//------------------------------//
// The darkness 
// Story: Conversion Bureaus: Warhammer 40k The second battle for the Kaurava System 
// by Gunnerben55 
//------------------------------//


*East of Unicorn Mountain Range*


After about a week of fighting in the mountains the imperial forces have broke through the pony lines and now are heading towards the nearest target located in the galloping gorge, more like whats under it. The ponies along with diamond dog clans have been mining and collecting gems and metals to fuel the war and the Imperium wishes to get their hands on this stockpile of resources for their own war effort. And with a passage through the mountains created thanks to the engineers a road big enough for super heavy tanks can pass through to the moving front line. As for the mountain range, the artillery will be moved to its many peaks and start to shell any pony target in range. As for the dragon threat that has grown over time the skies have be come thick with them and still nothing has yet to be able to counter them besides heavy use of orbital lance fire but low flying Thunderbolt fighters have been seen and have proven to be somewhat decently useful.

As for the guardsmen, they once again are either in convoys of tanks under heavy air escort or extending the tunnels east hoping to connect to the mine shafts. But as they kept digging they found what at first was thought to be the mine shafts but they soon were corrected as the caverns they found them selves in were inhabited. After the guardsmen along with scattered space marine squads were heading towards what was hopefully the pony base they encountered large worm like creatures that ranged in length from fifty feet to over more then a hundred feet and its entire front was a maw full of razor sharp teeth, but most of all they don't like visitors in their home. And a certain two guardsmen of a bolter team were stuck in the darkness as well.

In a makeshift firing position Johnathan sat behind his weapon firing burst into the beasts that wonder the underworld they were stuck in as Matt rushed back and forth with boxes of ammo. Beside him was a devastator marine laying into the worm as it torn into a formation of guardsmen. "Guardsmen! Hold these beasts at bay until reinforcements arrive! Destroy this xeno scum!" The marine bellowed and the guardsmen rallied around him putting as much fire onto the monster only for it to turn their way and start to move towards them. "Aim for the eyes! It can't kill what it can't see!" One guardsmen called and the red beams and bolters slowly started to tear at the many eyes in the beast's head. But it did not stop its rampage as it rammed head first into the line of the men and marine and guardsmen alike were tossed into the air as the melee started.

Johnathan was firing at the target at pointblank range and watched as the rounds dug into the tough skin and blood flood from the wounds. "Johnny! Don't waste all the damn ammo!" Matt called running up behind him dropping two new boxes of bolter rounds. "I'm getting tired of running back and forth so make the shots count!" Johnathan nods halfheartedly as Matt loads the next belt into the gun. Around them more worms started to appear coming from below and even above dropping down to land on top of the poor souls below crushing man and machine under their massive weight. The only thing standing a chance in this fight has been the few dreadnoughts with their different combos or weapons from lascannons, autocannons, and assault cannons and their own fists were taking the worms down one by one.

The pair feel the ground under them rumble and they share a look. "Ditch the gun!" Was all they got to say before a worm broke the surface sending them flying from their foxhole. With two heavy thuds they land in the dirt and watch as the one who threw them look down at them ready to cut them to pieces with its teeth. The two men quickly drew their laspistols and fired at the monster to no effect. Just before the head was about to strike them a canister shaped object flew over them and went into the open mouth and then a explosion followed and the creature fell over dead. When the two looked behind them stood a blood raven stern guard with a storm bolter in his massive hands and a melta bomb in the other. "Guardsmen grab a weapon and join us in our push." The marine says before moving on and firing with his weapon.

After recovering from the shock of what happened and a commissar threatening to shoot them they grab the nearest lasguns who are missing their owners and join the mass following close behind the veteran Blood Raven. Ahead the largest of the monsters was fighting about five dreadnoughts and it was becoming a losing battle for it. The stern guard soon has the rest of his squad join him along with storm troopers, karskin and any guardsmen nearby who has rallied to his call. Around the underground caverns many of the xenos have been put on the run but many still stood their ground killing men in mass. Off to the side a worm with its eyes shot out rampaged in a small area in anger as many fired on it to end its life. the sound of ripping metal is heard and the two guardsmen look to see the front armor plate of a dreadnought torn from its mount by the jaws of one and then it finishes the war machine with a jab to the exposed pilot inside and with a loud thud the hull falls onto its back.

