Peering Into The Darkness
Sweetie Belle shook her head vigorously as she closed her eyes and tore her gaze away from the golden plaque, a gentle tap on her left shoulder ripping her back to reality. Her senses returned in full force as metallic hoofsteps rang in her eardrums, her already white complexion paling further, her cheeks losing their color. She knew the guards had found them. They were toast.
She gulped audibly, swallowing her anxiety as she slowly opened her eyes. She began to turn around, but stopped dead and jerked her head back forwards, still too embarrassed and apprehensive to face the royal guards that were surely towering over her. For a moment, she considered just closing her eyes again, and pretending that this situation wasn't happening. It was so surreal in ways that she couldn't quite put her hoof on, getting caught like this. She breathed in trying to calm herself she elected to just get it over with. She knew it was the end of the line for her and her friends.
With a defeated sigh, she whirred around, letting her eyes bolt open to face the music. Yet, even though she could see what was before her, she couldn't process it, as she quickly looked down, staring at the ground in front of her before mustering the courage to look up slightly.
Though the room was dimly lit, the polished golden horseshoes before her still shone with an unearthly aura that immediately told her who was standing before her. Sweetie was shaking slightly now, as she bit back another surge of anxiety, forcing herself to stay calm.
Her eyes trailed up one of the pristine white legs of the pony, as her gaze came to a stop around the flourishing golden torc embedded with a purple gemstone in the center. Sweetie hesitantly forced herself to keep looking upwards, her view slinking past the engraved golden collar, up past the tall pony's long white neck, and finally Sweetie stopped as she met eyes with Princess Celestia.
The two stark white ponies simply stood there for a moment, gazing into one another's eyes, as Applebloom and Scootaloo shifted uneasily while they eyed the two grey colored unicorn guards flanking Celestia. Applebloom looked up at the guard in front of her, before looking down at the ground and shying away slightly, glancing over to Sweetie Belle who was still paralyzed. Scootaloo lost her confidence as she stood before the comparatively gigantic ponies before her, unable to keep herself from trying to shrink into her own skin, both out of embarrassment, and a little bit of fear.
Sweetie couldn't tear her eyes away from Celestia, whose own facial expression was slowly overwhelming her terror with befuddlement. The Princess's normally warm and inviting expression was now one of somber acceptance, with a twinge of regret sprinkled across her soft features, which only served to heighten Sweetie's building anxiety
But what bothered Sweetie the most was something that she couldn't quite put her hoof on, something about the Princess' complexion and demeanor were just ... different somehow. Sweetie finally managed to wrench her eyes away from the mutual stare as she noticed how tired and worn out Celestia looked, her eyes darting back and forth across all of Celestia and taking note of how drained she looked, and even her normally glowing white fur looked grayish and dull. She eyed Celestia's mane, and shuddered at how drab and grey it was, at how slowly it flowed, mirroring the princess' dilapidated state of being.
"It's okay my little ponies, there's no need to be afraid," Celestia spoke, her voice cutting through the silence with a resounding tone of reassurance. The three little fillies all converged on Celestia with their prying little eyes, as they sighed a collective sigh of relief. Yet, even as the three ponies began to feel less nervous, Sweetie Belle knew something was up and refused to let her guard down. She was determined to find out what was up with Celestia.
"P-Princess, i-if you don't mind me asking w-why do you look so tired?" Sweetie Belle managed to stammer out, her voice much shakier and anxiety riddled than she had expected it to be. Perhaps she wasn't as calm as she thought herself, and she immediately felt her anxiety return as soon as she had finished her inquiry.
Celestia blinked hard, her eyes remaining shut for a moment longer than usual, as a pained expression washed over her features upsetting the fillies greatly. The gold armor class unicorn guards shifted uneasily as one of them eyed the tremendous suit of armor towering behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It was almost as if even they didn't know what they were looking at.
Sweetie was instantly uncomfortable as she played with the thought, glancing over her shoulder to look back at the colossal carapace of armor standing over her. She didn't know what to think, as one single encompassing question overtook her mind, a question she desperately wanted a straight answer to.
What are you?
She returned her gaze to Celestia as she began speaking, but her tone was much different now. It was pained and regretful, her voice now matching her facial expression as she spoke.
"I'm not well I'm afraid. There have been some events as of late that I cannot handle in my weakened state. Don't worry though, that is why I have come here. I need help, for you see young ones, sometimes even the princess cannot do things on her own. That's why it is so important to have friends that you can call upon when the time is right," Celestia finished, figuring she might as well tell them the truth, seeing as they would witness it soon enough anyways.
