Chapters A Light in the Grim Darkness
Transmitted: Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Mission 948251 Deep Space Probe 099721
Forward To:LordInquisitor Torquemada Coteaz.
Destination: Holy Terra. Received: Holy Terra.
Telepathic Duct: Astropath-Terminus Kabel REF: ADMECH/ 095562397719
Date: 855001.M41 Author: Archmagos Alonzo Tharator
Subject: Planet Exploration. Thought for the Day: The Emperor Protects.
Upon achieving geo synchronous orbit with unknown planet, probe 099721 released skull probe pods to the planet’s surface. The probes scattered over the surface but only one remained operational after making planet fall. The remaining probe discovered that indeed there is life on this unknown world, but it is hard to say whether this life is Xenos, abhuman, or otherwise. The inhabitants that were discovered bear a resemblance to Terran horses, but are much smaller, and appear to be divided into three main races. There are standard equines, there are winged equines bearing a resemblance to the Pegasi of ancient Terran mythology, and also equines bearing a horn similar to the unicorns also of ancient Terran mythology.
The intriguing thing here is that all of these “ponies” appear to have the intelligence of humans, and appear to have a peaceful society with a monarchial government of some sort. The creatures’ technology is in the steam era and they have not mastered space flight nor are they even close to doing so. They also appear to speak Low Gothic and may thus give us an opportunity to communicate with them. It may be going out on a limb, but I seriously believe that the mission has discovered the world of Equis Prime, from the old children’s fairytale about the Emperor’s Alicorns, after all, there is usually some truth behind legends and fairytales. I highly recommend further research into the matter as the skull probe was captured and is feared destroyed.
I remain your obedient Servant;
Alonzo Tharator
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Ordo Malleus Fortress, Holy Terra.
Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz smiled as he read the letter. He too had heard the stories of the Emperor’s Alicorns, a children’s fairy tale about the Emperor finding a planet inhabited by intelligent ponies split into 3 races whom he united by creating through genetics, the Alicorns, a race of ponies combining the characteristics of the three. The flight and agility of the Pegasi, the strength and stamina of the Earth Ponies, and the awesome magic of the Unicorns. He had created the original two Alicorns, from not only the genetics of the ponies, but his own holy blood. At first Coteaz had thought that this report was some kind of prank, until it was decoded for the fifth time and the adept who had sent it was a very reliable source of his. He decided that attempting to parley with the creatures would be interesting in the very least, and he knew just the man to entrust with this mission…
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Canterlot Palace, Equestria, Planet Equis Prime
Princess Celestia looked in shock at the object that had been found in the city. The last time she had seen such technology on Equis, was 10,000 years ago, when her father had brought her and her sister along with 1000 other Alicorns to the planet to unite and rule the populace into an era of peace and kindness, and do for the ponies of Equestria what he could not do for humanity: protect them from the violence and horror of space. The object before her was a human skull, which had been modified with anti-gravitational motors, cameras, and a transmitter. On the forehead of the skull was a two headed eagle.
“Wake my sister and summon the Element Bearers and the commanders of the Royal Guard!” She commanded with the authority of an Emperor’s daughter.
“Yes Majesty.” Came the reply of the royal guards.
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Imperial Library, Holy Terra, 2 days after the messages reception.
Inquisitor Ian Ludones was busy at work doing some reading. His master, Torquemada Coteaz had given him the task of researching a child’s fairy tale. It was one that he was familiar with, as his mother had told it to him many times when he was young; and he had believed it was completely true, right up until her and his father had died in the exterminatus. He had kept this belief secret all through his time of learning from his teacher, and even after he had attained the rank of Inquisitor five years ago. His first assignment was to go to his home planet Laureus IX, a huge agri- world home to fifteen billion souls, and which had come under assault from the forces of the Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines and a horde of daemons that they had summoned from the depths of the warp. Unfortunately, there was no way to save the planet from the taint that the traitor marines had brought.
Two billion had been rescued after Ian had organized a mass relief effort, allying with the Eldar of Craftworlds Ulthwe and Biel-Tann, but another 3 billion were dead, horrifyingly sacrificed to the dark gods of Chaos and the rest of the planet was either enslaved or holding out in small pockets of resistance, including his mother, a former Imperial Guard Commissar, and his Father, a former Inquisitor. Ian had tried to convince them to come with him, but they had both refused, saying that they would rather die here with the good memories they had, than see them destroyed. And so, Ian had on his first mission, ordered the death of his own home. It was an event that had haunted him for the past five years of his life; and one that had haunted his nightmares.He would be standing there in the midst of a burning city, with the screams of fifteen billion souls being torn from their bodies echoing in his ears, and turn to see the billions of faceless people pointing accusingly at him, some of them however did have faces. His parents, his friends, and his beloved fiancée Mina, who had been executed by the twisted traitor marines for refusing to deny her faith in the God-Emperor. They all pointed at him and shouted:
” YOU! YOU KILLED US! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED MORE OF US!
CURSE YOU! DAMN YOU!”
Ian was so deep in thought he failed to notice his master enter the room behind him.
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“Ian… IAN!”
Ian snapped out of his thoughts and nearly fell out of his chair as he suddenly realized that his master was in the room.
“Yes milord!” he said standing and inclining his head.
“Are you alright Ian?” asked Coteaz, a look of concern for his former student written on his face.
“Yes milord, I am fine.” Ian wrinkled his nose a bit as he tasted the lie he had just told, a gesture that his master caught right away.
“You were remembering Laureus IX again weren’t you?” said Coteaz cocking an eyebrow
“Aye, master.” replied Ian.
Coteaz calmly walked over and placed a hand on his former student’s shoulder and spoke in a fatherly voice.
“Ian, we both know that there was no other way. You cannot go on blaming yourself over it; if you hadn’t given that order their souls would have been lost to the dark powers. It wasn’t your fault Ian.”
These were all words that Ian had heard before, but it never helped him feel any better; so he did what he did best when someone was trying to help him get his mind off of the memory: he changed the subject.
“I assure you master, I will be fine, but you must have come here for something other than to chat?” Ian asked. This slightly annoyed Coteaz but he let it go; he hated it when someone tried to change the subjectlike that, it was his job as an inquisitor to catch heretics and daemon worshippers, and this was a tactic that they turned to frequently to avoid their interrogator’s questions.
“Well, a few days ago, an Adeptus Mechanicus probe found a planet we thought was a myth in a children’s story book turns out, there may be complete truth behind this myth.” replied Coteaz.
“You don’t mean ponies milord, do you?” responded Ian, a note of disbelief in his voice.
“I do indeed mean ponies Ian.” said Coteaz matter-of-factly.
“So then why are we, the Ordo Malleus, the great hunters of daemons looking into this rather than the Mechanicus?” asked Ian somewhat sarcastically.
“Tell me Ian, do you know the story of the Alicorns, how the Emperor loved them like his own children?” asked Coteaz.
“Yes.” replied Ian.
“Do you also remember the weapons that the Emperor gave them in that story to ward off the evils of the dark powers, and how the power within them could defeat any and all evil?”
“The Elements of Harmony, correct milord?” asked Ian.
“Yes Ian, the Elements of Harmony. If the elements that the Emperor created are powerful enough to do that, they may be powerful enough to revive him from his slumber and usher in a new era where the Emperor can again be among us and strike down Chaos once and for all!” said Coteaz enthusiastically. These words rang in Ian’s head. He wanted to see the Emperor back from his 10,000 year slumber just as much as anyone else.
“So where do I come into this milord?”asked Ian.
“I am sending you to find out more about these creatures. I worry that some other fanatical fool would bomb the planet from orbit and destroy everything that our Emperor loved, and I believe that if these creatures are as peaceful as they are in the fairy tales, they need to be protected. If we found them with a probe, someone else can find them as well, and if they do, who knows what will happen.” replied Coteaz.
“But why me master?”
“Because Ian, you can get along peaceably with xenos, we would never have saved as many lives on Laureus IX had you been unable to get the Eldar to help, and they spoke very highly of you even before that. If you can befriend xenos, you can certainly get along with ponies. Also, your faith in the Emperor is unshakeable.” said Coteaz; This was all Ian needed to hear.
“So, just one more question master.”
“Yes Ian?”
“When do I start?”
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 1: Strange Stars.
1 week later, Inquisitorial Black Ship Tannenburg: Location: Segmentum Pacificus.
Ian sat at his weapons table in his quarters tending to the smalll arsenal that he carried with him. Before him on the obsidian surface sat his powered bowie knife, master crafted bolt pistol, and his personal favorite, his modified Arbites Pattern III Lawbringer shotgun. The shotgun is a greatly underestimated weapon in the Imperium and beyond, and many Inquisitors scoff at the use of a weapon that they consider "ugly and unbefitting of their rank" as one had said to Ian long ago. However, Ian loved his shotgun, the weapon's pump action meant it rarely, if ever, jammed and when it was racked, the weapon was intimidating in the extreme. The thing he loved most about this weapon was the custom ammo that he'd had built for it.
The round was the brain child of a techpriest he had worked with about 2 years ago; it was a specially built armor piercing slug to be fired from the 10 gauge barrel, that was much akin to a bolt fired from a boltgun, and the shotgun combined with these "slugs" had been the bane of at least 5 overconfident chaos space marine champions and many other enemies of the Imperium. Ian's attention then shifted to the open cherry wood case on his dresser. Layed reverently in the velvet interior, was Dread Bane, his daemon hammer. The weapon carried great meaning to him; not only was it a holy relic revered by daemon hunters, but it had been carried by his father who right before the destruction of Laureus IX, had thrust the weapon into Ian's hands and told him:
"Son; this is your's now, wherever there is evil, use this to crush it, wherever there is fear use this to shatter it!"
Ian was snapped from his memories by a buzz, the sound that meant someone was at his door. Ian walked over and opened it to reveal a man in an Imperial Guard uniform. He wore his gray hair in a buzz cut as is common in many regiments of the guard.
"We're in veiw of the planet milord, the captain wanted to know if -" the veteran was cut off by Ian's hand on his shoulder.
"Emil, how many times have I told you; don't need to call me "milord," you and I have been through alot and I would prefer you just call me Ian or failing that sir."
The old guardsman knew that Ian was right. Emil had been the first member of Ian's retinue after he'd stopped him from drinking himself to death. He had been the only surviving member of Governor Lukas Alexander's Kasrkin bodyguard, and had borne the regimental banner of the 1st Kronus regiment with pride; until Kronus had fallen to the Blood Ravens Space Marines under command of Davian Thule. The governor had died as Emil had tried desperately to save him, but considering the ammount of blood the governor had lost from his severed leg, there was nothing to be done, and after being discharged with PTSD he turned to drinking. One night he was at the bar when he met someone else trying to drown his bad memories. As the two had talked that night and shared their stories, they became friends and Ian gave Emil a job on his, at the time, non-existant retinue. Both men had since that time given up alchohol and had saved eachothers lives on multiple occaisions, they were like family to eachother.
"Of course sir." replied the scarred up veteran.
"Good, tell the rest of the retinue to get ready and have my pilot notified to prepare for take off in one hour. I want them in the shuttle bay for a briefing" said Ian.
"Yes Sir." replied Emil.
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Shuttle bay of black ship Tannenburg, 30 minutes into mission.
Ian's retinue had assembled in the bay near Ian's Aquilla shuttle, and stood in a line as Ian handed out folders to each member of his retinue. All of them were ready to go on whatever mission that their lord had planned were dressed and armed for the occaison, what the 12 henchmen were not ready for was what was in the files. A few minutes after Ian allowed the assembled retinue to open the files, nine of them burst out laughing with the exception of Emil, a techpriest, and a tall warrior dressed in the armor of a cardinal's pontifex guard. Emil for one was nervous, he knew that he could get away with laughing had he wanted to, Ian was like a son to him. It was the others that he was nervous for at the moment. Emil had learned 5 years ago, that despite being a very laid back man and unorthodox for an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, Ian Ludones had a lightning fast and sometimes lethal temper when it came to serious matters. He had once seen Ian hurl an uncooperative planetary governor through a window to his death from the upper most balcony of his own palace after the governor made one too many snooty remarks about the mission Ian was on; and right now Ian was getting the same angry look that he'd had when he had defenestrated the governor.
"Are you all quite finished acting like fools?" Asked Ian in a very dangerous tone.
The room went quiet as Ian adjusted his glasses. He disliked wearing them, but being
near sighted could be a bit of a problem at times. One memberof the retinue still had a
grin on his face, he like Emil was a former Imperial Guardsman, but no where near as
close a friend. Ian's aquiline features hardened in anger at the sight of this.
"Corporal Vrens I am near sighted, not blind, now wipe that stupid looking grin off of your face
before I strangle you." said Ian dangerously. This was all that it took to make the Corporal's
grin fade. Ian then continued his briefing.
"Comical as this may seem, this mission was entrusted to me by my master, Lord Coteaz, and is of the utmost importance. These ponies may well be the ones that many of our parents told us about in fairy tales, the ones that our Emperor loved like his own children, and if that is the case, then we must protect them. This however is not the only reason we are here. In the story, the Emperor gave the ponies six very powerful 'devices' known as the elements of harmony. These devices, if the stories are true, contain massive power; they can be used as a weapon, and maybe more, and ladies and gentlemen what I am about to say cannot leave this room." All eyes were on Ian, he had their undivided attention.
"These elements may be able to return our Emperor to us in the physical realm." finished Ian.The cargo bay broke into an excited commotion, that silenced suddenly as Ian raised his hand.
"Unfortunately, you cannot accompany me on this mission.The reports and stories say, the ponies are peaceful creatures, and Part of my mission is to study them and find out what they are. It is confusing to many of my collegues because they look like animals, but have the intelligence of a human, nor can they be considered xenos. My studies could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and I cannot ask you to stay along for this, as I study better on my own.I release you all from my service. It has been a pleasure and an honor serving along site of you all these past years. Maybe, when these studies are done, Emperor willing, we can serve togeather again; May the Emperor watch over you
all."
Ian's speech had shocked them, and there were more than a few teary eyes. As one the retinue saluted their master. "And may he watch over you." came the reply. Every person there respected Ian, and would take the information he had given them to their graves; and Ian Ludones, Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, forced his tears to stay away.
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Canterlot Palace, Princess Celestia's balcony.
Celestia and Luna stood on the balcony admiring the night sky that the princess of the night had wrought. No one would argue that of the two sisters, Luna was the artist. Celestia looked through her telescope and marvelled at her sister's work, but noticed somthing a little off:
"Sister, when did you create a moving cluster of stars?" asked Celestia.
"We, I mean, I made no such thing sister, what are you talking about?" asked a very confused Luna. Celestia moved and allowed Luna to take a look. Luna peered through the lense and sure enough saw the cluster of stars she was talking about, but as she looked closer, she noticed that these were no stars, they were lights, and that they were in a shape, and that shape was moving slowly towards the Equis.
"Tia, I think we may have company."
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 2: Welcome to Equestria
Shuttle bay of Black Ship Tannenburg.
Each of the Retinue was strapped into their seat of the Aquila shuttle to
accompany their master on one final mission, his journey to the surface of
Equis Prime. They would stay until Ian made peaceful contact with the
ponies, and then they would leave after unloading Ian’s equipment from the
shuttle. They were also there in case things went sour and they had to shoot
their way off of the planet. The Tannenburg’s scanners had found a suitable
landing space for the shuttle in what the explorator probes had identified as
the capital city, but Ian’s head was not in the mission. He looked into the face
of each member of his retinue, and the memories flooded in.
He knew each of them by name, and had shared in their joys and sorrows over the
past years, they were the closest thing he had to a family, and now he had to
say goodbye. The life of an Inquisitor, glamorous as many Imperial citizens
believed it to be, was dangerous, depressing, and hard. As Ian went through
his memories, the flight deck crews cleared the shuttle bay. The airlock
opened as soon as all personnel were out of the bay, and the landing gear
of the Aquila retracted and its engines kicked on and the shuttle moved out
of the shuttle bay and headed towards its destination at full speed. Ian
meanwhile fell into an uneasy sleep as the shuttle hurtled towards
its destination: the city of Canterlot, the place that the Tannenburg’s scans
had determined to be the best place to land, and the ponies’ capital.
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City of Canterlot
Citizens closed their shutters and locked their doors; the princesses has
declared a state of emergency, no citizen was to be out except for police and
members of the royal guard. Luna was head to hoof in pitch black steel plate
armor walking through the streets surrounded by a protective circle of her
elite lunar guard and Captain Shining Armor at her side. When it came to
Equestria’s military matters and defense, the princess of the night was
subordinate only to her sister, who was rare to over ride her on such matters.
In her past, Luna had been the heroic war leader of Equestria, so dread in
fact was her reputation as a commander that it was rumored that the
corrupted Unicorn king Sombra had soiled himself upon hearing that she
was at the head of an army sent to invade the Crystal Empire and remove
him from power. Those however were bygone days that were painful for
Luna, right now she had other matters to worry about such as making sure
that all the citizens were safely in their homes and in their shelters.
Only Luna and her sister knew what these “aliens” were truly called: They were
humans, and the last time Equestria had felt the touch of human feet had
been ten thousand years ago when the Emperor had brought the Alicorns to
the planet’s surface.
“Captain, is everyone safe in their homes?” asked Luna
“Aye milady, all the houses have been checked out and everyone who is not
security personnel is in the basements of their home, it’s the best safety to be
offered at this point.” replied Shining nervously.
“Calm captain, you are doing well. Go now to my sister in the palace square
and tell her what thou hast told me; see her safe.” finished Luna.
“On my honor your majesty.” said Shining bowing his head and taking his leave.
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Palace square, Canterlot.
Princess Celestia looked into the sky and realized that one of the “stars” was
moving at high speed away from the ship that she and Luna had discovered…
and was headed towards the city. As the object came closer however, she
realized that the “star” was merely a light attached to what was a small flying
machine.
“Princess, what is that thing?!” Celestia had not noticed Twilight and her
friends had come out of the palace.
“It is a shuttle Twilight, a flying machine used by humans.” Although this
was a major understatement, she did not have time to give a full explanation.
“Humans? I thought they were just an old mare’s tale?” Asked Twilight.
“No, they are very real, and very dangerous. The last time they set foot in
Equestria was 10,000 years ago, that is not something I wish to speak of
now.” finished Celestia.
The shuttle came in low and began to hover over the square that Celestia and the
Element bearers, and two landing struts descended from within and the shuttle began
to float lower. Guard ponies scattered away from the now designated landing area to
avoid being crushedby the landing craft, which finally touched down with a clunk. As this
occurred Shining Armor arrived to his princess to report the safety sweep,
but was momentarily distracted by the lander, before being snapped out of his awe by the princess.
“Everyone is locked down your majesty”
“Very well, get the Element Bearers inside.” ordered Celestia.
“Yes Majesty!” Shining wasted no time in getting the 6 element bearers
inside the palace.
Just as the doors closed, Luna and her bat winged guards arrived.
The Guards encompassed both royals with a stoic look on their faces.
The princesses observed the craft. It was rather large for a small
landing craft, and had a black paint job. The pilot and gunner could be
clearly seen and were sitting in the cockpit and upper dome flipping
switches. The craft had a tall “tail” and wings that had folded downward
upon landing, as well as a chin mounted weapon of some sort.
What it was Celestia could only guess. Painted upon the craft was a letter
stylized “I” with three smaller “I’s” crossing it.Then, the ramp opened and out they
stepped, silhouetted by the light frominside, a dozen tall bi-pedal figures walking
purposefully into the open and clear night air, wind blowing the cloaks of those who
wore them: humans. one race in the universe that appalled Celestia with their acts
of barbarity and on the same token, awed her with their capacity to do good, and
now they were here for the first time in ten thousand years. She may live on a
planet with no space travel, but that did not mean she couldn’t use her magical
talents to look outside at the universe around her world. She had seen the
Imperium her father had created tear itself apart in a civil war that had put him
into a comatose state, she had seen the rise of the insane lord Vandire and wept
for the innocents whose blood he had shed, she had wept for the countless souls
who had died horrifically on the ash wastes of Armageddon, and she had wept for
all humanity as it lost its humanity, abandoning tolerance, kindness, love, and
generosity for hate, fear, cruelty, and suspicion.
As the humans advanced she noticed the one who was front and center and appeared to be
the leader.He was tall, at least Celestia’s height and wore a black cloak over a finely crafted
suit of bone white armor and a wide brimmed hat that reminded Celestia of the hats worn by
the witch hunters of medieval Equestria. Hanging on his belt was a large tome and a rosette
that bore the same insignia as the shuttle. On his back hung the biggest hammer Celestia
had ever seen, and both the hammer and its wielder radiated with immense power.
The thing that Celestia noticed most about the man however were his eyes; those piercing
green eyes held within them great qualities. In them she saw a desire to do right, kindness,
dedication, faith, and also a stoic and unrelenting resolve. She also saw feelings she did not
expect; regret, self loathing, and incomprehensible sadness that made her want to weep.
Despite this, the princess of the sun kept her composure, the man was now within range
to hold a conversation. Each of the people with him were armed, but had their weapons
sheathed and holstered. The leader stepped forward from his followers and inclined his
head politely, a gesture which Celestia returned.
“Greetings, son of the Imperium.” said Celestia. If this greeting surprised the
Inquisitor, but he did not show it. “I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria,
and This is my sister Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and commander of
its armies.”
The leader removed his hat revealing a high and tight head of dark hair, and
spoke, in perfect equestrian no less.
“Greetings your highnesses, I am Inquisitor Ian Ludones of the Emperor’s
Holy Inquisition.” replied Ian with a polite bow.
“Ah yes, I have heard of you before, the human’s with the authority to burn
entire worlds to cinders. Tell me Inquisitor, what are your intentions here?”
The surprise in Ian’s eyes showed, but it was more hurt than surprise at the
very mention of the use of exterminatus. The screams of the dying on
Laureus IX echoed through his head; despite this Ian kept his composure.
“I come here with nothing but peaceful intentions your highness. I have been
sent here by my superiors to study Equestrian traditions and way of life and
write down what I see to present them with a missive that will prove that
Equestria means no harm to the Imperium or her subjects. I am also here
because it is said that you possess certain items of great power known as the
Elements of Harmony, these I wish to study as well.” said Ian.
Celestia and Luna were shocked, how could an outsider with no prior knowledge of the
elements know they existed? The probe had been captured before it had
gotten into the palace, and even if it had, the vault where the elements
were kept was guarded full time and it would have never gotten near them.
“How do you know about the elements Inquisitor?” asked Celestia not
showing her surprise. The inquisitor allowed his expression to lighten up a
bit.
“You see princess, in the Imperium, this place, your kingdom, you, and your
sister are known; but as a children’s fairy tale thought only to be myth. The
story states that the Emperor arrived here ten millennia ago and created you
and 1000 equines like you to rule over the rest of the equine population here
and bring about unity and peace among them, and that to defend this world
from the darkness and horrors of space, the Emperor created the elements
to be wielded by the equines who exemplified them the most.” replied Ian.
“What you have said is very true, but I ask; why do you wish to study my
father’s relics?”
“To find out if they can return your father and our Emperor to us and save
us from the darkness and evil of chaos once and for all.” said Ian.
Celestia was still not completely convinced. In her visions, she had seen
the way inquisitors worked. While some were direct and honest men, there
were also many who were duplicitous, scheming backstabbers who as soon
as they got what they wanted, left their erstwhile allies to die or killed them
themselves.
“Inquisitor, I have but one more request.”
“Name it your majesty.” replied Ian.
“May I look into your mind and your soul? I need to be sure I can trust you
before I allow you among my little ponies.”
This request caught Ian off guard. His training as an inquisitor screamed no,
but his dedication to his mission and the sheer possibility that he may be
able to aid in the return of his emperor were more powerful.
“On one condition.” said Ian
“Name it” replied Celestia.
“Allow me to look into yours as well.” said Ian.
Ian had some very interesting psychic abilities, including telepathy and the ability
to look into someone’s mind in search of the truth, and the schola progenium on
Laureus IX had taught him well how to use these abilities.
“So be it. Fair is fair.” replied Celestia offering Ian a hoof.
“Sir, you’re not seriously going to go through with this!? Asked Emil with
concern written on his face.
“If there is a chance to bring our emperor back, then yes I will. If I must die,
I shall welcome death and wrap my arms around it if I were greeting an old
friend.” replied Ian resolutely turning back to Celestia.
Ian took the sable alicorn’s hoof in his hand to shake it as one would shake someone’s hand in
the Imperium, and noticed her eyes glowing an ethereal white, and knew she
was searching his mind and his soul. Ian closed his eyes and looked into her
mind and soul in return. After about a minute both withdrew from what
they were doing. Tears rolled down Celestia’s face at what she had seen, and
the torment and anguish that Ian was constantly going through and spoke to no one about.
She wanted to throw her hooves around the tortured soul in front of her and tell him that he
was not a monster, but right now that would be most inappropriate. He was definitely telling the truth at least.
“Welcome to Equestria, Inquisitor Ludones.” said Celestia.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 3: Introductions and Lodgings
Ian and the princess conversed a while longer before he turned back to his retinue
and nodded to them. All of them gave a final salute to their beloved master, and Ian
approached them and one by one embraced them as if they were family. Emil was the
last one in line. The old Kasrkin had been his closest friend and confidant, and was more
like a father to him than a friend and had faithfully born the Inquisitorial banner into the thick
of some of the worst fighting that Ian had been in. He and Ian had fought and bled together,
and whenever Ian was brooding on the horrors of Laureus IX, Emil had been there to help him
through it.
“Take care Emil, Emperor bless you for your service and kindness.”
“You too, Ian.” Emil replied choking down the tears threatening to expose themselves to all present.
The two old friends embraced as the last of Ian’s gear was removed from the shuttle by
inquisitorial servants and picked up by ponies dressed in bellhop like uniforms. Ian
walked back towards the palace as his retinue boarded the shuttle. Ian whispered them
a prayer as he walked.
“Emperor, protect them on their journey home, and watch over them I beg of you.”
The shuttle’s door closed as the engines once again rumbled to life. The landing struts
retracted as the shuttle lifted off the ground, turned about, and shot into the night sky and
back towards the Tannenburg. Ian walked back to Celestia’s side, and they walked into the castle together.
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Twilight and her friends watched from the window as the human bid his comrades goodbye.
“The poor dear, I couldn’t imagine having to say goodbye to any of you under similar circumstances.”
said Rarity feeling genuinely bad for the human.
“I know what will cheer him up! A party!” squeaked Pinkie Pie
“Just remember that what Princess Celestia said to us earlier still applies, do not do anything
that might frighten him, and that means nothing that would be considered odd.” said Twilight.
The princess had given them a quick overview on how to treat with visitors from outside
Equestria when she had summoned them to the palace a few weeks ago. All eyes in the
room immediately glared at Pinkie Pie.
“What?!” she asked innocently.
“Ah think ya know what.” said Applejack face hoofing.
“He seems nice enough, maybe he will be friendly.” Said Fluttershy hopefully.
“I don’t trust him Shy, I mean look at him! He showed up here in armor and wearing weapons.”
replied Rainbow Dash.
“Which he kept sheathed.” replied Applejack.
“Yeah, and my dad was a Royal Guard, and he always said that when a foreign dignitary
shows up armed to the teeth and in a suit of armor it is to put on a show of force, even when
they keep the weapons in their holsters.” Shot back Dash.
The two were on the verge of an argument when Twilight’s brother walked up to them.
Twilight used the opportunity to distract from the argument.
“Hey Shiny!” she said giving her brother a hug.
Shining returned the hug with a smile. He was very proud of his little sister, and had great
reason to be. She had started as Celestia’s student and was now a princess of Equestria
and the bearer of the element of magic.
“Hey Twily!” he said returning the hug and continuing. “You guys can come downstairs and meet
our new guest now.”
“Who is he?” asked Twilight.
“Well from what I gathered his name is Ian Ludones and he is an Inquisitor from a place called
the Imperium of Mankind.” replied Shining.
