Mordecai made it about two steps from Rarity’s house before the little blue comet crashed into him.
Even as a Space Marine, an 8ft tall mountain of engineered muscle and ceramite, the sheer momentum of Rainbow Dash’s dive was able to knock him off his feet; impressive within itself. The sorcerer found himself knocked onto his back, the Pegasus’s forehooves slamming into his helmet at a meteoric pace. They weren’t actually hurting him, more just staggering the warlock momentarily, but it wouldn’t have been gentlemanly to say as such.
“WHAT! DID! YOU! DO! TO! RARITY?!” Rainbow’s words were snarled through gritted teeth as she maintained her assault, angry magenta eyes only a few scant centimeters from Mordecai’s crimson eye lenses. He did not reply, instead letting loose a small amount of telekinetic force. It wasn’t enough to injure the pony, but did prise her off him, and the Space Marine took the opportunity to stand and dust himself down. He drew his sword as he looked at Rainbow, tutting and shaking his head in seeming disappointment.
“Squabbling in the dirt? Really, such things are below us, my girl.”
The impact of their collision hadn’t been consequence-free for her either. Her hair was more a tattered, unkempt mess than usual, and she was quite clearly panting hard. A red gash had opened on her forehead, lines of blood trickling down and threatening to drip into her eyes. She didn’t seem to notice.
“What…did…you…do?” Rainbow repeated, voice now an angry hiss. Mordecai’s head tilted sideward as he regarded her, the runes on the side of his blade flaring into glowing, unholy life. His free hand made a flourishing gesture – he held it beside his head, as if clutching an imaginary glass.
“Your curiosity does you credit, I must say. Permit me to demonstrate.”
He clutched with his hand. Rainbow bristled, as if expecting an assault. In that she was wrong; the psychic energy Mordecai marshaled was not intended for her. That was saved for the mechanisms of the grenades he had set up in the building behind him.
Carousel Boutique exploded from within, the explosives giving an almighty roar as they detonated. The blast of air rustled the robe he wore around his lower body, and though he possessed no precognitive powers Mordecai was quaintly proud that he did not flinch as shards of burning building came crashing down around him.
“Most apologetic, if it is any consolation.” He said, contritely. Rainbow stared at him open-mouthed, the anger seemingly drained from her momentarily and replaced by the pain of loss. It quickly returned, and she snorted, nostrils flaring.
“I knew it…” she said, glare intensifying. “I knew you guys were up to no good, no matter what Fluttershy or Rarity said. I didn’t think you’d ever go this far, though…Twilight was right.”
Mordecai nodded. “It is rather one of those things that makes far more sense in hindsight.” He agreed. Rainbow shook her head, clearly having to restrain herself. A small group of onlooking Ponies had formed around the two combatants by now, looking on nervously and edging away.
“I’m going to bucking kill you, you freak.” She said, and Mordecai could not help but be impressed that she sounded like she actually believed it. He straightened slightly, stabbing the point of the sword into the ground and resting both hands on its pommel.
“You will certainly try, my dear, of that there is no doubt…though, I rather think you have greater concerns at present.” He said, nodding skyward. As if on cue, the twin roars once again shook the planet, and dark shadows passed over Ponyville. The two Heldrakes swooped low, witchfire-bright eyes scanning the ground and groups of panicking Xenos hungrily. One pulled up sharply, before coming to rest atop the Town Hall. It stared down imperiously from its perch, crouched like some great wooden Gargoyle or nesting raptor. Its brother sailed over Mordecai and Rainbows’ heads, a blast of jade flame from its jaws setting more of the town’s thatched buildings ablaze. Even having handled the more esoteric elements of the Daemon Engines’ construction, Mordecai was still unsure how they were able to produce their breath weaponry – no baleflamers had survived the crash to be installed. Lorkhan seemed to subscribe to the policy of just not thinking about it, or declaring it another ‘pathetic joke’ by the Gods when he was feeling particularly vindictive.
Mordecai watched it go, shaking his head disapprovingly. “So very crude.” He murmured, almost wistfully. “Yet one cannot deny their effectiveness in our chosen strategy.” He paused as the HUD within his helmet brought him updates. “Ah, wonderful, it would appear the cavalry have arrived.”
The sound of barking bolters heralded the arrival of more IV Legionaries, advancing into the clearing where Mordecai stood with cold, murderous intent. Bolt shells slammed into the mass of fleeing Xenos, ripping them apart from the inside, whilst yet more destructive tools of war spoke. The Iron Warriors had taken the opportunity to break out the best weapons for this mission, and Mordecai grimaced sympathetically as a dark blue creature was all but annihilated by a direct Lascannon hit. One of the Ponies, a grey mare with a musical note on her flank, dropped what looked like a pile of music sheets as she ran. Her attempts to recover them proved her undoing; one of the Iron Warriors, a brother Mordecai did not know well, stepped forwards and brought the Power Maul he gripped in one hand down in a sweeping arc. The cudgel slammed into her side, splintering bone and sending her careening into a wall.
