea what to answer. She could see Cassius point, even if it was a somewhat weird way of thinking. After some seconds of pondering a response, she said:

“But does it not help that we are willing to leave our peaceful world and join you in your struggles? If we are willing to give up our peace and face war, friendly as we are, should that not be an incentive for you to fight, too?”

Now it was Cassius who did not answer immediately, but needed time to think about the topic.

“I see what you mean,” he finally said.

“So, I was successful in decreasing the assumed threat level of ponykind?”

“Somewhat, Princess.”

“Good! Are there other problems you worry about I could help you with?”

“Maybe…”

“Well, then tell me: What is the problem?”

“You,” Cassius told her bluntly.

“Me?” Luna asked in confusion,
“oh, it is about the nightmare remnant, is it not?”

“My primary concern is your relationship with Antonius.”

“I beg your pardon? I love Antonius. How could that be a problem?”

“Astates live for their duty, and Astartes die for their duty. Duty is their purpose, and it is their sole purpose. Antonius’ attention, however, is divided between his duty to mankind and his relationship with you.”

“Well… I would not call it ‘divided’, since I am committed to saving mankind, too, just as he is.”

“So, if - by unfortunate circumstances - he has to choose between saving you and saving mankind, would you say ‘let me die’, and would Antonius do so? Would he allow you to be killed and save mankind?”

“Yes,” Luna answered with conviction,
“Antonius already gave his life to save ponykind. If it comes to the worst, I would die to save mankind, just as he would. And I am certain he would choose saving mankind over saving me, because he knows all too well how much is at stake.”

“And you accept that your… companion would let you die?”

“Yes, because I know how much is at stake, too. I would never demand him to save me if it meant sacrificing mankind, for mankind is much more important than I am.”

Cassius looked at her for a while, then he said:

“I am starting to comprehend why Antonius is so fond of you. You may not be a human, but your personality is noble. Keep to your words, and act accordingly, and the efficiency of the human-pony cooperation will be at acceptable levels.”

“Thank you, Chaplain Cassius. I will now retire. I wish you a good night.”

“I reciprocate this wish.”

Luna bowed and left Cassius’ quarters.
On her way back to Antonius, she sighed in relief. She had been successful.
Back in their rooms, she told him the good news, and also what she had discussed with the chaplain.

“Hmm…” Antonius pondered,
“you are right. If I really had to choose between you and mankind, I’d have to save mankind. It’s an unsettling thought, but I couldn’t let my species go extinct just for the sake of the two of us. I know it sounds cold…”

“No,” Luna interrupted him,
“it sounds reasonable. I could not just continue my life knowing that untold billions had to die just to save me.”

“For the same reason, you’d have to let me die and save mankind.”

They were silent for a few seconds, then Luna said:

“Pretty depressing thoughts, especially in the aftermath of a party.”

“Yeah. I think a conversation with your spouse is supposed to go ‘I’d die for you’ or something like that, yet ours is ‘If I had to choose, I’d let you die for something more important’. Well, most couples don’t have such an important mission. We can still try our best that we’ll never have to make this choice and will be able to save mankind as well as each other.”

“This is a notion I can support wholeheartedly.”

1. Dead

“Ouch” was the first thought that came to Antonius’ mind when he regained consciousness. At the moment, his whole world consisted of darkness and… pain?

No…
It was not real pain…
Just a memory of pain, searing, but short.

What had happened?
Where was he?

He was sure he was lying somewhere, and that such a situation had happened before. Indeed, the feeling of deja vu was undeniable.
He tried to open his eyes - and it worked. He could see a blue sky with fluffy clouds above him.

Was he…
He jumped up.
He was in Equestria! In the same clearing where he had appeared after the teleporter accident that had brought him to this planet in the first place! Even the scents were just as he remembered them!
But that was impossible.

His memory worked now, and he knew that he had died. There was no way he could have survived that explosion.
A time loop?
No, he wasn’t wearing his armor, but instead, he wore the clothes Rarity had made for him. His body was complete, too, no sign of missing limbs or even minor injuries.

This did not really make sense. Was this the afterlife?
Well, whatever it was, standing around here would not be useful. Since he still knew the direction in which Ponyville was supposed to be, he started walking.

On his way, he didn’t see a single animal. No squirrels, no birds, not even insects. Nothing.
This was a little unsettling, but he couldn’t help it. He walked on.

Antonius finally arrived at Zecora’s hut, but she wasn’t home. So, he continued his journey.
Entering the town, he was greeted by the same lack of life he had witnessed ever since he had woken up in that small clearing.

He started searching the town, but nopony was there. The houses, though, were in pristine condition, so this couldn’t be the result of a battle. Everything looked normal - just the inhabitants were missing. Twilight’s library, Moonlight, Blackwing and Stormy’s house, Lyra and Bon Bon’s home - nopony was there.

Somewhat perturbed, he moved on to Fluttershy’s cottage - only to find it as empty as the rest of the town.
Sweet Apple Acres was no different.
He returned to Ponyville.

Well, this was unsettling. Where was everypony?
He glanced at the sun that was burning down mercilessly. He also couldn’t remember the sun being that intense…

As he looked around, he spotted Canterlot in the distance. Perhaps he could find some answers - or some ponies - there.

As he walked on the road towards the capital, still assailed by the rays of the sun that obviously wanted to turn him into ‘grilled human’, a truly disturbing thought popped up in his mind:
Was this his personal version of hell?
Having to spend all eternity in this familiar place, devoid of all life, especially his friends who made this place so special in the first place?
Was this his punishment for violating the Codex and becoming genuine friends with xenos?
He shook his head to clear his mind. Such panicked delusions were thoroughly unrewarding. Why had such a thought come to his mind at all?
He continued his journey.

Antonius finally arrived at the foot of Mount Canterlot.
Damned, that had taken quite some time. Actually, it had taken too much time. He should have been here sooner… and the sun should have moved by now.
This definitely wasn’t the real Equestria, not the one he knew and liked so much…
Still, the city above was the next logical place to go, so he went on.

After a lot of climbing, he finally reached his destination. The gates were unguarded, but that did not surprise him… honestly, it would have hardly surprised him had the gates of the real Canterlot been unguarded.

He entered the city and found empty streets. Not wasting time with searching for ponies there, he proceeded to the castle. If somepony was here, in this emptiness, it would be there, he was sure of that.

But obviously not at the gates. Or in the hallways.
He entered the ancient imperial base. No ponies, but the Stormbird and the Land Speeder were where they belonged. Antonius climbed into the Speeder and checked its systems. Nothing. The vehicle was as dead as the rest of the city.
With growing unease, he left the base again. Further searching the castle, he also found his room and the princesses’ quarters devoid of life.

All of this made him feel a strange sensation… one he hadn’t felt in a long time, but one he could remember from his childhood.
Fear.
Damnit, he was an Astartes, he shouldn’t be able to feel fear!
Well, he had been an Astartes. He was dead now. The conditioning seemed not to transcend that… boundary.

Now, there was only one place left to inspect: the throne room.
Standing in front of the two-winged door, Antonius took a deep breath. If this royal room was empty, too, he was royally screwed.

He pushed the door open.
The room was not empty.

Antonius knelt down immediately and averted his gaze. He knew exactly who he had found there.

“What are you doing, Antonius?” the Emperor of Mankind asked.

His voice was mellifluous, but also commanding. A voice that could shake the heavens if it wanted to. And now, it was talking to him.

“Kneeling…” Antonius stammered,
“and averting my gaze…”

“Stop that. I haven’t expended that much effort for you to look at some marble floor tiles.”

Antonius looked up. Really, there He was. The Emperor. Clad in golden armor, larger than life, He was too great for him to fully comprehend. And he was sitting on Celestia’s throne.

“Get up and come closer,” He said, slightly irritated,
“I see no reason why we should shout at each other.”

Antonius hurried to obey and was standing in front of his Emperor on a very different golden throne.
The Emperor looked at his servant for some time, then he said:

“Antonius, Antonius…”

Uh-oh.

“I sent you to the ponies to acquire the Elements of Harmony. Well, you did that. And you also ignored the most fundamental principles of the Imperium and became genuine friends with them. Now, explain yourself.”

Antonius straightened himself. Even if the Emperor wasn’t thrilled by his action, he didn’t want to sugarcoat anything, and he would accept His judgement standing upright.

“My Emperor,” he started,
“in my opinion, the ponies deserved my friendship - just as they deserve the friendship of mankind.”

“So, you decide what’s best for mankind now?”

“No, but I strongly recommend accepting the ponies as the allies they actually are. They are loyal, trustworthy, honest and kind. I have never met a xeno species that could even remotely keep up with them.”

“That may be true, but - looking at the xenos we know - it doesn’t mean much.”

“Right… Still, it is my firm conviction that an alliance with them would be extremely profitable, if not even vital for the continued existence of mankind.”

“Interesting. Unfortunately, your assessment is affected by one of your flaws.”

Antonius took a deep breath.

“I know I am far from perfect, my Emperor, but I am still sure that my assessment is valid.”

“Then reminisce,” the Emperor commanded calmly,
“I have burned away your conditioning while you were on your way here, so that you will be able to discover the flaw I am talking about.”

