Dust and Ash
The dust was falling still, like a macabre snow fall it showered the area in death.
Though it was far thinner than when Stratta began his quiet march across the rubble filled valley, It kept coming down. The layers building up slowly upon his carapace. The bundled filly was still fastened to his form, fast asleep. He shuddered to think what he would do if it woke. Shaking such thoughts aside Stratta continued his slow rumbling march. The silence was almost deafening, or it would be if he had not gotten so used to such things long ago. The only sound was his heavy steps. Echoing off the mountain and the debris around him.
Stratta's mind though enhanced as it was, still liked to wander on occasions. Filling in the familiar destroyed landscape with scattered husks of his fallen brothers, The destroyed wrecks of their mighty war machines. Decimated foes that were slashed, shot, partially atomized, or blown to smithereens! It filled his damaged body and soul with a warmth, A longing for the times when he had a bolter in his now missing arms. A time when he could feel the rush of trail of rounds passing by his head, the mighty roar of his boltgun dealing death to the Emperor's enemies!
The venerable Ancient's mind began to fill in the gaps and reconstruct a particular memory. His tenure as the captain of the 2nd company was not a happy one. The surrounding landscape reminded him of Styrix VII the ill fated hive world, bombarded from orbit by traitors only for his company to arrive and begin evacuation efforts. His mind a blaze of memories as he imagined it all. The dust, The death, The shame. He let out a weary sigh as he recalled the words of his second hand. The company champion Orellius, Orellius the Paragon. "Our work is never done brother, for we bring light to the Emperor's foes and we shield those who cannot shield themselves"
Orellius had died on Styrix VII, Leading a stalwart defense to buy time for a group of civilians to escape to the stars. Several heretical plasma rounds had caught him in the chest and he charged in fury slaying Twelve of the traitor marines before succumbing to his wounds! His command squad fighting like dogs to retrieve his body and taking great casualties to do so. But he was returned to the chapter. Along side his geneseed, that precious Genetic material to create more marines. Styrix was a cursed campaign for the 2nd company and one would not take the title of company champion for another century, even then begrudgingly so, For such was the strength Orellius' memory.
Somedays Stratta wished he had joined his favored brother, Rather than be trapped in this body of metal and Ceramite.
Stratta shook his head, or at least as much as he could given his constraints and continued on his march. Soon his path led him to a steady decline, flanked on both sides by massive mounds of rubble. It was an odd sight. The chaotic fallen debris landing in such a way as to leave a clear path such as this inconceivable. But there it lay. Giving it but the barest of thoughts, Stratta continued down the incline. His pace just as steady as it always was. He grumbled to himself as he looked around with his auspexes. Nothing. No life signs to be seen, save for the bundle and himself of course.
While his great lumbering form continued down the slope he heard a sudden crumbling and Stratta urged his hydraulics to surge forward as fast as they would go! A thunderous crash resounded as a hunk of broken masonry came rushing down upon where he had just been. The resulting crash shaking loose yet further hunks of Stone. Stratta did not stop his thunderous stride as he pushed his metal form to clear the passage!
The passage collapsed with a mighty crash mere moments after he cleared. Threatening to close around him like the maw of a mighty beast clasping around its feeble prey. Only this pray was not so weak, It was not so helpless. Feeling the rubble bounce off his mighty hull Stratta counted his blessings and cursed the universe, quite the standard affair for a Lamenter. Barring a quick glance at the bundled form that was tasked to him the soft golden glow was still there. It seemed the filly inside had not stirred somehow.
Stratta simply counted his blessings again and trudged on wards over a small hill of what appeared to be the remains of a shop of some kind. or at least that was what was at the very surface. Joe's something or other. it did not matter. The remnants of the sign disintegrated into thousands of splinters as one of hiss massive metal feet stamped upon it while he strode. Reaching the very height of the hill his sensors blared to life, contacts from the sky!
