New arrivals
Chapter 1 - New arrivals
Mid-afternoons were quite peaceful in the quaint little town of ponyville. On clear days, ponies walked up and down the streets fetching groceries, escorting children to and from school, and enjoying the nice weather before returning to work.
By contrast, Twilight's immense Castle of Friendship was quite the landmark. It loomed over the town and was visible from every home, business and farmstead for miles around. The few denizens who dwelled within were busy with their own tasks.
Twilight, for instance, was anxious for a response from Princess Celestia regarding a worrying sight she had spotted in the mountain ranges to the west of the small town. A noticeable column of smoke was emanating from a known cave in that region.
This was normally the sign of a dragon having set up a place to sleep or stash its hoard of gold and jewels. Sleeping dragons also let out a lot of smoke, being a fire-breathing creature. The amount of smoke they emit has the potential of affecting local wildlife ecosystems and even the climate.
Reporting the instance was step one for dealing with dragons. Step two was the most difficult: wait for a response to the report. Nervous pacing across the throne room floor did not help speed up the process at all, but it was natural for Twilight.
"Do you think she's forgotten about us, Spike?", asked Twilight in her anxious tone as she continued her circle around the throne room.
"Come on, Twilight", spike said in a confident manner as he looked up from his comic book, "you know Princess Celestia will always make your concerns a priority." The concern in question was what the proper course of action should be for a dragon sighting so close to her location.
"Besides", he continued, "It hasn't even been a whole day. I'm pretty sure her memory is better than that."
Almost right on cue, Spike winced and let out a small belch of green dragon breath. From the fumes materialized a scroll of parchment sealed with the signature blue ribbon and seal of Canterlot. Like a well-trained dog, Twilight responded immediately to this familiar sound and ran to the scroll. Her expression was one of eager anticipation, like this was going to be her best birthday present ever.
"What does it say, Spike?" Twilight almost demanded to know as she trotted in place, "read it, read it, read it!", getting more and more excited to hear from her favorite correspondent.
Spike knew the procedure well at this point. Unroll the scroll, clear his throat, start from the top of the letter, and recite it verbatim.
"Dear Princess Twilight," he began, "I am already aware of the dragon outside Ponyville. The Canterlot Wildlife Conservation Society has informed me that they are handling the situation with extreme care. There is no need to worry as long as you keep clear of the dragon's resting place. Signed, Princess Celestia."
"Well, that's good news," Twilight said as she walked toward the throne room door. "We can inform the townsfolk about this situation."
"Stay away from the dragon that's already out of our way to begin with," remarked Spike as he jogged after Twilight. "It's going to be a good day today, I can tell."
-------
The drop pod rattled as it streaked through the upper atmosphere. This did not disturb the five-man assault squad inside as they continued to recite the liturgy of freefall. Each soldier had their eyes closed in prayer. All except for one: Sergeant Drake Agnos of the Blood Angels. His job as squad leader was to lead all battle brothers under his command to victory. Whenever new recruits were assigned to his squad, he liked to keep at least one eye on them at all times. The rookie in the ranks was Dorus Thane, fresh out of his long training period to becoming a legendary Space Marine.
As Agnos and the more seasoned battle-brothers prayed with reserved expression, the Sergeant noticed a look of eagerness on the young soldier's face, a grin that almost seemed to say 'whatever danger awaits, I welcome it with open arms'. It was an odd look for a Blood Angel, and certainly uncharacteristic of a super soldier built for war.
"Thirty seconds to impact", chimed the drop pod's internal vox.
This was the squad's cue to don their power armor's helmet, ready their weapons and prepare to disembark at a moment's notice. The sergeant was the first to speak after the alert, "Prepare yourselves brothers!" Though Thane's helmet now completely covered his face, Sergeant Agnos could still read the anticipation in the rookie soldier's body language.
Should he tell the new guy to calm down because it's just his first deployment? No, the sergeant thought to himself. If I could learn the rigors of combat the hard way, so could he. Agnos himself had once been a new blood, excited by the prospect of travelling to new worlds, bringing the glory of the Imperium to its enemies. It's not all fun and games.
