2.08- The Jaws of Cetus: Miracles and Memories
The Jaws of Cetus: Miracles and Memories
Within thirty minutes of the mutiny, the Tyranids had stormed New Rynn City.
Thousands of lesser organisms led the charge, overwhelming what few Guardsmen held out in the southern half of the city. Genestealers and cultists threw open bomb shelters and hideaways beneath municipal buildings, inviting their masters to a slaughter of men, women, and children who could do nothing to defend themselves against the Hive Fleet. Carnifexes and Trygons tore through the streets, smashing vehicles and statues to ruin in their hunt for foes to slay while Hive Tyrants and Zoanthropes conducted the swarm from above.
All the Sisters could hear was screaming. Despite the impulse, they continued away from the carnage.
“Clear,” Ruth called, she and Judith leading the way out of the alley. Rebecca shifted about, doing her best to keep Bianca steady as she and Veronica followed after the first two. The wounded Hospitaller gave a moan, whether from pain or the cocktail of drugs Rebecca had to administer to keep her lucid, but the Sisters could not stop to tend to her. Not yet.
“How much further until we reach the river?” Veronica asked.
“The River Rynn is still several blocks away,” Naomi said from the rear. “Hopefully the Tyranids have not cut off our escape, or we’ll have to swim for it.”
“Given our circumstances, I think that will only make things worse.” Rebecca replied.
“You should leave me,” Bianca slurred. “I’m dying anyway; leave me and save yourselves from the swarm.”
“We’re not leaving you, Bianca,” Veronica snapped. “Don’t think like that. We’ll get you to friendly lines, and then find a doctor to help you.”
“I am a doctor, and I should know when one is beyond saving.” Bianca coughed, a small drop of blood falling on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Please, for your sakes, leave me.”
“No.” Rebecca fixed Bianca with a stare. “We’re going to get you help. Just... just hold on for a little longer.” Bianca returned Rebecca’s stare with doubt, but said nothing more before gunfire erupted from behind them.
“Contact rear!” Naomi bellowed, ducking behind a wrecked car as she fired down the lane. Beyond, Rebecca could see a smaller swarm of Gaunts led by several Warriors. The larger organisms screeched as they spotted the Sisters, the Gaunt strains swarming about as they fired their own bioweapons at their targets. “Rebecca, Veronica, continue on. Judith and Ruth, with me; we might be able to slow them down for a moment.”
“But Sister Naomi-” Rebecca started.
“No arguing! Go, now!” Naomi let out another burst of fire, joined soon by Ruth as the two Sisters fell back to assist the Superior. Rebecca hesitated, chewing her lip for a moment as she watched her fellows dig in to stall the swarm, but a shift from Veronica told her it was time to keep moving.
“Please Empress...” she whispered. “Don’t let it end like this... not for any of us...”
No sooner had Rebecca finished her prayer that she heard a roar from overhead. Two green-painted aircraft swept down from the buildings, weapons blazing as they targeted the Tyranids beyond. The Warriors shrieked before assault cannons shredded through them and their minions, the Tyranids falling into disarray under the assault. The two aircraft slowed, engines shifting as they dropped into hovering mode, and Rebecca could not help but smile as she saw their insignias.
The white dragon of the Salamanders. The Astartes had come to their rescue.
Rebecca and Veronica slowed, just as a squad of Space Marines came hurrying up the lane. The silhouette of Mir’shen was easy to identify, the Forgefather’s scale cloak flapping in the downdraft produced by the attack aircraft. “See, Bianca? We’ll get you help, you’ll see.”
“I don’t want to be too harsh, Rebecca,” Bianca said weakly. “But you are wasting your strength on me.” Rebecca’s smile slipped, but only slightly. Mir’shen’s squad moved past them to relieve Naomi, Ruth, and Judith, the Forgefather himself stopping before Rebecca and Veronica.
“Your medic is injured?” he asked, his voice soft.
“She was struck by a mutant during the defense of the wall.” Rebecca explained. “She’s... she’s in a bad way, but we can help her.”
“No doubt.” Mir’shen said. “Where are the others? Miss Tara and Lord Mattias?” Rebecca’s smile finished falling, her blood running cold. She stood in silence for several moments before Naomi spoke up from behind her.
“Tara and the Inquisitor took a day to inspect the spaceport.” she said. “We have not been in contact with them since.”