Rainbow watched the devastation wrought upon her kin around her, and for a moment Mordecai thought she was going to fly into a maddened rage and attack him or his brothers again. But she did not, though maintaining her composure was clearly requiring the utmost effort. It occurred to Mordecai that before him was the element of Loyalty; small wonder then that she’d thrown herself into the fight with such little hesitation.
“If you would permit me to say, I would wager that you are needed elsewhere, my dear Rainbow.” He called across to her. She looked at him, teeth visibly grinding together as she glared at him once more. Then in a flash she was gone, a trail of rainbow-coloured light left behind her as she dashed away in pursuit of the closest Heldrake. Mordecai watched her go this time, pulling his sword from the ground and resting it on his pauldron. The introspection lasted for only a few moments, before the Psyker refocused, and ambled his way over to join the slaughter.
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“And you’re certain?”
A buzz hung in the chamber, high in one of Canterlot Castle’s elegant towers, but still the question hung in the air. Celestia’s voice cut through the commotion and babbling of the other Ponies’ clustered in the room. It was as ever regal and firm, yet there was an inflection in it that Shining Armour had seldom heard before. The Captain of the Guard knew the Princess better than most, perhaps anyone save Luna and his sister, but it was one of the first times he had heard her sound…unsure.
“You know that it is.” Luna’s voice was different too. The repressed fury in it was obvious, even to the most casual observer. “Foul sorcery abounds throughout our fair land. The Iron Warriors stand against us.”
The Princess of the Sun looked at her sister for a moment, face steady as she sought to process the information she had been oh-so-bluntly given. Without warning, her head drooped, and the white Princess gave a mournful sigh. It made Shining uncomfortable; morale was balancing on a knife edge as it was. Even with all things considered, the speed and suddenness of the Iron Warrior’s attack had sent most of the denizens of Canterlot reeling and into a state of floundering panic. To see Celestia succumbing to the same distress, even for a moment, could have catastrophic effects when it came to maintaining some semblance of order in the Capital.
Mercifully, she seemed to recover her resolve quickly. “Who have we lost?” She asked, the tone maternal, yet steeled and grim. There was another rise in the general buzz throughout the chamber.
“Half of Ponyville’s already gone, my Princess.” A brown bare called out, eyes scanning the piece of paper before her. “They’ve deployed some kind of…of dragon-machines. I-I don’t what they are, but they’re already hitting us far too hard.” She gulped, scanning over the report more. “They’re…o-oh my…they’re slaughtering everypony.” She took a breath, clearly struggling to maintain composed. “We’ve lost so many, including the Element of Generosity. Iron Warrior casualties at…at zero, Princess Celestia.”
“They've murdered Rarity?” Celestia asked, shock evident in her voice. “That’s low, even for them.” She mumbled, shaking her head.
“One has to inquire how thoust is receiving this information, dearest sister. “ Luna piped in, voice fiery. Celestia turned to her, once again seemingly ignorant of the onlooking Ponies.
“I've been making sure to keep an eye on them ever since they arrived, Luna.” She replied, eerily calm by comparison. “You didn't think I’d just give them the run of the place, did you? The moment they got back from the Everfree forest, I've made sure a team of trained Unicorns has been watching them and keeping a weather eye. It seems that that is now paying dividends.”
“Such words are all well and good, Celestia.” Luna retorted. “Yet thou must consider whom it was that allowed such a travesty as this to occur?”
It was only the tiniest of motions, but Shining caught Celestia’s bristle. “Now is not the time to be placing blame, Luna-“ she began, almost defensively.
“Nay!” The Princess of the Night’s rebuttal was punctuated by a stamp of her hoof on the stone floor. “I consider it the perfect time, dear sister! All that has happened, all we now face, it is on thy head!” She screamed, pointing at her sister. “Thou had your chance to do what was right, to excise this evil from the face of Equestria, yet thy chose to hold thy tongue and let murderers and madman cavort freely with our fair subjects. Now, it is they that pay the price. All that transpires here is your fault, Celestia!”
The silence was deafening. Even those ponies busily collecting reports and data froze, eyes locked on the bickering goddesses. Shining could hear his heart pounding in his head. At last, it was Celestia who broke eye contact with a heavy sigh and nod. It lessened the tension, but only slightly.
“You’re right, Luna.” She said in a sad, quiet voice. It was still heard by all present. “This is all my fault. And now, I am going to fix it.” She straightened, once again affecting a regal air. “Commander Riptide, Commander Silver Spear.” Two of the other Guard Ponies in the room rose, clicking their hooves together. “How many divisions of those prototype tanks you’re so keen on do we have in reserve?” She asked.
“Five, my lady.” Riptide replied. The Princess nodded.
“Deploy all of them.” She said simply. The two Guards blanched for a minute, casting a wary look at one another.
“A-all of them, my lady?” Silver Spear asked, momentarily forgetting himself. Celestia’s voice never rose.
