1.01- Echoes
Echoes
“Lord Velas,” Inquisitor Mattias Velas, Ordo Xenos, cast a quick glance towards Alexis. The Valhallan fidgeted for a moment, as if he understood the gravity of the mistake he had made.
“I thought I told you not to address me like that,” he said, rising to his feet and turning to face Alexis. “We don’t know who might be watching us right now.”
“Right. Apologies Lord... sir.” Alexis shook his head before speaking again. “Sir, it’s Angelique; she’s having one of her fits again.” Mattias’s jaw tightened. Angelique had been so calm lately, how could he have been caught off guard by her panicking like this? The last thing they needed was for Angelique to freak out and ruin their cover. Worse, there was always the chance some overly zealous citizen or guard would kill her to “fulfill his duty to the Emperor”.
Admirable, but Mattias was not about to lose his psyker that easily.
“Where is she?” Mattias asked, not even breaking stride as he retrieved his bolt pistol and stepped out into the hallway.
“Just outside our quarters, sir.” Alexis replied. “Nikolai’s keeping an eye on her.” Mattias nodded as he stepped out into the street. The town they had found refuge in was nothing like the Hive Worlds elsewhere in the Galaxy, but it shared many of their characteristics; damp, dirty, and crowded, groups of citizens bustling to and fro. Mattias was not a large man, so navigating the crowds to follow Alexis proved to be more difficult than he would have liked. Nikolai is a good soldier, but he can’t hold off a crowd for this long.
The crowds began to worsen, but only because the Inquisitor and his bodyguard were near to their destination. He could hear shouting up ahead, several men arguing with one another over the cries of a young woman. Mattias pushed his way through several members of the crowd, brushing past Alexis as he surveyed the scene.
Nikolai was not all that different from his brother, a scruffy Valhallan who looked better on a snow-swept battlefield than a city block. He stood over the curled up form of Angelique, an autogun leveled at the crowd. “Stay back!” he bellowed. “You take one more step closer, and by the Emperor I will put a bullet through your frakking skull!”
“You’d be so quick to defend a witch?!” one of the mob cried out. “I heard what she said. She needs to burn for her sorcery!” there were several cries of approval, though some of them cut off as Nikolai swept his autogun closer to them. Now to interfere before things get out of hand.
“That’s enough, Nikolai!” Mattias called, stepping out of the crowd and drawing his bolt pistol. “Lower your weapon.”
“But sir, they’ll kill Angelique!”
“I’ll handle this. Lower your weapon.” there was a drawn out pause, the autogun shaking from Nikolai’s barely restrained anger. Finally, he relented and lowered the weapon, Mattias giving him a nod before turning back to the mob.
“All of you, disperse,” he said, holding his pistol to his side so the mob could get a good look at it. “I shall handle this ‘witch’ myself.”
“How do we know you won’t just let her go?” another member of the mob asked. Mattias gave a weary sigh and pulled a short chain from around his neck, revealing a stylized silver “I” that caused several members of the crowd to shiver in fear.
“I am an agent of the Holy Ordos, well trained in the deceptions and lies that witches and their ilk are liable to use. Should you stall my mission in any way, I shall make sure my masters draw out your torture and execution as long as possible.” Mattias had not even finished before most of the crowd decided that they had more important business to deal with, some even sprinting away as if running from an Inquisitor would do them any better. As Mattias watched the last of the mob depart, he heard Alexis snicker behind them.
“With all due respect, sir,” the Valhallan said. “Weren’t you the one that said we were trying our best not to stand out?”
“Given the circumstances, I would say that necessity trumped discretion.” Mattias replied, holstering his pistol and turning to face the two Valhallans. “Now tell me, what happened?”
“Alexis, Angelique, and I were returning to report that we had not found anything,” Nikolai replied, shouldering his autogun before continuing. “Then all of a sudden she tore her dress off and started screaming. I sent Alexis to find you-”
“And the mob got here first,” Mattias finished.
“Yes, my lord.” Mattias eyed Angelique. The psyker was nude, her gaudy dress scattered in several pieces around the street, her body pulled into a tight ball. She spasmed from suppressed sobs, her hands wrapped around her head like a child trying to block sound from reaching their ears.
“Any idea what caused this?”
“No, my lord,” Alexis replied. “We didn’t see anyone following us, and Angelique would have been cognitive enough to warn us if someone tried to attack her through the Warp.” Alexis looked towards Angelique. “She kept babbling something, but wouldn’t answer us if we asked what she meant.”
“I see.” there was a pause before Mattias spoke. “Give her your coat. I’ll see what I can coax out of her.”
“And if she is under mental attack?” Nikolai asked as his brother draped his coat over Angelique.