“Then we are at a crisis.” Mir’shen said, moving past the Sisters and looking down the road. “The Tyranids have overrun the spaceport and the southern half of the city, and more are advancing in by the hour. My brothers and I have set up defensive lines along the northern banks of the river, but our forces are spread thin even with the Guard fleeing north.” he looked back to Rebecca. “There is a medical facility where we may treat your friend. A Stormraven is just around the corner; go before she falls further.”
“Thank you, Lord Astartes.” Rebecca nodded. “Come on, Bianca- just hold out for a little longer.” Bianca did not respond, her head hanging limp. “Bianca?... Bianca, can you hear me?” Mir’shen stepped up, gently placing a hand against Bianca’s neck.
“... Your friend is fading fast.” Mir’shen said. “I would advise you make her comfortable for her last moments...” Rebecca’s breath became choppy, even as Veronica eased Bianca down to the ground.
“Bianca?” Rebecca said, taking the Hospitaller’s hand in her own. “Bianca, please focus on me! W-w-we’re almost to safety, we’ll get you help!”
“It’s too late for that...” Bianca whispered, giving a weak cough. “Rebecca, promise me... promise me you will protect Angelique.”
“No... No, you’ll be fine!” Rebecca cried. “It’s just a little further, then we can get you to a healer.” But Bianca gave no reply, her hand falling limp in Rebecca’s grasp. Tears filled Rebecca’s eyes, her jaw aching as she tried to hold back sobs.
“Rebecca,” Naomi said, placing a hand against Rebecca’s backpack. “We need to keep moving. We will have vengeance for Bianca, but that will do us no good if we are overrun.”
“No...” Rebecca said, tears dripping down her face. “I-I’m not leaving her here. Not like this.” She reached out, pressing against Bianca’s chest in an effort to keep her heart beating. Nothing, but that did little to slow Rebecca. “Not like this! Not Like This!”
Just as Rebecca started another round of compressions, a brilliant flash filled her vision. Warm energy spilled over the Sister, her entire body tingling as it flowed through her. She let out a small gasp, joined by a much deeper one from Sister Bianca as the Hospitaller spasmed, coughing several times before the light faded away. The last thing Rebecca saw was an image like that of a small insect, fading until it was just her and the others again.
“I... I’m alive?” Bianca asked, her legs twitching as she moved back. “I can feel my legs again... what did you do?”
“I... I don’t know.” Rebecca started, giving a small yelp before her hand flew to her throat. “Wh-what happened to my voice?!”
“Rebecca...” Ruth breathed. “You... you brought her back from the dead... Look! Your arm!” Rebecca looked down at her arms. Her left arm, from the elbow down, was now clad in a golden narthecium, the helix engraving replaced by a small pink gem cut in the shape of the insect from her vision. She turned her arm over, blinking as if the narthecium would vanish as soon as it arrived, but it remained fixed to her armor.
“I...” she stammered. “I wanted to heal Bianca, but this...”
“This is a miracle!” Ruth cried, quickly making the sign of the Aquila before continuing. “To think, my Sister in Arms has been blessed by the Empress in such a way! Truly, Her Hand is mighty that lifts my Sister into the esteemed ranks of Celestine and Sabbat, a Saint of the Imperium!” Rebecca’s face flushed.
“I-I wouldn’t go that far...” she stammered, but all conversation was cut off by a shriek from the south.
“It seems the Tyranids have taken notice.” Mir’shen said, reaching out to help Bianca back to her feet. “We must hurry. The Stormraven is waiting for you.” the Sisters nodded, Ruth and Veronica leading the way while Bianca stepped towards Rebecca.
“Saint or not,” the Hospitaller started. “... Thank you, Rebecca. I have often thought of my death, but... I am glad that it was held off for just a little longer.”
“You... you’re welcome, Sister Bianca.” Rebecca said, retrieving her bolter before continuing. “I cannot say I really understand what I did, but if it were not for your help I doubt I could have done any of this...” the two said nothing more as a screech echoed down the road. Rebecca turned, spotting a few Tyranids tentatively picking through the rubble, the Salamanders’ Stormtalons shifting their engines to bring their guns to bear.
“Let’s make sure you live to use such power again.”
...
Harlequins.
