A Foul Light Shines

by Karazor

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

She and Rainbow set off across the square, and the pegasus asked, “What’s this ‘Imperial Faith’ that robe-guy was talking about?”

Twilight shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell me much. I think it’s connected to this God-Emperor figure they mentioned, and I’m hoping he’s the one Princess Luna wanted me to ask about.”

“Oh right, the human version of the Princesses!” Rainbow looked over her shoulder at the astropath and the gloomy confessor. “Man, is that guy part of his religion? Talk about Mister No Fun!”

“It sounds like it.” Twilight was a bit troubled by that fact. The Equestrian religion as built around Princess Celestia was a fairly laid-back faith, much like the goddess herself. The severe, humorless Deumos would not have fit at all in the Celestian order, so either this ‘God-Emperor’ was a very different kind of deity than Celestia was, or he didn’t have very much to do with the running of his religion. The unicorn hoped she’d have a chance to talk to Deumos before too long to clarify things.

“Hey, Seria!” Dash called out as they approached. “Whatcha doin’?”

The armored human turned as she heard her name called. Inclining her head in respect to the two ponies, she answered, “Hello again, Miss Rainbow Dash, Miss Twilight Sparkle. I was just watching the local dances, I find them quite interesting.”

“You like dancing? Why don’t you join in?” Twilight asked.

Seria chuckled wryly. “I’m afraid I’m two limbs short. It’s still interesting to watch.” Pony dances (especially formal ones) tended to be intricate, involved group affairs, and the steps really did require four legs. Twilight could see why the human would be hesitant to jump in; it would be easy for the biped to end up looking silly, and these folk seemed to treasure their dignity.

“Aw, come on!” Rainbow prompted. “Give it a try. It’s fun!”

“I’m sure it is,” Seria answered. “And dance is something I’m actually quite good at, so believe me when I say that I can’t manage this style.”

“Well, what about your style?” Twilight asked, “This is supposed to be as much us learning about you as it is you learning about us! We’d like the chance to see what a human dance looks like!” Beside her, Rainbow nodded enthusiastically, sunset-colored forelock bouncing vigorously atop her head.

“Well... I suppose I could, just as a demonstration. Most of the dances I know are court dances, though, so I’ll need to find a partner.” She glanced over at Anderocus and Tangro, who were still talking to Rarity. “Let me talk to the Lord-Captain, would you mind waiting here?”

Rainbow looked to Twilight for an answer, and the unicorn was happy to supply one. “Oh, we wouldn’t mind at all! I hope he agrees; I’m really curious!”

The commander nodded respectfully, and left the two ponies at the edge of the dancing floor while she walked over to speak to Anderocus.

“This could be interesting.” Twilight commented to Rainbow. The latter was grinning again, the tension of her confrontation with the tech-priest having dissipated.

“I’ll say!” The pegasus responded cheerfully. “How the heck does something with two legs dance, anyway?” She pushed herself into a bipedal stance, balancing carefully on her back legs and trying a quick spin. She managed it remarkably well, Twilight thought, using her wings to maintain her balance. Rainbow dropped back to all fours. “I’ve seen Spike try a few times, but looks kinda goofy on those stumpy little legs.”

“Um, Rainbow,” Twilight started hesitantly. They were alone for the time being, and this was as good a time to broach the topic as any. “I, ah, think it might be a good idea to keep you away from that Tersiaard character.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Dash growled, good mood vanishing instantly. “I don’t want anything to do with that guy, ‘cept maybe to thump him a few times.” She glared angrily down the street where the Magos had vanished.

“Please don’t do that,” Twilight protested. “I think it would just be better for everyone if you just avoided him. Let me or Rarity deal with him, if he comes back.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine, Twilight. I’ll stay away from him if I can. I woulda done it anyway.”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Well, there was that taken care of; Twilight was glad Rainbow hadn’t objected. Seria was still talking to Anderocus, and it looked like they’d pulled Pinkie Pie in as well. “I wonder what they’re talking about over there.”

“I dunno, but it looks like they’re about done.” Indeed, as the pegasus voiced the thought Pinkie, Seria, and Tangro broke off and headed in their direction. “Aw, great, that Tangro guy’s coming too.” Rainbow observed in disgust.

“I wish I knew why he bothers both of us,” Twilight mused. “I’ll have to ask the others if they feel the same way.”

Pinkie broke away from the two humans as they reached the dance floor, bouncing over to talk to the band. Seria and Tangro approached Rainbow and Twilight, the seneschal giving another flourishing bow as they stopped. “So, Envoy, I understand you’re curious about our dances?” He asked with a small smile.

“Well, Rainbow and I thought that Seria might enjoy a chance to demonstrate your people’s style…” Twilight responded, hesitantly.

