Eliphas coughed. To his and probably everyone else’s surprise, he was still alive.
“Still alive traitor?” Thule asked turning around. Taking a bolter he aimed it at Eliphas’ head intent on finishing the job.
“You....are....too late.....” Eliphas said. “My defeat here will not change anything lapdog of the false Emperor. You may of defeated me here now.... but I will return.”
“And I will kill you. Again and again every time you rise heretic.” Thule replied.
“That won’t matter...” Eliphas said cackling manically. “Abaddon has devised a way to escape Cadia. You can’t stop him, neither can the foolish inhabitants of this planet or your corpse Emperor. Chaos will consume you will all!”
“No.”
Eliphas gave a painful gasp of surprise to find that it was not Thule, but the Princess of the sun herself that had spoken.
“No.” Celestia said. “Abaddon will not prevail nor will he ever. We will stop him. I will oversee that myself.”
“So.... I see you’ve finally decided to rejoin your brethren.” Eliphas said. “Understand even you and your pathetic other half can’t even stop Abaddon, no one can!”
“I grow tired of this.” Thule said. With a mighty blow, he severed the foul head of Eliphas watching it roll into a ditch.
“What was he talking about?” Scootaloo asked. “Something about..”
“Nothing. Nothing.” Thule said dismissively. “Mad men like him tend to ramble.”
Though in his heart, he knew what Eliphas had spoken had a hint of truth to it. If Abaddon had a means to escape Cadia then that would mean great catastrophe for all beings across the galaxy.
But at the same time, every dark cloud had it’s silver lining, for Eliphas perhaps had just confirmed Davian’s suspicions of Celestia and Luna’s true origins. They were once human. No doubt about it. What else could “rejoining their brethren” mean? Though who they were, and what they were once were remains a mystery, Thule was intent on finding out, if Celestia and Luna truly were who he thought they once were... and if Twilight’s memory/healing spell can be used once again, then he had just devised a means to restore the Emperor back to life.
And that would mean greatness for every being across the galaxy. Not just humanity, not just Equestrians but everyone.
He wondered how THAT would work out.
“Sunset!” Twilight said as she arrived at the site of the unholy ritual. “What have you done?!”
“The only sensible thing, Twilight!” Sunset said. “Consider this my revenge. And guess what? You can’t stop me nor can those imbeciles you befriended!”
The last part had a hint of truth in it. It would be a while before the space marines could find this place.
But the first part did not, Twilight knew she had the means to stop this. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to kill Sunset. Like most others, she believed ANYONE could be redeemed. Though a certain fast approacher didn’t share her views.
“We’re here, Davian!” Dashie said as she arrived with the others. “Now where are we headed?”
“I don’t kn... where’s Celestia?!”
The blast knocked Twilight off her feet, blood foamed at her mouth as she painfully got up battling the shock like no ordinary pony.
“What’s wrong Princess?” Shimmer taunted. “You see, I can fight and do this ritual at once!”
Twilight sent another fireball at her, but Sunset raised her shield spell causing the ball of fire to disperse harmlessly. She aimed another bolt at Twilight who this time, got knocked down and didn’t get up.
“Yes... almost.. almost damn you!”
Twilight could only glance up at the explosion of the light. She braced herself expecting a super powered Sunset Shimmer... all she saw however was just the unicorn standing there waiting dumbly for something to happen.
“I say.... I am afraid I can’t let you do that!”
“Discord?!”
“That’s right! And I brought a few friends too!”
Emerging from the tree line, Angelos and another squad of terminators stepped out pointing their bolters at Sunset. Nowhere to run now.
Before any of them could actually open fire, a brilliant white alicorn came and grabbed Sunset and whisked her away much to the surprise of... EVERYONE.
“For the love of...” Angelos began until he heard Thule vox him.
“How you could do this... is beyond me.” Celestia began as she plopped her down sitting down and held her there. “Why?!”
“Because your “faithful student” humiliated me!”
“No. Why did you leave Equestria? Even better yet, why did you come back to destroy it serving the damning powers of chaos?!”
“I left because I could see that you along with everyone else in Equestria were blind fools! But... I never served chaos.. if anything they served me....”
“And in your mad quest for who-knows-what.... what did you seek to gain? And at what cost?!”
“Power. I was taught by a friend that the universe rewarded those who would spill blood for power.”
Celestia shook her head.
“It’s true. You are lost. Good-bye Sunset, I don’t wish to ever see you again.”
Sunset smiled inwardly as she was thrown into a ditch. Foolish Celestia, she was too quick to give second chances. Another chance for vengeance.
“Do you really think ANYONE would give YOU a second chance?!” Solomon asked from behind her.
Only then did Sunset look up and realize she was surrounded by space marines.
“If I were you, I’d run.” Thule said.
Sunset could only give one final shriek as the space marines descended upon her. The locals in the area would come up with many tales of what had happened to her. Many would be enough to give the average pony night terrors.
Celestia too would have trouble sleeping that night, wondering whether or not if she did the right thing by killing one who was once close to her. She found comfort with Angelos and Tarkus who explained that they had to go through similar experiences. The threat of chaos had been averted but Eliphas words clung on to the hearts of everyone and every pony. Abaddon had found means to escape Cadia.....