Mattias had not encountered many Eldar during his time in the Inquisition. Explored some of their ruins, yes. Fiddle with some of their technology, yes. But never before had he stood face to face with one, much less one of the Harlequins.
And yet here was one, and it had just greeted Tara as if she were an old friend. Not that she returned the sentiment.
“Where are we?” Tara snapped, bringing her sword to bear. “What do you want with me?!”
“There is nothing that I specifically want.” the Harlequin said, almost playfully pushing Tara’s sword away with its hand. “But as to where we are, we have entered a small path on the Webway. I will lead you back to your forces and away from the Great Devourer.”
“Why?” Mattias asked, keeping his bolt pistol at his side. “Your kind has always had its motives when dealing with Humanity, most of them to our detriment. Why go through this trouble instead of leaving us to die with the Tyranids?”
“That is not the question you need to be asking, Inquisitor,” the Harlequin looked to him, Mattias doing his best not to cringe as the twisted mask met his eye. “The question you must ask is what do you prize most: the survival of the Imperium, or your own zealotry?”
“I am willing to deal with you for as long as possible, alien.” Mattias said, eyes narrowing. “But if during our dealings you prove yourself untrustworthy, I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand.”
“When did I say that it was against me that you would be weighing your devotion?” Mattias hesitated, the Eldar turning its gaze back to Tara. “But we have tarried long enough haven’t we, Twilight Maiden? Come, I will lead you back to your fellows.” And with that the Harlequin started off down the path, its steps making no noise as it glided across the wraithbone floor.
“Orders, my lord?” Nikolai said from behind Mattias. He said nothing, clenching his jaw before stepping up to Tara.
“It seems to have an interest in you,” Mattias said. “What do you want to do?”
“... What else can we do?” Tara said, lowering her sword. “I’d teleport us, but this place feels like a magic superconductor; there’s no telling if my spells would just fizzle out, send us thousands of light-years off target, or explode violently. We’ll just need to follow and hope for the best.” A terrible idea, if Mattias had to be honest, but they had few options now.
“Lead on, then.” he said, storing his power sword while Tara started after the Harlequin... or at least, where the Harlequin appeared to be; for all Mattias knew the xenos was standing just off to his left, and the one leading them was an illusion to lure them into a trap.
Stay calm, then you can assess the situation, he thought.
The path before them was dark, winding. It curved gently along, rising and falling with every step they took, and Mattias could not find a straight line of reference anywhere he looked. Tara seemed to be frustrated as well, though whether from the geography of the Webway or the enigma that was their “guide” he could not say. Time and again she made to speak, but the words appeared to die in her mouth as soon as they had come.
Still, there were questions Mattias would like to have answered.
“Tara,” he said, looking down at her. “Why did you seem so familiar with this alien?” Tara paused, her jaw tightening for a moment before she spoke.
“It...” she said. “It started appearing in my dreams, after Caesaria. Never consistently, and never for too long, but it was there.” Tara shuddered. “Those were always the worst ones...”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked. “If these aliens were assaulting you in your dreams, maybe I could have helped.”
“I didn’t know what to do, Mattias,” Tara shook her head. “I was dealing with a lot then, and... you were busy with the fighting. I didn’t want to be a bother to you all...” Mattias fell silent. Tara had improved since Caesaria, but to what extent? Did she still think with the mind of the vulnerable young woman Mattias had seen sobbing in the belly of a ruined tank?
Was there a part of her innocence that still remained?
“It is no crime to ask questions, even if you do not wish to hear the answer.” the Harlequin said, Mattias now noting the alien had shifted a meter to the right. “You yourself have had plenty of questions about the Twilight Maiden, yet you fear what answer you might receive.”
“Why do you keep calling her Twilight Maiden?” Alexis asked. “Some weird xenos superstition?”
“Superstition is irrational fear based on questions about the unknown.” the Harlequin said, its voice now directly behind them even though Mattias knew it had not moved. “But then, you step into the unknown every day, do you not? A pity that it will lead to your destruction.”
“What’s that supposed to mean-?”
“Alexis, you know the Eldar isn’t going to give you a straight answer,” Mattias snapped. “Stop trying to provoke it until after we’ve left the Webway.”
“Trouble, Inquisitor?” the Harlequin asked.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with, alien.”