“Delightful!” The light-maned human exclaimed, clapping his hands once and rubbing them together. “And I’d be glad to partner the commander for a quick turn around the dance floor. I’m not quite so accomplished as she is, but I do think I can hold my own!” He smiled, beckoning toward one of the flying skulls that seemed to be unassigned. It buzzed over obediently, and he turned to Seria. “What tune would you prefer, Commander?”

The taller human rubbed at her chin under her face mask. “Hmm… are you familiar with the Teurlitz Waltz, seneschal? It’s an old favorite of mine.”

Tangro’s eyebrows rose. “You have classical tastes. As it happens, I am.” The seneschal answered with another smile. He shook a finger playfully at Seria. “I will insist on one thing, though, Commander. You are going to have to take off that helmet and mask, if you want me to help here.”

A chuckle emerged from beneath the armored mask. “I suppose that’s a reasonable request, under the circumstances.” The commander reached up, undoing the clasps that held her mask and helmet in place, and Twilight felt a pang of curiosity as to just what that mask hid. She saw Rainbow leaning forward out of the corner of her eye, and suspected the pegasus felt the same way.

Tangro started talking to the floating skull, issuing commands for it to “retrieve” something, while Seria removed her helmet and mask, setting both aside at a nearby table, and Twilight finally got the chance to see the guard commander’s face. Her skin was a light brown color, almost the exact shade as coffee with a bit of cream in it and a bit darker than that of the male guard they’d seen earlier, and her short mane was straight and midnight-black. The shape of her face was vaguely similar to that of the guard sergeant, sufficiently so for Twilight to decide that it was indeed the general shape of a human female’s, though Seria’s had a number of marked differences. Her nose was longer and straighter, for one, though it had a pair of odd crooks in the middle that the unicorn hadn’t seen on any of the other humans. She had faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, too, and her skin was slightly weathered, though nowhere near as much as the astropath’s had been. She had several thin white lines crossing her face that looked like they might be scars, and the beginning of some strong creases on her brow and cheeks. Her dark eyes had a bit of a sparkle to them, and combined with the slight upturn at both corners of her mouth, suggested someone who had a good sense of humor, though her expression was a bit stern.

Seria caught the two ponies’ scrutiny, and quirked a black eyebrow. “See anything unexpected?”

Beside Twilight, Rainbow flipped her wings in a shrug. “We were just wondering why you were hiding your face. I don’t see any reason you should be.”

The commander smiled. “There’s a reason, but it’s a long story. And it’s personal.” She turned to Tangro. “Ready, seneschal?”

Tangro bowed again. He did that a lot, Twilight reflected. She wondered briefly if he ever got dizzy. “I certainly am, Commander. You’re better at this sort of thing than I; would you care to lead?”

Seria snorted. “I suppose I could.” She extended a hand that Tangro grasped, and they walked on to the dance floor as the band stopped playing and Pinkie ushered the group that had been using the floor to make space. The commander and the seneschal took position near the center, with one of Seria’s hands resting on Tangro’s side and one of Tangro’s reaching up to the commander’s shoulder, their other hands still clasped and held away from their bodies.

The seneschal addressed the skull he’d been talking to earlier. “Begin playback!”

Music began playing from the grille in the skull’s mouth. It wasn’t quite like anything Twilight had heard before; very heavy on the strings, and light on brass and percussion, almost the opposite of most Equestrian music, and there were several instruments lurking in there that she couldn’t identify. The two humans remained stock-still for a handful of seconds, letting the music establish itself, and then they were off.

The dance that ensued was completely unlike the relatively rigid, group-oriented Equestrian dances. Seria and Tangro glided across the dance floor, spinning and turning with a grace Twilight hadn’t expected from the (to her eyes) awkwardly-balanced, topheavy bipeds. It was enthralling, and it was immediately clear that the two were very good at what they were doing, moving through the steps as though controlled by a single mind. Commander Seria, particularly, was astoundingly graceful, considering the heavy armor she still wore. Twilight spared a glance around at her friends; Rarity was watching the show with an enchanted look on her face, Pinkie Pie looked gleeful, and even Applejack looked impressed. Next to her, Rainbow Dash was watching the performance with an enraptured expression, obviously thrilled by the coordinated precision of the dance. The athlete did like to dance; after all, it was the next best thing to the precision flying that she loved best. Rainbow swayed slightly in place with the rhythm of the music, shuffling her hooves a bit as though unable to help herself.

The two humans whirled, the music getting faster and faster, but they didn’t misstep. It was clear that the tall, armored female was leading the dance, and she managed it with skill. Their expressions grew more intent as the music sped up, and their movements got faster, spinning about the dance floor at remarkable speed. The music built, heading for a crescendo… and stopped with shocking suddenness, seemingly in the middle of a note. The two dancers stopped at the exact same time the music did, their heels slamming down at the final beat and leaving them posed in a dramatic fashion.

