> Ponyhammer 40,000: Adepts of Harmony
>  by Jordan Lego Comix
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> Prologue: 10,000 Years Ago
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Prologue: 10,000 Years Ago


Empress Celestia stormed the corridors of The Vengeful Spirit. Clad in Her golden armor and armed with Her flaming sword, the Empress of Ponykind charged forward, striking down all who would dare to oppose Her. Guardsponies and Space Marines who had dared to betray Her and the Equestrian Imperium met their end with a searing swipe from Celestia’s burning blade. To anypony else, Celestia seemed to cut down all the traitors with ease. But to the Master of Ponykind, it was anything but easy. She never wanted this. 
Years ago, Empress Celestia had ruled Eques Terra with benevolence. She had always been a kind alicorn who wanted the best for Her subjects. When She had learned that pony settlements had been established in outer space, many of which had been threatened by monstrous aliens, Celestia had declared the Great Crusade. She had vowed to liberate Ponykind from the forces of evil. She had created twenty legions of genetically-modified ponies called the Eques Astartes, more simply known as Space Marines.
During the Great Crusade, Celestia had led armies of Space Marines and Equestrian soldiers into battle against numerous threats, like the monstrous War Pigs and the deceitful Eldeer. Along the way, Celestia had recruited twenty ponies, Prime Ponies, to each lead a legion of Astartes. And She had started with Her own sister, Luna. Luna had been given the Fifth Legion, the Lunar Wolves. 
After years of liberating countless worlds and welcoming them into the Equestrian Imperium, Celestia had to return to Eques Terra, to give Her subjects one final gift. Before She left, She had bestowed upon Luna the title of War Master. Luna had been given command of the entire Equestrian Imperium military. But little had Celestia known that this had been a mistake. Soon, Celestia had learned that Luna, and eight other Prime Ponies, betrayed Her. Celestia’s heart had shattered. The Equestrian Imperium had been divided and engulfed in a galactic civil war. Brother and sister had fought brother and sister. Legions had fought legions. The Crystal Empire had fallen to King Sombra and his Space Marines, the Shadow Crystals. Chrysalis and her Changelings had been transformed into monsters. And worst of all, Luna had been transformed into Nightmare Moon.
Now, Empress Celestia galloped into the bridge of The Vengeful Spirit. What She saw next broke Her heart. The last time She had seen Luna face to face was on Ullanor when She had bestowed the title of War Master unto Luna. What Celestia saw now, it just couldn’t be Her sister. It shouldn’t be. And yet, She could not deny that the black alicorn with dark blue ethereal mane and tail, clad in black and pale blue terminator armor, the Alicorn that had become known as Nightmare Moon, was her sister.
Lying in front of Nightmare Moon was another alicorn clad in golden armor. She had been another Prime Pony. She had led the Seventh Space Marine Legion, the Blood Alicorns. She had crimson fur, golden mane and tail, and large wings as white as snow. Her name was Sanguinevere. She had been known as “The Angel”. She had been best friends with Luna. And Nightmare Moon had just killed her.
Celestia held back Her tears as She looked into the monster that was still Her sister. She tried desperately to convince Luna that she had to fight the darkness that was plaguing her mind. But Nightmare Moon refused to listen and claimed that Luna was dead. But Celestia fought to try to get through to Luna. 
Their swords clashed throughout the bridge. The duel could be heard throughout the entire ship. Celestia fought to prevent herself from killing Her sister and from Her sister killing Her. Enough pony blood has been shed throughout this civil war. 
Nightmare Moon eventually found an opportunity to strike, once Celestia had let Her guard down. Nightmare Moon fired a beam of magic from her horn, knocking Celestia off Her hooves and onto Her side. Nightmare Moon laughed sadistically as she walked around her sister. She pressed a hoof down on Celestia’s back, and she smiled a fang-filled sinister grin. Nightmare Moon grabbed Celestia’s wings with her own magic, and she slowly ripped them off of Celestia’s back.
The Empress of Ponykind screamed in pain as She felt Her wings being removed from Her back. Nightmare Moon laughed sadistically as she threw the detached wings aside. Then, she walked over to the window of the bridge. She looked out to see the planet of Eques Terra below. For over fifty days, she had been leading a siege on the capital planet of the Equestrian Imperium. For over fifty days, she had commanded legions of Space Marines, Equestrian Guard Ponies, and Trojan Titans against those who remained loyal to Celestia. 
Nightmare Moon then grabbed Celestia’s blade with her magic and ignited the flames. Then, she looked back over at Celestia - beaten, broken, and weeping. Nightmare Moon smiled sinisterly as she slowly walked over to Celestia, about ready to deliver the final blow. But she was interrupted by a Guardspony who stepped in. It was a light blue pegasus with a white mane. Her eyes showed that she was blind. And yet, this pegasus mare looked towards Nightmare Moon with pleading eyes. 
Nightmare Moon recognized this mare; she had once met this mare when she had been a little filly. Even back then, the pegasus had been blind. But while she had not been able to see physically, she had great respect for things that were underappreciated, like winter and the night. During the Great Crusade, Luna had felt that her night was unappreciated, having been overshadowed by Celestia’s light. But upon having met this pegasus, Luna developed a friendship with her.
Now here she was, standing in front of Celestia’s broken body. Standing in the way of victory. Nightmare Moon raised the Burning Blade to strike down the pegasus. But then she just froze. Nightmare Moon stood there, the Burning Blade held up high, ready to be swung down upon the Guardspony. 
Celestia winced in searing pain, but She looked up, past the Guardspony that was protecting Her, and looked into the eyes of Nightmare Moon. Celestia saw a single tear run down Nightmare Moon - no, Luna’s - face. She saw that Luna was still in there. There was still good in Her sister. Which made what She was about to do hurt far more than having her wings ripped from her body.
In a saddlebag that Celestia had on Her Armor, She brought out with her magic six magical stones, one of which was magenta and shaped in a six-pointed starburst. Celestia then looked out the window of the bridge and saw the moon. Finally, She commanded the Guardspony to get out of the way and channeled what was left of Her magic into the Stones. The five other stones circled around Celestia, while the magenta stone levitated right in front of Her. With tears in Her eyes, Celestia focused on the monster that Her sister had become and fired a beam of rainbow magic at Her.
Now it was Nightmare Moon’s turn to scream in agony, as she was taken off her hooves and sent flying backward. The rainbow of light from the stones, channeled by Celestia’s magic, sent Nightmare Moon on a one-way trip directly to Eques Terra’s moon. Then, the moon’s surface became covered with craters that made up the shape of a mare. 
Celestia wept as She fell to the floor. Now Her sister was truly gone. But the war was now over. The traitors would be forced to retreat and the loyalists would gun them down. The Equestrian Imperium was safe. 
But the cost was too high.
> Chapter 1: Eques Terra
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Chapter 1 - Eques Terra


The 41st Millennium…
    In a dimly lit chamber, a Librarian Eques Astartes with lavender fur, purple eyes, and dark blue mane and tail sat at a table. This pony was clad in dark blue Space Marine power armor, equipped with a metal hood that rose from the back and over her head. She had a lavender horn and a pair of lavender wings. She was Twilight Sparkle, a Librarian for the Celestial Guard Space Marine Chapter. 
    Space Marine Librarians were unicorns who had advanced magic abilities. Most unicorns in the Equestrian Imperium knew only a few spells, including telekinesis. However, for unicorns who showed greater magical talent, if they ever became Space Marines, they would be trained to become Librarians. Twilight Sparkle was one such example.
    When she had been discovered to have magic abilities far exceeding those of average unicorns, the Celestial Guard chapter had assigned her to serve under the codiciers in the Librarius. As a lexicanum, Twilight had trained to control her magical abilities and she had studied every sacred tome in the Librarius. The Librarians had even been amazed by how well Twilight Sparkle had organized all the texts in the Librarius. Soon, Twilight had been promoted to a codicier herself.
Twilight had rarely seen combat, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t trained to fight. Her older brother, Shining Armor, had trained Twilight how to handle a boltgun, wield a sword, and fight in hoof-to-hoof combat. But Twilight’s weapon of choice had always been her magic. Besides levitation, Twilight could shoot lightning, fire, or lasers from her horn, teleport from one place to another, and create force fields to protect others. However, her magic abilities were not the only thing the Chapter had noticed.
    During her decade-long transformation from an ordinary pony to an Eques Astartes, Twilight Sparkle had grown wings. She still had no idea why, and neither did the rest of the Chapter. The Chapter’s apothecaries had theorized that it was a genetic flaw in the gene-seed. Others have speculated that it had been due to Twilight’s magical talent. Fewer still, those who were more religious like the Chaplains, had proposed that Twilight’s wings had been a miracle from the Empress. 
Twilight had heard these theories and had pondered them. At the end of the day, however, she did not care how she had grown wings. All she wanted to know was why. There were very few alicorns in the galaxy. The last time there were a number of alicorns had been during the Great Crusade. Empress Celestia had granted nineteen ponies she had deemed worthy the transformation into an alicorn, and thus the title of Prime Pony.
But Twilight was not a Prime Pony. She was just a codicier, a Librarian of a Space Marine Chapter. She could understand being made an alicorn if she were the Chief Librarian or even the Chapter Master. But she was neither.
Twilight took a moment to unfold one of her wings and examine it. Sure enough, it was real. She could feel the cold metal of her armored hoof run along the lavender feathers. She sighed heavily with a great desire to understand. She had always been a pursuer of knowledge; as the Blood Phoenixes Chapter would say, “Knowledge is power, guard it well.” But there were no other tomes in the Librarius that Twilight could find to answer the reason behind her wings.
After a moment of examining her wings for the thousandth time, Twilight returned to her studies. She read about the final hours of the Lunar Heresy. As she used her magic to turn the page, she revealed a picture of Empress Celestia confronting Nightmare Moon. 
On the right side of the picture, the Empress was portrayed in Her bulky golden armor, wearing a golden laurel crown and igniting Her fiery sword. On the left side was Nightmare Moon standing over the broken body of Sanguinevere, the Prime Pony of the Blood Alicorns. This picture depicted the beginning of the final battle of the Lunar Heresy, the duel that would determine the fate of the Equestrian Imperium. 
Twilight had lost count of how many times she had seen this picture. It made her feel sad that it had come to this. To think that nine Prime Ponies and their Space Marine Legions could turn against the Empress and nearly destroy everything that many had worked, fought, and even died for… 
It was unthinkable. 
It was almost… heretical. 
    Twilight decided to take her mind off of the image by closing the tome and placing it back on one of the many shelves in the Librarius. Then, she returned to her own workbench, where a small cyborg baby dragon was sitting. It was currently turned off at the moment. Throughout most of its body, it had lavender scales, a light green underbelly, and bigger green scales that ran along the back of its head. It also had an arrow-pointed tail. However, the left side of its face had exposed machinery. It looked as if it had been damaged.
    Twilight took a few tools and started to fix the machinery. While she was not a Techpriest Pony, she had studied mechanics from time to time. The Librarian alicorn would need it if she were to maintain her “number one assistant.”
    After spending five minutes delicately fixing the machinery, Twilight put the tools away and levitated a curved silver plate off of her desk. The plate resembled that of a baby dragon’s face and it had a hole in it where an eye would be. Twilight smiled as she placed the plating onto the baby dragon, clicking it into place.
    Almost instantly, the cyborg opened its organic and artificial eyes.
    “Good morning, Spike,” Twilight said happily.
    The baby dragon stood up on its, or his legs, and stretched his arms out while yawning. Could machines even get tired enough to yawn?
    “Good morning, Twilight,” Spike replied in a clear voice. It was not synthesized like others would expect it to be, with Spike being a machine and all. “How long was I asleep for this time?”
    “You were off for about four days,” Twilight answered, somewhat sheepishly.
    “Four?!” Spike’s organic eye widened in surprise. Then the little baby dragon glared up at the alicorn Librarian and shouted, “What were you doing all this time?!”
    The baby dragon received a harsh “shhh!” from Twilight.
“We’re in the Librarius, remember?” Twilight whispered while scolding. But then her tone changed to an apologetic one. “And I’m sorry. I got too caught up in my studies again.”
Spike rolled his eye and crossed his arms. “You’re always caught up in your studies, Twilight. When’s the Chapter gonna let you see some action?”
Twilight snickered. “If I were taken off-world, you’d be off longer.”
“Well then, take me with you!” Spike retorted, raising his voice again, and receiving another “shhh!” from Twilight.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Twilight quietly said. “I won’t forget again, I promise.” 
“I’ll hold you to that, Twilight,” Spike said before opening up his own draconic wings and hovering off the desk. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
“I don’t know yet,” Twilight answered. “I was told to just wait here and that it was very important.”
Spike opened his mouth to ask why when they suddenly heard a loud clicking sound. Then there was the sound of the Librarius’s doors sliding open. Twilight and Spike went over to the source of the noise, which was then replaced with the heavy metallic trotting of armored hooves. Twilight and Spike approached the source. It was a Space Marine clad in bulky Terminator armor, painted purpled and trimmed in gold. But this Eques Astartes did not wear a helmet, and Twilight could immediately tell the identity of this stallion by the white fur and dark blue mane.
“Sh-Shining Armor!” Twilight called out, before immediately covering her mouth upon remembering that they were still in the Librarius! “What are you… doing here?” she then whispered.
Shining Armor, the newly-appointed Chapter Master of the Celestial Guard, stood tall over his biological sister. “It’s good to see you too, Twily.” Shining Armor said as he smiled warmly. Then his facial expression turned to a more serious expression. “I need you to come with me.”
“Why?” Twilight asked in response.
Shining Armor sighed before saying, “I cannot tell you yet. I’m under strict orders to bring you with me.”
Twilight groaned. “Fine… May Spike come with us?”
Shining Armor looked at the baby dragon cyborg. He was ordered to bring only Twilight, but he didn’t see the harm in bringing Spike along.
“Oh, alright. You can come with us, Spike.”
“Yes!” Spike said as he pumped his fists, before once again receiving a “Shhh!” from every Librarian in the Librarius. Even the Chief Librarian, who was pretty peeved at this point!
