My Little Xeno 2 - Equinox Knights

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.”