//------------------------------// // New Acquaintences // Story: When war comes // by Drakstice //------------------------------// In a dimly lit cavern beneath the castle sat six ponies, a small dragon and a novice Blood Angel Assault Marine. Despite their depth, tremors could still be felt as combatants fell from on high. It was not often one was felt, maybe one every few minutes. Regardless, all of the room's occupants stayed put, away from the violence above. Since Thane was a fair distance away from the group, he decided to kneel down and wait out the battle. He would also observe the ponies, perhaps learn more about them and how they could help him. "Are we gonna make it through this, Twilight?" asked a very nervous Spike. He was clutching Twilight closely, hoping that she had an answer to set him at ease. "I don't know, Spike," Twilight replied. "But if we stay here, we should be able to wait out the fighting." This was the best answer she could have given, but it did not have the calming effect she hoped to have. The rest of the group was not faring much better. Concern dominated their voices, expressions and thoughts. Each one had a reason to return to the surface, mostly to check on family and friends. Twilight wanted to ensure the safety of Ponyville, but she could not possible do so with so much fighting going on. "I hope my family got to safety all right," Applejack said, "The farm house can be a makeshift fortress, but can it really stand up to a dragon attack?" "This is all too much!" Rarity's untimely entrance got all eyes on her. "This morning, I was enjoying a fine croissant chocolate and now I'm hiding in the castle's basement from Celestia-knows-what is happening outside." Her complaint was certainly just, but the next one was even more so. "Gasp! Sweetiebelle! I completely forgot about her! Twilight, I must know that my sister is safe!" Rarity was not thinking of her own safety as she ran toward the cave's exit. The only thing stopping her was Twilight's magical grasp, preventing her from moving any further. Her cries of protest were not ignored, but instead countered with a rather good point. "Please, calm down, Rarity," Twilight said in a cool, collected voice, "Sweetiebelle and the girls are with Starlight. I trust Starlight to keep them safe." Rarity stopped resisting, but was still uneasy about sitting still and doing nothing while her only sister was in untold danger. "Besides, Sweetiebelle is a pretty capable magic user, herself," Twilight said, trying to give some level of reassurance. Another tremor shook the cavern, loosing small rocks and momentarily silencing the group. Applejack felt this was an appropriate time to chime in. "Believe me, Rarity, I know how unsettled ya must feel," she said as she walked up to Rarity's side, "Applebloom means all of Equestria to me. But she's an Apple, and us Apples have gone through all kind o' guff, thick and thin." It was at this point Rarity started to feel genuinely more confident in her sister's chances for survival. "If mah little Apple can make it through, ah know Sweetie can, too." "Don't forget about scoots," Rainbow Dash butted in with an air of pride, "I know they'll make it through with that little ball of awesomeness with 'em." Rainbow's confidence in Scootaloo was not necessarily misplaced, but it may indeed be overconfidence she felt. With a small sigh of relief, Rarity finally responded. "You're right, girls. They're all in capable hooves and I know I'll see her again." After a group hug, another tremor with impeccable timing passed through the cave. Thane was kneeling on the opposite wall to where the ponies had gathered. He had done so for several reasons. Firstly, the ceiling above them had stalactites above and he did not want to be under them if a tremor rattled them loose. Secondly, he still did not know these creatures' capabilities fully. The lavender colored one, Twilight, was a psyker of sorts. She pulled her friend back with nothing but her mind. The bone sticking out of her forehead had something to do with it, as it glowed with the same aura as the affected object. Was the white one the same, perhaps more powerful? Thirdly, the spot of his choosing had the best communications reception this far underground. He was barely able to pick up vox chatter from the Thunderhawks engaged in combat. There was no chance his armor's vox-caster could reach his comrades, as he simply could not produce a signal powerful enough to reach them. He felt most at ease at least having situational awareness even if he could not interact with his airborne brothers. Thane's attention was also focused on the group of ponies and their interactions. He had already learned the names of many in the group: Pinkie, Rainbow, Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rarity. Each one had a distinct color, voice, physique and, mannerisms. His photographic memory was working to learn the group well, for if he was to use them to his advantage, knowing their names would facilitate that task. One thing that almost disgusted him was their behavior. Where to begin? Well, firstly, with the fighting above, it was unlikely that anything would survive the falling combatants. All six of them were reinforcing the thought that loved ones would come out unscathed. Perhaps this was their way for as long as they could recall, as none seemed interested in entertaining the idea of losing someone. Secondly, while Thane chose to seek cover out of tactical wisdom, they sought shelter out of fear. He heard the panic in their voices as they ran into the caverns beneath the castle. Fear tends to make mortal creatures do irrational things. Several minutes had passed without picking up a vox transmission or feeling a tremor. Thinking that signaled the end of the fight, one of two things was possible: the fight had migrated elsewhere or the victor was securing the area, claiming new territory. Thane knew he couldn't stay put forever, so he decided to investigate the lack of noise from above. Rising to his full height, he was still far from the cave ceiling with plenty of room above. As he made his way to the cave exit, the group turned their attention to him. "Thane?" asked Twilight, "Where are you going?" "I'm going to check the surface." "But, isn't that dangerous? What if the dragons are still out there?" asked Twilight as she tried to stand in front of Thane. "You don't know my brothers and you don't know me." Thane simply stepped over Twilight completely as he continued his pace. "And you don't know Equestria. There are plenty of dangers that even I should watch out for!" Rainbow Dash wanted to get the message across that Equestria was a dangerous place. What better way than to get face-to-face and speak aggressively? It had the desired effect, stopping the armored warrior in his tracks, if even for just a moment. However, intimidation tactics were nigh useless on Thane. "I know you saw what happened in the foyer upstairs," Thane replied, referring to the dragon that