When war comes

by Drakstice

Meet the locals

Even for a novice, being knocked out so many times was a disgrace. If the toughest fighters in the Imperium were this easy to overcome, what hope had the rest of humanity?

As the darkness around him began to recede, his senses began to make sense of the world around him. His bare cheek was pressed against a cold, smooth marble floor. The blurred shapes in front of him began to come into focus. Footsteps circled all around him and they were speaking. Probably to each other, he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. There was also a strong scent in the air. Something like concentrated sugars, culminating into an intensely sweet smell.

The first shape to come into his sight was a smiling face mere inches from his own. The saturated pink hue and cerulean blue eyes made Thane conclude that this was a demon of some kind. He turned his head upward to get a better look at observer. It could have been his captor for all he knew.

"You see?", the pink creature said as it turned away from Thane's face, "Pinkie Pie's 'Special Sunrise Delight' can wake up any pony from any kind of sleep." Turning back down, Thane spotted the source of the strong scent in the air. It was a small disc-shaped object. The closest thing Thane could think of for comparison was protein ration. Only this one was painted bright yellow with orange accents. The words 'wakey wakey' were proudly displayed in the center of the creation. An array of candles burned silently around the top edge, enhancing the brightness of the yellow paint. The entire display was set on a dish slightly larger than the object itself.

"But, what if he doesn't like cake?", asked a timid voice. This voice was barely audible, even to Thane's enhanced hearing.

"Indeed, Pinkie," yet another voice chimed in, "I don't know how you manage it, but everypony else has a diet of far more than just sweets."

Thane decided that he had enough rest. As he made an effort to rise to his feet, he expected to feel the pain of fatigue and fresh wounds from battle. To his surprise, he felt no such pain. He remembered his encounter with the pack of animals, but where was the evidence of this fight? Even the blood from the draconian beast he first encountered was gone.

Just before he could make the effort to stand, however, a small winged creature flew up to his face. It was sky blue with rainbow-colored hair. "Woah, there big fella, you won't be going anywhere like that," it said, holding out one if its arms, as if to beckon him to stop.

"You won't hold me here," Thane protested. He swatted, but missed the multi-colored pest near his head. It was agile and appeared to expend little if any effort dodging the lazy attack. In a second, he pushed off the floor and rose to his full eight foot height.

"You were bleeding all over the place when you got here. Even I don't recover from injuries that fast," said the winged blue creature as Thane scanned the room. Mere steps from where he stood, behind him lay all the wargear he was missing.

In the bottom right was his bolt pistol, cleaned of propellant residue and polished to a near mirror finish. The magazine was still inserted, presumably still full. The five empty magazines he had discarded were also here. They appeared brand new and were neatly aligned with each other to the right of the pistol.

Above this row was his chainsword. Special attention must have been paid to this weapon, for it bad been restored such that it appeared fresh out of the manufactorum. Each tooth along the chain had been meticulously cleaned. The banner painted along the bladeguard was rejuvenated and proudly read "Por Imperator et Sanguinius". Not even the small details in the eagle at the blade's tip were neglected.

Above all these tools proudly sat Thane's hand-crafted combat knife. Closer to a small sword than a dagger, but for a Space Marine, this was easily a one-handed weapon.

As walked closer to his gear, a lavender-colored member of the group walked beside him. "I appologize for Rainbow's behavior, sir," it said with a hint of humility, "We don't get many visitors here in Ponyville, but we try to make a good first impression."

As Thane walked towards his gear, the small purple creature continued as though he was still listening. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendhship," she said, this time with more pride. "If there's anything you need, let me know and I'll be happy to accommodate."

"What I need is my wargear back," said Thane. He was thinking his unit's armorer, Techmarine Allentz. The techmarine regarded the chapter's wargear as his own children, and would punish those who lost or destroyed them in battle.

Thane's comment had stopped Twilight in her tracks. "Wargear?" she asked, taken aback Thane's choice of words.

To the left of the organized equipment stood another one of the small creatures. Its coat was snow white and large loops of purple and lavender-colored hair grew from its head. Just below the hairline was a small bony protrusion.