The word inquisitor made most of the ponies very nervous, all of them had remembered
their high school studies of medieval Equestria. The times then had been incredibly turbulent
and Equestria had not been the utopian society that it was today. Some unicorns had practiced
black magic, and the princesses had been forced to create the Equestrian Ministry of the
Inquisition and Witch Hunting. This group was a ruthless agency built with the intention to
curtail and eventually destroy those who used black magic. Unfortunately, the agency had
gotten out of hand and its leaders were corrupted by their power and had to be brutally
disbanded. Many innocents had died by the hooves of the witch hunters before Celestia
and Luna had them shut down and their leaders executed for the murders and shady dealings
that they had committed.
“Is he anything like the old witch hunters we had?” asked Twilight.
“I honestly don’t know.” replied Shining.
“See, I told you he’s not to be trusted!” said Rainbow Dash glaring at Applejack.
“We haven’t even met him yet, how can ya say that? And besides, his job may have a
different meaning where he is from, so how do ya know he is or aint trustworthy.”
replied Applejack with a glare of her own.
“Girls! Both of you calm down, we are about to meet a visitor from another world, we need
to be as polite and open minded about this as possible. Who knows what his home is like
or what he has been through, we need to be understanding to find out.” said Twilight.
The two agreed to end their argument; for now at least, as the element bearers and Shining
Armor made their way to the great hall of the palace.
*****************************************************************************
Although it may not have held a candle to the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra, the Canterlot
Palace was a sight to behold. Ian could not help but be impressed by the beautiful tapestries
and gold and silver ornaments that hung on the white marble walls. The architecture was
breathtakingly bright and used a lot of stained glass windows, which while used in the
Imperium’s Gothic architecture, were not used in such large amounts except in Ecclesiarchy
buildings. The last time he had seen so much stained glass was in the convent of the Adepta
Sororitas during a pilgrimage to Holy Kaurava. The buildings here were just beautiful.
As Celestia and Ian reached the staircase of the great hall, they were met by seven more
ponies, who Celestia introduced.
“Inquisitor Ludones, these good ponies are the bearers of the elements of harmony, I will
allow them to introduce themselves to you.” said Celestia.
Ian first met the lavender alicorn, who introduced herself as Princess Twilight Sparkle,
element of magic. Ian gave a polite bow of his head to show her the respect due
her office.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance your highness.” said Ian.
“The pleasure is all mine Inquisitor, and please, just call me Twilight.”
“As you wish Twilight.” replied Ian.
He could sense an immense amount of power emanating from her. He then met Rarity
who offered him her hoof.
“Pleasure to meet you.” said Ian shaking her hoof.
“Charmed to meet you as well Inquisitor I’m Rarity, element of generosity.” she said in a
high class accent that reminded Ian of the wives of some of the planetary governors he
had dealt with over the years.
The next to introduce herself was Fluttershy. Ian could tell even with a quick glance that
she was extremely timid, even her mane gave it away as it appeared groomed for the
little Pegasus to hide her face behind. Ian removed his hat to appear less menacing
and with a kind smile, and slowly extended his hand.
“h-hi, I’m Fluttershy, element of kindness.” said the yellow Pegasus in a very quiet voice
as she lay her hoof in the Inquisitor’s gauntleted hand.
“It is good to meet you Fluttershy, don’t be afraid of me, I’m not here to hurt anyone.”
said Ian in a kind and friendly manner as he lightly shook her hoof.
Pinkie Pie introduced herself in her normal excited manner, rapidly shaking Ian’s hand
and talking a million miles a minute.
“HI! I’m Pinkie Pie element of laughter it’s great to meet you!”
“Good to meet you too Miss Pie.” Replied Ian whilst thinking to himself
“Sweet Emperor, this must be what they mean by ‘this is your brain on
chems’.” And her pink coat, it was just so bright. Even her mane was pink.
it vaguely reminded him of a Slaaneshi cultist… He would have to keep
an eye on this one…
Rainbow Dash, despite her mistrust of the human, knew better than to act rude.
The princess had been very clear about treating foreign dignitaries with respect,
and she offered her hoof.
“It is a pleasure to meet you miss…?”
“Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, and element of loyalty.” said Dash with
great pride as she flew up and hovering at Ian’s eye level.
“Loyalty, a trait we admire greatly in the Imperium, I think you and I will get along
well.” said Ian.
The Pegasus smiled, although she thought to herself: “Yeah, we’ll just see about
that.” Ian could tell that she did not trust him one bit. Then again he could not
blame her; he, a stranger had shown up on her world out of the vastness of
space armed to the teeth and wearing armor that made him seem like he was
more machine than living being. The last pony he met was obviously either a
farmer or a cow mare. He was pleased with himself that he did not laugh at the
sight of a pony wearing a stetson.
“Nice hat.” said Ian holding out his hand to Applejack.
“Not a bad one yerself.” replied Applejack accepting Ian’s offer of a hoof shake.
“Name’s Applejack, element of honesty, but you can just call me AJ.”
“It’s good to meet you AJ, my name is Inquisitor Ian Ludones, but you may call
me Ian.” he replied. Ian then turned to the rest of the ponies, the princess
included.
“That goes for all of you; just call me Ian, no need for formalities.” said Ian.
The last pony that Ian met was Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard. Ian could
tell that Shining had a fierce sense of martial pride that was reminiscent of an imperial
general. Ian snapped into a salute, which Shining returned with the same enthusiasm.
“Pleasure to meet you captain.” said Ian.
“Likewise inquisitor, likewise.” replied Shining.
“So Ian, what exactly does an inquisitor do?” asked Twilight with a quill and parchment
levitating in front of her in her magical grasp. Before she could get an answer,
Applejack cut her off.
“Uh, Twi, he just walked through the door after a really long trip, ya think that the questions
can wait til mornin’?”
Twilight blushed with embarrassment and put away her quill and parchment. It was common courtesy
not to bombard a visitor with questions right after they had just walked in, especially after a journey as
long as Ian had been on.
“Uh, sorry.” said Twilight sheepishly.
“It is perfectly alright, knowledge is power after all. If you wish we can have a meeting
tomorrow in which I will answer any questions you have as long as they are not about my
personal past.” said Ian.
“Why can’t we ask you about your past!?” asked Dash in an argumentative tone
completely forgetting her composure. Ian’s previously calm face hardened.
“Because it’s like a dragon’s tongue; it’s long and it’s nasty and thus should not be
known by anyone.” said Ian revealing some of his nasty temper, which quickly subsided
after the cyan Pegasus backed down.
“Yes, I was thinking the same thing as well; we can hold a private court for about an
hour from nine inthe morning until ten, maybe you can answer some questions
then?” asked Celestia, who had just finished giving Dash a “to the moon” glare for her
tone with the visitor.
“That sounds good, and it was good to meet all of you, but I tire. Where am I to stay
your majesty?” asked Ian.
Celestia looked up at the clock, the shuttle had arrived around nine p.m., and it was
now almost midnight.
“Oh dear, I had not figured on having a long term guest.” said Celestia racking her
brain as to where she could room a six-and-a-half foot tall human comfortably. The
bellhop uniformed servants were standing around waiting for direction from her.
That was when a heavily accented southern voice spoke up.
“Aw hay princess, he can room with me, ah was the only one without a roommate
and the room has two bedrooms with beds big enough ta hold a cow, he can have
one of em’. said Applejack.
“Are you sure Miss Applejack? I don’t want to be a bother to anyone.” replied Ian
astonished at such a selfless act.
“Oh its fahn, you won’t be botherin’ me so long as ya don’t play loud music.”
replied Applejack glaring at Rainbow Dash.
“What!?” asked the cyan pegasus.
“You and your loud rock n’ roll music, we heard it all the way down the hall!”
said Rarity with an aggravated look.
“Oh, oops! sorry.” replied Dash.
The servants looked once again to Celestia for confirmation of this plan and she
nodded; that was all the servant’s needed to begin taking Ian’s baggage up the
stairs towards Applejacks suite. Everyone said goodnight and went to their rooms,
and Ian and Applejack walked together towards the suite.
“Thank you Miss Applejack, this is very kind of you.” said Ian.
“Aw shucks it’s nothin’ all, and don’t call me miss Applejack sugar cube, it’s
Applejack er AJ.” replied the farmer meekly.
*****************************************************************************
Ian and Applejack got to the large room with the servants in tow. Applejack had not a
t all been joking when she said the suite had been huge. There was a common living room
complete with a radio and several shelves of books, as well as a very large balcony. There
were two rooms, each had a very big bed, which was indeed large enough to comfortably
hold a Black Angus bull, and both had attached bathrooms and walk-in closets, as well as a
wardrobe and dressers.
“Room on the right is yers, ahm on the left.”
“Thank you again AJ.”
“Think nothin’ of it, but there’s a few ground rules ah’d like ta go over if ya don’t mind.” said Applejack.
“Of course AJ.” Ian said suppressing the laughs as he was very sure he knew what was coming.
Applejack waited until the servants were out of the room before she began ‘laying down the
law’ as it were.
“Alright, first rule; knock at the door if its closed, don’t just barge in, I wouldn’t just open the door
ta yer room without askin’ so don’t do it ta me.”
Ian shook his head as this was a very agreeable rule.
“Number two, no funny business, ahm already seein’ some pony".
Ian burst out laughing, it was just too much. He thought to himself “Totally called it!”
“What the hay is so funny!?” asked Applejack somewhat confused and a bit miffed.
“No offense Miss AJ, but you’re not exactly my type.” said Ian still laughing.
Applejack didn’t know why she was blushing or why she suddenly felt angry, or in fact
why what she said next came out of her mouth.
“Oh ah see, the likes of me aint good enough fer the likes uh ya’ll! Well what exactly is
yer type Mr. High Class!?” asked Applejack in a frustrated tone.
Ian stopped laughing and straightened his face with some difficulty.
“Let’s see, I like blondes, you do have that going for you, but I like my women a bit taller
and more uh, how should I say it? Human.” replied Ian before continuing to laugh.
Applejack felt very embarrassed, she was still figuring out why she had gotten so upset
about his reaction. Once Ian calmed down, he apologized for his reaction and
explained why he had reacted with such laughter.
“I am sure that here in Equestria, you are a very attractive young mare by equine
standards, but to humans like me you resemble a horse, a beast we have in the
Imperium that we use for farm work and even as a mode of transportation. They
don’t talk, they are loyal, and they are not highly intelligent such as the ponies
here. It would go against everything I stand for to try any ‘funny business’ with
you or any other pony here. I would be considered a freak at best and never be able
to show my face back home again, or a heretic at worst and burnt to ash by one or
more of my fellows.”
“Oh.” was all the still blushing and now somewhat horrified Applejack
could respond with.
“Yeah, the Imperium really does not encourage inter-species relationships of any
kind; in fact it is usually an offense punishable by immediate execution. So you do
not have to worry about any funny business.” finished Ian.
“Oh crabapples ah don’t even know why ah acted like that or said that stuff.” said
Applejack deeply embarrassed.
“It’s alright AJ, many women in the Imperium would have reacted the same way if a
man had reacted the way I did to your rule. You seem like a very moral young la-
mare.” Ian said whilst correcting himself and patting her on her shoulder.
“Well, ah try, and ah’m glad were on the same page.” said Applejack.
“Likewise AJ, likewise.” replied Ian.
*****************************************************************************
Ian was in his new room, and he loved it. There was plenty of space, a huge
closet, and who doesn’t love a bathroom. In the corner nearest her bed Ian had
set up his armor stand, while all his clothes were in the dresser and wardrobe.
He put his weapons in the huge walk-in closet, except for Dread Bane. The
ancient heirloom was in its velvet lined cherry case atop the dresser, the machine
spirit within hummed contently, causing Ian to smile and pat the old hammer.
“Glad you’re happy old friend.” said Ian.
Ian was easily by far the 9500 year old hammer’s favorite wielder to date, and it
had been wielded by a member of the Ludones family ever since it was forged.
Ian finished polishing his armor and put it on the armor stand, complete with its
helmet, which resembled the helm worn by a medieval knight. He then grabbed
one item that no one had guessed he would have carried: a crutch. Ian sat on the
bed and rolled up the leg of his slacks, revealing the prosthetic limb that had
replaced his left leg. He reached took the key from around his neck, reached
down and found the release, and with a light pop, the leg released.
Ian then put on his pajamas, the left leg of which was tied off just above the knee where the
stump of his leg ended. Ian looked at the prosthetic. He had several that he used and had
brought with him, but this one was his favorite by far. It had been built by the same genius
tech-priest who had created his shotgun rounds, from the leg of a vanquished Necron lord
and when he wore it, it was indiscernible from a real limb. The living metal was impressive
to say the least and made a great interrogation tool in the rather unorthodox methods he
used on male suspects. No man that Ian had met liked a metal object going at high speed
smashing into them, particularly in an areaas sensitive as the groin.
He would have worn the leg to bed, but it was very uncomfortable, and if he needed to
use the bathroom, he was not going to bother putting the leg on only to remove it
again minutes later. Ian was removed from his thoughts by a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in, the door is unlocked.” said Ian standing and leaning on the crutch.
Applejack opened the door and walked in, her mane was no longer in the pony tail it
had been earlier, it was long and ungroomed, and she was not wearing her stetson.
“Ah just wanted to apologize fer earlier and say- Oh my sweet Celestia! Ian what
happened ta yer leg!? she asked with a very shocked face upon noticing Ian’s
missing limb.
Ian got a somewhat annoyed look on his face.
“Applejack, what did I say about asking questions about my past?”
“Long, nasty, and shouldn’t be known?” she asked sheepishly.
“Yes. However, I will make an exception in this case. I lost it in a battle seven years
ago. It was well worth it though.” He said.
“How could it be well worth it?” she asked very puzzled.
“Because I lost my leg, but I was able to save a fellow inquisitor and friend from the
enemy that would have taken his life.” replied Ian with a smile.
Applejack then noticed a picture on the nightstand next to Ian’s bed. He was smiling
and happy, andnext to him was what must have been a female of the human species.
She was very happy and had long blonde hair; she and Ian looked like the perfect
match.
“Ian is that yer very special some pony?” she asked excitedly.
She soon regretted asking the question, as Ian’s face sank from one of happiness
at the fond memory of saving the life of his old friend, to a sadness that made her
want to cry herself.
“She was my very special someone.” he replied sadly.
“What happened?” asked Applejack
“She died.” Ian finished.
The wall clock read 1 a.m. Ian wished Applejack goodnight, and she went to
her room to go to bed herself. Ian shut off the lights and drifted into an uneasy
sleep, hoping that morning would bring a new day that would bring some sort
of reprieve from the bad memories of his past.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 4: Breakfast and History Lessons
Applejack awoke feeling well rested despite having some disturbing
dreams the previous night. Feeling a bit cramped she stretched her hooves
and got to her feet and went in to wash up. The clock read 7:45 am; if she
hurried she would be on time for breakfast before the private court where Ian
would explain everything to them . At the thought of the human visitor, she felt
sadness for him; he had lost his special someone, and she could also tell that he
was still very much brooding over her loss, but Ian had flatly refused to talk more
about his past with any pony, and Applejack was surprised he had told her as much
as he had. This had very much peaked her curiosity about him, and if she couldn’t
find out about his past, she was at least eager to find out more about where he came
from, and what his job was in his society. She walked over to the door to Ian’s room and
found it opened, and Ian was nowhere in sight. His armor and cloak were still standing in
the corner, while the massive hammer was resting on the dresser still in its velvet lined
cherry wood case. She did however notice that there were no signs of Ian’s prosthetic leg,
which meant he was probably already at breakfast. She grabbed her stetson from her room
and began to walk down to the dining hall to meet the princesses and her friends for breakfast.
*****************************************************************************
Applejack made it just in time for breakfast, but much to her surprise, Ian was nowhere in sight.
“Mornin’ every pony, has anypony seen Ian? Ah didn’t see him this mornin’.” asked Applejack.
“Good morning Applejack, he’s in the kitchen making some drinks from the Imperium for us,
he told us that he wanted to repay us for our show of hospitality.” replied Celestia from her
seat next to Luna at the head of the table.
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t poison us.” said Rainbow Dash with a glare.
“Ya know RD, ya should be a lil’ nicer, he and ah talked some last night,
and life aint been to kind to him.” spat Applejack.
“Really? He told you some about his past?” asked Twilight with some interest.
“Yep, he did.” returned Applejack.
Before the conversation could go any further, Ian came through the door to the
kitchen with a tray in both hands and nine large cups of liquid each with a sugar
bowl and a small cup of cream next to each of them. Ian himself was in a black
greatcoat and wearing a black tunic shirt and dress pants with knee high black
leather riding boots. At his right side was his pistol and on the left side was his bowie
knife while on his head was the wide brimmed witch hunter hat that he’d worn the
previous night. Applejack had to admit to herself he was still rather imposing even
without his high tech armor.
“Coffee’s served!” said Ian setting the tray on the table. “Now, probably the best
way for trying coffee for the first time is take a single sip, it is a rather bitter drink,
hence the cream and sugar.”
The cups were passed around and the ponies each took a small sip. Twilight, Luna,
and Rainbow Dash seemed to enjoy the dark liquid just the way it was, while Celestia,
Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack quickly added some cream and sugar. Pinkie Pie meanwhile
dumped the whole sugar bowl and all of the cream into her coffee cup, drawing strange
looks from her friends, and an amused stare from Ian. After making their adjustments to
the drinks, Rarity spoke up.
“So Ian darling, where did you get that handsome ensemble? It looks very dashing on you.”
asked the fashionista looking the uniform up and down.
“Oh, my clothes? This is garb more commonly worn by inquisitors from the Ordo Hereticus.”
replied Ian stirring at his coffee.
“Ordo Hereticus? What is that?” asked Twilight.
“They are one of the major offices of the inquisition; they have the job of rooting out traitors,
heretics, and rouge psykers. They are also known as witch hunters.” said Ian suddenly taking
in the silence in the room and six sets of eyes staring at him with a mixture of fear and confusion.
“Is it something I said?” asked Ian with a confused look of his own.
“Yes actually. We used to have witch hunters here in Equestria; they were a cruel bunch that
got out of control and had to be destroyed.” said Luna. This was the first time that Ian had
heard the princess of the night speak.
“Worry not, I am no witch hunter, and our witch hunters merely perform the duty
of their office.” replied Ian biting his tongue. He had little trust for most members
of the Ordo Hereticus, save for one or two.
“Well then what are you?” asked Rainbow Dash a little more rudely than intended;
Ian just shrugged it off however, much to the relief of everyone in the room. It was just
too early to argue.
“All will be explained after breakfast Rainbow Dash.” Celestia answered giving the
cyan pegasus a rather annoyed glare.
Breakfast was soon served. It was mostly raw fruits and vegetables, but Ian did not
complain, he was just glad that there was food. There were also some eggs and cheese,
as well as a special treat for their human guest, and that was bacon.
“Wow, I wouldn’t think that you would have meat here.” said Ian trying to hide his excitement
as bacon was indeed his favorite food.
“It is imported from our neighboring kingdom, the Holy Griffon Empire, we keep it for
ambassadors and guests who are either carnivorous or omnivorous, is it to your
liking?” asked Princess Luna. Ian bit into bacon strip, and immediately felt as if
angels were dancing on his taste buds.
“This is the best bacon I have ever had.”
Before Luna could respond, Rainbow had flown up to him with a suspicious glare.
“So, he not only shows up armed to the teeth, but he’s also a carnivore! That’s just
gross! Great, his whole species could show up here and turn us into food! Is that
what your plan is? Huh? Is- mhmhmhmhm!” Before she could continue she noticed
that Ian had stuffed a handful of bacon in her mouth.
“First off, humans are omnivorous, we eat both meat and plants, second off, don’t
knock something until you’ve tried it” said Ian with a devious grin on his face, “and third,
horses, the creatures that you lot resemble, we do not commonly eat, so you should be
safe. Also I am here alone, and will be until I complete my report and contact the nearest
Imperial world for extraction, so no one will show up to bother you or your friends.”
Rainbow Dash thought she was going to be sick at first but as she let the taste seep in, she
realized why the human liked the meat so much.
“Oh my gosh this is really good! Wait a minute… does this make me a cannibal?!” asked the
now confused Pegasus.
“No, if you were a cannibal, you would technically be eating another being who can think
logically for themselves and make their own decisions, what you are doing is no different
from how these griffons as the princess called them, eat.” replied Ian reassuringly.
“Uh, thanks, but don’t think this means I trust you.” replied Rainbow Dash.
“Fine by me, but uh, are you going to leave me any bacon?” asked Ian chuckling.
“Fat chance!” replied the cyan Pegasus, causing everyone to laugh, albeit a bit
nervously, as ponies eating meat was though not uncommon, it was not normal either.
“Behold; the power of Bacon.” said Ian drawing a few more laughs.
When Ian bit into the fruit he had been offered, his eyes widened in awe. This
was the freshest fruit he had ever tasted; not even the Imperium’s best agri-worlds
could produce fruit this fresh, and he had grown up on a farm. Ian finished his
breakfast and thanked his host.
“Thank you once again for your hospitality your majesties.” He said bowing his head
to Celestia, Luna, and Twilight.
“You are most welcome Ian” said Celestia in a motherly and kind tone.
“Not to be rude Ian, but what is in this drink? I feel much more alert and like
I have alot more energy.” asked Twilight stretching her wings out a little.
“Coffee is made from coffee beans, a small bean that is grown on agricultural worlds
in the Imperium, it contains caffeine, which is like a natural energy supplement… why
are you all staring at me like that and where is our pink friend?” And that was the day Ian
learned why one should never ever, ever give caffeine to Pinky Pie; he found this out quickly
as the pink party pony popped up suddenly beside him, causing him to yelp rather loudly in
surprise and tumble backwards in his chair.
“OhmygoshthisissoawesomecanIhavemore!!?” said the now overcharged pink ball of energy.
Celestia along with everyone else now wore very worried looks on their faces. Pinkie Pie
had just scared the daylights out of an armed alien visitor and there was no telling how he
may react. To everyone’s relief Ian calmly got up, dusted himself off, fixed his glasses
and smiled.
“Ok, I get it now; don’t give Miss Pie anything with caffeine or sugar.” said Ian with a light chuckle.
“Are you alright Inquisitor?” asked Luna.
“Yes of course your majesty, it would take much more than that to hurt me. Shall we go into
the throne room for our little meeting then?”asked Ian.Celestia looked up at the clock. It
was nearing 9am.
“Of Course Ian, lets head on into the throne room, the servants will take care of the dishes and
clean up the table.” Said Celestia still relieved that Ian had not pulled his pistol and started
shooting.
*****************************************************************************
The throne room was indeed a sight to behold; large glass windows allowed the light to fill it
revealing a pure white marble floor with a red carpet going up the middle and a triple throne
at the end which was raised up off of the ground. The beauty of it was breathtaking; it certainly
blew all of the governors’ palaces he’d been in out of the water. Ian walked to the center of the
room, knelt down, and placed a small hologram projector on the floor.
“What is that thing?” asked Dash pointing a hoof.
“This” said Ian standing back up “is a hologram projector. It creates a 3 dimensional image to
better show something.”
“How do we know it’s really not some kinda weird thing that’ll kill us?” asked the cyan
Pegasus rudely.
“Yes, I flew here all those trillions of miles through the daemon infested warp and landed
to stay here alone, just to harm the most peaceful beings in the galaxy whom I was sent
to learn about in the first place.” replied Ian with a sarcastic and very annoyed tone while
giving Dash a look that just said ‘seriously?’
Rainbow backed off at sensing Ian’s less than happy mood towards her. As soon as Ian had
set the device up, he requested the window shades be pulled, which was done. Shining and
his wife Cadence walked into the room just before Ian began. Cadence and Shining were now
expecting their first foal and both of them were in high spirits.
“Ah, good of you to join us captain and miss?” asked Ian.
“Oh, this is my wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” replied Shining introducing his wife.
“It is a pleasure to meet you your majesty.” replied Ian with a slight bow of his head while
thinking to himself 'Good God-Emperor, how many princesses does a realm need?'.
“Oh please Inquisitor, no need for formalities, you may call me Cadence.” She said
offering a hoof which Ian shook firmly.
“You may call me Ian; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Cadence.”
With Further introductions finished, Ian activated the projector, which created a three
dimensional map of the Imperium. The map filled the entire room and had labels that
identified all of the major worlds of the Imperium. Some of these worlds Ian had visited
others he had not, and many more he wished to visit. Ian began his little history and geography
lesson.
“This is the Imperium of Mankind; as you can see it is a galaxy spanning empire. It
consists of one million worlds more or less and is protected by innumerable legions
of soldiers and mighty fleets of starships, as well as genetically altered superhuman
warriors and is run from the SegmentumSolar.” The map zoomed in on the huge territory
in the center of the map. “Here lays Terra, known in ancient times as Earth; it is the capital
of the Imperium and the seat of His most Immortal Majesty, The God Emperor of Mankind.
It was here that I first began to research the evidence of the existence of your kind.”
said Ian.
“So where are we located in all of this?” asked Twilight with a look of awe still
plastered across her face.
“We are here” said Ian tapping the control pad and moving the map to another large
section of the map, “this is the Segmentum Pacificus, and you are located here on
the world of Equis Prime.” The planet was now in full view for all to see.
“So any questions?” asked Ian. Everyone shook their heads no; it was after all a very
straight forward explanation.Ian then proceeded to tap a few more times on the control
pad and began a very brief explanation of the history of the Imperium and the Inquisition,
beginning with the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy and going into the founding of the
Inquisition as well as its mission and the duties of its office. He did well to leave out any
information about the Grey Knights, as due to their classified nature, only bad things would
come of revealing their existence. The expressions of the various ponies varied. Luna and
Celestia sat with unreadable faces, Twilight, Applejack, Cadence, Shining Armor and
Rainbow Dash all had looks of utter shock and horror etched upon their faces. Pinkie
Pie’s mane had deflated, while Fluttershy and Rarity had fainted at the explanation of
what Exterminatus was and how and why it was performed.
“Any questions as I am all sure you have some?” asked Ian.
“Yes, I have a few Ian.” said Shining, his face no longer that of an excited parent to be,
but someone who has just learned of how cruel life can truly be. “How in can you just
annihilate an entire world? All of those lives destroyed at the press of a few buttons?
How does someone live with the burden and guilt of ordering something so horrible?”
Ian could understand the Captain’s shock. Ian took a deep breath in, and answered.
“Think of planets in a system as patients in a hospital. The taint of chaos is as a virus
that will infect a patient, and thus must be rooted out by any means necessary. If the
infection is not treated, it will then spread to the other patients in that area and they will
die. Once the taint of chaos infects something wholly, it can never truly be returned back
to normal, and must be destroyed whether it is a living being or an entire world. The
destruction of an entire world is no light manner, and very few men and women have the
power to order such an under taking. As to how we deal with the guilt, it all depends upon
the individual. Some are so convinced that there was no other way they do not dwell on it;
some bury themselves in their faith; Some however have little to no trace of humanity left
and do not even care; most of us turn our grief to strength to continue the fight against Chaos.”
“Ian, are you alright?” asked Celestia in a concerned voice.
“I am fine.” replied the young Inquisitor taking off his glasses and wiping a
sleeve across his face “I just had something in my eye.”
“So, uh if these chaos guys are so dangerous, why don'y you capture their stuff
and turn own weapons against them?” asked Rainbow Dash still in horrified awe
from the Inquisitor’s history lesson.
“To do so is to tread the path to damnation. Being in the mere presence of some
of these traitors and daemons can corrupt people, what do you think wielding
their weapons would do?” replied Ian thinking of the story of Inquisitor Quixos
and his road to damnation. Being a member of the Amalthian sect, he despised
the use of the weapons of the great enemy and held firmly to the ideal that no
true servant of the Emperor would use such methods, that being said, Ian also
saw no problem in working with certain Xenos cultures such as the Tau and
Craftworld Eldar, making him fall on the center of the line between the puritan
and radical groups and cementing himself as very unorthodox, however his
results and legendary temper usually silenced his few enemies within the
Inquisition.
“So in other words it’s like playing with fire.” said Rainbow Dash now understanding
the severity of the treat that chaos posed.
“Exactly.” replied Ian.Pinkie’s mane suddenly reinflated and she began waving a hoof.
“Oooh! Oooh! I have one pick me!”
“Yes Miss Pie, what is your question?” replied Ian with a somewhat confused look
on his face. Not even a minute ago she had been depressed about how life was lived
in the Imperium, now she was happy as she had been at breakfast.