He had done what?
Okay, that was the explanation for the unusually hot sun and the fear.

Antonius quickly focused on remembering his experiences with his friends.
The time he had met Twilight and Applejack on that hill near the farm…
The time he had met them all in the library…
The missions they had been on together…

Such precious memories.
They really had become good friends.

He thought about the time he had spent with the princesses, the arguments, but especially the goofing around.
Honestly, that had been great.

Then Antonius reminisced about his best friend in Equestria - Luna. They had really had some fun together, covered in a blanket of weirdness and funny misunderstandings…
They had fought together.
He had saved her life when those nightmare daemons had abducted her.
Just a moment…
This strange feeling of restlessness back then…
The relief when she was safe again…
The ‘positive magical condition’, as Rapid Cure had called it…

“No!” the Emperor tried to intervene,
“this is NOT the epiphany I want you to have…”

“Holy Terra!” Antonius blurted out,
“I…”

“Yes, I know,” the Emperor sighed.

“And I think it’s even mutual!”

“Of course it is - or was. But please don’t turn your trial into something sappy. Well, those feelings are part of the flaw I was talking about: your are too attached. An Astartes has to keep his distance, or his decisions will become biased and loose efficiency. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

“Yes… but I feel compelled to point out that I don’t see any negative results of my decisions.”

“That’s more a thing of luck than of careful planning.”

“I have to admit that.”

“Good. Now, Antonius, hear my judgement: While you completed your mission in the most unusual of ways, you still completed it. More than that, even. Because of you, the ponies will voluntarily help us and use the Elements of Harmony against Chaos when the time has come. So, all told, you deserve my Peace. Before you meet with your ancestors, I will scan your soul for a covered corruption. I don’t expect any to be present, but I generally err on the side of caution in that regard - for rather obvious reasons.”

Antonius was relieved. By verdict of the Emperor himself, he was not a traitor. A weirdo, but not a traitor.
Now the Emperor stared at him with an indescribable intensity.
Suddenly, there were steps, armored boots on marble tiles, but Antonius could not turn around and take a look who had come into the room.

“Is he okay?” a voice asked, almost as mellifluous as the Emperor’s.

“Hmm… there is no Chaos corruption, but…” the Emperor mumbled.

‘But’? This did not bode well…

“Antonius, did you touch any strange crystal trees?”

“The Tree of Harmony!” Antonius exclaimed.

“Aha. Why did you touch it?”

“I’m not sure… I felt somewhat compelled to touch it… has this contact left traces in my soul?”

“‘Traces?’ There is a whole data package!”

Having said that, the Emperor made a little gesture with his hands, and a small chest appeared on his knees.

“Just a visualization,” the voice behind Antonius explained,
“so that you are not too confused by all of this.”

Antonius really would have liked to know who this voice belonged to, but his attention was caught by the Emperor as he opened the chest and pulled out a scroll.
He read it, and his expression turned into one of surprise. Then, he lowered the scroll and took a look at Antonius.
He seemed to contemplate the content of the scroll, then he said:

“Antonius, the Tree of Harmony left a proposal in your soul. Together with this.”
He took a jar from the chest. Inside it, a glowing double helix was slowly pinwheeling.
“Sequences of pony DNA. It wants me to forge you anew with this ‘upgrade’ and send you back to Equestria.”

“WHAT???” Antonius exclaimed.

This was more than just unexpected, it was unthinkable. Quite welcome, but unthinkable.

“And I will accept this proposal - more or less. I certainly will not bow to the will of this… tree, but it actually is an opportunity. Let me tell you what happened in Ultramar while you were in Equestria.”

Just a wave of the Emperor’s hand, and Antonius knew what his Lord was talking about.

“Primaris?” Antonius asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” the Emperor said with a trace of disdain,
“this upstart Cawl really thinks he has perfected the Astartes. He has NOT. The Astartes were perfect as I designed them. Easy to create, yet much more powerful than a normal human. The Primaris may be stronger, but they are also more difficult to create.
I just waited for an opportunity to show this self-aggrandizing fool what real ingenuity is. Without his precious technology, I will make you a Primaris - but not just any Primaris. You will be the ‘Primus inter Primaris’, the most powerful of those warriors. The pony DNA will give you a natural understanding of the magic the ponies use, and the upgrades I’m going to add will - among other things - counter the less desirable effects of this DNA. Seriously, you will be useless if you become too peaceful… too tame.”

Antonius was speechless. The Emperor, however, wasn’t:

“With fragments of the genetic code of the Primarchs, you will become a warrior Cawl will drop to his knees before - even if he has to build some first!”

“Guess you will ‘ascend’,” the voice from behind said with an audible grin.

As he heard the word ‘ascend’, Antonius had to think of Twilight and her alicornication. That made him worry a bit and ask a somewhat stupid question:

“I won’t get wings, will I?”

“What’s wrong with wings?” the voice asked.

The Emperor sighed and Antonius was suddenly able to take his eyes off the master of mankind, so he turned around and gasped:

“Primarch Sanguinius??? But… you’re dead!”

“So are you,” Sanguinius replied with a friendly smile.

“Oh… right…”

“It takes some getting used to. But don’t get too used to it, for in your case, it will obviously only be temporary.”

“Indeed,” the Emperor agreed, and Antonius turned to face him again,
“but it will still take a while to train you to the point that you can use your new abilities. But first, let me create a new genome for you.”

Having said that, the Emperor pulled the pony DNA out of its jar. With a small wave of his hand, he created more helixes; one in the center and several others around it. Then, he started placing parts he took from the outer helixes into the central one.

“He’s reforging your DNA,” Sanguinius, who was now standing at Antonius’ side, towering over him, explained.

“Ugh,” the Emperor grumbled,
“just as I thought. I must counter the pony DNA’s undesirable side effects… Russ! The Canis Helix! That should work.”

The Canis Helix? The component that made the Space Wolves so… wolfish? Placed into an Ultramarine?

“My Emperor,” Antonius dared to ask,
“I know I am in no position to question your decisions… but are you sure you want to use Space Wolves DNA?”

The Emperor stopped working, looked at Antonius for a second, and continued working with the words

“Better a little more Canis Helix.”

Great. So he would become a transhuman-pony-wolf hybrid.
With this level of weirdness, he actually fitted pretty well into Equestria…

While the Emperor was busy tinkering about with the very foundations of life - Antonius’ life - the recently deceased Space Marine turned to Sanguinius:

“Excellency Sanguinius, since you are here, does that mean that the other fallen loyal Primarchs are around, too? Their souls, I mean?”

“Some are, others are not,” Sanguinius answered glumly,
“my brother Ferrus Manus, who died at the Dropside Massacre, is lost forever. It was only after my father had become aware of Horus’ rebellion that he took measures to catch the souls of his dead sons…”
His mood lightened as he continued:
“And now, he has caught your soul. And he is upgrading you with Primarch DNA. Perhaps I should call you ‘brother’ from now on…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the Emperor intervened,
“he will be a powerful Primaris, but not a Primarch. Now, it is time he actually becomes a Primaris. Antonius, prepare yourself to receive my gift.”

Before Antonius had the chance to ask how exactly he was supposed to prepare himself for such a transformation, he felt a strange sensation. It wasn’t exactly painful, more like a tingling of every - actually nonexistent - cell of his - also nonexistent - body, accompanied by a swirling vortex of light around him.

When it was over, he noticed that his perspective had changed. He was taller now, almost as tall as the Primarch at his side. Antonius first inspected his arms, then the rest of his body.

“Most impressive…” he mumbled,
“and surprisingly painless, given the transformation.”

“Because you are just a soul,” the Emperor explained,
“there will be a fair amount of pain when your body is actually reforged in the materium. Until then, you need to get used to your new body and abilities. And drop your last name. Since your actions will certainly be seen as unthinkable in the Imperium, we should keep your original family out of it. Now, Sanguinius, you will start training him. I will take over once I deem the time has come. Until then, I have other things to do.”

“Of course, father,” Sanguinus replied.

The next moment, Antonius and the Primarch were standing in a giant, plane clearing. There also was a weapons rack with a multitude of different swords, axes, bolters and other equipment.

“An impressive range of weapons,” Antonius commented,
“which one are we going to train with?”

“All of them,” Sanguinius answered.

Since neither of them had an actual physical body that required food or rest, the training went on without interruption, whereby the environment changed every time to provide an adequate area for the weapon they picked.
While Antonius had not been a subpar Space Marine and now even had a further enhanced body, he was completely out of his depth fighting Sanguinius at first. Over time, this slowly changed, until their fights became more and more balanced and Antonius was able to stand his ground with every weapon they choose.

“You’re making progress,” the Primarch noted.

“Slow but steady,” Antonius replied,
“thanks to your training and your patience.”

He had lost any sense of time by now, but he was willing to bet that it had taken him months to achieve this level of prowess.

A little later, Antonius and Sanguinius were dueling again, with greatswords this time. The newly forged Primaris had to admit that this type of weapon was his favorite out of all melee weapons he had mastered, and he proved his expertise by standing his ground against the Primarch. He countered up to four attacks per second and retaliated just as fast - quite an accomplishment considering the giant swords.