crashed through the castle wall. He pushed Rainbow Dash out of his face as he continued forward. "That was but one of dozens of Thunderhawks suppressing those beasts." Thane let the confidence in his voice project, even though he was completely unaware of the situation outside. The group finally made its way to the superstructure, remarkably untouched by the falling dragons and gunships. Perhaps this castle was blessed in some way. The ponies were still at his heels, voicing their distress and trying to sway him back to safety. However, Thane's idea of safe was on the front lines with his battle brothers, destroying the enemy, thus making the area safe. Back in the castle's foyer, the dust had long since settled and the dragon carcass had not budged an inch after its death. Outside the opening in the wall, Thane was greeted with an unsettling sight: a crashed Thunderhawk gunship. This would normally be a reason for distress, but instead, Thane saw hope. Perhaps one or two of his battle brothers had survived the crash. He would need all the men and materials he could salvage if he and they were to survive. His first instinct was to secure the crash and render aid to any battle brothers who may still be inside. Finding new purpose, he leapt from the balcony onto the marble floor below. This time, there was no bone rattling earthquake nor was he falling at near terminal velocity. Just a simple leap from high ground to low. Climbing over the rubble from the dragon's entrance, he passed through the gaping hole to his brothers in need. "Brothers," he called out as he climbed the smoking wreckage, "do you yet live?" Astartes soldiers were far tougher than mortal humans, but still had their limits. A Space Marine was unlikely to survive a crash from an aircraft, but he still had a better chance than unaugmented humans. The cockpit was on the other side of the crash, so he had to circle around to reach any survivors. "I've come to render aid! Are you-" To his dismay, the cockpit appeared to be mutilated. The pilot had not ejected, but rather something big had clawed its way into the vehicle, leaving the front end of the craft completely mangled and the crew butchered. Further adding to his growing despair, these were not the only casualties. Looking around, the area had almost completely changed from what it was just one hour ago. Buildings were wrecked, if not completely demolished. Downed gunships and dragon carcasses littered the small town. More of the natives had emerged from their shelters, shaken and frightened by the recent ordeal. Some had even taken notice of Thane and gone back into hiding. Others were too frightened to do anything useful. Behind him, Thane heard a small *thunk*, as if wood had struck stone. Turning around, he took notice of the pink pony whose jaw was literally on the floor, agape in awe of the spectacle before her. How it was still attached to her skull, Thane could not even begin to guess. "Pinkie, what do you see?" asked a voice from behind her. Soon, the rest of the group assembled and reacted with equal, yet far less exaggerated, shock to the destruction before them. The voice that asked the question from earlier would receive no response. Back to the task at hand. Statistically, if so many Thunderhawks were struck down, there was sure to be at least one survivor. On to the next one. The next ship had been scorched all over the front end. A thick layer of soot and ash completely obscured the cockpit from having any degree of visibility. The grim prospect dawned on Thane that the dragons had identified a weakness in the Thunderhawk's formidable design. Hoping to see if any survivors were still inside, he wiped a section of the cockpit clear. It was not perfect, but it gave a good enough view to see all four crew members. Three remained motionless as one groggily looked up at the new source of light. This survivor's right arm was twisted at an odd angle, probably causing him great pain. What can I do now, Thane thought to himself. I shouldn't ask the natives for help, but what other choice do I have? "Fret not, brother," Thane said in an attempt to reassure the wounded pilot, "I will get you out with all haste!" He was unsure if the pilot could hear him through the armorglass canopy, but it felt wrong to leave without saying anything. He was definitely alive, however, as he was reaching over to the co-pilot. Thane was unsure exactly what he was doing. Perhaps he had found two survivors from this battle instead of just one. Perhaps the boarding ramp can be pried open, Thane thought. After all, if they got on that way, it could also be their exit. Thane jumped down to investigate the rear of the ship. As he landed, loud popping noises emanated from the ship's canopy. As the third and fourth pops made themselves known, the armorglass started to chip away. As more canopy disappeared, Thane realized what was happening. The pilot was shooting the cockpit open with his bolt pistol. The eighth round fired, signaling the end of the magazine. Climbing back up to investigate the pilot's condition, Thane was just in time to see a fist rip through what remained of the canopy. It missed his head by just inches before retracting back into the wrecked ship. "I'm here to help, brother!" Thane called out just before the second punch could be thrown. A sigh of relief escaped the wounded marine's vox grill before a silent thanks to the Emperor. The seat restraints would have to be cut before he could extract the pilot. His combat knife did the job just fine. After the four straps were cut, Thane climbed on top of the canopy behind the hole the pilot shot out. From here, he could pull the pilot out by his power pack. With whatever energy he could spare, the pilot put his share of effort into emerging. As the pilot was mostly out of the cockpit, Thane lost his footing on the now fragile frame. The metal frame under his feet gave out and both warriors fell, sliding down the hull and falling hard onto the ground below. Though a novice, Thane had enough sense to land on his stomach, lest his jump pack get damaged. His new comrade was directly in front of him, face-down, but still squirming and moaning in pain. Thane was somewhat relieved that his clumsiness had not gotten a battle brother killed. As Thane got to his feet, the curious ponies in the area took notice of the two space marines. However, idle onlookers were not the only ponies standing around. A distinct new wave of them, they looked like relief workers. Several were attached to wheeled carts emblazoned with red crossed inscribed in pink hearts. They stopped in open areas and beckoned all to come forth for medical aid. Those within earshot were running, limping, some even dragging themselves to the places of healing. Others were carrying or dragging their friends who could not help themselves. This was clearly meant for the ponies to get aid. They could not feasibly help a genetically engineered super soldier completely alien to this world. With few options in sight