“What is that beaded thingy hanging on your belt?” she asked excitedly.
Ian looked down at what the pink party pony was pointing at an immediately noticed that
she was pointing at his rosette. It was a finely crafted one as well, incorporating the stylized
letter I of the inquisition and the chapter insignia of the Blood Angels Space Marines, a
chapter that his family had an extensive history with and was made of adamantium. Several
of his ancestors had been battle brothers in the illustrious chapter, and his older brother, the
only other living member of his family was currently counted amongst their ranks, a fact that
made his heart swell with pride.
“This is an Inquisitorial rosette. It is a badge of office that lets people know who I am
and not to get in my way. Every inquisitor has a rosette, and no two are really the same.
Mine for instance has prayer beads on the chain, and also the symbol of the Blood
Angels Space Marines, as my family has a long history with them going back many years.”
replied Ian.
“So it is sort of like a badge worn by police ponies?” asked Twilight.
“Of sorts, but it carries a lot more power than the badge worn by a police agency, this little beauty allows me to requisition entire armies and war fleets.” said Ian. Twilight was the last to raise her hoof with a question.
"Yes your majesty?" asked Ian.
"Do you humans make friends easily?" asked the lavender Alicorn.
The question made Ian smile.
"That is one of the few luxuries we can afford in the Imperium. Unfortunately it is inevetable
that through the bitter event of death or the journies that we are sent on in life; friendships
do not always last. I consider myself blessed as I have some very good friends back home.
But in general, it is easy to make friends for most of us, however, being an inquisitor does
make it a bit difficult. People tend to be very afraid of us, and are rightly so." said Ian.
The clock had reached 9:50 A.M. and Ian knew he needed to wrap things up. He looked
to Celestia and nodded to her:
“Your majesty, do you have any questions for me?” he asked.
“Yes, I wanted you to confirm why you are here for us, so everyone can be at ease
in the knowledge that you mean us no harm.” replied the sable Alicorn.
“Very well, I am here to study the history and culture of Equestria as well as
investigate any historical, ideological, political and or religious links to the Imperium
as well as confirm you are no threat to the Imperium or her people. I am also here to
study these ‘Elements of Harmony’ which are thought to have been created by the
God-Emperor himself nearly 10,000 years ago and brought here to Equis Prime.”
replied Ian.
“Wait, you are thinking that Equestria and the Imperium have crossed paths before?”
asked Twilight.
“Yes, I indeed do believe it. In the Imperium, this place and your princesses are actually
a children’s fairy tale that is known throughout the Imperium, however, as with all legends,
there is usually some truth behind them.” said Ian.
“I would very much like to hear this fairy tale.” said Twilight.
“Well you are in luck because I happen to have a copy of it with me in my quarters.
If you like I will loan it to you, on the condition that it is returned in as good shape as
it was when it was loaned to you.”
“That’s no problem Ian, Twilight here was a librarian before she was a princess and
she still is really big on keeping books in tip top shape.” said Rainbow Dash.
“Alright then, let’s go get the book, I am sure that her majesty wishes to get to her royal
duties and I am sure a few of you have some more questions.” replied Ian.After saying a
quick goodbye, Ian, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all headed up towards
the suite while Pinkie, Cadence, and Shining Armor woke up Fluttershy to take her back to
her room. Ian still felt like a monster for making the poor little Pegasus faint, as she is a
very timid mare and the history of the Imperium and the Inquisition was a brutal one at best.
*****************************************************************************
“Those Space Marine guys sound completely awesome!”said Rainbow Dash.
“They are not called the Emperor’s finest for nothing. They can survive wounds
that would kill a normal man thrice over.” replied Ian.
“And your brother is one of them?! That must be just awesome!” she continued
“My family has served the Emperor for nearly 10,000 years; I can trace my lineage
back to Roderick Ludones, who was the first of our family to join the ranks of the Ordo
Malleus 9500 years ago. Ever since then, my family has faithfully fought the enemies
of the Imperium. Some of my family was recruited into the Blood Angels chapter of the
Adeptus Astartes, or we became Inquisitors.” said Ian.
“So it’s always the military lahf fer yer family?” asked Applejack.
“Aye, that it is.” replied Ian proudly.
“So darling, what are the clothing fashions in the Imperium like?” asked Rarity.
“Well they vary from planet to planet. Each planet of the Imperium has its own culture
with different fashions, though being at constant war has had a very militaristic effect on
our clothing fashions. Most common men and women wear a tunic of some sort with boots
and slacks or a skirt.” replied Ian.
“Oh dear, it sounds absolutely dreadful darling!” said Rarity.
“Well what can I say, when one is under the constant threat of death and war, we really
don’t have much time to think on what looks nicest. In all my years I have never once seen
an Imperial citizen ask a pissed off alien monster how he or she looks when it is trying to rip
their head off and eat them.” replied Ian bluntly.Rarity looked like she was going to be a little
bit sick and swallowed hard as if she were trying to force herself not to lose her breakfast.
“You make an excellent point Ian.” She replied a bit green in the face.
“If you wish however, I do have a catalogue with some of the fashions that are popular
amongst the upper crust men and women of the Imperium you can borrow. I must ask
though, why are you so interested in fashion?” asked Ian.
“That would be marvelous, and I am a fashion designer dear. My dresses are worn by some
of the most important ponies in all of Equestria.” she said proudly.
“Ah, that explains that then.” replied Ian.
“So Ian, what’s yer family lahk?” asked Applejack hoping to goodness she would not make
him feel sad again. She soon felt like kicking herself as Ian’s face was as sad as she had seen
it the previous night.
“I had my Father Raymond, my mother Kyrie, my little sister Alice, and my older brother
Malachi, though I only have known him a short time. Malachi and I are the only ones left.
I would rather not talk about this anymore if you do not mind.” said the Inquisitor sadly.
Everyone seemed to understand and backed off on the topic. Rainbow felt suddenly horrible
for how she had been acting towards him and made a mental note to apologize to him later.
They had soon reached the suite and Ian led them to his room. He handed the fashion
catalogue to Rarity, and the old story book to Twilight.
“Be very careful with this princess, it was my mother’s book from the time she was a child,
and my grandfather read it to her.” said Ian.
“I will not allow any harm to come to it.” promised Twilight.
“Now Miss Dash, You seemed very interested in the Astartes, I will loan you this book,
just take care of it, they are not exactly easy to find.” he said placing a book in her hooves.
The title read “Index Astartes” and had pictures of Space Marines on it.
“This will show you some of the various chapters of the Emperor’s Space Marines, and
give a brief history on each of them. If you want to know more about the Blood Angels,
I have several tomes on them.” said Ian.
“Wow! Thanks Ian, I'll take good care of it! Also I’m really sorry for how I acted
earlier and last night.” said the Cyan Pegasus earnestly.
“Hey, if someone showed up armed to the teeth on my doorstep out of the blue saying ‘hi!
I am from a galaxy spanning empire that can burn planets to ash’ I would have most likely
reacted a lot more… how shall I say it, violently. I forgive you, we’re all good.” replied Ian.
“So Twilight, where does one gain knowledge of Equestria’s history around here, particularly
from documents from the past?” asked Ian.
“Well, that would be the Royal Archives, unfortunately a lot of it was destroyed during the
Lunar War, the old palace was where everything was housed and it was burnt to the
ground. Very little was able to be saved.” said Twilight
.
“Ah, that is unfortunate, but on the upside, it may make my job go faster.” replied Ian whilst
making a mental note to research the Lunar War when he got a chance.
“Well, Princess Celestia will probably drop by tonight to speak with you about that, and she
will probably want to introduce you to the press and nobility at some point as well.” said
Twilight. Ian’s nose wrinkled in discontent at the mention of the press. “What’s wrong?”
she asked.
“I really hate the press. Even in the Imperium, where our news media is heavily censored,
you always get some damned reporter trying to make a name for him or herself in one way
or another. I take it from how peaceful you lot are they have free reign in what they publish?”
replied Ian.
“Yes.” Twilight sighed in an annoyed manner, “They are a real pain in the flank. I honestly
wouldn’t mind seeing some of them censored or better yet, seeing Princess Celestia send
them to the moon.” replied Twilight.
*****************************************************************************
After a brief chat, Ian and Applejack sat in the common area of the room and talked.
“Ian, ahm sorry ah made ya sad.” said Applejack.
“It is ok AJ; don’t beat yourself up over it. I am not angry at you. It is just a very touchy
topic for me that I really do not like discussing.” replied Ian. He got the surprise of his life
when the orange farm pony threw her hooves around him and gave him a hug.
“If ya ever need ta talk, ahm here fer ya. Ah lost my ma and pa four years ago.
Ma got really sick, and pa died from a heart condition not long after. You can call
me a friend if ya want too.” said Applejack.
“Thank you AJ.” Ian said returning the hug. Normally he would be suspicious, he had
never had a local give him a hug before, in fact most cowered at the mere sight of him;
however, something about her just screamed honesty, it was after all her element.
*****************************************************************************
Later that day:
Celestia knocked on the door to Ian and Applejack’s room. The door was quickly
opened by Ian.
“Everything going well Inquisitor?” she asked.
“Very well thank you your majesty, Twilight said you would be by. Something
about a press conference and granting access to historical documents and
information about the elements.” said Ian.
“Yes indeed, I was also wondering if you would like to walk with me, for I desire
to speak with you alone.” said Celestia.
“Of course majesty.” replied Ian. He then turned and spoke to his roommate. “AJ I
am stepping out for a bit, I will be back soon.”
“Alright, ah should be here, see ya later.” said Applejack. As He and Celestia walked
down the halls and corridors they spoke a little of the day and what tomorrow would bring.
“So tomorrow I am going to be introduced to the press?” asked Ian
“Yes, there will be a press conference that will let the citizens of Equestria know that
you are here peacefully, that is all it is about.” said the princess. Ian suddenly stopped and
began looking at the ceiling. His actions confused the solar princess.
“Ian, what are you doing?” she asked.
“So, where can I hang myself?” he asked sarcastically, and succeeded in catching
Celestia off guard.
“What?!” she asked nervously.
“I was not being serious, I just hate reporters. However, I will do this to put your citizens’
minds at ease; you needn’t worry yourself about it.” replied Ian. Celestia nodded in
acknowledgement and they continued on.
“I am also granting you access to the few historical documents that survived the fire.
We were able to save the documents on our founding, and they talk a great deal about
father and his experiments; however, much was lost after the civil war 1003 years ago,
as well as a fire in the archives about 6 years ago, but those are memories I do not wish
to dredge up; they are… painful.” said Celestia.
“Sometimes we just cannot let go.” said Ian sadly. Celestia had seen his past when she
had read him. She felt nothing but sadness for him; no one should have to put their own
home and loved ones to the torch, but Ian had had to. She quickly changed the subject
to keep off of the topic.
“There will also be a welcoming ball for you next week where you will be able to meet
some of the Canterlot elite and the nobility; it is being organized by Miss Pie, she wants
to throw you a proper welcome.” said Celestia with a smile.
“By the Emperor, that pink chem addict is organizing a ball?!” he said in a surprised and
confused manner causing the princess to chuckle.
“She is actually very good at it, she is after all a professional event organizer.”
replied Celestia smiling.
“I will take your word for it then.” said Ian with a sigh.
*****************************************************************************
While Ian and the Princess were out, Applejack received some visitors. Twilight,
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had all showed up to see their
friend. After they all talked a little, the conversation drifted to Ian and explanation
of the Imperium and the Inquisition.
“Ah feel so awful fer him, and every livin’ thing in the Imperium. They have ta fight
just ta survive. said Applejack sadly.
“Makes me glad we’ve lived here quietly; reading about some of those Space Marine
guys in the book Ian loaned me, it’s like not a day goes by where the Imperium isn’t
attacked by traitors, alien monsters, or suffers some catastrophe.” said Rainbow.
"Although some of their clothing looks just stunning!" said Rarity entusiastically.
Everyone in the room gave her a blank look.
"What?! Can't a mare admire some clothes?" she followed up causing everyone
else to face hoof.
“Moving on; the really crazy part is that we may have connections to the Imperium
through Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Apparently, they were created by the
Emperor to rule over all of the ponies and stop them from fighting each other.” said
Twilight.
“Where in the hay did you find that out?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“The book Ian loaned me, it also claimed that the Emperor used his own blood to
create the princesses, and that there were a thousand other Alicorns that arrived
with the princesses to form a nobility, and that the Emperor created the Element’s
of Harmony to be a weapon against anything that wanted to harm us.” said Twilight.
“S-so the princesses are technically-” began Fluttershy timidly.
“His daughters; if this is all true. Princess Celestia was very shady about her origins,
and Princess Luna has never brought it up. There may exist something about it, but if
there does I sure haven’t seen it yet.” said Twilight.The six ponies moved out on the
balcony watching the beauty of Luna’s jeweled sky and bright moon; she was such an
artist, which was when Pinkie spoke up.
“Hey guys! Look down there in the gardens!” she said excitedly but quietly for once.
There in the gardens sitting on a bench was Princess Celestia and Ian having a
conversation and completely unaware of their audience above them. The six of
them listened closely as the two talked.
*****************************************************************************
After a good bit more walking, Ian and Celestia arrived in the Canterlot gardens and
found a bench. The sun princess’s bright demeanor suddenly faded as she spoke to
the young inquisitor.
“Ian, when I looked into your mind, I saw your memories and felt your feelings. I saw
your past and I also saw what happened with your home world. I had some questions
about what happened.” she said concerned. Causing Ian to release an aggravated sigh.
“What of it princess? What do wish to know? How I felt as I watched my own home burn
from orbit? For me to describe how the simultaneous scream of ten billion souls being
ripped from their bodies so horrifically, drove me and every other psyker in the area to
our knees? Or maybe you wish to hear about the night terrors? How I awake to the
faceless billions and my loved ones and friends who died, all of them leveling their
fingers accusingly at me because I failed them and in doing so failed The God- Emperor
by allowing some bootlick of the dark gods to invade one of his worlds and butcher his
citizens. Or maybe you wish to know how I felt as I gave the order to burn my own home
to ash while I heard the laughter of that bastard Dark Apostle echo through my mind.”
replied Ian.Princess Celestia felt nothing but sadness for the young man. It was clear
to her that he wanted to avoid the topic, but she was bound and determined to try
and help him.
“Ian, you had no other choice. You gave them a mercy rather than leaving them to the
daemons and besides, talking about it may give you some feeling of closure.” she offered.
“The only closure I will get, the only relief to my sadness will be when Kol Agilor, the Butcher
of Laureus IX along with that whore of a sorceress that travels with him is dead by my hand,
and his head taken to Formosa and presented to Lord Coteaz, or I lie dead upon the field of
battle. Only then will I have peace. Also I did have a choice. I could have stayed behind and
died fighting, died with honor; but I left because my father told me that the Emperor had a plan
for me and dying there was not it; and then he knocked me out cold and put me on. The place
I took on that shuttle could have been given to someone who deserved to live more than I did.”
said Ian ashamed of himself.
“Ian you-” began Celestia before the Inquisitor cut her off.
“Princess, I do not wish to speak of this anymore. Please, just let it die, and do not bring it up
again. I let you into my head to show you that I am not here to harm you or your subjects. Do
not make me regret doing so. I shall see you in the morning for the press conference. Good
night Princess.” finished Ian before taking his leave. Only one thought came to Princess Celestia’s
mind.
“That poor soul.”
*****************************************************************************
The six mares had moved back inside after hearing the short conversation between
Celestia and Ian. All of them wore sad faces as they realized why Ian had looked so
upset when he was answering Shining Armor’s question.
“Poor Ian.” Said Rainbow Dash She now felt even worse about how she had treated him,
even though he had forgiven her.
“I Just can’t imagine how he feels.” said Twilight shakily.Pinkie Pie and Rarity were trying
to comfort Fluttershy, who was crying on the couch after hearing the conversation, both of
them also had tears forming in their eyes. Applejack was just sitting out on the balcony. Try
as she might, she could not stop her eyes from letting the tears fall. A few minutes went by a
nd the door opened. Ian stood there and took in the sight before him.
“Hi girls, what’s with the water works?” he asked with some confusion. When he received
no answer he went out onto the balcony to ask Applejack what was going on, however as
he approached the banister, he got another surprise hug, this one from all of the six element
bearers. He then looked over the edge of the balcony and saw exactly where he had been
sitting below. It then suddenly dawned on him that they had heard him and the princess talking.
“Oh what have I gotten myself into?” Ian thought to himself. He now knew he would be facing
an inevitable barrage of questions about his least favorite subject: The exterminatus of his
home world, Laureus IX.
View Online
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 5: Of research, meetings and parties.
The Next Day:
Much to Ian’s relief, the six mares did not question him about or
bring up Laureus IX; they had heard enough from their perch on
the balcony to put two and two together and just wanted Ian not to
be upset. Ian arose the next day at seven AM and put on a Cadian
dress uniform that he kept with him in his luggage, along with his great
coat and glasses. He left his hat in his room as he figured that the witch
hunter type hat would raise unwanted attention at the press conference.
Once he was done shaving, grooming his hair, and brushing his teeth;
he and Applejack went downstairs to meet the Princess Celestia and the
other element bearers for breakfast. Princess Luna was sleeping as she
was after all the princess of the night and thus slept most of the day due
to her nocturnal duties.
Breakfast was a quiet affair as no one felt like speaking about the previous
night’s events. Once breakfast was over, Ian walked with Princess Celestia
to where the press conference was to be held. On the way to the conference,
Celestia and Ian spoke of what had happened.
“Ian, I apologize for bringing up your past last night. It was wrong of me to
intrude in such a way after you told us all right out not to ask us about it.” said the
sable alicorn apologetically.
“I have already forgiven you princess; just do not bring it up again is all I ask.”
replied Ian.
“I will not do it again. Please just remember though, if you ever wish to talk,
my ears are open to you; and I will not tell anyone else.” said Celestia.
“If and when I decide to do so, I will speak with you. Not one moment before.
Now let us not keep the buzzards waiting.” said Ian with a small smile.
***********************************************************************
Despite Ian’s deep hatred of the press, he knew how to deal with them
quite well: especially when it came to avoiding topics that could cause panic
or revolt amongst the populace. The area in which the conference was to be
held was a courtyard. The press would be on the floor of the courtyard while
Ian and Celestia would be on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. The courtyard
was full of reporters from all over Equis Prime. Ian saw not only ponies, but griffons,
minotaurs, hyppogryphs, and many other creatures that had been thought only to exist
in mythology. Celestia introduced Ian in a quick speech before allowing Ian to take center
stage. As soon as Ian stepped onto the balcony next to Princess Celestia, he was
barraged with questions.
“Please, please. One at a time; raise your hand, claw, or hoof and I will answer
your questions.” said Ian calmly. The first one to raise a hoof was a green pegasus mare
with a midnight blue mane, and Ian called on her.
“Inquisitor Ludones I am Truth Writer, with Equestrian Royal News; We would like to know:
where are you from and what brings you here to Equestria?” she asked.
“I am from a star spanning interplanetary empire that consists of one million worlds
and quadrillions of subjects known as the Imperium of Mankind. I am here on a
diplomatic mission to learn more about Equestria, as it has recently been discovered
that there may be a link between this world and the Imperium that was forged 10,000
years ago by our emperor. In proving this link, I will be able to show my leaders that
this world is not a threat and hope that relations between this world and the Imperium
flourish.” answered Ian.
The next to raise an appendage and be called on by Ian was a griffon with a black
coat and gray feathers.
“Artemis Von Griffonstadt; Griffon Imperial News; The princess called you an inquisitor,
what does your job entail?” he asked.
“Well, I am inquisitive.” said Ian with a smile that drew a few laughs. “In all seriousness
I am a combination of a detective, a diplomat, a soldier, and a scholar. It is an occupation
that requires years upon years of schooling and gives one a great deal of influence and power.”
Ian knew he was grossly understating and even avoiding telling the reporters more about the
duties of his office, but the last thing he wanted was an entire world in fear of the Imperium
when he was trying to gain the cooperation of its inhabitants. Telling the entire world that his
empire’s military could burn a planet to ash would most likely cause a panic of epic
proportions; he remembered all too well how Fluttershy had fainted. The press conference
went on for about an hour. Ian found himself answering questions mostly about the Imperium;
its religion, society, politics and the relations between Equis Prime and the Imperium in the
past. Relatively few questions were asked about the Emperor himself, but Ian figured that the
idea of a divine immortal monarch did not surprise these creatures; seeing as Equestria had
two of them and therefore it must not be a new concept for them. A nudge from Celestia told
him that time was up.
“Well, it has been good speaking with all of you, Emperor bless you and watch over you.” said Ian.
************************************************************************************************
Ian was relieved to be away from the reporters. He let out a sigh as he found a chair to sit in.
“Good job Ian, you really handled that well.” said Celestia.
“Thank you princess.” replied Ian.
“By the way, my nephew, Prince Blueblood will be in the library this afternoon with the
documents you will need at around two pm.” said the princess.
“Ah; well then I shall meet him in the library at two then.” replied Ian.
****************************************************************************************
When Ian got back to his room, he was met by Applejack, who had a rather sour look on
her face.
“Why did ya lie ta them reporters? Why didn’t ya tell ‘em what ya told us
yesterday mornin?” she asked.
“Tell me AJ, do you remember how Fluttershy and Rarity reacted when I told them about
the duties of my office?” he asked very seriously.
“They fainted.” replied Applejack.
“Yes. It was very scary for them, and tell me; what was going through your mind when
you heard that I have the power to order an entire planet burnt to ash?” continued Ian.
“Ah was kinda scared.” replied Applejack.
“Exactly; now, how do you think that an entire planetary population would react to what
I told you? They would be terrified. They may even react with violence. I am not here to
spread violence and fear. I am here to learn and prove to everyone back home that you
are just as much sons and daughters of the Emperor as we humans are.” finished Ian.
“Ah guess ya made yer point. Sorry again.” said Applejack feeling somewhat foolish.
“No AJ, do not be sorry. You are the element of honesty, and lying is a detestable course
of action; it is however necessary at times. To be perfectly honest, I hate liars. I hate lying
even more, but there are times when one must lie to save lives.” said Ian with a sigh.
“Ah understand.” said Applejack.
“So anyhow, will you be at the welcome party next week that the Princesses are
throwing me?” asked Ian.
“Eeyup, Ah’ll be there. Rarity also wants ta see ya, she’s probably gonna make ya a
new suit er somthin’ so be prepared.” warned Applejack.
“Why? Should I be worried?” asked Ian.
“Let’s just say Rarity can get a lil bit melodramatic when she gets in her “zone”.” said
Applejack remembering all too well one time of getting roped into trying on dresses for
Rarity.
“I will keep that in mind. In the mean time however, I need to get to the Library.
The princess told me on the way back that I was going to be meeting her nephew
in the Library and that he was going to get me started on my research with some maps
and old documents.” said Ian
“Wait, her nephew?” she asked with concern.
“Yes, you say that as if it were a bad thing.” said Ian questioningly.
“Sit back and let me tell ya about ol’ Blueblood.” said Applejack.
*************************************************************************************
Prince Blueblood sat anxiously in the library. All of the old charts and maps of
Equestria were laid out before him for the human to look at. To say he was nervous
about meeting the visitor would have been an understatement; he had overheard his
aunt speaking with Twilight about this ‘Inquisitor Ludones’ and had heard them saying
that he had the authority to burn entire planets into a barren rock. The last thing he
wanted to do was to offend someone with that kind of power. A maid approached him
with a huge tray bearing a teapot, some sugar cubes in a fine bowl, and a pair of tea cups.
Blueblood looked at the tray and then cast a critical gaze on the maid.
“I asked for the blue and red tea set not the red and blue one you simpleton!” snapped
the pompous royal. The maid grimaced from the insult.
“I-I’m sorry your grace, I am color blind; I didn’t notice.” replied the mare.
“Then I am sure you will not notice when I have you fired! I shall see to it that you
never find a respectable job again!” ranted the prince.
“P-please your grace! It’s my first week on the job!” she pleaded.
“Well then you will not have grown too comfortable in the servant’s quarters, now
off with you, before you make a mess of something else!” he said cruelly.
The maid, a young mahogany colored earth pony mare turned and walked away
crying silently. Blueblood sat back muttering to himself about the poor mare’s stupidity.
The whole time he had been waiting for the inquisitor though, Ian had been up on the
second story observing the situation with the maid. He was less than impressed.
“Wow, he reminds me of a certain pompous ass I defenestrated.” Ian thought to himself
as he descended the winding staircase. He was wearing his greatcoat over at his fine
uniform he had worn to the press conference, as well as his menacing Witch Hunter hat.
The thump-thumping of Ian’s boots on the stairs caught Blueblood’s attention rather quickly.
The prince stood to welcome his guest as the towering human crossed the floor and stood
before him.
“H-hello, I am Prince Blueblood, it is a p-pleasure to meet you Inquisitor.” said the prince
offering his hoof. The human took his hoof in his hand, stared him dead in the eye, and
squeezed. It was the most painful hoofshake that Blueblood had ever experienced.
*****************************************************************************
Ian was very much enjoying the look of pain that had come over the face of the
pompous unicorn. He could see the pain in Blueblood’s face as he gave the young
prince a handshake from hell; a tactic he used on bullies when he was young and in
school. Ian was strong enough that it took little effort to cause a lot of pain and it was
the least he could do for the way he hadjust treated the poor maid as well as Applejack
and Rarity in the past.
“That is one strong grip you have there! But I have those papers you requested sir! said
Blueblood in a rather high octave.
“Of course your grace, one can tell much about a man from the firmness of his hand or
in your case, hoof shake please lead on.” said Ian while preparing phase two of ruining
the young noble’s day. Ian reached out with his telepathy towards Blueblood’s mind.
******************************************************************************************
“Geeeeeet oooooouuuuuuut!” said a voice in a creeping whisper that made Blueblood’s
blood run cold.
“D-did you hear that!?” asked a now terrified prince.
“I have no idea as to what you are talking about your grace, are you alright? You seem;
jumpy.” replied Ian, masterfully keeping any hint of his part in causing Blueblood’s fear hidden.
“Who me?! Of course not Inquisitor of course not!” he replied all too eagerly.
“I’m going to devour your soul.” came the voice again making Blueblood’s hair stand on end.
“You are sure you do not hear anything inquisitor?” asked Blueblood.
“Aside from the wind outside, no your grace.” replied Ian.
“I can taste your fear…It is delicious!” whispered the voice again. This time, it was just too
much for the pompous unicorn to handle; he screamed, rather lady like, and fainted.
*******************************************************************************************
Ian let out a hearty chuckle when the arrogant young noble fainted. Such tricks were one of
his favorites to use when he broke someone of weak will for information; but for this little
prank, it had worked perfectly. A door opened and the maid walked in, obviously alerted to
something amiss by the rather effeminate scream from the prince, and froze with fear at the
sight before her of the human, standing over and laughing at an unconscious Blueblood.
“Fear not, the prince has scared himself silly and fainted. He claimed he was hearing things,
screamed, and fainted. Tell me madam, is he always so paranoid?” said Ian chuckling.
“N-no sir. He is normally very-” Began the maid nervously.
“Cruel, uncaring and selfish. I saw how he treated you miss?”
“T-Tealeaf milord, my name is Tealeaf.” she said nervously.
Ian brought himself down to eye level with the young mare and adjusted his glasses.
“You needn’t call me milord or your grace; you may call me Ian. It is very nice to meet
you Tealeaf.” said Ian offering a hand. Tealeaf shook laid her hoof in his hand and
he gave her a gentle, yet firm hoofshake.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Ian.” she said with more confidence.
“There you go, now, if you would kindly fetch a few guards to take sleeping sleaze
ball here to his room before he begins to stink up the place? I would be much obliged;
oh, and if he pushes having you fired, let me know and I will stand up for you.” said Ian.
“Thank you Ian!” she giggled before trotting off to get some guards. Ian just chuckled to
himself, sat at the table, and began to read the documents before him and take notes on
a data slate he had brought with him. Thus began the arduous task of researching the history
of Equestria and the search for its links to the Imperium.
************************************************************************************************************
The next day, Ian arose at eight in the morning: for Ian, this was sleeping in, and after the
long night of research, he did not mind sleeping in at all. The first thing Ian decided to do
was check up on his roommate. He grabbed his crutch and proceeded to the living room.