Still she didn't want to scare them, and even as Celestia lifted her head up, looking into the blank eye holes of the massive suit of armor that dwarfed even her by twice her height over, she felt her uncertainty surge through her body in a wave of absolute fear brought on by ancient memories. She let her eyes glance downwards, at the golden collar she wore, brushing over the intricate grooves carved into the royal piece of jewelry, before eyeing the central purple gemstone with an uncertain, yet hopeful look in her eyes. Her fear was banished, however temporarily, by her hope and her resolve was restored.
Sweetie Belle shifted uncomfortably where she was standing, looking over at Applebloom for any kind of reassurance she might have to offer, but the earth pony simply shrugged uneasily, her eyes full of anxiety. Sweetie looked back up at Celestia who had shifted her gaze back up to the huge suit of armor, a look of stoic determination entangling her soft features and making her look far different than usual. It was an odd look Sweetie had never seen the princess wear, and it was almost scary to watch as the princess stepped forward slowly. Sweetie backed away to the left, joining Applebloom and watching Celestia with bewildered curiosity.
The alicorn princess stood before the masterfully crafted suit of armor, the point of her elongated horn barely reaching the bottom of the suit's broad chest plate. She looked up at the golden aquila emblazoned across the center of the figure's golden chest plate, and sighed audibly, as she rose, standing on her hind legs, and pressing down lightly on the large golden skull encircled by a ring of steel with her front hooves. She took a deep breath, looking over her shoulder, first at her slightly uneasy guards, and then at the three little fillies who watched her without any knowledge of what was about to happen.
She opened her mouth for a moment, considering just telling them what they were about to witness, but she turned her head back around as she closed her eyes, mumbling a single phrase under her breath.
"I'm so sorry ..."
Her hoof pressed into the golden skull forcefully as a burst of pressurized gas escaped from the center of the chest plate with an audible wheeze. Celestia stepped back slightly, as the moderately sized skull ornament swung outwards, as if on a door hinge, revealing a small diamond shaped slot within the thick plating of the armor's breastplate. She lifted her right hoof towards her torc, fiddling with it for a moment before dislodging the purple gemstone that was embedded within the center. Using one of her front hooves, she held it aloft before the armor, and it began to glow with a vibrant light.
The royal guards in the rooms gawked at the now glowing gemstone that was now firmly in Celestia's grasp, witnessing something truly incredible as she inched it towards the suit of armor. The normally purple diamond shaped stone exploded into a vibrant azure as she neared the suit, an unearthly glow emanating from the ancient artifact floating before them.
She looked behind herself one last time, understanding that this moment was the last moment of peace she might have. She knew that if she went through with this decidedly dangerous plan of hers, Equestria would never be the same again. She looked around the room at the other ponies standing in it, all of them, even her guards completely incredulous at what was unfolding before their very eyes.
Celestia's vision trailed downwards as she locked eyes with Sweetie Belle one last time. Neither of them spoke a word as swirling golden energy began to radiate outwards from the azure gemstone in Celestia's hoof, but they both spoke to each other in a way words simply cannot describe. It took every ounce of Celestia's willpower to tear her gaze from Sweetie, as she began to get teary eyed.
Holding up the stone in front of her face and shaking her head slightly, Celestia blinked back tears and suppressed her instincts to just drop the stone and leave it there, before slowly willing herself to stand on her hind legs, inching towards the slot in the golden chest plate. She had previously considered evacuating the castle, especially the field trip of innocent fillies slinking through the revered archives of Canterlot before trying this, but she knew, deep inside of herself that if this went wrong, there would be no escaping the consequences of her actions.
She had been dreading this day for so very long. Six hundred years of carrying the soulstone within her collar, six hundred years of not being able to sleep at night, knowing that one day, she would be forced to use it. Six hundred years that had all been leading up to today. It was time.
She steeled her nerves as she inserted the azure gemstone into the chest plate slot, as arcane wisps of golden energy began to crackle furiously around the stone. Celestia quickly slammed the skull ornament shut, pushing down on it forcefully several times to make sure it wouldn't open, and to both her pleasure and dismay, it remained locked tight, refusing to budge even an inch. There was no turning back now.
Celestia backed away from the hulking mass of metal as the ground began to shake slightly, dust inside the room being shaken loose and thrown about while the trio of little fillies struggled to maintain their balance as they retreated behind Celestia, trying to get as far away from the suit as possible without leaving the room. Even so, what came next made every single pony in the room want to simply turn tail and sprint as fast as they could down the hallway, even Celestia.