Then, the incredible happened:
After blocking one of Sanguinius’ blows, he managed to bring the tip of his sword to the Primarch’s throat. Both men froze.
Antonius had won this fight.

“Outstanding,” Sanguinius smiled, not the least bit indignant because of his defeat,
“soon we will reach a point where I can’t teach you anything anymore. Now, please excuse me. I will go and tell my father about your progress.”

Sanguinius was gone for some time and Antonius made use of this by continuing his training. Since the legendary Primarch of the Blood Angels and even the Emperor himself obviously put that much trust into him, he didn’t want to disappoint them by being negligent.

When Sanguinius returned, his face was serious. He said:

“Antonius, I have bad news: The Emperor has decreed that the ponies are an incalculable risk to his plans. He wants you to exterminate them and claim the Elements of Harmony for mankind.”

This was like a punch into Antonius’ soul. This was worse than the worst nightmare. Why had the Emperor made such a decision? What had happened?

“Why?” he stammered, still trying to come to term with this order.

“It is not your duty to question the Emperor’s orders,” Sanguinius told him sternly,
“your duty is to execute them.”

“But… this makes no sense! We can’t betray our allies, and the ponies ARE our allies!”

“So, you refuse to execute this order?”

Disobeying the Emperor was unthinkable, but this whole situation… there was something deeply wrong with all of this…

“Yes,” Antonius finally answered,
“I won’t attack our allies - my friends - without a damned good reason. If something terrible enough to justify such an order has happened, I need to know it first, even if this is an order given by the Emperor…
If…
Damnit, I don’t even have a single proof that this order was given by the Emperor! I can’t even be sure if you are you, and not some daemon impersonating Primarch Sanguinius and trying to ruin the Emperor’s true plan!”

To Antonius’ great surprise, Sanguinius smile was back on his face. The Primarch turned around and said:

“He passed.”

A moment later, the Emperor had joined them and stated:

“Then, it is time for the advanced training.”

“What?” Antonius asked, dumbfounded.

“It was a test,” Sanguinius explained,
“do you know what one of the reasons for the Horus Heresy almost being successful was?
Blind obedience.
The traitorous Primarchs told their sons to attack the other Astartes, and they - already traitor or not - just complied. Had they done what you just have, had they said ‘no, we don’t attack our allies without a damned good reason’, the Heresy would have been over before it really had started. Damnit, had my brother Russ not… but I digress. Now, the Emperor will start training you in the ways of the psykers.”

So, the Emperor himself started training Antonius. The psychic abilities he learned were anything but easy to master. They required an inhuman amount of focus, willpower and perseverance.

One day - Antonius had just fried some illusions with lightning - he turned to his Emperor and asked a question he had pondered for a long time:

“My Emperor, why did you choose me to go to Equestria? There were far greater Space Marines than me.”

“Yes,” the Emperor answered,
“but most of them were already too stuck in their hatred of each and every xeno. I needed someone who wouldn’t kill the ponies on sight just for not being humans. So, I selected a few potential candidates for this mission, and you were among them.”

“Who else was on your list, if I may ask?”

“Your sergeant Seneca. Unfortunately, was was severely injured and thus ruled out. Furthermore, there were a young Salamander, a Lamenter, and a Space Wolf… you even know that last one.”

Antonius thought about the Space Wolves he had gotten to know. Most of them were quite barbaric and would probably have eaten the ponies instead of making friends with them.
There was an exception, though…

“Haegar Bloodbrow? The one with the… unusual fenrisian wolf?”

He had gotten to know this Space Marine during a campaign against the orks. He was surprisingly reasonable for a Space Wolf. Instead of using every - inappropriate - opportunity to make fun of the Ultramarines for following the Codex Astartes, he had actually been willing to cooperate. While his brothers had not been too fond of this, they had not dared to oppose him. One reason for this was the fact that he was a Wolf Priest, the other reason was Grond, his fenrisian wolf. Usually, those animals were infamous for their bad mood, but Grond had - for whatever reason - taken a liking to Antonius and had never wasted an opportunity to put his tongue in the Ultramarine’s face.

“Yes, indeed,” the Emperor answered, stopping Antonius’ train of thoughts,
“however, when you wanted to teleport to the strike cruiser it was a good opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up.”

“And so, I landed in Equestria to claim the Elements of Harmony… what exactly do you want to do with them? I know that you want to use them against Chaos, but how?”

“First of all, I need them for something different: See, at the moment my soul is split up into thousands of fragments, each one battling the Ruinous Powers. This ‘schism’ has left its marks, even on me. I could gather the parts of my soul, but I think that this might result in a grim, needlessly ruthless version of myself. See, this spark of my soul that is currently talking to you is the nicest one left… and it still has some quirks.
With the power of the Elements, I want to reunite and heal my soul, so that I can be the Emperor mankind deserves. This is where you came into the picture - and where you will come into the picture again.
I want you to keep up your friendship with the ponies - no matter how weird it may be for a Space Marine.”

“Yes, my Emperor… but why do you know about the ponies in the first place? I know they were created by mankind, but that was long ago…”

“You have found the journal of the creator of the ponies, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You came across the name ‘Peter Schroedinger’?”

“Yes, he was a scientist and apparently a good friend of the ponies’ creator Dr. Faust.”

“And he was me.”

Antonius jaw dropped.

“You?” he asked in bafflement.

“Indeed. I have to admit that I remember those times quite fondly.”

“Just a moment… you were this Schroedinger… and Dr. Faust taught you about genetics… and you created… I can’t believe it… that means that the doctor is something like the grandmother of the Astartes?”

“I wouldn’t call her a ‘grandmother’, but she did lay the foundation for my knowledge in that area.”

“Incredible! So the Astartes are somewhat related to the ponies in a way.”

“Don’t exaggerate. I created the Astartes, and I created the virus that increased the ponies’ intelligence, but there is no pony DNA in the Astartes, just the experience gained back then.”

“Of course, my Lord. I am the only warrior of mankind with that kind of DNA.”

“At the moment; I hereby authorize you to create a fighting force specialized in battling Chaos.”

“Composed of ponies?”

“You may create a second force consisting of ponies, but I was talking about humans. When your body will be reforged in the materium, I will give you a meta-seed that will allow you to quickly create a company of Primaris-like warriors without having to grow the implants first.”

Antonius was flabbergasted.

“You… give me a lot of power,” he said.

“That’s nothing compared to the spark of my power I will give to you.”

Antonius could barely believe what he had just heard.

“You want to what?” he blurted, then he pulled himself together and continued:
“I… am not worthy of this gift.”

“Of course you aren’t,” the Emperor told him in a matter-of-fact tone,
“but as I said, it is a good opportunity. It may even be the last opportunity, since Chaos is about to rise again and time is getting short.”

“They are what? Damned daemon scum! I’d really want to know how this all started.”

“Then listen.”

“You know?”

“I am the Emperor. Of course I know.
When the universe was young, the Immaterium wasn’t the Warp we know today, it was the ‘Sea of Souls’, a much friendlier and calmer place, only influenced by the weak emotions of lesser animals. Then, as higher life came into existence, it got more turbulent. When two factions, the ‘Old Ones’ and the ‘Nectrontyr’ started a war of unimaginable scale, it only got worse.”

“‘Necrontyr’? Sounds suspiciously like ‘Necrons’…”

“Yes. The Necrontyr sacrificed their bodies and souls and became the Necrons to gain the upper hand in that conflict.”

“This is madness.”

“The Old Ones weren’t better. They created the Eldar and the Orks to fight the Necrontyr and later the Necrons, but that is a different story.”

“What??? Do we owe all of our problems to this ancient war?”

“Most of them. Now shut up and let me continue:
The Sea of Souls was flooded with aggression and other negative emotions, until they started accumulating and even formed a dark consciousness. Thus, Khorne, Tzeentch and Nurgle were ‘born’ - at least if you want to call that a birth - and the Sea of Souls toppled and became the Warp we all know and hate now.
Due to some more very unfortunate events, the Old Ones were wiped out, the Necrons retreated into their tombs, and the Eldar and Orks continued their fight on a much smaller scale.”

“And the Gods of Chaos?”

“They did what they are still doing: They devoured the souls of the innocent - and everyone else they could get. One day, they found Terra, and took interest in the psykers there. The souls of those ‘shamans’, as they were called, transcended into the Warp when they died and could be reborn from there. Now, those shamans noticed that a lot of their souls were lost to the Gods of Chaos, so they came up with a plan: About 50 millennia ago, they all committed suicide to face the dark entities together.”

“That’s… quite a drastic measure…”

“Yeah, and it didn’t exactly work. When they realized that they still couldn’t defeat their enemies, half of them distracted the Gods of Chaos, while the other half were reborn into a single being, a human far beyond any human who had ever lived on Terra.”

“Wow… I mean, incredible. If only we had this super-human…”

“We have. This super-human is me.”

All Antonius could do now was stare at the Emperor, his mouth agape.