Upon entering the living room he was greeted by the sight of Rarity and Applejack sitting
on the sofa chatting. The soft thumping of Ian’s crutch on the floor as he walked caught
their attention.
“Hi Ian!” said Applejack in her friendly manner quite used to the sight of Ian using his
crutch and without his prosthetic limb. Rarity on the other hand was staring agape.
“Miss Rarity, are you attempting to catch insects?” asked Ian mischievously.
“I’m sorry darling, it is impolite to stare I know, but what happened to your leg!?”
she asked with concern.
“I lost it a long time ago to save the life of a friend; so it was well worth it in the end
and I would gladly give any limb or even my life to protect one of my friends.” replied Ian
matter of factly.
“How can ya be so fearless? Ah mean hay, even Ah would be terrified facin’ off against
some of the stuff you do, and Ah don’t scare easy; you can ask any of mah friends.”
admitted Applejack.
“I would give my life willingly because I know that when I die, I will see my family again;
and we will all be by the Emperor’s side in the final battle against the dark powers.”
said Ian nostalgically.
“That is just; beautiful. Sad, but beautiful Ian.” said Rarity.
“Ah agree, but don’t get yerself killed Ian. None of us wanna see ya dead.” stated
Applejack with some worry.
“Worry not; I do not plan on dying anytime soon. Besides; the Emperor has a time
and place planned for my death and thus I do not concern myself with it. I leave it
up to him.” replied Ian with a smile whilst thinking to himself 'If you really want to make
the Emperor laugh, tell him what you're plans are'.
“Off such a depressing topic as death, are you going to meet me for measurements
today Ian? I would like to make you a nice new uniform for the ball next week.” asked
Rarity with a smile.
“Yes of course. Just allow me to get my leg on and get dressed and ready for the day
and I will meet up with you at breakfast. By the way do you take gold bars for payment?”
asked Ian.
“Please darling; do not worry about payment. Consider this a welcome gift from me.”
she said smiling sweetly.
“Ah, well um, thank you very much Miss Rarity.” replied Ian a bit stunned.
“Please darling, just Rarity will do. All of my friends call me Rarity, and you can consider
me a friend if you want to.” she said kindly.
“Thank you then Rarity. I will go and get cleaned up and assembled; then I shall meet you
two at the breakfast table.” said Ian.
“Sure thing Ian, see ya there!” said Applejack.
Ian moved back towards his room while Applejack and Rarity left to go to the dining hall. It
was a long walk and the two mares decided to chat a bit on the way.
“So Applejack, what do you think of Ian?” asked Rarity.
“He’s really nice. Ah feel really bad fer him and all; no one deserves to go through
what he’s been through.” said Applejack.
“Oh no dear; I mean do you find him handsome?”
“Rarity! What the hey kinda question is that! Ah’m already seein’ some pony, plus
he’s only been here a few days! And on top of that ponies and humans don’t go together!”
replied Applejack.
“Applejack dear, you are blushing!” said Rarity with a ladylike laugh. Rarity was right.
Applejack’s cheeks were red as a ripe apple.
“Oh crabapples! Cant ya just leave me alone about it!?” snapped Applejack.
“I’m sorry darling I was just curious.” replied Rarity with a snicker.
**************************************************************************************
When Ian finally got to the dining hall, he found the element bearers and Princess Luna
waiting for him at the table. Celestia was not present as she was at court. The princess
of the night smiled at the inquisitor’s arrival. He was dressed in another Cadian style uniform,
complete with a peaked cap, jodhpurs, riding boots and a glimmering gorget. The Imperial
Aquilas had all been replaced with stylized inquisitorial letter “I’s”.
“Good morning Ian, I take it your study session went well with our obnoxious and disliked
nephew?” asked Luna with a smile.
“Oh it went well even without him. You see he began acting rather strangely and then he
just shrieked and fainted. It was really the strangest yet most hilarious sight I have seen
in years.” said Ian with a mischievous chuckle.
“Wait, what happened?” asked Twilight.
“Last night I came upon Prince Blueblood mistreating one of the maids. He even made
her cry. After what AJ had told me about him and how he managed to offend her and
Rarity, it was time for him to pay the piper.” said Ian.
“But Princess Luna, didn’t you say he was claiming to hear voices in his head or something?”
asked Pinkie Pie.
“Amazing what one can do with telepathy and years of physical training.” Ian
answered for her, still grinning.
“Yes, he did say you had quite the grip.” chuckled Luna.
“So you have magic where you are from?” asked Twilight.
“To those who do not understand the mysteries of psychic power, I suppose it would
be magic. And yes, I am a psyker. My abilities are telepathy, and the ability to look into
the mind and soul of an individual. This makes it very easy to tell if someone is lying or
what they are thinking.” replied Ian sipping at his coffee.
“Oooh! Oooh! What am I thinking about! said Pinkie Pie appearing suddenly in front of
Ian on the table making him nearly spit his coffee in surprise. Ian focused and narrowed
his eyes at her.
“Chocolate Chip Pancakes.” replied Ian.
“Oooh! He’s good!” said Pinkie clapping her hooves together excitedly.
“So what exactly happened with our royal pain in the flank nephew?” asked Luna with a
wide grin.
Ian proceeded to tell the whole story from when Applejack had told him about how Blueblood
had treated Rarity and her to the part where Ian had scared him witless. It drew a lot of laughs,
especially from Luna and Rarity. After breakfast, Ian went with Rarity to get his measurements
taken before he continued on with his research. Rarity was very good at her work, and had Ian
measured perfectly in under an hour. After the quick measurement session, Ian went to the
library where he found Twilight waiting for him with the materials he had been studying the
previous day.
“Good morning again princess.” said Ian with a curt bow.
“Oh, Hi Ian. I got this stuff ready for you to continue researching; do you think I could join in?
It would be nice to have a study buddy.” said Twilight.
“It shouldn’t be a problem; I am already a good way through the texts that Princess Celestia
gave me access to. She was not joking when she said not much survived.” said Ian
motioning to the ten leather-bound books in front of them. They were not very large books
either, and Ian had read through the first five rather quickly and easily.
“I must ask, what happened with the fire about six years ago. Celestia seemed very distraught
when she mentioned it?” asked Ian.
“It was awful. Several ponies died before she could save them, and she felt she could have
done more. The fire itself was an accident; some pony accidentally dropped a lantern one
night before closing hours and the fire went almost out of control.” said Twilight sadly.
“That is a great tragedy in deed. A crown can be such a heavy weight to bear.” replied Ian
sadly making a note on his data slate.
“Yeah, tell me about it.” sighed the lavender alicorn. Ian and Twilight studied at the table until
sundown, when dinner was served.
****************************************************************************************************
When Ian and Twilight arrived at the dinner table they were greeted by the
sight of the element bearers, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Princess
Celestia; with Luna running her night court, she was not present.
“Welcome Ian, it is good to see you well. I owe you a debt of thanks for putting my nephew
in his place. Poor Tealeaf has enough trouble without him tormenting the poor dear.” said
Celestia, clearly disappointed in her nephew.
“It was really nothing. I hate bullies.” said Ian seriously.
The conversation at dinner was nice and lighthearted. Rarity told Ian she would have his
uniform complete in the next few days, while Rainbow Dash asked him some questions about
the Astartes that she had been unable to figure out in her readings in the book that Ian had
loaned her. In all it was a very nice and peaceful little dinner. Cadence and Shining were also
trying to figure out names for their foal that was due in a few months.
“Ian, Cadence and I are trying to decide upon names for our little one when he or she is born,
any suggestions?” asked Shining. Ian thought for a minute before voicing his thoughts.
“For a girl, or filly, Celestine, and for a boy, or colt, Dante; those are the two names that come
instantly to mind.” replied Ian.
“Very interesting, are they popular names in the Imperium?” asked Cadence.
“They are the names of two of mankind’s greatest heroes. I can tell you their stories if you
wish, and with her majesty’s permission.” said Ian. Celestia gave him a nod that signaled
to go ahead, as did Cadence and shining. Twilight pulled out a pen and quill as Ian told
the story of Lord Dante of the Blood Angels, and then the story of Saint Celestine of the
Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. At the ending of the story of Saint Celestine,
several ponies had tears in their eyes.
“So… she just died? Just like that?” asked Rainbow Dash trying not to cry.
“No one knows Miss Dash. They never found her body.” replied Ian.
“So she may still be alive?” asked Rarity.
“It is a possibility; I for one certainly hope she is. She was truly touched by the Emperor.”
said Ian with a hint of awe in his voice.
“I would certainly like to meet this Lord Dante someday.” said Shining Armor.
“Who knows, maybe someday you will.” said Ian with a smile.
“So you said that Lord Dante is head of the Blood Angels? Isn’t your brother a Blood
Angel too?” asked Rainbow Dash excitedly.
“That he is, and actually Malachi is my half brother. Father was an Inquisitorial representative
to the Blood Angel’s home world of Baal as he had been a native of the planet just as my
entire family line. In his younger days, dad was quite cavalier…” said Ian with a chuckle.
“Uhm, what does cavalier mean?” asked Fluttershy innocently.
“It means he was quite popular with the mares.” said Rarity with a ladylike
chuckle that made Fluttershy blush beat red, making everyone laugh.
“That was until he met my mother later on. She was a commissar in the Imperial Guard. The
Guard is the Imperium’s main military force; and she was attached to the 117th Death Korps
of Krieg regiment to be precise. They met when my father requisitioned her regiment to bring
down a Chaos cult. Dad said it was love at first sight. They got married about a year after they
had finished the mission and nine months later I was born on Laureus IX, where dad taught at
the Schola Progenium, the school that trains future inquisitors, commissars, and other agents
of the emperor; and mom ran the family farm. She had been discharged after dad had recruited
her for his retinue.” said Ian with a smile.
“So, did you take after your father and chase the ladies around?” asked Rarity with a grin.
“No, I was always the more bookish type, but back to my brother. I did not know I even
had a brother until about 7 years ago when I was lying on a battlefield dying of exsanguination,
or blood loss; it was right after I had lost my leg. I had fainted and woke up aboard an Astartes
vessel and came eye to eye with a young battle brother. Little did I know he was also my
brother. He and I talked for a long while; when we happened to land for refueling on Laureus
IX, dad cameand introduced us. You see he had kept in touch with Malachi’s mom after he
found out they’d had a son, and she let him know that Malachi had been recruited by the
Blood Angels.” said Ian.
“That’s so awesome!” said the cyan pegasus.
“It makes my heart swell with pride; the Astartes are the finest warriors we have.” replied Ian.
This was the first time he had told anyone this much about his past, but these were good
memories: memories worth remembering.
*******************************************************************************************************
A few nights later.
The massive ballroom was packed with the upper crust of the Canterlot elite, as well as
foreign dignitaries from the Holy Griffon Empire, The Diamond Dog Kingdom, Saddle
Arabia, and other realms around Equestria. Ian stood between Celestia and Luna in
the new suit that Rarity had made him. It was more of a uniform than a suit, with a white
tunic and gloves, and black slacks. The buttons, cufflinks, and gorget that Rarity had built
to go with it were made of gold, and set with green gems that matched Ian’s eyes. The boots
had been tricky for Rarity but she had been able to find some faux leather and made a fine
pair of dress boots that went perfectly with the suit. On his belt hung Ian’s ever present
Inquisitorial rosette, and on his chest was an inquisitorial pin made of adamantium as well as
several medals that he had been awarded by various imperial guard regiments out of respect
for his bravery. The ponies and dignitaries were all formally dressed; even the princesses
were dressed up for the occasion. Celestia wore a fine white dress, while Luna wore a dark
blue dress uniform that displayed her position as commander of the Equestrian military.
Ian had finished a great deal of his research on Equestrian history and had indeed found that
the Emperor had been responsible for the creation of the Alicorns; he was ready to begin
phase two of his research; the study of Equestrian culture, philosophy and religion. Tonight
however was a night to meet the other races that had inhabited the world of Equis Prime. As
Celestia and Luna greeted the various guests, they introduced Ian to them. Many of the
attendees were stuffy Canterlot nobles and upper crust merchants that made Ian want to
gag in disgust at the sheer aura of superiority they believed they possessed.
“So Ian what do you think of the ball Pinkie Pie organized for you?” asked Luna.
“She went to a lot of trouble to do this didn’t she?” asked Ian.
“It was difficult for her as she normally organizes informal events such as surprise parties,
but she did it. She also has an after part planned as well that is much less formal.” replied Luna.
“That I look forward too. While I can respect pomp and pageantry, I do not like it much.” said Ian.
Ian was soon introduced to another visitor; the ambassador of the Holy Griffon Empire,
and his daughter.
“Ah, Ian; this is Ambassador Honoris of the Holy Griffon Empire, and his daughter Gilda.”
said Celestia introducing the two griffons. The Ambassador was a large griffon, just a
bit smaller than Princess Celestia; he had dark brown feathers and a white feathered head.
He wore a dark blue uniform with shining polished gold buttons and hung with various medals.
On his head polished silver spike helmet that reminded Ian of the ones worn by the Prussian
Cuirassiers of ancient Terra. His daughter was wearing a dark blue ballroom dress.
“It is an honor inquisitor, our news griffons covered the conference well.” replied Honoris.
“I am glad to hear it; it is an honor to meet you as well ambassador.” replied Ian as the two
shook hand and claw. After a bit of chatting, the ambassador took his leave to hit speak with
the other dignitaries.
Ian and the princesses were joined a bit later by the element bearers; all of whom were
wearing high quality dresses. There was also another pony with them; standing next to
Rainbow Dash was a stallion with a light blue coat and dark blue mane.
“Well howdy Ian, yer lookin’ mighty spiffy! said Applejack looking at Rarity’s work.
“Why thank you AJ, Miss Rarity does an excellent job.”
“Absolutely, she designed all of our dresses, no one beats Rarity when it comes to fashion.”
said Twilight.
“Oh Twilight, you’re too kind.” said Rarity.
“I don’t know, I do not see any dresses as nice as the ones you are all wearing.” offered Ian.
“Hey Ian, I wanted you to meet my coltfriend.” said Dash introducing the stallion standing
beside her.
“Ah, it is good to meet you. I am Inquisitor Ian Ludones, but you may call me Ian.”
“It’s good to meet you Ian. I’m Soarin of her majesty’s Wonderbolts Aerial team.” replied the
stallion.
After a bit of talking Ian sat down with the element bearers at a table and watched other
ponies dance. No one but Ian had noticed the nobles at the table behind them giving
them disapproving looks… and being none too subtle in conversation. It did not take
long for the conversation to be heard by the rest of Ian's table.
“My my, why does Miss Rarity, Princess Twilight and the Inquisitor sit with those ruffians?”
asked a unicorn in an arrogant accent.
“I know! That pink one is a complete fool and that rainbow maned one is nothing short of a
barbarian!” said a well dressed earth pony.
“Ugh, and that one that runs the farm! Farm work is soooo dirty and farmers are the most
uneducated and stupid lot around!” said a third noble. Ian by this point had heard enough,
and he could sense the aggravation and embarrassment from his friends.
“We sit with them because they are good honest folk; unlike the pit of vipers I see before
me. Do you think I was always an Inquisitor? I was born and raised on a farm you
pompous windbag.” he said standing and rounding on the now terrified nobles. "What?
did you think I couldn’t hear you? I may be near sighted but I am by no means deaf.”
said Ian adjusting his glasses.
“B-b-b-b-” began one of the nobles.
“No, you will listen. The ‘pink fool’ as you have called her, went to a great deal of trouble to
prepare this ball, and miss Rainbow Dash may be a barbarian in your eyes, but her
bravery and loyalty to her friends would impress many of my colleagues back home.
You, however, are naught but spoiled children who get everything handed to you!”
said Ian with some well controlled anger.
“You cannot talk to me like that! I am a noble!” said a red unicorn with a purple mane.
Ian stooped to eye level with the stallion and fixed him with a very serious gaze.
“Let me tell you something about nobility; I have executed more arrogant nobles who got in my
way than I can even remember: the last one to cross me was the governor of an entire planet.
He learned how to fly without wings and it was the last lesson he learned. What makes you
think I give a damn and a half about your titles and ranks?” spat Ian. The nobles sat in
horrified awe as the inquisitor’s unflinching gaze swept over them, his green pupils burning
with anger. No one happened to notice Princess Celestia approaching the situation.
“What is going on here?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“Why don’t you ask them your majesty? I need some fresh air; there is a foul stench emanating
from their table.” replied Ian turning back to the element bearers and fiddling with his
spectacles. “Anyone care to join me?”
While Celestia scolded the rude nobles, the small party moved out to the gardens where the
after party was to begin.
“Wow Ian, you really don’t take guff from anyone!” said Rainbow Dash hovering next to him
with Soarin next to her.
“When someone insults my friends or the company I keep, they insult me as well.”
replied Ian.
“You really consider us friends? Even though you have only been here about a week?”
asked Twilight.
“Well, yes. You six, the princesses, Shining and Cadence have shown me great kindness
where I am normally met terrified awe, complete incompetence, or a hail of gunfire: so yes
I would consider you lot friends.” replied Ian. The six friends felt their hearts swell with joy
at Ian’s admission.
“So, I heard something about an informal after party?” asked Ian.
“Yeah! We can start right away if ya want Ian! replied an excited Pinkie Pie.
“That would be best I think; if I go back in there I may not be able to take responsibility
for my actions.” said Ian with a smile.
“Wow, ya really don’t like nobles do ya?” asked Applejack.
“It’s not that at all AJ, I just dislike rude, pompous fools who believe themselves better
than everyone else because of their position in society. Back in the Imperium I have a
quite a few friends in the nobility. Replied Ian
“Hey, uh, guys?” came a voice from behind them. Ian recognized it was the voice of the
daughter of the Griffon ambassador. The element bearers gave her a rather disapproving look.
“What do you want Gilda? To be a jerk to me and my friends again?” asked Rainbow Dash
flying up and getting in the Griffon’s face.
“No; I wanted to say I’m sorry for how I acted back then. I was going through a really hard
time; and I just… I just became a total jerk. How I treated you guys is inexcusable. If you
don’t forgive me, I’ll understand.” said Gilda closing her eyes and preparing to be turned
away. What she got was a hug from her old friend.
“Gilda; I forgave you a long time ago; heck I’m pretty sure everypony has.” said Rainbow Dash.
“It’s like water under the bridge!” added Pinkie Pie.
“Really Gilda, we forgive you.” said Fluttershy in an unusually outgoing manner.
“See? Now come on, we’re gonna have a kick flank after party away from those stuffy nobles
before Ian launches one through a window!” said Dash.
“A sight I would not mind seeing myself.” said the motherly tone of Princess Celestia whose
arrival no one had noticed. Beside her stood Princess Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor.
“Your majesty-” began Ian, but stopped when the sable Alicorn held up a hoof.
“No need to explain yourself Ian. What those nobles did was wrong, and I am
glad that you put them in their place and they have been sent home for their bad behavior.
Now, how about we get this party started.” she said happily.
The rest of the night was just as fun and informal as Ian could have asked for. The music was
good, the food was great, and on top of it all, it was a great relief for Ian from the constant
researching the history of Equestria. Unfortunately for Ian, sleep that night would be a torment
far worse than anything employed by the Ordo Malleus.
****************************************************************************************************************
Later that night.
The halls of the Palace were silent. The party had ended at one in the morning and everyone
in the palace save the night shift of the royal guard and Princess Luna with her nocturnal court
were asleep. In the shared suite, Applejack awoke to loud noises coming from Ian’s room. She
got out of bed and went to investigate. When she reached the door, she knocked.
“Ian? You alright in there?” she asked.
*****************************************************************************************************************
Ian looked around at the destruction before him. He stood at the center of a city that looked
as if it had been smashed asunder by the fist of the God-Emperor himself; all around the city
was a barren, ashen, wasteland. As he looked however, shapes stirred from within the
buildings; shapes he recognized: humans, but made from ash. He saw PDF troopers, members
of the enforcers, farmers, doctors, and citizens from all walks of life. They were surrounding
him and pointing accusingly at him; but that was not the worst part of it. Front and center were
his mother, father, and sister; all of them leveling their fingers at him.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT! DAMN YOU! CURSE YOU! YOU KILLED US! screamed a chorus of
thirteen billion souls. Ian felt the tears fall involuntarily from his eyes.
“I’m sorry… I am so sorry.” was all Ian could say.
The shapes of the dead disappeared before him, and the city turned to ash blowing in the wind:
the bits of ash became a whirlwind that made the unmistakable form of a space marine. This
however, was no loyal space marine: his armor was a deep red with worn silver trim, and
spikes and horns had formed on its surface. The cloak that the traitor marine wore was made
from human leather, and in his hand he carried a great mace. The helm he wore had two sets
of horns, and his left pauldron bore a silver eight pointed star, while the right bore the ensign
of a screaming daemonic skull wreathed in flame: the Latros Sacrum; insignia of the twisted
Word Bearers Legion.
“Apologize to them all you wish. You will never have closure. You failed to protect them,
just as you will fail to kill me; and you shall live in the knowledge of your failure, and I
shall continue to bask in the glory of my masters.” said the cruel voice of the dark apostle.
“YOU ARE A DAMNED COWARD KOL AGILOR! You fled like a coward when I
challenged you! You fled like a coward when the God-Emperor’s fleet arrived! I
swear to the God-Emperor, I will kill you one day you bastard!” Ian yelled angrily
at the dream apparition before him.
“Swear to your false emperor all you wish, it will do you no good. I am done speaking to you,
have a free trip back down memory lane on me.” said the twisted apostle before he turned
once again to ash on the wind.
“I WILL KILL YOU!” roared Ian.
“We shall see little man. We shall see.” were the last words uttered by the chaos lord as
he faded to dust.
************************************************************************************************************************
Normally Applejack did not break her own rules, but upon hearing Ian’s yelling, she opened
the door to find the inquisitor tossing and turning, and yelling in his sleep. Applejack trotted
over and began shaking the human in an attempt to wake him from his nightmare.
“Ian, Ian wake up!” she said shaking him. After about a minute of shaking him,
Ian sat bolt upright and wide eyed in the bed. He was dripping with perspiration and
tears ran down the sides of his face and gasping for breath. The orange farm pony
put her hooves around the distressed man and gave him a hug.
“It’s alright Ian. It was only a nightmare. Yer okay.” she said softly. Ian returned the
hug still breathing in short gasps.
“Thank you AJ. Thank you.” replied Ian.
View Online
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 6: New Lodgings and Shocking Discoveries
Three months had passed since Ian’s arrival, and his research was developing
into an excellent preliminary report that he would hopefully soon present to the
High Lords of Terra. Applejack had visited him at the palace every now and again
on the weekends and Rainbow Dash was in Canterlot regularly to visit with Soarin.
He also met with Princess Twilight quite often as she was in the capital quite a bit.
Celestia and Ian walked through the serene peace of the Canterlot gardens; it was
a beautiful spring morning and perfect for a peaceful walk. Canterlot was such a
bustling and busy city that one could easily get lost in the busy routine of politics;
especially in the royal court.
It had been a long two months since Ian had arrived. He had visited the major
population centers of Equestria with the princesses and had also gotten to review
the Royal Guard. However, Ian and Celestia both agreed that the best way to learn
about the culture of a nation was to experience it firsthand amongst normal everyday
down to Equis ponies rather than the stuffy Canterlot elite that he had been living amongst.
The princess had decided to direct him to the town of Ponyville, which was just in sight of
Canterlot. It wouldalso give him an opportunity to learn more about the Elements of Harmony
by spending more time with the bearers of the elements.
“So, you are sure I will not frighten your subjects just by my sheer presence Your Majesty?”
asked Ian.
“The reception of the newspaper articles were very good, I doubt you will scare them Ian
as long as you don’t do anything brash.” replied Celestia.
“That’s plenty easy enough princess.” said Ian, suddenly noticing a white Unicorn standing
near some rose bushes.
“What is it Ian?” asked Celestia noticing a mischievous grin come over Ian’s face.
“Wait just a tick your majesty.” said Ian halting and reaching out with his telepathy towards
the unexpecting Prince Blueblood.
****************************************************************************
Prince Blueblood so enjoyed the garden. He loved to sniff the flowers and take in the
weather was nice and the spring was his favorite time of the year. He looked at his
favorite plants, the roses. They were so beautiful, and beginning to bud. This was also
the only place he found where that terrible voice left him alone. That was when his face
paled as he heard an eerily familiar voice.
“Roooosebuuuuds….” it whispered ominously. The prince paled and let out a high pitched
shriek before fleeing so fast he ran into the door and dazed himself, but quickly got up and
ran back inside. As soon as he was out of sight, Ian turned around with a wicked grin on his
face; and both he and Princess Celestia burst out laughing.
“Let me guess, he was harassing the staff again?” giggled Celestia.
“Nope, just figured I would give him a parting gift.” chuckled Ian.
****************************************************************************
It was just another day in Ponyville town square. Applejack stood behind her apple stand
selling fresh apples and baked goods that had made Sweet Apple Acres famous across
Equestria. Sales were good, and that was a good thing because it kept the farm going. A
shadow passed over the apple stand and she looked up to see a sky chariot with two familiar
faces. One was Princess Celestia, the other was Ian. Many of the townsponies had never
before seen the human up close and some were rather scared of the Inquisitor.
“The horror! The horror! Shouted one mare with a trio of lilies on her flank.
“Oh come now, I can’t be that ugly.” said Ian with a friendly grin that drew a few laughs from
some of the townsponies. He and the princess then hopped off. Ian’s other supplies would be
arriving by train within a few hours. He was wearing his witch hunter hat and long coat over
his Cadian uniform, and on his belt was the ever present trio of the inquisitorial rosette, bolt
pistol, and powered bowie knife, while under his arm was a beautiful but heavy looking
cherry wood box that Applejack knew contained Dread Bane. He and Celestia were soon
greeted by the element bearers and a tan earth pony with the “heraldry” as Ian had dubbed
it in his reports, of a scroll on her flank. The term “cutie mark” in the final copy of a formal
report to the High Lords or Lord Coteaz would make him a laughing stock at best, and most
likely dragged out and beaten at the worst; and so he had changed it for formality’s sake.
“Hey Ian! Good to see ya finally decided to visit us here in Ponyville.” said Applejack with a smile.
“Actually, I will be continuing my work here in Ponyville, as per the advice of Princess
Celestia.” replied Ian.
“So what will you be doing here?” asked Rarity.
“I will be studying the life and culture of the average citizens of Equestria. I can only learn so
much from the upper crust ponies in Canterlot. I also wanted to learn more about the Elements,
and the princess suggested the best way to do so was to spend more time around the Element
Bearers. Besides it will get me away from Blueblood.” replied Ian.
“Was he giving you trouble?” asked Twilight rolling her eyes in disgust at the sheer mention of
the prince’s name.
“Nope, he just needs a vacation from the ghost that’s haunting him.” said Ian with a smile that
drew laughter from the element bearers.
“So, where are ya gonna stay?” asked Applejack.
“Well, I will be staying at the inn. The princess was kind enough to give me a small weekly
stipend for my stay, it should take care of food and boarding until I am finished with my work
and return to the Imperium.” answered Ian.
“Aw shucks Ian, why don’t ya come with me over ta the farm and Ah’ll see if we can’t set ya up
in the guest room.” offered Applejack.
“Are you sure about that AJ, I do not wish to intrude.” said Ian.
“It shouldn’t be any trouble at all. We just need ta clear it with mah family is all.” said Applejack.
“Princess, what are your thoughts?” asked Ian.
“I think it’s a good idea, you will get to see how ponies live at home and see our real culture
first hand, and you will be living with one of the element bearers.” said the Princess.
“Alright then, sounds like a plan, lead the way AJ.” said Ian.
Before they could leave, the tan mare spoke up.
“Welcome to Ponyville inquisitor, we are glad to have you.” said the tan earth pony.
“Glad to be here, and you are?” asked Ian.
“Oh, how rude of me, I’m Mayor Mare, it is a pleasure.” said the mayor offering a hoof.
“Likewise Mayor, likewise.” replied Ian taking the hoof and shaking it. If there was one thing
that Ian trusted and disliked less than the likes of the Canterlot nobility it was politicians.