For two gunners who are without a gun they soon stumble across something of use. After the ground once again displaces thankfully not under them but sends a marine sergeant into the air only to come down on top of a confused worm and receive a power sword into its brain and Matt lands in what used to be a makeshift dugout for another weapon team and there sat a autocannon in perfect condition and its ammo right beside it. "I hope you don't mind us taking over?" He says and grabs Johnathan and throws him behind the gun. "We got an upgrade! Lets use it!" Johnathan smiles and the pops of the cannon starts and the nearest creature soon gets the tastes a wave of high explosive shells into its open jaws aimed for a lone karskin who yells his thanks before charging forward once again. "Brave single minded bastards." Matt says watching said karskin get hit by a tail of one monster sending him flying into a wall with a crunch and didn't move after the landing. 

After a hour or more the brutal fighting in the depths the last of the xenos were routed or killed and the men claimed a small victory and began their march and digging towards what they hoped was the pony mining operation. With much of the man power killed or eaten by the natives of the underground the progress was slowed heavily and much of the machinery was also disabled and under repair or being scraped. As for the two guardsmen they were now hauling a new autocannon and its ammo through the ever growing tunnels to the next battle that will follow very shortly.


*Galloping Gorge mining camp*


The ponies were busy as iron and many different gemstones were excavated from the earth and packed to be shipped to the factories around Equestira to make weapons and other magic items to help fight in the war effort. Along side the ponies were diamond dogs who have made agreements with the ponies with them getting a share of the gems mined for them selves and now they were armed and ready to help fight the humans when they arrived to avenge the many fallen dogs killed under the nearby mountain range. The mining operation was located in the Pit as it was called for the mining going almost straight down the use of layer after layer of wooden platforms at different levels and the heavy use of elevators powered by steam and magic to move ponies and resources alike up and down the shaft.

In the mid level where the offices are located that double as the quarters for the works and soldiers stayed along side where the ones in charge worked. And over looking this operation was Winter who looked older then he should and by his side was Fire Bird who seemed distracted with the things happening around her. Winter let out a heavy sigh as he ran over his latest promotion, he now was the commander of the mining operation and was to defend it as long as possible and to ship out as much materials they could. "Winter keep it together. We have to do our best in the hope we can buy time for the rest of the country." Fire says and he nods giving her a smile. "I'll do my best... just hope things don't fall apart." She nods her head and looks down below to see the workers moving the stones around.

Winter lets out a sigh and passes his gaze over her before looking away feeling a little warmth on his face. For a while now Winter has grown to like the sister of battle turned pony and it helps that she is a well built mare and at times he catches himself staring, thankfully she seems more focused then he is and doesn't notice or doesn't care. With the sounds of rusty metal moving one of the elevators goes up past them carrying several carts of minerals with a few pony miners. Fire Bird watches it pass and looks to a nearby table and takes a pin in her mouth and adds another shipment is sent out. "Another ton of ore on its way." She said to her self more then anypony else. Winter follows it up and when he looks to the top of the shaft the sun is blocked for a moment as a dragon passes over the opening.

"Fire... Can i tell you something?" Winter asks after taking in a breath and Fire looks from the table full of papers with a raised eyebrow. "Uh.. yeah. What do you want to say?" Winter rubs his neck before walking up close to her and looking her in the eye. "We may of only known each other for about a week and a half now... but..." He swallowed before speaking again. "Over time i have gotten feelings for you." He says and they both stare at each other and her confusion was all he got and he blushes a little and looks away. "What do you mean Winter? You have feelings for me..." He could tell she was highly confused and then remembered what she told him about the sisters of battle causing him to sigh.