Twilight shook her head disapprovingly at Spike, who looked apologetically at her. Then, Twilight and Spike followed Shining Armor out of the Librarius.
“You said you were under strict orders to take me somewhere. Who gave you those orders, Shining Armor?” Twilight asked in slight suspicion.
“Let’s just say that their authority is far higher than mine,” Shining Armor answered. 
Twilight raised an eyebrow in response. “Are you sure you’re not dodging the question?”
“You know, you’d make a good Inquisitor if you weren’t already a Space Marine,” Shining Armor said, definitely dodging questions.
Twilight in return deadpanned at her older brother. “By ‘Inquisitor,’ do you mean putting ‘heresy’ labels on practically everything and blowing up planets with only one heretic among billions of innocent civilians? Because if you do, I resent that, BBBFF.”
Shining Armor laughed. “No, LSBFF. I mean by finding answers, solving puzzles and mysteries, and seeking the truth.”
Twilight smiled at that. “Okay. I guess I can take it as a compliment. So, can I guess who’s asking for me?”
“You’re welcome to try,” Shining Armor smirked as he looked challengingly at his little sister.
---
The surface of Eques Terra was a metropolis. Millions upon billions of ponies walked through the streets of Hive Cities, living peacefully. There was laughter, joy, and happiness on the planet. There were patrols of Equestrian Guardsponies in dark green uniforms, marching through the streets. Civilians would watch them and applaud them for their service to the Equestrian Imperium and the Goddess-Empress of Ponykind.
There were even a few squadrons of Space Marines trotting along city walls. They were clad in the yellow, red-trimmed armor of the Imperial Hooves Chapter. They were ever vigilant, watching the cities from below, and keeping an eye for any potential threats.
In the sky, a golden Thunderhawk flew over the urban surface. Onboard the transport was Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and a few other Astartes of the Celestial Guard. They wore gold and white armor with a blue horseshoe, the Chapter’s symbol, on their left pauldrons. The Astartes sat in their seats, having to endure the Librarian’s endless guessing game.
“So, is it the Ecclesiarchy?” Twilight asked Shining Armor. The Chapter Master and the Librarian were closer to the cockpit, where they look outside to see where they were going.
“No,” Shining Armor chuckled. “It’s not the Ecclesiarchy.”
“Then… is it the Council of Eques Terra?” Twilight guessed.
“Nope! It’s not them either.”
Spike was riding on Twilight’s back, and he too was just as annoyed as the other Space Marines were. “By the Throne, Shining Armor, why can’t you just tell her?!”
Shining Armor smirked at the baby dragon cyborg. Then, the Chapter Master looked out the windshield of the Thunderhawk and then back towards Twilight.
“How about I just give you a little hint,” Shining Armor proposed before raising a foreleg forward. Twilight looked and beheld the most majestic place on Eques Terra. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the golden spires of the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace was as large as a small city, and it reached all the way up into the sky. It was well-structured, well-fortified, and aesthetically pleasing. Twilight immediately recognized it as the home of the Empress.
The Thunderhawk landed in one of the many hanger bays of the higher levels. After the large door ramp at the front of the transport opened up, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Shining Armor exited.
“Alright. Follow me, sis,” Shining Armor instructed, and Twilight immediately followed, with Spike riding on the backpack of her Power Armor.
The hallways of the Royal Palace were golden with white marble columns and velvet carpets. Twilight’s mouth remained open as she looked all around. Throughout their walk through the palace, Twilight and Spike saw many different decorations and memorials.
There were paintings depicting Celestia Herself in Her golden power armor. Some paintings illustrated Her leading Eques Astartes into battle against alien forces. In those paintings, Celestia wielded her flaming sword, commanding all who followed her into battle.   Some paintings illustrated Celestia meeting with ponies in other establishments across the galaxy. In those paintings, Celestia was shown to be kind and compassionate. There was even a tall painting depicting Celestia with a grey unicorn dressed in a dark blue robe and hat, the latter of which had bells hanging from it.
Twilight immediately recognized that Unicorn as Starswirl the Bearded. He had been a highly skilled wizard, a master of magic and sorcery. He had been Celestia’s right forehoof, carrying out Her will. Starswirl had even served as Celestia’s advisor. Twilight respected, no, admired Starswirl the Bearded. She had claimed to have read all the tomes Starswirl had written. If there was a book Starswirl had written that Twilight had yet to read, she would scour the galaxy for it so that she could read it.
Shining Armor smirked as he shook his head; he knew his sister all too well, and yet he hadn’t anticipated her stopping at the portrait of Starswirl and the Empress.
“Okay, Twily, come on,” Shining Armor said as he used his magic to pull Twilight away from the painting. Not wanting to scrape the marble floor by dragging Twilight in her power armor, Shining Armor made sure to lift her off the floor first. Then, Shining Armor gently set Twilight down next to him and continued to lead her through the palace.
Twilight pouted like a little filly. “You could have given me another minute…”
“Sorry, Twilight, but there’s more to see. So, come on,” Shining Armor said as he led Twilight and Spike into the next room.
The two Space Marines and the cyborg baby dragon walked into a large rotunda. On the dome ceiling was the painting of the Empress galloping through the galaxy. Along the walls of the rotunda were twenty niches. They had been meant for twenty statues, however, only nine niches had statues of armored alicorns in them. 
Nine statues for nine Prime Ponies.
The ones who had remained loyal to the Empress.
Twilight walked along the statues.
First, she came across the statue of Pony El’ Johnson, the Lion-hearted and the Prime Pony of the First Legion, the Dark Alicorns. After she skipped the second niche, Twilight walked in front of the third niche, which held the statue of Gleaming Sentinel, the Prime Pony of the Third Legion, the Celestial Guard. Next to Gleaming’s statue stood the statue of Princess Platinum, the Prime Pony of the Fourth Legion, the Platinum Hooves.
After two more empty niches, Twilight came across the statue of the Angel, Sanguinevere. Sanguinevere had led the Seventh Legion, the Blood Alicorns. According to all of the tomes Twilight had read, Sanguinevere had been one of the kindest and most loving Prime Ponies in existence. Some tomes have even stated that Sanguinevere was the heart of the Equestrian Imperium. To this day, the Blood Alicorns still pray to her, and some even claim that they can still see her, even after her sacrifice during the final days of the Great Heresy.
Next was Queen Amore, ruler of the Crystal Empire and Prime Pony of its own legion of Eques Astartes, the Crystal Guard. Amore had been one of the first ponies outside of the Equestrian Imperium to be made a Prime Pony. The Empress had been more than willing to welcome the Crystal Empire into the Equestrian Imperium as an ally. Amore had accepted the offer happily. Unfortunately, Amore had met a tragic ending during the earlier days of the Heresy. She had been betrayed and killed by King Sombra himself, who had also been chosen by the Empress to be a Prime Pony.
Twilight then looked up at the next statue to her right. This statue was that of Commander Hurricane, the Prime Pony of the Ninth Legion, the Thunderbolts. Some have stated that Hurricane had been the Empress’s most loyal Prime Pony, to the point where he had been called the Empress’ executioner. After skipping another empty niche, Twilight looked up at the statue of Reargal Dorn, the Pratorean of Eques Terra.
Reargal Dorn had been the Prime Pony of Eleventh Astartes Legion, the Imperial Hooves. According to Twilight’s research, Dorn had been an expert in architecture and fortifications. Dorn had built the Royal Palace, and when it had been known of Luna’s betrayal, he had fortified it. When Nightmare Moon had come to Eques Terra, Dorn and his legion had held the walls of the Palace in what was now called the Siege of Eques Terra.
After two more empty niches, Twilight stood in front of the statue of Roboute Guillihorse, the Prime Pony of the Fourteenth Legion, the Ultramares. Guillihorse had been a brilliant tactician and very well disciplined and organized. It was said that Guillihorse and his Ultramares had achieved the most victories in the Great Crusade. After the Lunar Heresy, Roboute Guillihorse had written the tome that Twilight and many other Space Marines abided by unquestionably, The Codex Eques Astartes. Guillihorse had believed that the Space Marine legions had to be broken down into Chapters, where only 1000 Space Marines were allowed. This had been so that no single pony could have as much power as Nightmare Moon had during the Heresy.
    Twilight passed four more empty niches before coming to the second to last niche. This one held the statue of Corvus Coltrax, the Prime Pony of the Nineteenth Legion, the Dark Phoenixes. Corvus Coltrax had always preferred stealth and attacking from the shadows, as well as liberating ponies who could not defend themselves. It was said that Coltrax had even used a whip; perhaps he had enjoyed the irony of using a slave master’s weapon on those who would have enslaved Ponykind. 
After one more empty niche, Twilight Sparkle was back where she had started. She noticed Shining Armor walking over to the statue of Gleaming Sentinel. Once he looked up the statue of his Prime Pony, Shining Armor dutifully and respectfully bowed his head and knelt before the statue. 
Like all Space Marines to their respective Prime Ponies, Shining Armor respected and honored Gleaming Sentinel. He had always strived to be like her; valiant, loyal, and persevering. Gleaming Sentinel was a role model to Shining Armor, even if she had died many millenia ago. 
Twilight Sparkle walked over to Shining Armor’s side. Knowing that Gleaming Sentinel was her Prime Pony too, Twilight bowed and knelt before the statue as well. Twilight didn’t mean to, but she spread her wings out as she bowed, and the feathers of one of her wings accidentally brushed against Shining Armor’s terminator armor. This caused him to flinch and look up to see Twilight by his side. Then he looked to see his little sister’s lavender wings.
“Oh, it was just you,” Shining Armor said sheepishly, a little embarrassed that a Space Marine Chapter Master was started by his little sister.
“Hmm?” Twilight said as she raised her head back up. Once she noticed that her wings were spread out, it all made sense now. Her ears dropped in embarrassment. “Hehe… sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, Twily,” Shining Armor reassured her. “Now come on. We need to keep going.”
Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike left the rotunda and continued down the hallway. They eventually came to an elevator booth, to which they barely managed to enter. Astartes were larger than the average pony after all, considering that they were genetically-modified super soldiers. Thankfully, two Space Marines in an elevator didn’t exceed the elevator’s weight capacity. After Shining Armor pressed a button, the elevator doors closed, and down they went.
Shining Armor looked at Twilight before sighing to himself.
“You okay, BBBFF?” Twilight asked Shining Armor with concern. Even without her advanced magic abilities, it was obvious to Twilight that something was up with Shining Armor.
Shining Armor sighed. “Remember when you got your gene-seed implanted into you, Twilight?”
Twilight looked away from Shining Armor, remembering the aforementioned moment all too well. 
The Eques Astartes recruited adolescent fillies and colts between the ages of ten to twelve. Said fillies and colts would be hoof-selected by a Chaplain. When she had been a unicorn filly at the age of ten, Twilight Sparkle had been one of the selected recruits.
Like every recruit, Twilight had been taken to Apothecarion in the Celestial Guard’s fortress-monastery. There, Twilight had been strapped down onto a table and had been cut open by a Space Marine Apothecary. Then, the gene-seed had been implanted into Twilight’s body. Twilight remembered having been awake to witness it all.
“I felt like I shouldn’t have been awake for that,” Twilight muttered. “It was terrifying.”
Twilight looked back up at Shining Armor and was surprised to see a solemn, sad look on his muzzle.
“You weren’t the only one,” Shining Armor said sadly.
Twilight was puzzled by this. A Space Marine was supposed to know no fear. In fact, for over ten millennia, Space Marines have claimed that they were fear incarnate. It was considered a weakness to feel even slightly timid or show the slightest hint of fear. Shining Armor had been the Captain of the 2nd Company back when Twilight had received her gene-seed. And now, as a Chapter Master, here he was saying that he was terrified?  
“The last time I saw you… before you were recruited… was when you were a foal,” Shining Armor said softly. “And when I saw you again as a filly, I was both happy to see you again, but also confused as to what you were doing there. Then the Apothecary told me that it was your turn.”
--
    “What do you mean ‘it’s her turn’?” Shining Armor asked nervously, hoping against all hope that his sister was not here for what he thought she was here for. He hoped that Twilight was just being given a tour of the fortress, or maybe she had just snuck in to see the Librarium. Or maybe their parents had just brought her here to visit him.
    By the Throne, Shining Armor hoped that one of those three was the answer. But, some say that hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. And the Space Marine Apothecary in his white power armor brought Shining Armor to that destination with his answer.
    “She is a neophyte, Captain Armor. She is here for her gene-seed implant.”
    Shining Armor’s eyes widened in surprise and horror. He looked down at the lavender unicorn filly. He had immediately recognized her the moment he had laid eyes upon her. And he had been so happy to see a six-pointed magenta starburst cutie mark on her flank.
    Shining Armor looked back up at the Apothecary and glared directly into the eye lenses of his helmet. 
    “Don’t… Don’t do this,” Shining Armor said while slowly shaking his head.
    “I am sorry, Brother-Captain,” the Apothecary said sincerely, as if he knew what was going on through Shining Armor’s mind at the moment. “This must be done.”
    “Then find somepony else!” Shining Armor snapped, finally losing his composure. “Anypony else! Not her!”
    The Apothecary flinched at Shining Armor’s sudden outburst. He was glad that he was wearing his helmet because he didn’t want to show a sign of intimidation that Shining Armor was looking for.
    Two more Space Marines came by after having heard Shining Armor’s outburst, one an earth pony mare and the other a unicorn stallion. They stood on either side of their battle brother, ready to restrain him if they needed to do so.
    “I understand that she is your sister, Brother-Captain,” the Apothecary said softly in an attempt to calm Shining Armor down. “But she has already been chosen, and the procedures are already underway. I am truly sorry, Captain Armor. You must have faith in the Empress.”
--
    “I do remember you calling out to me,” Twilight said softly. “You sounded pretty scared.”
    “I was,” Shining Armor admitted. “I didn’t know if you would have survived.” 
    Twilight’s ears drooped at her brother’s response. She was aware that very few ponies survived the implantation of the gene-seed, and fewer survived the decade-long transformation from a regular pony into an Astartes. The transformation involved growing 19 new organs inside a pony, including a second heart. The transformation also grew a pony in size and strength, surpassing that of an average stallion.