Bureaucrats in particular made him especially angry at times due to their bumbling nature.
He had once had to wait a full month to finalize a death sentence for the head of a daemon
worshipping cult that he had captured because one of the bureaucrats in the Adeptus Terra
building on Formosa had lost the paper work. However, the mayor seemed to be kind enough,
and he kept his opinions to himself.
*****************************************************************************
Ian and Applejack talked with the other element bearers as they walked towards Applejack’s
farm. When they came into view of the farm, Ian was impressed by the sheer size of the main
barn of Sweet Apple Acres. His family’s barn back on Laureus IX had been a very impressive
one but had lacked the beautiful architecture that was seemingly common place here on Equis
Prime.
“A very nice barn AJ, I have never seen such beautiful architecture.” said Ian.
“Why thank ya Ian.” said Applejack with a smile. When they finally reached the farmhouse,
they were greeted by a large red draft stallion with a green apple on his flank and a rickety
looking old pony sitting in a rocking chair. A border collie also sat on the porch growling at
Ian.
“Ian, this is mah brother Big Macintosh, and mah grandmother, Granny Smith. Granny, Mac;
this is Ian Ludones, he’s the human y’all read about in the papers, and this is mah dog
Winona.” she said.
“Nice ta meet ya Mr. Ludones.” said Macintosh offering a hoof to the human.
“Good to meet you as well, and please; just call me Ian.” said Ian shaking the big stallion’s
hoof and looking him in the eye.
“Quite a grip ya got there Ian.” said Big Mac surprised by the strength of the human.
“Father always said that when you shake on something, even when meeting someone,
you do so earnestly and look them in the eye.” said Ian.
“Eeyup!” said Mac with a smile.
Next he met Granny Smith. She was less welcoming, although she put on a good front,
Ian could tell that she was very mistrustful of him. In his short career as an inquisitor, Ian
had learned well to read body language; and this had been no different here on Equis
Prime.
“Welcome ta Ponyville Mr. Ludones.” said the old mare.
“Please marm, there’s no need for formality. Ian will do.” The old mare nodded but still had
the look of ‘I got my eye on you’ on her face. Winona kept growling, but Ian offered the back
of his hand, which she sniffed before proceeding to give his hand a bath.
“Ah was wondering if we could open the guest room up ta Ian. He was going to be staying
at the inn, but Ah figured we could offer him some Apple Family hospitality.” said Applejack.
“Well, AJ looks convinced. Big Mac, you have any problem with him stayin’ here?” asked
Granny.
“Nope.” said the big stallion.
“Well Ah guess Ah’ll give ya a chance. AJ, take him up and show him the guest room.” said
Granny, clearly not pleased but not wanting to show a lack of hospitality. Applejack showed
Ian into the house, unfortunately the rather tall human had not figured on the rather low
clearance, especially after such a long time in the palace where the doors and ceilings were
very high.
*WHACK* “Ouch!” griped Ian.
“Watch yer head sugar cube, yer a might taller than any of us.” said Applejack with a
chuckle.
“Yeah, I will have to keep that in mind.” replied Ian rubbing the knot on his forehead and
fixing his glasses.
Applejack took Ian up to his new room. The bed was large and there was plenty of room,
and against the wall at the foot of the bed was a dresser on which Ian set the cherry wood
box and opened it, revealing the huge hammer. Dread Bane’s machine spirit hummed
contently, bringing a smile to Ian’s face.
“Glad you’re happy old friend.” said Ian.
“Uh, Ian; is that hammer alive?” asked Applejack with some confusion.
“In a way yes: all machines have a machine spirit that lives within them. Even my bolt
pistol, knife, and armor.” said Ian. Another metallic hum issued from the hammer.
“Yes, we are talking about you old friend.” said Ian to the hammer, before changing the
subject.
“I must ask why you invited me into your home on such short notice AJ?” said Ian.
“Uh well ya see last time ah had relatives come ta town, their stay at the inn wasn’t too
good. They complained about the rooms being messy and roaches everywhere. That
place has gotten in trouble quite a bit fer health code violations. Ah couldn’t let a friend
stay there knowing that; plus yer a friend.” replied Applejack with a smile.
“I very much thank you for your kindness AJ; I just hope I won’t be a bother to you
and your family. Your grandmother seems less than pleased with my presence at
this point.” said Ian.
“Oh don’t worry ‘bout her, once she gets ta know ya she’ll warm up ta ya.” smiled
Applejack. Ian was sure he heard a “squee” noise when she smiled but dismissed
it as being in his head.
“Well, I certainly hope I won’t be a bother, fish and company start to smell after
three days.” said Ian.
Just as Applejack was about to ask what he meant by the odd saying, Big
Macintosh walked up the stairs with a piece of paper in his teeth.
“Ian’s luggage just arrived at the train station.” said the red draft pony through
gritted teeth.
“Ah, thank you good sir, I will get under way. It will take me a few trips and I
haven’t all day.” said Ian taking the dispatch.
“If ya want ah can hook up the cart and we can get it all in one go.”
offered Big Mac.
“I would be most grateful.” replied Ian.
*****************************************************************************
Thankfully the cart was large enough to hold Ian’s entire collection of luggage and they
got everything to the farmhouse by that afternoon. Ian got everything set up in the room
within a half hour and soon found himself being given a tour of the property. The fields
were in the process of being plowed and the apple trees were in bloom. The property was
well kept; it would have made his parents proud of the Apple family for their devotion to the
upkeep of their property.
“Ian, follow me; there is a great place we can watch the sunset.” said Applejack.
“Okay, lead the way my friend.” replied Ian.
Applejack led Ian to the top of a hill, and they sat down under the shade of a tree.
The hill overlooked all of Ponyville and the surrounding valley; a sight that took Ian’s breath
away, and in the distance, the sun was setting, and Luna’s moon was rising. It was beautiful.
“AJ.”
“Yeah Ian?”
“Thank you for showing me this place.” said Ian. The two sat for a while chatting and
looking at the constellations before Applejack asked him for the time. It was 10 pm.
“We need ta be getting back. We have an early mornin’ tomorrow and Ah need mah sleep.”
said Applejack with a yawn.
“Of course, let’s get going.” replied Ian.
Ian and Applejack walked back to the house; on the way back he told her about
his family’s farm back on Laureus IX. Unfortunately, when they got back to the
house, something was off. The lights were all out, but the front door was wide
open. Applejack went to go through the front door, but was instantly stopped
by Ian, who unsnapped his holster and drew his bolt pistol, which made a slight
click as he took the safety off. Ian then reached into a small satchel on his belt
and took out a pair of odd looking goggles.
“AJ, please hold this and stay behind Me.” he said giving Applejack his hat and
removing his glasses, storing them in his satchel. Next he put on the goggles and
then flipped a switch on the side and the lenses turned green. Ian put a finger to
his lips for silence.
He entered the house quietly, sweeping left and right with the massive pistol.
The living room and entry way were clear, and Applejack was right behind him;
that just left the kitchen. As the two approached, they could hear a male and
female voice whispering unintelligibly in the darkness. Ian put his back to the
wall while Applejack got in close to the wall as she could. He gave her a nod
before swinging the corner with the pistol aimed at the two ponies behind
the counter.
“Hold it right there you- wait:” Ian clicked the safety on his pistol back on. “Big Mac what are
you doing with-” Ian’s world suddenly became a burning white light as Applejack flipped on
the light switch, not knowing the consequences for Ian.
“GAAAAHHHHH! MY EYES!” yelled Ian, who due to his temporary blindness did not
see Winona come sprinting out of the other room alarmed by his yell, but he did feel
her bite his leg…
“MY LEG!”
****************************************************************************
Ian sat in the chair rubbing at his eyes, it had been an hour and he was still seeing little black
dots. In the room with him were Applejack, Big Macintosh, and none other than Princess Luna,
who was still blushing bright red. Ian took his glasses back out and put them on,Winona,
who now sat with a rather sad look on her canine face. Applejack felt terrible for blinding Ian,
and even worse that her dog had bitten him as an indirect result. She was however happy that
Applebloom was spending the night with her friends at Fluttershy’s house and that Granny was
a sound enough sleeper that she hadn’t heard Ian yell. It was also good that no one had been
seriously hurt.
“Ian, ahm really sorr-” began Applejack, who was cut off by Ian holding up a hand.
“Don’t be. You didn’t know what would happen.” said Ian.
“So yer not mad?” asked Applejack.
“Oh, don’t think I am not mad. I am quite angry right now, just not at you.” he said glaring at
Big Mac and Princess Luna the latter of who gave him a sheepish looking smile. He could have
sworn he heard a squee noise again.
“Why are ya so mad at us?”asked Big Mac innocently.
“Leaving the front door open ya big lug! We thought somepony was breakin’
into the house, and with how sound you sleep I was pretty worried mahself!”
answered Applejack with a cross look on her face before Ian could start.
“Well Granny’s upstairs reading” said Mac in his defense.
“Mac; you know as well as Ah do that she couldn’t hear a dump truck crashin’ into a
dynamite factory.” stated Applejack with a look that said ‘you should know that’.
“Sorry AJ.” said Big Mac.
“So Princess Luna, how long have you and mah brother been seeing each other?”
asked Applejack.
“We have been dating since a few weeks after the Hearths Warming Eve pageant; we
have been friends since Nightmare Night when we- I visited.” said Luna.
“Mac, Is this true?” asked Applejack.
“Eeyup!” replied Macintosh with a smile.
“And ya didn’t bother tellin’ anypony in yer family?!” Applejack spat with some anger.
“We were both… worried. The press would hound you relentlessly, and I would feel bad if
they were to do so.” replied Luna.
“Well just imagine what’d happen if Applebloom saw y’all kissin’ here in the kitchen! The
whole town would know by the end of the next day!” said the orange farm pony with ire.
A bit of arguing between the ponies broke out until Ian cleared his throat.
“If I may interject here?” asked Ian raising a hand. Everyone looked at him. “Next time
you two are going to neck in the kitchen; For the love of the God-Emperor, close the front
door; maybe even hang a towel on the door knob so we know it’s you and I don’t come
through the door ready to shoot someone.” finished Ian, holding an ice pack to his leg.
After a moment of awkward silence filled the room everyone in the room burst out laughing
at the comedy of the situation, even Ian. With that the conversation ended and everyone
went to bed, and Luna, with a kiss to her coltfriend, went back to the palace, while
Applejack and Ian walked up the stairs.
Applejack found herself admiring the young inquisitor. He had gone through the door ready
to protect her family and property from harm at the risk of his own life; and she had to admit
to herself: she did find him attractive. He was kind despite the cruelty of the universe around
him; he felt guilt over the lives of the innocent that were lost; and despite the great tragedy in
his past, he continued to soldier on, and she admired that about him. She found herself
blushing quite a bit as she got into her room, and remembered Rarity’s teasing at the palace
a few months prior.
“Gee thanks a lot Rarity!” she thought to herself as she saw her cheeks turning a bright
red in the mirror. Applejack suddenly shook her head; what in the name of Celestia was she
thinking! He wasn't even a pony and he had had told her right out his first night the
consequences such a relationship would bring; and besides that, she had a good coltfriend
that she loved. She looked at the picture of her and Caramel on her vanity and smiled.
Tomorrow, maybe she would introduce him to Ian.
*****************************************************************************
The next day Applejack awoke early to find Ian in the kitchen with a mug of coffee and
surprisingly dressed in blue jeans and a button down shirt with a light jacket.
“I figured I would help you out this morning, Mac has a head start, so we best get
moving.” said Ian.
With Ian’s help, the morning chores were done in half the time that it normally took and
soon Ian and Applejack were sitting on the porch. Ian had changed back into his uniform
and greatcoat complete with hat, rosette, knife and pistol.
“Hey Ian, you up ta goin’ in ta town with me today? I wanna introduce ya to Mah
coltfriend.” said Applejack.
“Why not? I need to go into town as it is and meet Princess Twilight in the library.
She has some books for me about the elements and their history, maybe we can
swing by the library and then you can introduce me to him. By the way, why does the
princess live here rather than in the palace with Princess Celestia and Luna?”
asked Ian.
“Well, Twi prefers us regular ponies to them fancy Canterlot ponies. She goes
there fer court duty sometimes, but that’s about it.” replied Applejack.
“Ah, that explains it. I cannot blame her myself.” replied Ian.
The walk to town was about 20 minutes and went by fast as Applejack told Ian
about how she had met Caramel and how they had started dating right after Twilight’s
first Winter Wrap Up, a holiday which she had to explain to Ian. The visit to the library
had been quick as Twilight was up to her ears in paperwork for the weekend. Ian and
Applejack then made their way to Caramel’s house and noticed the front door ajar.
Applejack looked at Ian, who shrugged and then pushed the door open, which slightly
groaned; but not loud enough to distract Caramel from what he was doing. There, to
Applejack’s shock was another mare, her lips locked with those of her now ex-coltfriend.
Caramel broke the kiss just in time to see Applejack’s eyes fill with tears as the normally
tough as nails mare’s heart broke, before she turned and galloped off, leaving Ian behind
giving Caramel an absolutely disgusted stare.
“What are you, and what are you looking at?” asked Caramel in a put out tone.
“What I am is a friend of the mare whose heart you have just shattered, and as for what
I am looking at; not much apparently; just another fool who didn’t know or care how good
he had It.” said Ian before turning on his heel and walking off.
*****************************************************************************
Applejack sat under the tree on top of the hill where she had shown Ian the sunset the day
before. She felt awful for abandoning the inquisitor, but the shock and grief had just been
too much. She had been seeing Caramel for a little over a year; she thought that he had
been the best coltfriend a mare could have ever asked for. She had been proven wrong today.
The tears rolled down the side of her face as her grief overtook her. What had she done?
What had that other mare had that she didn't? She asked herself these questions and more as
she sat alone. Applejack sat like this for about a half hour before she noticed Ian’s shadow
looming over her.She turned around to see Ian knelt down to her level with a sympathetic look
on his face, and he pulled the orange farm pony into a hug. Applejack kept crying, but it felt
better that she had someone who was there for her.
“Let it out AJ. Everything will be alright.” said Ian.
“Why? Why did he do that!? What did she have that I don’t?”
Applejack asked through her tears.
“Well for a start, her taste is all in her mouth.” said Ian.
“Wait, what?” asked Applejack.
“In other words, she has poor taste in stallions. If he cheated on you, he will cheat on
her. You should be glad to be rid of him AJ: one day a good, honorable stallion will come
along, and you will know if and when he is the right one. The best thing you can do is forget
about Caramel. He’s a fool for even thinking of cheating on you like that; get out there and
live your life; somepony will come along when you least expect it.” said Ian.
“Thanks Ian.” said Applejack.
“Not a problem.” replied Ian.
*****************************************************************************
Dread Bane hummed menacingly at the three little fillies that were gathered around it.
“Whaddya thank it is?” asked Applebloom.
“Well, it’s obviously a hammer.” said Scootaloo.
“Yeah, but it seems like it makes noises when we get close to It.” said Sweetie Bell.
“Well, big sis said one of the older barns needs to be torn down, maybe we can use this ta do
it! We might even get our cutie marks!” said Applebloom excitedly.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DEMOLITION EXPERTS!” The three fillies revelry didn’t last very
long when they heard someone’s throat being cleared. Standing in the doorway was Applejack
and Ian; neither of them looking too pleased.
“About using my priceless family heirloom and weapon as a sledgehammer to tear down a
barn; the answer is no.” said Ian calmly.
“S-sis… Who is that?” asked Applebloom pointing a hoof at Ian nervously.
“This is mah friend Ian. He’s the human y’all leaned about in high school and in the
newspapers: and what did ah tell ya about not snoopin’ around!?”
said Applejack strictly.
“Uh, that it’s bad manners.” said Applebloom.
“Eeyup, now you can apologize ta Ian and accept whatever punishment he’s gonna give ya.
So long as it’s within reason” said Applejack looking to Ian. She almost felt sorry for the fillies
when Ian smiled mischievously. She could almost see cogs and wheels spinning in his head.
Ian already had a punishment in mind.
“We’re sorry.” said the three fillies with an adorable look that would melt anyone’s heart; well,
except maybe Ian and some of his colleagues.
“Well, when I opened the hammer’s box up without permission, my father tanned my hide
with his belt, but that was my dad and I was his son. You three on the other hand are not my
children. I do however have a task for you; and it may even help you earn your cutie marks.”
said Ian deviously.
“Really!?” asked Scootaloo and Applebloom enthusiastically hopping up and down.
“Oh yes.” said Ian rubbing his hands together.
“We’re not going to like it are we?” asked Sweetie bell with a worried look on her face.
“No, no you are not.” said Ian looking at his power armor standing behind them.
*****************************************************************************
“This stinks.” stated Scootaloo with a look of boredom on her face.
“Awww, and here I thought you three would love my idea for Cutie Mark Crusaders
armor polishers; and I really did mean it when I said I don’t want to see one fleck of
dust on that armor or you will do it over again.” said Ian raising an eyebrow as he finished
polishing Dread Bane. He had recited the litanies of cleaning for his armor before the three
little fillies had started; better not to offend the machine spirit within the armor further.
“Yes Inquisitor.” they replied in unison.
“Very good, now keep working. The Emperor rewards those who work diligently with
release once their toil is over.” said Ian with the best shit eating grin he could muster.
***************************************************************************
Later that night.
The Books that Ian had borrowed from Twilight had very descriptive information about the
elements, but to Ian, this was just not enough: He needed more of an explanation as to what
the elements could do. He read how they had freed Princess Luna and how they had trapped
daemons in stone, but the question on Ian’s mind that was really nagging him was could it heal
someone. If the elements turned out to be a bust, then the Emperor would remain imprisoned in
the Golden Throne, and he would be banished here and look like an absolute buffoon at best or
be shot at the worst. He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on the door.
“Come in.” said Ian, who was sitting on the bed with his leg removed and with no shirt as he
had just gotten out of the shower. When Applejack stepped in, her jaw dropped at the sight of
Ian’s upper body. Applejack had not been expecting to see Ian in such a state. It was not the
fact that he had no shirt; that did not bother her one bit; it was that Ian’s body was a mass of
muscle and scar tissue.
“AJ, you look as if you have seen a ghost, are you alright?” asked Ian.
“W-Who did that to ya!? asked Applejack pointing at his scarred body.
“Well, my memory is not that good, and I really didn’t stop to ask any of them their names;
I was too busy trying not to get killed by them.” said Ian.
“So ya got all of these-”
“In various battles Applejack: some I remember better than others. This one was from a chain
sword wielded by a chaos space marine,” he said pointing to a terrible looking scar on his left
pectoral muscle: “this one was from a cultist who got a lucky stab at me with a bayonet,” he
said pointing to a scar over his ribs: “and this one was from a bolter round fired from a chaos
champion’s pistol; The Emperor had his hand on me with that one; bolter rounds normally
explode once they hit their target: that one malfunctioned and one of my friends on my retinue
dug it out of me.” finished Ian pointing to an ugly looking scar on his shoulder.
Applejack looked at the menacing suit of armor in the corner and then back to Ian.
“How did any of that get through yer armor?” she asked.
“I have only owned that armor for about a year now. Before that I wore what is called carapace
armor; it is effective, but not nearly effective as power armor like what I wear now.” said Ian.
“It must’ve hurt really bad.” she said still staring at the scars.
“Most of them did; but the Emperor judges our worthiness by our scars; not by our medals,
titles or diplomas.” replied Ian.
“Yer awfully optimistic fer someone who’s lost his leg and been cut up.” said Applejack
raising a blonde eyebrow.
“I will take that as a compliment; humanity could use a bit more optimism. Now I know you
didn’t come here just to talk about my scarred up hide and my optimism.” said Ian.
“Well; ya see ah just wanted ta say thanks again fer helpin’ me through that earlier Ian. Yer a
good friend.” said Applejack.
“Thanks AJ. You are a good friend yourself.” replied Ian warmly.
“So, uh, what’re ya gonna do once the research ya need is all written and ready ta go?”
asked Applejack.
“I will probably return to the Imperium and present my findings to lord Coteaz and the High
Lords of Terra.” said Ian.
“Will ya ever come back here?” asked Applejack with a sad look on her face.
“I certainly hope so.” replied Ian.
“I’d miss ya. Yer a good worker and good po- man.” said Applejack correcting herself.
Ian suddenly opened the drawer to his nightstand and pulled out a golden necklace with a
two headed eagle as the amulet.
“Here, I want you to have this.” said Ian.
“What is it?” asked Applejack.
“This is an Aquilla necklace that was made on Holy Terra. It has also been blessed by
Ecclesiarch Decius XXIII; the head of the Ecclesiarchy, which is our church.” he said
handing her the necklace. Applejack looked at the necklace in her hooves and as she
turned it over, found some writing on it, which she read aloud.
“Ah shall fear no evil, fer the wings of Aquilla will shield me; The Emperor protects.”
“Whenever you read that prayer, know that no matter where my travels take me AJ; you
will be in my prayers.” said Ian.
“Thank ya Ian.” said Applejack with a smile.
*****************************************************************************
Canterlot Archeological Dig Site: Canterlot Mountain.
Professor Hoof Pick was happy with the progress the team was making in the old
gem mines; although it was a forgotten part of history for many ponies, it was still a part
of Equestria’s history and should be preserved. It was nearing closing time for the day
at the dig site, and Hoof Pick sat down with one of his assistants against a rock wall.
“How is the digging going?” asked Hoof Pick.
“Very well professor. We have discovered a lot of early Equestrian mining equipment,
including-” the assistant was cut off by a deep rumbling in the earth and the rock wall
behind them beginning to crack.
“RUN!” shouted Hoof Pick. The two ponies got out of the way just in the nick of time
as the wall of rock collapsed causing a huge cloud of dust to rise; when the dust settled,
the rock wall was gone; replaced by a massive steel door, over which was the sign of a
double headed eagle. The professor had seen this insignia in the news paper; it was
worn by the human visitor.
“We need to tell the princess! Now!” said the professor.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 7: Reinforcements
Ian awoke to knocking on his door. He looked over to the clock on
his nightstand and rolled his eyes. It was eight A.M. meaning he
had unintentionally slept in. The young inquisitor sat up in bed and
cleared his throat.
“Come in.” he said groggily. The door swung open to reveal
Applejack standing calmly in the hall.
“Morning AJ.” said Ian.
“Mornin’ Ian.” replied Applejack.
“Sorry I slept in, I’m normally up two hours ago.” said Ian.
“Not a problem, but ya might wanna get up and dressed; some
royal guards showed up with a carriage and are waitin’ for ya.”
said Applejack.
“What’s going on?” asked Ian.
“Apparently somepony found somthin’ at a dig site in Canterlot, the
princess wants ya there; along with me, Twi, Dash, Pinkie, Shy, and
Rarity.” replied Applejack.
“What did they find?” asked Ian.
“Don’t know, but the guards had a file with them.” replied Applejack.
“Alright, let me get up and dressed. I am going to bring Dread Bane along;
I don’t want it used as a sledgehammer.” said Ian swinging out of the bed as
Applejack handed him his crutch.
“Here” said Applejack.
“Thank you AJ.” said Ian.
“Don’t mention it sugar cube.” she said with a smile.
*****************************************************************************
Upon arriving back at Canterlot, Ian stepped out of the train in his uniform and
witch hunter hat with Dread Bane slung across his back over his great coat,
pistol holstered at one side and knife at the other, and flanked by a small
contingent of royal guards, who took him and Applejack to the dig site where
they were met by Princess Celestia and the other element bearers.
“Ian, I did not expect to see you so armed.” said Celestia.
“Apologies marm, but I did not want my hammer used for demolition purposes.”
said Ian with an exasperated look on his face.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders?” asked Twilight.
“Yes: I even put a trigger lock on the shotgun before I left and sealed it in
an encoded case.” said Ian.
“A very prudent idea with those three.” said Twilight.
“Shall we?” asked Celestia pointing a hoof.
******************************************************************
Ian looked at the massive door before he reached into his satchel and
pulled out a small device with a probe and turned it on.
“What’s that thing?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“It is a miniature computer and scanner that I am hoping will find me a
hidden terminal that will allow me to get an idea of what this thing is.
Anything could be behind that door; could be an armory or an old
munitions factory. The possibilities are really quite endless.” answered
Ian.
A series of beeps drew every one’s attention; the small detector had
found the hidden terminal which Ian was able to get open. Unsurprisingly,
the ancient terminal was not working.
“Well, I cannot get this open.” said Ian
“I would very much like to know what is on the other side.” replied
Celestia with concern.
“I know your majesty, but my computer will not even connect with this one.
This may be a pre-heresy design, which would mean it is over 10,000 years
old, and besides, I would need a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus to get
it back up and running.” said Ian showing Celestia the plugs.
“So this door cannot be opened then?” asked Twilight.
“Oh it can but not by me. I will need to get back to Sweet Apple Acres. I just
need to get my comms equipment so I can call someone who can open this
thing. Also, we need this kept quiet, we do not know what is behind here, and
the last thing we need is curious ponies sniffing around.” replied Ian.
**********************************************************************
Ian and Twilight popped into existence in Ian’s room at Sweet Apple Acres.
The young inquisitor found the box he was looking for in his closet and the
pair of them quickly teleported back. While some humans and some ponies
would have gotten sick from teleportation, Ian was an exception. He had
taken part in his fair share of teleport deep strike missions and was pretty
used to it. The element Bearers and the Princesses followed Ian outside
where he opened the box an set up a small satellite dish like antenna and
turned the device within on; Ian then began turning dials and pressing buttons.
“What are you doing?” asked a confused Rarity.
“I am scanning for any available Imperial vessel in the area.” replied Ian.
“How do you plan on doing that? Didn’t your ship leave?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Yes the Tannenburg left, but knowing my master; he has probably sent a fleet
into the area to extract me once my mission is complete. replied Ian; not telling
the entire truth. The fleet would have also been there if he needed back up in a
situation where the locals attempted anything stupid or a Xenos or Chaos fleet
presented itself, the Imperial Navy could hopefully repel this problem. Ian just
wanted to avoid scaring his equine friends.
“Wouldn’t we have seen them with a telescope?” asked Celestia.
“Most likely not; they are probably a good distance off, and would probably
only appear as stars.” said Ian widening the range. The device suddenly
beeped, and Ian smiled.
“What does that mean?” asked Pinkie suddenly popping up right next to Ian
and nearly making him jump.
“That means that I have found the signal of an Imperial vessel.” said Ian.
Everyone listened closely as Ian hailed the ship.
“Imperial vessel please come in, over.” said Ian. Static hissed through the
speakers. Then, a voice responded back over the vox.
“This is Admiral Korsnetzov of the Imperial Navy warship Aurora; identify
yourself.” ordered the admiral.
“This is Inquisitor Ian Ludones of the Emperor’s Holy Inquisition; requesting
assistance; code word Dervish, over.” said Ian calmly.
“Authenticating…” said a voice. After about two minutes of silence, the
admiral’s voice sounded over the vox channel.
“We read you loud and clear Inquisitor Ludones. How may we be of
assistance?” asked the admiral.
“I need the skills of a particular techpriest down here on my current location;
and was wondering if you could possibly find his location or in failing that find
one that specializes in ancient technology?” asked Ian.
“What is this techpriest’s name?” asked the admiral.
“Jakob Makuroe.” replied Ian. Several seconds passed before Ian
got a reply.
“Well how about that. We have him right here on the Aurora; I will notify him
immediately and we will have him on the planet’s surface as soon as possible.”
asked Korsnetzov.
“That would be much appreciated; I am going to send you landing co ordinance
for the shuttle now.” replied Ian. A smile came to the young Inquisitor’s face; he
knew that his retinue was loyal, especially Makuroe. That tech priest was one
of his most dependable companions. “Also; do you have any troops on board;
I may need some muscle.” said Ian.
“Affirmative; we have a full company of Inquisitorial storm troopers; Lord
Coteaz’s compliments.” replied the admiral.
“Perfect, I need two full squads please.” said Ian.
“Noted, we will send them down with Techpriest Makuroe.” said Korsnetzov.
“Roger, Over and out.” said Ian.
“Over and out.” finished Korsnetzov.Ian turned to the Element Bearers and
the princesses with an optimistic smile on his face.
