Finding Malcador

by ThatRarityIsaSpy

Never forgotten.

I guess we could all say overall, it was a fun night for most people. Here's a nutshell of how it went. Starting with a certain someone who became progressively more drunk as the night passed.
Russ after a good while, had decided to recount the battle of Prospero... this probably would have been much less- interesting had Russ not accidently said "Jar of peanut butter" when he was talking about Magnus or "Bottle of chicken" when he was talking about Ahriman. Among his long list of drunken words included "Scrumpy" "Cooking pot" "vegetables" "stew" and some words that not even a techmarine would be able to deduce what Russ was trying to say.
"And then.... and then.... I said.... to jar of peanut butter and bottle of chicken that I'd take BOTH of them on with a ink pen and their asses, asses were going to be on the grass...on the grass..... were going to be grass and..... then I OPENED JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER..... but it was empty!!!"
Most people surrounding him weren't sober so the reaction he got was mixed, those who were sober either looked at him funny or were rolling on the ground in tears from laughter.
The story of Propsero in one day turned from a hard-won battle (sorta) with the thousand sons into Russ' frustration in the kitchen and his attempts at making chicken stew that for some reason, required peanut butter.

"A wise ruler your Emperor must be." Dashid said to Guilliman.
"Well, he's human like the rest of us." The primarch replied. "We all made mistakes..... he did too."
"Is life.... unhappy?"
Understatement of the millennia.
"Being away for almost 10,000 years, I am not sure. But the Imperium would easily be in better shape had we listened to a certain goddamn Eldar."
"Can you tell me more?"
"Well........ If anyone really wants to hear more about the galaxy as of now, I am the person to speak with."

"So... do you kill people?" A minotaur asked Dorn who was now drawing on a napkin.
"That'd be to put it bluntly. But yes. I also build things, and destroy things."
"How many people have you killed?"
"More than hot dinners any of you had." Dorn said. "But my intention here is not murdering of innocents or those who've never done me wrong. My enemies are chaos....." He shot Discord a dirty look, said draconequus took a step back away.
"Just chaos?"
"Just chaos."
"You sure you don't throw people into mazes and eat them just wondering?"
"No... what the hell?" Dorn asked. "That's got to be the strangest thing anyone has said to me in the past few thousand years."
"Well......."
"Told you." A griffin said. "So.... do you ride dragons around and go slaying demons?"
"Something along those lines." Dorn replied. "Chaos is the enemy of every being in the galaxy. Every sane one that is."
"I hope you don't exactly go around killing innocents." A minotaur said.
"Of course not! Where did you ever get that notion?"
"Umm..... never mind." The minotaur said. "Just some old wives tale.... probably not even true....."
(The horrible thing that lurked in the maze....... yeah, sounded a bit off anyways.)

"How much better is he?" Asked one of the Custodes.
"It may be months before he can as much as move his lips to speak." Luna said. "His power..... is immense..... and because of this, it works against him, and us."
"Merely one of his fingers." Celestia said gesturing at the part of the body that looked somewhat healthy. The Emperor's left hand was starting to look somewhat more human now.
"You're doing fine....." The Emperor said psychically. "Keep this up. Custodes, get the word to my loyal sons that I ask for their return."
"At once!"

"Malcador, stop and rest."
"Wait but...."
"Stop. Sleep. You're new bodies aren't used to this. If you die, all your work will be for naught. Rest and eat something. I'll have any of your needs to be accommodated, but just.... don't let yourself die.... the first time had been my folly, I had managed to drag your soul back..... I doubt I can do it a second time....."
"If you insist...."
The Emperor braced himself for the pain that followed. But he decided to move one of his fingers. Something he hadn't done in almost 10,000 years now was actually move any part of his body. He watched as Celestia and Luna were led out to some quarters arranged for them.
Oh yeah that's right, he had a functioning eye now.
Now if only they would hurry up and fix his diaphragm. He needs to talk too..... and speaking psychically was somewhat draining, though it would hardly matter in an average circumstance, while in this much pain, speaking was rather hard to do.
The Emperor groaned in his mind as the pain engulfed him once again..... he went to close his good ey....
Damn it, I don't have eyelids!

"You think we will ever finish this?" Luna asked as she rested on her bed and glanced around the room. Glamorous.....
"We have to. You know exactly what happens if we don't. Everyone loses."
"I have to say, human food is rather....... strange....."
"Then again, so are we." Celestia jested. Some high lords of Terra were rather surprised that the hero was now two female horse things.
"Well, I am getting some sleep." Luna said lying down. "We got more work to do."
"Yes...." Celestia said.

Celestia opened her eyes. She was in Equestria.
Um what?
Every pony didn't seem to notice their princess snack dab in the streets, they just passed by doing ordinary things.
Something stood out. Oh look, it's a hu.... eh... wait.... that's not human?
It was thin and slender, Celestia eyed the creature oddly and saw her subjects were doing the same. It held up it's hand and waved. Disappearing as soon as the first human showed his helmet.
The vision of ordinary life disappeared. It melted away to a massive canyon, a canyon filled with thousands of humans. Dead. All of them.
Then Celestia realized, they weren't just humans. Ponies, daemons, etc. All lying dead in that hole. All of them wearing various colors.
Blood Ravens..... Grey Knights.... Ultramarines...... for some reason, she knew every chapter name to which every dead human belonged to.
Then.... from the mist.... the people came.
The pair were regal figures. One was divinely handsome with a pair of wings, the other had strange metallic hands. They went over the bodies and tapped them.
The corpses got up, as if once again alive, without whatever grievous injuries they had. Only ponies and loyalist marines......
"The Emperor protects, let none find us wanting." She heard someone say. A blood raven. She recognized him, he was one of the men with Gabriel.
"The warrior who acts out of honor can never fail." An Ultramarine said.
"Only in death does duty end." Another space marine said.
"The graves of warriors who have given their lives for the Emperor now outnumber the stars themselves."
"No...... the graves of those who have given their lives for harmony, the greater good of others, now far outnumber the stars. May their memory burn brightly in the night sky.... forever. Only when one is forgotten, does one truly die."
As opposed to the gruff voices of humans, this one was more melodic. A pony's no doubt.
"Remember us.......... Remember those who have died here...... Remember those who have died fighting...." The two regal figures said. Their names...... Ferrus Manus and Sanguinius. Somehow.... Celestia knew that.
Everyone who stood then disappeared in a flash of light, and went up in the sky.
Looking up, a billion stars twinkled.
Celestia gave a small cry in her sleep.
She knew now.

Comments

[Silver Page]

That last part...
Beautiful!

[Bronzer]

But the Imperium would easily be in better shape had we listened to a certain goddamn Eldar.

Immediately after giving said warning, said Eldar started shooting at the Imperials and raiding Imperial worlds and ships. It is easy to see why the Imperium chose to ignore his warning. Stupid Eldar, they always assume everyone will do whatever the say regardless of their actions.

As to the ending. I think that this chapter of -> The God Empress of Ponykind is the best example of the final battle I have ever read. I haven't read further in your fic, but you might like to use something like that in some other story. I actually saved the Emperor's words to Chaos as inspiration for if I write something for Warhammer 40,000.

Also, I think you'd like this. Especially the Imperial rebuttal at the end.