The squad had been tasked with eliminating a large draconic creature that had been harassing the explorator legion sent to this planet. The sergeant knew from his many decades of service that this first encounter would set the eager young warrior straight, should he survive the battle to come.
The retro rockets fired, slowing the pod's descent. Impact! The drop pod made its landing on solid rock. No sooner had the restraint harnesses released the Space Marines and the door opened up to reveal the alien world beyond. The five-man squad quickly exited the pod and assumed their tactical formation.
Three marines scanning the front and flanks while the sergeant and Thane covered any high ground. Each one bore a bolt pistol and chainsword, a favored loadout among the assault marines of the Blood Angels. The drop pod's automated storm bolter scanned in all directions, ready to cover any area where the marines may not see.
After each marine gave an all-clear for his respective field of fire, the sergeant assessed the terrain and tactical options available to them. Their landing was not too far off their target, the mouth of a cave. Only about two hundred or so yards to the south.
"To the north, there lies our target", voxed the sergeant to the rest of the squad as he pointed to the mouth of a large cave about fifty feet up a sheer cliff wall. A thick column of black smoke rose straight up from the mouth of the cave. This was the giveaway that the fire-breathing creature was here. It was also blocking orbital scans for the local region.
"Move up. Into the cave," he ordered. A normal tactical squad would have a tough time scaling a near vertical cliff face, but these were assault marines. Each one was equipped with a powerful jump pack. It's twin thrusters had more than enough power to propel their armored bulks up to the opening.
One by one, each marine's jump pack roared to life, carrying the marines skyward, like crimson angels.
Thane was the last to activate his jump pack. He was also the least experienced in its use. He jumped just as high as his battle-brothers, but tilted forward slightly more, causing him to go into a forward roll. One full revolution later, he could see his intended landing area. To his dismay, he could also tell that he would fall short. He had a chance to grab the ledge, but would he be able to reach?
No, he would fall even shorter than that. Time seemed to slow as he fell further and further back down. Fortunately, sergeant Agnos had other plans for the new blood this day. Instead of falling to the ground below, the sergeant reached out and grabbed an outstretched hand of Thane's.
The next thing Thane could see was the unforgiving solid rock wall, then a brief moment of confusion as his body slammed into it. A moment passed, his auto senses returned and he could see the sergeant balanced precariously over the edge, golden veteran helmet staring down at him from on high. How was he holding both his own weight and an unbalanced space marine so far over the edge?
"Pull!" shouted the sergeant over his shoulder. One other squad member was holding the sergeant's other arm, counterbalancing the rookie soldier's weight. He gave a mighty heave and pulled the pair of power-armored marines to the stable ledge.
Once Thane felt he was on solid ground, he made his way to the rest of the formation just inside the cave. Stopping him was a hand grabbing his right shoulder guard. The sergeant was trying to speak to him directly rather than over the vox-net.
"Try to keep stunts like that to a minimum, soldier," said the sergeant in a low tone. He wasn't using his vox-comm link, but rather speaking through the vox-grill in his helmet.
"Yes, sergeant," replied Thane rather indignantly.
Thane was still just a novice, but only needed a reminder from one member of the squad. Better the leader who had trained dozens, possibly even hundreds, of recruits past and had the patience to do so.
The squad quickly reformed inside the cave, two members on one side, three on the other. Once again, the sergeant assessed the situation and made tactical adjustments to the squad.
"Along the cave walls, no lights, hold fire." With this order, the five-man squad would stay split into two smaller teams. They would not use any sort of light, but rely on their genehanced low-light vision to overcome the darkness of the cave. They would also not fire or attack unless in immediate danger. One implied order was to remain silent while moving. A tough feat while in full battle dress, but not impossible for a trained Astartes warrior.
Moving through the twisting caverns was quite fascinating for Thane. He had never seen any cave like this on his home world, Baal. He wondered what sort of geology existed where the rock got to be a darker and darker shade of black the deeper he went into the cave. Unbeknownst to him, this was not his enhanced vision inexplicably worsening, his battle brothers also noticed this same phenomenon.