“You’re a good soldier, Nikolai; you tell me.” Mattias crouched down, placing a hand on Angelique’s shoulder. “Angelique, can you hear me?”
“The mare’s eyes shine, and the raven comes to her call,” the girl babbled, clutching her head tighter. “The light will rise, but the darkness... it calls... it screams, screams, SCREAMS!” she spasmed again, sobbing as she tried and failed to pull herself tighter. “Schemes fail and pleasures fall short. The swords are sharp, the raven strikes, and blood is shed across the path of the son. The mare, she doesn’t know, she doesn’t see. But she will see, silly mare; she will see and cry out, but none will listen for they have gone dumb.”
“What does that mean,” Mattias gave Angelique’s shoulder a soft stroke.
“The raven means nothing, but everything. Order is false and law is dead; the blood of martyrs runs like a fountain.” Angelique giggled, a shrill sound that sent a chill down Mattias’ neck. “Mommy wouldn’t let me in the fountain, said I would be a bad girl... bad girls die, die like animals, like we all will under the light of a new day. Animals...”
“She’s never been this loony.” Alexis commented. “What do we do, my lord?”
“He wonders what to do?” Angelique babbled. “He’ll die, you’ll die, the lords of night will feast before withdrawing from the dawn. But what shall they do? What shall they do?”
“Angelique...” Mattias started, but was cut off as Angelique’s head whipped around. Her eyes, from her pupils to her irises, had gone completely black, dropping away like the void of space.
“The mare and the light shine bright, but darkness shall swallow the light. The Game is broken, and only Destruction remains.”
...
Deep within the twisted currents of the Eye of Terror, Magnus the Red waited.
For what, he could not say. The shrieking void that was the Warp could never truly be predicted, not even for one as powerful as him. Many times he had grasped at threads only to watch them fall away like sand. Probable outcomes could be guessed, vague answers gleaned, but never what could be considered true clairvoyance.
So the Primarch of the Thousand Sons waited, listening to the sound of the Warp.
Faintly, he could hear the call, the shrieking of thousands of souls crying in panic and fear. Magnus reached out further, shifting through the morass that lay before him, trying to draw forth the true meaning behind the calls in the Warp.
All of them screamed about many things, but through it all, Magnus could hear a subtle voice.
“My lord.” Magnus was shaken from his meditation by one of his sorcerers speaking, the Chaos Marine’s head held low. “Forgive me of my intrusion, Great One, but there has been a disturbance in the Warp, one unlike any we have seen before.”
“I know,” Magnus rumbled, rising up to tower over the sorcerer. “Millions of voices crying out, but though they say many things they are all the same.”
“Yes, my lord. I have heard it too, as have my brothers, but it came to us as nothing but massed wails.” the Chaos Marine raised his head slightly, nothing more than to look at Magnus’ feet. “What do they say, my lord?”
“The Game is broken; only Destruction remains.” Magnus turned away from the sorcerer. “Call to the Legion. The time for action is upon us.”
...
Luna fluffed her feathers as she looked out across Equestria’s landscape. A light breeze had swept in from the south, rustling leaves and bushes as it passed by. Down below, Luna could see dozens of ponies going to and fro, their conversation and laughter drifting up from the markets and streets. Some would even stop and stare up at the castle, as if waiting to see if she or her sister would be watching.
Luna leaned out of sight. She adored her ponies, but she was still adjusting to their own adoration.
Luna cast a glance over to a nearby clock. Morning Court had ended almost an hour ago, and Celestia was late for her lunch. At first Luna had paid it no mind; Celestia was a busy mare, and perhaps something had come up. But the longer she waited, the more times she cast glances towards the clock, the more her worries began to build up. Do not panic, Luna, she thought, forcing her attention back to the crowds of ponies before her. If Celestia were truly in danger, she would have sent for you if she could not handle it. Luna nodded, but her confidence slowly began to erode.
But, she does like to keep to herself about some things... Luna shook her head, trying and failing to dispell the thought from her head. She was about to wander down another path of thought when she heard the door open behind her.
“Tia, finally.” Luna said, smiling as she rose to greet her sister. “I had almost thought something had-” Luna’s words died in her mouth when she laid eyes on her sister. The normally regal and composed mare looked as if she had just seen a ghost; the flow of her mane had slowed, her eyes quivered ever so slightly, and her breathing seemed barely restrained. “Tia, what happened?”
“Luna...” Celestia started. “Did you hear anything?” Luna blinked. What kind of question was that?
“I... I’m not sure what you mean, sister,” Luna started. “I mean, I did hear some commotion from the market, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
“I mean, did you hear anything through the Warp? Anything that sounded like it was calling to you?” Luna frowned. She had experienced first hand what traps laid for those who heard the callings of the Warp, the swirling mass of emotions and souls that powered magic. Could some daemon have located Equestria and sent out a challenge to Celestia.
