And they shall know no fear

by Naroe_Clan

Chapter 5: dimensions and distraction

I walk through a desolate cratered landscape, unidentifiable objects crunching underfoot. The ground is covered in red disturbed only by my own stomping. Wisps of mist float along the ground, thickening around piles of objects like ghosts. I walk towards the one spot of color amongst the greyness, my eyes focusing only on a face. The face is completely clear and I can count every feather and almost feel the smooth surface of the beak. The misted eyes are empty, nothing behind them. The face is attached to a body by a slightly crumpled neck. The body is unmarred, nearly every feather still in it's proper place, one foreclaw still grasping a sword. I look closer and I see the fluffy feathers, the not quite mature face, the small size and I feel that I can look no longer, but I can't look away. My focus drifts back to the eyes as they seem closer and closer. Closer and closer and closer and-

I awake. I don't move for the longest time, laying on my back as I contemplate my returning nightmare. I have already told myself every excuse there is to tell and have rationalized every action I have taken, but I will always remember that one face...

I eventually sit up and swing my legs off the side of the slab of iron I sleep on. I hold my gauntleted hand in front of myself, staring at the movement of my fingers as if I can discern some cosmic truth from the action. After several minutes of contemplation I stand up, muttering “To be or not to be indeed.”

I need a distraction from my melancholy, so I head out of my cleaned up bedroom and towards one of my base's vehicle bays. There's much more movement around here since I came back about two weeks ago. Several servitors bustle around mechanically, carrying containers of ore towards the processing units and bringing empties back to the mines, and a few combat servitors armed with heavy bolters idle around the main chamber and stare blankly at the walls.

I enter the vehicle bay, moving past a couple floating mechanized pony skulls as their 'eyes' scan a row of Rhino APCs to determine if they need maintenance. Nearby the door that I entered through, I reach my objective: a charging station for Tau stealth scout drones.

I pull one off of its station, running a hand over its smooth surface, remembering how tremendously difficult it was to create. Almost all of my technology is created based upon what is used by the Imperium of Man during the forty first millennium, but I can summon forth 'xenotech' from the various other races of that galaxy with tremendous effort. Making just one of these relatively small drones took a full three days and I was tired out for a month afterward. Fortunately I was able to modify an imperial manufactory to produce more using the first as a blueprint, and so I have quite a few such drones, and am getting even more now that I'm unpetrified and my base is operational.

With the drone in hand I reach through the immaterium towards the everfree, pulling my body with me. On the way there, I see a couple objects floating in the immaterium. This is not all that unusual as I have placed quite a few objects there for safe keeping or as backup plans, however these objects are decidedly unusual in a way that I can't quite explain. I move closer, looking in detail at them both.

I see objects which should frankly not exist here, namely a pair of odd medieval gauntlets reminiscent of those worn by samurai, and an ipod with earbuds wrapped neatly around it. No being on this world besides myself could wear such gauntlets, and as far as I know the technology necessary to make an ipod hasn't come about yet.

A question even more important to me than how these objects exist comes to my mind, and soon to my lips even though there isn't anything around that could conceivably hear me. “How, in the name of the Warp, did these end up in the Warp?! Is some pony messing around with other dimensions again? Starswirl nearly went insane from watching me teleport too closely, and Celestia's had dimensional research banned for two millennia since. Am I gonna have to hunt someone down?”

Annoyance aside, I should really take these somewhere where I can keep an eye on them. I reach forward and as soon as my hand brushes the ipod I hear a voice speaking from within it.

"Hey wassup dude or dudette! This is Vinyl Scratch and if ya need some cool tunes or just wanna hang out and party then you found your gal! I aint too great at fighting so unless you just want a wicked bass cannon or something I wouldn't call me up for that. Later dudes!"

I freeze up as soon as I start hearing the voice, immediately creating a great many layers of mental defenses, but at the name Vinyl Scratch I stop creating more defenses and listen to the rest of the message. I'm pretty sure that if anyone could see my face that i'd look rather ridiculously confused. I shake my head a few seconds after the message ends and grab the ipod again, not hearing the message repeat itself, but also feeling that it has lines of connection between itself and a place that feels very, very far away and yet close enough to touch.

An object from another dimension? Is this common? Why is it here? Why would another Vinyl Scratch be sending things through dimensional barriers? Why does my head hurt so much?

I shake my head again, filing away all those questions for another time, and create my mental barriers again as I reach for the gauntlets.