When the surrounding walls turned an abysmal jet black, the sergeant picked up something unusual. He stopped in his tracks, prompting the others behind him to stop as well. He heard something akin to a low growl, but started and stopped very rhythmically. In his years of fighting, this was an all too familiar sign of a large beast resting.
New developments called for new tactics. The sergeant raised his pistol so that is was aimed down range, toward this yet unseen foe. It was not long before the squad found the source of the sound.
Deep in the cave, the layout changed. This chamber was not the work of natural geology. It had been hollowed out by unnatural means. Deep claw marks and gouges in solid rock carved out a spacious hollow. In the center of the hollow laid the answers to many of the young Blood Angel's curious questions.
An immense and evil-looking creature appeared to be asleep atop an even larger pile of gold and jewels.
The blackness of the rock walls was from the smoke emanating from its pulsating nostrils. The steady groaning was its heavy breathing. The surrounding rock was scarred by the creature's massive claws. But above all else, this creature was the very thing from the images the squad was shown during the pre-mission brief.
All they knew about the creature's capabilities were that it had a thick layer of scales or hide that could turn aside lasgun and autogun fire. From its mouth would spew gouts of flame if provoked enough. Up close, it could bring its claws to bear, rending anything that was unfortunate enough to be within reach.
Thane was an Adeptus Astartes, the finest warrior in the Imperium and he knew no fear. He also came to realize the gravity of his situation. It was one thing to train against simulators and drill instructors. Standing in front of an utterly alien being capable of swallowing a man whole, that was a league all to itself.
The sergeant motioned for the team to circle around the creature, two to the right, two to the left. The sergeant followed the team to the right. Laying like it was, it did not expose its underbelly. Was there a reason for this? Are there other avenues of approach? Agnos' mind asked a thousand questions, simulated a hundred different scenarios and called upon ten decades of experience to solve the problem in front of him.
Suddenly, the behemoth stirred. How had it sensed their approach? A change in air pressure? A lingering heat trace? A premonition? Did the rookie make a sound which gave away their position? Why the beast awoke was irrelevant.
Its eyes instantly opened showcasing a menacingly large cat-like eye accented by sickening yellow irises. No sooner had it propped itself up to almost the full height of the cavern, barring its teeth and extending a pair of red leathery wings.
The sight was truly one to behold. This creature would be the perfect personification of the wrath of the Blood Angels. Unfortunately, they found themselves in direct opposition to it. Agnos had run out of options. This would not be a stealthy kill.
"Engage!" bellowed the squad leader and five bolt pistols fired in near unison at the demonic creature. Despite the powerful pistols' bombardments, they seemed to have little effect on the target. The creature simply raised one arm to its face to protect it from the assault.
This would also not be a fight without resistance from the enemy. In a split second, the creature turned to its left and unleashed a wide burst of flames from its mouth. In a wide sweeping arc, it swung its head right to engulf the space occupied by the squad in fire.
The sergeant did not need to give the order to evade, for this was an instinct for each marine in the squad. Thane had used his jump pack to evade upwards and he was now directly overhead the creature's head. On his descent, he reloaded his pistol and aimed straight down. He fired four rounds, one of which struck near the creature's right eye.
The massive head jerked hard to the left, leaving Thane to land on the pile of treasures below. The creature was lashing out in pain, covering the right side of its face with its monstrous claw. The unstable pile of gold was not fit for a stable landing, so Thane ended up sinking shin-deep and sliding down the sloping end of the pile, momentarily losing his balance.
The sergeant devised a quick plan of attack. "Aim for the eyes!" Almost instantly, the left eye was fixed on the sergeant. Another instant later, the creature was spinning to the right, bringing with it a long, heavy tail covered in spines. The sergeant was struck with the tail and sent sailing across the chamber. His trajectory ended with a loud crash knocking loose rock and dust from the point of impact.
Thane had managed to dig himself out of the gold pile while the rest of the squad kept the fire on the beast. From here, he had a perfect view of the creature's underbelly. It was a very pale yellow in contrast to the rest of its blood-red scales. In fact, it looked a lot softer than the hard scales on its back.