"I hope you don't mind, darling," began the white one with a distinctly effeminate voice, "but I took the liberty of cleaning your, uhh..." the creature took a small pause and glanced back at Thane's neatly arrayed equipment. "...wargear," she concluded, turning back to Thane with a somewhat nervous smile. She was acting as if she had never seen a weapon before.

Kneeling down, Thane inspected the blade closely. The blade was slightly dulled from his recent encounter, but still very sharp. However, the length of the blade shone brightly, reflecting a brilliant white flash across his face as he turned it in all directions, ensuring it was still usable. Sheathing the knife, he turned his attention to the bolt pistol.

"I must say, the craftsmanship is simply exquisite," the creature continued, "A bit morbid for my tastes, this one," gesturing to the chainsword, "but each artist has her own style. You have such attention to detail. If only my dresses could have this much magnificence." Was this one trying to butter him up for something?

"Thanks," Thane remarked dryly as he mag-locked the pistol to his thigh. Even though a compliment had come from a xenos, he could not help but feel some degree of pride.

The Blood Angels were famous for being artists among warriors. Their armor was adorned with intricate sigils, carvings and even excerpts from holy texts. Even their weapons were decorated with crimson gemstones set in gold, acting as status symbols as well as implements of death. Thane was especially proud of the hand-painted chapter symbol on his right shoulder. A single drop of blood with spread eagle wings.

"I especially like the ruby accents along the length of this one." The purple-haired creature seemed to have an endless fascination with something she had never seen before.

Thane simply gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he secured his empty pistol magazines. Even though they were empty, they could be reused later. Besides, no matter how small it was, if it was issued by the armory, it would be returned by the mission's end. Such was the will of Armsmaster Allentz.

"I must ask, though," interjected Twilight, "In all my research, I can't find anything related to you. Nothing from ancient history to modern day." Several books surrounded by a glowing violet aura were hovering in front of her. The pages of some were seemingly leafing through themselves. This sight was not a bizarre one to Thane, as librarians and other psykers from his own chapter were capable of doing roughly the same thing.

"That's not surprising. I'm not from this world," replied Thane as he inspected the chainsword. Standing straight up, he grasped the sword's grip with both hands and judged its balance.

"You mean from Equestria?" replied a puzzled Twilight, "Well, there are other empires across the world, but I don't recognize anything like-"

Her sentence was interrupted by an ear-splitting roar. It came from Thane's chainsword. To his pleasant surprise, it functioned normally, as if these xenos' touch had not offended the machine spirit within. In fact, the action felt smoother than ever.

Almost instantly, the gaggle of multi-colored equines scattered in all directions. Several let out shrieks of terror as they ran. The chainsword was revved only once, but once was enough. Such small fragile creatures were likely oblivious to the fact that this weapon could scream louder that its wielder.

The only one who did not run was a pale yellow one with long flowing pink hair. Its mane hung low and covered half of its face. The one remaining eye stared unblinking back at Thane. It resembled a mortal human child facing a greater demon of Khorne. Laying down on all fours, it shuddered and let out barely audible squeaks, like a mouse caught in the vice-like grip of fear. This one seemed to be the very epitome of timidity.

Thane was not concerned with this small, timid animal clearly incapable of holding her own in a fight. Instead, his focus was on the blue one, who seemed fascinated, rather than frightened, by Thane's unexpected action. "Woah! That... was... Awesome!", she exclaimed, throwing her front legs above her head. The excited flying creature wore an expression of unrestrained glee.

With an unexplained agility, she darted around Thane's armored form, transfixed by the intricate, fine details and menacing equipment that covered the Space Marine. "Wow! This is amazing! I thought the Wonderbolts were cool, but you blow them out of the water!"

Stopping up near his face, she posed the question with an overly eager grin, "Do that again, please?" She was referring to the chainsword's distinctive sound. Thane did not even need to consider this request. Since he was cut off from resupplying, any commodity he had was now worth its weight in gold. Ammunition for his pistol, promethium fuel for his chainsword and jump pack, and of course, his own stamina would only be expended when absolutely necessary. Putting on a show to entertain a bunch of pastel-colored pony girls would be an embarrassing waste of resources.