and little experience upon which to draw, Thane still found the resolve to press on. "Fret not, brother," he said, kneeling down next to the only one of his kind around, "I'm no apothecary, but I will see you through this." The response he got was not what Thane expected. Instead of words, all he got was a weary arm pointing to something to his rear. The pilot must have taken such a hit that he didn't even have the energy to say 'behind you'. Turning to see, there was indeed something standing behind him. The pink-haired timid pony from before who froze up in fear. "Um, excuse me Mr. Thane," she began, "I was just wondering if, um, your friend is OK?" What was this frail-looking creature's aim, if it even had one? It must, because it reached into its side mounted sack for something. What was it about to do? Draw a weapon? Almost by instinct, Thane reached to his thigh for his knife, but something told him to hold off. Why? His senses were on high alert and he was ready for a fight. Why would he stand down now? It was not a weapon, at least not superficially. "I, I brought some medical supplies," she explained with a somewhat nervous stammer, presenting a small parcel like a gift. "That is, um, if you want." Her voice trailed off to an almost inaudible whimper. She retracted the small package in an indignant manner as if she had embarrassed herself with this act of kindness. Thane, dumbfounded by this act, simply stared with a confused look on his face, unaware that his battle brother had slipped into unconsciousness. "OK," she finally said after an awkward moment of silence, "I'll just go help everypony else." As she shuffled away to tend to her own kind, one idea did occur to Thane. "Wait," he finally said to her. This got her attention and her head and ears eagerly perked back up. "Whatever aid you can render would be..." he couldn't believe what he was about to say next, "...appreciated." "Oh, OK," she replied with a small smile and an eager trot him. As she got closer, she revealed a pair of feathery wings and took flight, hovering just above the unconscious Blood Angel. To get a better idea of just how injured his brother was, Thane rolled him onto his back. "Oh my goodness," she said in distress, "don't move him!" She was also holding her arms in front of her, beckoning him to stop, or perhaps wishing to stop him from moving without touching him. It was too late, as the casualty was already on his back, his head hanging back lifelessly from his inert form. "We don't know how badly he is injured yet," she explained, "You really, really shouldn't move an injured animal without knowing the extent of her injuries." "Animal?" Thane interjected, somewhat offended by her choice of words. The shy pony started to cower from Thane's outburst. "This man is far more than some dumb animal," Thane's pride was starting to get the best of him again, "He's a hardy warrior who can take a hit and keep moving," passersby had stopped to watch the drama unfolding, "Don't tell me YOUR standard of care, we have our own. It's-" Thane would not get a chance to finish his rant. "Listen here, you," the small creature interrupted with a volume she had not previously displayed. "My name is Fluttershy, resident veterinarian of Ponyville and I know all about caring for ALL creatures, great and small," she felt the need to emphasize her point by getting close to Thane's face. "I've treated snakes, squirrels, cats and dogs, bears, gorillas, even a baby dragon once. I still learn new things every day and I will NOT have you tell me that I can't do something related to animal care." Thane had not expected such a burst of passion to come from a previously quiet and reserved character. "Do I make myself clear?" she concluded, rather menacingly. What was this feeling going down Thane's spine? It was like some kind of primal feeling, like knowing when to submit to a superior foe. That seemed way out of place, since this was such a small, non-threatening creature. Perhaps he was realizing it was illogical to antagonize the only hope his wounded comrade had to survive. Snapping back to reality, he decided to relent and allow her to help. "Transparently," he replied to her question. It was a reluctant response and he did not allow her to see that he was slightly unnerved by her stare. "Now then," Fluttershy said as she gently descended to the ground, "does his shell come off like yours?" "Shell?" What was she talking about? Humans don't have shells. Her response was simply to tap her own temple with her hoof. "Oh," Thane replied after a moment. He got the idea. He was not wearing a helmet while his battle brother was. If space marines were at least somewhat similar to ponies, she could help by getting a look at his body, not his armor. The unconscious marine's helmet came off easily enough to reveal a very pale face with sharp features. It was the paleness that worried Fluttershy as she quickly checked for a pulse and for breathing. After that was confirmed, she instructed Thane to remove the casualty's breastplate. Six latch releases later, both winced at the amount of damage on display. Large bruises covered his upper torso, his ribcage was broken in several places and his right arm had been dislocated. Fluttershy figured all this out by simply observing and prodding. If she had a more extensive suite of tools and equipment, she would have surely discovered the true extent of the injuries. She would have also been taken aback by the incredibly complex nature of astartes physiology. Instead, armed with only what medical knowledge she already had, Fluttershy relocated the arm, with Thane's help of course, and applied a topical medication for the bruising. "Make sure he keeps breathing and don't move him from that spot," Fluttershy said as she finished her tasks on the unconscious marine, "I need to go get more supplies and help everypony else." The casualty's injuries had used up most of what Fluttershy could carry in just two saddle bags. The ponies still had to tend to their own wounded after all. "If anything changes in the next twenty minutes, be sure to let me know." She was already trotting away as she got her last few words out to Thane. "Right," Thane acknowledged. He was taking a huge risk, leaving his comrade's life to alien medicine. However, taking no action was out of the question. Speaking of which, there were still three other crew members to aid. Even if they had perished, they do not deserve to be entombed in a huge iron coffin. One by one, Thane removed each of them from the wreck, with more care this time. Unfortunately, these three had not survived. He could not see their faces, but somehow, he knew there was a frozen expression behind their stoic metallic faces. Space marines aren't supposed to fear anything, but seeing his deceased battle brothers unnerved him in a way his words simply could not describe. To remedy this, he moved the bodies into the shadow of the Thunderhawk's hull. He had no shroud to cover the bodies, so putting them