“I am the warrior, the master of weapons, the seeker of battle and adventure. To those who would require my strength to defeat thy foes, to crush opposing forces, put on these Genji Gloves and call out my name with the intent to summon me. If ye be without true malice in thy hearts, know that the mighty Gilgamesh will come to thy aid!”

Hmm. Not a name I know much about, but sounds like someone I might get along well with.

I see that the 'Genji Gloves' have connections similar to the ipod, but leading to a completely different dimension. As I think about the odd items, it occurs to me that these items might be created as part of these individual's contribution to some sort of trans-dimensional community. Oddly, that thought came to me almost too easily, as if influenced by some outside force. I don't detect any malice behind the thought, nor behind the connected thought to create a similar item of my own.

I decide that it will be an interesting momentary diversion, so I send the stealth drone the rest of the way through the immaterium with orders to scout out Ponyville and report back with its findings. I then return to my base with the other-worldy items. I set the gauntlets and ipod aside as I move to a workbench, an idea already in mind. I call forth a simple bolter round and go about carefully removing the actual ammunition and propellant before starting to carve writing into the side of the boltshell casing.

I take a long time carving a lengthy imperial prayer of protection into the casing. I even take a small amount of warp energy and imbue the words with meaning, making the simple object nearly invincible and possibly even shielding whoever might hold it in the future. I hold up the carved piece and use more energy to create gold filigree within the etchings, finishing the piece of art.

I then pick up the gauntlets and ipod, staring at them with my mind, familiarizing myself with their connections and learning how they are made. As I do so, I begin talking.

“Whosoever shall hold this token holds the power to summon forth the strongest of warriors. Should you find yourself in need, call forth and you shall receive the aid of one of The Emperor's own holy Astartes. This I declare upon my honor as chaplain of the Black Templars.”

I then hold up the engraved boltshell and use my power to send it forth, through the immaterium to wherever else it may go.

With that done, I put the gauntlets and ipod into my room and head towards the base's 'radio room' as I like to call it, although I'm pretty sure that imperial communicators don't actually use radio waves.

Once inside, I sit down at a terminal and open up the video feed to my drone. I see that it's floating above Ponyville, looking around at empty streets. I find this odd, but there are several circumstances shown in the show that would fit here, so I direct the drone to wander about until it finds a sign of life. It only takes a few seconds for it to spot a cloaked figure pawing at the road, with a lot of conspicuous faces staring at it from windows.

I grin, finding the timing excellent for distracting myself and perhaps even having a little fun. I start coming up with plans as I mutter “perfect.”

Author's Note:

Newchapteryay!
And thus I prove to myself just how unmotivated I can be, and just how long it takes for me to get back on track.
Also: anyone think that beginning paragraph is worthy of a "gore" warning?

Comments

[Techpriest Eh]

>First

Thank the Omnissah! Another chapter has been released for my Occular implants to behold and read in all its glory!

[PetuTheViewer]

You have an Astartes in the story. That usually is enough to warrant the gore tag.

[Clicker]

whec-assets-live.s3.amazonaws.com/2014/11/43949_67e9a67604c54517a316d61e0a8411a5.png

[The A I]

MORE PLEASE!

[Techpriest Eh]

6339118 No, I clean mine everyday

[Techpriest Eh]

6340724 I would offer you some but my Forge World is too busy producing Lemun Russ's

[Naroe_Clan]

6341045 TECH HERESY! *BLAM*

[Techpriest Eh]

6341045 HERESY!

[Jarimor]

oh god, please tell me that gilgi isn't getting involved JUUUUST yet.
we don't need him freaking the hell out all over your Chaplin.

[Naroe_Clan]

6343931 I haven't even talked to Shinigamisparda about a crossover. I'd really quite like to do so at some point, but at this point I've just added the tokens and have no definite plans yet.

[Brother Uriel]

Hey! Great chapter! Seems like dis stuff gonna be good! And Black Templar? The picture is that of a Dark Angels Interrogator Chaplain... Or maybe I am mistaken... I shall check the Dark Angel Codex, but, what I really want to ask... Is would you be willing for a crossover anytime soon? I'm just wondering... I still have yet to have my Displaced send out a totem, but he will... I was just wondering if you would want to do one...

[Doctor REDACTED]

So who’s the Vinyl Scratch one? Or is that just part of Gilgamesh’s token?

[Naroe_Clan]

8768052
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/262558/wub-me-or-hate-me