“Of course...” the Harlequin continued to move on. “Why would I seek to challenge a martyr?” Mattias hesitated. The temptation to shoot the Harlequin returned, Mattias’ finger tightening around the trigger of his bolt pistol, but soon the feeling passed. He walked on, though he found himself drawing closer to Tara the further they walked.
Minutes passed in silence. Then, as Mattias and the other rounded yet another corner, he heard a whisper. It was faint, nothing more than a fleeting sound, but soon it returned, gaining more volume the closer they drew.
“-no way we could have found the herald so soon.” the voice echoed. It took a moment for Mattias to realize it was Alexis’ voice, echoing a conversation they had years ago.
“The chances are low, sure enough,” Mattias’ own voice said. Now, he could see a shadow drifting by, him and the two Valhallans standing before a comm station aboard the Sanguinium Martyres. “But this is the best lead we’ve gotten so far. We make for Tau space in the morning.”
“Mattias,” Tara whispered. “Did you see that?”
“In your tongue, this place is known as the Path of Memories.” the Harlequin said, now standing on a ridge just above Mattias. “The Wraithsingers that crafted this path poured so much of their psychic energy into manipulating the Wraithbone that it gained the ability to feel the minds of those that passed through. Your memories will drift, but perhaps some may linger...” the alien looked to Tara. “Even if you do not want them to.”
Tara swallowed, shying away from the gaze of the alien. It’s just trying to taunt you, Tara, Mattias wanted to say. Ignore it and let’s keep moving. But the words died in his mouth, reassurance being nothing more than hollow conjecture for Tara and the Valhallans.
I hate this place.
They walked on, more memories drifting in and out of their vision. “Sorry Alexis, but I have a girlfriend...” “You are a failure of a soldier, and I should shoot you now...” “She’s made time before! Sh-she’s made time...” Mattias shook his head, looking to where the Harlequin was walking. “I suppose asking you why you took us down this path is only going to get a cryptic answer?”
“What is that saying you humans like to pass around?” the Harlequin asked. “Ah, yes: ‘Ask not the Eldar a question, for they will give you three answers, all of which are true and all of which are equally terrifying’. If you already know the answer, why bother to ask? And the answer to the one question you wish to know is standing right before you.” Mattias paused, one eyebrow raised. As he tried to make sense of what the alien told him, a new memory flickered across his vision.
It was a small horse. A foal, with a purple coat and a small nub of horn jutting from its skull, a battered book clutched in some psychic field that followed behind it. Some Eldar pet, perhaps? That thought was dashed as he examined it closer, noting the six pointed starburst displayed prominently on its flanks.
A starburst Tara now wore on her shoulder.
“Princess Celestia!” the foal cried, its voice a tinier version of Tara’s own. Mattias watched as the memory darted into a room, where a larger equinoid with both wings and a horn rested.
“Oh, good morning Twilight,” the larger figure said, Mattias feeling his heart skip a beat or five. “Empress...?” “Your lessons are not for another hour. Is something wrong?”
“Um, Spike was teething and he started chewing on this book...” the foal held the book to the larger horse. “Can you fix it?”
“No...”
“Of course, Twilight.” the older mare took the book. “This will only take a minute. Come, sit with me and I’ll explain how the spell works.” Mattias took a step back, shaking his head as the image shifted. A xenos trick, nothing more. The damn Harlequin was trying to convince him of an impossibility, of treason.
“Rainbow Dash! Stop!” the foal, now a grown mare, held a light blue Pegasus in her magical grip. “Listen, Rainbow. I know you're upset with Applejack, but don't worry. Whatever it is that has come between you two, I'm sure that I, as a good friend, can help you resolve your problems.”
“Uh, what are you talking about?” the Pegasus asked.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to hide your feelings from me! I can tell you two must've had a terrible fight.” the purple mare shoved the Pegasus onto a couch, pulling out a pen and paper as she continued. “Now, why don't you tell me all about your issues with Applejack?”
“This... this can’t be happening!” Mattias cried, drawing his pistol and aiming it at the vision. “What are you doing, xenos?!”
“You wanted an answer,” the Harlequin said from behind Mattias. “I warned you that you might not like it.”
“Yesterday, I heard voices calling through the Warp, warning me of some coming disaster,” the image changed again. The older mare from before was now dressed in great armor, the Empress' armor, and stood in an ornate room of stained glass. “Apparently, I was the only one to hear it, and what is more troubling is that it did not originate from Equestria, but from my old universe.”