An audible rumbling began to echo throughout the room, as golden energy streaked through the massive carapace, revealing a network of grooves that ran all throughout the suit, from its absurdly huge metal boots, right up into its chest, out into its pauldrons and vambraces, and then back up into the crest of its azure helmet. The golden burst of light faded quickly as all of the energy spread across the suit seemed to retreat back into the chest, before it surged upwards into the helmet, where it coalesced inside the suit.
Celestia stepped forwards once more, knowing that it wasn't over yet. She still had to complete the final step in the process. She considered stopping right then and there, just leaving the suit to be worn away by the ravages of time, however many millennia it might take, but she had come too far now to back down. She had to keep going, despite her apprehension.
Although she had occasionally practiced the use of soulstones during her adventures with Starswirl the Bearded, she had never quite gotten used to the final step in the imbuing process. Even then, this was nothing like anything she had tried before. An imbuing on this scale was unheard of, and she was thoroughly surprised it had worked up to this point. She dearly hoped she was strong enough for what was to come.
An explosion of blinding golden light only she could perceive smashed into her, encompassing her and overloading her senses as she fell to the ground, writhing in sensory overload. Her mind thrashed and flailed inside her mind, waging a war of wills that overflowed into the physical realm, as she spasmed and twitched on the floor, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. She had known that this enchanting would take a far greater toll on her than anything she had attempted before, but she could not have possibly prepared herself.
To peer into the demi-god mind of a space marine is to endure the greatest horrors the galaxy has to offer. To endure the suffering and the trials of an Astartes isn't just torture, it is hell. As Celestia lay there on the ground, the CMC and her two guards eyeing her with a mix of confusion and horror, the princess' mind was engulfed by the experiences and memories of Ekene Dubaku.
Nothing in her immortal life could have prepared her decidedly mortal mind.
The weight of centuries of endless bloodshed and warfare was thrust upon the relatively peaceful Celestia, as memories of battles long past surged through her mind, terrifying and traumatizing her with each echo of the past.
A fleshy creature without hair lay before her, wires and metal tubes protruding out of them as they squirmed uneasily on a large table, their chest cut open vertically as a truly huge biped in stark white armor bearing a simple red helix on one pauldron observed the neophyte struggling on the operation table. Burning red eyes from within the figure’s helmet pierced her soul as he inserted a strange, black organ forcefully into the writhing patient. Bone and flesh melded, as nerve endings formed and encompassed the platelike addition, a slick film of black surging across the patient, before seeping into his skin and dissipating. The white armor clad figure turned for a moment, retrieving another oddly shaped plate of black and moving to insert it into one of the several pre cut openings in the patient. He stooped down, preparing to insert the organ, as the creature on the table writhed in world shattering agony, his face contorted into a grimace that soon blossomed into an outright expression of sheer torture as he let out a horrific, pain laden scream.
The scene flashed and transformed into another, the terrifying echo of the agonizing cry still fresh in Celestia's mind, as the same individual from the operating table stood in front of the very same suit of armor that she was imbuing. The creature looked different now though, as his whole torso was encompassed by a fleshy, yet armor like substance of black that contoured to his bulging muscles. The hulking creature took a step forward, gently caressing the center of the chest plate, and smiling slightly.
The vision exploded in another flash of white light as more memories zoomed by, slowing down slightly as Celestia watched the new experience unfold. A golden plated warrior charged forwards with what appeared to be a sword, ripping apart another figure who looked oddly similar in shape, except with far more skull ornamentation, and with two strange horns jutting out of its jet black helmet.
The foe fell to the ground, blood spurting from a grievous neck wound, as it desperately tried to fumble backwards only to be met with the thunderous smash of the golden warrior’s metal boot. The black armored figure’s head exploded in a shower of gore, blood and grey matter seeping into the earth as the golden juggernaut turned around, shaking his head slightly, before dropping to his knees. Before him, was another golden plated biped, laying motionless on the ground, his chestplate dented and rent open in several places. Blood of a much brighter shade of red than that of mortals flowed from the wounds, as the kneeling soldier came just close enough to lay his massive hand on his comrade’s chest, as he muttered something indecipherable under his breath, still shaking his head as if in disbelief.