In an instant his mighty Assault cannon's barrels spun prepared to fire a hail of rounds into whatever could be attempting to recon his position. The auspexes showed them to be organic, clearly the Xenos of this world were capable of flight, or at least a portion were. Stratta huffed and stared to the sky through his receptors. A mighty blaring of his war horn thundered out across the valley! The contacts were visible now! And with a Weary sigh the mighty cannon slowed back down as Stratta shook his head, mentally at least.
Birds! Damnable birds! Rather large ones granted but still, Birds!
It grated his nerves harshly and he grumbled as he scanned out over the horizon, Spotting a familiar sight to one of his kind at least. A large pillar of smoke rose up from the horizon. He huffed to himself for a moment before focusing back onto the bundle attached to him. He hummed in both a mixture of disgust and wonder, Twisting the sound into a horrid snarl. His engines roared to life as he thundered on in the direction of the smoke. It meant a fire. It meant a sentient. Likely the next closest target of the swarm from earlier.
A good as place as any he supposed to himself.
Night fell as Stratta rumbled into view of the smoldering town. It was in a large valley and from the hill he stood upon Stratta could pick out the smoldering fires that ravaged the town. Having burned through their respective ruins and now were pitifully clinging to existence in little more than glorified fire pits. As flames licked at the burning wreckage a small swarm still hung above the town on occasions darting down into it and scooping up a resident from their cover, their forms disappearing into the swarm like lighting. They reminded Stratta much of the Tyranids in that way. A never-ending, unyielding swarm that could only be killed when utterly destroyed.
He stared on further his sensors sparking out one last remaining building in the entire town that had yet to be brought to ruin. It was a large decently tall building. Seeming to be the town hall with its position being rather central. Stratta hummed in thought once more grumbling to himself as he thought. He sparred a glance at the bundled filly and stopped for a moment.
They had changed color.
What had once been a bright alabaster Coat had turned quite dark, though difficult to tell even in the rather bright moon light. The filly's coat and mane had changed to a dark blue hue. Wait.. No it was still shifting in fact! this ever shimmering mix of dark blue and pale white and.. A bright yellow? No.. A glowing gold! Swirling around each other creating intricate patterns that would them mesh and disperse into one another. Slowly changing each color into one shaded by the other. Each time this happened to the filly glowed briefly. In an instant it's eyes opened nothing but glowing white voids of power as with a sudden spark from the young creatures horn there was a massive blinding flash and a distinct feeling of being pulled!
In an instant Stratta saw and felt his surroundings change! He looked around noting the left over sparkles of light falling to the ground. He whirled around Taking in his new location in an instant, His might assault cannon spinning up to meet any potential threat. Stratta was within the town now, that much was for certain, within a ruined house in fact.
"Wow... your.. well your something"
Stratta whirled around his cannon ready to rain death upon any foe as he came face to face with. A Pegasus? Before him, sitting upon some broken rubble was a grey Pegasus with bright blonde ruffled hair. Her face and body a mess and covered in various scuffs and scratches. Though the most prominent feature was the one slightly off l eye that she had, looking off in some random direction no matter where the mare looked. She cocked her head in confusion as she say the mighty beast of metal before her.
"Can you talk? I really hope so or else this is going to be pretty awkward." The mare sounded quite tired, a sigh escaping her after she finished speaking. She lay back against the ruined wall of the building they were in and looked him up and down with her good eye. "Never seen something quite like you though."
Stratta simply huffed and let his Assault cannon wind down before attempting to get a bearing on his surroundings. "Where am I?" He kept his voice firm but restrained to many unknowns in a situation like this, he needed more information.
"Oh you can talk! Well that makes things a lot more convenient! Try not to be to loud though! That bug swarm is still overhead. As for your question, Your in ponyville. More specifically your in my house... or what's left of it anyways. Not to much is left after the attack, Thankfully I've managed to avoid them though! That or they're taking pity on me like everyone else I guess.. Oh I'm Ditzy by the way!" The somewhat mopey mare spoke with melancholy only jumping back into a more cheery persona at the end of her little rant.