“Yes,” the Emperor continued,
“and ever since my birth back then, I did all I could to protect mankind from the Ruinous Powers. And now, about 50 thousand years later, we finally have the chance to get rid of them. So, let’s declare this history lesson finished and get back to the training.”

Antonius still had countless questions he wanted to ask, but he followed his Emperor’s order.

Marneus Augustus Calgar and Gearhart were walking through the hallways of the Sword of Iax, heading to Aleksa’s quarters.

“We could also have called her and told her to deliver her report to us on the bridge,” the Magos said.

“Yes,” the Space Marine answered,
“but it’s just a small detour, and honestly: I don’t have any urgent things to do at the moment, do you?”

“Keeping the machine spirits satisfied is a task that does not allow for free time.”

“Oh, so the five games of regicide you played against Tigurius yesterday were some sort of liturgy, I presume?”

“Correct,” Gearhart answered flatly,
“the adoration of the ALU. Still, I do not want to disturb her.”

“You really are very considerate towards her,” Calgar replied,
“but I don’t think that she will be too busy, either.”

“That depends on the current whereabouts of chapter serf Marcus.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“I have noticed that they see each other quite often…”

“Wait… gossip? From a member of the Mechanicum? That’s a whole new idea,” Calgar laughed,
“but seriously, Marcus may not be an Astartes, but he still is a chapter serf, a trained professional. He lives for his duty, just as all of us do.”

Aleksa’s quarters were in sight now. Suddenly, the door opened, and Marcus walked out backwards. He was pulled back by the room’s owner for a second, then he was released and the door closed.

Calgar and Gearhart stopped dead in their tracks and watched as the chapter serf started a little dance right there in the hallway. He needed a few seconds to realize that he wasn’t alone, then he snapped to attention with an incredibly awkward expression on his face.

“My Lord,” he saluted.

Calgar stared at him for a second before he said:

“Resume your duties.”

Marcus quickly left and the Space Marine and the magos were alone in the hallway.
After a few moments of silence, Calgar turned to Gearhart:

“I know you are laughing beneath that mask.”

“Lord Calgar,” Gearhart replied in his usual unmoved tone,
“you know that I cannot laugh.”
Just as Calgar thought that the topic was done, Gearhart continued:
“At the moment, however, I really wish I could.”

The training became more demanding every day, every hour even. Still, Antonius managed to stand his ground and pass the tests of his body, mind and soul. He also learned new - and quite unusual - tactics; to use his powers to put on a show to intimidate his enemies, for example.

Then, one day the Emperor said:

“Antonius, it is time to forge your new weapon.”

He had barely stated this as they suddenly were in a large room with various forges and smelters.
Antonius looked around. The skull-and-cog insignia of the Adeptus Mechanicus was omnipresent, but everything looked derelict, abandoned for centuries - if not longer.

“Where are we?” he asked, and the Emperor answered:

“This is a Mechanicum void ship, embedded in a space hulk. We are in the Warp, and there is no Gellar Field, so you can manipulate physical objects. Over there are the resources we’ll use for your weapon. Put them in the smelter.”

Antonius obeyed and got busy. He picked up a piece of metal ore and stopped.

“Is that silversteel?” he asked with surprise.

“Yes. It took me some effort to get it here from the Materium, and we only have enough for one attempt, so be careful.”

Thankfully, the ancient smelter still worked and soon, the silversteel had turned into glowing, viscous liquid.

“What kind of weapon do you prefer?” the Emperor asked,
“it has to be a melee weapon, the rest is your choice.”

Antonius did not need to think for long:

“A greatsword. Of all the weapons I have trained with, this is the one I’m most proficient with.”

“Fine. Get everything ready, I’ll return in a few minutes.”

Having said that, he was gone, and Antonius started stacking the silversteel ingots next to a forge. When he was done, the Emperor also had returned - with a large, flat crystal.

“For the greatsword?” Antonius asked.

“It is not for decorating the room,” the Emperor replied drily.

Then, they got busy forging the sword. They spent days there, and finally, the sword was finished. A long and broad weapon, inscribed with runes - and with the crystal in the center of its blade. Stunningly beautiful, it was a powerful force sword attuned to Antonius and his new powers.

“Wonderful,” he whispered as he examined it.

A little focus, and the weapon was engulfed in psychic energies, its crystal and runes glowing with a pale blue light. A little more focus, and it burst into flames of the same color.

“This weapon will bring judgment upon the enemies of mankind,” Antonius promised with a grin.

“In addition to the sword, you will now receive the spark of my power I told you about,” the Emperor told him and touched Antonius’ brow with his finger.

Antonius lacked the words to describe what he felt at that moment. His soul seemed to be trembling with excitement and new possibilities opened up. With that much power, he could do everything! He could…
Serve mankind.
That was what he had been created for, what he would be reborn for.
No place for any kind of megalomania.

“Hmm…” the Emperor pondered,
“you withstood the side effects quite well… perhaps this tree really was right choosing you.”

Antonius shook his head to clear his thoughts, deactivated the spark and said:

“I was the only Space Marine available, but I thank you for your confidence, my Emperor. I swear, I won’t disappoint you.”

“Probably not, but now, let’s work on your armor. Unfortunately, we don’t have the technology here to build power armor, so an old fashioned, passive one will have to do. You can create a better armor when you’re back in Equestria, but until then, you will need at least some protection.”

“The Emperor protects,” Antonius stated out of habit.

“Shut up and get working.”

The armor they crafted looked primitive compared to the power armor Space Marines usually donned, but it was still an impressive piece of low-tech protection; armor plates, held together by iron chains and straps of leather, underlaid with pieces of cloth.
With this armor and the huge sword, Antonius looked more like some sort of fantasy barbarian than a Space Marine with a special mission issued by the Emperor himself.

“It will do”, the Emperor stated,
“since we don’t have a black carapace or servo systems at our disposal, it is actually more than just satisfying.”

“Indeed,” Antonius agreed,
“once I have access to the STCs and the Ultramarines arrive, I can get a new set of power armor and the necessary implants to use it. For the time being, though, this is a superb replacement.”

“So, it is getting time to actually use it, don’t you agree?”

“My Emperor?”

“Let’s have a look what your ponies do.”

The next moment, they were back in the replica of the throne room where they had first met. Sanguinius was there, too.

“Ah,” he said,
“I see you are ready… and that sword almost counts as a ranged weapon.”

“Well,” Antonius replied,
“it actually is a ranged weapon if I use it to channel my psychic powers into a beam.”

“Showoff,” Sanguinius grinned,
“but I guess you will need quite some power to set things right.”

Uh-oh. That didn’t sound too good.

“What has happened?” Antonius asked.

“It still is happening,” the Emperor said and waved his hand to open a psychic window.

It hovered in the middle of the room, and beyond it was - Equestria!
Ponyville, to be exact, and the Element Bearers - sans Twilight, but with Spike - were there, too. Accompanied by Discord.

“They look like I remember them,” Antonius remarked,
“how much time has passed, anyway?”

“For you, it was a decade of training,” the Emperor told him,
“for them, it was not even a year.”

Well, the flow of time in the Warp always was somewhat unsteady. The Emperor obviously could manipulate that to their advantage.

“You’re back!” Antonius heard Fluttershy exclaim,
“did you bring the cucumber sandwiches?”

Huh? A snack-related emergency? That would need him to be set right???

“I did,” Discord replied,
“I imagine they’ll be your last decent meal for quite some time.”

What?

Having said that, Discord created a cage around the ponies and the dragon. As Antonius watched this act of treason, a new creature appeared: a giant centaur.

“You’ve gathered up all of them?” the newcomer asked.

“And her little dragon, too,” Discord answered with a malevolent grin.

“Traitorous scum!” Antonius thundered,
“he will make the acquaintance of my new sword!”

“No,” the Emperor said calmly,
“just keep watching - for now.”

What? He was not allowed to kill this traitor?
The Emperor had to have a plan… well, being the Emperor, he probably had a plan, and Antonius would of course follow it - even if it meant not to exact vengeance on Discord.

So he did as he had been told - he watched.
He saw Tirek - that was the name Discord called the centaur - betray Discord, grow quite a bit and set out to hunt down Twilight.

“Perhaps now would be a good time to send me back,” Antonius suggested.

“Not yet,” the Emperor answered,
“but it is a good time to show you what this Tirek has done since he has returned.”

He opened another window that depicted a dark side road. There was a brown unicorn with a bucket of oranges, and also a taller, hooded figure.

“‘Is he friend or is he foe?’ the pony wonders,” the creature said, and Antonius recognized the voice as Tirek’s,
“I can assure you… I am no friend. I am Lord Tirek, and I will take what should have been mine long ago.”

Having said that, he drained the pony of his magic, growing a little in the process. Then, he started laughing.

Antonius witnessed more scenes of Tirek draining ponies, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies.

“Damnit,” he mumbled,
“did all ponies fall victim to the centaur?”

“Most of them,” the Emperor answered,
“and now, let’s have a look at the current state of events.”

