INTERLUDE
In the glorious glimmering metropolis of Celestia City, the light shines everywhere. And where the light shines, so too are great shadows cast. These shadows are occasionally noticed by the Merodi and the League of Sweetie Belles, but are often simply acknowledged as “necessary evils” by ka experts, and thus are allowed to stay and flourish like briar patches. One of the more sickly patches was situated on the eighth floor of the Diplomat Dome, where the Harlequins of the Crimson Bloom were situated. The twisted heirs of the Laughing God had claimed the eighth floor as their own, traipsing about the halls in merriment and scaring the other patrons to death. Even amidst the celebrations of their recent slaughtering of the Genestealer Cult hiding in the depths of the human Hiveworld, there was one who preferred to be in solitude.
Zasraman the Great, the smiling devil of the Crimson Bloom, hummed a song to himself as he tended to his personal insect farm. Unlike most people, who kept it to a small number of ants inside of a small display, Zasraman went for extravagance. Namely, replacing one of his walls with an enormous pane of glass filled with various sets of dirt to simulate different biomes for the entire ecosystem of marsh, caverns, even minerals and hives. It was an entomologist’s dream come true, but for Zasraman, it was the closest he could be to emulating the gods. His smiling mask stared back at him as he dropped bits of fruit and vegetables into the top of the tank, watching little black and white shapes scurry about to get their feed. They were grateful for his bounty, and he was pleased they did not hate him for their imprisonment. His fantasy broke away, as red faces with yellow eyes joined in his reflection with disapproving looks.
“We were far too close today, Zasraman,” Scanty said. “Too much was risked to ensure our success.”
“Bribery and mental manipulation can only work so well to ensure our unseen departures.” Kneesocks added. “The Merodi will grow suspicious soon.”
“Let them, their attention will remain more on the Mon’keigh than we,” Zasraman said, pinching the remainder of crumbs into the atrium. “With the seeds of mistrust that hath already been sewn, we simply need to just,” he whirled about, fully facing his red-skinned accomplices. “Let it be.” He flourished the tassels on his cloak and walked over to the other end of the room, plucking a cloth from his sleeve and wiping clean one of his swords on the mounted rack.
“I find your inability to take this task seriously to be quite annoying,” Scanty said, digging her fingers through her green hair. “Such… flagrant disregard for the RULES that have been set forth, the very protocol for how things are to be done!” She sighed and fell backwards, landing in her sister’s arms. “I feel myself growing ill at the mere thought.”
Zasraman turned about, his smiling mask sending shivers down the women’s spines. “Scanty and Kneesocks, sisters of such… resounding thickness,” he said. “I was not aware that demons could come down with sickness.” The sisters sneered, their golden eyes glowing an unnatural hue. As Scanty and Kneesocks separated, their glamour dropped and unveiled what lay behind the curtains. From underneath their hair, two long and jagged horns sprouted at the ridge of their brows, and thin forked tails slithered out from behind their skirts. Their fingernails turned black and sharp, and fangs formed within their mouths. An aura of hellish energy surrounded them, one that was masked by the overwhelming psychic presence the Harlequins produced.
“Tish tosh, Zasraman,” Scanty said, smirking. “If we allow you to have your fun,”
“Then we should be allowed to have fun of our own.” Kneesocks said, leaning over her sister’s shoulder. “After all, the ruse is just so tiring to wear at times. We hardly get the chance to enjoy ourselves anymore.”
“The fact you two take so much after the Great Enemy does little to put me at ease.” Zasraman said, laying his sword back on the rack. “You’re free to have fun away from prying eyes, just not in my room, please.” The Daemon Sisters huffed and crossed their chests, sitting themselves down in iron-wrought chairs. “Don’t give me that look, oh insidious pair,” Zasraman stretched his leg atop his bed, the curls on his toes unfurling lazily in the air. “Just a bit longer, and soon shall arrive our agent of despair.” The door slid open, and the three occupants immediately turned their heads, the horns and tails on the Sisters vanishing in pinkish glows.