“Who sent it?” the mare asked.
“Anyone that would be powerful enough to do something like this is dead or would wish to see me dead. If your greatest enemy warns you of coming danger, what does that say of the coming disaster?” Mattias’ hand tightened, the bolt pistol trembling in his hand. Lies, projections. The Harlequin had to be trying to trick him. There was no way Tara was a xenos.
A xenos who bore the same mark she wore on her armor, who spoke in the same voice... who knew nothing of war, of humanity’s struggle, who sought to mend relationships rather than fight...
A xenos who followed a being that spoke with the very words of the Empress of Mankind.
“So... what does this have to do with me?”
“Whatever awaits me, I must face it head on before it can harm or destroy Equestria. That is why I am going back to the Imperium of Mankind. And you are coming with me.”
“NO!” Mattias raised his pistol and fired, unloading the weapon at the apparition. The image faded, the hellfire shells smashing apart Wraithbone without further damage. He would have reloaded had not someone grabbed his arm.
“Mattias!” Mattias whipped around to see Tara looking at him, concern lacing her features. “What’s wrong? What did you see?” Mattias choked. Had she not seen the visions? If they really were her memories, would she have worried that he might have seen them? He tried to say something, anything to allay her concern, but the Harlequin spoke first.
“Humans... always striving forward without concern of what lies ahead.” it said. “It is both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. Though I would ask if you would kindly not destroy more of the Webway than you already have. We do want to make this journey quick for all of you.” A hiss of air caught Mattias’ attention, the inquisitor shifting his eyes to see a second Harlequin standing next to him, twin swords aimed directly at his throat. How... he thought, before slowly lowering his pistol.
“It’s nothing.” he said finally. “I got startled there for a moment. Let’s keep moving.” this seemed to placate Tara, the girl letting go of Mattias’ arm and resuming her trek through the Webway. The Valhallans regarded Mattias for a moment, as if he were about to give them new orders, before they too started after the retreating form of the Empress’ Student. Mattias knew he had to keep walking, lest he be lost on the Webway forever, but he still found himself standing and looking at where the memory had faded.
“Now you know more of who the Twilight Maiden is,” the Harlequin whispered in Mattias’ ear. “She means more to you than just an enemy, or even a friend, even if you do not realize it just yet.”
“Tara is not a xenos,” Mattias growled. “And if all you are going to show me is lies, then you can just keep your visions to yourself.”
“You say that, but down in your heart you know that the memories you glimpsed are true.” the Harlequin drifted away. “So ask yourself what truly matters more in your life: the Fate of the Imperium, or your zealotry?” Mattias said nothing. There was no point in arguing with the alien, especially if it was going to keep giving answers like that. Shooting it would just start a fight, and then where would that leave him or the Imperium?
... That was a question Mattias no longer knew the answer to.
So he picked up his pace, hurrying to catch up with the others before they fell completely out of sight. The Valhallans kept their gaze forward, while “Tara” stood before what appeared to be an ornate Wraithbone pillar. “This will take us back to Rynn’s World?”
“The Webway has many hidden gates, even those invisible to many of our kind.” the Harlequin said. “Hurry now, for the hour is late. The Great Devourer draws closer, and you have still not answered our question.”
“But every time I try you just-” Tara’s words died in her mouth, for the Harlequin had vanished once more. It was just her, Mattias, and the Valhallans, all alone in the Webway with only memories and broken Wraithbone.
“Well, that was pleasant,” Alexis muttered. “Pity the Eldar weren’t interested in any good memories.”
“We’ve seen enough already.” Nikolai countered. Tara stepped up to the pillar, gently placing her hand against the Wraithbone. It shimmered, small trails of light running up her armor before she pulled her hand back.
“My magic feels more normal here...” she said. “Maybe the Eldar was right and this is safe...” she was about to step through when Mattias spoke.
“Tara, wait.” she turned, giving another concerned look.
“What is it, Mattias?” she asked. There was a long pause, Mattias trying to think of a better way to open the discussion besides “Are you really a xenos”. The Valhallans looked between the two of them, all waiting for what Mattias had to say.
What truly matters more in your life: the Fate of the Imperium, or your zealotry?