He would not let a chance like this pass by. Thane climbed back up the pile of gold, thumbed the activation rune on his chain sword. The sword roared to life as he swung downwards in an overhead stroke to the unprotected underside. Adamantine blades cut through hide, flesh and bone as though they were jelly.
Almost instantly, the creature's legs buckled and its entire weight collapsed on the glimmering pile and the novice marine. Its long neck fell from being vertical and now laid sprawled across the cave floor.
"Move in! Finish it!", ordered the sergeant, intending to land the killing blow while it was stunned. The creature was fighting against the pain from the wound it had just received. As a death throe, it tried to snap at the advancing marines with its jaws. It missed and opened itself up to another attack to its soft neck. Two other members of the squad thrusted their roaring chainswords into its neck and dug deep.
The spastic thrashing in pain would be the last movements it made in the fight. It fell to one side motionless as the life left its remaining good eye.
"Halt, brothers. This abomination yet lives", warned one of the squad members. He called out the warning because he noticed the midsection of the beast was still twitching.
Soon, the soldiers realized why this was. Thane had managed to force his gauntlet out from under the beast's monstrous carcass. He was still clutching his bolt pistol and struggling against the immense weight of the slain monster.
The sergeant mag-locked his weapons to his waist and ordered the other marines to help their brother in distress. Without wasting any time, all four space marines got into position and rolled the mighty beast over, allowing Thane to claw the rest of the way out.
"I'm clear!", Thane called out as he scrambled to his feet. Once clear, the others pushed off and jumped clear of the dead beast.
Three brothers were splattered in alien blood and down several bolt pistol rounds, but had cleared a major impedance for the explorator legion currently stationed on the planet.
Brother Halus was the first to speak after the room was secure. "How was your first taste of battle, brother?"
"Exhilarating," said Thane in a mix of excitement and pride. "I'm ready to bring the Emperor's wrath to the next battle," he said, holding his weapons as if something were already lined up for him.
"You call that a battle?", Brother Setrex interjected, "That was merely a skirmish. We had the advantage of stealth, numbers and tactics. On top of that, we still have all five-"
"Finish bickering like neophytes later", the sergeant interrupted. "Thane, don't get too excited. You still have a lot to learn."
The young warrior's composure returned as his leader's words sunk in. "Yes, sergeant", he said as he mag-locked his weapons to his waist.
The sergeant made one last shot toward the fallen beast, seemingly out of spite. He was actually confirming the kill his team had just made. The beast's already wounded eye exploded in a shower of blood and other xenos body parts. Thane had already received a healthy shower of blood from slicing the creature's underside earlier. His canary-yellow helmet was nearly the same shade as his blood-red battle plate. Even the chapter symbol on his right shoulder guard was almost completely obscured.
"We're done here," the sergeant proclaimed. "Backtrack to the drop pod and call for extraction," he continued, marching back the way they had come. The rest of the squad formed up on the sergeant in a wide chevron, Thane occupying the outer right position.
The squad had not traversed very far into the cave, but it was a simple hollow portion of the mountain. There was one way in and out and one path to follow before hitting the dead end of the cave. A brisk walking pace would lead the Blood Angels out in just under five minutes.
Just as the welcome sight of sunlight hit their eyes, a disturbing, unwelcome sound hit their ears. It was familiar, as they had just finished hearing it not five minutes ago. It was akin to the bellowing of a ferocious ork chieftain's uncouth war cry. It could only be one thing and the assault squad was ill-equipped to face it in this narrow cave corridor.
"Get outside!" the sergeant ordered. In close quarters, the creature had the advantage and could more easily guard its softer areas. Bolt pistol rounds were ineffective against the hard scales and it could bring its claws to bear faster than they their chain blades. And Throne help them if that fire breath attack floods this small passageway. Astartes power armor was formidable, but even ceramite and plasteel had its limits.
Five pairs of heavy boots were stomping the ground, running as fast as their superhuman bodies permitted in an attempt to get out into the open and evade the desperate and angry beast. They were fast, but an enraged and wounded monstrosity could be faster. Thane glanced over his shoulder. It had only been about 15 or 20 seconds since he started sprinting, but the demonic silhouette was already visible against the far wall.