There was silence for a moment, the Equestrian audience unsure whether this was just a pause or whether the dance was over. The two humans separated, bowing respectfully to one another, and the crowd erupted in applause, everypony drumming their forehooves on the ground and cheering to express their appreciation. Anderocus and Setaron chipped in with what must have been the human version, producing a remarkably sharp noise by slapping their open hands together, while Deumos just glared the way he seemed to do at everything. Twilight found herself applauding along with the rest; it really had been a remarkable thing to watch, and she was pleased to have seen it.

Tangro and Seria bowed to the audience, waving and smiling, clearly pleased at the reception they’d gotten. Finally, they turned, heading back to where they’d left Rainbow and Twilight.

The athletic pegasus was beside herself with excitement, forgetting her dislike of Tangro for the moment. “Ohmygosh, that was great! How long did it take you guys to learn that? Could I try it?” She launched herself into the air, unable to stay on the ground in her exuberance. “Dude, I’d love to try that. Do you think I could?” The pegasus grinned, hovering a short distance off the ground so she could look the tall commander in the eye.

Tangro raised an eyebrow, looking at his companion and clearly willing to let her field the questions. Seria blinked at the barrage of inquiry, cocking her head as she sorted through them. She shrugged armor-clad shoulders. “I started learning… hmm… about thirty years ago, when I was promoted to captain, back during my days in the Imperial Guard. The regiment needed someone to represent us at formal functions when Captain Taldren got killed, and the colonel ‘volunteered’ me for the job.” The tall female had a faraway look in her eyes. Twilight found herself wondering just how old the Commander was, and resolved to try asking at the first opportunity. Seria continued, “Of course, it doesn’t take that long to actually learn; I was doing a fair job of it after just a week or two, and if you’ve got a partner who knows what he’s doing it doesn’t really take any practice at all, just good balance and coordination.” She cocked her head, eyeing Rainbow carefully. “As for whether you can try it? You’d look a bit silly trying solo. Did you mean with one of us?”

“Yeah! I mean, if you guys are cool with it!” Rainbow answered. “I’d just like to give it a try!”

“Hmm.” Seria hummed, head still cocked. “Well, can you stand upright?” Rainbow descended, coming to rest standing on her hindlegs the way she’d been trying before. She kept her wings half-spread, adjusting her balance carefully. There were a few ponies who had a natural gift for bipedal movement, (Pinkie Pie was a good example) but Rainbow wasn’t one of them, and it took her a bit of effort to hold her stance. Her natural athleticism helped, though; Dash had an excellent sense of balance and position, and was very well coordinated, so she was able to keep herself upright without too much difficulty.

“Looks like you might be able to manage at least a basic ballroom dance, though probably not a waltz like we were doing.” Seria observed, watching Rainbow’s balance with a critical eye. “You’d need someone who’s fairly experienced as a partner, though, and I’m way too tall for you.” Even fully upright as she was, the top of Rainbow’s head only came up to the commander’s collar. She was a bit taller than Tangro, but her shoulders were set a good bit lower than the human male’s, and Twilight could see easily that the pegasus would have trouble with the posture the two humans had used, since it would be difficult for her to reach the tall human female’s shoulder. Seria turned to the seneschal. “What do you think, Aleron? You’re about the right height; would you be willing to partner Miss Rainbow Dash here for a quick spin?” Twilight saw Rainbow’s face fall slightly; she clearly wasn’t pleased with the idea of being in such close proximity to the light-maned human.

“I don’t know that my own skills would be up to the task,” Tangro demurred, and Rainbow’s face fell further, her ears going back a bit. Twilight bristled slightly at the backhanded slight to her friend, implying that she was so incompetent as to need extra help, but Seria spoke before she could.

“That’s all right, seneschal, I’ve got an alternative.” Seria turned, beckoning to one of the pairs of guards that were wandering around. “Desker! Front and center!” She turned back to Tangro and the two ponies. “I make it a point to cross-train the squads I put on ceremonial duty, so most of the troopers here today have some skill in upper-class matters, and Desker there’s from a noble family to boot. He’s something like a twelfth child, very much a supernumerary, but he has the background.” The two guards arrived, snapping to attention in front of their commander and giving her one of the human fist-to-chest salutes, and Seria addressed them. “Desker, would you be willing to partner one of the locals in a fairly simple dance?”

The shorter of the two, only a bit taller than Tangro, hesitated. The voice that emerged from the helmet sounded male, and younger than the other humans who’d spoken. “Uh… Commander, I don’t know any of the local styles…”

Seria waved his objection aside. “They don’t want you to do one of the local ones, Guardsman. Miss Rainbow here,” she jerked her thumb at the pegasus, “was impressed by the show Tangro and I just put on, and she wants to try one like it. Would you be alright, dancing with a xeno?”

