Interlude 2- Deus Generis Humani et Luna Deo
"Non possum amare Luna legio opus meum sunt et inimici nostri sunt est aeterna."
Translation: "I can not love the moon, for my task is eternal, and our enemies are legion."
"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."- H. Jackson Brown, Jr
------------------------------------------------------------
Day 5 of the Equestria War
11:45 P.M.
Canterlot Palace, Lunar Suite
Luna sighed as she looked at the stars. Adam had asked if he could join her on the balcony- “for old times sake”, as he put it. Unfortunately, there hadn't been much going apart from an awkward silence every time Luna tried to start a conversation. Deciding to give up for now, she had started looking at the sky, both out of boredom and out of wonder. no matter how many times she saw it, the stars never failed to amaze her with their distant, pinpricks of beauty. She remembered how when Adam told her that every single star could be a beacon of light to another far away race, she laughed at him. Then he showed her. He showed her what it was like to see almost everything, to feel like a hawk, lofty, above all others, ready to dive down and snatch her prey whenever she felt like it.....
She missed those kind of days. To distract herself, she started looking at all the different constellations, making a tweak or two to some of her less favored ones, while Adam brooded in silence. A small nudge to Cepheus, a few more stars to Orion and maybe a slightly longer tail to the plow. Luna had always loved tweaking, constantly making small, tiny improvements over the course of an entire week so that the astronomers guild wouldn't notice. She would often spend whole nights on the roof of the place on her own, just laying there, making the stars just a little bit better, in the hope that somepony might see it. They never did...
But Luna wasn’t bitter. No, that was what led her to her fall to chaos, something she never wanted to repeat. She could still feel it now, promises of power and glory lurking in the back of her mind, leaping forward as soon as she thought of them. The power to make Celestia, Discord, even Adam cower at her feet, while she ruled over all three universes.
With a small ear twitch of irritation, she banished the thoughts to the warp, crushing them with sheer willpower. After her return, Adam had spent most of the year with her, inside a circle of wards checking every single part of her mind, making sure not one shred of the daemon remained. After he was sure she was untainted, he had started giving her lessons on how to repel the stuff of chaos, how to not just ignore the whispers, but to destroy them entirely, if only for a short time. while in thought, her gaze slowly wandered over to a certain pair constellation. “Imperator Dominatus”, and “Luna Nike“. Luna looked closely at them, noticing as Adam started to raise his head again, turning to look at Luna.
Suddenly, things clicked into place. The double speak during the meeting, the awkwardness between them recently. Adam had decided to face it. It was time to talk.
“That’s why you asked to join me here, isn't it?” Luna said, without turning to look at Adam. “You want to talk about my... feelings for you.” Adam just ‘stood’ there, his hologram not saying a word. He may have been a near God, but so was Luna, and he wanted to tread lightly.
“You knew when we revealed to the UNSC and Shepherd’s men that they weren’t alone, didn‘t you?” Luna continued. Adam just stood there for a moment, then tilted his head slightly forward, in a small nod, not daring to look towards her.
Luna’s temper finally snapped. “You know, for a God, you're being awfully quiet considering that you asked if you could join me.” she snarked bitterly.
“I’m not a God.” Adam replied quietly.
“At this point, its rather irrelevant if you think you are or not. You're close enough for me.” Luna said softly.
Adam turned to look at her, face emotionless. “I’m sorry Luna, I can’t be with you, not in that way.”
Luna just sat there for a moment, not moving. “Why?” she asked. “Do you not love me? Do you wish to keep yourself apart from me?”
Adam just sighed. “Luna,” he began, “I’m not quite sure when it started but I’ve loved you for a long time now. I’m not sure where it started, but I realize it now, and I accept it now. Looking back, I remember all sorts of small, almost unnoticeable things, all these little signs that have always deceived me. It feels like one of those old puzzles, impossible to understand until you work it out, then you curse yourself for not realizing it earlier, at how simple it all was... But it won’t work. It can’t work…”
Just as Luna began to reply, Adam cut her off.
“Don’t think that I don’t want to, I wish I could, but do you know what’s happened to those I love, to all my friends in my world? I made twenty sons. My own flesh and blood, both figuratively and literally. Stronger than any man, perfection made flesh, yet each one was their own, unique. I loved them and they loved me."
"The bond of family, after all is a strong one. But chaos took them from me, not once, but twice. They scattered them to the four winds of the galaxy, hid them away beyond even my sight. But I persevered, not letting chaos take them from me forever. I lead a crusade for over a thousand years, reuniting both the galaxy and my sons."
"But chaos would not allow peace. They couldn’t, and they didn’t."