Every day during Twilight’s transformation, Shining Armor had hoped that Twilight would survive. He had even taken the Apothecary’s advice to have faith in the Empress. Every day and night, Shining Armor had prayed to Her. When Twilight’s transformation had been complete, Shining Armor had cried tears of joy, thanking the Empress for having protected his sister.
“I think the Empress truly blessed you, LSBFF,” Shining Armor said softly, a smile finally returning to his muzzle. It made Twilight happy to see her big brother, best friend forever smile. Still, she looked away from him and smiled sheepishly.
“I don’t know if I would say that I was blessed, BBBFF,” Twilight said skeptically. “Maybe I was just lucky.”
“Then how else would you explain those?” Shining Armor pointed to Twilight’s wings. In response, Twilight unfolded one of them and once again examined it. Was Shining Armor right? Were her wings really a gift from the Empress?
“Why are you bringing this up?” Twilight said as she folded her wing and looked back up at Shining Armor.
Shining Armor sighed. “Because I’m nervous for you again, Twilight. I’m… I am worried about what’s going to happen now.”
“Why? What are you talking about? Y-you haven’t even told me where we’re going!”
Suddenly, the elevator stopped. The doors opened and revealed their destination. 
And Twilight Sparkle gasped as she beheld two thick and tall golden doors. The doors were engraved with the image of the Empress in all Her glory. Twilight immediately recognized it as the doorway to the Throne Room. 
Shining Armor stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the doorway, where two Space Marines stood with their boltguns ready. The Astartes saluted their Chapter Master, who saluted back. Then the Chapter Master looked back at the Librarian, was still frozen in the elevator.
Shining Armor smirked as he used his magic to pull Twilight out of the elevator. 
“The Empress will see you now, Twily.”
“The… the… the… the Empress?!!!” Twilight Sparkle stammered.
Shining Armor couldn’t help but snicker. He then noticed Spike who was still riding on Twilight’s back. The baby dragon cyborg rolled his eyes.
“Relax, Twilight, everything’s gonna be fine,” Spike said reassuringly. “Just take a deep breath.”
Twilight did as her number one assistant suggested. “You’re right, Spike. I need to look presentable, and I need to stay calm… when meeting… the Master… of… Ponykind…!”
Then Twilight started to hyperventilate. Shining Armor rolled his eyes before putting his forehooves on the pauldrons of Twilight’s power armor, which got her attention. Shining Armor then had Twilight take deep breaths to calm her down. Then, after about a minute or two, Twilight was calm once more.
“As Spike said, everything’s gonna be fine,” Shining Armor said reassuringly.
“Thanks, Shining Armor,” Twilight said before looking at Spike. “And thank you, Spike.” Spike smiled in response before giving Twilight a thumbs-up and hopping down to Shining Armor’s side.
Then, Twilight took one last deep breath before standing before the doorway. The Astartes aside as the large doors slowly opened. Then, Twilight Sparkle walked into the Throne Room.
--
    The Throne Room was huge. It was nearly the size of an entire cathedral. It was dimly lit by candles hanging from the walls. Twilight Sparkle walked through the Throne Room, observing the ancient gothic architecture of the walls and the columns. It was like walking into an ancient chapel. Then, after a minute of walking, Twilight Sparkle stopped before a gigantic staircase that led all the way up to Her.
    Twilight Sparkle stared in amazement as she beheld Celestia, the Goddess-Empress of Ponykind.
    The Empress sat on her hind legs and seemed to stare blankly up and outwards. Her eyes glowed as brightly as the sun. Her armor had been removed a long time ago. Now all she was left with was her white fur coat. Her once-ethereal, majestic mane and tail no longer flowed as if they were in the wind. They had been cut very short.
Cables and wires were surgically plugged into the Empress’s back, where her wings had once been. Nightmare Moon had taken those away from her. 
After Empress Celestia had banished Nightmare Moon, Reargal Dorn had walked in upon seeing his Empress dying. With Her dying breath, Celestia had instructed Dorn to take Her body back to the Royal Palace, and onto the Golden Throne. On that day, Celestia, the pony had died. And She had been reborn as a goddess.
Empress Celestia was plugged into a giant machine that was called the Golden Throne. After having dubbed Luna as Warmaster, Celestia had returned to Eques Terra to secretly work on one final gift for Ponykind. It had been a webway gate, which would enable ponies in space to travel safely through a parallel dimension called the Warp. The Warp was a dangerous dimension that was filled with pure magic. It was said that unicorns with advanced magic skills got their power from the Warp.
Ponies had found that space travel was faster by traveling through the Warp. However, the Warp had, and still held, many demons. All the more reason for Celestia to have worked on this Webway project. However, it had all been ruined by another Prime Pony.
Maverick the Red.
Maverick the Red had been skilled in magic and sorcery. He had encouraged his Space Marine Legion, the Thousand Colts, to embrace their magical abilities. However, that had been taken away from them when Celestia had previously decreed at the Council of Neighkaea that all Legions were to stop using advanced magic. Maverick had been furious by this, so much so that he had returned home to his home planet, Prospero.
While he had been in meditation, Maverick had sensed Warmaster Luna being corrupted by dark forces. He had even reached out with his magic to prevent Luna’s corruption, but he had arrived too late. Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon and had turned her back on her Sister. Maverick had believed that he could still warn Celestia.
Maverick, with the help of his most skilled sorcerers, had used his magic to reach Eques Terra via astral projection. On his way, he had to break through a magical barrier that had been blocking his way. Maverick had used his magical abilities, with the aid of a mysterious being from the Warp, to break through the barrier and continue onward to Eques Terra.
Maverick the Red had had no idea what he had just done. As he had arrived in the Royal Palace, however, he had soon found out.
The barrier that Maverick had had destroyed had been part of the Webway project Celestia had been working on. By having had destroyed the barrier, Maverick had unleashed demons into the material world. Maverick the Red had beheld demons swarming the palace like locusts. And they had come out of the Webway gate that Celestia had built. Needless to say, Celestia had been beyond furious with Maverick.
Celestia had to remain on the Golden Throne to keep any more demons from entering the material realm, and it had taken all the magical strength She could have mustered. The only time she had ever gotten up from the throne was during the final days of the Lunar Heresy. Before then, She had called upon Starswirl the Bearded to take her place. Without question, Starswirl had done so, having cost him his life. When Reargal Dorn had brought Celestia back to the Golden Throne, Starswirl had perished and had offered up the last of his life to Celestia.
Since then, Celestia has remained on the Golden Throne for nearly ten thousand years, protecting Her subjects as they traveled through the Warp and keeping demons at bay. 
Twilight Sparkle did take another step forward. She dutifully bowed before her Empress.
There was a brief moment of silence before Twilight heard an echoing, yet soft, kind voice.
“Rise, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight looked up at the Empress. She did not move, which meant that she could not open her mouth. However, Twilight knew that the Empress had the power to communicate with one other pony via telepathy.
Twilight’s mouth remained open, utterly speechless at what to do. Should she rise?
Of course, she should; it was a command from the Empress! 
Twilight stood up. It took a while for her to say anything. When she finally worked up the courage to speak, Twilight Sparkle said, “Y-you… You summoned me… Empress?”
“Indeed, I did, Twilight,” Celestia telepathically said. 
“M-My Empress… why?”
“Because I need you.”
Twilight froze once more. The Empress of Ponykind needed her? Twilight Sparkle could not believe what she was hearing. She was a skilled Librarian for sure, but to be asked by the Master of Ponykind Herself to help Her was incomprehensible!
Before Twilight could ask anything, Empress Celestia answered in advance:
“As you may know, Twilight Sparkle, years ago I banished Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. In one month, it will the ten-thousandth anniversary of the Equestrian Imperium’s victory. However, I believe that is when Nightmare Moon will return.”
Twilight gasped in response. “H-How is that possible? Nightmare Moon away sealed away!”
“Yes, Twilight, she was,” Empress Celestia responded. “However, the banishment was not meant to be permanent. I knew that one day Nightmare Moon would return. And when she does return, we must be ready.”
Twilight Sparkle dutifully stood up straight and spread out her wings. “What do you need me to do, my Empress?” Twilight asked, just like a soldier. “I can take the Second Company and face her in battle. I can--”
“Twilight,” Celestia said, “this isn’t a matter that can be solved with an army of Space Marines. Listen to me very carefully, my faithful subject.”
“Y-yes, Empress Celestia,” Twilight said as she bowed. Then she lent her ears.
“The key to stopping Nightmare Moon once and for all is not with an army of Space Marines, but rather… six special Space Marines. I am asking you to find them.”
“M-Me?” Twilight asked. “W-why me? H-how will I find them?”
“You will use these.” The Empress’s horn glowed bright yellow, and in a burst of light, a royal blue chest with golden trims appeared in front of Twilight.
Twilight inspected the chest before opening it up. What she saw made her jaw nearly drop to the floor. Inside the chest, resting on a small velvet pillow, were six gems; a red gem, an orange gem, a blue gem, a purple gem, a pink gem, and a magenta gem. Five of the gems were hexagon-shaped gems, but the magenta gem in the upper-middle was shaped in a six-pointed star.
Twilight immediately recognized these gems. They were ancient relics from a long time ago, before the Great Crusade.
“Are these…” Twilight asked, completely in awe. “Are these… the Elements of Harmony?!”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” the Empress answered simply. “They will guide you across the galaxy to their new bearers. Once you have found the five new bearers, Twilight, you will bring them back to Eques Terra’s Moon. There, you will face Nightmare Moon.”
Twilight was confused. Did She say ‘five’? But, there were six Elements here. Why did she only need to gather five?
Then, it suddenly hit her like a Thunderhammer. The fact that she was an alicorn, and that one of the Elements looked exactly like her cutie mark.
“Em…Empress,” Twilight stuttered. “Am I…?”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. You are one of the six Ponies to face Nightmare Moon.”
The starburst stone became enveloped in golden magical aura and levitated out of the box. It floated in front of Twilight’s muzzle before flying up over her head. Then, there was a burst of blinding light that originated from the Element, causing Twilight to close shield her eyes. When she opened her eyes, Twilight saw that her Power Armor had changed. 
In place of the dark blue of the Librarians, Twilight’s Power Armor recolored in a dark shade of lavender, with her pauldrons trimmed in purple.  She looked to her left pauldron and saw that her cutie mark was painted onto it. On the right pauldron she could see a golden Horned Skull of the Librarius. At the bottom of the pauldron sat a ribbon that read “EQUES TERRA”. 
Twilight then noticed mounted onto her armor’s gorget, along with her Magic Hood, was an golden Iron Halo. But that couldn’t be right. Iron Halos were reserved for the highest honored Space Marines, including captains, Chapter Masters, and Veterans. Why did she have an Iron Halo?
Twilight’s answer came to her when she noticed the Element of Magic mounted ontop of the Iron Halo. She felt a strong surge of magic coming from the Element, as if her magical abilities increased tenfold! She then noticed that noticed an Eques Astartes helmet next to the box containing the other elements. The helmet was the same color as her power armor. There was a vertical pattern from above the purple eyelenses that stretched back down to the bottom. The pattern resembled her mane and tail; dark blue with magenta and purple lines on the right side.
Twilight Sparkle looked up back up at the Empress.
“You are the first bearer, my little pony. You will now wield the Element of Magic.”
Twilight was speechless. There were plenty of things she wanted so say. So many questions she had for the Goddess-Empress of Ponykind. But on that mountain of questions, one stood at the top. One question she had asked herself for over thirteen years.
“Is there anything else you wish to say, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight remained silent for a brief moment. This could be her chance. Maybe she could finally find out why she was made an alicorn? Had the Empress truly intended for her to become a Prime Pony, and if so, why?
But Twilight came to the conclusion that she was not entitled to ask that question. If the Empress had made Twilight an alicorn, than it was Her will.
“No, my Empress,” Twilight answered. “There is nothing more for me to say.”
“Then go, Twilight Sparkle. Search the galaxy for these five ponies. And be careful, Twilight. The Equestrian Imperium is not as peaceful as it is here on the Throne World.”
Twilight Sparkle bowed before the Empress. Her will would be done.
---
Three days later…
    “I still think that this is overkill, Shining Armor,” Twilight Sparkle deadpanned.
    Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Shining Armor had returned to the Celestial Guard Fortress-Monastery after Twilight’s meeting with the Empress. After Twilight Sparkle had revealed to Spike and Shining Armor her task from the Empress, as well as the sudden change in her armor color, Shining Armor had decided to take matters into his own hooves. He had known that he couldn’t stop Twilight from going on this mission. After all, it had been ordered by the Empress Herself! So Shining Armor did the next best thing.
    After three days of preparation, Shining Armor had gathered three companies of the Celestial Guard Space Marines. Each company had 100 Battle Ponies. Shining Armor had made sure that Twilight would be escorted by 300 Eques Astartes!
To Twilight, it was, indeed, overkill. 
    “And I still disagree with that, Twilight,” Shining Armor retorted.
Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike watched as 300 Eques Astartes marched through the hanger area and into Thunderhawk transports. The Companies were all organized into ten-pony squadrons, ten squadrons per company. Each company also had a captain, two lieutenants, a company ancient, an apothecary, and either a chaplain or librarian. 
Shining Armor had always been protective of Twilight; perhaps a little over-protective. He knew that she was not a filly, but he also knew that she had yet to see any combat. In fact, she had never been to any other planet in the galaxy yet. Shining Armor knew that as a Chapter Master he had to remain on Eques Terra. However, he would make sure that Twilight, and Spike, did not leave unprotected.
  “Okay, I will admit that maybe one company would be fine,” Twilight said. “But three, Shining?!”
“You haven’t seen the galaxy like I have, Twilight,” Shining Armor said cautiously. “It’s dangerous out there.”
“As the Empress too said, Shining,” Twilight said. “But Spike and I will be fine. We’ll get the other Element Bearers, and then we’ll come back home, defeat Nightmare Moon…” Twilight trailed off at the last part about Nightmare Moon. She still couldn’t believe that she and five other ponies would have to face her. Could she really do it? She had read that Nightmare Moon had single-hoofedly defeated one-thousand Space Marines during the Lunar Heresy. What chance would a mere six have?!