Xeno? Twilight thought, that doesn’t sound like a very nice label. Is my spell working right?

The guard hesitated again, making Twilight think that her impression might be accurate. The helmeted head glanced from the commander to the pegasus (who was still standing on her hind legs, with a hopeful look on her face) and back again. “Just a dance? That’s all?”

“That’s all.” Seria confirmed. She shrugged, “I’d do it myself, honestly, but I’m just too tall for her, and she probably needs a tutor who really knows what he’s doing, so Tangro’s right out.” The seneschal looked sour, and Twilight had to fight not to snicker as the fact that the commander had snubbed Tangro right back registered. I don’t know if she did that because he insulted Rainbow or not, but he deserved that.

The guard, Desker, nodded. “Sure, Commander. I think I can handle that.” He doffed his helmet and mask, revealing a strong-boned light brown face a few shades lighter than Seria’s, green eyes, and a mane that was an odd reddish-yellow color. Unlike any of the humans Twilight had seen thus far, Desker had hair growing on his face. It was short, a bit thin, and a slightly darker color than his mane, and it seemed to stop at his neck, covering only his jaw and chin. The human’s skin looked a bit softer than the others’, and it was almost completely unlined. Twilight wondered what that could mean; she’d seen several different physiologies amongst the humans so far, and she was hesitant to draw any conclusions about an alien species, but that face combined with his voice made her suspect that he might be younger than the other five humans. (She wasn’t even going to guess about Tersiaard. She’d already put him in an entirely separate mental category from the rest of the humans)

Desker smiled at Rainbow Dash, giving her a slight bow as Seria spoke for him, the skull-thing picking up the translation it had dropped while the two humans were talking to one another. “Miss Rainbow Dash, Guardsman Desker here would be willing to be your partner for a quick dance, and teach you a simpler version of what Tangro and I performed.” Desker’s unnamed companion, still masked, moved to stand at Seria’s shoulder as she spoke. “He’s young,” she continued, confirming Twilight’s supposition, “but he comes from an aristocratic background, so he’s been learning this since he could walk. Does he meet with your approval?”

“Sure!” Rainbow chirped, her enthusiasm returning with the news that she wouldn’t have to get close to Tangro. “Thanks, Desker! This is gonna be fun!”

Seria patted the young guard on the shoulder, smiling gently. “Just remember that translation delay, trooper. You’ll need to start giving the instruction about a half-second before you normally would, so she’ll hear it in time. And remember that she doesn’t normally walk on two legs, so you may need to help her keep her balance from time to time.” Desker nodded, and Seria started talking to the skull that had played the music for the dance she and Tangro had done.

Twilight reflected that the skulls weren’t creeping her out quite as much as they had even a few minutes ago. They were still unsettling (they were still skulls!) but the utterly blasé way the humans treated the things was starting to rub off.

It didn’t take Seria long to arrange what she needed with the musical skull, and Rainbow and Desker walked to the center of the dance floor, where Seria and Tangro had originally been. Rainbow had dropped back to all fours for the quick walk, and she looked a bit nervous, glancing around at the crowd. Twilight figured it was because she was going to be trying something for the first time in front of an audience; Rainbow liked to show off, but she didn’t like to fail with anyone watching. Hopefully, Desker would be a good enough teacher to keep the pegasus from embarrassing herself.

The two reached the center of the floor, and Rainbow pushed herself back up on her hind legs, again leaving her wings half-extended to help with her balance. She carefully hooked a forehoof over Desker’s armored shoulder, and she got an odd look on her face as he took her other forehoof in his hand. The human’s other hand rested on the pegasus’s flank, just below her ribs, corresponding to the spot Seria had placed her hand on the seneschal, fortunately low enough that it was well away from the sensitive areas under the pegasus’s wings.

The music, when it started, was slower than the frenetic tune that had played for the earlier dance. Twilight thought it was quite nice, actually, though the way the strings wailed was slightly eerie to her ears. The dance Desker started was considerably slower-paced than the one Seria and Tangro had done, but it was still smooth and graceful. Rainbow was a bit unsteady at first, having slight difficulty maintaining her balance, but slight corrective motions and quiet suggestions from the young guard smoothed her movements out quickly, and before long she was moving as though she’d been dancing like this all her life. The athlete smiled delightedly as she found the rhythm, rose-colored eyes sparkling.

Seeing that Rainbow was taken care of for the moment, Twilight sidled up next to Seria. Tangro had headed off to attend his master again, so the guard commander was watching the dance alone.

“Excuse me, Commander Seria,” the unicorn asked, “do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”

“Ask away,” the tall female responded. “I’ll answer what I can.”