"They corrupted one of my chaplains, a man whose job was to stop this kind of madness. He corrupted Lorgar, who in turn corrupted the rest of my sons, caused a splinter faction of my army and my people to declare war on us, to cause the galaxy to be engulfed in flames. My best friend, my only friend until meeting you, died performing my duty, his body rendered to ashes upon that damn throne.” He pounded his holographic fist into the railing, a distant boom echoing around them.
“Not even his spirit was left. All my sons were either killed, lost or tainted. I killed my champion, my greatest creation, because he left me no choice. Just like Malcador, his soul was torn asunder. And I was left near death. I was dead, I am still dead. For ten thousand years, humanity has been told to hate the mutant, the xeno and the heretic, doing exactly what I was trying to prevent. I feel cursed by the galaxy, to always be blind to the truth until it is made clear to me by actions and failure.“
He leaned forward, looking onto the city beneath them. “It followed me here, you know. Discord is proof enough of that. He felt as though he was living in my shadow. He was the only one of his kind, the only one to have ever been with the 'gift' of psyker power. A unique being, with complete control over raw chaos. Is Chaos not just another word for logic in motion, of change? He could defy entropy if he wanted, remake the universe. And I dwarfed him utterly. Imagine if suddenly a red and black alicorn dropped in from the sky and did your job perfectly. A tragic story, unlimited power, beautiful to all, kind, benevolent, always knowing the right thing to do. Imagine if she started raising and lowering the moon, the sun and the stars. Imagine if the people wanted her to… well, you get the idea.” He stopped, trying to gather his thoughts once more.
“I suppose I couldn’t comprehend anyone being... jealous of me after all that has happened in my long lifetime. But he only saw the gleaming golden figure of perfection, there to make him look like a small child in front of his love. I should have helped him. He stands in stone because of me.”
“No, he does not.” Luna told him. “Do you not remember? You were there when he was petrified, you read his mind. You should know this far better than we do. His actions were not his own, but that of that blasphemous creature, Kairos. He was the one who went on a Chaos spree who destroyed town after town, who incurred our wrath. Discord is guilty of nothing more than practicing a foolish summoning, and of trying to win my sister’s love... when he already had it.”
Luna looked at him, and put a hoof by his hand. “And why does this mean that we can’t be together? Terrible things have happened, but that is a fact of life. Bad things have happened to good people, and you can’t hold yourself responsible for them. Not noticing that other people are about to fall does not mean that it’s your fault. We have discussed this, you and I. We both know that if it wasn’t Lorgar and Horus, it would’ve easily been one of your other sons. The Heresy was going to happen; The only thing that could’ve changed was how far it could’ve gone.”
Adam gave a dry laugh. “Your land and people may repel chaos, but they cannot stop it. It is slow, a whisper in the ear, a subtle push towards the slippery slope of madness. Of course, the payoff for such a small reality becoming engulfed in flames is hardly worth the investment save for one thing.”
“Me“.
“Chaos is afraid of me. It is like the darkness, repelled by light. But lights flicker and burn out. Given enough time they can be swallowed up. Do you remember Sombra? He may have been a dictator- a cold, heartless wretch that deserved nothing more than a painful death- but I doubt he would have sought out that daemon on his own free will. Chaos has followed me here, whether we realize it or not. It has been slowly corrupting this world, changing small parts to it’s own will, causing conflict and pain. No one has been spared. Not even you.”
Luna looked down, ashamed of those old memories. But Adam continued.
“I don’t know if it was because Chaos knew of your love for me, or because you are one of the most powerful beings in this reality, but they ensnared you. Like hooks buried in your mind, slowly tearing you apart until you shattered. Just like Horus, you fell to your desires, innocent at first, corrupted by corruption itself. An army of 10,000 ponies at your command, half the royal guard hurled themselves at their former master, your sister. Ponies love the night and the day equally, yet chaos managed to demonize each in it’s own way. The burning sun, the freezing moon. Old war cries die hard, as they say.“
“Do you know why they choose then to corrupt you Luna? Do you know why they chose that moment in time to curse you with banishment for a thousand years. That was the day where, at the back of my mind, at some minute level, I realized that I cared for you. I didn’t recognize them, but I knew there was something. As I said before, it’s a puzzle, one that only makes sense once it is completed. You, a queen- or a princess as your culture calls it- immune to the sands of time and with the power to move the stars at night- were a mere pawn to chaos. And they weren’t even trying. Chaos is in this world. It drips through the cracks, slowly rising, swallowing all. Do you think that the return of the Nightmare, Discord, Sombra within a few years is bad luck or chance? It’s growing Luna, growing in such a way that it dwarfs all other threats combined. So far, they have been practicing. Small skirmishes, dancing at the edge of reality, but never leaving it. Chaos is coming, my dear. Maybe not tonight, but soon enough."