The second window closed and they returned to the first one.
It didn’t take Tirek long to find Twilight, and at first, he seemed to have the upper hand, despite a notable increase in the pony’s power. But this soon changed. When the centaur destroyed Twilight’s library, almost killing Owlowiscious in the process, she finally started fighting back.
Now, the encounter was much more balanced than before - in the sense that both of them were battling each other now with powerful blasts of magic. The fight culminated in both of their beams colliding, creating an unstable sphere of energy that detonated in an impressive explosion.

“Wow,” Antonius mumbled,
“I’ve always known that the ponies are much more powerful than they seem to be at first gaze, but that… impressive.”

“Hmm…” Sanguinius concurred,
“reminds me of a volcano cannon… coming from such a small creature, it is most certainly unexpected. Never judge a book by its cover, indeed.”

Unfortunately, Tirek was neither dead nor defeated. Quite the opposite, now he played his trump card: Twilight’s friends (and Discord), imprisoned in magic bubbles.
The deal sounded simple. Twilight’s magic in exchange for her friends.
Of course, trusting such a power-hungry creature was dangerous - to say the least - but Twilight still did it, under the condition that Discord would be released, too.
Truly, this year hadn’t changed her.
So the centaur set Twilight’s friends free and subsequently drained Twilight of her magic, growing to an even larger size.

“Perhaps now would be a good time?” Antonius inquired, slowly running out of patience.

“Not yet,” was the Emperor’s answer - again.

What was he waiting for?

Twilight and her friends had gathered together by now and Discord gave her some sort of medallion when suddenly another cage appeared around them.

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed,
“you promised to set us free!”

Tirek laughed and answered:

“Well, I did set you free, I just caught you again. Seriously, you couldn’t have believed that I would allow you to run around feely? Even though you are just pathetic little ponies, you could still find a way to cause trouble. So, I will send you to Tartarus. There, you can keep your precious princesses company.”

Having said that, he opened a portal, picked up the cage with his magic and slowly levitated it towards the magic gate to Tartarus.

“Umm…” Antonius started.

“Wait. Any moment now,” the Emperor interrupted him.

Damnit, what was he waiting for?

Through the portal, Antonius could see Luna, Celestia and Cadance, defeated and in chains. He did his best to suppress the anger this caused - he needed to be at peak effectiveness for the Emperor’s plan… WHATEVER IT WAS, DAMNIT!!!

“So, that’s it?” Celestia asked in despair,
“after all we have endured, after even repelling the forces of Chaos, we will now be wiped out by Tirek?”

“No,” Luna replied sternly,
“if that happened, Tony would have died in vain. This must not happen!”

“But what can we do?” Cadance inquired,
“I don’t see a way to turn things right… we desperately need help, but there is no pony there.”

“Not a pony,” Luna whispered, a spark of sudden awareness in her eyes.

“What?” Antonius mumbled.

“Oh Emperor of Mankind,” she whispered.

“She’s praying to you…” Sanguinius told the Emperor with more than just some surprise.

“Yes,” the Emperor confirmed,
“while I don’t like people seeing me as a divine being, this prayer shows that the ponies are capable of seeing me and mankind as their only hope for survival. They have accepted the truth.”

In the meantime Luna continued:

“I think we have met before - when I visited Macragge. If not, let me tell you what non-human is bold enough to invocate you. I am Princess Luna of Equestria. One of your Space Marines, a great warrior named Antonius Varus, was cast to our planet and spent more than a year here with us. He became a good friend of mine… the best, even. He also learned to value our species of ponies. Enough that he sacrificed his life to save us from Chaos. Now, we are on the brink of annihilation. If that happens, we will never be able to help mankind with our Elements of Harmony, and… Tony’s sacrifice will have been in vain. Please, Emperor of Mankind, do not let that happen. We need you. Please help us!”

After a moment of Silence, Sanguinius sad:

“Equestria calls for aid.”

Suddenly, the Emperor looked different, glowing with a bright inner light, a giant even next to a Primarch, and stated:

“AND THE IMPERIUM WILL ANSWER!”
Then he turned to Antonius and added:
“Prepare for drop.”

Author's Note

"Good things come to those who wait." :twilightsmile:
But seriously, sorry for the wait, and here it is, the sequel to "My Little Xeno".
I hope that it is indeed a 'good thing', and that you'll enjoy reading it.

10. More in the moon

About five minutes before the scheduled departure, Antonius was standing next to Calgar just outside the Thunderhawk. Luna was already inside and stowing away their luggage. All of the Element Bearers, with the exception of Rarity, had also boarded the dropship a few minutes ago, as had Calgar’s entourage.

“Generosity seems to be a little late,” Calgar mused.

“Well,” Antonius replied,
“she’s still got a few minutes.”

He really hoped that she had not decided to be ‘fashionably late’ or something like that. Ultramarines, being focused on efficiency, generally had no palate for such things. Much to his relief, Rarity came into view just a moment later. Not so much to his relief, she was followed by a teetering mountain of luggage.

“She can’t be serious,” Calgar mumbled.

So, he had spotted her, too.

“Well, she probably is serious, but it won’t be much of a problem to dissuade her from bringing all of that along.”

“I hope you’re right, Antonius. This is a Thunderhawk, not a luxury yacht.”

When Rarity had come closer, Antonius said:

“Rarity… don’t you think you’ve packed a little much?”

“Oh, that?” the unicorn asked, waving at her luggage,
“that’s just the bare minimum for a ‘prolonged’ trip.”

“If that trip takes a year, perhaps,” Calgar deadpanned.

“Well, Lord Calgar,” Rarity said with a disarming smile,
“being a lady, I need a little more luggage than a warrior like you, of course.”

“Is that Spike carrying your stuff?” Antonius inquired.

“Yes!” Spike confirmed from somewhere under the suitcases,
“it is a pleasure to help Rarity bring along her essentials!”

“Her ‘essentials’ will have to be limited to two items,” Calgar stated.

“What?” Rarity cried,
“you cannot be serious! How am I supposed live without even the barest necessities?”

“Just try… unless you want to stay here… and abandon your friends.”

Huh? A not-so-secret test of character?

“Lord Calgar, I would never abandon my friends!” Rarity exclaimed, lit her horn and picked a suitcase and her saddlebags out of the mountain of luggage.
“Provisions, and some warm clothes. I have to remark, though, that this is somewhat uncivilized.”

“Should I bring everything else back to your home?” Spike asked.

“Oh, yes, Spikey-Wickey. Thank you!”

Now that her luggage was sorted out, Rarity entered the Thunderhawk.
Calgar waved Antonius to do the same and followed him immediately.

The ramp closed. The Ultramarines, the tech-priests and the ponies - sans the newcomer - were already buckled up and waiting.

“You made it!” Applejack teased Rarity.

“Of course, darling, even if I had to leave most of my luggage behind.”

“Came with your usual mountain, huh?”

“Just the barest necessities.”

“Those are ‘barest necessities’,” Applejack laughed and pointed at her own luggage,
“apples, and some warm clothes.”

“And a spare hat,” Rainbow Dash interjected.

“Oh, shush,” Applejack hissed.

“Well,” Rarity teased back as Antonius buckled her up,
“the ‘essentials’ of an apple farmer and a fashionista differ a little.”

“You are what?” Cassius suddenly asked.

“A fashionista… you know, I design and make clothes?”

“So, you are driving the arbitrary cycle of frivolous consumerism?”

“No,” Rarity answered without missing a beat,
“I just take care that ponies look as fabulous on the outside as they are on the inside.”

The ponies snickered, and Cassius replied:

“Good answer.”

Well, that was a surprise. Perhaps the chaplain had started to thaw a little… even if it was just a little little.

When everyone and everything was ready to start the flight, the Tunderhawk took off and started ascending.

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash shouted as they broke the sonic barrier.

Luna explained it to her and added:

“At this speed, your rainboom happens. Since the Thunderhawk is powered by technology instead of magic, however, there is no rainbow trail.”

“Nervous, Rainbow?” Applejack asked with a grin.

“Yeah,” the pegasus answered,
“you know, flying without using my wings is… weird.”

“But…” Twilight interjected,
“you’ve been using hot air balloons before. That’s also flying without your wings.”

“Slow, boring flying while I still see the ground and skies around me. This here is different.”

“You’re not getting airsick, darling?” Rarity worried.

“Pfft… no, of course not!”

When the sound of the engines changed some time later, Rainbow Dash repeated her question, and once again, Luna told her what had happened.

“You have a good memory,” Seneca told her.

“Well, Sergeant Seneca,” Luna replied,
“I find your technology to be fascinating. You achieve wonders, entirely without magic.”

“We truly are blessed by the Omissiah,” Gearhart stated,
“I do not even want to think about having to rely on strange powers on a daily basis, even for mundane tasks. It is an unsettling thought.”

“Well, you get used to it. In fact, for us, magic is normal and your technology is the ‘strange power’.”

“A matter of perspective,” Tigurius said.

“Indeed,” Antonius agreed,
“and if we combine the technology of mankind and the magic of ponies, we should be able to drastically increase our effectiveness against the forces of Chaos.”

“While we already are quite effective,” Cassius put in,
“the probable increase you talk about would surely be highly welcome.”

A few minutes later, Rainbow asked:

“How fast are we now?”