“All right. Those different skin tones? Do they mean anything?” It was one of dozens of questions that had formed in the academic’s mind.

“Not really.” Seria shrugged. “Humans tend to be darker the more sunlight their ancestors dealt with; Tangro and Lord Anderocus are both void-born, from long lines of void-born, so they’ve never had to deal with much sun. Confessor Deumos is from a Hive sublevel, so same story there. I’m from an Imperial world myself, and most of my troopers are from either one of those or an agriworld, so you’ll generally see darker tones on us. Sergeant Disrev is one of the exceptions; they’re pale where she’s from.”

Twilight absorbed the information like a sponge, her eager mind popping up new questions. “Interesting! Can I ask about those terms you just used? What’s void-born, and what are Hives, Imperial worlds, and agriworlds?”

Seria gave her a sidelong look. “Sorry, I forgot you aren’t spacefarers.” She shook her head, clearly ordering her thoughts. “Okay, in order: void-born refers to those who are born aboard ships, and often spend their entire lives there. A Hive is a huge city, with hab-spires kilometers high and populations that are often in the hundreds of millions or more, and a Hive World is a planet with multiple Hive Cities. The cities usually cover most of the planet’s surface on a Hive World.” Twilight was boggling at the information, trying to picture what Seria was describing. “Imperial worlds is sort of a catch-all term for a civilized world that isn’t densely urban enough to be classified as a Hive, and an agriworld is a place with very few large settlements. They’re covered in fields instead, and the food they produce is exported in bulk to worlds that can’t supply all their own needs, or to the Guard or the Navy.”

Twilight’s head spun slightly. “People spend their entire lives on ships? For multiple generations?!” And there were entire planets covered in farms? And others covered in cities?! The lavender unicorn was beginning to grasp the sheer, awesome scale of the empire these creatures represented. How many humans were there, anyway? Tens of billions? Hundreds? …More?

“Sure.” Seria was nonchalantly answering the question Twilight had asked. “I think there are a few officers aboard the Lux whose families have served aboard her since she was commissioned. Well, assuming those officers are still alive after that storm.”

“How old is your ship, anyway?” Twilight was expecting an answer in the range of a hundred years or so. Which was an amazingly long time for a ship to be still working, but long enough for multiple generations of a family to serve, and not all that old compared to the age Tangro had cited for the document he’d showed her.

She was not expecting the answer she got. “Eight or nine thousand years, I think.” Seria answered offhoofedly, shrugging. “She was built a while after the Heresy, but I’m not sure on the exact date. Ask the Magos if you want a precise answer; he could probably tell you her age to the second.”

Twilight felt her jaw drop. The ship is eight thousand years old?! “H-how can anything still be functioning after eight thousand years?” She stammered.

The commander shrugged again. “Mechanicus tech-rituals. It works, that’s all I know, and it’s not really healthy to know any more than that.”

Twilight blinked at the human guard commander, stunned anew. These people were really, really alien. Not only did the commander not know, she clearly didn’t care, and actually considered the knowledge to be potentially detrimental! The idea that knowledge could be unhealthy drove home the sheer otherness of these creatures in a way that their mere physiology hadn’t.

Seria, of course, was unaffected by the thoughts racing through Twilight’s mind, and was watching Rainbow and Desker with a slight smile. The dance had gotten a bit faster, and the pegasus had a rapturous expression on her face. She’d really gotten the hang of the human dance, and was clearly thoroughly enjoying the graceful, flowing movement.

Twilight pulled her focus back to the questions she was asking. “So, is that a normal age for a ship, or is yours particularly old?”

“The Lux? Nah, she’s not that old. I hear Battlefleet Telemach’s flagship dates back before the Crusade; supposedly, she’s something like twelve thousand years old.” Seria paused, chewing her lip. “And there’s always rumors about ships pried out of space hulks, stuff that dates back to the Dark Age. Those ancient things can be as much as twenty thousand years old or more, and they still run better than ships a tenth their age.”

“Tuh, tuh, twenty thousand years?!” Twilight blurted out. To the best of her knowledge, that was older than the entirety of Equestrian civilization. By a significant amount! And these creatures had ships that old? Starships? Ohhh, Twilight, what have you gotten yourself into? “How old is your civilization, anyway?”

“The Imperium has stood for ten thousand years,” Seria intoned, a ceremonial resonance in her voice.

Twilight was confused. “How can there be twenty thousand year old ships if your civilization is only ten thousand years old?” ‘Only!’ Ha! Hahaha. Her mental laugh carried an edge of hysteria.

Seria blinked at her, confused in turn. “What? You asked how old our civilization was. Before the Emperor unified mankind in the Great Crusade, there was no civilization, just strife and disunity.”