With its right eye obliterated, its single remaining eye, now rimmed in its own blood, focused like a laser on its transgressors. Thane could see the scar he himself had inflicted on the beast, still dripping fresh crimson. Two similar gouges appeared about halfway up its neck.
To turn and stand his ground now was suicide. Get out into the open, surround the creature, attack from every angle at once. It had an effect once before, but this time be more thorough with the job. The plan was in place, now to execute. To do that, however, face front and call upon every ounce of strength to propel forward.
Unfortunately, Thane would never get the chance. He had fallen somewhat short of his comrades and was now the tail element. Two soldiers including the sergeant had cleared the mouth of the cave. Thane was about to jump to safety when he felt a powerful force thrusting him forward. Recovering from the whiplash, he realized that his jump pack had not been the cause.
He found himself being constricted by an unseen force. Looking down, he recognized the creature's claws, only now they were wrapped into a tight fist around his body. He was also ascending higher and higher into the sky. This beast was capable of flight, Thane realized.
His left arm and both legs were rendered immobile. He could not wriggle or break free, even though he had the physical strength of a dozen mortal men. His pistol was useless as he could not reach it, but the grip of his chainsword was visible through the top two claws holding him in place.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a thick column of billowing smoke, much like the one that marked the cave from which he just emerged, but larger. Several small shapes orbited around the smoke and he could swear that small bursts of fire sprouted from them. The creature was facing it directly and picking up speed. If this was a central nest for these creatures, he would not stand a chance.
He would have to act fast, he was being carried higher and higher and closing in on the nest. His free hand easily reached the chainsword, but it was pinned between the claws and his body. He thought to give the blades a quick rev, to break the creatures vice-like grip.
While weighing his options, he observed how high up he had been carried. If the beast dropped him from this height, he would probably not survive the fall. To counter that argument, he still had his jump pack. He could fire downwards at the last minute to break his fall.
Good enough, time for action. With his free hand, he reached over and grabbed the handle of his chainsword. He thumbed the activation rune on his weapon, hoping to loosen its grip. Unfortunately, the way the blades were laying against his body, Thane also cut a weak point in his armor, just behind the left knee. He reflexively winced and closed his eyes in pain.
Both were struggling against the pain with which they had just been inflicted. Refocused, Thane found the beast had stopped flying and brought the trapped warrior to its face, jaws agape.
The back of its gullet was a most unholy sight. Only evil could be inferred from the serpentine tongue and razor-sharp teeth lining its jaws. He was being brought closer and closer to certain death, whether that was being eaten alive, burnt to ashes or worse.
My career will not end just as it begins, thought Thane, determined to live through this ordeal. He was now free to bring the fury of his chain blade to this demon, to fell it once more. The first swing he made sliced through the tongue and ground hard tooth bone, momentarily sending sparks against the inside of the monster's cheek.
Against another wound, the creature lashed out in pain, pulling the Blood Angel and his weapon away from its soft mouth. Thane's next action was a particularly desperate one. The creature's wrist was in easy reach of the chain sword. Thinking fast, he reached over the massive thumb and brought the sharp cutting teeth down with a mighty roar of determination.
Still reeling from its most recent wound, the flying beast thrashed around harder than before, but Thane kept the pressure on as hard his only arm could provide.
In a matter of seconds, the adamantine teeth ground through the tough scales, tough muscle and ridged bones. However, the creature's grip did not falter. In fact, he seemed to be getting constricted tighter. His retinal display flashed all manner of red and orange warning runes. He felt his armor buckling against the immense strength of the wounded beast.
Then without warning, he felt himself in freefall. the iron-like grasp was still holding firm, but not as firm as it once was. He now had a new problem: survive the fall in which he now found himself. In the back of his mind, he remembered the solid rock on which his drop pod had landed. This would not be a soft landing.
The clouds were obscuring the landscape beneath, but he knew that even landing in a deep body of water from this height would be fatal, even for a space marine.