Luna looked at him, a mask of emotionless covered her true feelings. Feelings of anger, fury, disgust. A goddess does not scare easy. Chaos does not play by the rules... and neither did she.
“Adam, you forget everything that happened that night. Even as the armies of this world fought my followers, you and Celestia fought the daemon in my skin at Castle Everfree. Even as you gave power to my sister, even as the daemon fought against you and gained the upper hoof, I struggled against her control, fighting to gain my body back. Celestia fell, and the Nightmare stood ready to kill her, and even you. I used every bit of strength I had left to break through, to stop her attack and speak. Do you remember what I said?”
Adam nodded keeping himself stoic as he felt the pain of old memories. “You told us to use the Elements on you, while you were still in control. You said... that you’d rather die than let the monster hurt us anymore.”
Luna then continued, “I saw that look in her eyes, the look I know now that you shared with her. You couldn’t believe that I could break through her control. You didn’t believe that I was still alive, and you were going to kill me like you killed Horus. But Celestia couldn’t do it- she wasn't a warrior like you were, she wasn't hardened like she is now- and did the one thing she could think of that would beat the Nightmare... send us to the moon, until a time could come that I could be saved.”
They sat in silence after that. It was a hard time for both of them. Luna would spend the next thousand years left on a barren rock, knowing that the daemon would come back the moment that she could go home. Adam would spend the next thousand years knowing that the one person he ever knew capable of breaking a daemon’s grasp had been banished to an empty world as penance.
“As for Equestria,” She continued, “We are fortified against them. We have both a natural resistance and millennia of preparations. Our magic is dedicated to harmony, the direct opposite to chaos. And haven’t we shown you that love can destroy chaos? Haven’t Twilight and her friends, or Shining Armor and Cadence shown you that the power of love and friendship is the strongest force against disharmony? You even said so yourself, during the Wedding. And even if you are right, why does it matter if we both already feel this way? You told me that chaos feeds off emotions, corrupting them, but the emotions are already there. We can’t stop these emotions, so why refuse them?”
Adam sighed. “Luna, There is one more thing that I forgot to say. My people. The Imperium has been taught for ten thousand years that the Xeno are to be feared, hated, loathed. To be merely shot is a mercy, and anyone engaged in... relationships suffer fates worth the deaths. I may be their ruler, but you can’t expect them to drop ten thousand years of hatred in a few months time. It wouldn’t be fair on them. This may be what we deserve, but its not what we need. “
“Not only that, but one of the main reasons that there have been so few manifestations is because that so much of my people’s lives are devoted to hope and joy in congregation. It may be false hope and joy, but nonetheless, it still exists, and it still has power. They have unknowingly diverted the fuel to schemes, plans and plots that can never be allowed to manifest. If we were to announce our feelings for each other, even if the outcome was merely small grumblings- which I can almost guarantee it won't- the psychic backlash would be enough to kick start another black crusade at a time where our military needs to be the most focused in its ever been. At a time like this, where the fate of the multiverse hangs in the balance, its something that we just can’t risk. I’m sorry Luna. It. Can’t. Work.”
Silence.
Luna just stood there for a moment. Barely moving. Breathing deeply. If one looked closely at the right moment, you might notice a small tear falling from her eye. But then it was gone. Blinked away into oblivion.
“Well, if that is how you feel…” Luna replied, her voice perfectly even, “Then it seems we have no more business here.”
She started to walk off the balcony. “Good night, Adam. You were right by the way. It wouldn’t work.” She didn’t believe a word of what she said. Not a damn one. But if that’s how he wants it, so be it.
And with that, she walked off, shutting the balcony doors behind her. Adam bowed his head as he rested against the railing, feeling the most alone he had in millennia.
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Were's the cheif
Poor Emperor...
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR
Excellent work really! I love the arguement and how it ends. Adam is right about the now but his people HAVE to get rid off their hatred or atleast make exceptions for like Halo-verse , Masseffect-verse and pony-verse. I´d say" When the war is over let´s make some changes you gotta start anyways so why not now?" If you are going to save the universe you can´t just let your men wanting to kill their allies leaving them to plan how they´ll kill every last of them after the bond is no longer needed. I don´t know how everyone else feels about that but i´d want to see a short arguement/fight/shootout etc about this problems with every factions champion or leader.
I am already excited for the next chapter
It's not like he had to tell them about it, he could rule equestria and the 40K verse, and no one would be any the wiser, not even Celly if they could keep it between them
ouch bro. That feel is a familiar one
ouch! poor Luna and Adam
maybe one day in the future guys, maybe one day... 