“Did I stutter, Captain?” They took the hint, bowing and galloping from the room. Celestia looked around, a glance enough to send the rest back to work.
“Luna?” She asked, surprised, as she saw her counterpart follow them. “Where are you going?” The princess stopped, but didn't turn.
“To see to our soldiers on the walls.” She answered. “To fight this war, Celestia. Like you should have.” She left before any more argument could take place. Shining waited for a minute, unsure what to do, before moving after her.
“Stay, captain.” Celestia said, not unkindly. He complied immediately, turning to look at his monarch. Celestia’s expression was mournful, at best.
“They will come here, Shining.” She said, with a weary resignation. “I know Lorkhan, even after this short time. He will need to finish this himself, to come here. We will need to be ready for that.” He nodded, an uneasy silence falling between the two. “I am sorry for your loss, Captain.” Celestia said, even gentler this time.
He paused before nodding. He hadn't liked to think about what had happened to the Crystal Empire. All he knew was that they had lost contact-but he could guess the rest. For a time, his anger and grief had threatened to overwhelm his dedication to duty, the need to kill every Iron Warrior almost proving too strong; thankfully, he had resisted.
Just.
“You have something to say, Captain.” Celestia observed when he didn't reply. “You know you have permission to speak freely, always.” Shining’s expression grew uneasy, and he cast an awkward look around to make sure he wasn't being overheard.
“I can keep the shield up, Princess.” He started, warily. “But, if they really are going to come here…do you think we can stop them?” Her smile froze, and Shining realised he already knew the answer.
“No.” Celestia said. “Not even for a second.”
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“Ah, brother, just the chap I was looking for.”
Barbus didn't look at Mordecai as the sorcerer approached. His eyes remained focused on the sky, ignorant of the barking bolters and screaming ponies around him. The crimson eyes lenses were slowly covered in a thin film of rain.
“The Pegasi control the weather.” He began, as Mordecai drew near. “And we’re keeping them tied down. So what’s with the storm, brother?”
Mordecai’s answer was to turn his gaze heavenward also, staring into the black pall above them. Rolling storm-clouds rumbled almost in anger, the occasional flash of lightning splitting the sky. The rain had started off as a gentle sprinkle, but grew more and more intense as they went on - now pattering down all around them.
“What the hell have you done, brother?” Barbus hissed, finally making eye contact with Mordecai. The Psyker folded his arms, sending a fleeing pony crashing into a building with a casual glance.
“I appreciate your concern, brother.” He admitted. “But I can assure you, my power does not extend to such meteorological miracles. Whatever this is is the spawn of outside influence.”
“Like what?” The Iron Warrior growled. Mordecai was quite for a moment.
“I really couldn't say, brother.”
Their attention was drawn away by the rushing wind of a swooping Heldrake passing overhead, followed by a large crash from behind. They turned just in time to see the Growler smash its way through one of the Pony dwellings without stopping, the dark shape atop it a veritable beacon of burning hellfire. Lorkhan had taken the tank for himself, planting his feet firmly down and riding it as one would a chariot. The Mechatendrils lashed around him in an almost frenzied buzz, spewing out the occasional lick of green flame. Any ponies that tried to flee past him fared little better, decapitated by low scything blows from the Warsmith’s glowing axe.
“How very ostentatious.” Mordecai muttered, seemingly more amused than anything. “Anyway, about that little favor.” He went on, turning back to Barbus and clasping a hand to his pauldron. The other marine drew away, eyeing the sorcerer warily.
“Don’t touch me.” He hissed. Mordecai titled his head quizzically, but did not speak. Barbus looked away, racking the slide of his bolter.
“Zuko deserved better than that.” He said, in a low, quiet voice. “He was my brother. He deserved better.” He looked up again, anger returning. “And Lorkhan deserves to know.”
“You know he would not approve.” Mordecai said, seemingly regretful. “And in any case, I am afraid I must now ask you to undertake another questionable task.” Barbus’ silence seemed to mean ‘go ahead’ in Psyker-speak. “You recall that fortress we built?” Mordecai said, gesturing towards the hill in its general direction. “I’m afraid it has to be…removed. For the good of the Legion.”
This time, Barbus out and out laughed. “He will kill us.” He said, simply. “He will actually kill us.”
“And perhaps he would be justified.” Mordecai agreed. “Yet I must ask it of you anyway. Fluttershy, whilst an amicable young woman, commands the last true bastion against us. We have no choice.”
“We always have a choice.” Barbus pointed out. “One Marine for a whole fortress? Sounds risky. Why don’t you do it?” Mordecai indicated to the passing Rhino.
“I fear my place is with him, brother. And with the best will in the world, I doubt Ms Fluttershy will be giving you all that much trouble.”
Barbus was silent for a moment, the sound of explosions and gunfire rattling round the pair. “Fine.” He grumbled at last, turning away. He slung the bolter over his shoulder, moving at an utterly leisurely pace. “But next time, do your own dirty work.”