"Once was enough," Thane said as he fixed his chainsword to his waist. The rainbow-haired creature groaned in disappointment as it slowly descended to the ground.

"So, you're a soldier of sorts?" Twilight asked. She approached, but kept her distance. Her tone was a mix of nervous and perplex, mostly worried that loud noises and intimidating implements were a sign of things to come, not all of them good.

"To put it mildly," replied Thane as he made his way for the largest doorway in the room. Thane could be considered a 'soldier of sorts' in the same sense that an angry tiger was a lovable cat of sorts.

"May I ask who you are and what army you serve? I'm sure they'll want you back as soon as possible," continued Twilight. She had a whole list of questions mentally prepared. New experiences tended to make her ask as much as possible to learn just as much.

"I am Thane of the Blood Angels chapter. I serve the Imperium of Man," Thane replied as he ducked and twisted to fit his armored form through the door. Even though the structure had high vaulted ceilings and wide halls, the doorways were just shy of being able to accommodate a fully armored Assault Marine comfortably.

Thane's response puzzled Twilight even further. "Hmm...," Twilight was deep in thought as she followed Thane down the hallway. She was thinking of what military organizations in Equestria were organized into chapters. The Royal Guard of Canterlot was composed of twelve infantry and three Air Guard regiments as well as the Sorcerer's Corps. No army of any other kingdom around used a system of chapters, nor did they refer to themselves as an 'imperium', whatever that was.

"I don't think I've ever come across them in a single book in the library," she said after her deep thought returned no relevant information. 'Library'. This word got Thane's attention. Only high-stature nobles were wealthy enough to afford personal libraries. His own chapter's Chief Librarian maintained the largest librarium on Baal, and only a select few were even permitted to set foot that holy place. It seems that humans are not the only species in the galaxy who collect knowledge. But for a creature who presumably owned this collection of books, she sure had a lot of questions. Perhaps they are not as smart as they look.

As the two walked the length of the hall, Twilight asked more questions. "You must live far away from Equestria," she deduced. "May I ask what you are doing all the way out here?"

There was no real consequence for telling this little xenos his mission. Besides, he was lost and they seemed friendly at best and inconsequential at worst. If he was lucky, perhaps these creatures could help him return to duty.

"Well," Thane began, "my squad was sent down to render aid to an explorator legion. They ran into some trouble while scouting the region. We had to handle a vicious creature that they could not."

These statements alone raised a great deal of questions for Twilight. First of all, if he was part of a squad, there had to be more like him out there. Secondly, she deduced that 'sent down' meant that he was sent from the north. The Crystal Empire was as far north as they had ever traveled and beyond that was just frozen wasteland. Perhaps there were more empires yet undiscovered by ponykind. Thirdly, 'explorator' could relate to exploration. Was he part of a pioneering unit which explored new lands?

The most interesting question she had so far was the fact that he called a creature of Equestria 'vicious'. There were several beings known in all of equestria that could be defined as such. Timberwolves, quarry eels, manticores, and dragons to name a few. Pretty much everything else was a simple peace-loving creature.

These questions were being constructed and filed away in Twilight's mind as Thane continued his story. "We thought the creature was dead, but we were wrong. It picked me up in its claw and flew far away from its cave. I cut off its claw and landed on that agri-patch where the orange one found me," he explained, referring to the barn he destroyed upon his landing. "The rest I think you know."

"Are you saying you fought a dragon?" asked Twilight, surprised that such a thing had happened. Thane stopped and turned to face her and found that she was staring back at him, eyes wide with disbelief. Twilight realized that he may never have seen a dragon before so clarifications were in order. "Big, scaly, fire-breathing, sleeps on a mountain of gold and jewels, really, really angry when you invade its living space," she explained, hoping to either confirm or dismiss her new concern. Her face showed that she had feelings of fear toward these monstrosities. Reasonable, given the things Thane had recently seen.