Uh oh. Twilight thought. That sounds uncomfortably like something they’re expected to say. Don’t push, Twilight. How else can I put this… “Oh, sorry. I actually meant to ask how far back your history goes.” She smiled, hoping Seria wouldn’t notice her brief hesitation.

She didn’t. “Oh. Well… I don’t know, actually. This is the forty-first millennium. Eight ninety-six M forty-one, if you want the exact date. I’m not sure what started the calendar, though. There may be history before that, but honestly you’d be better off asking Tangro, or the Magos. I’m just a soldier.
”

Forty thousand years. Forty thousand years. The age and scale of the society she was dealing with suddenly bore oppressively down on the unicorn academic. If I make a mistake… if any of us make a mistake… then who knows what these creatures might do? Twilight fought back the urge to start hyperventilating. And another thing, there’s that attitude again. ‘It doesn’t concern me, so I don’t care.’ Seria isn’t stupid, how could she be so unconcerned about her own people’s history? As Twilight struggled with the sheer otherness of the humans, she found her attention drawn back to the dance floor. Rainbow had gotten well and truly comfortable with the movements of the human dance, and she and Desker were adding extra flourishes and spins, lending the performance an almost ethereal quality. The two almost looked like they were floating, tethered only by the contact between their feet and the floor. Twilight knew it was an illusion; Rainbow’s wings weren’t flapping, so she clearly wasn’t actually trying to lift off, but the illusion was a powerful one, nonetheless. If they can do something this beautiful, how bad can they be?

Head spinning slightly, Twilight latched on to a question she’d filed away earlier. “Seria, how old are you?”

The commander snorted. “Experiential or sidereal?” She waved a hand before Twilight could answer. “Sorry, habit. When you travel through the Warp a lot, time starts to get… funny. Near as I can figure, I’m in my mid sixties, but I’ve had some juvenant treatments, so physically I’m probably forty or so.”

Before Twilight could ask anything else, the music playing from the skull drew quiet, and finally drifted away, leaving Rainbow and Desker standing perfectly still in the center of the dance floor. This time, there was no hesitation from the audience, and riotous applause broke out almost immediately, hooves thundering against the ground, accompanied by the slapping sound the humans produced. Twilight had to smile; Rainbow was looking happier than she had in days, and was grinning so widely the unicorn half-expected the top of her head to fall off. The pegasus and the guard separated, Rainbow dropping back to all fours, and the pair strolled casually back to where they’d left Seria and Twilight. The pegasus was clearly basking in the attention, looking around triumphantly while the young human next to her waved to the crowd. Rainbow said something to Desker as they approached, but Twilight couldn’t hear it over the noise, and the human simply nodded calmly rather than responding.

Finally, the noise died down enough that Twilight was able to congratulate her friend. “That was remarkable, Rainbow Dash!”

“I know, right? Ha! That was great! Dude, it’s sooo much fun, you’ve gotta try it sometime!” The pegasus grinned, eyes dancing with glee.

“Maybe later.” Twilight turned to the young guard. “Mister Desker, thank you so much for helping to teach Rainbow. We both sincerely appreciate it!”

Desker gave her a slightly shy smile. “Glad to help, ma’am. If any of the rest of you folk would like a lesson, I’d be glad to oblige.”

Twilight was touched by the offer. “Perhaps later, but thank you!” Desker nodded in acknowledgement.

Seria cut in to the conversation at that point. “Well done, guardsman. You have my gratitude as well.”

Desker snapped to attention again. “No need to thank me, Commander. It wasn’t a difficult duty at all; she’s a quick study. A damn sight quicker than I ever was! Never even stepped on my feet, which is better than half the partners I had back home. Wish I could’ve had her around when I was going to formal dances as a kid.” He chuckled ruefully. “My tutor would’ve been glad to have her for a student, if he could get over the idea of teaching an alien!”

Seria leveled a penetrating gaze at the young male. “And do you have any problems being that close to a xeno, trooper? Answer honestly; I won’t hold it against you if you do.”

There was that lurking suggestion that they didn’t actually like other species again. It made Twilight more than a bit uncomfortable, especially since they hadn’t made a single mention of that attitude in any form the ponies could understand. That, combined with her earlier realization of the age and size of the empire they represented, kindled a knot of fear in Twilight’s chest that she carefully kept hidden.

Desker’s quiet laugh helped dispel some of her concern. “No problems, Commander, at least not with these xenos. The purple boss one was even thanking me, just for teaching the rainbow one! Don’t tell the Confessor I said so, but they’re nicer than most of my family back home!”

Seria’s gaze turned stern. “Be careful who you say things like that to, trooper. Deumos would have you scourged if he heard that.” Twilight’s heart almost stopped before Seria’s grim look was broken by a small smile. “But he won’t hear it from me. At least, as long as you don’t tell him I agreed with you!”