“Back there,” he started, licking his lips. “When I fired, I saw... I saw some of your memories.”
“Oh?” Tara asked, concern deepening. “Nothing too bad, though? I know some of my memories have been a bit rough, especially after all I’ve been through.”
“I...” Mattias stopped again. “I just want to know one thing.” Mattias met Tara’s gaze with his own. There was no malice, no joy of deceiving a servant of the Imperium; just concern, innocence, the same look he had seen countless times since he found her and the Empress.
A gaze so familiar, yet so alien at the same time.
“The Eldar often try to deceive us to follow their parameters,” he said. “I want to know: who do you serve?” another pause, Tara’s head inclining as she thought. Mattias found his hand drifting towards another magazine of hellfire shells, his finger brushing against the metal. Finally Tara spoke.
“I’ve seen so much pain, distrust,” she said. “I’ve seen people completely detached from all that they see, who care not when their friends and loved ones are torn asunder by weapons of great power.” then she smiled.
“But I have seen many good things as well. Courage, honor, men and women who rise to the challenge to save those who cannot help themselves. I’ve seen those who have punished themselves for their past sins find redemption, evil turned back by righteousness, and wounded souls take the first steps towards healing.” Tara stepped forward, gently taking Mattias’ hand in her own.
“I serve the Empress first and foremost, you know.” she said. “The Imperium has its faults, but it is still worth fighting for. And I’m glad I have such good friends like you and the Sisters to guide me in that fight, to stand by my side as we save Mankind.” Mattias blinked, his eyes darting between Tara and his hand. With another smile, Tara leaned in and gave Mattias a full hug, the Inquisitor’s arms hanging limp as he tried to make sense of this.
“Thank you again, for everything.” she said. All Mattias could do was blink, holding still even as Tara broke away from him. “Now, we should go and see where that portal takes us.”
“... After you.” Mattias said, waiting patiently until Twilight had stepped through the portal.
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Hmmm... dunno how I feel about this; seems sort of rushed and incomplete, but it pushes the plot forward which is good!
He now knows
Hrm. This COULD be bad. Mattias now knows Tara's an alien, and has seen enough to suspect Celestia, as well. Time will tell what is done with this information.
Hoo boy...
Cat's outta the bag...
Well I think Mattie's life could soon be ending. He knows far too much and I hope he thinks before he acts and makes a fool of himself. He would be an awesome bearer of either Loyalty or Honesty.
9187858
This info could certainly be dangerous to tara, but I doubt that he could do anything to celestia even if he wanted to. First, his only evidence is a memory which he saw in the web way, which I don't think is going to be particularly convincing to anyone. Then there's that his accusation would imply that both corax and the lion were deceived and that's not going to go over well with either of them. And last, as an inquisitor he would certainly be aware that even saying something as absolutely heretical as the empress is a xeno would get him shot on the spot by most people. And that's ignoring all the emperor level psionic powers that have been observed by everyone. Tara is certainly in a precarious position, especially if the empress isn't around to help, but celestia herself has basically nothing to fear.
9188054
As an Inquisitor he is a master of information warfare, and has so many resources available to him he doesn't have to even state what he's going to use for that he could easily make waves anonymously, especially since there's so much doubt cast on Her by certain influential parties. And that's only assuming things don't get more dubious later. He wouldn't need to make official accusations at all. Indeed, wouldn't be much of an Inquisitor if he did. Their whole purpose is to work to solve issues from any and all approaches.
I don't believe he'd be the one to do anything, however. But, as we well know, just KNOWING things in 40k can be dangerous to the person who knows and everyone who could be harmed by this knowledge.
Well, looks like Matt has some choices to make...
And
for Rebecca!
You know, I wonder if it's possible to be human in this story in Equestria.
Because for all I know, it wasn't the chaos gods that turned the emperor into Celestia, but the nature of the reality itself. Maybe pony = human in warhammer universe and human = pony in equestrian universe.
Just some idle thoughts by me.
