“Is this whole planet like this?!” Twilight asked on the top of a sand dune. Nothing but sand, sand and more sand.
“Yep. Calderis. Favored place for getting recruits actually.” Thule said. “The tough desert conditions breed survivalists and hardened warriors. Not surprisingly, this planet has a fairly low population. Twenty five million.”
Twilight for a moment wondered if Twenty five million was more than every soul on Equestria. Probably not.
“So how much longer?” Twilight asked wiping sweat from her brow. “Rather hot...”
“Wait till it’s night time.” Solomon said. “The temperature can sometimes be enough to give a lesser man hypothermia in just moments.”
“Humans must be really tough to survive rough climates like this. So do they all live in the desert?”
“No.” Thule said. “Thaddeus is from Meridian which the entire planet is made up of massive cities. A single block of that planet contains more people than the entire town you grew up in. And Gabriel is from Cyrene. Used to be the best place in the enti...”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Sorry.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. Cyrene is a can of worms I don’t want to see opened again. That place.....” Angelos stopped walking. He may of killed billions of faceless individuals, but in the end. He had murdered billions with just a few words. The burden at times was too great to take. He remembered for a second that the corruption of Cyrene hadn’t taken just his friends and family from his life before. Many battle brothers perished during that final battle.... Jonah Orion was one of them.
“Are you...”
“I am fine.” Angelos said curtly. “Let’s get back on track. Solomon, are we on the right way?”
“Yes. Let’s keep going.” Solomon said. “By the way Twilight... I have a question.”
“Fire away.”
“You told me that these elements of harmony are things of powerful... magic. You and your friends wield this power. But... what does it do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like.... is this magic something that’s supposed to be all-powerful?”
“To say the truth, I doubt even Princess Celestia would know. I know that it had banished the nightmare forces that tried to posses Princess Luna, it had sealed away Discord. I can say the power is great.... perhaps great enough to banish the vile chaos you fight on a daily basis. Princess Celestia says maybe there can be peace in the galaxy if chaos is defeated.”
“It may solve many problems, but I doubt it can create peace. There’s still things like Orks, Tyranids, Necrons and other atrocities to attend to.” Thule said. “So, one thing I learned is your kind attempt to create “perfect” harmony?”
“Do our best.” Twilight said. “In harmony can life truly be wonderful. Peace, prosperity can be enjoyed by all. Isn’t that what the man known as the Emperor tried?”
“Is trying.... not tried. He’s still alive and guiding humanity onward.” Thule said in a menacing undertone.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No. But one thing I do need to point out is.... when you managed to heal me. I wonder, can you do that again?”
“The most I can do is since I last saw you. When we first met you only had one eye. I think I can make Gabriel back in one piece if I tried again.”
“That’d be great.” Angelos said. “I am not sure if Thule was thinking of what I am thinking, but it’s rather ambitious.”
“Let’s not forget what the Inquisition will say about it.” Solomon said half joking, half serious. “Ambitious it truly is. Funny....”
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Twilight asked trying not to interrupt the trio.
“Well..... by our standards.... I’d say you were a... maybe a delta leveled psyker.” Solomon said. “But when you restored Thule back to one piece..... I am thinking that’s something along the beta or even lower alpha lines. From the way you’re people exist, an alpha level psyker is possible..... and not dangerous....”
‘Let’s not forget that their rulers are on par with the two most powerful psykers of our time.” Angelos said. “Say.......”
“More crazy ideas I see.....” Solomon said. “The first one was reasonable. The second one would be blatant heresy.”
“You wasn’t thinking I was serious right?”
“Who knows? It’s not happening either way. But a librarian could learn that restoration spell..... or in a worst chaos scenario, we just use her again.”
“Good luck convincing all three of them. You got the inquisition, the Emperor and the custodians.” Thule said.
“I bet the Emperor is a man of reason.” Twilight said. “Like you three.”