slightly out of plain sight was the best he could do with what he had. As the sun started to set, temporary relief centers filled the once rustic streets. Thane looked to his only remaining battle brother to notice that there was nary a trace of his bruises from earlier. Perhaps it was Fluttershy's treatment, perhaps his body was a fast healer, maybe both. For now, stay out of the natives' affairs and allow them to recover before asking for further aid, thought Thane. They had been generous so far, but how long could that possibly last? Looking around, Thane concluded that this was a makeshift relief effort. Many of the tents differed in design, capacity and staffing. The relief crews seemed to be composed of uniformed members mixed with regular civilians. Had there not been a considerable militia present, there was a good chance the line of ponies outside each tent would become a mob, desperate for supplies and aid. They had set up and began operations within just a few hours. Even the Imperium was not able to do the same with such short notice, even on a small scale. By staying back and observing the ponies, Thane learned a great deal about these creatures. Though their offensive capabilities had yet to be seen, their capacity to recover was quite remarkable. It had been less than three hours since the battle ended, but a great deal of soldiers and resources had been mobilized to aid the citizens affected. Perhaps they had some hidden capacity for war Thane had not yet seen. Thane's problems seemed to be mounting up faster than he could keep up with them. He had no vox capabilities, his pistol only had one magazine left and now he was stranded on an alien world with no food, one injured marine and three casualties. What training could he recall to deal with this situation. Well, his fallen brethren were still in full battle dress. Perhaps he could use their equipment as his own. After all, he was in need of a new helmet, since he destroyed his own earlier. His pistol was useless if he ran out of ammunition for it. If it were at all possible, he even thought to take their battleplate to replace the damaged sections of his own. Disrespectful as it was, it would bring him back to full readiness. Ultimately, though, he dismissed the idea. These thoughts were cut short as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A hundred yards down the street, a damaged house had finally collapsed under its own weight. Ponies ran amok as dust clouded the immediate area. Mothers grabbed their children and medics escorted who they could to safety. Soldiers and able-bodied volunteers shouldered past stunned or panicked bystanders to help clear away the rubble. Cries of pain and fear radiated from the new disaster area. Unfortunately, one soul did not escape the collapsing structure. As the dust cleared, Thane could make out a pony trapped under a large timber beam, struggling for escape. Every volunteer turned their attention to this impromptu rescue operation. Even with two dozen individuals giving their best effort, the beam simply refused to move. Thane could see that it was still pinned by other fallen beams and a pile of masonry. The helpless creatures A strange feeling was stirring in Thane's heart. Something was telling him to help this helpless pony, that it was the right thing to do. He weighed this against watching over his fallen comrades. What would he lose if aided the ponies? Aside from weapons, armor and other equipment, there wasn't really anything worth stealing from his unguarded position. The greatest worry on Thane's mind was each soldier's geneseed. If he allowed someone, or something, to steal the genetic legacy of the chapter, there would be no shame great enough for his act of neglect. On the other hand, he already felt shame for just sitting idly by while he could do something to help. He wouldn't be helping a human, but it would be appreciated all the same. For reasons he could not explain, he felt compelled to save this small creature's life. None of the ponies expected a charging red suit of armor to show up, but here he was, springing into action. Those who noticed his approach had already evaded and stayed clear of him. The wood beam was fairly easy to grasp and lighter than it looked, being made of wood. He also chose to lift the exposed end at its farthest point, giving him the maximum leverage for the easiest lift. Had it been stone or metal, Thane would probably need a small squad of space marines to lift the heavy piece of debris. As Thane lifted the timber off the ground, the loose masonry and smaller debris fell to the ground. Looking down, he found the pony who was reported to be trapped under the fallen structure. She was lightly built, had rosy red hair and a lime-green coat and bore an insignia resembling a series of wavy lines. Her back legs were mangled and bleeding from her recent ordeal. Medics and rushed to her side with a wheeled stretcher and other medical supplies. As she was carted off for more specialized attention, she fought through her crippling pain, opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the one who had saved her from almost certain death. The sun was directly behind the giant's head, creating a glorious halo effect. In her daze, she could be forgiven for seeing what she believed were wings on his back. In her mind, this was a mighty red angel sent by Princess Celestia herself, a guardian against frightening perils. If only she knew just how much truth there was in that thought. The Angel and the pony locked gazes until she was carted out of sight into a green canvas tent. After checking his surroundings and ensuring a clear path, Thane cast the timber back toward the majority of the wreck. A small dust cloud followed in its wake, but it settled almost as soon as it started. Thane then had to step back a few paces to prevent his feet from being crushed by a falling section of the upper floor. Looking around, Thane was surrounded by ponies all staring in his direction. Their faces were a variety of awe, disbelief, fear and some even displayed intrigue in what they had just witnessed. Even now, Thane could not justify nor explain his actions, but it was in the past now. Also, no one in his chapter had witnessed the event. Perhaps it was better not to risk a charge of heresy for aiding xenos. The walk back to his makeshift camp at the downed gunship was a quiet one, save for the treading of metal boots against a dirt road and furtive whispering among the ponies. The crowd of ponies made way for the armored behemoth as he returned to his post. He had a lot on his mind on which to reflect. Without a doubt, his actions would not have been sanctioned by the Codex Astartes. Abandoning his battle brothers to render aid to an alien race with no benefit for himself or the chapter. In fact, all he did was facilitate one individual getting immediate care for what were likely grave injuries anyway. If his section sergeant ever caught wind of this, or worse, the company