“Did someone ask for… des-bear?!” Standing in the doorway was a diminutive creature, standing no taller than a foot and a half. It looked like a sentient child’s teddy bear, standing on hind legs in a playful gait. Its body was split between two colors, a pristine white right half, and a black as night left half. Even its face was a yin yang, adorable bearish face on the right, wickedly wide smile and ghoulish jagged red eye on the left. It bounced into the room, clutching a sizeable datapad in its stubby little paws. “I couldn’t resist, the opportunity was just too perfect! Puhuhuhu~!” Once the door slid shut, the Harlequin and demons relaxed, the Sisters allowing their horns and tails to materialize.
“How long were you standing out there, waiting to say that?” Kneesocks dourly asked.
“Long enough, sistah!” The bear gleefully said. Its voice was of relatively high pitched with a nasally ring to it, far too friendly for something that looked so devious. It jumped onto the bed and plopped itself down, kicking its stubby feet idly at the edge. “I heard you guys got into a bit of trouble on that miserable water planet.”
“It’s only trouble if we’re caught, Monokuma.” Scanty snapped, waggling a red finger at the bear. “Which we weren’t! And you better not have on your own little mission.”
“Hey, hey, RELAX!” Monokuma said. “Nobody saw me. Besides, who’s gonna suspect a cute widdle face like mine to be up to something so despairingly nefarious? Puhuhuhu~” Zasraman ceased his stretches and walked up to the bed, snatching the datapad from the little bear’s paws. “Sure, take it, not like you need to ask or anything.”
“Ah, tell me this indeed is so,” Zasraman said, awe ringing in his voice as he activated the datapad. In a blip of green light, a series of names and coordinates ran down in numerous columns, with accompanying statistics and statuses. “The Imperium Territories Manifesto.”
“The list of every single known and recognized planet in the Imperium,” Kneesocks said, standing up and pressing herself against the colorful Eldar’s side to read the the flow of information.
“Of which the Merodi need to properly coerce to fully convince the so-called God Emperor that they are a cause worth joining.” Scanty added, standing opposite her sister.
“The perfect tool to create strife, discord, and a war unlike any these ponies and people have ever seen before.” The sisters said in perfect unison, fangs bared in devilish grins.
“And it is our delightful duty to cause it,” Zasraman giggled. “Greater than the War in Heaven, from days of yore.” His fingers danced over the datapad, skimming along the names of the planets the Imperium claimed as their own. Baal, Armageddon, Catachan, Necromunda, Fenris, Macragge, Kiavar, Vostroya, even Mars and Terra were listed as opportune targets for coercion by friendship. Millions of planets and sectors were on this list, and only a scant few of them had accepted the Merodi’s offer. “So many planets, already so rife with conflict and despair,” he tapped a few of the coordinates, bringing up the editorial functions. “If there would perhaps be a few changes, wouldn’t it be a shame if the Merodi were unaware?” Zasraman typed away on the commands, shifting numbers and names around with the ease of an expert manipulator. In mere seconds, the Manifesto had been completely altered. Yet, in a galaxy brimming with millions of planets, what foreign power such as Merodi Universalis would truly take notice? Zasraman tossed the datapad back to Monokuma, the pudgy bear-thing fumbling to catch it and falling off the bed in the process. “Execute phase two, Agent of Despair.” Monokuma’s red eye flashed, and his sidelong grin seemed to widen.
“I love working with you guys.” he gleefully said, skipping merrily to the door. Unfortunately, the little thing was too short to reach the unlocking mechanism, and struggled to jump for it. Scanty rolled her eyes and walked up to the door, pressing her hand on the scanner and opening it for him. “... Note to self: use bigger model next time.” The bear walked out the door, leaving the demons and alien to their own devices. All three bore wicked smiles on their faces, with the ceramic smile of the Harlequin’s being the most devious of all. Never leaving his face, never faltering, never leaving the shadows where he and his ilk thrived, like wicked briar patches in a peaceful garden. The Merodi would fight for change, but in the grim dark future of the 41st millennium, there is only war.