The Legion of the Damned

Sergeant Centurius strode onto the bridge, fully clad in his black power armour engraved with the symbols of the Legion.

As he began to walk towards the command throne, which was currently occupied by Iphoan, one of the Legion's original librarians to survive and their fleets navigator, he asked the ancient marine-

"Anything to report, Brother? Since He has forbidden us from joining Him in His last stand on Holy Terra, the Brothers have been uneasy."

"The Emperor wills as He sees fit. Perhaps He has another plan for us?"

"What could be more important than fighting alongside Him in His hour of greatest need?" Centurius began to pace in front of the vast windows that occupied the front of the bridge of the bridge.

"The Warmaster's dogs are at the gates once more after ten millennia, the Tyranids are poised to overrun the Eastern Fringe at any time, yet He leaves us in the warp, unable to assist Him in His hour of greatest need? His finest warriors?" Centurius turned back towards the command throne.

Iphoan suddenly spasamed violently in the command throne, coughing up blood.

Centurius walked  over to the command throne before asking "Are you alright, Brother?"

Iphoan coughed, splattering more blood onto his armour.

"I am fine, Brother. Holy Terra has fallen."

Centurius stared into space for a few minutes. "He... He is dead?"

"He is alive. He will always be with us, Brother. His physical form has perished, yet his psychic might now roams the galaxy, free of all mortal constraints."

The Librarian was silent for a moment. "Ahh... So that is His plan. Set course for the center of the galaxy, galacticly south of the Gates of Varl. Sector 2, Subsector (++Inquisitorial permission required++). Damn database... Ahh, I'm in. Subsector Walls, the Citadel System."

"Why?"

"He says there may be a human colony there, built with levels of xeno- and archeo-tech defences even He couldn't dream of reproducing. "

"So He thinks humanity may have survived on this world? Why did He not send us before?"

"Do not doubt His word, Sergeant. He has a plan for us all... "

"Warp coordinates locked. All hands, prepare for warp jump." A servitor announced in the emotionless voice that was common to all servants of the Omnisah.

"This could get messy..."

And with that, the ships of the Legion fleet one by one made the warp jump, vanishing in pinpricks of light in the blackness of space.

The ships gilded through the oddly peaceful currents and eddies of the Warp, obviously the archeo-tech had some Warp-nullifying property. When the warp shoved them out at their destination, the Brothers stared at a odd reflection of Holy Terra when it was in its prime.

"Brother, is that Holy Terra itself?"

"No, the position of our ships relative to the Eye indicates that we are at the Citadel. Scanning the system... Ah... Intresting... This system, is, to all intents and purposes, invisible. Only those who know its there will see it. No psychic mirror in the warp, no Chaos taint, no Ork or Tyranid spores, Necron structures yet not a tomb world... Sergeant, it appears we have discovered the greatest fortress in the galaxy."

"Any signs of humans?" Centurius pressed the easily-distracted Librarian.

"Suprisingly, no. There are structures and what appear to be... I don't recognise these creatures but I could have sworn by the Throne I've seen them before..."

"Dogs? Necrons? New Tyranid strains? Horses? Furies? Burger Marines?"

"Ah! Horses!" Iphoan would have fist-pumped if not for the pipe connecting the throne to his gauntlet. "That's what they're called!"

Centurius sighed. "We make planetfall, and establish overwatch positions. We will be as statues and we will observe these horses. Do not reveal yourselves unless I give the order. Relay this order to the other Brothers."

And with that, the Damned would become guardians once more.

A bolt of light suddenly shot straight past the Legion fleet before impacting violently on the moon.

"What in His name was that?" Iphoan shouted out, hoping the horses didn't have surface to space missile silos.

One of the Bridge marines answered "Internal dispute?"

Centurius shrugged. "Another question that will be answered on the surface. Move, Brothers! For the Emperor!"

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"What is it, Princess?" One of her Day Guard, Phalanx Spear, was that his name, asked. The 'it' in question was a very large number of black statues that had appeared in her Day Palace in Canterlot shortly after she had provided her younger sister with some thinking time on the moon.

"I don't know, Phalanx Spear, but whatever they are, they are somewhat unique and well-crafted. Place them as ornaments in place of the statues of my sister and elsewhere where ornamentation is required. Put some on the walls and in the chapel and gatehouse as well. These black statues have a secret they are hiding, and I don't have the time to figure it out. Get your best stallions on it."

"It will be done, my Princess." Phalanx Spear trotted away, leaving Celestia alone with the army of statues. She couldm't shake the feeling she was being watched, and why did such a event have to happen so soon after she had to banish Luna? Could they be connected?

She walked up to a massive bipedal statue, one of its arms ending in a series of tubes while the other ended in a four- flat taloned-claw claw. On the front, the images of skulls of strange creatures, bones and fire were engraved while a single red glass window revealed only blackness. "Soon your secrets will be mine..."

Celestia wasn't to know it would take a thousand years, the deaths of many ponies who wished to unlock the secrets of the statues and a full-on invasion of Equestria to cause the Damned to rise once again.