“Pilot,” Calgar voxed,
“put our flight data on the hololith.”

A moment later, the hololith generator, mounted to a rail above their heads, rumbled into position and projected the requested data.

“About Mach ten,” Antonius said,
“that’s ten times the speed of you rainboom… are you okay?”

Rainbow certainly did not look okay. She was pale and looked quite nervous.

“That’s… fast,” she mumbled.

“Good thing that you like ‘fast’… but seriously, don’t worry, the Thunderhawk is safe.”

“I’m okay… and I do like ‘fast’… it’s just… unfamiliar to be that fast without using my wings… it’s a pegasus thing.”

“Probably,” Antonius smiled and turned to Fluttershy:
“Fluttershy, how do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” she squeaked,
“I’ve got my eyes closed.”

“We’ll soon arrive at the Sword of Iax,” Calgar told them,
“if you need to ‘stretch your legs’, you will be able to do that there.”

It took a few more minutes, then the Thunderhawk closed in on the strike cruiser. Calgar changed the hololith to an image of the voidship, and watched the ponies gasp in awe at the sight. The dropship slid into the strike cruiser’s hangar and the front ramp opened, revealing the interior of the vessel.

“So, we’re on board your ship now?” Twilight inquired.

“Yes,” Calgar answered,
“if you need to walk a little, you may do so now. In the meantime, the Terminators will board.”

Through the open ramp, he already saw them approaching, three veterans wearing tactical dreadnought armor. Calgar took a quick look at the ponies. They stared at the heavily armored elite warriors with expressions of confused awe. Thinking about the sanctity of those venerated suits of armor, this was actually an appropriate reaction…

“Those are the armors you are so fond of?” Luna suddenly whispered to Antonius.

“Yeah,” he replied equally quiet, but with a grin,
“one of the toughest armors ever developed by mankind… as far as we know.”

This little addendum called the ancient STC database back to Calgar’s mind. Maybe there were even more powerful suits hidden somewhere in those huge amounts of data, but they would be able to check that soon… if the ongoing evaluation of the database and ‘Al’ controlling it - conducted by Gearhart - concluded with a positive result.

“Lord Calgar, we are ready,” brother Octavianus said as he entered the Thunderhawk.

“Good, brother,” Calgar replied, then he turned to the ponies:
“Now, do you need to ‘stretch your legs’ or can we continue?”

“It would be too much to ask for a tour of the ship, I suppose?” Rarity asked.

“On our way back you’ll probably get a chance to take a look at the cruiser,” Calgar answered with a small grin.

As brother Gaius boarded the drop ship, Applejack exclaimed:

“Now what in tarnation is that?”

Calgar followed her gaze, and found brother Gaius’ weapon.

“It’s called an ‘assault cannon’, little pony,” Gaius answered slightly annoyed.

“A heavy, automatic anti-personnel weapon with a high rate of fire,” Gearhart explained curtly.

“I won’t question it,” Applejack said.

Since the ponies opted against talking a walk, and the third Terminator, brother Julius, was onboard, too, the Thunderhawk started again and adopted a course for the moon.

The Sword of Iax already was close to the moon, so the trip did not take long. Antonius looked at the hololithic image of the mountain they were approaching, and the giant door that sealed its top.

“Any idea how to open that thing?” he inquired.

“We will emit signals on various frequencies,” Gearhart told him,
“according to the local AI, they had been used for corresponding purposes in the past.”

“And if that doesn’t work,” Seneca grinned,
“we’ll look for a giant bell to ring.”

The Thunderhawk now started circling the mountain at some distance.

“Start the transmission once you’re ready,” Calgar commanded.

“Transmitting now,” Gearhart answered.

Nothing happened.

“Sequence one: no reaction,” Gearhart stated,
“transmitting sequence two.”

Again, the door did not move. During the following attempts, the result stay the same, until:

“Transmitting sequence 7,” Gearhart said, and a moment later, a jolt went through the dropship and the engines started whining.

“Report,” Calgar demanded.

“My Lord, we’ve been caught by a beam emitted from the rim of the door. We cannot break free,” the pilot voxed.

“Gearhart?”

“According to preliminary analysis, it is some kind of graviton beam. Probably purpose: guiding ships through the door. I suggest we set our thrust to zero.”

“Pilot, make it so.”

The whining stopped, and the Thunderhawk was pulled closer to the door. Then, it started opening with a grinding noise, transmitted by the moon’s atmosphere.

“This thing needs to be lubricated,” Applejack remarked.

“It really is quite an unpleasant noise,” Rarity agreed.

“But probably still less unpleasant than the giant, hungry space worms behind it.”

“There are no giant hungry space worms!” Antonius insisted.

“We’re about to enter the gravimetric anomaly,” the pilot reported.

A few seconds later, all gravity was gone, and Rainbow Dash started screaming.

“What’s wrong?” Antonius asked,
“and don’t dare say something about space worms.”

“I can’t open my wings! Let me out of that stupid belt!”

“What?”

“It’s the feeling of falling that freaks her out,” Twilight explained.

“Rainbow,” Antonius shouted,
“you are not falling! It’s just a zero-g zone. Calm down!”

At first, Rainbow continued panicking, but a slap from Cassius made her calm down again instantly.
She blinked and turned to the chaplain:

“Hey! Oh… umm… I mean… thank you. I felt like falling, you know, and that’s… pretty unsettling for a pegasus. Again, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Cassius answered flatly.

“Ah, now I finally get it!” Pinkie beamed,
“you’re the grumpy tough love guy!”

Antonius burst out laughing. This was one of the most unusual - and best - descriptions of a chaplain he could think of. Even funnier was the fact that even the Ultramarines had problems keeping straight faces, and he could hear quite some suppressed giggles, despite the potentially dangerous situation the were in.

“Throne on Terra!” the pilot suddenly shouted,
“my Lord, I’ll relay the front view to the hololith.”

For a moment, Antonius wondered what could make an Ultramarine shout out like that, and a moment later, he knew.
The hololith displayed the prow of a massive voidship, lying at anchor inside the moon. There was the prow shield typical for imperial ships, and beneath it, a giant barrel, similar to that of an oversized nova cannon.

“Is that…?” Seneca wondered.

“Measurements,” Calgar demanded,
“how long is that ship?”

The next moment, another jolt went through the Thunderhawk, and the pilot reported:

“We’re free of the beam. Powering up engines.”

“Lord Calgar,” Gearhart said,
“the ship’s length is 22.042 kilometers.”

“Damnit!” Seneca mumbled.

“Incredible!” Tigurius agreed.

“Well, its really big,” Twilight ventured,
“but you seem downright awestruck. What’s the deal with this ship?”

“Well, Twilight,” Antonius told her, equally flabbergasted as his brothers,
“according to its size, this ship is a Gloriana class battleship.”

“And that means?”

“The Gloriana was one of the most powerful battleship designs ever created by mankind. They are incredibly rare, with only about two dozen or so ever built, and even fewer still in active service. During the Great Crusade, they were called ‘the chariots of the Primarchs’. One of those ships can turn the tide of a naval battle.”

“Oh… so… yay?”

“Very much ‘yay’.”

“This must have been the ship of the dead Primarch,” Calgar said.

While they had been waiting for Gentle Breeze’s restoration, he had visited the Inner Sanctum together with his retinue, and had gotten to know the history of the planet as far as the Imperium was concerned.

“Circle the ship,” he ordered,
“look for a hangar, or an accessible docking port.”

The pilot flew them closer to the giant vessel, and the hololith displayed more and more details of the ship - as well as the cave that acted as its dock. The cave itself was made from the same crystal material they had found on the planet, but there were human-made installations clinging to it.

“Looks like the ancient humans have built a dock into this cave,” Seneca said.

“And the Primarch used it for his ship,” Tigurius added.

“This turret,” Aleksa remarked, pointing at a large dorsal turret of the Gloriana,
“is that a lance? It looks somewhat unusual.”

“It deviates from standard lance design,” Gearhart confirmed,
“proper identification requires further examination.”

“Lord Calgar,” the pilot reported,
“there is an open hanger.”

“Bring us in,” Calgar replied.

“Initiating landing approach.”

The Thunderhawk slowed down and closed in on the hangar. Slowly, it traversed the giant doors, then it continued its flight until it was hovering above a spot about two dozen meters from an airlock that lead into the bowels of the battleship.

The dropship just had stopped as gravity gently returned, allowing it to make a soft landing.

“Gravity?” Cassius asked,
“the ship’s machine spirit is still active?”

“And it has apparently recognized us as emissaries of the machine god,” Gearhart added,
“energy levels are still low, though. The ships seems to run on auxiliary power.”

“My Lord,” the pilot voxed,
“the hangar doors are closing… and there is a blue-ish force field sealing off the dwindling opening.”

“Does this ship want to trap us?” Fluttershy asked.

“Negative,” Gearhart stated,
“usually, hangars without airlocks are exposed to the vacuum of space for arrival respectively departure of vessels. They need to be sealed and repressurized before you can enter them without protective gear. In this case, however, I assume the force field is an atmospheric containment field to spare you that process and speed things up. Still, security protocols should state that a closed door is preferable to a force field. Hence, the machine spirit seals the hangar.”