"Well, the door may be opened sooner than I thought."
************************************************************************
While Princess Celestia was not pleased about Ian’s request for highly trained
storm troopers, Ian explained to her that he had no idea what was behind that
door and thus wanted men who were well prepared to handle the possibility of
an Imperial security system rather than some poor royal guards ponies who
could be killed quickly due to lack of experience in encountering Imperial
technology. Nonetheless, it would take the troops about a day to arrive.
In the mean time, Ian sat and spoke with his equine friends.
“So Ian I heard you and Applejack received an unexpected visit from my
sister the other night.” said Celestia with a happy smile, earning a subtle
nudge and glare from Luna. Ian picked up on this and smirked internally.
He knew that the others did not know of Luna and Macintosh’s relationship
and that the Moon Princess wanted it kept quiet as possible. This would be
perfect payback for the rather embarrassing situation a few nights back until
he saw Luna looking at him with pleading eyes; as if begging him to keep
things quiet. Ian knew what he had to do.
“Aye, your sister was kind enough to come and check up on me and make
sure I was getting settled in alright. For that I thank you your majesty.”
said Ian.
“Oh it was nothing.” said Luna with a relieved look on her face. She knew
that her sister was happy for her, but she still wanted her relationship
with Macintosh kept quiet for the time being.
“You owe me one for that.” said Ian’s voice in Luna’s mind.
“I know; I will up your stipend.” replied Luna telepathically.
“Excellent. That will be sufficient.” finished Ian.
“So Ian, while we are waiting for the detachment to arrive, I have some
folks in Canterlot who are eager to meet you.” said Celestia.
“More pompous nobles I presume?” asked Ian raising an eyebrow.
“No, just the representatives of the other powers that be on Equis
Prime.” replied Celestia.
“Well, it may be my mission to concentrate on Equestria, but the
Imperium will eventually want to learn about the others as well;
never hurts to start early.” said Ian.
***************************************************************************
The meeting hall was alive with conversation. Representatives from all
over Equis Prime were present. Ambassador Honoris and Shining
armor were present representing the Holy Griffon Empire and Crystal
Empire respectively. They introduced him to diplomats from Germaneigh,
Saddle Arabia, the Hippogryph Clans, Gildedale, the Diamond Dog
Kingdom, Minotaur States, and the massive Changelling Empire.
Most of the ambassadors were friendly and had plenty of questions
about the Imperium and its culture, and were more than happy to
answer his questions about their cultures. The Minotaur ambassador
was very impressed by Dread Bane and jokingly asked if it was used
to knock down houses.
The Diamond Dog and Changelling ambassadors however were less
than friendly. The Diamond Dog ambassador, Count Arric De Woof
acted with an air of superiority that annoyed Ian to no end. He talked
about the ponies as if they were an inferior race, which made Ian
chuckle to himself. If the Emperor had favored the ponies; they were
anything but inferior to the other factions of this world. To his credit,
Ian kept his cool and mingled with the other representatives. The
Changelling ambassador was rather aggressive and not at all polite,
even going so far as to call Ian a monkey. Despite all of the insults
and Ian picturing Dread Bane’s massive head smashing the
insectoid’s head to a bloody pulp; the young inquisitor kept his
temper in check.
He decided to mingle with the friendlier ambassadors, and record as
much knowledge as he could on his data slate and wrote down the
Diamond Dog and Changelling ambassadors as “having a misplaced
superiority complex” for his final report. Each culture was very
interesting to Ian. The Changellings, Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs,
Griffons and Hippogryphs were rather militaristic, while Germaneigh,
Gildedale, and the Crystal Empire were all more or less client states
of Equestria and Saddle Arabia relied upon its wealth in trade and
banking to keep its lofty place in the world. Ian knew that Equestria;
despite being peaceful in its philosophy believed in peace through
superior might.
He had reviewed the Equestrian Royal Army a few months ago,
and the discipline of its soldiers and officers was strong as iron; they
were so well disciplined that Ian believed that a Mordian general would
have even nodded his approval, and after seeing how many militaristic
nations surrounded Equestria and her allies; he could tell why they had
to be ready at all times. The army was new however; instituted after the
Changelling attack on the royal wedding in Canterlot. Shining Armor
had explained to him that before this, Equestria had relied on her Royal
Guards to act as a defensive military force; but a drop in recruitment had
left the guard under manned; and coupled with the shape shifting abilities
of the Changellings it had been a recipe for disaster. It had also shown
Celestia and Luna that Equestria needed a disciplined and strong military,
and Celestia had put her sister in charge of that task. Ian realized he had
gotten lost in his thoughts when he got a hearty and friendly slap on the
back from the Minotaur ambassador; who wanted to share some war
stories.
*****************************************************************************
Applejack was walking through the halls of Canterlot Palace. It was
morning, but black shades were over the windows. When she brushed
one of the shades aside and looked out, she noticed that the royal flags
around the city were at half mast; and there was no one in the streets. It
was as if someone important had died. The farmer moved down the hall
until she came to the chapel, where she saw the sight of a long wooden
box on the altar. Standing on the dais upon which the altar was set, were
four human soldiers. They wore forest green uniforms with peaked caps
on their heads and shiny black boots on their feet. In their hands, with
bayonets fixed were rifles of some sort, what they were Applejack could
not tell. As she got closer, she noticed that the box was a casket.
“Who died?” she asked one of the troopers, who looked at her sadly.
“The Inquisitor.” replied the soldier. Applejack’s jaw dropped and she
approached the coffin. Laying within, encased in his armor was Ian, his
unmoving body lying in repose.
*****************************************************************************
Applejack awoke with a sharp gasp and her eyes wide. It had only been
a nightmare, but a bad one at that. Ian had gotten in earlier and spoken
with her about the meeting and both of them had turned in early. It was
after a minute that Applejack felt sick. The thought of losing a friend was
unbearable to her, even if it was just a dream. She got up and walked out
to the living room of the suite to see Ian sitting on the couch in his PJs.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked her.
“Nope.” said Applejack.
“Come on over and have a seat.” said Ian.
The two sat together, and she told Ian about her nightmare. Ian could tell by
her expression that the dream had greatly disturbed her.
“As I have said, I am not planning on croaking any time soon AJ and it was
just a dream. If I worried about my nightmares all the time, I would have lost
my sanity long ago. Dreams can show us what we love or fear most, while
sometimes they are premonitions, these are rare; or so I have found. One
should not concern them self with the future: fate is what we make it, and
what the God-Emperor wills. Flashbacks on the other hand; those are an
entirely different story.” he said with a sigh.
“Ya had the nightmare again didn’t ya?” she asked him.
“Yes. Not as severe as last time, but still nothing easy to relive.” said Ian.
“Do ya wanna talk about it?” she asked.
“Emperor no; I’m trying to forget it; but thank you for asking.” replied Ian with
a ghost of a smile.
“No problem sugar cube. Thank you fer talkin’ with me.” said Applejack.
“We’d best hit the hay, it will be an early morning, and I want to get as much
sleep as I can with Makuroe arriving tomorrow.” said Ian getting to his foot
and grabbing his crutch. “Maybe a quick prayer will help?” he asked.
“Uh, sure.” said Applejack a bit unsure. While she was strong in her faith,
she worshipped Celestia and Luna, but if Ian’s God-Emperor was their creator,
then he deserved at least some veneration in her eyes. Ian and Applejack
closed their eyes and bowed his heads and Ian began to pray.
“Mighty God-Emperor, we come to you in our time of unrest and worry to beg
your mercy. Grant us peace from troublesome dreams; let us not worry what
may come to pass or has already been; let us put our faith in you that we may
rest easy and thus be ready to start a new day tomorrow for your glory. In your
name this we pray: amen.” prayed Ian.
With the prayer done, the two friends went to bed and waited for morning.
*****************************************************************************
The Next morning, Ian arose at eight in the morning and brewed some coffee.
Applejack joined him and the two chatted for a bit before proceeding to the dig
\site where the door was located. Once there, they were joined by the other
element bearers, Soarin and the two princesses. No sooner had everyone
arrived than the high pitched whine of the engines of a pair of Valkyrie gunships
clad in black and red paint and bearing the signs of the inquisition were heard
as they made a low pass over Canterlot before returning and hovering over the
landing spot that Ian had indicated. The side doors opened as ropes dropped
over the sides and the storm troopers repelled down with perfect coordination
and set up a beach head of sorts. As soon as all twenty of the troopers were
on the ground, the Valkyries then dropped the ropes and shot skyward. Once
the area was determined to be secured, a trooper with a vox caster clicked the
speaker on his helmet.
“Area secure, bring ‘em in.” said the trooper. Within minutes, an Aquilla Lander
escorted by a pair of Imperial Thunderbolt fighters flew out of the clouds and
towards the landing point. While the shuttle landed, the two fighters accelerated
their speed and flew a patrol above the city. Ian was just thankful that Celestia
and Luna had briefed the guards about the flying machines. The news had also
been given information about the arrival of more humans, but had been
told that it was to set up an embassy rather than because of an old human site
that had suddenly been discovered.
“Awesome!” said Rainbow Dash watching the fighters bank and turn at high
speeds while Soarin was watching them in awe.
The shuttle’s ramp was dropped, revealing a group of ten figures. Five of them
wore the garb and armor of Techpriest Enginseers of the Adeptus Mechanicus,
easily identified by their sand red robes, power axes and servo arms: Makuroe
was front and center. The old Techpriest was a head taller than the other five and
had a bionic monocle in place of his right eye with his nose down to his chin
covered by a rebreather. Ian knew however that the old Techpriest was probably
grinning under the mask. The other five were faces that Ian knew well. Emil and
Vrens stood with broad grins on their faces, while Sister Irina stood calmly taking
in the scenery, her robes blowing elegantly over her slender body. Ian could tell by
the look on the sister Hospitaller’s delicate, porcelain white face that she felt out of
her element. Also present were Malcolm Hobbes, Ian’s calculus logi, who was
already jotting down notes on a data slate with his dark, gaunt face twisted in
concentration; and father Ivan Potalov, Ian’s confessor, and the only member of his
retinue who was from Laureus IX, and who was currently taking in the situation with
a discriminating eye. Ian knew that the wiry old priest was going to give him an ear
full next confession. Makuroe stepped forward with a large, elongated box in his hand
and spoke to Ian.
“It is good to see you Ian, Lord Coteaz says hello, and sends you an early birthday
gift.” said the Techpriest handing Ian the case.
“It is good to see you too old friend.” replied Ian taking the case with a smile. Ian could
tell by the weight of the case that it was a weapon. He also noticed the other members
of his retinue and waved them over and introduced them one by one to the princesses
and the Element bearers. Irina, Vrens, Emil, Makuroe, and Malcolm he could tell would
get along with the ponies, but Father Potalov on the other hand remained very quiet
and gave Ian a look that felt like it could set him ablaze right on the spot. He had
protested vehemently when Ian had requested aid from the Eldar during the battle for
Laureus IX, and he could only imagine how thrilled the old priest was to be in the
presence of what to him were probably Xenos. Luckily for Ian, the crusty old cleric had
left his eviscerator aboard the Aurora.
“Are you going to open your gift Inquisitor?” asked Corporal Vrens shifting his melta
gun in his arms.
“Sure, why not.” said Ian with a grin and removing the bow and sticking it on the
Kasrkin’s strong, shaved head; which drew quite a few laughs. When Ian
opened the box his chin almost hit the floor. He reached into the box and pulled
out a gorgeous melta-bolter combi weapon; which had gold writing in High Gothic
on one side and a purity seal stamped on its other side. Ian could tell from the
beautiful detail in the High Gothic writing on the side that Makuroe himself had
probably built the weapon.
“Thank you, Jakob; as usual you have outdone yourself.” said Ian.
“Only the best for you milord.” replied the Techpriest.
****************************************************************************
Upon inspecting the door, Makuroe and his Techpriests went to work. Ian had
guessed right; the door was a pre-heresy blast door and the techpriests went to
work on reviving the systems. Makuroe guessed that it would take anywhere
from a few days to a few weeks to get things up and running and was left to his
work. In the mean time, Ian decided to take a personal day, leaving Emil in
charge of the defense of the dig site. The only ponies to have access to the site
were Luna and Celestia; anyone else was to be told to leave by the storm
troopers. Corporal Vrens would keep Ian updated on any developments with his
vox caster. Everyone else was about to head for the train station to get back to
Ponyville, when Ian had an idea. Luna and Celestia took their leaves and
returned to the palace while Ian got Corporal Vrens’ attention.
“How about we get back to Ponyville in a fraction of the time it takes by train or
sky chariot?” asked Ian turning to his friends.
“I can’t teleport this many ponies and you.” said Twilight motioning with her hoof.
“Not what I meant, Corporal Vrens, would you be as kind as to call us a ride?”
asked Ian.
“Of course inquisitor.” replied Vrens clicking on his vox caster with a grin.
“Aurora, this is base camp, request taxi, over.”
“A taxi? Won’t that be a lot of money to go from Canterlot to Ponyville?! asked
Pinkie pulling a calculator out of thin air, earning her a smoldering glare from
Father Potalov. Within minutes of the request going through, another Valkyrie
gunship arrived and landed.
“Hop on in everypony.” said Ian getting in.
“A-a-are you sure this is safe?” asked Fluttershy nervously.
“I have flown in these many times Fluttershy, I am pretty sure they are safe.”
said Ian with a smile. Applejack and Rainbow Dash hopped on right behind him,
followed by Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and lastly Fluttershy and Soarin, who
despite being impressed by the machine was not all too enthused about hopping
in until Dash gave him some encouragement.
“Everyone in?” asked the pilot.
“Affirmative, proceed to the following coordinates.” said Ian handing the pilot
a piece of paper.
“Roger, proceeding to coordinates.” replied the pilot. The ponies all shared
awed looks as they felt the Valkyrie lift off the ground and take to the air. The
gunship’s engines whined as they propelled it through the air towards Ponyville.
****************************************************************************
The residents of Ponyville had stared in awe at the Valkyrie when it landed in
the center of town. A few had run and hidden behind whatever they could find,
but for the most part, the amazing machine had incited more curiosity than fear.
Twilight and her friends had found themselves being asked lots of questions
about their ride after the gunship had left. While the Element Bearers answered
questions, Ian slipped away to Sweet Apple Acres. He had decided to spend
the rest of the day relaxing on the hill side. He sat writing in his journal and
taking some much needed down time. He also looked over the new weapon
that his master had commissioned Makuroe to build: it was a work of art. The
body was blued and protected by a glossy coat of varnish, while the muzzle of
the meltagun was a darker steel color. Applejack found him shortly after she
had escaped the crowd. She had brought a picnic basket with her with enough
food for two, and had also brought something that Ian had not expected: hard
cider.
“So Ian; Ah brought us somthin’ a little bit stronger ta drink.” she said holding
up the bottle with a smile.
“Go ahead if you want, but I must respectfully refuse your offer AJ.” said Ian
shaking his head.
“Why?” she asked with some disappointment.
“I have a rather bad history with alcohol.” said Ian with some shame.
“What do ya mean?” she asked.
“It began shortly after I gave the order to destroy my home. I got very depressed,
and turned to alcohol to try and drown the memory of what I had done. It got bad;
very bad. Til one day I got to my apartment on Formosa to find the door ripped
off its hinges and all of my hooch piled in the fire place. There sitting in one of my
chairs was my master; and boy if looks could kill I would not be standing here today.
He was livid; I have seen him show more mercy to heretics than he did to me that
day. He gave me one hell of a pep talk, and told me to take my sorrows to the
Emperor rather than drown them with liquor.” said Ian.
“Ya mean ya didn’t have any whine at the party? Ah thought ya did.” said
Applejack.
“No, no I did not. I had some ginger ale and orange juice. I have to be careful
as drinking was a hard habit for me to break. Once you stop; you want to keep
as far from the stuff as possible; because if I start drinking again, Emperor only
knows if I will be able to stop again.” said Ian sadly.
“Ah see yer point.” Applejack said feeling a bit awkward and setting the booze
down behind her and grabbing a small bottle of regular apple cider from the
picnic basket and handing it to him.
“That’s better. I apologize if I offended you; I just do not want to go down
that road again.” said Ian.
“Eh, it aint any trouble at all.” replied Applejack with a smile.
“Sun’s getting low, we should be getting home.” said Ian.
“It was nice meetin’ yer friends, most of ‘em seemed friendly enough, but ah
couldn’t tell with yer metal pal in the red robes, but the feller in the black
robes seemed kinda grumpy.” said Applejack.
“Techpriest Makuroe is friendly enough, but be careful; if you get him talking
about certain things, it is like listening to Princess Twilight explain Magical
Theory: I may be a highly educated inquisitor, but I am still a simple farmer
at heart” said Ian making Applejack laugh a little, she knew exactly what he
was talking about. “As for Father Potalov, well, he is rather rough around
the edges. He is one of those who believes that anything that is not human
needs to be destroyed.” said Ian with a sigh.
“Then why do ya keep him in yer uh… what did ya call it?”
“Retinue.” stated Ian.
“Retinue?” finished Applejack.
“Well, he was my family’s priest on Laureus IX, and has served as my
confessor since I was about yea high” he said holding his hand to his hip.
“plus he is extremely loyal and I guess guilt.” finished Ian.
“Guilt?” asked Applejack.
“Yes. He was born on Laureus IX and spent his entire childhood and
most of his adult life there. It was his home long before I was born.
God-Emperor how I wish I had died that day.” said Ian sadly. He
suddenly felt a sharp pain in his good leg as Applejack smacked
him rather hard in the knee.
“Ouch! What the frag was that for?!” asked Ian with surprise, before
Applejack gave him a sudden, and nearly bone crushing hug, which
surprised him even more.
“Don’t ya dare say that! There are people and ponies that care about
ya. It hurts us ta hear ya say things like that Ian. Its one thing ta be
fearless in the face of death but ta actually wish fer it aint healthy.
Ya can’t change the past; ya just gotta keep soldiering on and use
the sadness and anger to make ya strong; aint that what you said
some of you inquisitors do to get rid of the guilt wasn’t it?” she asked
with a stern look. Ian sighed audibly. He knew she was right and that
while death would have been preferable to his failure to the Emperor,
the past was unchangeable and the Emperor had obviously wanted him
to live. The best he could do was continuing soldiering on and tell himself
that in the future he would not fail.
“You make an excellent point, had the Emperor desired my death, I would
not be standing here today. I’m sorry I said that AJ.” said Ian returning
the embrace and mentally kicking himself. He knew that the dream she
had had the other night had bothered her greatly and still most likely was,
and that this had probably bothered her as well.
“It’s ok Ian, sorry fer kickin’ yer good leg.” replied Applejack.
“Eh, it was needed. I was being a dip shit” replied Ian with a smile and
causing Applejack to laugh. The two of them let go and continued
towards home, earning her a rather loud cry of protest from a not
too far off bush.
"AW COME ON!” yelled a small white unicorn filly popping out of one of
the bushes behind them before a small orange pegasus filly grabbed her
and stuffed her back in to the bush, and leaving Ian with a rather confused
look on his face.
“Really?” asked Applejack with a slightly annoyed look.
“What in the name of the Emperor was that?” asked Ian chuckling at the
little ones’ antics.
“Mah lil sis and her friends; apparently they’ve been trying’ ta set me up
with a special somepony fer hearts and hooves day since she heard
about mah break-up with Caramel, and apparently they think that it
would be amazing ta have me hooked up with the alien visitor.”
replied Applejack with a sour look on her face. Ian continued
chuckling at this new development.
“What, I’m not good enough for you miss high class?” asked Ian jokingly
and giving a hearty laugh as he used the same line Applejack had when
she had explained her ground rules to him nearly three months ago
when they had first meant and shared the massive suite in Canterlot.
Applejack blushed a very deep red at the memory before turning around
and shouting towards the Crusaders’ hiding place.
“Y’all better skedaddle on outta here before ya end up tryin’ out Cutie
Mark Crusaders Armor Polishers again!” The three fillies ran as fast
as they could out of the bushes back towards their club house. Ian
just laughed harder. He may have laughed less had he known the
way that Applejack truly felt about him. In all reality, she would give
her front left hoof for a chance with Ian; He was honorable, kind,
and dedicated and she found him very handsome: but she knew
that it would not work. Ian had made that very clear those three
months ago.
“Applejack, are you alright?” asked Ian. She hadn’t even noticed
that she had a sad look on her face.
“Yeah, Ahm ok; it’s just that Ah do feel kinda lonely without having
him around.” she said hoping that Ian would buy it. As honesty was
her element, she was a horrible liar; but she could lie when she
absolutely needed to and pull it off.
“Applejack, you should be relieved to be rid of that two timing
sleaze ball. He would have only given you heartache.” replied Ian
with a stern look on his face.
“Don’t get me wrong, Ah wouldn’t go back ta him if he were the
last stallion on earth, Ah just feel a bit empty is all.” said Applejack.
“Well, why don’t we just hang out that day, that way you will not be
lonely. I enjoy our talks, and I do need to learn more about this
Hearts and Hooves Day as you call it.” said Ian.
“Really? You’d do that just so ah don’t feel alone?” asked Applejack.
“Yes, isn’t that what friends do when one of them is sad?” asked Ian
rhetorically with a kind smile.
“Ah- Ah don’t know what ta say; thank ya!” she said.
“It is no problem AJ; but one more thing: I ask that you do not
embrace me around my fellow humans. While I do not mind it,
some of them may find it…taboo.” said Ian. Applejack felt her
heart drop in her chest. “You can still give me a hug here and
there if need be, just be careful is all I’m asking. I am not sure
how Father Potalov or someone with a similar mindset would
react; and I would be unable to sleep at night if something
happened to you. You are a good friend Applejack; and in my
culture, those can be very difficult to come by: many of us do
not live long enough to create lasting friendships.” said Ian
sadly. This made Applejack feel somewhat sad for the
people of the Imperium, but also a little better that she was
a valuable friend to Ian and made her smile. As the sun
sank in the sky and the moon began to rise; the two made
their way home.
************************************************************************
Upon returning to the house, Ian and Applejack were greeted
by the smiling faces of Big Macintosh and Princess Luna.
“Well good evening, you two seem very happy.” said
Applejack with smile.
“Yes indeed.” said Luna; the princess was about to say more
when everyone was distracted by a sudden beeping.
“Pardon me that will be Jakob updating me on his progress.”
said Ian. He and Jakob spoke in High Gothic over the vox.
The chatter became very excited before Ian turned around
with a look of purpose in his eyes and made for the stairs
with Applejack and Luna after him.
“What has happened Inquisitor?” asked Luna.
“The door is back online and ready to be opened. He just
needs a few more minutes to hack in and shut down the
security systems. I need to suit up and get back to
Canterlot. They have sent a Valkyrie; it will be here within
twenty minutes.” said Ian.
“I must be present with you, I am the commander of
Equestria’s military and defense forces.” said Luna.
“Very well, I will be ready soon” replied Ian.
“Alright, we shall see you in Canterlot then.” said Luna
before going back downstairs.Ian suited up in his armor
in record time, just as the Valkyrie gunship arrived, he
had activated his armor and mag locked his new combi
weapon to his hip and slung Dread Bane over his back.
Ian boarded the gunship after saying a quick goodbye.
Luna had simply teleported home, so Ian would have to
just take the gunship.Ian hopped in, and the Valkyrie
lifted off the ground and took to the sky; its engines
whining as it accelerated towards the distant spires
of Canterlot.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Chapter 8: Door to the Past.
When Ian stepped off of the Valkyrie, he was greeted
by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, along with
Corporal Vrens. The princesses’ guard pony escorts were
in complete awe of Ian in a full suit of artificer forged power
armor, the likes of which had not been seen in Equestria
for over 10,000 years.
“Report Corporal.” said Ian walking past the Kasrkin.
"Techpriest Makuroe has the door back online. He says he will
have the security system down in the next few minutes milord.”
said Vrens.
“Excellent, now we just need to take a peek inside." replied Ian
checking his gear.Outside of the dig site, the storm troopers had
assembled and stood at attention as Ian approached; weapons
held out in front of them, barrels to the sky. With their masks on,
the troopers were barely distinguishable from one another; the
only differences being the special weapons troopers, vox caster
operators and the squad sergeants. Ian’s retinue, minus
Techpriest Makuroe, approached and saluted. Emil had on
a full suit of power armor; he had replaced the inquisitorial banner
with an Arbites Pattern III Law bringer shotgun loaded with slugs.
Corporal Vrens had on his ever present Vox Caster and a suit of
power armor that matched Emil’s.
When it came to the safety of his retinue, Ian spared no expense;
his father and mother had multiple, large, bank accounts that he
inherited upon their deaths and used this money to make sure that
the men and women following him into the thick of a melee or a
firefight were adequately protected. Each of the warriors in Ian’s
retinue were also equipped with a terrifying adamantine toothed
chainsword, while Vrens, who’s knowledge of Melta Weapons
and vox casters made him exceptionally valuable to Ian; toted
around his melta gun. Sister Irina had already set up a tent in case
there were injuries, and Father Potalov was blessing the soldiers
before they began their work of securing whatever was behind the door.
Just as the old priest finished, Techpriest Makuroe walked out of the
cave and approached Ian.
“The security systems are down milord.” said the techpriest calmly.
“Excellent, prepare to open the door.” replied Ian.
“Of course.” said Makuroe with a small bow of his head before turning
and walking back towards the cave. Ian turned back to the storm
troopers just as Father Potalov finished his blessing.
“Alright, we are going in boys; I have no idea what we will find in there,
and for that reason I want special weapons up front, and I want the
squads together at all times. The techpriests may have the security
systems down but goodness knows if any animals have taken up
residence in there, and from what I have read on the wild life
around here I don’t want to take any chances.” said Ian before
turning and walking towards the cave, followed closely by Corporal
Vrens. Emil then walked up to the Storm Troopers and took over
where Ian had left off.
“Alright ladies, you heard the Inquisitor and you know the drill!
Assholes and elbows let’s move!” barked the salty old Kasrkin.
The troopers didn’t need to be told a second time and jogged
off swiftly after the Inquisitor.Luna and Celestia made to follow
Ian but he stopped them.
“Sorry your majesties, I cannot allow you to come in until we
have cleared the area of any potential threats; please stay back
until we know it is going to be safe.” said Ian. Both princesses
nodded their heads and stood a good fifty yards away from the
cave as Ian and his troopers entered.
******************************************************************
Ian took point with his combi weapon with Corporal Vrens just
behind him, while Emil led the other squad.
“Go to low light: squad alpha, stack on the right side of the door;
squad bravo, stack up on the left side, stay frosty boys.” said Ian
into the vox.
“Yes sir.” came the unanimous reply. Ian then switched the Vox
channel to Makuroe’s frequency.
“We’re ready Jakob, open the door.”
“Of course.” came the Techpriest’s reply.
There was a heavy clicking noise followed by the clanking of gears as
the heavy door opened. The 2 sides split, giving off a cloud of rust
colored dust that would have caused the storm troopers and their
inquisitorial handlers hacking and gagging without their protective masks.
The doors stopped and the dust settled: the eye slits of the helmets
glowed with an eerie red light.
“Squads move in.” ordered Ian. As one the troopers moved in with their
hell guns at the ready, Ian had his combi bolter raised; Emil had his shot
gun at the ready; while Vrens had his melta ready to release a
superheated bolt of death. The inside of the vault was massive; the huge
arches and flying buttresses were clearly of Imperial origin, and every
column and support was carved from granite and decorated with Imperial
Aquilas. The massive chamber took the troopers about ten full minutes to
search before the all clear was given. Ian could tell that this place was no
weapons depot or motor pool; no, it was obvious by the massive, cylindrical,
numbered growth tanks and scientific equipment present that this was a lab;
a big one. Each tank was large enough to comfortably fit Princess Celestia.
As Ian approached the tanks, he saw that all of them had numbers, except
for a certain two. Both were smaller than the others; and one was marked
with a blazing sun while the other was marked with a crescent moon.
A quick count revealed that there were a thousand of them.
“And the Emperor created a thousand nobles to rule them and keep the
peace, while two he made to raise the world’s sun and moon and bring
the war and famine to an end: to bring the kind creatures peace before
he did ascend.” said Ian remembering the passage of the fairy tale.