The whole world around Celestia erupted in another violent shockwave of light, sending her hurtling deeper and deeper into the horrid memories. The scene slowed just enough for her to observe the same individual from the operating table, recognizing him by his face, as if she could ever forget it …
He knelt down beside a fallen biped much lither than himself, and plated in slick black armor that fit snugly against their form. His colossal fist came down, smashing open the cranium of the dead being, before proceeding to extract its grey matter carefully. Blood poured from the wound, seeping into the fertile earth of the jungle they appeared to be in. It was almost too much for Celestia to bear, and she could barely keep herself from vomiting as the golden clad warrior devoured the brain of his enemy, lapping up the juices with vigor, and making sure to eat every last chunk of its tender greymatter.
She sighed in momentary relief as the scene shifted, knowing that things would only get worse and worse. Strange creatures of steel and flesh that resembled the suit of armor before her smashed into similar beings who wielded exotic weapons that glowed with a hellish aura. The scene shifted and changed, as eldritch horrors shredded and tore apart their enemies with bioweapons, devouring everything in their wake.
Metal skeletons punished the ground beneath them as their weapons discharged with a green burst of light, cutting down wave after wave of bipedal soldiers firing orange streaks of light en masse, clad in green plates of carapace. The blasts of vibrantly colored shots rang out from both sides, arcing through the air before tearing into the ranks of each side.
Lithe, tall figures encased within sleek white plates of interlocking mesh dashed and sprinted about like ghosts, their fluid motions blending with the shadows while they elegantly performed their dance of deaths, energy crackling from curved white swords that cleaved through metal and flesh with ease. Crests of red hair fluttered in the wind, bolts of blueish energy soaring past in discs, as the sound of battle raged on, deafening explosions and eardrum shattering gunfire forcing Celestia to clutch her head in pain, as she desperately hoped she could hang on for just a bit longer.
Memories of terrible losses, pyyrhic defeats and horrific enemies smashed into Celestia in waves, sending shivers down her spine. Her senses became detached from the physical realm as she let her mind be fully encompassed by the traumatizing experience. The metallic smell of blood, and the corpulent, pungent smell of decay filled her nostrils as she gazed down on a field of slaughter so filled to the brim with golden armor plated bodies that she felt the overwhelming urge to vomit. But what troubled her on a deeper level, was the shifting tide of green that enveloped the whole of the ridge, almost as if it were alive.
She tried to calm herself, steadying her breathing that had rapidly picked up as the increasingly terrible echoes of the past ravaged her psyche. But something strange happened in that moment, as the lightning fast barrage of memories slowed to a crawl. Her perspective on the scene shifted as her vision raced downwards from the overview of the battlefield she had been forced to bear witness to.
As she raced ever downwards, her fears were confirmed as she began to spot the outlines of countless individuals shifting and writhing about in the seemingly endless sea of green that was bashing itself against great war machines that cut them down in droves. The green tide was comprised of an endless supply of huge, burly creatures that trundled along on two legs, hunched over and burdened by the ramshackle armor and weapons they hauled along with them. Earth shaking warcrys and howls shook Celestia to her core as her perspective descended down into the very thick of the fighting. Deep red blood splashed about every which way as the green monstrosities charged past her by the thousands, and Celestia could barely hold herself together by remembering that it was just a memory.
But as she struggled to keep herself calm amidst the chaos, she suddenly felt herself slip. She was losing the mental struggle from the moment it began, but now, in this instance, she truly lost. She couldn't explain it, but somehow, she felt less real in that moment, thousands of the green skinned monsters surging past her and into a hail of deadly projectiles that struck them down with an unearthly ease. Explosions rocked the ground, sending severed green limbs soaring through the air, ribbons of crimson trailing behind them. Another mental pang surged through Celestia, and again, she felt herself slipping, losing control over her mind in the maelstrom of memories, as she melded with the scene, becoming one with it...
The thunder of thousands of gunshots filled the air with an irrefutably ear bleeding presence, while the stomp of steel capped boots pummeled the craggy and rocky earth of the Mannheim Gap into submission. Orks spewed forth from every break in the rocks, surging forwards like a cohesive entity that threatened to overrun the massive Leman Russ tanks of the Imperial Guard 93rd Armageddon Steel Legion. Gas masked guardsman clad in tan trench coats returned fire from behind, and on top of their tanks as the main guns of the war machines recoiled back with every shell fired, their deadly payload exploding in orange fireballs that sent orks flying every which way. Severed limbs and a tremendous shower of gore rained down in the wake of every shot, hundreds of orks being completely obliterated each second the intense fighting raged on, but even so thousands more poured forth to take their fallen kind's place.