“An atmospheric containment field?” Seneca inquired, baffled.

“This ship is far more advanced than our ships nowadays,” Tigurius opined.

“Another reason to figure out its secrets,” Gearhart said,
“there already is an atmosphere in the hangar, which’s composition is suitable for human - and pony - life, though, by courtesy of this location being inside the moon.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Applejack mumbled.

They unbuckled the ponies and opened the front ramp. The Ultramarines immediately fanned out, followed by Gearhart and his aide, then Antonius and the ponies.

“Sword of Iax,” Calgar voxed,
“do you read me?”

No answer.

“Guess we’re cut off,” he grumbled.

“Maybe the giant door in the mountain has closed again and blocks your vox signals?” Twilight guessed.

“Possible,” Gearhart replied,
“but if the door blocks our vox traffic, there should be a relay system in the dock to enable the use of voxes. We just have to find and activate it.”

“Aleksa,” Calgar said,
“that is your first objective: reenable the vox relay. Brother Julius, accompany her.
Gearhart, you’ll look for the ship’s enginarium. See if you can get the main reactors back online. Brother Octavianus, protect him.
The rest of us will take the bridge.”

So they split up, and started exploring the ancient ship. The air was a little stale, but not harmful, and the doors were kind enough to open if prompted to do so. They also encountered no hostiles, neither lurking xenos nor misguided defensive systems. They still stayed alert, mindful of the fact that this could change in an instant.

They traversed long hallways, and had to ascend countless steps in stairwells big enough to built whole houses into.

After about an hour of carefully wandering through the ship, Antonius, Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca and the ponies opened a giant door that lead to a huge room.

“What is that?” Twilight asked in awe.

“A chapel,” Antonius explained,
“here, we spiritually clean ourselves, and renew our oaths to serve the Emperor.”

“A tad gloomy,” Rarity opined,
“but without doubt breathtaking.”

She was certainly right. The room was long and broad, and the ceiling, supported by giant pillars, was high. The walls were richly decorated and adorned with delicately crafted works of art. There was a spacious central aisle with benches to the left and right, interrupted by large fire bowls.

They walked along this aisle until they reached a massive lectern, and a large, open space behind it, where they halted.

“Aleksa, Julius,” Calgar voxed,
“report.”

“Still on our way,” Aleksa answered.

“No contacts,” Julius added,
“neither xenos nor anything else is trying to impede us.”

“Gearhart, Octavianus, report,” Calgar continued.

“We are proceeding towards our objective,” Gearhart replied,
“no signs of any kind of infestation, and the ship’s machine spirit is cooperative. The vessel is in a remarkably good condition.”

“Let us hope the reactor is, too.”

“I will report as soon as we have reached the enginarium. Gearhart, out.”

Calgar deactivated the vox and turned to his companions:

“We seem to be lucky. Usually, there is a decent possibility that there is some kind of infestation onboard an abandoned ship. It being hidden in the moon has probably saved it from such a fate.”

“Infestation?” Applejack asked, peeping at Antonius out of the corner of her eye,
“you mean there usually are…”

“No,” Antonius interrupted,
“there are no giant hungry space worms!”

The ponies snickered, then Pinkie said:

“Well, there may be no hungry space worms, but there is at least one hungry pony. How about a little picnic?”

“A ‘little picnic’?” Cassius inquired,
“you suggest we eat a ‘little picnic’ in such holy halls?”

“Oh… okay… how about a grand, venerable picnic?”

The chaplain just stared at her. He certainly hadn’t expected such an answer.

“We will proceed for now,” Calgar decided,
“while we’d be able to spot any enemy approaching for melee in this open space, we would be sitting ducks for a sniper.”

So, they continued their journey through the ship.
When they entered a room that probably was a workshop of some kind, they were voxed by Aleksa.

“Lord Calgar? We have traversed into the dock. No problems as of yet.”

“Good,” Calgar replied,
“keep us informed.”
Then he looked around and finally turned to the ponies:
“We can rest here. Will 15 minutes suffice for you to take some refreshment?”

“Yes, Lord Calgar,” Twilight answered and the ponies gathered around Antonius.

He had also inspected their current location. Two doors, just one level, no balcony or elevated walkway, and workbenches to take cover behind. All told, pretty easy to defend. So far, Calgar’s decision to rest here had of course been good. He doubted, however, that the ponies would be satisfied with the amount of time that had been given to them.

He had his musings proven correct as he heard Rarity whisper:

“Just 15 minutes? Are we supposed to inhale our food?”

“It surely isn’t enough time for one of your fancy picnics,” Applejack answered,
“but it’s enough for an apple or two.”

“I could eat at least three cakes in that time!” Pinkie proclaimed and produced the first cake out of nowhere.

“Do you want a sandwich, Gentle Breeze?” Twilight asked as she unpacked her saddlebags.

Gentle Breeze tilted her head a little and replied:

“Umm… yes… but can I eat at all?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps we could call magos Gearhart?”

She turned to talk to Calgar, but before she could ask her question, he already answered:

“Yes, we can call him. I will do so and put it on the external speakers.”

Calgar did as he had said. Gearhart answered promptly.

“Gentle Breeze is perfectly capable of ingesting food. She has an integrated bio-chemical reactor that will…”

“Auspex contact!” Octavianus interrupted.

“What is it?” Calgar asked.

“Unclear. It’s a weak sign ahead of our current position.”

“Confirmed,” Gearhart added,
“no further analysis possible at the moment.”

“Proceed with care,” Calgar ordered and grabbed his data slate,
“I’ll tap your vid data.”

So, there was something on this ship. Well, it would have been too easy had it been completely abandoned.

“My Lord, the signal is dispersing into multiple contacts,” Octavianus reported,
“close now, but still weak.”

“We probably have encountered some kind of vermin infestation,” Gearhart inferred.

“We will soon know. Whatever it is, it’s behind that door.”

Through the vox, they heard the door open. Then, Octavianus said:

“Advancing… no visual. According to the auspex, they should be here.”

“They are,” Gearhart said,
“to your right. It just stuck its head out of that vent over there.”

Calgar still looked at his data slate, now raising an eyebrow.

“Visual contact,” Octavianus said,
“it’s… frankly, I have no idea what it is… could be some kind of… worm?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Antonius mumbled, eyeing Applejack.

“Hey,” she responded,
“that’s not my fault! I was just joking!”

“Are they giant and hungry?” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“No and no idea,” Octavianus replied via vox.

“Have you seen such creatures before?” Calgar now asked, showing his data slate to the ponies and Antonius.

Seriously, the worm was anything but giant… at least the visible part. It had about the diameter of Antonius’ finger, a little snout, two round eyes and was covered in orange fur with black stripes.

“What the…” Antonius mumbled and turned to Fluttershy:
“Fluttershy, you are by far the most experienced here when it comes to animals. Have you any idea what this creature could be?”

“It’s so cute!” the pegasus swooned.

“Anything a little more insightful, perhaps?”

Fluttershy collected herself and answered:

“I’m sorry, but I’ve just seen one of them for the first time. Maybe if I could try and talk to it, we might find out something about them.”

“I could teleport us there,” Twilight offered.

“You want to teleport within the confines of a voidship?” Tigurius asked,
“are your teleportations accurate enough for such a task? It would be a grievous loss if you ended up stuck in a bulkhead.”

“Can that happen?” Fluttershy screamed.

“No, it can’t,” Twilight soothed her,
“a proper teleport spell has multiple failsafe components that automatically adjust your target coordinates should they be blocked by a solid object.
Should you try to teleport into water, it will be displaced by another part of the spell the moment you rematerialize. Even if you just teleport into air, this air will be displaced, too. Really, teleportation spells are very safe. Countless years of careful study went into their development, starting when…”

“Twilight,” Antonius interrupted softly.

“Oh, right,” she answered and turned to the data slate displaying Octavianus’ vid data,
“Octavianus, we’re going to teleport to your location. It would be nice if you didn’t shoot us out of reflex.”

“Don’t worry,” the Space Marine answered.

“Okay. Fluttershy, are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I think,” she answered.

Twilight now went up to her, lit her horn - and they were gone in a flash of light.
A moment later, they could be heard through the vid feed.

“Remarkable,” Tigurius commented.

As they had rematerialized, Twilight took a look around. They were inside a small room - at least compared to the other rooms and halls she had seen in this ship. Octavianus was still surveilling the worm-like creature, that seemed to be content with sniffing in their general direction and being adorable.

“A convenient method of transportation,” Gearhart said,
“even though it requires ‘magic’.”

“It sure is useful,” Twilight just replied, not wanting to start a discussion on the pros and cons of using magic, and turned to her friend:
“Fluttershy, it’s your turn.”

The yellow pegasus nodded and walked up to the wall the worm was looking out of. Octavianus backed up a few steps to give her some space.

“Hello, my little friend,” Fluttershy said sweetly and with a disarming smile,
“I hope you are doing well.”

The worm looked down at her from its slightly elevated position, then it started using its little snout like a trumpet and answered.
Seriously, Twilight never had heard of a species like that. She wondered if they were native to the moon and had somehow entered the ship, or if they had been brought here by the humans.