commander, he could see disciplinary flagellation in his near future. These thoughts he pondered as the sun set. He also debated with himself whether he should use his fallen brothers' equipment or wait for the unconscious one to awaken. Whatever the case, it was clear that he would be spending the night out in the field, away from his comfort zone. To err on the side of caution, it would be best not to sleep tonight. Unless his companion recovers, Thane would have to be the watchdog throughout the night. --- Whenever night fell across Equestria, the ponies began to retire to bed. From Princess Luna's point of view, each pony falling to sleep was a new window opening up. From the Dreamscape, a myriad of these portals came in to view. These windows peered into the pony's mind, displaying their thoughts, recent memories and even deepest fears or desires when they believed nopony was around. Midnight was when the most windows were open. Some were inactive, just sleeping. Others were rather lively, their minds creating vivid worlds inspired by their experiences. Some nights, a pony would conjure up a nightmare inspired by untold fears or bad experiences. These windows shuddered with screams of terror and whatever demons lurked within them. As the princess of the night, Luna had an ethical obligation to resolve these fears from each pony who slept so unsoundly. After years of experience, stopping nightmares was a matter of routine for her. This night, however would be unlike anything even she could dream up. One window stood out like a changeling who forgot to change. This window thrashed around so violently that its very shape was never stable. Nearby windows were disrupted, starting bad dreams of their own. Whatever this phenomenon was, it had to be stopped. As Luna approached the rift of madness, two faces appeared. There wasn't enough room for both of them, so the two faces fought to be the dominant one. It was an unsettling sight, but not one to make Luna turn back. She had seen plenty of things far more frightening than this. The two fighting faces was just a front, as the real conflict was inside this pony's mind. In order to combat the fear, Luna often took the form of the pony's fear. Become the evil, be in its place, understand why it acts the way it does to scare the pony so much. In this instance, the fear was an amorphous cloud of darkness. It surrounded a lone figure fighting furiously against it. This figure was bipedal and clad in armor that only enhanced his stature as a fierce fighter. Luna simply had to understand why this warrior was fighting against a cloud of darkness so fruitlessly. He had no weapon, but his fists were flying in all directions without letting up. "Calm yourself," said Luna as she announced her presence in a soothing voice. The warrior continued his assault as if he did not even notice the darkness speaking to him. "Whatever your troubles, I am here to-" Luna would never get to finish her sentence, as the mighty warrior simply struck her down. As Luna was now a cloud of darkness, she did not die, but was reformed some distance away. She was frozen in place by her last vision. That was no pony, but rather something more malevolent than she had ever seen before. It was like an angry spirit, its face contorted with madness. Inside of dreams, Luna could learn all about the dreaming pony, his or her name, recent memories and sometimes even the triggering event. Here, however, the only feelings to be felt were of anger, regret, sadness, loss and so many other crushing negative feelings. The dreaming pony had even forgotten his own name. Something had driven this one to such dark dreams and Luna had no idea where to even start looking. She could only watch from afar as the armored giant relentlessly pummeled a massless cloud of nothingness, his screams of rage disappearing into the abyss. Just as Luna was about to give up hope, she could feel herself be pulled back into the Dreamscape. The virulent emotions surrounding her disappeared as the sleeping pony's window collapsed and vanished, quelling the turbulence it had created. If the window was gone, the dreamer had awoken, but the fears had not been resolved. For the first time in a long time, Luna had failed her duty as the princess of dreams. But this was just one pony's nightmare, despite the magnitude of its violence. There were still others to which she still had to tend, and she would not let one failure cascade into several. --- Thane awoke from his trance startled and cold sweat running down his neck. His senses slowly came back as his head spun from his adrenalin rush. "Brother," he repeatedly heard someone say, trying to get his attention, "can you hear me?" He realized this same someone was also grasping his shoulders, his face directly in front of his own. The only reaction he could give was to reciprocate the grasp. His eyes widened as if in fear, his dual hearts raced against his breathing. As he calmed himself, he realized that the one in front of him was another Blood Angel and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Is he OK?" asked a voice to the right. "He is," the Blood Angel replied as he pulled Thane to his feet. The voice had come from Twilight. She, her friends and the Thunderhawk pilot stood in a semi-circle "I'm Delk, you pulled me from the crash. Who are you?" His tone was calm despite the fact that non-human creatures surrounded him. "I'm Thane," he replied, now fully calmed from his panic. "Ah, the new blood. I thought you looked familiar." Thane never got the opportunity to meet the rest of the company proper, but at least there was someone who would recognize him. It was just now Thane noticed the sun peeking over the eastern horizon. "How long was I out?" Thane asked. It had to be at least several hours since his last recollection was the dead of night. "I came to about an hour before you did. Lucky for us the locals are friendly enough." It was clear that Delk was more comfortable around the ponies than Thane. "Princess Celestia will be here any minute, and I know she'll have a few questions for you two," Twilight announced with a stern look on her face. "She's the ruler of all of Equestria and I know she'll want a good explanation for causing this much damage." Her pacing back and forth did nothing to increase her intimidation factor. She clearly intended to get the space marines worried that the local ruler may impose a harsh sentence for disrupting their little colony. Sadly, her efforts would yield no fruit. "If we see your princess on our way out," Thane replied with a hint of sarcasm, "we'll be sure to behave ourselves." A smug grin briefly shot across his face, but disappeared when his partner spoke up. "And where do you plan on going, new blood?" Delk asked Thane, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. To Thane, it almost sounded rhetorical. Regardless, Delk spoke before Thane could respond. "I already contacted the Sanguine Saint, the soonest rescue operation is three days