“My lips are sealed, Commander.”

“Back in uniform with you, then, guardsman. We’re still on duty, here.” Desker saluted crisply and retrieved his helmet and mask, redonning them quickly. He and his partner, who still hadn’t said a word and whose name Twilight didn’t even know, drifted back off into the crowd. Seria moved to retrieve her own headgear, but Twilight interrupted her.

“Oh, please, Commander, don’t put that mask back on. It’s so much easier talking to you when I can see your face!” Seria hesitated, mask held in her hands, as Rainbow echoed the sentiment.

“Yeah! It’s nicer to talk to a face than a mask!”

Glancing back and forth between the pegasus and the unicorn, the commander hesitantly said, “Do you ladies mind if I ask you a question?”

“Of course not!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’ve asked you plenty! It’s only fair if you want to return the favor!”

Seria set the mask back down on the table. “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask about. Why are you asking me these questions? Why are you spending so much time talking to me? I’m just a soldier!”

Rainbow answered before Twilight could. “Because you’re nice,” the pegasus said, a puzzled look on her face. “Tangro’s creepy, Tersiaard’s a huge jerk, Deumos is kind of a jerk but less than metalhead, Setaron’s shy, and Anderocus always has Tangro around.”

Twilight had to facehoof at the athlete’s complete lack of tact. “I think what Rainbow means,” she cut in, hoping to smooth things over, “is that you’re more approachable than the rest of your party.” Rainbow glared at Twilight, looking annoyed at the unicorn putting words in her mouth.

Seria didn’t look enlightened, but at least she didn’t look offended. “But what does any of that matter? Tangro knows far more than I do, and Lord Anderocus is the one in command! If you’re in charge here, shouldn’t you be talking to him? I just command his household troops! Warp it, even then I’m just a jumped-up grunt; I originally went into the Guard as a guardsman, not even an officer!”

Twilight and Rainbow glanced at one another. Twilight thought she was gaining some insight into the humans, but she saw sudden realization dawning in the pegasus’s expression, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping open. Clearly, Rainbow had experienced some sudden epiphany, but the academic cut her off, hoping to head off another potential faux pas from her friend. “I think we just do things a little differently. Rarity is much better than I am when it comes to things like etiquette and diplomacy, plus she’s my good friend and I trust her, so I can leave discussions with your lord up to her.”

Rainbow started to try to speak up, but Twilight kicked the pegasus in the foreleg with her own to forestall her. “Tell me later!” she hissed, as quietly as she could, with a meaningful glance at the translating skulls that Rainbow thankfully caught. Even more thankfully, the skulls stayed silent, so they evidently hadn’t heard her.

Seria was nodding thoughtfully, looking at where Rarity was talking to Tangro and Anderocus, and she’d evidently missed the brief scene. “I… suppose I could understand that.”

“Have you encountered other species before, Commander?” Twilight asked. She was hoping to steer the conversation in a direction that would divert Rainbow’s attention, and maybe Seria’s confusion stemmed from not being used to other points of view.

The tall female snorted. “Oh, yes. I served in the Imperial Guard for thirty years; I’ve had quite a few encounters with xenos.”

“Really?” Rainbow asked. “What were they called? Were they nice?”

Seria smiled bitterly. “Orks, mostly. Tyranids on Geladria VII, and a brief encounter with the Eldar on Lastrial. And no, they weren’t nice at all.”

“Well, what were they like, then?” The pegasus persisted. “Did you get a chance to talk to them much?”

“Talk to them?” Seria seemed honestly surprised at the mere suggestion. “You can’t talk to Orks or Tyranids. You kill them, or they kill you.”

The chill in Twilight’s stomach got stronger. “Kill them? Surely there’s something else you can do!”

The commander looked at the unicorn like she was utterly mad. “What else is there to do? Orks aren’t interested in conversation, they just want to kill you and take whatever you might have, and as for Tyranids…” She shuddered. “Tyranids just want to eat you. Tyranids want to eat everything. I got these,” she ran a finger along one of the white lines of scar tissue on her face, “from a ‘Nid spore mine. Nearly killed me. The swarm of gaunts that came along with it came even closer; my regiment barely made it offplanet. Nine out of ten of us didn’t make it out as it was.” She swallowed hard, the memory clearly an unpleasant one. “The Navy pronounced Exterminatus on Geladria VII less than an hour after the shuttle carrying me got back to the troopship.”

Twilight was speechless. The idea of violence on that scale… and what was ‘exterminatus’ anyway? From her memory, Princess Luna’s voice whispered, “The universe outside of this solar system is not a pleasant place, Twilight, or a happy one.”