Ian’s heart was now racing: if the fairy tales were correct; he was
standing in one of the Emperor’s personal laboratories. Ian looked
over to his left and saw a large desk. What was peculiar about this desk
was that it was empty; save for a large book that sat on it. Ian walked
over and picked up the heavy tome: it was an ancient journal;
covered completely in dust.
“Inquisitor, you may want to take a look at this.” came Emil’s voice
over the vox.
“On my way Emil.” replied Ian.
Ian walked to the chamber where Emil was and upon entering, it was very
clear what his old friend had wanted him to see. In the center of the room
was a huge dais, above which attached to the ceiling was a large dome.
“What do you suppose that is Ian?” asked Emil.
“No idea Emil, but maybe this will shed light on it more.” said Ian
holding up the massive tome.
“What is that sir?” asked Emil.
“Well in some circles it is known as a book sarge!” exclaimed Corporal
Vrens, earning him a deadly glare from the old Gunnery Sergeant and
a swift pop on the back of the head from Ian.
“Ow!”
“For the love of the Emperor Vrens, this is serious! This book is a journal,
possibly written by the God-Emperor himself; it may be the proof I need to
finish my report to the High Lords.” said Ian.
“Sorry sir!” said Vrens.
“Forgiven.” replied Ian. Vrens could be terribly obnoxious at times but the
man usually had a good sense of humor and was only trying to ease the
tension. Not to mention he knew a melta gun like the back of his hand
and was always calm on the vox caster. He could not stay mad at a man
who had yet to let him down.Ian opened the old tome and began flipping
through the pages. The ancient tome went into great detail about the
creation of the Alicorns; in particular Princesses Celestia and Luna.
“Interesting, it says here that while the other Alicorns were grown and
matured in the growth tanks and were implanted with the knowledge
they would need to act as the nobility; their majesties. He raised them
as if they were his own daughters.” said Ian.
“So then, what happened to the other Alicorns?” asked Emil.
“Yes, I was noticing there is a distinct lack of them.” added Vrens.
“Let me see.” said Ian flipping through a few more pages. “Ah here it is.”
Everyone listened carefully as Ian cleared his throat and began to read.
****************************************************************************
“I arrived on Equis three weeks ago after receiving a call for help
from my little Tia, only to discover that a warp breach had opened in the
capital city of Alicornople. Daemons had poured into the city, slaughtering
everypony they could lay a wretched claw on. They were in the process of
besieging the main gates of the palace when I arrived with my Custodes.
There were so many of the foul creatures: they were beyond count.
Nevertheless, we cut them down and I personally sealed the rupture;
unfortunately the damage is done. The only surviving Alicorns are my
Celestia and Luna, for which I am thankful, as they are the only two
powerful enough to control the rather unpredictable cycles of this planet’s
sun and moon. Without my daughters; famine would return and ravage the
land as it had in the past."
"I fear however that they have been emotionally scarred by the events that
have transpired and I erased their memories of the horrors that they have
witnessed and have done the same with the surviving citizenry: seeing that
the city has been all but leveled and none of the citizens outside the palace
survived the daemons’ onslaught; I have encouraged the ponies and my
daughters to start anew. The new city will be built on the side of the mountain
in which my laboratory is hidden. I have in addition begun work on a weapon
with which my little ponies may better defend themselves against the horrors
of the warp; which I will explain in a later entry."
That explained why the Princesses had no idea that this place existed, clearing
up one question that he had intended upon asking. Ian flipped a few pages and
found what he was looking for under the page labeled Project Harmony in big
bold letters; and dated about a week after the previous entry.
"I have finally done it! I have contained the psychic essence of six of the most
positive emotions into the same material of which my armor is made. Kindness;
laughter; loyalty; generosity; honesty; and the ‘magic’ friendship as the ponies
call it. I have dubbed these objects The Elements of Harmony, as they shall keep
the world in harmony. The energy within these amulets is anathema to the dark
forces of the warp: they have been field tested and can either turn a malign entity
to stone or send an entire army daemons screaming back to the warp from
whence they came whilst simultaneously sealing a warp rift. They can do much
more than that as well. They can heal fatal wounds and even revive those who
are in a comatose state as I have observed. I do worry about the rest of the
creatures on this world and how they will react if they find out about the elements;
no matter: should they invade; the elements can turn their armies to stone."
"I did not even anticipate this and as a scientist am very proud of this achievement.
I am also having my engineers modify the teleporter off the main chamber to
connect directly to the palace back on Terra itself, with the other teleporter being
just outside of the throne room. It will enable me to watch over my little ponies
easier, I do not believe I have anything to fear by doing this. No one knows
about this planet and with the elements at their disposal; there should be no
complications.”
*****************************************************************************
Upon reading the last line, Ian closed the book and looked up at the doorway
where a dust covered plaque was attached to the thick wall. The young
inquisitor walked over to it, handing the tome to one of the troopers, he took
a gauntleted hand and brushed the dust off to reveal the word ‘Teleporter’ in
big, bold letters. The color drained from Ian’s face. Not because he was
reading notes written by the God-Emperor himself only half a year before
the Istavaan Drop Site Massacres; not because he had just hit the jackpot
for the knowledge he needed: but because of where the teleporter relay led.
“Get Makuroe in here. NOW!” stressed Ian. A trooper saluted and ran out to
find the Techpriest.
“Throne. On. Terra.” said Emil joining several other troopers in making the
sign of Aquilla.
“Well; this has escalated quickly.” said Vrens with a chuckle in an attempt to
break the tension.
“Emil.”
“Yes Ian?”
“Would you be so kind as to give the Corporal a brain dusting?”
*Smack!*
“Ow! Why’d you do that?” complained Vrens.
“You bloody well know why.” Emil deadpanned. The group was so
distracted that they failed to notice the small bat that flew in and
hung directly above them from a carved stone Imperial eagle.
************************************************************************
Despoiler Class Warship Seed of Dissent: somewhere in the Warp.
She had searched far and wide across the planes of real space for the
place that she had been told of when she was a child: the place that
the corpse emperor had his colorful little pets. It had been made easy
by the massive burst of energy that she had detected four years ago
in the Imperium’s Segmentum Pacificus, which had been followed by
a second, massive release of energy. She had remembered the fairy
tales she had been told as a child as her mother and father tucked her
into bed, but now she had found it: but that was before the Word Bearers
had opened her Eyes to the truth. The servants of the corpse Emperor
had found it too, and more. She concentrated the eyes and ears of her
flesh puppet. The small bat’s ears picked up everything that the oblivious
inquisitor was reading aloud; and an involuntary smile crept onto
sorceresses’ flawless face as she saw his face go pale and heard him
call for the Techpriest.
She would have waited longer but the Inquisitor and one of his men’s heads
suddenly snapped up and looked directly at her. The inquisitor pointed and
the trooper brought up his shotgun: He had sensed her presence, what was
more, she recognized his psychic essence. The sorceress quickly detached
her soul from the creature she was possessing and it shot back into the warp
at the speed of light before reaching her body a few seconds later: she gave
a sharp gasp for air, the smile still on her face, she brushed her long raven
hair out of her eyes as she regained her wits and got to her feet from the
meditation mat on the floor of her quarters.
The sorceress opened the door to her chambers and began her walk down
the hall to her master’s quarters. The dark apostle was a source of inspiration
for her: it had been he who had sensed her worth when others had shunned
her for it; he had told her that the dark gods rewarded, rather than shunned
individuals such as her for serving them. She remembered the sweet feeling
of watching everyone who had shunned her or held her back be sacrificed to
the dark gods: yet, in that moment of her master’s triumph; it had all been
stolen away by that damndable inquisitor. Before the warp gate could be
opened and more hosts of daemons be released upon the world of Laureus
IX to finish the great sacrifice; he had burned the planet to ash. She and her
master had left in anger at the loss of souls that he had intended to deliver
to the gods.
Worse yet, the face of the inquisitor she had seen, had indeed been the face
of the man who had robbed her and her master of their triumph. Before she
knew it; the sorceress stood at the door to her master’s chambers. A scream
from within confirmed that he was just finishing with morning sacrifices. She
knew better than to interrupt: to do so would mean harsh punishment at the
best: an agonizing death at the worst. She did not however have to wait long,
as her master; the Dark Apostle Kol Agilor the Desolator, spoke; his powerful
and commanding voice entered her head.
“Come in, my child.” it said in a commanding yet almost kind voice. The door
opened and she stepped in bowing low; staring at her master’s massive
armored feet protruding from beneath his parchment colored robes.
“Have you found it my child?” asked Agilor.
“Yes master, I have found the false emperor’s little pets; their innocent
blood will make a fine sacrifice to the gods.” she said with a wicked smile.
A hideous grin decorated the strong face of Kol Agilor’s powerful shaved
head; revealing pearly white teeth that had been filed to fangs. The dark
apostle’s eyes no longer held irises or pupils, but glowed a constant milky
white: radiating with power gifted him by the gods. In addition to this, his
flesh had been monogrammed with passages from the Book of Lorgar itself.
“Anything else to report my faithful servant?” asked the apostle.
“Yes milord: it appears that they have discovered a teleporter that teleports
directly outside of the corpse emperor’s own throne room; but there were…
complications.” said the sorceress.
“What complications?” asked her master.
“The Imperium is there. They have a massive fleet in the sector and I have no
idea if the teleporter even works or if it can be salvaged. I was; discovered
before I could find out more.” she replied with a frustrated look on her face. No
one had ever found her out so quickly before, this had made her a bit sloppy
and flying into the chamber rather than simply observing longer had cost her
gathering more information.
“Who discovered you?” asked Agilor, his tone dripping with dangerous curiosity.
“It was him milord; that thrice damned Inquisitor who robbed you of your
ascension.” said the sorceress.
“Well, well, well; Ian Ludones: the little pest whose planet I should have given
to the gods had he not intervened and burnt it to a crisp.” growled Agilor.
The chaos lord had been challenged by him and refused to cross blades
with the young man, seeing him as a whelp that was undeserving of such
honor. He had ended up regretting it when the Imperial and Eldar fleets
began shelling the planet from high orbit, before launching a cyclonic torpedo
that turned the planet to ash. He and his young servant had barely escaped
the blast through the warp portal that he had been bringing his daemonic
armies through. From that day on, he had cursed the name of Ian Ludones
with every ounce of his black heart. Never again would he turn down a
challenge from any servant of the corpse emperor, no matter
how insignificant they may seem.
“Master; is everything alright?” asked the arrogant and beautiful voice of
his servant.
“Yes, of course my servant; you have done well little one. Even if the
teleporter does not work, the blood we will spill will please the gods. For
now however we go back to Sicarus.” said Agilor grinning.
“What for milord? Should we not attack them now?”
“To prepare little one; to prepare. We will need a fleet much larger than only
the Seed of Dissent and her escorts to take on an entire fleet of the Imperial
Navy. The gods may be with us, but stupidity is rewarded only with their
mocking laughter in our heads as we perish. Go now and rest little one,
for you have earned it.” replied Agilor with a grin before moving past her
and headed to the bridge.
As the sorceress walked down the hall back to her quarters, she took in the
massive ship’s baroque architecture; looking at the banners made of human
leather and the decorative walls carved in the likeness of leering and
snarling daemonic faces, while steel gargoyles sat atop arches holding up
the symbol of the eight pointed star, with the screaming daemon skull
wreathed in flame upon it. A few cathartes flew over her and perched
above the archway in the hall; the lesser daemons were a common sight on
the massive capital ship; she felt more at home here than she ever had on
Laureus IX, the thought of which made her blood boil. She swore right then
and there that she would make Ian Ludones pay for the humiliation he had
bestowed upon her master; or die trying. The fact that he had complimented
her scrying had filled her with a need to repay him; a compliment from the
dark apostle was difficult to get, and was prized more than the most
valuable medal or trinket.
***************************************************************************
Canterlot, Equestria: Canterlot dig site.
The barrel of Emil’s shotgun was smoking from the freshly spent round.
The slug had virtually obliterated the small bat, leaving very little left.
“Geez sarge! All that’s left are eyeballs and teeth!” said Vrens. Ian let it slide
as the man had a point. There was next to nothing left. Emil racked his
shotgun and the shell casing clattered about on the ground.
“Sir what was it that made you want a bat splattered all over the ceiling?”
asked Emil a bit confused.
“It was not the bat that bothered me; it was the presence that was possessing it
and listening in on us that did.” explained Ian while re-collecting the book from
the trooper he had handed it to.
“It was tainted milord?” asked Vrens with concern.
“Aye.” replied Ian turning and walking towards the doors. He was met by
Makuroe as he made his way out.
“You called Ian?" asked the Techpriest.
“That I did Jakob. There is an ancient teleporter in the other room; I need you to
check and see if its machine spirit is dead or merely dormant.”
“Of course.” replied Makuroe. Ian continued to walk towards the doors.
“So, what’s our next move sir?” asked Vrens.
“I need to speak with their majesties and send a report to Lord Coteaz;
we need boots on the ground fast, and LOTS of them. replied Ian.
“Do you want me to radio the Aurora?” asked Vrens.
“Affirmative. Tell Korsnetzov we need the full company of the storm troops
deployed now.” replied Ian. As soon as the three exited the cave, Princesses
Celestia, Luna, and a recently arrived Twilight approached them with
concern written on their faces.
“Is everyone alright? We heard a gunshot!” said Twilight with concern.
“Everyone is fine, but I must speak with you privately your majesties.” replied
Ian removing his helmet. Taking the hint, Emil walked off towards his tent
while Corporal Vrens went to radio the Aurora.
“What is wrong Inquisitor?” asked Celestia.
“Well your majesty, things have taken an unexpected turn here; and not
necessarily for the better either.” answered Ian. He then explained to the
princesses what they had found and the situation with the tainted bat.
Both Celestia and Luna had many questions on their minds, particularly
about the laboratory and where the Emperor had created them, however,
the fact that Ian had sensed the taint of Chaos and the discovery of the
teleporter made them think first and foremost about the safety of their
little ponies and their comatose father on Holy Terra.
“What do you suggest Ian?” asked Luna.
“We need boots on the ground and lots of them. I have already ordered
the rest of the storm troopers to be deployed to defend the cave and the
lab itself, but what we need are multiple regiments of Imperial Guard
with heavy armor and artillery. Deploy your military in the cities closest to
Canterlot; we need to set up an area denial around the city. Do not let
the press know anything about this.” said Ian. Luna nodded and took to
the air to make her arrangements.
“Princess Celestia, the Imperium will need military access to Equestria;
Need I remind you that most of my colleagues would not ask you at all,
but I am not them.” said Ian.
Celestia hated the idea of allowing such a large number of human
soldiers into her country, and also cringed internally at the shit
storm that the press would create and the possible backlash from
other nations; but she also knew well the horror that would ensue
without aid from the Imperium. Her army’s weaponry consisted of
percussion cap repeater rifles, muzzle loading rifled cannons and
experimental Gatling guns, while the Chaos Space marines and
their servants would be wielding boltguns, lasguns, sorcery and
other terrifying weapons. The princess nodded her head. She also
knew that Ian, while requesting permission from her to land an army;
was merely being polite. Even if she had refused, she knew that the
Imperium would force her to accept. She could also tell by the look in
Ian’s eyes that he was as upset as she was.
“Excellent, I also need you to call the leaders of the surrounding
nations together for a summit. If we can get a united front ready, and
the troopers get here on time, we will have a better chance against
these heretics should they show up.” said Ian. Once again Celestia
nodded before flying off to make the requested arrangements.
“What about me?” asked Twilight.
“I need you to relay this to the other element bearers. They must be
sworn to secrecy: no one else can know of this.” replied Ian.
"I’ll see to it right away!” said Twilight taking wing.
Ian sat down on the nearest stool and put his head in his hands: he
felt absolutely horrible. He had not wanted to bring an army here;
this planet was peaceful, and its inhabitants kind; but he knew that
without the Imperium here, Equis Prime would be doomed to the
same fate Laureus IX had should the forces of chaos arrive. The
thought made his chest tighten.
“You alright sir?’ asked Emil who had just come back from his tent.
“No Emil. No I am not.” said Ian hanging his head.
“Want to talk about it?” inquired the old Kasrkin.
“No, not right now old friend; perhaps later. I need some shut eye.”
replied Ian walking back towards the castle. As he neared the main
gate, more Valkyries came in low over the cities, each one carrying
a squad of inquisitorial storm troopers.
“So it begins.” said Ian sadly.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
WARNING!
This chapter contains rather graphic violence: you have been warned.
Over the course of the next week, things became extremely hectic for Ian.
Things started to become so when Techpriest Makuroe’s diagnostic came
back that the ancient teleporter was dormant, and would only take a few
weeks of repairs for him to have it up and running. Thankfully, the news
of the laboratory’s discovery had reached his master on Formosa very
swiftly and Lord Coteaz had gotten in touch with Segmentum Command.
A report from his mentor informed Ian that multiple regiments of the
Imperial Guard were en route and would arrive within three weeks at the
very latest. The discovery of the ancient text in the lab also aided Ian in
finishing his preliminary report to the High Lords of Terra and his master
as it was indeed the Emperor’s own words written on parchment. Ian
suddenly found himself being appointed The Imperium’s ambassador
to Equestria and Equis Prime by the High Lords.
While his subordinates and Equestrian friends saw this as reason for
celebration; Ian felt a crushing weight upon his shoulders. His nights
were more restless than ever; his nightmares more frequent and
unsettling. Upon being appointed ambassador to Equis Prime, his first
major diplomatic mission was to secure the landing of Imperial troops
in Equestria. While Princesses Celestia and Luna were more than
ready to give the Imperium military access, the other nations would
not be so easily swayed. A press conference had announced to the
Equestrian public the possibility of more humans arriving. Ian had told
the press that it was the way that the Imperium protected its allies
from any potential threats from space. As flimsy a claim as this was,
many Equestrians accepted it as the only human they had actually
seen was Ian who was very friendly and kind to them. As Ian fed the
press this story he wanted to cut out his own tongue for the lies he
was forced to tell.
The truth was that lost technology from 10,000 years ago had
turned up in their peaceful home: which could very well be used
to topple the Imperium if said technology fell into the wrong hands;
and worse yet there was a possibility that the servants of the dark
gods of Chaos may or may not know of said technology’s existence
and location; which would inevitably bring them to Equestria. That part
would come out in the meeting however: No press was allowed; and
Ian now had only to convince the leaders of the various nations of
Equis Prime that the landing of hundreds of thousands of human
soldiers armed to the teeth with advanced technology and devastating
heavy artillery on their planet was not a threat; but he also had to
convince said leaders to fight beside these soldiers against an enemy
that few of them knew even existed. While the leaders of Equestria’s
client states were all but guaranteed to give their approval; Ian knew
that the Diamond Dogs and Changellings would be the sticking points.
As for the other nations: only time would tell. As Ian sat in the meeting
chamber he saw the familiar faces of the many ambassadors he had
met a few nights previous; but they were not alone.
The rulers of every nation on Equis Prime were present; including the
emperor of the Holy Griffon Empire, The Diamond Dog king, Queen
Chrysalis of the Changellings, and Princess Cadence of the Crystal
Empire with her husband Shining Armor; who had just recently
relinquished his position of Captain General of the Solar Guard of
Equestria and now held the title of Prince Consort of the Crystal Empire.
Ian had not expected to see Princess Cadence, as she was due to give
birth to her and Shining’s first child within the month. Princess Twilight
was representing Equestria, while Ian and Admiral Korsnetzov
represented the Imperium. This had been the first time Ian had seen
the old admiral. Vasilli Nikolayevich Korsnetzov had been born on
the Imperial ice world of Valhalla before joining the Imperial Navy
and had built quite a reputation in the Segmentum Pacificus. He was
known for his loud booming voice; his bushy gray moustache, which
was always waxed to perfection; and his rather foul temper. While
many of the men under his command found him a fair man who
rewarded honest work and knew when to turn a blind eye, they
knew better than to annoy or lollygag in the presence of the almost
seven foot tall bear of a man.
Within five minutes of Ian and Admiral Korsnetzov’s arrival, the meeting
was called to order with Princess Luna presiding over the meeting as the
chairpony.
“The chair recognizes the representatives of the Imperium of Mankind.”
said Luna simply. Ian stood from his seat and moved to the front of the
amphitheater while Admiral Korsnetzov began passing out file folders
before joining Ian at the front of the room.
“Esteemed rulers of Equis Prime: I thank all of you for arriving on such
short notice; however the matter at hand warranted the inconvenience.
As you may have noticed in the news papers and over your radios; a
number of Imperial soldiers and personnel have landed on Equis Prime
over the past week and a half. While an embassy has been set up here
in Canterlot, this is not the reason. If you will look in the files that have
been provided for you it will explain why we have established such a
presence here so rapidly.” explained Ian as the various rulers opened
the files and looked at the pictures contained within them.
“About one week ago, an Equestrian archeological team unwittingly
unearthed an ancient and perfectly preserved Imperial laboratory
constructed by our Emperor himself nearly 10,000 years ago. Within
was contained an ancient device from mankind’s Dark Age of Technology
known as a teleporter. It is an ancient machine; and while we have them in
the Imperium, this one is rather different, and teleports directly to the
Imperial capital on Holy Terra. While it may be ancient the device can still
work: thus if an enemy captured this machine; it would prove a lethal threat
to the Imperium and its subjects.” Ian paused to let the information sink
in and heard some murmuring amongst the gathered crowd, which lasted a
few seconds until Luna pounded her gavel to bring silence back into the
chamber.
“My superiors have made arrangements to send multiple regiments of the
Imperium’s main military force; The Imperial Guard; to secure this site from
incursion by the enemies of the Imperium who would seek to employ this
device to cripple our empire so severely that it would literally collapse. I
have been instructed to tell your esteemed majesties that this is a purely
defensive force that will not leave equestrian soil unless provoked to do so.
I would like to break to give all of you an opportunity to ask any questions you
may have.” said Ian. At first there was silence, but then a talon was raised by
the Grand Duke of the Hippogriffs.
“Yes your grace?"responded Ian.
“How many men are in one of your regiments?” asked the elderly hybrid of
eagle, lion, and horse.
“It varies from world to world, however it can reach into the hundreds of
thousands or higher.” replied Ian. The chamber burst into argument at the
mention of the sheer numbers involved.
“And why pray tell Inquisitor Ludones would you need so many troops!?”
asked the Diamond Dog King standing from his seat with an angry expression.
Ian then proceeded to explain to the golden coated canine monarch the
strategy of area denial, this however did not put the king’s mind at ease.
“And just who are you worried about attacking this machine!? It is years
beyond the understanding of any nation on this planet! Besides if this
thing is such a threat, why not destroy it and be done with it?” retorted
the king.
“I do not worry about any of these fine nations seizing it: I worry about
threats from factions not of this world. The Imperium is a large entity and
rules over a million worlds: believe me when I say we have more enemies
than friends. Also, destroying a piece of technology that old would be fool
hardy. While we do have teleporters, they are short distance; this one
could allow us, if replicated, to respond to threats to our planets with
lightning speed. Moving such an ancient device could also damage it,
so the only option we have is to keep it here. ” answered Ian with a sigh.
Arguing exploded within the chamber. Luna pounded her gavel until the
head flew off. Ian sat down next to Admiral Korsnetzov and leaned over
to whisper to the old admiral.
“You may want to plug your ears.” said Ian plugging his own. The admiral
followed suit, and in perfect time as well; for no sooner did Korsnetzov put
his fingers in his ears when Princess Luna cut loose with the Royal
Canterlot voice.
“ENOUGH!” she yelled, bowling over two of the ambassadors who were
arguing on the floor in front of her podium. Silence filled the chamber and
all eyes stared in muted terror at the princess of the night. “Look at yourselves!
Squabbling like spoiled foals! What is this madness?! This man has given this
request in courtesy to you, rather than simply landing an army down here,
and besides, if the Imperium wished to invade us, they would have done
so by now rather than send a representative. I am calling an hour recess
that we may all cool our heads and get some food, and when we return,
I expect a much more civilized debate.” she said with a cross look that
made many of the monarchs and their ambassadors feel like children
who had just been scolded by their mother.
The meeting adjourned for a late; and most of the delegates left except for
Luna and the two humans; who sat and talked.
“Ian, Admiral Korsnetzov; I wish to apologize for the poor behavior they are
showing you.” said Luna. The old admiral smiled kindly.
“Please your majesty, call me Vasilli. No need for formality.” he said in a
gruff but friendly voice while offering his hand; a gesture which Luna
returned by offering her hoof.
“Please, call me Luna.” she replied.
“It is alright Luna, its not your fault; nor can I blame them. My reaction
would have been similar: on that note, nice attention getter.” said Ian
with a smile.
“Indeed, you would make one hell of an admiral with a voice like that!”
said Korsnetzov with a chuckle that got a small laugh from Luna herself.
Princess Twilight, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor returned with
their food and also joined in the conversation.
“How are we going to get them to agree to allow the troops here? They
did not exactly seem thrilled.” said Shining raising a skeptical eyebrow.
“I am going to inform them that I sensed the taint, and if that does not
work, I happen to have a set of holo tapes with me that will most likely
make them change their minds rather swiftly.” replied Ian dryly.
**********************************************************************
1 hour later.
As the ambassadors and their monarchs filed back into the room, the
sun had begun to set in the sky and Twilight took over the meeting as
Luna went to meet her sister and raise the moon. Equestria was
represented by one of the more down to Equis nobles that Ian had
briefly met; a unicorn by the name of Fancy Pants. Twilight called the
meeting to order and Ian was allowed to continue his explanation.
“Aside from the aforementioned reason to have Imperial troops
garrisoned here, a disturbing development made itself known at the
dig site. I assume all of you have heard of the reign of Discord? a
simple nod of the head will suffice.” Heads nodded up and down
before Ian continued. “While he was the avatar of disorder, he was
not truly a servant of chaos; he was merely a creature wielding
immense power. The true powers of chaos exist in a realm parallel
to ours known as the Immaterium, or the Warp. Time there has no
meaning; the nightmares of all living sentient beings are made reality,
and it is filled with foul daemons that are constantly looking to claw their
way into reality and feast upon our very souls.” Ian gave his words a
few moments to sink in before moving on.
“The chaos gods make discord look like a cute teddy bear in comparison,
and they are horrendously blood thirsty. It is the job of the Holy Inquisition
to root them out along with anyone who aligns themselves with them.
That night a week ago when we discovered the lab, a bat flew in; but what
was odd about this creature was that I did not notice it visually. In the
Imperium, some individuals are born with certain psychic gifts; which are
similar to magic, but are not magic: I am one such individual. I sensed in
it the taint of Chaos.” said Ian.
Instantly, the claw of the young Griffon Emperor was raised.
“Yes your majesty?”
“And how pray tell did you know it was tainted by this Chaos as you called it?”
asked the Emperor with a look of curiosity on his white feathered face.
“Whenever the taint of Chaos is near, I can literally feel it; it is like an immense
pressure upon my mind, and I also taste a coppery and or sulfuric taste at the
back of my mouth when those without psychic abilities do not. For every psyker
the warning signs are different, but that is how I know, as every time I have
encountered the adherents of Chaos in the past, these are the sensations
present.” replied Ian.
“So you are saying that because of a headache and a bad taste in your mouth
that we should allow you to land Celestia knows how many soldiers in Equestria,
which they could use as a launch pad to invade the entire planet?” the emperor
asked mockingly; drawing many laughs from around the room save from
Equestria and her client states.
“What’s more, we have no intention of invading anyone here; and yes, I know
how to recognize the taint of Chaos, because I have fought them before on
many occasions.” replied Ian with some annoyance.
“Sir, I believe your tale is fabricated; there is no creature more vile than Discord,
everyone on Equis knows that.” spat the Diamond Dog King pointing a golden
furry claw at Ian.
“Perhaps a little evidence would suffice then?” asked Ian fiddling with one of
the brass buttons on the suit that Rarity had made for him.
“Indeed, please do present us with some.” answered Queen Chrysalis of the
Changellings who had sat silently watching the meeting the whole time.