9188220
Just because of who's involved in this story, I'm thinking that the bigger threat is who already knows. I have little doubt that Lorgar already knows Celestia's true nature and is simply waiting for the moment when revealing that information to the Imperium would do the most damage to it. Given that there are still zealots like Markos in the Inquisition, the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperium at large, they might decide to simply burn the Imperium to the ground since it has obviously been "corrupted", in their eyes, by a xeno. Add to it people like the Lion who already doesn't completely trust Celestia along with any of the more reactionary surviving Primarchs that are found, the resulting chaos would tear the Imperium apart in ways that the Horus Heresy never could. The Harlequins are likely revealing that information as well, but only to those who would put the Imperium before their own dogma, who would see that Celestia and Twilight, while xenos, sincerely want to save mankind from destruction in body and soul.
9188547
9188220
Let's be real. The Imperial Truth alone would be enough to send the Imperium spiraling down into destruction. The idea that the Emperor is an outright god (Lorgar's doing, since the bible of the Imperium was written by its arch-heretic) is what keeps the Imperium together. Finding out that not only is she not a god, but also that she destroyed all worship including her own, would cause all kinds of shitstorm. Add on the possibility she might be a xenos, and is harboring a xenos close to her (despite the Imperium being on fairly neutral/semi-positive terms with any and all xenos races who did not oppose human expansion in the past) and you have everything devolve into utter chaos.
9177796
Of course!
...
If by hilarity you mean much pained screaming and panicking as people discover their grenades have all had their pins pulled, that is.
"Foolish Xenos! You underestimate the human ability to stick our heads in the sand and deny, deny, deny!"
the
I delight in this story. I delight in the revelations of this chapter. I delight in the emerging arc of the Sisters. I delight in Mattias.
You had me thinking you were going to kill Bianca. I am gratified that I was wrong. I had an inkling what may develop with Rebecca, but I didn't anticipate it playing out the way it did. I thought her Kindness empowerment might come after Bianca's death. Happy to be wrong.
I was especially gratified by both how Mattias chose to ask 'Tara' his question, and how she chose to respond. And the implications that the Harlequin hinted at. All in all, one of the better chapters in an exemplary story. Well done indeed.
I am only sad that there is not more. But, as a writer myself, I must not pressure you...
BUT I WANT MORE.
Wow! You are on a roll! Good job man
.
9188081, 9188220, 9188547, and 9188054
I think all of you are forgetting a much more bigger problem... Did you all forget that there is a Chaos God, one of the evil people hiding in the background and rarely ever brought up, currently following Tara and Mathis in the shadows right now, one that can read minds?
Second, you're thinking too small. Your thinking only about Humans. If knowledge could get out that there is a literal second universe out there, with where the Warp is so common and stable that every creature can use it, and it's filling the entire existence in that universe... What do you think the Chaos Gods are going to do? What do you think Teranids are going to do?
Mankind isn't the only thing to exist and can be harmed. Equestria is also going to be harmed, and if Someone from the 40k universe gets to Equestria through Twilight's or Celestia's Memories, things are going to go very very bad, for everyone. If they absorb that power, hey would probably be even stronger than Celestia.
9190299
Well, considering that Warmistress of Equestria hasn't been updated in quite a while now, I doubt much is going to change on that front. That's more of a meta reason than an in universe one, but still.
9190299
No? No one forgot about these things, we just weren't discussing them. One doesn't bring up every potential issue when discussing one every time, friend.
Edit: Then she smiled
Let all rejoice in the finding of Saint Rebecca, the Bearer of the Element of Kindness.
9188547
Which, to be fair, cryptic insanity aside, Cegorach is, by and large, more pro-Imperium than pro-Chaos. I'm pretty sure the Eldar, Humanity, and maybe the Farsight Enclave could have some sort of treaty or something until they deal with the Tyrannids and the like
Rebecca is Fluttershy’s stand in!
Though, Kindness only changed to a butterfly, same as the other elements, because of their bearer’s marks, as shown in the flashback where they where simple gems. Unless these aren’t a ‘new’ set of elements we will be seeing, and in fact the originals?
Course, this raises questions, especially considering the revealed nature of the elements from the last story. I would appreciate some clerification, just so i don’t have to go reread the entire last fic and spend a weekend theorizing, if you don’t mind!
Has it really been years? Jeeze...
FINALLY!
Mattias.exe has stopped working.
“I am totally crushing on a (possibly) xeno. Holy Terra.”
The fact that he is an inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos only makes it that more rich.