Thane knew what he had to do. Escape the dismembered claw's grip, orient himself upright and use his jump pack to make a safe landing. As he passed head first through the clouds, he made a shocking realization: the ground was closer than he thought. Each punch, shrug and kick he gave was a bit more effective each time. Soon, he was able to push the fingers open several inches at a time.
Free at last, he pushed off, separating his armored form from the lifeless mass of flesh, sinew and sharp bone. His armor's auto gyros quickly turned him upright. One last move and he had a chance to return home with quite a tale to tell.
He fired a second too late. He slowed in his descent, but not slow enough to make a safe landing. He crashed through a fragile wooden structure, doing little to help break his fall. He still landed feet first on some fairly hard ground.
Astartes power armor was tough. It could survive a fall from outer orbit, if the wearer landed with it the right way. The warrior inside, however, was not so well-built. His enhanced bone structure could absorb much more punishment than lesser beings, but he was still human. Because of this, his human limitations began to show.
He had landed with such force that his leg bones shattered in multiple places. His fused ribcage also suffered damage and fractures, but did not yield to the force of the impact. The shock sent pain throughout his whole body, his retinal display lit up brighter than before with even more critical damage warnings and to top his misfortune, he had lost grip on his chain sword.
Even if he wanted to, he could not summon the effort to suppress his screams of agony. The pain was simply unbearable. He had never been through anything like this before and had never trained under anything even close to this kind of stress.
He rolled onto his stomach to try to quell the pain. No effect. Through the pain, he attempted to open his eyes to get his bearings. Only one eye would obey his commands, though. He had regained control of his breathing, but not silenced his grunts of pain.
He was inside a simple wooden enclosure. Not quite nomadic, but not quite industrial in nature, it was being used to store large quantities of some type of dried straw. Was this a food store, perhaps?
"What in tarnation?" To his right, Thane heard a woman's voice with an accent he had never encountered before.
"Rainbow Dash!", the woman said again, this time in a more aggressive tone, "I thought we agreed that you do your little stunt show away from my property!" Thane could make out the distinct sound of two different footsteps circling around the structure to his right, where a large open doorway stood.
Whoever this woman is, thought Thane, she speaks low Gothic, a human language. With the Emperor's blessing, I may just get some useful aid from her. Perhaps my fortune is beginning to turn.
"My name is Brother Thane of the Blood Angels," announced Thane laboriously. "I'm injured and I need your assistance, whoever you are," he continued as he dragged his crippled form across the dirt to the doorway. The footsteps stopped just before the edge of the opening.
With a moment's pause, the woman started moving and spoke again. "Look stranger, if you're hurt, I'll help ya, but don't be stormin' around like you own th-" she stopped mid-word as she rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of what lay before her.
The source of the voice was not a human, but a small orange quadruped with long blonde hair. It was clad only in a simple rustic brown hat. Its face was wearing an expression of surprise and confusion.
Thane was having a similar moment of confusion. What was this creature and how had it learned his language? Should he repeat his pleas for help? Why was his vision starting to darken? Perhaps he was not meant to have good fortune. He wasn't thinking of asking for help again because this small being was clearly not physically capable of doing so. He let out another grunt of pain and rolled onto his side to clutch his self-inflicted wound.
The last thing Thane saw before his vision faded to black was a warning icon in his helmet display:
WARNING: Blood loss detected - seek medical attention
-------
Mid-afternoons were quite peaceful in the humble farmstead of Sweet Apple Acres. Peaceful if not the hottest part of the day. As a career farmer, this was something that Applejack and everyone in her family had learned to deal with. Her signature Stetson hat was wide enough to keep the sun off her face and neck so she could focus on her current task.
Besides, a little heat was far from bothering her at this point. Scattered clouds provided periodic relief and much needed cool down time. She would take all the relief she could get after the news she heard this morning.
Twilight had announced that a dragon had been spotted making a dwelling for itself in the mountains to the far west. She remembered the last time she had to deal with a dragon near Ponyville. It was dangerous getting up to it and even more so trying to get it to leave. Fortunately, her good friend, Fluttershy, an experienced animal expert, was able to convince it to leave.