out." This time, Thane had no smart answer to give. It now dawned on him that if he wanted to survive the three days for the rescue, he would do well not to antagonize the local populace. Harmless as they may seem, he could not help but imagine that they hid a great and terrible power. Whether it was military, sorcery, or something else altogether, these creatures couldn't possibly survive very long on pacifism and good will alone. "In the meantime," Delk continued, "let their leader come. Let's just do what we can to survive." This seemed to get the young warrior back in line, at least for now. Thinking about the situation, Thane concluded that staying put and waiting for a rescue was perhaps the best option available to him right now. The other three bodies from the crash now had shrouds over them. It looked like the ponies used their tents to hide the uncomfortable visage of a fallen warrior. "And rearm yourself before he gets here," said Delk, pushing a helmet to Thane's breastplate. Thane took hold of the helmet before it fell, but wondered from where this extra equipment came. It could only be one place, since Delk was already slipping on his own. He looked back to the shrouded bodies, then back to Delk, who was now mag-locking a second bolt pistol to his hip. His belt was packed nearly full with pistol magazines. There had to be at least ten by his own reckoning. Thane wanted to address the disrespect for the dead, but Delk spoke before he could. "It's not going to do them any good now, is it?" Looking back at the crew one last time, he realized the statement was not strictly false. The helmet he was holding also contained a pistol and three more magazines of ammo. Thane had been secretly wishing for a resupply, but not like this. Accepting the grim reality of the situation, Thane reluctantly donned the scavenged helmet and secured his new collection of weapons. In the back of his mind, he was set a little more at ease being better armed and armored. His new helmet's display lit up with runes and extra pict-feeds, giving him supreme situational awareness. "Fret not, brother," Delk said through his helmet's vox grill, "I'm no sergeant, but I will see you through this." Thane had kept his promise of seeing Delk through his time of need. Now it was Delk's turn to return the favor. As if on cue, two squads of well-equipped soldiers emerged from a blind turn not twenty yards from their current position. They formed a wide corridor, clearing the path through the street. Ordinary ponies made way for the soldiers, but stayed relatively close. The all wore eager grins, as if anticipating an entertaining spectacle. Twilight recognized this behavior as the arrival of a princess. She had this ceremony performed for her own arrival in Canterlot on occasion. As a princess herself, she was permitted to run down the aisle of guards toward her beloved mentor. She simply could not wait to greet Celestia and tell her all about the craziest week she ever had. As Twilight approached the corner, the aforementioned Princess Celestia revealed herself. She stood twice the height of any ordinary citizen, even Twilight was dwarfed by comparison. Her radiance was only amplified by the long flowing multi-colored mane and tail, which almost seemed to move with a will of its own. "Twilight!" exclaimed Celestia, as she caught sight of her pupil, "It's so good to see you again." The two ponies shared a brief embrace of affection. These creatures sure had some strange formalities. The two marines stood and watched as the citizens bowed as the two princesses walked toward them. "It's good to see you too, Celestia. You won't believe the crazy week I've been having," Twilight began as she recalled her week leading up to today. Celestia simply listened as Twilight went on, her gaze fixed on Twilight. "...then they just started pouring out from the mountains by the dozens. It was like something had..." Only once did Celestia look elsewhere and of all places, she glanced toward the Blood Angels, the only two beings that were out of place in all of Ponyville. Her second glance was quick to follow and became more of a stunned stare as Celestia stopped in her tracks and stood wide-eyed and jaw agape at the two space marines. Twilight continued her ramble for some paces before she noticed Celestia had fallen behind. "Uh, milady? Princess Celestia?" one of the guards was just checking to make sure the princess was OK. This was very out of character for her. Even Thane and Delk found this behavior odd to say the least. "Twilight," Celestia finally managed to say after a brief, but still awkward, pause, "I, I didn't realize you already made some new, uh..." the words nervously escaped her lips, almost as if she was being forced to say them, "...acquaintances." Celestia was transfixed on the two Blood Angels, staring at them like she just saw two crimson ghosts. In fact, she almost stopped breathing she was so taken aback. Twilight, being her usual observant self, noticed this bizarre display of behavior and decided to inquire further. "I was just getting to that, actually," Twilight replied, hiding her suspicious tone, "Our new guests, Thane and Delk, survived the dragon incursion." Celestia simply could not bring herself to say anything, so she stood silently, splitting her attention between Twilight's recollection and the two figures before her. Finally, Twilight could not hold back any more. Something was clearly wrong and she was determined to get to the bottom of whatever it was. "Celestia, is there something I should know?" Twilight asked, implying that Celestia was withholding information. By this point, Even the townsponies took notice of the princesses' conversation. How could they not? The highest profile pony in all of Equestria in the middle of events never before seen nor dreamed by ponykind. At least, not in recent memory. Celestia's mind was racing, thinking of ways to keep everyone, to include the space marines, calm and not too curious. Finally, she gave in. She saw no other outcome. The truth started to surface and resourceful little Twilight would uncover it completely one way or another. "Yes, Twilight, there is much for me to explain." Celestia's tone was sincere as she lowered her head in what almost looked like shame. Everypony in the immediate area gasped and started whispering about what this dark secret could be. How long had she been hiding it? Why not bring it up earlier? How are the two armored giants possibly related to Princess Celestia? Naturally, Twilight had a deluge of questions of her own. To her surprise, Celestia stopped her just a few words in. "It's not for you, Twilight," Celestia said, turning her attention to the Blood Angels, "I need to explain something to them." There was almost a hint of scorn in her voice, as if Thane and Delk had done something to offend, even if they were somehow unaware. Her eyes changed from being filled with fear to looking daggers at them. The feeling was mutual, as the two knights in rust red