   “Uh, Twilight?” Spike asked with concern. Twilight’s face was frozen and read the expression of internal panic. Spike flew up to Twilight’s ear. Then, the cyborg baby dragon grabbed one of the mare’s ears and shouted, “EQUES TERRA TO TWILIGHT!!!” into it.
Twilight jumped and yelped in surprise. Shining Armor smirked at seeing that Spike’s plan had worked. Twilight Sparkle rubbed her ear before glaring up at Spike, who also smirked in triumph.
“Never. Do that. Again!” Twilight growled at Spike, who retained his smirk.
A Space Marine stallion with orange fur and wings, a dark blue mane, and blue eyes marched towards the trio. He was decorated in Purity Seals for his feats in previous battles. Mounted ontop of his backpack was an Iron Halo, showing his rank as a captain in the Chapter.
The stallion held his helmet in one foreleg, which had a cobalt silhouette of an alicorn on the forehead. The stallion approached Shining Armor and knelt before him.
“Chapter Master Shining Armor,” the captain said dutifully.
“It’s alright, Flash Sentry,” Shining Armor said casually. “You may rise.”
“Thank you, Chapter Master,” Flash Sentry said as he rose up. “I am letting you know that we are about ready to depart.”
“Good,” Shining Armor said as he nodded before turning to Twilight. “Twily, you will be riding with Captain Flash Sentry. Their transport is the third Thunderhawk on the second row.”
Twilight nodded in understanding. “Thank you, Shining Armor, and thank you, Captain.”
“Just doing my duty, Librarian Twilight,” Flash Sentry said as he saluted with one of his wings.
Twilight took the moment to embrace Shining Armor before leaving.
“I promise I’ll come back, BBBFF.”
Shining Armor wrapped one foreleg around his sister to return the embrace. 
“I’m gonna hold you to that, LSBFF,” Shining Armor said.
After a moment of their sibling embrace, Twilight let go of Shining Armor and walked to her transport, with Spike flying alongside her.
    Shining Armor watched Twilight and Spike walk to their assigned Thunderhawk before looking at Flash Sentry once more.
    “Captain Flash Sentry,” Shining Armor said in a less casual and more authoritative voice. “I cannot stress enough how important it is that you bring her back alive and well. And that’s an order.”
    Flash Sentry bowed respectfully and dutifully. “I understand, Chapter Master. My Battle Brothers and Sisters will make Sister Librarian Twilight’s safety our top priority.”
    “Good,” Shining Armor said. “She may be your battle sister, but she’s my biological sister.”
    “You have my word, Chapter Master,” Flash Sentry said before placing his helmet back on. When he spoke again, his voice sounded more synthesized by the helmet. “She will be protected.”
    Shining Armor nodded. “Then go. And may the Empress protect you.”
    Captain Flash Sentry bowed once more before marching to his assigned Thunderhawk. Moments later, and Shining Armor could hear the roaring of engines, as one by one, the ten Thunderhawks took off into the sky, each carrying 30 Space Marines. Shining Armor watched as the Thunderhawks flew up past Eques Terra’s atmosphere and into the stars.
    The ten Thunderhawks soared into space. Soon they came to a Battle Barge, which was a massive warship used by the Eques Astartes to travel from world to world. Battle Barges could carry up to three companies of Space Marines as well as all of their vehicles and equipment. These massive warships had been used since the days of the Great Crusade. They had not only been used for space travel, but also for planetary assaults. The Thunderhawks landed in the hanger of the Battle Barge simply named The Chariot.
    About an hour later, Twilight Sparkle and Spike entered the bridge of The Chariot, looking out into the stars. She saw countless stars in the vast ocean of space. Twilight looked to her left and saw the planet of Eques Terra below. She also saw the moon-sized space station that had been built by Reargal Dorn himself, The Phalanx. The space station was the home to the Imperial Hooves Chapter, as well as the orbital defender of Eques Terra. The Phalanx floated in space ever-watchful and ever-vigilant for any signs of trouble.
    On her right, Twilight Sparkle saw the Moon. She saw the sphere like she would every night, but she had never seen it this close before. She also saw the Mare in the Moon. A chill ran down Twilight Sparkle’s spine, because she knew that the moon was a prison. For one inmate; who, according to the Empress, was about to escape. Twilight Sparkle also knew that she did not have too much time. 
They had one month. 
They had one month to gather five Astartes and come back to fight the Arch Traitor. The one who had turned her back on the Empress. The one who had split the galaxy in half. The one who had started a civil war that nearly swallowed the Equestrian Imperium whole!
Twilight took a deep breath and looked straight out into the stars. Then, she walked over to an observation table and set down the box that held the Elements of Harmony. She remembered what the Empress had said about letting the Elements guide her, and so that’s what she did.
Twilight Sparkle used her magic to lift the red Element out of the box. She felt strange holding the Element in her magic, like she was connected to it. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and focused on the Element.
    A moment later, Twilight opened her eyes, which now glowed in pure white light. The Element of Magic also shined so brightly that everypony on the bridge had to shield their eyes. In Twilight’s mind, she saw images of a planet covered in clouds, of Space Marines that were all Pegasi and clad in blue armor, and a winged lightning bolt.
    Once the visions faded, Twilight felt disoriented. And she felt like Shining Armor had just sat on her head. The Librarian shook her head and looked towards Flash Sentry.
    “Captain Sentry,” Twilight Sparkle said authoritatively, “tell the crew to set a course for Clouderis.”
    “Yes, Sister-Librarian.” Flash Sentry bowed before walking over to the captain of the ship and his navigational crew.
    Soon, The Chariot started to move and accelerate. The Battle Barge then came to a rift. It was a Warp Rift. This would take the Battle Barge into the Warp. As The Chariot got closer to the rift, it started to pick more speed than before. Then, it traveled at nearly the speed of light. And in almost an instance, it was gone.
> Chapter 2: Clouderis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: Clouderis
In the snowy mountain ranges of Clouderis, a Space Marine Scout in blue and yellow scout armor slowly trotted through the snow. This Scout had orange fur and purple mane, tail, and eyes. She was also a pegasus, but her wings were smaller than they were supposed to be. On one of her shoulder pads sat a winged lightning bolt, the symbol of the Wonderbolts Chapter.
When Roboute Guillihorse had penned The Codex Eques Astartes, Commander Hurricane had split the Thunderbolts Legion into numerous Chapters. Hurricane’s First Captain, Firefly, had taken 1000 of the best flyers from the Legion and had formed the Wonderbolts Chapter. For nearly ten millennia, the Wonderbolts have remained loyal to both the Equestrian Imperium and the Empress. 
The Wonderbolts valued the flight. Unfortunately, the Wonderbolt Scout, or Cadet, was incapable of that. When she had been recruited as a neophyte, Scootaloo had hoped that if she could become a Space Marine, her wings would grow. And yet, after the decade-long transformation, Scootaloo had been disappointed. Even now, at the age of twenty-three, Scootaloo’s wings were still smaller than those of other Pegasi.
Scootaloo held her boltgun up and checked her surroundings. She was shivering from the cold wind. It was hard to see anything in the thick snow, but Scootaloo had to keep her eyes open. Flyer or not, she was still a Space Marine for the Empress’s sake!
Suddenly, Scootaloo heard the crunching of snow from behind her. She turned around and saw a dark brown-skinned swine in make-shift armor. It had curved tusks and red eyes. It was a War Pig. As War Pig squealed its battle cry, Scootaloo pulled the trigger and fired a barrage of bolts into the War Pig. By the time Scootaloo was done with the War Pig, it had several large holes in its body and was drenched in its own blood.
Then two more War Pigs came from behind and started shooting at Scootaloo. Scootaloo leaped behind a mound of snow for cover. After waiting for the War Pigs to run out of bullets, Scootaloo came up from cover and started shooting at the two War Pigs. She made sure to aim for the heads. One single bolt round could decapitate a normal creature or remove a leg from its socket thanks to the explosive charges inside the bolt.
Scootaloo managed to hit both War Pigs, leaving behind two headless corpses. But more War Pigs kept coming. In the next wave there were three, then four, and then five. Scootaloo did her best to shoot down wave after wave of the monstrous pig skins. But they just kept coming. Her twin hearts beat faster and faster, and she started sweating profusely.
After shooting down one more War Pig, her boltgun ran out of ammo. Scootaloo frantically reached into her saddle bag to pull out a new ammo clip. Unfortunately, the clip fumbled right out of her hooves. She looked up to see the War Pigs right above her. Scootaloo’s ears drooped and her pupils became pinpricks. Then, she covered her head with her forelegs and awaited her impending doom.
As one War Pig was about to pull the trigger, a prismatic blur knocked it off of its feet and into the snow. The War Pig looked up to see a Space Marine clad in blue power armor. The Space Marine was equipped with a jump pack on its back, and it held a chainsword. In a split second, the Space Marine plunged its chainsword into the War Pig’s flesh and started shredding it to pieces. Then, the Space Marine turned around and pulled out a Plasma Pistol and fired prismatic plasma at two more War Pigs, disintegrating them.
Scootaloo quickly retrieved her ammo clip and reloaded her boltgun. Then, she fired at the last two remaining War Pigs. Then, she walked out from behind cover and looked at the Space Marine that had just saved her life. The Space Marine had a pair of cyan wings and a rainbow tail. Scootaloo knew this Astartes all too well.
The Space Marine removed her helmet to reveal cyan fur, magenta eyes, and a rainbow mane. The Pegasus mare looked at the orange mare and smiled.
“You okay, squirt?” the Space Marine asked.
“Yeah… thanks, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said with relief.
“Like I said, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk, “I’ve got your back.”
Then the sound of six War Pigs came charging up the snowy hill. Rainbow Dash put her helmet back on and revved up her chainsword. Scootaloo aimed her boltgun at the incoming pig skins.
“You ready, Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash asked from inside her helmet.
Scootaloo smiled and nodded.
As the War Pigs charged toward the Space Marine and the Cadet, they… slid to a stop and froze? They then just, surprisingly, fell down.
Then, a loud disembodied voice called out, “Simulation terminated! Simulation terminated! Simulation terminated!”
The environment around Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo glitched before revealing that they were in a training facility. The “War Pigs” that Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had fought were revealed to be state-of-the-art ponidroid, which the Wonderbolts used for practice.
“Uh oh…” Rainbow Dash said as she realized that she and Scootaloo were now in a new kind of trouble.
Another Space Marine walked toward the pair, this one having light blue fur and a white mane. Rainbow Dash could tell that she was extremely unhappy.
“Sergeant Rainbow Dash!” Lieutenant Fleetfoot hollared. “You were supposed to stay back! This was your wingpony’s trial!”
Rainbow Dash removed her helmet and looked apologetically at her superior. “My apologies, Lieutenant. I--”
Rainbow Dash was cut off by Fleetfoot shoving her aside. The Lieutenant of the Fourth Company then glared at Scootaloo.
Rainbow Dash was a Sergeant in the Reserves Company. She normally didn’t get to see much action outside of training exercises. While she admittedly enjoyed battling the ponidroids every now and then, she wanted to fight real enemies of the Empress.
Like all fully-fledged Battle Ponies in the Chapter, Rainbow Dash was allowed to take a cadet under her wing. It was a tradition that the Wonderbolts admittedly picked up from the Black Destriers Chapter, where Battle Ponies had neophytes to fight alongside them. Out of all the cadets Rainbow Dash could have taken under her wing, she had chosen Scootaloo. Over the past couple of years, the two Pegasi had formed a sisterly bond in battle; Rainbow Dash had become like an elder sister to Scootaloo. While Rainbow Dash had been there for Scootaloo, others in the Chapter had not.
The Wonderbolts took pride in flight. Many in the Chapter, especially the other Cadets, considered Scootaloo a chink in the armor that was the Chapter. The Cadets were jealous that a “chicken” got chosen by Rainbow Dash of all ponies. While still a reservist, Rainbow Dash was recognized for her speed and her skills with a chainsword. The other Cadets also believed that Scootaloo just didn’t belong in the Chapter.
Fleetfoot stormed over to Scootaloo with fury in her eyes. “Cadet Scootaloo!” the Lieutenant all but shouted. “Your assignment was to defend your post on your own! You dropped your ammunition! And worst of all, you cowered down like a scared little filly! What do you have to say for yourself, Cadet?”
There was a brief moment of silence in the training facility. Scootaloo was still sweating and her ears were still drooping. She looked over at Rainbow Dash, who shook her head frantically as if to say, “For the love the Empress and Firefly do not say it, Squirt!” But Fleetfoot followed the Cadets' eyes to Rainbow Dash, who held her head still, darted her eyes from left to right, and smiled sheepishly to look innocent. The Lieutenant of the Fourth Company looked back at Scootaloo, who gulped before answering: 
“I’m… I’m sorry, Lieutenant… I just… I just got scared.”
Rainbow Dash facehoofed at this. By the Throne, Scootaloo!
“You. Got. Scared?!!!” Fleetfoot shouted, causing Scootaloo to recoil. “You showed signs of fear?!”
Scootaloo could do nothing but stare into Fleetfoot’s furious eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of one of the War Pigs she had fought. What made Fleetfoot different was that one, she was not a hologram, and two, Scootaloo could not fight back. Fleetfoot backed Scootaloo up against the wall and was nearly muzzle to muzzle with her.
“We are the Empress’s Angels of Death, Cadet! We know no fear, for we are fear incarnate! At least that’s what we’re supposed to be! And do you think that the pigskins are going to feel sorry for you when you cower like that on the real battlefield?! No! You are going to die!”
Rainbow Dash felt sorry for Scootaloo. She wanted to intervene and stand up for her. But Rainbow Dash knew that Fleetfoot was a Lieutenant; she outranked her. Thankfully, somepony who outranked Fleetfoot came in and shouted:
“Lieutenant Fleetfoot!”
Everypony else in the facility looked to see a Space Marine captain. He was clad in the blue power armor of the Wonderbolts. In addition, his armor was decorated in purity seals, golden engravings of the Empress and the Chapter sigil, and his jump pack was equipped with an Iron Halo. The captain was a white pegasus stallion with green eyes and a navy blue mane. The captain glared daggers at his Lieutenant.