That one sentence just made all three space marines reevaluate their lives. Were they reasonable men? Angelos was....... maybe. He recalled refusing to listen to the Eldar at one point when if he had done so, disaster could of been averted. But for the most part, he did listen to anyone that had anything meaningful to speak. Solomon for the most part didn’t spend much of his time on the battlefield or in action despite perhaps being one of the greatest warriors in the chapter. He preferred spending time in the librarium and gathering knowledge.
Thule knew prior to his coming in Equestria, he was anything but reasonable. He recalled the Kronus debacle. A conflict that may of easily been solved had he been more patient with Alexsander.
Were xenos really all that bad? That was the next thing they pondered in silence. Angelos clearly didn’t think this. He was at times the only one would never object working with aliens, it was also rumored Angelos had close ties to the Eldar of craftworld Biel-tan... or wait....... but prior to his dealings with the eldar, Angelos did foster mistrust for them, though not open hate like most of his more fanatical brothers.
Thule had always learned to hate xenos, since the day he was born he had regarded them as his enemies. Sweet talk from Eldar did little to move him and the deals proposed by the Tau only fueled his rage at time. But try as he might, hating the pastel colored horses was something he couldn’t do. In fact, if he was going to be honest with himself, ever since Twilight saved his life, he might as well as say he enjoyed their company. But even then, though he loved seeing the pastel colored equines, he secretly though Pinkie Pie had something to do with Slaanesh.
And..... it seems that Solomon would have to agree with Thule after reading his mind. The sun was beginning to set and the cool air of the night was filling the desert.
“Stop.” Solomon said. “There are people here. Chaos.....”
“I think they see us!” Twilight hissed trying not to make too much noise.
“They already have! Wait.... a know that chaos lord!”
“What’s his name again?” Thule asked Gabriel as he took a look.
“I don’t care, some madman ranting about some sorcerer in his warband. I slew him right as he finished his rambling.”
“LOYALISTS!” Bale yelled. “ATTACK! FOR THE DARK GODS.”
“Not good!” Twilight said she was about to turn to run when she realized the three space marines all got up and pulled out their weapons.
“You crazy?! There’s like thirty of them!”
“That’s a bit easy. I want to kill the chaos lord.” Thule said.
“Isn’t too hard. Clumsy fool who had nothing better to do than ramble. Solomon and I will take out the trash. Twilight! Stand your ground. You may not think so, but you can harm chaos much more just by being here than we can with our bolters and swords.”
Twilight really wasn’t sure about that statement, but then again, seeing how she had made a chaos space marine die just by standing near him, maybe she should take his word for it.
“Come to your deaths, chaos filth!”
“Death to the false Emperor!”
“FOR THE IMPERIUM!”
“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!”
Twilight fired a beam from her horn at the closest chaos space marine. Much to her surprise, she killed him. Just like that. Maybe there was some truth in what Angelos had said after all. After just a few moments of hilariously one sided fighting, the entire mob of chaos heretics lay dead, with Bale absolutely going more berserk than he did with Sindri.
“The chaos gods abandon these clowns! Come to me lapdogs of the corpse emperor! Figh....”
Before Bale could even finish his sentence. Thule had already jumped on him and tackled him to the ground. A few moments more and the severed head of Bale was rolling down a sand dune.
“Like most chaos dogs. Clumsy, stupid and incompetent.” Thule muttered. “We shall slay them all before long.”
“Agreed. Their blood shall wash any stains on our honor.”
Twilight wondered who was more bloodthirsty. Chaos or the ones who apparently serve a being that wishes for harmony. As Celestia would say.
“In their own special way.”
“And stop!” Solomon said. “If you thought they were fools before..... they had their entire mob stand right on where the element was.”
“Nothing we wouldn’t expect from those clowns.” Thule said. “Start digging?”
“No need.” Twilight said as she levitated the element straight out of the ground. “Wait.... somethings here.”
The doombolts that sent dust flying was sure enough, evidence of that. As was the missiles and bolter fire.
“Time we got out of here!” Angelos said. “I am calling for evac!”