armor suppressed their xenophobic urges to attack. --- The Castle of Friendship had weathered the battle quite well. Particularly, the inner rooms, which were well insulated from the airborne violence turned earthbound. Thane and Delk followed Celestia at a distance as she led them to the library's inner rooms. Whatever Celestia's next words would be, she felt the need to say it in private, away from even Twilight, despite her being a fellow princess. As the three figures walked down the halls, Delk took in the sights of the incredible craftsmanship of the castle. Thane already got to see what the ponies' architects had to offer. The only sounds to be heard were that of cloven hooves and armored boots walking on polished marble floors. There was no conversation between the humans and the pony matriarch as they marched further into isolation. The Imperium had many doctrines prohibiting interactions with xenos. Some were born from pure xenophobia while others had at least some logical reason behind them. Celestia had her own reasons for keeping silent, though no one but she knew what them. At last, the trio arrived at the west wing study. It was a room saved for the most intense of studies. The atmosphere in here was noticeably different. There were no windows, so no natural sunlight would disturb the occupants. Only candles and gently glowing gemstones provided any sort of light within. The paintings on the walls depicted several prominent figures, none of which the Blood Angels had any hope of recognizing. Even the ceiling was designed to give the illusion that the room was much bigger than it actually was. A deep creaking noise got the Blood Angels' attention. They turned around to see the doors to the room closing by Celestia's magic. The inside of them had an elaborately designed carving. One could be forgiven for mistaking it for another one of the walls in the circular room. Once all three were inside, Celestia closed the heavy wooden doors to seal the feeling of isolation, but left the latch unlocked. This was deliberate. There was no need to make her 'guests' feel trapped. What good host would commit such an atrocity? "Now, then," Celestia began in a serious tone, "if you are unaware, your kind is not welcome here." It was a fair statement. Had the situation been reversed, this would not be an unrealistic thing for the human warriors to say. "We weren't exactly expecting a warm reception," Thane replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Delk winced under his helmet as his novice partner made his brash statement. When would he mature into a proper god among men? Surely it had to be soon, as his days as a novice were far behind him. After a short sigh of frustration, Celestia clarified her previous statement. "I mean that you are not welcome to return to this world. After you left, I thought I made it clear that I did not want you back." She took care to emphasize the fact that they had been here before. Both marines had many thoughts as to what Celestia could possibly mean by that. Had the Imperium made contact with the ponies before? Were they violating some treaty or pact by being here? Whatever the reason, the princess was clearly agitated by it. "We've never been here before," Delk said, arguing against Celestia's assertion. "Perhaps not you two individuals," Celestia began her counterargument, "but your chapter and I have an agreement that you leave my people alone." Her use of the word 'chapter' was equal parts worrying and intriguing for the two Blood Angels. Neither of them had mentioned that they were part of a chapter. Delk had subtly moved his hands to hover near his pistols in case she said anything else he deemed problematic. "And what would you know of our chapter?" Thane's tone was aggressive as he moved toward Celestia. "We don't make deals with xenos, we destroy them." Thane's behavior worried Delk to the point he felt the need to interrupt before things got too heated. "Thane, back off," Delk urged to his hot-headed battle brother. To have more of an effect, he even grabbed Thane's shoulder guard to stop his advance. Initially, Thane did not comply. In fact, he shrugged himself away from Delk and continued his advance toward Celestia. "I see Dante didn't inform his entire chapter," Celestia remarked, unaware of the reaction she would get. Without warning, Thane brought his pistol and chainsword to bear flagging the large white equine as the target. Celestia responded by raising a protective shield with her magic. The shield hummed with powerful energy as her eyes glowed with bright light, like a potent psyker. She even barred her teeth as an extra layer of intimidation, though it ultimately had no effect on the morale of space marines. Even Delk made his presence known by raising the two pistols at his side. "STOP!" Delk commanded the two tense beings. Both Thane and Celestia froze, waiting for the other to move, waiting for an excuse to throw the first strike. His scream was loud enough for anyone in the building to hear, even behind the heavy wooden doors. Thane noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. It almost appeared as if Delk had one of his pistols at him. Sure enough, he was aiming at both other beings in the room, dividing his attention between the two. "That's enough, new blood. Stand down," Delk hissed through his vox grill. Thane ignored the order and instead moved his finger directly over the activation rune on his chain blade. Before he could activate it, however, a distinct metallic click made its way to Thane's ear. It was the cocking of a bolt pistol, readying the weapon for the next shot. Unfortunately for Thane, it was the one aimed at him and it was ready to put him down. "That. Is. Enough." The seriousness of Delk's tone finally got through to Thane. This time, Delk's words had the desired effect. Thane relaxed his guard and put his chainsword back on his belt. His pistol was pointed at the floor, but he kept his finger on the trigger, ready for another encounter. After Thane was calmed, Delk lowered his own weapons, satisfied that he had defused the situation before it came to blows. Once both warriors were tranquil enough, Celestia discontinued her ward. It fizzled away as she took deep breaths to calm herself. There was a brief moment of silence before Delk inquired for more information. "How exactly do you know Lord Dante?" It was a valid question. Pretty much all enemies of mankind who knew Dante's name were also slain by him. He was not known for making alliances, yet Celestia was insinuating just such a thing. Besides, any Blood Angel would be remiss not to know the entire history of their own Chapter master. "It was over 200 years ago," replied Celestia as she retrieved a book from the shelf to the group's right. The aura surrounding her horn matched the aura around the book as it levitated towards the group. With this same magic, she leafed through the pages until she found the passage she wanted to show. "Dante came here with his entourage