“That’s enough,” Captain Soarin scolded. “You’ve made your point.”
“Yes, Captain Soarin,” Fleetfoot said respectfully as she saluted to her superior.
Soarin softened his glare. “Have the servitors clean this mess up,” he said as he gestured to the broken ponidroids scattered on the floor. “Then prepare the next few cadets for their simulation.
“Yes sir,” Fleetfoot said as she exited the facility.
Soarin watched Fleetfoot exit before turning to Scootaloo. “Cadet, come here right now.”
Scootaloo nodded dutifully as she walked over to the Captain of the Fourth Company.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Lietenant Fleetfoot is right, Cadet. You can’t give into fear like you did,” Soarin spoke to Scootaloo in a firm tone, but not in a harsh one. “Yes, war is dangerous. But we must stand for the Empress and Her Equestrian Imperium. When you give into fear, you deny your full potential as an Astartes. Do you understand me, Cadet?”
“Yes, Captain,” Scootaloo nodded.
“Good. Return to your quarters and get some rest. You’ll retake the trial again tomorrow. Understood?”
Scootaloo saluted to the Captain. “Yes, Captain Soarin.”
Then, Scootaloo exited the facility, walking by Rainbow Dash as she did.
Rainbow Dash began to follow Scootaloo, but was stopped by Soarin calling out from behind. “As for you, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash froze mid-step. She smiled sheepishly as she turned around to face her superior. “Uh… am I in trouble?”
“That depends,” Soarin said as he walked closer to Rainbow Dash. “Were you the one who interfered with your wingpony’s trial?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it ‘interfering’ per say, but--”
“Scootaloo needs to learn to fight her own battles, Rainbow Dash,” Soarin said sternly. “One day, she is going to be on the battlefield without you. She can’t rely on you to save her all the time.”
“Oh, really?” Rainbow Dash retorted, anger slowly rising in her voice. “Do you really believe that the Chapter is gonna give Scoots the chance to taste real battle?!”
Soarin glared daggers at Rainbow Dash, about ready to reach for his boltgun. “Mind your attitude, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash sighed upon realizing her outburst. “Sorry… I just… It’s not fair to Scootaloo, Captain Soarin,” Rainbow Dash apologized beforing sighing. Then, she tried a more respectful approach to her argument. “She… she shouldn’t have to be denied the glory of being a Wonderbolt.”
Soarin shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but all of our battle ponies must be able to fly. It has been that way since the Chapter was founded.”
“Not all Astartes can fly,” Rainbow Dash rebutted.
“Not all Astartes are Pegasi, let alone Wonderbolts,” Soarin said back.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t argue with that. Every Successor Chapter of the Thunderbolts Legion knew that Commander Hurricane had taken pride in flight during the days of the Great Crusade and Lunar Heresy. Before Empress Celestia had made him an alicorn, Commander Hurricane had been one of the fastest Pegasi in the galaxy. And he had never lost pride in that; Hurricane and his Thunderbolts had always been proud to fly. It was a tradition that had been carried down for ten millennia.
Rainbow Dash was proud to be a Wonderbolt as well as a talented flyer. She was aware that Scootaloo was practically the only Astartes in the Chapter that couldn’t fly. But she still considered Scootaloo a Battle Sister; Rainbow Dash did not want to give up on her.
“We… we can’t just…” Rainbow Dash struggled to find the right words. “Is there anything we can do?!”
Soarin sighed heavily. “I think we both know the only two options available, Rainbow Dash. Either we lobotimize her and make her a servitor--”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “No way in Tartarus will I let you turn her into a mindless machine!”
“--Or!” Soarin continued impatient before regaining his composure. “Or we make her a Dreadnought.”
“Like you did with Bulk Biceps?” Rainbow Dash asked. 
Space Marine Dreadnoughts were walking tanks, deadly war machines equipped with an impressive arsenal. They could crush and shatter the spine of an enemy by merely stepping on it. However, Dreadnoughts were not just war machines, but they were also living tombs. When a Space Marine is mortally wounded, and if they have achieved numerous feats in battle, they would be placed permanently into the body of a Dreadnought. Forever bound to become pony and machine.
Rainbow Dash shivered at the thought of Scootaloo being forever entombed inside a Dreadnought. She wanted Scootaloo to be more than just a weapon. For somepony so young, Rainbow Dash wanted Scootaloo to be alive.
“It would be a rare opportunity, Rainbow Dash,” Soarin said. “You know that such an honor only goes to those who have fought for far longer than she has.”
“With all due respect, Captain, no!” Rainbow Dash all but snapped at Soarin. “Scootaloo may not be able to fly, but she can still fight! That's why I chose her! She never lets her inability to fly slow her down! And aren’t the Wonderbolts also about loyalty? She may be a cadet, but she’s just as much a Battle Sister as we are Battle Brothers and Sisters! How are we being loyal to her now?!”
Before Rainbow Dash could rant anymore, Soarin took out his boltgun and aimed it directly at her. That shut her up instantly. One shot and she would be dead. And given how close the barrel of the gun was to her muzzle, she would not be able to evade the bolt in time.
“Are you going to calm down, Rainbow Dash? Or are we going to have a problem?” 
Rainbow Dash was certain that Soarin was bluffing. Soarin valued the lives of all his Battle Siblings. But was a bolt to the head really worth it? 
Rainbow Dash decided to not call Soarin’s bluff; she sighed heavily before saluting. “I will calm down, Captain.”
Soarin was glad that Rainbow hadn’t called his bluff. He wasn’t actually going to shoot Rainbow Dash; he had just gotten tired of her attitude.
“Rainbow Dash, listen,” Soarin said firmly as he reattached the Boltgun to his saddle belt. “Your tenacity to Scootaloo is admirable. But you must understand the Chapter has a tradition we have to maintain. Yes, Scootaloo is a very skilled fighter, but if she can’t fly, she can’t be considered a Wonderbolt.”
Soarin felt guilty for saying such things. He had taken a liking to Scootaloo, and he had to admit that she was a skilled fighter. But what good was a Wonderbolt if they couldn’t fly? Then again, Rainbow Dash was right. Scootaloo was just as much a Wonderbolt as they were. How would turning her into a machine or putting her in a tomb be considered loyalty? Would Firefly, Hurricane, or even the Empress Herself consider it such?
Soarin sighed heavily once more. “I will speak to Chapter Command about this. I’ll try to find some other way to keep Scootaloo in the chapter.”
Rainbow Dash smiled faintly at that. “Thank you, Captain.”
Soarin smiled back, before returning to his stoic, authoritative tone. “Now, return to the barracks, Sergeant. You are dismissed.”
“Yes, Captain,” Rainbow Dash said as she saluted. Then she turned and exited the training facility.  
---
Clouderis was a planet filled with snow-covered mountains. The planet’s population was dominantly Pegasi, but there were often earth ponies and unicorns, as well as the occasional griffon every now and then. Most hive cities were built in the mountains, but there were a few hive cities that floated in the clouds. The arcane technology that had made this possible had been taken from a city back in ancient Eques Terran times. The city had been called Cloudsdale. 
The Chariot sat above Clouderis’s orbit. From the hanger emerged a golden Thunderhawk, flying down to the surface below. It flew through the coldness of the atmosphere and the icy winds. Eventually, the Thunderhawk landed upon one of the landing platforms of the Wonderbolt’s Fortress-Monastery, which was built into a tall, large mountain.
Waiting on the landing platform were two full squads of Wonderbolt Space Marines. Unlike most of their battle siblings, however, these Wonderbolts wore white helmets. These Eques Astartes in particular were those of the First Company, the Veteran Company. They had fought for decades longer than the rest of their Battle Siblings in the Chapter. 
The Veterans stood at attention, while their Chapter Master stood in front of them. She wore a Laurel crown and was decorated in purity seals and golden engravings. She was also equipped with a Jump Pack, which included an Iron Halo. The Chapter Master had golden-yellow fur and dark orange eyes. Her orange mane was swept back in the form of a mohawk. Chapter Master Spitfire watched as the Thunderhawk landed in front of her.
“Should we salute or should we kneel, Chapter Master?” one of the Veterans asked.
“Just stand at attention and keep quite, Fire Streak,” Spitfire replied without turning her head to look.
The exit ramp of the Thunderhawk opened, and out walked Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Captain Flash Sentry. Twilight walked towards Spitfire, with Flash Sentry walking and Spike hovering on her left and right side respectively.
Spitfire looked stoic, but she couldn’t believe that she was in the presence of an alicorn. Neither could the rest of the Wonderbolts present.
“Are you… Chapter Master Spitfire?” Twilight asked once she got within speaking distance.
“I am,” Spitfire answered simply.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, Codicier of the Celestial Guard Chapter. With me is my assistant, Spike, and Captain Flash Sentry of the Third Company.” Both Spike and Flash bowed in greetings.
“I see,” Spitfire said before examining Twilight’s armor. “I’ve never seen armor like yours before. I thought all Librarians wore dark blue armor.” Spitfire’s eyes went up to Twilight’s Element. “And what’s the Iron Halo for? In fact, what is that gem in it?”
“It’s the Element of Magic, Chapter Master. One of the Elements of Harmony.”   
Spitfire gave a humorless chuckle. The Elements of Harmony were Relics of legend. Only the Empress Herself had used such trinkets long ago. They couldn’t be here now… could they? 
The Chapte Master then sensed the seriousness coming from Librarian.
“Is… is this a joke?” Spitfire asked as she raised an eyebrow.
“Far from it,” Flash Sentry answered. “Librarian Twilight Sparkle has been chosen by Her Majesty--”
Twilight raised a hoof to silence the Captain. “I can speak for myself, Captain.” Then, Twilight looked back to Spitfire. “Perhaps we should talk inside.”
“Agreed,” Spitfire nodded. “Walk with me.”
Spitfire then turned and led Twilight, Flash Sentry, and Spike into the Fortress-Monastery.
---
Rainbow Dash walked through the halls of the barracks. She passed by numerous Cadets and Reservists, but she paid no attention to them. What she did pay attention to were the numbers on the walls. Each Space Marine had their own room in the barracks, in which they could meditate, store weapons and personal trophies, or pray alone to the Empress. 
Rainbow Dash kept walking until she spotted a particular number: 3-06. This was Scootaloo’s room. The Wonderbolt reservist stood in front of the metal door and knocked on it without hesitation.
“Hey, Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash called. “It’s me, Rainbow Dash!”
“Come in,” Scootaloo said from inside. The metal door slid open to the left, revealing a dark bluish-gray room. Inside was a single bed, an armor rack, and a desk. The bed’s frame was carved out of concrete; after all, when a pony is a genetically-modified supersoldier, they can be pretty heavy! Thankfully the mattress and pillow were made out of clouds.
Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo rolling a miniature scooter back and forth on her desk. Every now and then, Scootaloo would bring the toy up off the desk like it was jumping in mid-air. 
Scootaloo had told Rainbow Dash about her fillyhood. On the planet Applon, Scootaloo had loved riding through the streets and the apple orchards on her scooter. She had made friends with an earth pony filly and a unicorn filly. The three fillies had been the best of friends to the point where they had even gotten their cutie marks together, a red, pink and purple shield. Each filly had received additional features on their cutie mark depending on the filly. Scootaloo had received a lightning bolt within a wing. Their cutie marks had shown that they had formed a friendship that not even the Empress could break. Or so they had thought.
One year later, Scootaloo had been recruited by the Chaplains of the Wonderbolts. It had been then that her life as a filly was over. She hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye to her closest friends. When Rainbow Dash had heard this, she had been able to relate, for she too had been denied the chance to say goodbye to her loved ones. Namely, her parents.
Rainbow Dash watched Scootaloo glumly play with her toy.
“Shouldn’t you be resting, squirt?” Rainbow Dash asked with concern.
“I’m not tired,” Scootaloo murmured. “But thanks.”
“Okay then,” Rainbow Dash said.
The only noise in the room was the squeaking of the wheels from Scootaloo’s toy. Aside from that, there was awkward silence. But Rainbow Dash decided to break the silence by taking a deep breath and then speak.
“Hey, I’m sorry for interfering with your simulation.” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head with an armored hoof. “I… I know that I was supposed to let you fight, but… I just couldn’t let you--”
“You did know that the ponidroids weren’t using live rounds, right?” Scootaloo asked as she looked up at Rainbow Dash, who widened her eyes and blushed.
“Oh…” Rainbow Dash awkwardly said. “They… they weren’t… Right.”
Scootaloo couldn’t help but smirk as she rolled her eyes. But then her frown soon returned. “It wasn’t your fault either way… It was mine.”
“Scootaloo, it’s okay to be scared. That whole “they shall know no fear” thing… that’s just propaganda!”
“I’m not talking about that, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo snapped as she slammed the toy down the desk, accidentally crushing it beneath her hoof. “Well, okay… maybe it is part of the reason… but… Ugh!” Scootaloo groaned as she slumped in her seat.
“Why couldn’t my wings have grown when I was a filly?!” the Cadet said as she threw her forelegs up into the air.
“Easy there, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said reassuringly. “Just calm down and--”
“Calm down? Calm down?!” Scootaloo snapped at Rainbow Dash as she got out of her seat and stomped right up to Rainbow Dash’s muzzle. “I waited over a decade for my wings to grow, Rainbow Dash! I had hoped that when I was cut open and had that gene-seed shoved into my body, that it would make my wings grow! But I don’t need to tell you how that went now, do I?!” Scootaloo took a moment to present one of her small wings to Rainbow Dash before continuing her rant.
“The rest of the Chapter is right, Rainbow Dash! What good am I as a Wonderbolt if I can’t fly?! You wanna know why they didn’t use live rounds on me?! Because they don’t care about me! They don’t want to push me to do the best I can like they do for you! I… I hoped that when I became an Astartes I could fly!”