Amidst the sea of green and the line of tremendous armored vehicles accompanied by their mortal crews and soldiers that pressed forwards slowly, just barely managing to push back the green skins, a chosen few stood taller than anyone else on the battlefield, armored in the finest golden plate, and bearing the insignia of the Celestial Lions space marine chapter. The juggernauts of flesh, faith, and holy adamantine smashed into the orks with such vigor that limbs were severed on contact, makeshift armor crumpled like paper, and some just straight up exploded into a red mist. Space Marine bolters rang out across the landscape, their tremendously huge bullets throwing those they impacted stumbling backwards in the split second before the mass reactive shell detonated. Greenskins were ripped in half and completely shredded by the fearsome power of the blessed bolts, as the Celestial fought with a holy fervor that scared even the advancing guardsmen beside them.
But as the battle raged on, the ground flowing with a river of red, bodies began to pile up to the point where imperial guardsman could no longer trudge through the knee deep sea of corpses, and were forced to mount up onto the tanks that cut swathes through the endless horde that assailed the human forces. For every ork that fell, a hundred more raced past him, eager to get stuck in. Shouts of “WAAAGH!!!” resounded throughout the bloodied Mannheim Gap, filling the red eyed greenskins with unquenchable bloodlust that only drove them to greater heights of sheer insanity, as the green tide threw itself in waves against the slowly crumbling imperial line.
Lasguns refused to fire as they clicked, out of battery charge. Guardsman were cleaved clean in half by crude orkish blades, while others were sent sprawling backwards from the impact of orky bullets that tossed them into the next wave of stomping orks to be trampled into pulp. Men were gripped by the ankle by huge, meaty, hands that tugged and dragged them down into the riptide of orks that promptly eviscerated them, all while the guardsman fired their lasguns frantically, desperately hoping for salvation.
Guardsman dropped just as fast as their ork counterparts, while the stomp of the golden boots of Space Marines became softer and softer with each passing moment. Stikkbombs soared through the air as heavy shootas unleashed torrents of kinetic slugs at point blank range, raking through the armor of the valiant astartes. One by one, the bolters of the Celestial Lions fell silent, the ground eagerly lapping up the blood that flowed from the great rents in the Space Marines' armor.
Grenades cobbled together from scrap detonated in great plumes of dirty smoke that turned guardsman into nothing more but scorched heaps of mutilated flesh, while the golden armor of the Celestial Lions was left grievously damaged. Smoke billowed off of the wounded astartes, as they began to fall to the overwhelming force the orks brought to bear against them.
In time, the advance of the Imperium slowed to a brutal, bloody grind, and guardsman went down in writhing masses of blood and flesh, as green skins surged over the hardy Leman Russ tanks at the forefront of the assault. Tank hatches were pried open, and stikkbombs tossed down hatch after hatch, as armored vehicles went up in great billowing columns of smoke, their crew torn to shreds by the crude, but frighteningly effective grenades. Engine compartments exploded, tanks were engulfed in raging fireballs of orange flame as their doomed crews scrambled out, their tan trench coats alight, their gas masks muffling their agony filled cries.
Amidst the utter chaos stood a single figure, clad in a great suit of black armor that seemed to absorb light itself. Tattered, ragged robes of white besmirched by dirt and crimson splashes of blood hung loosely across the exterior of the massive space marine, as he smashed his crozius arcanum into an ork that dared to challenge his might. Flesh and bone crumbled into a pile of bleeding meat and dust that soared backwards, sending dozens of orks reeling from the forceful impact. The foul creature's blood ran down the tempered golden feathers of the imperial aquila that surrounded the stylized cross of the mighty figure's ancient power weapon.
The black armored space marine's pauldrons were a stark white that bore the cross insignia of the Black Templars chapter, while the spiked gauntlets, excessive skull ornamentation dotting his carapace, along with the distinctive crozius arcanum singled him out as a revered chaplain. He turned to his left, raising his other hand, which bore the weight of a full sized bolter, and unleashed a salvo of retribution upon the advancing greenskins, the large caliber shells detonating with a righteous fury, and leaving behind nothing more than useless hunks of ravaged flesh.
"Grimaldus!"
The chaplain turned back to where he had been previously facing, only to be smashed backwards. The full force of an ork punch sent him tumbling into the dirt, the savage force behind the blow visibly denting his pitch black artificer armor. The ceramite exterior of the chaplain's chest plate yielded to the unfathomably powerful strike, pieces of armor cracking as Grimaldus clawed at the ground and dug his boots into the dirt. Elbowing an encroaching ork boy in the jaw, Grimaldus trained his bolter on the intruding creature, before placing a single, precise shot into the creature's already fractured skull. Bone and flesh exploded outwards in a gory mess, as the stoic Space Marine managed to catch a glimpse of the xenos scum that had somehow sent him tumbling.