Thane had not mentioned some of the details of his fight, but Twilight had either guessed correctly or had some knowledge of these creatures. "Yes, precisely," he replied, "You know about these dragons?" Thane had never heard of anything referred to as a 'dragon' before. No creature on Baal nor any demon or alien he had read about shared that name.

"Not a lot," Twilight began, "but if you attacked one and it's still alive," her voice grew in concern and alarm, "it may come back with more of them!"

One dragon was no match for a group of well-trained Space Marines. However, a single novice Marine who is underequipped, wounded and unfamiliar with the lay of the land would not stand a chance against a pack of enraged dragons.

This small colony of creatures would fare even worse, by Thane's observations. No defense batteries, no militia at the ready, not even an early warning system seemed to be in place. This was not Thane's concern, however, as he was still focused on how he was going to get back to his own unit. If dragons truly were heading this way, he intended to be long gone by the time they arrive.

"I have no intention of staying here," declared Thane, "My battle brothers need me. I will not be remembered as a novice who lost his life on his very first assignment." The conviction in his voice echoed through the halls as he picked up the pace towards the grand foyer.

"Spike! Spike!" bellowed Twilight as she galloped back to the throne room, "We have an emergency!" Thane tuned out the creatures' cries and focused on getting out, back to where he belonged. On his way, however, he could not help but admire the craftsmanship of the structure in which he walked.

He walked across a smooth, semi-glossy marble floor, his metallic boots clunking with every step. He wondered if he was scratching it, marring its bizarre beauty. Along the walls, several windows illuminated the wide expanses. Some were stained glass works of art, depicting a particular symbol or perhaps an event in their history. Others were simply for illumination, bearing no color or image stained in glass.

He now stood at the top of a large staircase, clearly not designed for his massive treads. This was not a problem, as it was no more than a ten- or twelve-foot drop down to the ground level. He would not even need to use his jump pack to break the fall. One confident leap forward to clear the stairs and he was clear for the large landing in front of him.

What he did not expect, however, was the jostling impact he felt upon landing. The entire building shook as his feet made contact with the ground. This was not the result of a short jump, but something much bigger. Was the structure about to collapse? Did something explode or fall outside? Something was amiss and Thane had to be ready for it.

Thane continued to the large arched double doors at the front of the foyer. It had to be the exit from this place. The large doors were heavy, but not locked, so a firm push on each one made them part.

Outside, it was a calm and quiet setting. All around were presumably houses for the inhabitants of the local area. They appeared to be made of wood, straw and other naturally occurring building materials. Not quite nomadic as he first thought, but still ages behind what the Imperium could produce. Scanning the horizon, he no longer saw any familiar landmarks. This time, he would have to find his way back from being more thoroughly lost.

It was quite incongruous to see a large castle atop an ancient tree in the middle of a simple settlement. Perhaps this was all housing for the serfs of the castle. Hive cities typically had lavish living conditions for the nobles and planetary governor surrounded by minimalistic hab-blocks for ordinary citizens, workers and soldiers.

What stood out to Thane like a sore thumb was the distinct lack of any locals. The few he did see were running as fast as their little legs could carry them. They were seeking shelter in the houses lining the streets. "Junebug!" called one from her domicile, "Get in! Hurry! Bring Rosebud, too!" She was addressing two more running in her direction. Once both were safely inside, the door slammed shut. In fact, all of the houses in sight had closed doors and windows, completely shut off from the outside.

It was not long before Thane figured out why. A large shape crashed not twenty meters in front of Thane, right in the middle of a street stretching out in front of him. Reflexively, Thane drew his chainsword and pistol, shielding his eyes from the dust and debris made by the impact. Only a second later, Thane recognized the shape as the creature he had fought before.

It was not THE beast which separated him from his squad, but one of its ilk. This one was a sickly green with large horns and its back was studded with long bony spikes. The wings on this one were much larger and the tail was tipped with something akin to a blunt mace. Its body was riddled with scorch marks and puncture wounds, as if it had been in a ferocious fight with something. The wounds it bore looked awfully familiar, as if he had seen this kind of damage before.