“... No, I have heard nothing from the Warp.” Luna said finally. “What did you hear.”
“... Forty minutes ago, I heard a voice.” Celestia shook her head as she walked past Luna. “No, not one voice, dozens of them. Maybe even hundreds. Hundreds of voices, calling out through the Warp, saying... The Game is broken; only Destruction remains.”
“That’s...” Luna furrowed her brow. “That doesn’t make much sense.”
“I know, but what the message means does not matter; where it came from does.” Celestia turned back to Luna. “The message bore the same energies I remember from my time as Ruler of Mankind, before I was cast here and forged this world.”
“Tia, you don't think-” Luna started before Celestia cut her off.
“I don't think, Luna, I know. Something has happened, back in my old realm, and someone felt the need to alert me to this change. I don’t know what, but I fear that whatever it is will spell doom for those I left behind, and doom for Equestria if we sit idle and do nothing.”
“You really think so?”
“For better or worse, our universes seem to be tied to one another.” Celestia shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure out what is happening, and how can I stop it, but nothing is clear...” she sighed. “Ah, Luna, I can’t remember the last time I was so unsure, so trapped in feelings of helplessness.”
“I think I know when that was.” Luna said, her voice soft. “What must we do?” there was a long pause, Celestia looking out at Equestria. Luna watched her sister, waiting for any sign of a way she could help her, but she found nothing.
“I have done so much here...” Celestia whispered. “So much to make sure that somewhere, there was a place safe from misery and bloodshed.” she turned back to Luna. “But I fear that my work is not yet finished; Equestria is safe, but there are still others who call to my name, and they need my help.
“I have to go back, Luna. The Imperium of Man is in danger, and perhaps only the Emperor can save it.”
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This looks to be a great story! Lead them on Celestia!
FOR THE EMPRESS, FOR THE LION!
Remember my princess, Concordia Invicta.
Well this is going to be interesting, wonder how the Imperium will react when their Emperor returns as a xeno, and a female one at that.
You made a sequel!
And here I thought you were done with Pony-words! 
This makes me happy friend!
I haven't even read the first chapter (in progress) and I already know that is this going to be epic! You're awesome!
After reading: Soooooooo good. I can't wait to see what happens!
Maybe ... the Wolftime?
Sweet!
I wonder who the raven is?
Also, I can't help but wonder how effective the Emprah's last killing-off of the chaos gods was, given what they seem to have been involved with since.
6845162
Your Emperor returns! They're the same as they ever were, they're just a little horse.
Magnus is going to be involved! Yay!
Been looking forward to this.
Should I read the Luna fic before beginning this one?
6845427
Good one!
6845548 if you want to; most of the action here will be taking place in the Imperium, so what Luna's doing probably won't have that much of an impact
Chaos has granted us more emporer horse words!
Yay!
6846433
Is Celestia going to turn back into the Emperor? If Twilight comes with her, will she stay pony?
6846721 You'll see
6846784
If they stay ponies, I'll definitely follow this. The reaction of the Imperials when their Empress comes in would be rich!
6846904
Except you know Emperor used illusions to hide his true for more then 40k of years. So if he wish to become a man he will be. And let's face it humans will not follow a pony. Even less of a feamale pony.
On the other note I wonder what is Magnus up to. He is probably the only primarch in Chaos side who could return from this madness.
Cleopatra was a Pharaoh, who is to say if the warrior strong enough should not be king? If not I'm not reading more.
Aha, so the REAL villain is....Games Workshop
6846969 Magnus is a daemon Prince now though, I think it would be fair to say there is little hope of Magnus betraying Chaos after so long as a daemon.
Not to mention the attack on Fenris.
And so it begins...
*rubs hands in anticipation*
6848213
....No, It could not be him....The 6th Chaos God....MATT WARD....
The Emperor will never forsake humanity. If he had to choose between humanity and the ponies he'd side with humanity. After all, if you have too species, both of whom you love equally and are equally invested in, you would choose the one that is your own species (probably).
6931363
Glad to see someone remembered Malal.
6845427
i.imgur.com/iWKad22.jpg
I saw this story long ago, and intended to read it. But, me being me, I wanted to read the first story first, to read in order.
But, I quickly lost interest in the first story, it was too.. Slice of Life, information and things like an autobiography. Not my kind of reading and so I left it. Cut to a few days ago, I see that story again, and figure I’ll give it another shot. But even trying again continuing from where I left it, I just couldn’t get fully engaged.
Cut to now, I decided I like the idea enough I’ll skip past that first story to read this. See where this leads me.