"Well let me explain better." He takes in a breath before pulling her to him with a hoof and kisses her causing her wings to shoot up in surprise before slowly returning to their places followed by her eyes that were as wide as plates before they closed and the corners of her lips did pull into a grin. He pulled away and looked at her as she was in deep thought and he could tell she was arguing with her self. Winter waited for her response unsure of how this will end and hoping she wont over react but the dazed look on her face gave him hope. But sadly before he can get his answer they both hear a bell ringing from below and rush to the edge of the platform to look down only to see a firefight starting as humans come from a few tunnels along the shafts sides cutting down any miners in their way.

Winter watches Fire quickly run to another bell and start to ring it and soon more follows as the alarm is raised and soldiers quickly run out of their quarters and aim up only to realize the enemy is below them. The unicorns and any other ranged pony unit quickly starts to rain spell and led down onto the humans below and start to catch them in a deadly cross fire denying them any cover at the angles of the attacks and the magic repeaters are quickly redeployed and its rain of dead joins the onslaught. Winter looks around for ways to help before he spots a group of ponies ready to try to get into melee with the humans. "Wait! Don't go down their keep the lift up here so they can't use it!" As he called the ponies looked at him before doing as told. He sighs in relief but then the platform started to come apart from the human's heavy weapons. Far below devastator marines are pumping their deadly rounds into the metal and wooden platforms that ring the shaft going up and soon debris and ponies start to fall to the ground.

"Get off the platforms! Fall back to the edges they are much stronger!" Winter hears Fire Bird call out and her orders are quickly followed as ponies displace to a stronger piece of cover and the two sides exchange death from above and below. Winter watches the imperial guards killed in mass but they just keep coming while the marines just stand their ground taking most the punishment sent their way losing only a few to their combined firepower. Then all over the upper levels large *pops* are heard and soon the ponies meet a new heavier unit of the humans. Winter was about to run to where he heard the sound but soon in a flash and another *pop* he was face to torso with a massive red armored... thing that he could only guess was a elite space marine. He slowly looked up and the green eyes of the beast looked at him before a double barreled weapon is aimed at his face but then they both hear what sounds like cracking. They look down to see the wooden supports below the massive man was giving out to his weight and the stone wasn't fairing any better.

As Winter simply opened his wings and jumped the terminator marine was sent falling far below as the support finally gave out. He watched the marine fall and hit the floor of the mine and didn't see him move afterwards and flew to join the others in their fight. He saw quite a few more marines like the one he faced fall though the wooden floors and weak stone due to their size or just being thrown about with large amounts of magic but they still did their damage as the weapons they welded destroyed cover no matter what it was and their armor was unbeatable by anything the ponies had, but only for the ponies. Winter watched a diamond dog jump onto the back of the terminator and to his amazement start to leave deep gashes in the armored back by the long claws and all around he saw similar things where the armor was slowly torn apart but many dogs were cut down as the terminator squads started to regroup and cover each other's backs, but not below.

Many dogs saw how the heavy enemies needed a sturdy place to stand they started to dig under them causing them to fall into pits or to join the others on the ground below. Winter saw a few that were falling turn blue and in a flash either landed on the ground below or back on their level, but not on their feet and were quickly jumped on by dogs or ponies. "Hold them back! Show them that we are something to fear!" Winter called and many cheered and soon it was a stalemate as the imperial forces could not advance up or get any units in the ponies lines for long periods of time and it was costly to waste such heavy units.

Fire Bird came flying up next to him and set down and before he could say anything she gave him a peck on his cheek causing him to blush. "I'll have to say i felt something for you as well. Now if we don't die here we maybe can make this go somewhere." She says and he can't help but smile and put a wing around her. "I'll agree to that now lets see how the defenders are doing and keep up moral." She smiles and follows him to where the biggest group of defenders are massed.