Standing there, literally head and shoulders above the rest of the orks was a massive, heavily muscled brute who's skin was such a deep shade of green, it could be mistaken for black. Its body was clad in the same makeshift armor that the other ork ‘ard boyz wore, but the set on this particular ork was far more complete, covering the truly tremendous ork in scrap plates from head to toe. Jagged bits of metal crudely fashioned into spikes jutted out from wherever there was space for them, and the rough metal was painted a bright red with black accents.
The huge warboss's grizzled and scarred face contorted into a devilish smirk, his pronounced underbite allowing him to show off his massive, tusk like teeth that were drenched in the blood of his foes. Deep, red blood seemed to ooze from the orks every pore, trickling down the battered plates of armor, and plopping onto the ground in thick viscous drops, as the dusty earth hungrily devoured the life force of the hundreds of guardsman the truly terrifying beast had slain. Rippling muscles bulged beneath the cobbled together plating, and the ground was torn apart with every step the tremendous warboss took, as he slowly advanced towards Grimaldus, taking his time and enjoying it.
Guardsman charged the creature from the right, only to be completely obliterated by the annoyed swats of the ork, sending them hurtling backwards, dead before they even left the ground. Stray lasgun shots deflected and were outright absorbed by both the fearsome set of plate the greenskin wore, and the orks own skin. The very same rifles that could blow a man's arm clean off failed to even break the skin of the warboss, instead only leaving behind a scorch mark, and an unsavory smell in the air on top of the overwhelming stench of ionized flesh.
A raucous laugh escaped the confident leader, as his gore caked boot smashed into the earth beside Grimaldus, who rolled out of the way, just barely managing to scramble to his feet in time. The two looked at each other for a moment, the burning red eyes of the massive warboss glowing even in broad daylight. Grimaldus returned the stare with an apathetic look, his simple yet intimidating helmet concealing his earth shattering, apocalyptically angry visage as he grit his teeth in frustration at being knocked down by a filthy xenos. The red glow exuding from his eye slots almost seemed to flare up in a subtle explosion of red light to match his demeanor. It was almost as if he was trying to match the greenskin's own ethereally red eyes, as Grimaldus barely managed to keep himself from going into a fit of rage.
Abruptly, the chaplain broke the fleeting exchange, his glowing red eyes flicking to a towering golden figure standing several paces behind the xenos. Grimaldus, even through the unholy din of war, could hear the distinctive roar of a chainsword tearing through flesh and violently dismembering the enemies of man. The figure stopped for a moment, the piercing yellow glow of his eyes directed squarely at Grimaldus, the two Space Marines exchanging a knowing look as they both nodded.
Another massive fist bore down on Grimaldus, the lumbering ork striking with frightening speed. The chaplain broke off the visual exchange and made a wide sidestep, his enhanced physiology allowing him to avoid the crushing punch with almost no room to breathe. He immediately raised his bolter and fired off his last few rounds with perfect accuracy into the neck joint of the recovering warboss, before bracing himself for another evasive maneuver. However, this was not the chaplain's fight, and his stoic visage smiled ever so slightly beneath his black helmet as a voice like that of a lion roared its words across the battlefield.
"In whatever underworld your foul breed believes, you shall tell your pig-blooded ancestors that you died to the blade of Ekene of Elysium, Lion of the Emperor."
The ork whirred around to face the towering Ekene, as the two exchanged fiery eyed glances. Ekene raised his blood soaked chainsword, and pointed it squarely at the ork's face, before pressing down on the grip trigger and revving it ferociously. The warboss took an imposing step forward before opening his maw and letting loose a shout feared across the galaxy.
"WAAAGH!!!"
Ekene seized the opportunity, surging forwards with lightning speed only an astartes could achieve as he raised his chainsword high, preparing to bring its mash of adamantium blades down with force. He tackled the ork, the whirring teeth of the sword biting furiously into the slightly exposed flesh of the ork's neck, as blood poured from the grievous wound in spades. The Pride Leader raised his boxy bolt pistol in his other hand, managing to squeeze off a single shot into the ork's upper chest near his neck, the detonation sending chunks of meat flying off of the greenskin, before a savage blow from the warboss smashed Ekene into the ground. Dust and rock went flying as he struggled to recover, noticing that both of his weapons had been thrown from his grasp. Frantically scanning around himself, Dubaku spotted his still whirring chainsword just to his left, and made a desperate break for it.