Fortunately, Rainbow could be relied on to fill a conversational gap. “Uh, if it was their planet, why were you there?”

Seria’s look was hard. “It wasn’t their planet. It was an Imperial world, and had been for millennia before the bugs showed up. The Tyranids don’t have planets, they just eat them.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped, but Seria wasn’t finished. “The Navy tried to keep them from getting close, and the Guard was there in case the Navy couldn’t stop them, including my regiment. The 599th Siliean Grenadiers, Emperor watch over their souls. Well, the Navy dropped the ball, big time, some of the big hive ships got close and the spores started raining down from the sky. There were so many falling that it lit the night like it was day.” Seria drew an unsteady breath. “Once they were on-planet, they swarmed like formics. Tens of thousands, millions, of the little ones, flowing like a tide around the big ones when they hit our forts. My outpost was lucky; we had enough heavy support to keep them back long enough to fall back to the dropships. Somebody dragged me along with them, or I’d never have made it; gaunts ripped apart the medicae tent not five minutes after they dragged me out. Thank the Emperor that the Navy showed up when it did; they blasted enough of the hive ships out of the way that the troopships could evacuate the few of us that survived. There were damn few of us that made it out. Damn few.” The commander’s jaw clenched. “Some of my troopers were in good enough shape to watch the Exterminatus. They told me about it later.”

Rainbow looked too shocked to speak. This time it was Twilight who managed to find enough of her voice to ask, “What’s ‘Exterminatus’?”

The answer made her wish she hadn’t asked. “Exterminatus is what the Imperium does when a world is deemed utterly lost, and there’s no chance to get it back. It kills everything on the planetary surface. Burns it clean, completely.” Seria shook her head. “Better to burn than let those monsters tear you apart, though.”

Twilight felt like something had hit her in the belly, hard. She had to stop to catch her breath, and she could see that Rainbow was similarly afflicted. Seria, belatedly realizing the effect she was having on the two ponies, looked a bit chagrined. “Oh, since I’ve been out of the Guard I’ve found out that not every alien is out to kill me. Sorry if I’ve upset you, I have no intention of trying to kill you, or anyone on this world.”

Twilight finally found her voice. “Th- this ‘exterminatus.’ How is it done?”

Seria examined the unicorn’s face closely. “Are you sure you want me to answer that? You seem pretty upset…”

“Please, just tell me.” Twilight bit her lip.

“Okay.” Seria hesitated, looking toward Anderocus for a brief moment. She heaved a deep sigh. “Usually, ships loaded with special ordnance, virus bombs or cyclonic torpedos, conduct the bombardment. In a pinch, though, a ship can do a quick-and-dirty version with its main batteries, but it takes a lot longer.”

Twilight felt a thrill of pure horror. “A ship like yours?”

Seria looked as horrified as Twilight felt. “Oh shit!” She exclaimed, the sudden profanity causing Rainbow and Twilight to lay their ears back. “I didn’t mean that! I mean, yeah, the Lux could do it, but we have no intention of glassing this place! If we did, we wouldn’t have landed!” She waved her hand in a negating gesture, “We’ve got no reason to do anything like that, and I’d personally oppose any suggestion along those lines.”

Perversely, Seria’s obvious distress at the idea of that kind of utter devastation made Twilight relax a little bit. The idea that their visitors were actually capable of visiting that kind of destruction on her home was still terrifying to even contemplate, but if Seria, who’d evidently witnessed so much violence and death in her life, was so obviously appalled by the idea, then the likelihood of the humans actually doing it had to be low.

The rest of the day passed slowly, the humans of the Lux Foedis and the ponies of Ponyville gradually getting used to one another. There weren’t any other major revelations like the one Seria had supplied, courtesy of her background, and Twilight arranged to house the humans in a pair of vacant buildings near their landing areas. All was quiet, as the sun sank below the horizon.

Comments

[djthomp]

Ahh, the dancing scene, it was as great as advertised.

[musicluvr1974]

Seems like Twi and RD just got their first real glimpse of what life is like in the 40K universe... and, predictably, it sucks. Stay strong, best ponies!

[Brother Malachai]

2540493

Yup, crapsack world meets crapsaccharine world. :P MLP can be dark if you think about it. Manticores, Hydras, the Everfree Forest. It has it dark points for a kiddie show, the script writers just do a good job glossing over it.

[SuperGiantRobot]

3186235

Admit it, though; a Tyranid invasion would be funny as fuck...

[Mrazi]

Just throwing it here to see if I'm right later, but this seneschal Tangro guy creeps the element bearers out, and only them, not other ponies. He ducked out of body contact with RD for dance lessons and we know body contact with her would burn warp-touched.
Therefore, could he be warp-touched himself? By Prince of betrayal, most likely, seeing his unique position and responsibility.