Scootaloo panted, her twin hearts beating fast as if she had just run a marathon. Then, she slumped back into her seat. “But I guess hope is the first step on the road to disappointment…”
Rainbow Dash held a sad sympathetic look on her muzzle. “Hey, don’t talk like that, Scootaloo.” The Wonderbolt Reservist draped a wing over the Cadet. “Listen… I can only imagine what you’re going through right now. But like I told Captain Soarin, you are a dang good fighter. What you lack in wingpower, you make up for with perseverance. You don’t ever give up. When I saw that fighting spirit in you, I knew I had found my wing pony.”
“That’s why you chose me?” Scootaloo said as she looked at Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah… plus all the support you give me helps,” Rainbow Dash smirked. Scootaloo smirked as she rolled her eyes. “But seriously,” Rainbow Dash said, reverting back to a serious, supportive, and sisterly tone, “I’ll always have your back, Scootaloo. You may not be able to fly, but you’re still a Wonderbolt in my eyes.”
Scootaloo smiled warmly at Rainbow Dash. “Thanks, Rainbow.”
---
“So, let me get this straight: Nightmare Moon is coming back, and the Empress is calling only six ponies to stop her.”
Spitfire looked at Twilight Sparkle skeptically. 
Twilight sighed. “I know it’s hard to believe, but the Empress said so Herself.”
Chapter Master Spitfire sat in her throne in the war room. She sighed heavily before answering the Librarian:
“And how do we know that what you are saying is true? How do we know that the Empress really spoke to you?”
Twilight Sparkle determinedly levitated out the box of the Elements. She then opened it up to reveal the five remaining elements, the red one shining brightly. 
Spitfire turned to her right, looking to another Space Marine in armor as black as the night. Her helmet was that in the shape of a skull, and she had one pauldron that matched that of all the other Wonderbolts in the Chapter. To them, this Space Marine was their spiritual leader. She was a Space Marine Chaplain.
The Chaplain walked over to the Twilight and examined the box she held with her magic. The spiritual guide of the Wonderbolts Chapter examined the Elements as well as Twilight’s Iron Halo. After a brief moment, the Chaplain looked back up to her Chapter Master.
“It is as the Librarian says,” the Chaplain spoke. “These relics are the real Elements of Harmony, gifted by the Goddess-Empress of Ponykind.”
Spitfire nodded in understanding. “Thank you, Chaplain.”
The Chaplain turned to Twilight and bowed respectfully. Twilight, in turn, simply blushed. The Chaplain did know that she wasn’t a Prime Pony, right? Right?!
The Chaplain then returned to his Chapter Master’s side and allowed her to speak.
“Very well then, Twilight Sparkle. Our Chaplain has just confirmed that what you say is the truth. So that brings me to my important question: why have you come here?”
Twilight Sparkle lifted the red Element out of the box and showed it to Spitfire. “This Element in particular is the Element of Loyalty. I… I can’t explain how, but this Element directed me to this planet and your Chapter. I think that this Element has chosen it’s wielder, and he or she is here.”
“So it is one of us that you seek,” Spitfire summarized. “Well… I think I know who to call upon.” Spitfire got up from her throne and walked past Twilight. “Come with me.”
Twilight Sparkle followed Spitfire out of the war room.
The two walked through the fortress monastery for about ten minutes before coming to the Chapel. There, Spitfire and Twilight met a Veteran Space Marine in the training facility. He was currently in a simulation, slashing at fake War Pigs with his Power Sword. The Veteran sliced a War Pig’s head off with ease before turning around doing the same to another War Pig. The Veteran then hovered into the air and shot down five War Pigs with his bolt gun. Then, he spun his sword around and impaled one final War Pig without even looking behind. 
Spitfire smiled proudly at the performance of the Veteran.
“He is one of the best Battle Ponies in the Chapter,” Spitfire said. “He has served the chapter for over 200 years.”
After killing the last War Pig, the Veteran sheathed his power sword. He then walked over to Spitfire and Twilight. He knelt before his Chapter Master.
“Chapter Master,” the Veteran said proudly before removing his white helmet. He revealed pale, light blue fur and a dark gray mane. He also had dark yellow eyes. “How may I serve?”
“Rise, Wind Rider,” Spitfire said in a rather casual tone as opposed to a commanding tone. Wind Rider smiled proudly as he rose. “Veteran Wind Rider, this is Librarian Twilight Sparkle of the Celestial Guard. She… apparently is on a mission for the Empress Herself.”
“Is that so?” Wind Rider said before giving a light chuckle. “What does the Empress need?”
Twilight spent the next few moments explaining the situation to Wind Rider. The Veteran Space Marine smiled proudly. 
"I would be honored, Librarian, to do something great for the Empress! I am more than willing to join you in the name of the Empress, Hurricane, and Firefly! It... it would be glorious to destroy that accursed traitor!" Wind Rider bowed before Twilight. "I am at your service, Librarian."
“Like I said, and as you have just seen,” Spitfire said proudly, “Wind Rider would make an excellent recruit for your mission, Librarian.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes in skepticism. “I will admit that you are a skilled fighter, Wind Rider…” she said politely before taking out the red Element. She noticed that the Element was darker than before. “But I’m afraid it’s not you.”
“What?” Wind Rider said in surprise.
“It’s not my decision on who gets to face Nightmare Moon. The Elements choose them.”
Wind Rider gave a humorless chuckle. “Is… is this some kind of joke?” Then he looked at his Chapter Master. “Is this some kind of prank?”
Chapter Spitfire glared at Wind Rider. “I assure you that this is no joke, Wind Rider.” Then Spitfire moved her glare at Twilight Sparkle. “How you can not choose him?!”
“Like I said, it’s not me,” Twilight repeated. “The Elements are the ones who choose the wielder. Wind Rider, I’m sorry, but the Element of Loyalty does not find you worthy to wield it.”
“‘Worthy’?” Wind Rider said in an offended tone. “I’m not worthy to wield it?! I’m not worthy to face Nightmare Moon?!”
“That’s enough!” Spitfire said, feeling the growing tension in the air. “Wind Rider… I’m sorry. If it were me, I would have chosen you. But…” Spitfire sighed as she placed a hoof on Wind Rider’s shoulder. Then, she said the next seven words with great reluctance. “...It is the Will of the Empress.”
Wind Rider snorted. “Fine.” Then he flew out of the training facility.
Twilight Sparkle then received a glare from Spitfire. If looks could kill, Twilight would be dead ten times over.
“Is this some kind of a joke, cousin?!” Spitfire growled at Twilight.
“No,” Twilight answered bluntly. “This is not a joke, Chapter Master. Like you said, this is the Will of the Empress.”
Spitfire gritted her teeth. “If I have to hear or say that excuse one more time…!”
Twilight was taken aback by that. Then, she summoned magic to her horn, readying an attack spell. “I would choose my next words very carefully, Chapter Master. Yes, you may command a thousand Astartes, but the Empress rules the entire Equestrian Imperium. Her authority is higher than yours! And the Elements are part of Her Will! Therefore, the Elements decide who I recruit! Do I make myself clear, Chapter Master?”
Twilight’s hearts beat fast. She had never been that assertive with anypony before in her life! She felt like she had just talked down Shining Armor. And she couldn’t help but feel… proud. Then again, she was a faithful servant of the Empress, so why wouldn’t Twilight feel proud?
As for Spitfire, she gritted her teeth and glared daggers at the Librarian. She wanted to pull out her chainsword and slay the alicorn right then and there. But she knew she couldn’t do that. For one, she could easily teleport out of the way and shoot magic back at Spitfire. And second, she was under orders of the Empress. Why did Empress hate Spitfire so much? How much more of Her Will was going to be too much for Spitfire and the Wonderbolts to accept?! First the Wonderbolts had to put up with a Cadet who couldn’t fly, and now this?! What in all of Tarturus was next?!
Spitfire walked closer to Twilight, until she mere inches from the her muzzle. “Find your recruit… and then get the hay off my planet!” Spitfire said with venom in her tone.
---
That night, Twilight Sparkle levitated the red Element in front of herself as she continued to walk through the Fortress-Monastery. She still couldn’t believe that Spitfire had the gull to tell her what to do. Twilight snorted angrily as dismissed the thought and continued.
As she continued to walk down the hallways, the red Element began to glow brighter. Twilight smiled as she knew she was getting closer. Eventually, Twilight came to another training facility.
How many of these training facilities does this monastery have? Twilight thought to herself. She shrugged the question off before entering, noticing that the Element enveloped in her magic was glowing brighter.
When she entered the facility, she beheld Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo training.
“Okay, Squirt, let’s go over this maneuver again,” Rainbow Dash instructed. She was holding a boltgun in one forehoof and a combat knife in the other. “First, you need to use your boltgun to disarm your opponent. Get right up to the opponent and swipe its weapon away with your gun. Then, you slit your opponent’s throat with your knife! But you have to do that quickly before enemy can react.”
Rainbow Dash slowly demonstrated her directions so that Scootaloo could see. And Scootaloo nodded in understanding. Twilight Sparkle watched from the side. This pony’s maneuver felt a little unorthodox.
Twilight shook her head as she continued to watch the training.
Rainbow Dash demonstrated her maneuver on a ponidroid that was now disguised as a War Pig. The War Pig aimed its gun at Rainbow Dash, who knocked it away with her boltgun, and in a split second, slashed the War Pig’s throat with her combat knife.
Twilight was surprised. She had not expected that maneuver to actually work.
“That was awesome, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said.
Rainbow Dash smirked and gave a light chuckle. “Hehe… thanks, Scoots.”
“I’ll admit that was pretty impressive…” Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked to see Twilight walking towards them. “But that’s not written in the Codex Eques Astartes,” Twilight pointed out.
“Okay, two things,” Rainbow Dash said. “First of all, who the hay are you? And second, you actually read that book?”
Twilight felt deeply offended. “The Codex is no mere book to simply read! It’s the tome for all Eques Astartes to adhere to. It states how an entire chapter is to operate! It was written by Guillihorse himself!”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we have to follow every rule it says,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. “And I still haven’t gotten your name yet. And since when did the Wonderbolts start getting Librarians?”
Twilight’s eye twitched at the latter question. Were there… were there seriously no Librarians in the Chapter? At all?!
Twilight took a deep breath before answering the Pegasus’s questions. “First, I’m not a Librarian for this Chapter. And my name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“The name’s Rainbow Dash,” the Reservist said proudly. “And this is my wingpony, Scootaloo.”
“W-Wingpony…?” Twilight asked. How many of Guillihorse’s rules does this Chapter violate?!
“Yeah, wingpony,” Scootaloo clarified. “So, what is a Librarian doing here?”
Twilight was about to explain, but then she thought for a moment. Should she tell them? Well, maybe. But first, she needed to be sure.
Twilight pulled out the red Element once more and levitated it in front of herself. It was shining brightly already. She had to be close. 
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked confused. What was this strange space marine doing?
Twilight levitated the Element in front of Scootaloo, and nothing happened. Then, Twilight levitated the Element in front of Rainbow Dash. Once Twilight did so, the Element glowed brighter than the sun, causing Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo to briefly look away. Then, as Twilight looked back at the Element and then at Rainbow Dash, she realized that she had found her first recruit.
Twilight spent the next ten minutes explaining to Rainbow Dash the situation about Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight’s mission. Once she had finished her explanation, Rainbow Dash remained silent.
“Pfffft, HAHAHAHAHAHAA! That’s a good one! Oh, that’s a very good one!” Rainbow Dash laughed to the point of tears. But then she stopped laughing as she beheld Twilight’s deadpanned expression. “Oh… you’re being serious…”
“Yes, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight confirmed with a nod. “You’re the first Battle Pony I am to recruit on this mission. You will come with me and help me search for the others.”
Rainbow Dash looked surprised. The she looked over at Scootaloo.
“I… I can’t.”
“What?”
“I said I can’t,” Rainbow Dash said as her expression darkened.
Scootaloo looked surprised. Was Rainbow Dash seriously doing what she feared she was doing right now?”
“You can’t say no to this, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight Sparkle said in an assertive tone. “It is a command from the Empress Herself! To defy such an order--”
“Is heresy, I know!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “Listen… Twilight… Sprinkle, was it?”
“Sparkle!”
“Okay… Twilight Sparkle, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave!”
“And why not?!” Twilight snapped back. “What is so much more important than obeying the Empress?!”
“She doesn’t want to leave because of me…” Scootaloo said, stepping between the other two Battle Mares. “Rainbow Dash promised to train me.”
“And I’m not breaking that promise, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said in a calmer tone.
“But I don’t want you to commit heresy in the process, Rainbow!” Scootaloo pleaded. “Rainbow Dash, I will understand. You don’t have to defy the Empress for my sake.”
“But if I leave, who’s going to train you, Scootaloo?! None of the other Wonderbolts are willing to take you under their wing!”
Scootaloo sadly looked to the floor. “I’m well aware of that, Rainbow Dash… but I care about you just as you care about me. I don’t want you to betray the Empress just because I can’t fly…”
“You… can’t?” Twilight asked before looking at Scootaloo’s wings. Sure enough, they were too small to fly with.
Either of the three ponies could speak, a rumbling noise could be heard, and the facility shook like there was an earthquake. Then, the lights in the facility went out before coming back on in a red hue. Then, Spitfire’s voice sounded over the intercoms.
“Attention all battle ponies! We are under attack! This is not a drill! I repeat this is not a drill!”
Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. “You two get somewhere safe.”
“Excuse me?!” Rainbow Dash protested. “You can’t give me orders!”
“Listen to me! I don’t know what’s going on out there, but you’re safety is a priority!”
Before Rainbow Dash could retort, Twilight Sparkle teleported out of the training facility.
---
On the outside of the Fortress Monastery, Twilight reappeared before running into Spike and Flash Sentry.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” Spike asked with great concern.
“Don’t worry, I’m alright, Spike,” Twilight assured her number one assistant. Then, the Librarian turned to Flash Sentry. “Flash, what is going on?”
“The Fortress Monastery is under attack, Twilight,” Flash Sentry said with regret.
“Who’s attacking?” Twilight asked with concern.
“The worst enemy of ponykind, Twilight,” Flash said as looked out past the defensive walls. Flash Sentry and Twilight walked over to the edge to see waves upon waves of ponies clad in black and purple power armor. The yellow lenses of their helmets glowed in the night sky. They all looked vicious as they flew onwards toward the fortress. They looked like Astartes, and once they had been a long time ago. Before they had followed Nightmare Moon.