While clearly a Xeno the poor mares state tugged lightly at the bleeding heart strings of the great ancient causing him to let out a weary sigh. He looked over to his charge who was back asleep, looking as if they had not flexed their power and bent the very universe to their whims. It was almost endearing if it wasn't so worrying. The power required for such a teleportation, across such distance and for multiple beings...
Stratta shook his head once more at least as well as able and let his mind run through calculations in the background as he assessed the situation. "Are you the only one left little Ditzy?" He had to find a lead, or if nothing else, a purpose. A safe place for his charge and then a reason to fight. He was a Lamenter, with out a reason to fight he was nothing! Stratta let out a shaky breath as the ancient machinery idly whirled to keep his blood circulating.
"Huh? Oh no goodness no! Thankfully a bunch of unicorns were able to erect a barrier around town hall. I think thats where everypony else is. I.. I wasn't able to get inside in time and had to hide." The poor mare stammered a bit, casting out a look at the utter devastation around her. Her home, Her livelihood, Likely her friends. All reduced to naught but cinders and ash. "What happened in Canterlot do you know? All we saw was the swarm fly in and a massive explosion happened!"
"If you speak of the city upon the mountain there is none who were left alive. None that I encountered at least. Nothing remains but rubble and dust" Stratta boomed somewhat cynically, cataloging the name along side the untold number of other cities he encountered who had suffered the exact same fate. Among the likes of the cities of Styrix and many, many others. Ditzy seem to freeze at the news for a moment before slumping down both eyes for once in agreement to look at the ground below. She merely collapsed in her seat, like a marionet whos strings had been cut.
"Then its hopeless? No Royal Guard, no Princesses? None to save us?" The words were barely choked out from behind tears as the poor mare simply stared and cried not moving beyond haggard breathing. "Who will protect Equestria now? Who will h-help all the poor ponies under attack by the changelings? It.. its all useless isn't it.."
Stratta had a choice to make now, here as if presented to him on an ironic silver platter was a cause, a purpose. A veritable bounty of refugees, an entire nation in desperate need of a cause, And an icon. It was the truest from of his chapters curse, their horrible luck, to ever befall him he thought. Stratta venerable mind looked back over its many centuries of existing, His soul crying out for one last adventure, One last blaze of glory, One last purpose! To find said purpose in protecting xenos the same way he did the citizens of the Imperium almost drew a chuckle from his ancient lungs. A bleeding heart was fitting for his chapter.
Stratta had a choice to make, and so he did.
Ditzy jumped slightly as she felt a finger from the massive metal fist gingerly raise her head up to stare at the strange behemoth of metal. "Not all is lost this day Ditzy Hooves. I am Stratta Invictus and I have a foal I am to protect. I have my weapons and I have my mind. This ancient form still yearns for battle in duty to a cause, and a cause it has found. So long as my body still draws breath, there shall be hope yet! Of that I promise on my honor as a Lamenter, As an Adeptus Astartes!"
Ditzy stared up at the metal behemoth before her, the soft light of the moon showering down through a hole in the roof illuminating the mighty war machine. The silver light of the moon reflected off the various sections of silver or gold trim upon his mighty armored form creating the illusion of ever twinkling and shimmering plates glowing with power and confidence. Ditzy stared upon this form and wept as a warmth exploded in her chest. Hope at last
"Come Ditzy, we have more of your kin to save!"
Shattered Storm panted with sweat pouring of his dark grey coated body, as his mind focused on one single effort. His entire base of magic dedicated along side so many others to maintaining the shield. What few unicorns living in ponyville had banded together as soon as they had been attacked. Pouring their collective magic into a mighty barrier surrounding the town hall protecting all those inside from the swarm outside. The spell was simple out of necessity, there was simply no time for complicated spell circles and interwoven spells into the barrier to aid in its maintenance. It was a solid projection of force and will from all magical beings inside it.