Why had this mighty beast fallen? Looking up gave him the answer. There were several of these things flying around in the skies above. Each had a mind of its own with no sense of order or unity. The shapes high above the ground were in a massive dogfight that spanned for miles around. Looking closer, Thane was able to cut through the glare of the sun and recognize some of the shapes as Thunderhawk gunships.

Listening closely, he could pick up the distinct sound of Storm Bolters and Autocannons firing at will. He wished to be part of the action above, to fell terrible monsters with massive weapons and righteous fury. But to his dismay, he was not trained as a Thunderhawk pilot nor had he any way of joining the fray even if he did. His vox-comms were destroyed along with his helmet in his previous engagement. Even if anyone could hear him, they would be too busy fighting for their own lives.

Thane remembered his briefing before the start of the mission saying only one of these creatures had been identified and marked for death. How had this been overlooked? How was his team expected to deal with such overwhelming forces? Fortunately, the entire 6th company was present and ready for battle.

As the fighting raged above, the combatants attacked and defended against their new enemies. Dragons were filled with large-caliber rounds and plasma bolts while Thunderhawks were torn apart by rending claws and gouts of flames.

Spotting a flaming Thunderhawk spiraling straight for him, Thane made the tactical decision to seek shelter. The castle's heavy doors would provide some degree of protection, but for how long he could not say. Let the battle run its course above, then try to get their attention. If his brothers were victorious, he could flag down one of them and be extracted. As he ran back inside and closed the heavy wooden doors, he prayed that the Emperor would see his brothers, and himself, through this ordeal.

Twilight and several of the others came running in. No doubt they heard the commotion and came to investigate. "What's going on outside?" asked Twilight frantically, "Is everypony alright? Why is there-"

"Barricade those doors," ordered Thane as he pointed to the front gate, "get away from the windows and wait for the battle to end." Thane had his own survival in mind, but in the process, he would likely save all of their lives as well.

"Battle?" asked Twilight now more confused than ever. An instant later, a wounded dragon crashed through the wall and crossed the foyer, leaving a wide streak of blood where it slid. Seemingly without being dismayed by its grievous wounds, it made its way back to the gaping hole in the wall, limping on the three legs it had left. It probably did not realize that it only had one wing remaining, but pressed on regardless. As it reached the hole in the wall, the room was filled with explosive bolter fire. The wounded dragon received much of the fire directly and was filled with even more bullet wounds than before.

The ponies ran for cover screaming while Thane, trusting his battle plate, turned sideways to protect his head with his massive shoulder guard. Seconds later, the assaulting Thunderhawk screamed by the castle windows and back into the chaos above. The wounded dragon was now certainly dead. Its upper torso had been shredded by the heavy weaponry and its head was no more than half of a jaw held onto the neck by strands of muscle fibers.

"Hurry, get in the basement," Twilight said with urgency over panic. The group ran back the way they came, but took a right turn not far down the hall. Thane followed them, as they knew the structure better than he did. If he was to survive, he would have to do so alongside the natives. This was certainly against widely held beliefs by all of humanity, but if it meant Thane would live to fight another day, he could live with going against the grain.

It seemed that these creatures were incapable of fighting back directly, but could hide from danger and survive. The Codex Astartes' teachings came to Thane's mind: 'If you are quite unequal to the enemy in every way, flee from him.' Hide, resupply, plan and prepare to fight another day. This could be seen as the act of a coward, but in this situation, it is tactically wise.

Very well, Thane thought to himself, I will hide with these xenos for now. Stowing his weapons, he ran after the colorful parade of fleeing ponies down several flights of stairs. The structure was deeply rooted in the ground. The stairs and grand hallways eventually gave way to expansive caverns. The low light was not the problem, but rather the lack of a plan Thane had if he returned to the surface. In Thane's mind, survival was more pressing, so survive he would. Survive when it comes time to survive.

He had faith in his battle brothers. They had more combat experience than he and would likely survive the onslaught. They had to, as his own life depended on it. Only time would tell if he would live to fight another day.

Comments

[FleetlordAvatar]

Dragons V Space Marines! Place your bets!

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space marine EASY