9205612
Well, I was trying to stay close to what I had set up in the original fic concerning the Elements (that they're tied with the souls of the Hearth's Warming Six or something like that), though the exact nature of harmony and what it means for the Imperium will be explored later on. I went with the original designs for the Element's gems because... well, I don't really know. Familiarity, maybe? Not wanting one of the Elements of Harmony to be a skull of some sort? Though I've already started thinking of alternates based on some of the Imperium's various glyphs and icons, so that might change.
Yes, I've been playing a bit fast and loose with the time otherwise we'd still be on their journey to Terra. It's been about three years since Twilight and Celestia arrived, give or take.
Well, if the Captain-General of the Custodes can have a Tau girlfriend...
9205766
I was thinking it had been months, maybe a year. Man, Twilight has been far from home for a long time. We gonna get side chapters on how things fair in Equestria without her and Celestia?
9206022 Maybe
…….
My mind has been blown up, twice. In this one chapter...
Good job.
Fluttershy giving death the middle feather from beyond the Warp.
“It’s that moment of dawning comprehension I live for.”
9205612
It’s all cool, bro - she’s totally sanctioned!
I kinda feel like Mattias seeing Celestia refer to Equestria as "my old/original universe" would do more to shake his very understanding of reality than to just go "Ehrmehgerd, xenos! BLAM" I also wonder, somewhat oddly as well, if viewing G rated memories from Equestria translates over correctly to the AO rated Imperium; specifically Twilight counseling Rainbow while she lays on a bench with her crotch pointed towards the camera. That would prompt some wholesome Inquisitorial disgust.
I get that you want to treat the Emperor having spent time as a pony princess as some sort of horrible reveal to the Imperials and maybe have a civil war over it, but it's not even flimsy, it's anti-Imperial. No, seriously, there is an entire branch of assassins that transform into anything from humans to aliens and even Ork and gene-stealer forms. The Imperials accept it because it's in the Emperor's service. The Emperor shape-shifting however he pleases wouldn't phase any but a small handful of irrelevants who would be quickly purged. Plus, the Emperor can do whatever he wants. Anyone who complains is obviously a heretic. In addition, he transformed into a creature from human myth so decrying it would be to call humanity's heritage and even current Imperial culture (which includes things like pegasi and whatnot) heretical. Somehow I don't think anyone is going to accept calling human culture, especially Imperial culture, heretical.
What they should be pissed about isn't heresy, it's that this means the Emperor chose to not come back and clean up his own mess that he created while humanity spent fifteen thousand years in abject misery and carnage even though he apparently could have returned but chose not to. The only reason he came back was because he wanted to protect his newest pet project and seemingly abandoned his own species who has suffered so terribly and fought so hard to earn the right to survive and prosper with sweat, blood, and tears in the blind faith that some day they will know peace. All in favor of a naive, cheerful, friendly, peaceful species who has hardly ever had to truly work for anything. One he created.
THAT would piss people off.
I wonder how she's feel to learn the Sororitas are best known for being team-killing psycho-bitch assholes sticking their noses in things that don't concern them and generally acting like they're king of the castle wherever they show up. Some individuals don't, like Twilight's squad, most do. The Order of the Argent Shroud, for example, is most notable simply for being genuinely good as opposed to just another group of the Emperor's pet psychopaths. When the organization you're part of has a branch that's famous for being good people you might want to think a little deeper.
9608323
It's not Celestia's old/original universe. Plus she's consistently only referred to the Imperial universe as her old/original universe. She's not a pony who became the Emperor. She's the Emperor who purposely transformed into a pony after creating them so as to guide them towards Harmony and away from Chaos.
9195927
" and maybe the Farsight Enclave"
Dude, the Tau are so tiny and insignificant that most Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos don't even know they exist at all. They have like two dozen worlds, almost zero creativity (which is explicitly why the Eldar abandoned them after spoon-feeding them technology), and are far from the frontlines. They also struggle to fight even a tiny fleet of Tyranids even while the Imperial is ripping and tearing into the fleet's rear. They are worse than not having allies simply because of their sheer nativity being so great it would easily get everyone killed.
10062290
Thank you for the unnecessarily-condescending repetition of things everyone reading the story already knows to correct a typo from nine months ago. Checking the dates on comments might save you some wasted effort, especially since you seem intent to comment on everything in every chapter.
Oohoho shit, seems the Element of Kindness has found a bearer in this universe...... I like where this is going!