As the unicorn mare's horn next to him began to flicker and fail casting magic they could all feel the barrier shrink, and so could the swarm above. They loomed above like vultures waiting for their prey to die so they could feast. It would not be long now and both sides understood that fact plainly. Shattered storm was on of three others left with enough energy to maintain the spell. Once they were out of magic everypony inside would be virtually defenseless besides what tools they had lying around and even that would do them little good.
The sound of more fizzling and another unicorn slumped to the floor unconscious. Now it was simply he and another old stallion across from him, Haggard Trot if he remembered the old timers name right. An old royal guard that wanted nothing but a quiet life in a calm quiet little town. Not that it had even been that calm and quiet but the point still stood. The stallion had more magic power in him than most from pure training alone. While Shattered Storm was simply born above average. Not to say he had not trained for his power but it came far easily to him then it did for many others.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he saw the ex-guard fizzle out his considerable reserves finally drained of everything he had. The poor old stallion simply flopped over, and Storm was unsure if he was even breathing anymore. The barrier flickered and grew more and more transparent now, barely holding on as Storm poured everything he had into keeping it alive! His focus only broken by a tapping on the outside of the dome, like the sound of rapidly thumping on a plastic tub it reverberated though out the walled of space.
All eyes snapped to its source, revealing the Town clutz Ditzy Hooves standing there a bundle wrapped in cloth around her back and simply tapping away to her hearts content. There was something about the way she carried her self that all noticed however, all those inside barely stood upright wallowing in despair or sadness or grief. Ditzy showed none of these things, her stance upright, confident with her head held high for the words to see and a grind plastered upon her muzzle. Soon the reason for such a smile made itself apparent.
With a resonating blast of a war horn, the heads of all those left alive, Changeling or pony was drawn to the opposite side of the shield that Ditzy came from. Now in view marched a behemoth box of metal and paint, a whirling multi barreled weapon spitting death into the cloud of Changelings above! Like a god of war it marched on tirelessly even as the swarm descended upon the Yellow painted beacon of hope. Even as it was surrounded its horn continued to roar out every few seconds and the deep rumbling of its guns and jets of flame heralded its progress against the swarm. Burnt husks dropped from the skies along side those who had been shredded from the rounds being spit from the death machine.
The crowd of survivors huddled against the nearby windows as they watched the carnage unfold. The great war machine was decimating the swarm, its blows felling a full five of the insects in one go, their magic bolts simply plinking off its armor. It moved with trained precession, taking out their ranged support first with bursts of fire from his weapon systems only to crush any who cam close to him. Those unfortunate lings who thought to climb on top of him were taken by surprise as the beast rushed into a building at full tilt, pulverizing them. Green blood flowed down the street like a twisted river staining the ground as it flowed past.
Several drones were simply turned to paste beneath the great war machines feet or atomized by his mighty hand. Those that were luck were decimated from range, hyper velocity shells removing massive chunks out of heads or tearing off entire limbs at once. The unlucky ones burned, bathed in the horrifying wrath of blazing promethium. It to ran down the streets slowly crawling along like magma after an eruption and setting flame to those unlucky enough to not escape its fury. Some one gasped asking what horrible manner of beast it was only to be answered by a familiar voice.
"He is no beast, he is our savior... I think at least. His name is Stratta and he has promised to help us, isn't that wonderful?"
Shattered Storm whipped his head around as fast as his body would let him only to see Ditzy behind him. How had.. The barrier! His focus had slipped! How could he be so careless how could he... Storm starred at Ditzy weary and unblinking as he then pointed a hoof out the window. "What is that.. What is he? H-how how did he even get here? where..." Storm simply trailed off as he sat on his haunches and sighed. It didn't matter, not any more. Nothing mattered anymore it seemed. His thoughts were interrupted by Ditzy seemingly reading him perfectly.