But with an animalistic bellow, the greenskin brought his fearsome power klaw to bear against Ekene, the crushing force of the pincers attached to the metal gauntlet seizing the marine tightly and lifting him up off the ground as the grip continued to tighten. The ork's features contorted into another toothy, evil grin as Ekene writhed and smashed his ceramite clad fists into the ork's arms desperately, the titanic blows capable of blowing the ork’s lesser brethren into bloody chunks only bruising its seemingly impenetrable flesh. Thinking swiftly, Ekene reached down to his side as fast as he could, just barely managing to slip his serrated combat knife free of its maglock, before plunging the blade into an exposed arm joint.
The ork reared back as 3 feet of monomolecular adamantium sunk deep into his arm, the long blade carving right through several nerve clusters and sending the brute reeling back, if not in pain, in reflex. It was forced to release the astartes, eliciting a howl of bloodcurdling rage that would have had a mortal man defecating himself in sheer terror. Ekene dropped to his knees as he fell to the ground, before promptly bolting to his feet and dashing towards his chainsword in a blur so fast as to be nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Snatching the invaluable weapon up quickly, he readied himself to charge the warboss once more, but stopped and dashed to his right, a glint of gold and crackling energy catching his eye, smashing through several ork boyz in the process. He stood there solemnly for the briefest of moments, gazing down on the freshly slain corpse of a Celestial Lions honor guard. His chest had been completely blown open, ribs torn asunder, organs liquefied, and bright red blood gushed from the undeniably fatal wound.
The body's right hand was still locked firmly around the grip of power sword, the faint blue glow of its power field dancing across the metallic surface of the slain astartes' power armor. Ekene considered leaving the holy relic there to rest with its proper owner but as much as he loved his chainsword and respected the Omnissiah, he knew it just wasn't going to cut it against the heavy armor of the warboss he so desperately craved to vanquish as part of his vengeance for his fallen brothers.
With a fleeting mental prayer to the weapon's machine spirit asking for forgiveness, Ekene swiftly knelt down, prying the deadly relic from the marine's grasp, before standing tall once more, a sword as long as a man clutched in each hand. He steeled himself for but a second, before rampaging forward, the energy sheathed power sword crackling with blue lightning that arced off of it in frightening bolts. Ekene dove under the ork’s clumsy guard, and drove the power sword straight through the warboss' stomach, while his chainsword deflected off of a slanted plate of chest armor instead of digging into flesh as the greenskin turned, unwittingly imposing a barrier between the rotating teeth and green flesh. The ork immediately responded, bringing his power klaw down on Ekene with a frustrated grunt.
But this time, he was ready. With a flick of his eyes and a surge of strength, Ekene withdrew the power sword and dashed to his far left, avoiding the power klaw before renewing his efforts and tackling the ork once more. His chainsword found a bit of exposed neck flesh to tear into, while his power sword slammed into the greenskin's chest, impaling him up to the hilt. Once again, the xenos retaliated in a fit of anger, as a gargantuan gauntlet was brought down on Ekene again.
Reacting as fast as he could, Ekene attempted to dash to his left once again, but as he did so, the ork's other fist intercepted him, striking him across his massive pauldron, stripping ceramite from his blessed armor. The brute force behind the blow sent Ekene tumbling into the dirt, while the incoming power klaw smashed his arm down, rending the chainsword from his grip as it skittered away, sputtering to a stop.
Ekene slammed his feet into the ground as he tumbled backwards, his metal boots grinding against the dusty earth as he slowed himself to a stop, his plated fingers still wrapped tight around the grip of the power sword as it crackled with hateful blue energy. He looked up, ready to make another assault on the warboss, but instead prepared to whirl around. Standing a few yards away, separated by a mass of orks, was Grimaldus who smashed his crozius arcanum into another slugga boy, sending the devastated greenskin rolling backwards in a heap of mangled limbs. The chaplain looked up for a moment, nodding at Ekene and pointing his bolter at a foe standing behind him. Ekene nodded as well, before dashing to his right to allow Grimaldus a shot.
Grimaldus steadied himself, taking careful aim at the head of the valuable target, before squeezing the trigger. Just as he managed to fire off a single round, a shadow fell over him, as the ork warboss pummeled him into the ground with a savage strike from his power klaw. The explosive report of the bolter rang out as a shell soared towards the towering ork, only to be intercepted by another passing slugga boy who stumbled forward awkwardly as the round exploded in his shoulder, obliterating it and most of the torso it was attached to. The intended target glanced over to Grimaldus, who had managed to right himself and back away from the warboss who had turned back to face Ekene, before returning his gaze to the row of Leman Russ tanks slowly making their way over mounds of gore towards the space marine vanguard.