“Very well, though I must say that what you are about to see is extremely graphic.”
said Ian setting up his holo projector in the center of the floor and inserting a holo
tape. “Admiral, if you would kindly hit the lights please?” asked Ian. The Admiral
got up and turned the lights in the room off and Ian used the remote to activate
an image that showed a mass of security troopers in light blue Cadian style flak
armor and dark gray fatigues kneeling at a stone wall with auto guns and shot
guns at the ready.
“This footage is from a security camera in what was once one of multiple
colonies on the surface of the world of Viltoria XIII: a mineral rich ice world.
A mining team had unearthed marble cube just outside of the colony and as the
cube was being lifted, one of the straps around it snapped. The cube smashed
open, releasing the essence of a greater daemon that had been sealed there
millennia ago. The creature killed everyone at the site, but not before they sent a
distress calls warning the colonies. The daemon then opened a tear in the fabric
of reality and lesser daemons began flooding in. Despite all of this, the colonies
refused to work together due to long standing rivalries. This footage is from the
last colony to fall on Viltoria.” explained Ian pushing the start button and the film
began.
The security troopers had their auto guns ready and an officer walked up and
down the line trying to calm the obviously frightened men.
“Steady boys, steady.” said the officer. Suddenly, reality warped in front of them
and ripped open. Weapons discharged as thousands upon thousands of
nightmarish horrors spilled out of the rend in reality. Hundreds of the vile creatures
succumbed to the very accurate shots that the troopers were firing, but there were
just too many. Ian heard the horrified gasps of the delegates as a trooper was torn
in half in a shower of gore in full view of the camera by a monstrous horror that Ian
not even knew the name of. He heard retching from the ambassador of the
Changelling Empire as one of the daemons began eating a trooper’s innards while
he was still alive and shrieking in agony.
The daemons then swarmed over the breastworks and into the colony out of the
camera, and the sounds of gunfire and screaming civilians soon filled the air,
followed by the tearing of flesh and spilling of blood and organs. The camera was
still holding the images of the dead troopers, whose mutilated corpses lay still
twitching on the ground in pools of blood and viscera. The camera soon cut out and
the admiral turned the lights back on. Luna and Celestia both had quietly slipped in
and were wearing looks of sadness upon their faces: in looking into the universe
with their magic, they had seen such horrors before. Princess Twilight and the
Changelling Ambassador stood at a nearby trash receptacle both losing their dinners
into the large trash can; and Princess Cadence and her husband held each other
whilst shuddering in horror at the film they had just seen. Everyone else simply stared
slack jawed at where the image had been.
“That is why we are sending so many troops: if they show up, we will need every trooper
we can get; and the forces of chaos also use more than just daemons to do their bidding.
Vile is too kind a term for the beings that serve them. If they find this place, they will
unleash that upon this planet; and that is what we must prevent. There is no reasoning
with them, no talking, no silly treaties: they will kill you if they cannot turn you, and even
if they turn you, they may kill you.” said Ian very seriously.
“Ian, what happened to Viltoria XIII?” asked Shining shakily.
“When the nearest Ordo Malleus task force finally arrived a week later; there were no
survivors, and the taint was still strong on that world: We withdrew our personnel, and
burned that frozen hell hole to ash before the taint could spread to the surrounding
worlds and bring more horror and death to the billions who lived in that system. It was
the only way to be sure.” said Ian somberly.
“So, exterminatus?” asked Twilight wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.
“Aye, exterminatus.” replied Ian turning to the assembly. “I shall allow you to deliberate
on this, but know that if the High Lords tell me to, I will land these troops, weather it is
approved by you or not. The moment that the artifact was discovered; the situation
was out of my hands. Our entire civilization will be threatened should it be discovered by
our enemies, so this I ask of you: do not make us into your enemy when we desire
peace with you. We have enough enemies in the galaxy and we do not wish you to be
among them.” said Ian finishing his speech. Princess Celestia took over as chairman
while Luna took over representing Equestria; and Twilight, Ian, and Vasilli stepped out
of the room to allow the rulers of Equis some time to speak amongst themselves and
weigh their nonexistent options.
“Do you think that they will accept the Imperium’s demands?” asked Twilight.
“After the little educational footage I showed them; I certainly hope so. That footage and
the bit I told is very real. I hope that they will even work with us to create trust and
friendship.” said Ian.
“I hope you are right too.” said Twilight.
*********************************************************************
Another hour rolled by before the doors opened and Princess Luna brought the three of
them back into the room. The decision had been reached that the other nations would
not interfere with Imperial interests in Equestria or her client kingdoms but that the Imperium
would not occupy any nation that did not wish for Imperial troops within its borders.
While the Imperium was interested in garrisoning the whole planet; the High Lords had told
him in one of the communications that the nations outside of Equestria were optional. If they
did not wish to accept Imperial protection then so be it; this just freed up more troops to
protect more valuable areas closer to the teleporter. The nations that had refused Imperial
protection were the Hippogryph Duchies, The Holy Griffon Empire, The Diamond Dog
Kingdom, and the Changelling Empire.
“Thank the Emperor for small victories.” said Admiral Korsnetzov.
“Amen to that.” replied Ian. As the delegates filed out of the room, Admiral Korsnetzov
took his leave and headed out to the waiting Valkyrie gunship to be taken back to the
Aurora. Meanwhile, Ian was approached by Luna, Celestia, Twilight, Cadence and
Shining Armor.
“Well that was… enlightening.” said Shining.
“Sorry; I had really wanted to avoid showing that footage.” said Ian honestly.
“So now that this is all over, what are you doing Ian?” asked Twilight.
“Well, I am going to be headed back to Ponyville to finish the missive. My
preliminary report was only an outline of what it is like here. Plus, I made a
promise to a certain apple farmer that I would be in town for Hearts and
Hooves so she wouldn’t be alone.” said Ian with a smile.
“Yeah, she had mentioned that. She seemed really excited about it too.” said
Twilight with a smile. Ian was about to respond when Cadence’s eyes went
wide.
“Oh dear!” said the pink Alicorn with a nervous look.
“Is everything alright Cadence?” asked Shining Armor with some concern
“I think my water just broke!” replied Cadence. With that everyone present
scrambled to get Cadence to the palace hospital.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
The morning sun blazed over Canterlot. News of Princess Cadence going
into labor had been released and spread like wild fire throughout the huge
capital city. At the Fortress of the Royal Sisters just outside of the palace
grounds, twenty five breach loading cannons had been loaded with blank
shells and the Equestrian guard artillery awaited the gender of the foal.
One hundred and one rounds would announce the birth of a prince;
while one hundred rounds would announce the birth of princess. The
crowd eagerly awaited the opening roars of the howitzers; the
anticipation was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Then, just as the massive clock tower in Harmony square struck nine
a.m., the mock barrage began. The loud cracks from the field guns
sounded as one in four massive blasts. Then silence: silence filled the
air until one more final blast announced the birth of a prince. The
crowd roared in approval; while in the Crystal Empire, the Crystal
Ponies received the news over the wireless with enthusiastic
cheering and fireworks over their capital city. It was indeed a
proud day for both Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
*****************************************************************************
Inside of the palace hospital, Celestia, Luna, and Shining Armor, stood
in the hospital room with Cadence who held her tiny foal in her hooves.
The little prince was fast asleep. The door opened and closed quietly
as Ian walked in with a tray upon which sat four cups of Imperial coffee.
Luna, Celestia, and Shining Armor each took a cup while Ian grabbed
the last one.
“So, have you picked a name yet?” asked Celestia.
“Yes, we decided on one of the names Ian suggested.” replied Cadence with a smile.
“You named him Dante?” asked Ian with a kind smile.
“Yes.” said Shining Armor; the stallion practically radiated happiness.
“A good name indeed. Congratulations you two; May the Emperor bless and watch
over the three of you.” said Ian with a smile. The little blue Alicorn foal stirred and
yawned: Ian had to admit to himself; the kid was adorable. The young inquisitor
thought back to his beloved Mina. The two of them had wanted children and a
nice life together on a small farm on Laureus: but all of those hopes had been
literally turned to ash. The inquisitor felt suddenly exhausted and took his leave.
He had stayed with Shining Armor all night to give his friend support as it had
not been an easy labor for Cadence, and Shining had been worried sick
about his wife and unborn child. Ian had prayed aloud to the Emperor for the
three of them: for Cadence and the foal to get through the birth safely and for
relief for Shining’s worries. Within seconds; the white unicorn told Ian that he
felt as if a peace had come over him; as if a divine force had put a hand on
his shoulder told him that everything was going to be fine: Ian knew that such
a peace in times of distress only came from the Emperor.
Ian got to his suite and into his bedroom; it was the same suite he had shared
with Applejack. As Ian got ready for a long and needed nap, he reflected on
the time he had spent with the apple farmer and how she had come up to
Canterlot to visit with him the past three months when he had been doing his
research; and how of all of the ponies, she had been the one who had been
the one who had accepted him the quickest. He also thought of how she had
been acting around him as that time had progressed. He had caught her on
more than one occasion looking at him when she thought he was not looking,
and occasionally blushing; but he had not brought it up as he had not wanted
to embarrass her after the hospitality she had shown him. It was not a look of
admiration or awe, but something entirely different: was it some form of fear?
While he was able to read minds, he could only do so if the will of his target
was weakened or they allowed him to do so voluntarily; and the little orange
Earth Pony had a will stronger than adamantium, thus making her
impossible to stealthily read.
“That mare can be such an enigma sometimes, I will have to ask her why.”
he said to himself as he prepared to catch some sleep.
*****************************************************************************
Meanwhile, two hours west of where a rather clueless inquisitor was
catching some sleep; Applejack had received a visit from a certain
rainbow maned Pegasus.
“So Rainbow, what do you and Soarin’ got planned fer Hearts and
Hooves?” asked Applejack.
“He’s coming to Ponyville and we’re going to go to dinner.” said
Rainbow Dash with a rare dreamy look in her eyes.
“Rainbow, Ah gotta ask: did Soarin ask you out or did you ask
him out on yer first date?” asked the farmer seriously.
“I asked him out.” replied Rainbow tilting her head slightly
out of curiosity.
“How did ya ask him?” questioned Applejack.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on AJ: are you into a new
stallion or something?” asked the rainbow maned Pegasus
with some mischief in her voice and cocking an eyebrow.
Applejack’s face blushed beet red.
“Uhhh… Kinda…” said Applejack so quietly that it gave
Fluttershy a run for her money.
“Oh my gosh! Who is it!? No wait! I wanna guess! Is it
Thunderlane!?” before Applejack could say no, Dash
continued on an excited tirade that was more common
of Pinkie Pie; throwing out the names of every eligible
stallion in Ponyville before she finally noticed the blank
stare her friend was giving her.
“Wrong on every one of ‘em aren’t I?” asked Dash
sheepishly.
“Eeyup.” answered Applejack with a small smile.
“Sorry I got carried away, that was totally uncool.”
replied Dash with some embarrassment.
“It’s alright RD.” replied the farmer.
“So, what can you tell me about your new guy huh?”
asked Dash.
“Well; he’s tall: really tall. He has a real dark mane
and eyes that are green lahk mine. He also wears
a stetson lahk Ah do every now and again, and
he has good manners.” said Applejack.
“Wow, he sounds like a good one.” said Rainbow
Dash quite impressed.
“Ah know; Ah’m just hoping he feels the same way.”
said Applejack with some worry in her voice.
“Why wouldn’t he AJ? Half the stallions in this town
would give their left eyeball to have a chance with
you!”
“Well… about that… he aint exactly a pony.” replied
Applejack nervously while drawing circles in the dirt
with her hoof. Rainbow Dash had a confused look
on her face; and Applejack could have sworn she
heard cogs and wheels spinning as her cyan friend
was trying to piece together what she was getting at.
It did not take too long for realization to dawn upon
Rainbow as to whom her friend was referring.
“Sweet juicy bacon! You’re after Ian!? Dash nearly
yelled as her face formed a Cheshire Cat-like grin.
Applejack, despite beginning to worry about her
friend’s addiction to the divine food known as
bacon, she was more worried that someone
may hear them.
“RD, could ya keep it down!? Ah’m really nervous
about this! Ah don’t know how much you know about
the laws where he comes from, but from what he told
me, he and Ah together would be deemed a really
bad thing!” she said nervously. She did not want to
say too much for fear that someone may be listening.
“AJ, come on. I’m sure that you two could have a secret
relationship, just give it a shot, what’s the worst that
could happen?” replied Dash placing a hoof on her
friend’s shoulder.
“A lot of worse could happen.” she said more to herself
than her friend as she remembered what Ian had told
her those three months ago.
“What do you mean?” asked Rainbow.
“Nothing, never mind: everything is perfectly fine.” Applejack
felt sick as she lied through her teeth: she hated lying, but on
the same token she did not want her friend to be worried
about her.
“Come on AJ, everything will be fine! Being a bit nervous is
normal.” said the cyan Pegasus patting her friend on the back.
“Ah hope yer right about that.” said Applejack with a ghost of a
smile.
“Uh, well, I mean; I wasn’t nervous about asking Soarin’ out: I’m
too cool to get nervous.” replied Dash puffing out her chest and
making Applejack laugh. “Just tell him how you feel; Soarin’
and I were friends for a while before we started actually seeing
each other, and that’s how we ended up dating is I told him how
I really felt.”
“Do ya think it’ll work?” asked Applejack.
“Hey, what’s the worst he could do? At worst he’ll say he isn’t into
you like that; and after an awkward moment you’ll still be pals. He
is a pretty level headed guy so I wouldn’t be too worried.” replied
Rainbow with a smile.
“Well, Ah guess Ah’ll give it a shot.” said Applejack with some
confidence.
“That’s the spirit AJ!”
***************************************************************************
Ian’s sleep was restless. He was alone in a very dark dream world:
and there was nothing around: no trees, no buildings no nothing; in
fact that was where he was standing: in absolute nothing. Everything
around him was pitch black, but then he saw something ahead of
him. He walked onwards until he came to a large, marble fountain;
which had water that was clear and clean, so clear in fact he could
see the bottom. It was a very familiar fountain. Ian was distracted from
staring at his reflection by a familiar feminine voice across from him.
“Hello Ian; it’s been a long time my love.”
The inquisitor’s heart skipped a beat as he looked up at the source of the
voice. On the other side of the fountain was a woman with sapphire eyes
and golden hair, and a face that took his breath away: a face he knew
very well.
“Mina.” said Ian eyes wide with amazement. The graceful form of Mina
strode around the fountain and stood before him and took his hand I hers.
Ian looked around him and saw the darkness had been replaced by
beautiful flowers and exotic plants; yes he now knew where he was.
This was the Petrohoff Botanical Gardens in the capital city of
Petrohoff on Laureus IX: the very place he had proposed to Mina
eight years ago.
“I have missed you greatly Ian and would love to stay here with you
forever, but the time that the Emperor has given me here is short, so
please listen to what have to tell you.” she said lovingly.
“Of course Mina.” said Ian calmly choking back emotions.
“You have to let go Ian. You have to let go of the past: you did not fail
us; you did not fail the God-Emperor. You freed us; if you had not
done what you did, then you would have failed; but you gave us the
Emperor’s mercy. I am not asking you to forget, I am asking you to
forgive yourself and let go.” she said with an angelic voice and a
concerned face.
“But Mina, you were my world! You were everything to me, and I
couldn’t even save you! How can I-.” Ian was cut off by Mina’s
finger pressing against his lip.
“Shhhh. Ian, only by letting go can you move on. I want to see you
happy: I don’t want to see you like this! It has been breaking my
heart for the past five years seeing you like this: It has been breaking
all of our hearts, including your mother and father.” she said sadly.
“I also want you to move on and find someone who will love you as
I once did Ian.”
“Why? You were the only woman I have ever loved and ever will
love.” said Ian shakily.
“Ian, my death means that we were not meant to be; as much as
it hurts for me to say it and for you to hear it; we both know that it
is true.” said Mina softly. Ian felt something placed in his hand as
his fiancé let go of his hand: looking down, he saw it was her
engagement ring. The priceless heirloom had been lost to the
flames when Laureus was burned, still on her body behind the
lines of the enemy, but now, here it was.
“Remember Ian, we are always watching over you and will
always be with you; and know that none of the Emperor’s faithful
who died that day blame you for what had to be done, and
remember Ian, there is someone special out there for you, and
she is closer than you think.” finished Mina. As she and the
gardens began to fade, Mina shared one final kiss with the
man who had loved her in life.
“I love you Ian: live well.”
“And I love you Mina, rest in Peace.”
***************************************************************************
Ian sat bolt upright after the dream was over and looked around.
He was in his bed in a cold sweat in the suite in Canterlot Palace.
“Wow, what a dream that was.” said Ian. As he brought up his
hands to rub his eyes, he felt something small and metallic in his
right hand. He quickly grabbed his glasses from the night stand
and blinked a few times as he put them on. As Ian opened his
hand, he could not believe his eyes at what was resting in his palm.
There, as real as real could be sat the ring he had given Mina: the
ring that a member of his family had given to his loved ones since
the time of Roderick Ludones thousands of years ago. This was the
ring that had been burned to ash on Laureus IX: and yet there it
was. Ian could only stare in awe. He remembered Mina’s words
and swiftly dressed himself and put on his leg before making his
way to the throne room, where Princess Celestia would just be
going on her mid day break.
********************************************************************
It had been another long morning for Princess Celestia. Since the
sun had come up she had received her fair share of concerned citizens
and nobles with questions and concerns about the arrival of the Imperial
Guard and most had simple questions that were easily answered.
“Who is next Scrivener?” asked Celestia of her Earth Pony secretary.
“That is all for today your majesty; no more appointments.” replied
the parchment colored stallion adjusting his spectacles.
“Care to join me for some cake and tea?” she asked the secretary.
“I thank you for your kind offer princess, but with the diet my wife has
me on, I would prefer not to.” replied the earth pony with kind smile.
Celestia laughed lightheartedly, but before she could reply, a knock
came at the door.
“Please, come in.” said Celestia. The door opened revealing Ian
dressed in the uniform that Rarity had crafted him. He bowed his head
politely, but his face was pale as paper.
“Ian, are you alright? You look as if you have seen a ghost.” asked
Celestia.
“You could say that your majesty, do you have a few minutes?”
asked Ian.
“Of course Ian.” she said kindly.
****************************************************************************
The next day.
Ian also awoke early after having the most peaceful sleep he’d had in
five long years. His dreams had been pleasant for once as opposed to
the usual night terrors he had; and so he began his day with a prayer
to the Emperor before he got himself dressed and ready to go to Ponyville.
Talking to Princess Celestia had eased some of the pain of his past, but it
was still there; at least he had slept well as a result. As Ian boarded the
Valkyrie he thought more on the dream he’d had during his rest the previous
day and wondered what Mina had meant when she said that there was
someone for him closer than he thought; he pushed the thought to the
back of his head as the Valkyrie took to the sky.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville; Applejack awoke extra early to help Big Macintosh
complete the chores before she got ready for the day ahead. Despite her
excitement, Applejack could not stifle a feeling of dread that seemed to come
entirely out of nowhere. The chores were dealt with very quickly, as both
Macintosh and Applejack had things going that day. Macintosh had an
invitation to the palace to spend the day with his very special somepony,
and that would probably mean that Applejack would have to do the
evening chores on her own. This didn’t bother her as her brother rarely
took a day off, and in her opinion, he could use one. What she worried about
was how she was going to go about telling Ian how she felt. Dash had made it
sound so easy, but if it was so easy, then why did she find it so frustratingly
difficult?
The high pitched whine of engines in the distance told Applejack that Ian was
at most a minute away and that did not make her feel too much better either.
Then she remembered something that Ian had given her; she walked quickly
over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, and there sitting alone in the
drawer was the amulet that he had given her.
“Well, can’t hurt ta ask fer help.” she said to herself. Holding onto the amulet,
she whispered a quick prayer to Ian’s Emperor for courage before putting it
back and walking out on the porch. She looked at her reflection in the window
to make sure she looked normal. Ponytail: check. Hat: check. She was ready
for whatever the day may bring and watched as the Valkyrie gently touched
down in front of the farm house and opened the rear ramp. Stepping out in
jeans and a bomber pilot jacket was Ian. As soon as he was out of the gunship,
the large metal flying machine took back to the sky and went back to Canterlot.
“Hello AJ, happy Hearts and Hooves.” he said with a smile.
“Uh, hey there Ian; Happy Hearts and hooves!” she said with a smile.
“Everything alright AJ, you seem a bit nervous?” asked Ian.
“Nah, everything’s fine!” she chuckled nervously.
“AJ; you are a terrible liar you know?” said Ian with a smile.
“Is it that obvious?” she asked nervously.
“In the words of a certain stallion I know: “Eeyup!”” answered Ian with
a chuckle that made the orange mare blush with embarrassment.
“However if you do not wish to talk about it; that is perfectly alright, you
do have a right to your privacy.” Applejack sighed with relief; she wanted
to tell Ian what she felt but not right now.
“Wanna go fer a walk Ian?” she asked.
“I’d love to.” replied Ian with a smile.
****************************************************************************
The first place Ian and Applejack arrived at was the Golden Oak Library
for Ian to return some books he had borrowed from Princess Twilight where
he met Spike for the first time. Not in the three months he had been on Equis
Prime had he met the small dragon. After a short chat with Twilight and Spike,
Ian and Applejack resumed their walk. By noon they had been all over
Ponyville and decided that lunch back on the farm was a good idea. The
day was going as well as could be hoped for, but Applejack knew that soon it
may take a turn for the worst. Much to Applejack’s shock, it was Ian actually
broke the ice.
“So AJ, why have you been acting so nervous around me the past few weeks?”
asked Ian cocking an eyebrow. The color drained from the orange farm pony’s face.
“Uh…Uh… what do ya mean Ian?” she asked sheepishly.
“Well, you have been blushing quite a bit; and I have also caught you staring at me
when you think I am not looking but I have not brought this up because you have treated
me with a kindness that I have seldom experienced from others. While I am thankful to
you, I hope you are not showing me this kindness out of fear AJ: you are a very good
friend; one of the best I have had the pleasure of meeting: and friends should not fear
friends.” said Ian with a small hint of worry. The secrecy was cracked: Ian knew that
something was up. Applejack mentally kicked herself; she should have known that
Ian would have noticed something was off: the man was from a profession that
employed people of an inquisitive nature and pay close attention to what went on
around them.
“Well, Ah suppose it’s time I come clean Ian.” she said removing her hat. Time
seemed to stand still as Ian sat with a questioning look on his face.
“Ian, there aint no other way ta put this: Ah care about ya…a lot: and when Ah say
care ah mean ah would probably give mah tail to be yer very special somepony.”
Applejack felt as though a massive weight had lifted off of her, but at the same time
she was also absolutely terrified as a dead silence filled the room. She looked towards
the ground and closed her eyes expecting to hear Ian rise from his seat and leave the
house. Her fears were partially confirmed when she heard the chair push away from
the table and heavy foot falls of Ian’s boots: her heart was beating like a jackhammer.
She got the shock of her life when she felt a kiss on her forehead and a hand under
her chin lift her face up. Applejack opened her eyes to see Ian staring back at her
through his glasses with a mixture of concern and sadness in his eyes.
“AJ: I care deeply about you: and I would be honored to be with someone as kind
and honest as you; but unfortunately, as I mentioned when I first arrived on this world,
it just cannot be. The day that the Imperium would tolerate such a relationship is the
day I become a unicorn; and I think we both know that will never happen. I will always
be a friend though.” Ian pulled Applejack into a hug as she let out a sigh of relief.
“Ah was so nervous you would never want ta see me again if ah told ya how ah felt.”
she said with some relief.
“Hey, I would never do that to a good friend. It takes a lot of guts to say to me what you
just did knowing what you know about the Imperium, and that is something I respect
greatly. You are a wonderful mare AJ, and you deserve so much better than me.” he
said kindly. Applejack was about to reply when the sounds of the screams of terrified
children pierced through the air.
“Applebloom!” Applejack shouted bolting from her seat and out the door. Ian
instinctively drew his pistol from its holster and ran out after her.
“AJ wait!” he yelled. Applejack was quickly fading into the distance; he needed to
move quickly.
***************************************************************************
Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo fled in sheer terror, barely keeping ahead
of the huge monstrosity that was chasing them. They had no idea where the manticore
had come from as they had not even been playing anywhere near the Everfree forest.
Now the beast was within striking distance and raised one of its huge paws, razor
sharp claws extending to full length: but before it could strike, two powerful orange
hooves smashed into the side of the manticore’s face, momentarily stunning it. When
the creature shook off the hit it noticed a rather angry looking orange pony with green
eyes standing in front of it pawing the ground.
**************************************************************************
“Applejack!” yelled Applebloom in concern.
“Keep runnin’ and get help! You don’t turn around no matter what ya hear lil’ sis!” yelled
Applejack.
“But sis!”
“GO!” yelled Applejack; her little sister and the other fillies knew better than to disobey
and kept running. No sooner had the three fillies gotten over the hill than the huge and
now very angry manticore had come out of its momentary stupor. Applejack pawed the
ground and charged; as she neared the huge creature, she spun on her front feet and
kicked out with her back legs to deliver a second bone shattering kick; unfortunately;
the manticore was waiting just for this to happen. As Applejack was inches from hitting
her target, a massive paw slammed into her side, sending the mare airborne and
towards the trunk of one of her apple trees. She hit with a sickening crunch and knew
from the excruciating pain that she had multiple broken bones.
The huge cat cast an ominous shadow over her as it approached and raised its paw
with claws extended to finish the job. Applejack’s whole life flashed before her eyes in
moments, and closed them in anticipation for the impact of the killing blow: it never landed.
A loud crack, like the roar of a cannon exploded over the orchard, followed by a secondary
explosion and a shower of red, sticky, liquid and slimy giblets splattering onto her orange
coat. The manticore roared in absolute agony, causing Applejack to open an eye. Where
once had been the manticore’s paw was a bloodied stump with pieces of bone sticking out.
The cow pony made out a faint red dot on the manticore’s head and painfully looked to
where the explosion had come from: running toward the manticore, bolt pistol raised and
yelling at the beast was Ian. That was the last thing she saw before passing out.
**************************************************************************
Another eight explosive bolts turned the manticore’s head and upper torso into nothing
but bloody giblets on the ground as the huge body of the animal toppled backwards twitching
in the grass. Ian ran over with worry painted on his face and checked the mare’s vitals. She
was still alive thank the Emperor, and Ian whispered a prayer of thanks for that. Up behind
the young inquisitor ran the three fillies who had told him frantically what was going on and
led him to where Applejack had found them; all three were crying quietly: Applebloom
especially. She had already lost her parents; she was terrified of losing her sister and role
model. Ian swiftly activated the vox bead in his ear.
“Aurora, Aurora: this is Inquisitor Ludones; I need a medevac on my location immediately.
I have an injured civvie that needs immediate medical attention!” he said loudly into the vox.
“Inquisitor Ludones this is Aurora, Valkyrie is on the way and will airlift you to the nearest
hospital; ETA, five minutes over.” replied a comms officer.
“Roger that, ten four.”
“Ten four Inquisitor.”
Ian hugged the crying fillies and calmed them down and then turned to Applejack’s
unconscious form.
“Hang in there AJ: help is coming.” he said with worry holding her hoof in his hand. A
few minutes later, the Valkyrie gunship landed just outside the pasture and the medics
arrived with a stretcher. They loaded Applejack onto the stretcher and together with Ian
and the three fillies boarded the gunship which took to the air and moments later landed
at Ponyville General Hospital, where Applejack was taken into the E.R. for treatment. Ian
sent Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo to tell the other elements and Applejack's family about
what was going on while he and Applebloom sat in the waiting room. Now came the worst
part: the wait. All that Ian could do at this point was wait; and pray.
A Light in the Grim Darkness
Unfortunately between school and a very bad case of Writers' Block: this story will be on hold until I can get my head on straight enough to where I will be able to get a good chapter out. I will continue to pick at this story and it will NOT be cancelled. I apologize to you my readers for the inconvenience, and hopefully soon the fog will break and I will be able to bring you new chapters about Ian's adventure in Equestria. I nearly had a good chapter going; and it looked like the fog was about to lift until I got half way through and drew a blank. Until my brain discontinues this; I will be working on Ice Veins as that story has been well mapped and changed little from the original idea that I had. Once more I apologize and hope that soon I will be able to post more.