"It still matters Storm, everything still matters in one way or another. But I don't think now is the time for such questions anyways. They are best left for after we reorganize and get through all this." Ditzy replied calmly staring at their savior with both eyes firmly in agreement about where to look. Storm could tell something was different about her now, not just the hopeful way she carried herself but in her words. That wisdom was not the Ditzy they knew. Storm went to speak only to sputter as he was cut off Ditzy anticipating his words yet again.
"Oh a few things have changed about me Stormy, not everything but enough where it counts." She starred at him, with both eyes as she partially unwrapped the bundle she carried and showed him its contents. A gilded light billowed out from the eyes of a foal, an Alicorn foal. The lighted flooded him with warmth and determination. He stared back at the former town clutz and nodded slowly, He understood, he understood it all now all. The sounds of fighting had dimmed causing him to look back out the window at their savior once more.
And as quickly as the slaughter began it was over. A full half of the swarm, some two hundred changelings lay dead or dying upon the ground. In unison the remaining swarm retreated away revealing to the ponies their savior. Stratta marched up to them and even underneath the green ichor and gore its from was now drenched in, his heraldry, that bleeding heart in front of a checkered background showed proudly the majority of the gore missing the places graced with its image.
"Hear me denizens of Equestria! Your capital has fallen, the Royal Guard decimated, your armies' generals gone, your princesses missing. You may all take this information and weep, you may sit there and do nothing but cry till these vile insects come for you once more... Or you can take the fight to these horrible creatures. You can follow me and liberate the rest of your countrymen and rebuild. Then you may as one take revenge on those who have done this to your fair country and eradicate those who have torn apart your families, your friends, your very way of life! Now what say you citizens of Equestria?"
There was a pause as the booming echo of the great warriors words faded away in the distance. Then as one the remaining citizens of ponyville let loose a cry of war, their rage, their passion fueling their lungs as they shouted as one in unanimous decision. The rallying cry would become known for generations passed down by all those who heard it and echoed those words. The sentiment of the statement become ingrained in the survivors of the Calamity. It would become the war cry of the resistance to be.
"For Equestria! Never forget Canterlot!"
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IT’S ALIVE
ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!
In all seriousness, it’s great to see this updated!
Also, did Celestia and Luna do a soul fusion or something?
11364505
Thank you that means quite alot to me to hear that! On your question it will be revealed in good time, but I will say its a bit more complicated then that
11365378
. . . Did Celestia, Luna, and the Mane Six soul fuse? Or do you mean the thing that created this new Alicorn was in itself more complicated than a soul fusion or something?
11365935
All in due time my friend.
Did not expect a comeback
You're.
You're is short for you are and your means that something belongs to you. Example:
You're not good at differentiating you're/your
Your ability to differentiate You're/your isn't very good.
Your welcome.
Ps: I hope you noticed the your welcome, because it was wrong.
For this, the wait was worth every minute.
Equastria, behold the greatest weapon of the Adeptus Astartes. The ability to breath life into the guttering embers of hope until it becomes an all-consuming firestorm. The Imperium's enemies have learned that through ten millenia of war. Even a single Space Marine appearing can and has given a Guard company the drive to stand against overwhelming odds and prevail. Here we have a captain of a 2nd company, next to the 1st the most experienced and tested of a Codex chapter, entombed in a dreadnought. A walking war machine who can obliterate an entire warband of orcs without support.
Run changlings. Run as far as you can, dig your hole as deep as you dare, and pull the mountains over you. In the end your bodies will burn and thirsting gods will claim your souls.
11249683
they with have?
Those are not words I expected to find right after each other. What does it even mean?
11567895
Thank you for the correction. My autism and mild dyslexia knows no bounds. Even accidentally clicking publish on a chapter I was working on that I had to quickly undo lol. It shocks me to see the numbers on this story frankly, something I am certain I do not deserve I do hope you've enjoyed so far though! I have plans to continue soon hopefully.
11567904
well said brother. Well said indeed.
No mas caps? :'v