She was hoping to avoid any conflict today. There were plenty chores around the farm to do, after all. But other matters did have a habit of popping up all over Equestria, requiring applejack's attention.
One such matter might just be the dragon she noticed flying high overhead. Working on farms her whole life, Applejack had a sharp eye for detail. Having witnessed a great dragon migration, she knew what dragons looked like from a distance. But today, neither she nor anypony else in Ponyville was giving any reason for a dragon to come and cause trouble.
Here is a good stopping point, Applejack thought to herself as she parked a cart full of apples behind a large silo. The shade would keep the apples cool while she took a quick lunch break.
So far just another day at Sweet Apple Acres. The quickest way to the house was to cut between the cow pastures and the hay barn. Granny Smith was cooking her famous stew with the secret apple flavoring that made it extra sweet. Perfect for any meal, but it was especially fitting for a lunch break after a hard working day.
Walking past the barn, she couldn't move past the news Twilight had announced this morning. A dragon nesting so close to Ponyville again? Why hadn't they been sent out to deal with it like last time? Well, reasoned Applejack, Twilight is the princess of the region now. She has to take action when anythin' happens in the area. I reckon she's askin' Princess Celestia for advice. Why, she must be nervous as a-
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the strangest cavalcade of noises she had ever heard in her entire life. Something like a roaring storm, crunching wood and somepony screaming out seemingly in pain all while startled cattle ran amok in their enclosure, but away from the barn.
Quickly turning toward the sound of the commotion, Applejack was greeted with the sight of a collapsed barn roof, where not five seconds ago it had been as if it were just built yesterday.
"What in tarnation?", exclaimed the confused work horse. This confusion was short-lived, however, as Applejack had seen this pattern of behavior before. She had a pretty good idea of who the culprit was.
"Rainbow Dash!", she announced, "I thought we agreed that you do your little stunt show away from my property!"
This was the third time that her barn was damaged from Rainbow Dash's amateurish stunt flying practice. There was no excuse for always losing control and managing to land in the same dang spot. AJ moved up to the barn to confront Rainbow about her destructive habit.
Soon after she spoke, a strange-sounding, almost mechanical voice called out. "My name is Brother Thane of the Blood Angels," the voice sounded like it was in pain. "I'm injured and I need your assistance, whoever you are."
This unexpected reaction stopped AJ in her tracks. Something was clearly wrong. This was not RD doing another strafing run over the property. Just what the hay is going on?
"Look stranger," resumed AJ as she continued toward the barn, " if you're hurt, I'll help ya, but don't be stormin' around like you own th-"
Just as she rounded the corner to the barn's opening, she came to a complete halt yet again. This was not at all what AJ imagined she would see. What lay before her was an immense, well, suit of armor would be the best way to describe it. Deep red all around with a bright yellow head. It had a very large pair of what she guessed were wings on its back. It sounded like it was having trouble breathing, as each breath was labored. The awkwardly long pause was broken with the behemoth rolling to one side and reaching for something behind it.
This got Applejack worried it might pull something out from behind, but adding to her confusion and surprise, she picked up the scent of blood. A strong scent, at that. The armored being did not pull anything out, but instead held one of its back limbs tightly. It was trying to stop itself from bleeding, realized AJ.
Before she could speak, reassure the creature that she would be back with help, it slumped to the floor with a thud. Its metallic face remaining unchanged throughout the entire encounter.
AJ knew what she had to do now: summon help to deal with this unexpected event.
"Big Mac! Granny!" AJ called out as she galloped full speed toward the house. With Big Mac at her side, she would have the muscle to move the creature around. Granny Smith's experienced care giving would surely include first aid.
Hang in there, big fella, AJ thought to herself. You're gonna be just fine. AJ had never broken a promise before, and she sure as sugar wasn't going to start now. b
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You have peaked my interest sir. Definitely a good start, I didn't see any noticeable errors so I'd say this is a solid opening chapter.
Finally, a crossover when the blood ravens get to equestria and not the ultramarines. Not that i don't like them
The emperor is pleased
Ok this looks really interesting.
how can he be losing so much blood when he has a Larraman's Organ?