The targeted ork was slightly bigger than the others that surround him, and his eyes glowed a strange orange that gave off wisps of dispersing energy. He was clad in the same scrap armor as that of his comrades, but was adorned with all manner of strange objects. Polished human skulls hung at his belt, while a cape of chains clanked loudly as he walked. His legs and arms were wrapped in tarnished rags, and he wielded a staff taller than himself in the hunched over position all orks ambled around in. His green skin was scarred, scorched, and his brain was clearly visible, the top of his head completely open where his skin fused into his exposed grey matter. With an excited grin, the ork weirdboy looked at the line of advancing tanks one more time, before stamping his staff into the dirt as pale green energies swirled around him.
"Ey boyz, dem 'umie gitz in da flashy tanks is stompin' us right good. Let's go show 'em who's da biggest, and da strongest! 'ERE WE GO, 'ERE WE GO, 'ERE WE GO!!" the ork bellowed in a guttural tone as the energies manifesting themselves around him shot forward and exploded in a flash of bright green light. The weirdboy smiled happily at the swirling vortex before him.
Another explosion rang out across the battlefield, as the exit portal appeared just behind the row of armored vehicles. The ork grinned mischevously before taking a big step back and gesturing for the other boyz to go and get stuck in. Dozens of orks piled into the unstable maelstrom of energy, as the weirdboy continued to attract more boyz eager to get they choppy on. But as he stood there triumphantly, a golden blur smashed into the weirdboy, sending them both soaring into the portal.
"Get offa me ya git! I'Z GUNNA SQUIG YA!!" the weirdboy shouted in an angered tone, as the two figures barreled through the unstable tunnel of warp energy. But something odd happened as green energies began to encompass the weirdboy, the strange and unpredictable nature of the power he was attempting to summon forth backfiring. With an earth shaking explosion, the ork's staff and his head exploded inside the warp tunnel, as the whole thing destabilized even further, leaving Ekene writhing there, the dead body of the greenskin still firmly clutched in one hand.
Back on the battlefield, ork boyz had stopped piling into the portal as soon as Ekene had tackled the weirdboy into it, as warp energies arced off of the vortex in bolts of green lightning that exploded on contact. One stray bolt streaked straight toward the ork warboss who was now rapidly approaching the portal. The lightning bolt smashed into the truly massive greenskin, exploding in a vibrant flash of light that didn't even phase the beast.
A salvo of bolter fire rang out as Grimaldus unloaded his bolter into the warboss' back, some rounds managing to penetrate and exploded, while others deflected off completely. As his bolter ran dry, the chaplain recognizing the click of the weapon as he squeezed the trigger, the ork continued to near the portal, now only a few feet from it. His eyes narrowed, observing the maelstrom of chaotic energies, before tensing up and muttering to himself.
"Don'tz yooz dare run frum me space mahreen ..."
With that, the warboss plunged into the decaying portal, as the amount of crackling lightning bolts increased and the vortex began to close. But even as he stepped into the maelstrom of energy, he failed to notice that the portal on the other end of the battlefield had long since vanished...
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Oh dear...
Pure speculation here, but if even one ork made it to the planet on which equestria resides, they will be present on that planet until the sun goes dark. They're a planetary infestation, one which can be fought to keep their numbers down, but only cleansed with Exterminatus.
5880780
*Reveals self by wiping some purple paint off face, despite having a red brick wall backdrop*
Heh heh. Orkz iz da sneekiest.
This living badass better not be working for the pretty pony princess...
Also, you need to start putting links to TSFH songs in the beginning. Helps with the mood.
RIP Equestria
Holy Sh*t, an Ork that speaks gothic.
5910290
Maybe that's Celestia's reason for bring him back?
5911607 *Lies dead, already blam'd by an "Ork Sniper".fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/226/9/d/ork_snipers_by_commissarmuskeg-d6i70wy.jpg
5911780 *spoilers*
Great chapter! Enjoyed it! Great job! Also. *Grabs out powersword and charges at the Orks* FOR THE EMPEROR!
I like the way you handled this. Feel it, Celestia! Feel the reality that is Warhammer 40,000 in all its horror and epic!
5924584 Glad you're enjoying the story. Anything in particular you liked or disliked? Feedback is always helpful. :D
I love the story so far hope you can put more soon :)
Can i have a list of the chapter's colors? I wish to recognize them in game
Daaayuum.
Oooooh my oh my, what a chapter, nicely done.
6192487 Blue and Gold. Oh and red, because Celestial Lions die A LOT.