“Traitors.”
> Chapter 3: Shadowbolts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter 3: Shadowbolts


Twilight Sparkle couldn’t believe her eyes.
She beheld the sight of Astartes fighting Astartes. The scrambling of blue and gold against purple and black. Over the whistling of the cold snowy winds, Twilight could hear the battle cries of the Space Marines against the Chaos Space Marines. She heard the roaring of chainswords, the clashing of metal, and the splattering of flesh and blood. She could smell the gunfire and the blood.
Twilight studied numerous tomes on the Lunar Heresy. But to see it all right before her… Twilight wanted this to just be a nightmare; she wanted all of this to just be a bad dream. She could wake up back on Eques Terra. She could wake up from this mission. She could wake up from all of this.
But Twilight was trapped in the prison that was reality. This was real. And her hearts beat faster than ever before. Sweat streamed down her head as she looked on at the carnage in front of her.
“Twilight!”
Twilight snapped out of her trance as she was slapped in the muzzle by Spike.
“G’ah! Spike?!”
“Don’t just stand there, Twilight!” Spike called out. “We gotta help them!”
Twilight shook her head to reorientate herself and then looked on at the battle. She narrowed her gaze at the black and purple Astartes, the Shadowbolts. Twilight knew that Spike was right. She couldn’t just stand back and let these traitors live. They had betrayed the Goddess Empress of Ponykind! And Twilight had the power to bring retribution to them.
Twilight Sparkle spread her wings and began to take off, when she felt something pulling her back down by her tail. She was immediately pulled back down, and she saw Captain Flash Sentry next to her.
“Where do you think you’re going?!” Flash Sentry said with a mixture of worry and anger in his voice.
“Spike is right, Flash! We need to help them!”
“It’s too dangerous for you, Twilight!” Flash Sentry took off his helmet and looked at Twilight with stern eyes. They reminded Twilght of Shining Armor’s eyes. “I promised your brother that I would bring you back to Eques Terra alive. Yes, we can help the Wonderbolts fend off the heretics, but your safety is my priority!”
Twilight Sparkle looked away from Flash Sentry to see the carnage continue.
---
A five-pony squadron of Wonderbolts flew swiftly in a triangular formation. With the sergeant at the head and the rest on either side, the squad flew throught the cold air. They beheld their incoming enemy thanks to targeting relays in their helmets. The squad aimed their boltguns at the incoming traitors and fired. The loud rattling of the bolt guns sounded as the Wonderbolts fired at the traitors. Their targets were brutally decimated and then sent falling to the ground. 
The Wonderbolts were organized in their attacks. Tactical Squads would fly in and unload bolt rounds on the Shadowbolts, and Assault Marines would engage in melee. The Shadowbolts, by contrast, were undisiciplined and unorganized. They attacked like a flock of savage birds. There were no organized squadrons; just a herd of animals. The Shadowbolts, however, were stronger in number. While there were only one hundred Space Marines in a company, there were thousands in an entire warband of Chaos Space Marines. 
The Wonderbolts could see a massive army of Shadowbolts. They knew that they were outnumbered. But they did not care. The Wonderbolts would still fight, no matter the odds. For Firefly. For Hurricane. For the Empress.
“Die with shame, traitor!” one Space Marine shouted as he swung his roaring chainsword through the armor and into the flesh of a Chaos Space Marine. The chainsword’s teeth shredded into the traitor’s body, scattering blood and torn flesh into the air. The Chaos Space Marine cried out in pain as he felt his flesh being pulled from his body and grinded into pieces.
Using his free forehoof, the Space Marine shoved the traitor off of his chainsword and down into his snowy demise. As the Astartes looked down, he saw that the white snow was being covered in splatters of red. The Space Marine intended to rejoin his battle brothers and sisters, when he suddenly felt sharp metal pierce from his back, through his twin hearts, and out his chest.
Blood filled his throat. Electricity danced throughout his body from the four thin blades. The Wonderbolt strugglingly turned his head to see his attacker. He saw the black helmet and glowing yellow lenses of a Shadowbolt. The last thing the Astartes heard was the sadistic laughter of his treacherous counterpart. Then, he was kicked off of the blood-stained lightning claws, falling to join the rest of the dead in the snow.
The Chaos Space Marine smiled sinisterly under his helmet. He looked to the rest of his brethren and pointed towards the Fortress Monastery.
“For the Dark Gods!” the Heretic cried out before meeting his retribution at the end of a Power Sword. 
Captain Soarin plunged his sword into the heretic’s neck before pulling out his boltgun. With a loud bang!, Soarin put a huge hole in the heretic’s head, thus punishing him for killing one of his battle brothers so dishonorably. Soarin hated how that Shadowbolt had the gull to attack from behind!
But he couldn’t stop now. Soarin unleashed a barrage of bolt rounds on incoming Chaos Space Marines. One by one, the Shadowbolts that dared to attack the Wonderbolts Captain were sent falling to the ground to join the rest of the dead. If a Chaos Space Marine got too close, Soarin would swing his power sword at them, slicing their armor and flesh.
But whenever Soarin and his brothers and sisters killed one heretic, five more would come to take their place. He watched as more and more of his brethren were butchered by claws and chainswords.
“Fall back to the Fortress!” Soarin commanded, pointing his Power Sword back to safety. One by one, the surviving Space Marines backed away from the fight and into the Fortress. Soarin knew that retreating was often looked down upon, but he valued the lives of his brothers and sisters more than a victory at their cost. Soarin wanted his brothers and sisters to live through the victory so that they could fight another day.
Soarin watched in horror as he saw several Astartes brutally butchered by the Shadowbolts. He saw one Space Marine in particular get impaled with a pair of lightning claws. As the the Space Marine screamed in pain, the Shadowbolt lifted her up over his head and started pulling her apart. Then there was bloody burst of gore as the Space Marine was torn in half. Soarin’s expression went from horrified to enraged. He would make that vile excuse of an Astartes pay dearly! 
But what was important right now was getting back to shelter, so, regretfully, Soarin flew back to the Fortress Monastery, where the remaining survivors of his company awaited him. At a landing bay, Fleetfoot was waiting for Soarin.
“Are you alright, Captain?” Lieutenant Fleetfoot asked with concern.
“I’m alive… but livid,” Soarin growled. “I still don’t understand. How did these heretics find us?!”
Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Captain Flash Sentry, and a squadron of Celestial Guard Space Marines joined the Wonderbolts. Twilight in particular stepped forward.
“They must have been summoned by a sorcerer,” Twilight explained. “Chaos Space Marines dwell in the Warp. But a Sorcerer can open a portal up to invite residents from the Warp into the Material Realm. Somepony must have opened up a portal on the surface.”
“But why are they here?” Fleetfoot asked. “And why are they only attacking us now?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered with disappointment. “But right now, we should… G’AAAH!!!” Twilight Sparkle screamed as she felt a sudden burst of pain in her head. It felt like millions of needles were slowly piercing her horn and her brain. She fell to the floor and put her forehooves to her temples to try to ease the pain.
“Twilight!” Spike cried out as he rushed to Twilight’s side. “Twilight, what’s wrong?!”
Twilight struggled to speak, but the pain was too distracting. “I… I feel… something’s coming!”
Flash Sentry and Soarin stood around Twilight with concern. Flash Sentry put his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight, what’s going on? What’s happening?”
“Something… Something is emerging from… from the Warp!” Twilight said through gritted teeth.
The Wonderbolts and Celestial Guard Space Marines looked outside and down the mountain. They saw large vortex in the ground filled with swirling magenta and purple energy. Bolts of lightning emerged from the vortex, crackling with the booming sounds of thunder. The Shadowbolts landed around the vortex and knelt before it.
The vortex shot out more and more lightning, and Twilight screamed in more agony as the pain in her head increased ten fold! Suddenly, a large gigantic cloud burst from the vortex and began to take shape. It was a black thick cloud that took the form of a two legged monster. It had two glowing red eyes were its head presumably was. The cloud being then let out a loud, thunderous laughter.
The pain in Twilight’s head subsided, and she looked down to see the source of her splitting headache. She looked on in horror as she recognized the unholy abomination for what it was.
“A demon!”
The Space Marines couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They have had only heard of such things in stories of legend. But to see such a monster before them…
Then, there was a loud explosion from below. The Space Marines could feel the violent vibrations of the Fortress shaking.  
---
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo hurried through the halls of the Fortress-Monastery. They could hear the rumbling of the battle from outside, and hallway shook violently from the explosions.
“Rainbow Dash… what do we do?” Scootaloo asked with obvious fear in her voice.
Rainbow Dash sighed. “I honestly don’t know, Scootaloo… but we can’t just stand here and do nothing.” Rainbow Dash then pulled her chainsword from her saddle belt and revved it up. The chainsword’s engine roared and the teeth spun on the belt. 
“Didn’t that alicorn tell us to get to safety, though?” Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened in realization, and she deactivated her chainsword. “Wait… that was alicorn?!”
Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t see her wings?”
“I…” Rainbow Dash tried to come up with an excuse for her obliviousness. After all, she had been in the Librarian’s presence for over ten minutes! She would’ve had to notice the wings at some point. But all she could say was, “I couldn’t see them behind her pauldrons…?”
Scootaloo deadpanned at Rainbow’s feeble excuse.
Rainbow Dash was embarrassed, but she shook her head to regain focus. “Look, that doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is helping our battle brethren!”
“But… I’m just a Cadet…”
“By the Throne, Scootaloo!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “How many times do I have to tell you to not talk like that?! You are stronger than you think, and this is what you’ve been training for.”
Rainbow Dash then calmed down and draped a wing on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Listen to me, Scootaloo. I know you’re scared, and you know what…? So am I.”
Scootaloo blinked in surprise. She had always looked up to Rainbow Dash; hay, she idolized her. And whenever she would watch Rainbow Dash fight, she always looked so… fearless, as if she was the living embodiment of the Empress’s claim “they shall know no fear.” Scootaloo was stunned in disbelief.
“You… you are?”
Rainbow Dash confirmed with a solemn nod. “I’ve always been scared, Scootaloo, ever since I got recruited as a filly. Truth be told… there’s never a moment where I’m not afraid. But I learned that a Space Marine doesn’t simply know no fear. They have to fight fear, even before getting onto the battlefield. It’s the first enemy we face. And once we’ve beaten the Tartarus out of fear, the rest rest are to fall.” Rainbow Dash finished with an encouraging smile.  
Feeling somewhat inspired by this, Scootaloo grabbed her boltgun and loaded it. The two pegasi then galloped down the hall, following the sound of battle. As they got closer, they could hear the sadistic laughter of the Chaos Space Marines and screams of pain from dying Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo turned the corner to behold a squadron of Shadowbolts brutally butchering several Wonderbolts.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo froze for a moment, their twin hearts beating nervously. The two battle mares realized that this was not a simulation; these were not ponidroids made to replicate War Pigs. This was real. Those Chaos Space Marines were real. And they were killing their battle brethren. But the two mares looked at each other and nodded in determination. They had to fight. For their Chapter. For the Empress.
Rainbow Dash was the first one to act. She took to the air while Scootaloo remained on the floor. With her chainsword roaring, Rainbow Dash swung it at an incoming Shadowbolt. Then, she fired her plasma pistol at another Shadowbolt that tried to outflank her. All that Shadowbolt had achieved was a large searing hole in its head. 
Rainbow Dash then swiftly charged at a Shadowbolt who was equipped with lightning claws. The Wonderbolt Reservist flew at the traitor Astartes and swung her chainsword at it. The traitor Astartes was ready, however, as it blocked with its lightning claws. The teeth of Rainbow’s chainsword grinded against the metal claws, scattering sparks everywhere. The heretic Astartes drew one claw back and lunged it at Rainbow Dash, who quickly propelled herself back with her wings to evade.
The heretic continued to swipe at Rainbow Dash, trying to slash her into pieces. Rainbow waited for the heretic to leave itself vulnerable. Once the Shadowbolt tried to lunged at her with both of its claws, she knew her window of opportunity was open. She pulled out her plasma pistol once more and fired a beam of prismatic plasma at the traitor’s head, burning its armor and flesh, killing it instantly.
Scootaloo shot bolt round after bolt round at incoming traitors. She would take cover behind the white pillars along the walls, but only for when she needed to reload. She would not fumble with her ammo clips this time. The young adult mare unleashed a barrage of bolts at incoming Shadowbolts. The bolt rounds would penetrate the armor and detonate explosive charges upon impact. Scootaloo’s targets would fall to the floor in a loud metallic thud and repaint the grey floor with their blood.
Scootaloo hid behind the pillar momentarily to grab a small black cylinder with a silver pin from her saddle belt. Scootaloo looked over her shoulder, but then turned her head back to bite down on the silver pin from the black cylinder. Then, Scootaloo got out from behind the pillar and lobbed the frag grenade at a five-pony squad of traitor Astartes. The grenade exploded in the air, creating a fiery explosion that unleashed fire and shrapnel at the Shadowbolts.
While their traitors’ armor was able to resist the explosion, their wings were not. The wings of the traitors were singed from the explosion, and some even received piercing pieces of shrapnel. The Shadowbolts tried to resist the seering pain from their wings, but they had no choice but to land. That was when Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash unloaded their firearms onto them. They had no chance. Five more traitors down.
But more traitors kept coming. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were in stunned surprise. How many Astartes did the Shadowbolts have?!
As Rainbow Dash revved up her chainsword once more, and as Scootaloo reloaded her bolter, bolts of lightning projected from behind and struck the incoming traitors. The Shadowbolts jolted and screamed in agony as lightning lethally danced all over them. After a brief moment, nearly 10 more Traitors were dead.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were in stunned surprise. They turned around to see the source of their salvation, and they saw Twilight Sparkle with her wings flared. There was a trail of smoke coming from her horn, as if somepony had just blown out a candle. Twilight looked at the traitors’ corpses with furious and righteous anger. 
“Wow… you really are an alicorn!” Rainbow Dash said in surprise.
“You seriously didn’t notice that?” Twilight asked, her expression shifting from enraged to bemused. 