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that,” Fluttershy smiled.

“She really understood that?” Octavianus wondered.

“My friend Fluttershy has a natural talent for communicating with animals,” Twilight explained,
“this encompasses behavior as well as sounds.”

“Now, I don’t want to be nosy, Mr. Worm,” the pegasus continued,
“but would you mind telling me how you got onto this ship? Are you alone? And do you even find enough food here?”

After some more trumpeting, she turned to Twilight and the humans and said:

“There is a whole society of those worms here. They came from the moon many moons ago.”

“And what do they eat?” Twilight wondered,
“can they digest metal?”

“Oh, no. They have made fields where they grow mushrooms.”

“Fields?” Gearhart inquired,
“Onboard this ship? Where?”

The worm started trumpeting again.

“There is a large room ahead,” Fluttershy translated,
“it contains the fields and the heart of the worm colony.”

“I hope this room is not the enginarium,” Gearhart said,
“it would make our mission unnecessarily complicated if they had defiled it.”

The worm made sounds again, but this time they sounded somewhat angry.

“Oh, no, Mr. Worm,” Fluttershy immediately answered,
“it was not meat to be an insult.”

Ah, great. Humans could be a bit blunt from time to time, and now this bluntness had met the sensitivity the worms apparently called their own.

“Of course,” Twilight confirmed,
“none of us has any intention to insult you. Right?”

She just hoped that Gearhart and Octanianus would get it and be nice. Starting their relations with those worms with a fight would be the last thing she wanted.

“Confirmed,” Gearhard thankfully stated,
“no insult was intended. I must, however, call your attention to the fact that this ship is property of the Imperium of Mankind, and as a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, it is my sacred duty to ensure its functionality. Thus, I must advise your species not to interfere with this ship’s operational tasks.”

The worm stared at him for a few seconds, prompting Twilight to think that it felt insulted again, then it trumpeted again.

“He says this place is abandoned,” Flutterhy said.

“It was,” Octavianus corrected, his voice a little colder than Twilight was comfortable with,
“but now, mankind has returned to claim what is rightfully ours.”

Not good. Twilight really wished Antonius to be here instead of the Terminator, as he was much more approachable and less aggressive.

The worm, however, communicated again.

“He asks if they may stay here if they agree to help you,” Fluttershy translated,
“well, they can crawl through small pipes and reach places you’re too big to get to.”

“An intriguing proposal,” Gearhart remarked,
“but the machines of mankind must be maintained by sanctified personnel.”

“But they are so fluffy that they clean every pipe they crawl through!” Fluttershy protested.

“I really think we should accept their help,” Twilight said,
“I assume we’re already somewhat understaffed to run a ship of this size, aren’t we? I mean, your ship is much smaller than this one. So, if they want to help us, we should not prevent them from doing so.”

“A valid point,” Antonius, watching the events through the data slate, opined.

“Assuming they are actually benevolent and don’t plan to sabotage us,” Cassius interjected.

“The only alternative is wiping them out. Committing genocide just because we’re worried that they could perhaps be somewhat shady does not seem to be an appropriate course of action.”

“Usually, the Imperium prefers to be on the safe side, especially since we know that xenos can’t be trusted. With the new experiences we’ve made here, however, I’m almost inclined to agree with you, it it weren’t for one circumstance: a Gloriana class battleship is at stake.”

“Varro, your opinion?” Calgar asked.

“I’m unable to read the minds of those worms and tell you if they’re honest or not,” Tigurius answered,
“but I wouldn’t want to eradicate them without being sure that they’re actually enemies.”
With a grin, he added:
“It’s not often that you meet living pipe cleaners.”

“Hmm. Well, if they betray us, we can still make them pay later. We cannot resurrect them, though, so we’ll give them a chance to prove their worth.”
Calgar now turned to the data slate:
“Gearhart, Octavianus, we accept the worms’ proposal. Continue you mission, but stay alert. See if they know anything of value.”

He deactivated the vox link and mumbled:

“We’re really asking worms for information. This system truly is unique.”

“You’ll find that you’re going to stumble over a lot of weird things here,” Antonius grinned,
“but once you get used to it, it’s actually quite enjoyable.”

While Twilight and Fluttershy stayed with the Magos and the Terminator - and the worms - the others continued looking for the ship’s bridge.

Some time later, when they were walking through a hallway close to their destination, the vox suddenly became alive:

“Lord Calgar? Lord Calgar, do you read us? This is the Sword of Iax. Please respond.”

“So, ideally, Aleksa was able to reactivate the relay system,” Seneca noted,
“otherwise, we’d have to find out why the vox suddenly works again.”

“Call her and ask,” Calgar told him,
“in the meantime, I’ll talk to the Sword.”

While Seneca got busy with his own vox, Calgar answered his ship’s attempt at communication:

“Sword of Iax, this is Calgar. We’re receiving your message.”

“Thank the Emperor,” came the answer,
“we’ve tried to reach you for several hours now. We were about to dispatch a second Thunderhawk and a squad of Ultramarines to look for you.”

“Do that, and tell every tech-priest we can spare to accompany them. We have a whole Glorianna class battleship to explore here.”

After a few second of stunned silence, the Sword voxed:

“My Lord, we probably had some sort of interference. It almost sounded like you had said that…”

“There is a Gloriana class battleship inside the moon. Send the marines and tech-priests now. You have overheard the sequence to open the gate?”

“Sequence 7, my Lord. Sending reinforcements.”

“Thank you. Tell them to set their engines’ thrust to zero while they’re being pulled inside. Calgar, out.”

He deactivated his vox, and Seneca told him:

“It was indeed Aleksa’s doing. The relay system is online. The dock’s reactor is stable. She wants to know if she should examine the dock further or head back to support Gearhart.”

“The only one who can properly assess if Gearhart needs help is Gearhart himself. Tell her to clarify that with him directly.”

A short time later, they finally arrived at the ship’s bridge. It was a huge room with a circumferential gallery and giant crystalflex windows.
Through them, they could see the gate outside open.

“Whoa,” Applejack mumbled.

“A nice view, hm?” Seneca grinned.

“It may sound silly, but with all that wandering through hallways and stuff, I had almost forgotten that we’re on a ship… inside the moon… in space.”

Outside, the Thunderhawk now passed the gate and closed in on the Gloriana.

“Let’s see if we can open the hangar door again,” Calgar said and called the Thunderhawk inside the hangar.

The battle brothers guarding it had found the control mechanism of the door, and had no problem opening it for the new arrivals.

Then, Calgar voxed Gearhart, requesting a report.

“We have found the auxiliary fusion reactors,” the magos replied,
“they are still active and powering an as of yet unknown system. Redundantly, even, so this system is probably critical for the ship. After the due benedictions and litanies, I will increase the power output to reactivate all systems.”

“So, the worms didn’t cause any serious damage?”

“No, Lord Calgar. Those mushroom-fields they told us about are positioned around the warp drive and do not impede us at the moment.”

“How long until the power is back up?”

“8.7 minutes. Approximately.”

“Acknowledged.”

Now Antonius and the Ultramarines started examining the bridge. Just like the rest of the ship, it was in a remarkably good condition. The control lectern, however, differed from imperial standards. They looked similar to that input fields and displays the ancient humans had used.

“This ship has been refitted,” Cassius stated.

“With technology from the Dark Age?” Seneca asked.

“Probably,” Calgar answered.

“Have the Space Marines back then done that?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t think so… they had enough other things to worry about, and such a refit takes a lot of time and expertise. Not to mention the fact that this refit meant using technology that has not officially been blessed by the Mechanicum.”

“Then, whose work is this?” Luna wanted to know.

“Good question. See if you can find any hints.”

After some searching, Antonius and Luna left the bridge and walked into an adjacent room. It seemed to be a conference room, according to the large table and the chairs inside.
On the table, there was a piece of technology Antonius was familiar with.

“Look at that!” he exclaimed,
“Al’s second missing memory module!”

“He surely will be glad to have it back,” Luna replied,
“and perhaps, he will be able to tell us what exactly has happened here.”

She hovered the module into her saddlebags and they returned to the bridge. As they entered, the lecterns started displaying various kinds of information, more luminators lit up and a faint hum could be heard.

“I guess the life support system is back to full capacity,” Antonius said.

Now there was a flash of light, and Twilight and Fluttershy were back - together with the worm.

“Magos Gearhart was able to power up the auxiliary reactors,” Twilight told them,
“he said he’s going to take a look at the main reactor now.”

“And we have found Al’s missing memory module!” Luna declared.

“That might answer some of our questions,” Calgar said,
“we should get it back to the planet as soon as we’re done here.”

“Actually,” Twilight suggested,
“Princess Luna and I could teleport to Al. It’s quite a distance, but together we should be able to accomplish it.”

“Negative. I’d like Magos Gearhart or Aleksa to be present when the Module is inserted.”

The second Thunderhawk had landed by now, its passengers swarming out to assist Magos Gearhart or explore the ship. And so, after about ten millennia, humans had once again taken control of this Gloriana class battleship.