and he brought war with him." She turned the book to the Blood angels, showing an image of two factions meeting on the battlefield. On the left was a mass of figures resembling Astartes space marines. It was a crude drawing, like an ancient pictogram, but the resemblance was uncanny. The feature that stood out the most was the leader of the red warriors. A large, prominent figure clad in goldenrod-colored armor. His face was more human than those of the ones he led, but his hollow eyes made him look like a vengeful spirit from the heavens. This was unmistakably Lord Commander Dante, even though he was pictured with a pair of mighty wings instead of his jump pack. Through the eyes of the alien, the Perdition Pistol and the Axe Mortalis of Lord Dante were mysterious and frightening implements of destruction. It was the drawing on the right that completed the picture presented before them. It showed a contrasting image of green-skinned horrors in direct opposition to the red armored figures. No two green-skins were the same. Each one was a unique combination of varying sizes, crab claws, mismatched goggles, monstrous lower jaws and ramshackle implements varying from axes to large shoulder-mounted cannons. At the front of the pack stood the largest, most vicious-looking being that served to epitomize the very nature of the horde. It had a pair of circular saws in place of a left hand. It wore a helmet fashioned from the skull of an even larger animal, the long sharp horns hung with fetishes and small battle trophies. Over its entire body was not green skin like the others, but rather it was robotic machinations. There was not a single natural limb left on its body, even its torso was covered in metal plating haphazardly riveted in place. Beneath the feet of both factions, there were several small figures, tiny by comparison. These figures somewhat resembled the ponies of this planet. They were cowering in fear while others were running from the cascade of titanic forces. The image was pretty clear, even if the alien text accompanying it was completely illegible. The Blood Angels came to this world, whatever it was called, and countered an Ork Waaagh! Obviously, the victor was Lord Dante, for the orks were not known for leaving their defeated opponents alive. By the same token, Dante did not earn the title 'Bringer of Sanguinius' Light' by being merciful. The warring between the two forces disrupted the local populace who was completely unprepared for the violence of the Ork hordes and Imperium. "Tens of thousands died as collateral from the fighting," Celestia remarked as her voice started to quaver. It was almost as if speaking about this event brought her great emotional pain. "I don't ever want this to happen to my people again," she continued, regaining some control over her emotions. "That is why I asked Dante to leave and not return. Besides, there is nothing of any value to your Imperium here." There were too many questions put forth to be answered in an afternoon. What happened that day circa 200 years ago? How had Celestia convinced Dante to simply leave and never return? Why does Celestia look upon the Blood Angels with such disdain? The need to know the truth was overwhelming for the two junior battle brothers, but this information did in fact come from an alien race. Was there really any truth to it at all? Could it really be verified against imperial records? Perhaps after their rescue, they could sate their thirst for knowledge. "If what you say is true," Delk began, "then our departure would benefit us both." For the first time since she had laid eyes on them, Celestia seemed to be genuinely relaxed in the Blood Angels' presence. "Yes," she replied, lacking a better response, "I assume you will do so quickly, for your benefit, of course." Were the setting any more intimidating, Thane and Delk may have interpreted Celestia's words as a threat or an ultimatum. "In three days, we will be out of your hair," Thane replied as Celestia's scowl started to return. Thane's attitude may be a challenge for the next three days. Celestia had no response. Instead, she shelved the ancient textbook, then opened the doors to the room, revealing the long hallway which brought them to this room. This was the space marines' cue to leave. Without another word, or even a second glance back, Thane and Delk walked away from their less-than-hospitable host. The sound of old creaky floor boards gave way to metal against stone. Celestia stayed behind and closed the doors once they were out of earshot. The sound of the heavy doors closing reverberated down the hall so strongly it could almost be felt. The marines' motion sensors showed nothing behind them, no sounds out of place, not even a strange feeling. It was just the two of them walking away from an alien encounter. "What do we make of her story?" asked Thane. He wanted to ignore the princess's words, but there was more truth to them than he expected. "Well, if anyone would know, it would be Gureros," Delk replied, referring to the company's Codicier. Indeed, if any record containing contact with this planet existed, Gureros, a record keeper for the chapter, should be able to find it. "I can have him submit a query and shed some light on this." "OK, but how long will that take?" Thane asked, his concern quite valid. To query Imperial archives, a librarian with archive credentials would have to pass the request up the chain of command, however long it was. Then, a chief librarian would sift through records, documents and data stores when he wasn't pawning the task off to a mindless servitor. If anything even remotely relevant was found, the information would be sent back down the chain of command to the source of the request. This is, of course, assuming that nothing is lost in translation, tasks are not forgotten and that the record keeper has the integrity to deliver exactly what is requested, regardless of obstacles or delays. The bureaucratic nature of the Imperium's archives meant the information may not be delivered for several days, weeks, or even months if it ever got delivered at all. Besides, these two would not be the only ones seeking knowledge of the past. "He has a pretty good track record for timely delivery, new blood. You'll get to know him as I have in good time." Thane wanted to get a more concrete answer from his battle brother, but Delk was already sending a transmission to the battle barge in orbit where Gureros was still posted. The process was already set in motion, so questioning it now would be moot. For the time being, the two surviving Blood Angels would have to be patient and wait for help as well as information. That shouldn't be too hard, since the locals were not the overtly dangerous type. Still, Thane was filled with questions, fears, and other unexplainable feelings in his primary heart. He had no training to deal with this specific set of bizarre circumstances. Whatever this campaign had in store for him certainly would be revealed in due time.