“I… I couldn’t see them behind your pauldrons!” Rainbow Dash said defensively. “And what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight walked forward, her fury partially returning. “I told you to stay safe!”
“Well, you’re not the boss of me,” Rainbow Dash retorted. “You’re not even from the same Chapter.”
Before Twilight could retort, she, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash felt incoming bolt rounds zoom past them. Twilight quickly held up a magenta shield that blocked even more bolt rounds from even more Shadowbolts.
“Seriously?! How many of these heretics are there?!” Scootaloo complained.
“Hundreds, Cadet,” Captain Soarin answered as he, Spike, Captain Flash Sentry and ten Astartes in gold and white armor joined the trio. “Maybe even thousands…”
Scootaloo looked to see the Celestial Guard Space Marines armed with large tower shields painted in gold. The Celestial Guard Astartes stood in a defensive line, covering the width of the hallway. Twilight Sparkle looked back to see them form a phalanx formation. They stood shoulder to shoulder as they placed their shields to the floor with a loud thud that echoed through the halls.
“Twilight! Lower the shield now!” Flash Sentry called out from behind the phalanx. Twilight dropped the shield. Then, in a burst of magenta magic, Twilight disappeared and then reappeared behind her battle brethren. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo also fell back behind the shields.
As Twilight’s shield dropped,  incoming barrages of bolt rounds rapidly pelted against the shields like hail against glass. The Celestial Guard felt the full force of the explosive bolts ricocheting against their shields. The Astartes were pushed back, but they refused to yield. 
“NOW!” Flash Sentry commanded once the Shadowbolts were within range. Then, the Celestial Guard aimed their boltguns through the holes of their tower shields and unleashed Tartarus open the traitors! One by one, the traitors began to fall. The Celestial Guard were no Imperial Hooves, but they took plenty of inspiration from the foals of Reargal Dorn, including defensive warfare. 
Flash Sentry looked to Twilight. “We’ll hold them off! Get deeper into the fortress!”
Twilight wanted to argue with Flash, but she knew that he outranked her; he was a captain after all. So, in defeat, Twilight nodded and looked to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. 
“You two, with me!” Twilight then ran in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Spike followed behind. 
Soarin was about to follow, but he first looked at Flash Sentry and gave him a respectful smile. Flash Sentry was no Wonderbolt, that was for sure, but he was still a Space Marine. And Captain Soarin was proud to serve alongside him. He saluted the Celestial Guard captain, who smiled and saluted back.
“May the Empress protect you, cousin,” Soarin said.
“And may the Empress protect you as well, cousin,” Flash Sentry replied. 
Soarin wanted to stay behind and aid his battle cousins, but he had faith in them as well as the Empress. So, Soarin left Flash Sentry to command his battle brethren.
---
Outside the fortress monastery, a contingency of Shadowbolts knelt before the cloud demon. The demon was a bipedal, muscular figure with a body composed entirely of dark clouds. The demon also had blood red eyes and sharp yellow teeth. The demon grinned sinisterly as he watched his disciples invade the fortress.
Another Chaos Space Marine walked in the snow towards the demon. Unlike the Shadowbolts, who were all Pegasi, this heretic Astartes was a unicorn. She was clad in black and turquoise-trimmed armor. She wore a midnight blue cloak that flapped against the icy wind, and her helmet had ram horns attached. She knelt before the cloud demon.
“Lord Erebus,” the Chaos Sorcerer said from behind her helmet. “We have graciously summoned you from the Warp.”
The Cloud Demon Erebus laughed. “Excellent! You have done well, Azure Shadow.”
“I am merely serving Nightmare Moon and the Dark Gods, Lord Erebus.” Azure Shadow said humbly. She then rose and motioned to the battlefield with her foreleg. “We have sacrificed our own brothers and sisters, as well as slain servants of the False-Empress for your freedom. Is it to your liking, my lord?”
“Oh, I can feel the bloodshed! I can almost taste the blood!” Erebus said with demonic glee. “But I still need a vessel! I still need a creature who is willing to submit themself to me!” 
“And a vessel you shall have, Lord Erebus,” Azure Shadow said, smirking underneath her helmet. “I know somepony inside the Fortress-Monastery who is far too eager to serve the Dark Gods. Hehehehe.” Azure Shadow used her horn to teleport closer to the Fortress. Erebus smiled and floated through the wind, following Nightmare Moon’s faithful disciple.
---
The chapel of the Fortress Monastery was a large chamber. The walls were filled with engravings depicting the Empress in Her glory. The stained glass windows depicted Her along with Hurricane and Firefly. Normally, the chapel would be filled with dozens of Astartes in prayer to the Empress, and service would be led by a Chaplain. There would also be times when a choir would sing the praises of Celestia. 
But now was not one of those times. The sound of choir was replaced with the distant rattling of bolt guns and the thundering of explosions. Inside the Chapel, Chapter Master Spitfire and Space Marine Veterans barricaded the Chapel’s entrances and exits. If they were going to make their last stand, they would do so here in the holiest chamber of their Fortress Monastery.
Spitfire looked over to see a Space Marine clad in white armor and equipped with medical equipment. The Space Marine Apothecary was wrapping bandages around the foreleg of one of its battle brethren. The Space Marine thanked the apothecary before slowly returning to its post.
The Chapter Master felt a sense of dread overwhelm her. Then she walked over to the Apothecary. “How many gene-seeds were you able to recover?” Spitfire asked, hoping for good news.
The Apothecary shook its head. “I am sorry, Chapter Master… I was only able to recover half a dozen gene-seeds.”
Spitfire sighed heavily. “By the Throne… Why is this even happening? We’ve always been at war with the Shadowbolts… but why are they attacking us now?! What do they have to gain from this?!”
“We still don’t know that, Chapter Master.” Spitfire looked to see Captain Soarin being escorted into the chapel by several Astartes. Spitfire also saw that Cadet Scootaloo, Reservist Rainbow Dash, and even that accursed alicorn were with him. Spitfire deliberately ignored Twilight and looked to Soarin.
“Are you alright?” Spitfire asked with concern.
“I’m fine…” Soarin said before sighing. “But I’m just as angry as you are, Spitfire.”
“That’s good to hear. You should channel that anger into fighting these traitors,” Spitfire said with a nod. Then, Spitfire turned to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. “And what are you two doing here? You’re supposed to be in the barracks with the other reservists and cadets!”
“With all due respect, Chapter Master, we couldn’t just sit back and do nothing,” Rainbow Dash answered respectfully. “We had to help.”
“And you even put your own wingpony at risk?!” Spitfire shouted, her voice echoing throughout the Chapel and earning the attention of everypony else inside.
Rainbow Dash narrow her eyes at Spitfire. “Scootaloo is capable of fighting, Chapter Master,” Rainbow said with venom rising in her voice.
Spitfire glared daggers at Rainbow Dash. “Mind your attitude, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash was about to retort when she and Spitfire were enveloped in magenta aura and were forcibly pushed away from each other. The two Wonderbolts looked to see that Twilight had a stern look on her muzzle. 
Spitfire turned her glare from Rainbow Dash to Twilight. “And what are you still doing here?! Have you not found your recruit already?”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” Twilight said as she tilted her head to Rainbow Dash.
“Her?” Spitfire asked in disbelief. “You chose her over Wind Rider?!”
“You rejected Wind Rider?!” Rainbow Dash asked, also in disbelief. “First of all, are you crazy?! And second of all, I did not agree to being your recruit!”
“Enough!!!” Twilight shouted as she stomped her hoof, both her shout and stomp echoing throughout the Chapel. “Listen, we can argue about this later! Right now, we need to focus on fighting off the enemy.”
The two Wonderbolts sighed in unison. “For once, I have to agree with the egghead,” Rainbow Dash said bluntly, earning a bemused and slightly offended look from Twilight. 
What did she just call her?!
“Rainbow Dash and the Librarian are right,” Soarin added. “The longer we argue, the less time we have to prepare to fight the real enemy.”
“Fine,” Spitfire said before looking at the Librarian. “Don’t you still have a battle barge up in orbit?”
“Yes, I do,” Twilight answered. “Unfortunately, we can’t contact them. I think whoever is behind this siege must have jammed your vox relay before the battle started.”
Spitfire groaned. “That explains why we can’t call for reinforcements either. Tartarus!” Spitfire stomped a hoof on the stone floor of the Chapel, creating small cracks in it. 
“Then… we need to take back the Vox Relay, right?” Scootaloo asked. “There is a chance that the enemy may still be there.”
“She’s right,” Rainbow Dash added. “I don’t think the traitors would be dumb enough to leave the Vox Relay unguarded. And we do need help.”
Twilight then looked to her cyborg companion. “Spike, show us a map of the Fortress.”
“You got it, Twilight,” Spike said. Then, his cybernetic eye projected a holographic map of the mountain-shaped Fortress-Monastery’s interior. The map showed all of the chambers, from the barracks and the Chapel to the Apothecarion and Armory. Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and several other Space Marines gathered around the map. A red dot appeared on the map.
“So this right here is the Chapel,” Twilight said as she pointed at the red dot. “And we need to get to the Vox Relay.”
“That would be up here,” Spitfire said as she pointed towards the top of the Fortress. “It will be a hike to get up there.” As if on cue, another red dot was added to the Vox Relay’s location on the map, followed by a red dashed line from the Chapel to the Vox Relay. “If anypony is going up there, we’re going to need to find a path of least resistance.”
Twilight nodded before looking back down to Spike. “Spike, add the Shadowbolts onto the map.” The map then displayed purple arrows that started from outside the Fortress, breaching into the hallways, and splitting into smaller arrows as they spread throughout the map.
“It looks like the Shadowbolts have nearly taken half of the Fortress,” Soarin said with dread. “How many of our brethren have these traitors killed already?! This has to end now!”
“I feel the same way you do, Soarin,” Spitfire said sympathetically. “Too many of our brothers and sisters have died in this siege. And I fear more are going to be added to the body count…”
“Well, we have to do something now!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We can’t just stand here and talk about doing something!”
“That would be reckless, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said firmly. “We can’t just rush in blindly without a plan. And like Spitfire said, we need a path of least resistance.”
“If I may,” one of the Chaplains spoke, entering the circle. This Chaplain Space Marine removed her helmet and revealed her white fur, magenta eyes, and yellow mane. The Chaplain had an optimistic and hope-filled smile on her muzzle. “I have an idea.”
The rest of the Space Marines lent their ears to Chaplain Surprise.
---
Meanwhile, a squadron of Veteran Space Marines fought against the Shadowbolts. These Veterans have fought for the Chapter for decades; they had plenty of experience and skill. And yet, the Shadowbolts were overwhelming them with ease. 
Wind Rider shot at another Shadowbolt before leaping into the air and raising his Power Sword. The old Space Marine then descended upon another Shadowbolt, bringing his sword down and cutting into the traitor’s helmet. Blood splattered onto Wind Rider’s muzzle. He removed his blooded-covered Power Sword from the dead traitor and kicked him to the floor. Then, he continued to shoot at more incoming traitors.
Wind Rider looked to his brothers and sisters that were behind him. “Fall back to the Chapel!” He ordered. 
“But sir--” one of the Veterans objected, only to be interrupted by three words that nopony would dare to object to.
“That’s an order!” Wind Rider hollered back, leaving the other Space Marines little choice but to retreat.
As Wind Rider watched his brothers and sisters flee, he continued to fight against the incoming traitors, knocking them down like dominios.
That was until the Wonderbolts were out of earshot. Then, Wind Rider sheathed his Power Sword and lowered his boltgun. The traitors then surrounded the stallion in a circle. For a brief moment, Wind Rider stared blankly at the Shadowbolts in silence. Then, another Chaos Space Marine entered the circle. Then, Wind Rider smiled.
“Good to see you again, Azure Shadow,” the Wonderbolt greeted.
“Well done, Espionage. And please… you may drop the disguise.”
“Oh… right,” Wind Rider said before green flames began to circle around him and engulf him. However, instead of burning the stallion to a crisp, the flames transformed him into a different being. “Wind Rider” began to transform into an equine with insect-like features, including a black chitin, a dark red carapace and translucent wings on its back, and red non-reflective eyes. It also bore carnivorous fangs, a curved horn, webbed mane and tail, and hole-ridden legs.
The creature that had once been Wind Rider a moment ago now revealed himself and his true nature. He was a Dark Changeling.
“It is an honor to serve the Dark Gods, Sorcerer,” Espionage said as he bowed his head before Azure Shadow.
“Is that so?” Azure Shadow asked. “Are you willing to fully commit yourself to their will?”
“Absolutely, Azure Shadow.”
Underneath her helmet, Azure Shadow slyly smiled. “Excellent. All you need to do is just… don’t move.”
Before the dark changeling could ask, the cloud demon Erebus turned into smoke and went directly into Espionage’s mouth and entered his lungs. That was when Espionage started to feel like he was being strangled. His body began to convulse, and he fell to the floor.
“Wh…what…what are you…d-doing?” Espionage tried to ask, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. 
“My dear Espionage,” Azure Shadow said before chuckling sadistically. “You said that you were absolutely willing to serve the Dark Gods. And what better way to serve them… then through sacrifice?”
Espionage gasped and his eyes widened in horror. But it was too late. He felt his body begin to be covered in thick, dark purple smoke. The Dark Changeling screamed in pain as he tried to resist, but the searing pain throughout his body was too much for him to bear. His body violently shook as he began to transform. Unwillingly.
The equine-shaped cloud began to rise above the floor. It shifted from a quadrupedal to a bipedal shape. Its grew in size until it was now four times the size of an Eques Astartes. Bull-like horns grew from its head, and claws grew from the hooves. Its tail elongated into that of a reptile’s, and it’s wings grew into large draconic wings. 
In a burst of dark purple magic, the being that had once been Espionage the dark changeling was now a bipedal demon. A sinister grin formed on the bovine muzzle. Upon looking at the demon, it looked like a minotaur had fused with a dragon. It had scales as black as obsidian. Its glowing yellow eyes looked down at the Chaos Sorcerer, who bowed before it.
“Lord Erebus, you may now feast upon the servants of the False-Empress!”