Woot go General onefish for writing this awese chapter. Now that wa fun but back to the gore NoW!!! :p
well, this went better then I expected
2965479 See? You had nothing to worry about.
Swooped by sadness, the two loneliest characters both just hit the forever alone train to "Awh shit i'm single foreverville".
Okay, that was interesting.
I don't really care about the relationship thingy but HOLY SHIT I loved that talk about chaos.
Honestly I am defiantly scared of Pinkie right now. The whole chain sword incident.
Unless spike pulls off a deus ex machina, then he and rarity are fucked. Literally, given the dark eldar.
I'm fixing to read this and it looks bad ass
Whelp, looks like I've unintentionally kicked the hornet's nest again. First it was "Spartans vs. Space Marines", now its herds.
For what its worth, since this is a "deleted scene", you are free to disregard this chapter in regards to canon and whatnot. And if that doesn't work, do remember that this is an AU fic (as stated at the front page), so any irregularities between this and the general accepted canon/fanon can be attributed to this.
3191478 I actually like Xenophilia. Clop aside, it really did well in regards to world-building, and the concept of herding in a gender-lopsided race like the ponies makes a lot of sense to me.
As for the gay question, I wouldn't know whether or not they brought it up in the Cain novels as you mention, or in any others. However, going off the knowledge that the Imperium is an oppressive, conservative regime, and that Slaneesh is a god of pleasure and excess, it would make sense that homosexuality would be on the list of "Things to Purge".
3191565 To each his own, I guess. You are entitled to your opinion (bonus points for using Nostalgia Critic clips, that guy's cool), as is everyone else. If I may raise a counterpoint to Lyrabon; let's be honest with ourselves here, are does anyone honestly ship them with anyone else? With Lyra, sometimes she gets shipped with Octavia or a human OC. With Bonbon, I don't think there are any serious fics that have her shipped out of that OTP.
And for your rather enthusiastic ranting session at the end, I have only this to say...
sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-i-do-what-i-want-2.png
3191412 i didn't make it. I found it browsing either r/mylittlewarhammer or r/mylittlepony (cant find that post anymore) and i can't find the definitive creator but here is the link to a place where i found it now
3191997 Thank you
. If you think about it, ponies should know what hands are, since they interact with dragons, griffons and diamond dogs on a regular basis. Plantigrade feet, however, are unique to us humans, and I doubt they would know or understand how we walk around as we do. Hence, feet would be more interesting than hands.
Alrighty then, I'm caught up to the current events in this story. It's a shame you couldn't work any other games into the universes participating, coz I honestly think that Starcraft and Supreme Commander would make for excellent candidates, in one there's an enemy like the Tyranids, and in the other there's giant robots battling for supreme domination of the galaxy.
3197697
Having space marines and starcraft marines get into a fight over who's armor is more awesome would be a dream come true.
3203295 I think there's an image of that very situation happening. I have the image
over here on this link.
If you can see the image, its not going well for the 40k marines.
3203848 It's prompting me to log in, so nah, not gonna continue past that point. But they'd both be made redundant by a mech marine from supreme commander, that things nothing but house sized armor with two person sized cannons for arms.
3206153 Yeah, I hate dropbox. Its nice for setting up wallpapers, but when you want to post an image on a site its more difficult than going through the DMV.
3206444 I don't know what that is, but it sounds excruciating.
3206632 Dropbox was where the link was heading to.
Unless you were referring to the DMV, in which case, the less you know the better.
3206658 I assume it makes want to do this?
3206670 Unfortunately, yes. Its a place ran by people who gave up on their dreams, and filled with people who'd rather get tazed in the crotch than sit around or stand in line for 3 hours a pop.
Over the front door, there should be a sign that says, "Abandon all Hope, ye who Enter!"
3206722 Still, at least it isn't run by politicians, then nothing would get done.
3206732 At least politicians pretend to care about you when they work. When you're talking to a DMV worker, they act as if you're taking time out of their day playing Minesweeper or looking at porn. Meeting a guy who's actually nice to you is as rare as finding a unicorn eating four-leaf clovers while farting out rainbows.
3206787 There's a mural of that in a nearby park.
3191854Actually, Bon-Bon is paired occasionally with Caramel...Okay, I've only seen two or three, but still.
And anyways, I was more of joking about it. (Just a little tired of the pairing, but I have no problem with it being used. And I loved the Imperials reaction, so it was okay.)
{And yes, The Nostalgia Critic is cool. He's my favorite critic on the site.
}
That is a great fic and I love the reference. I wish it would freaking update, though.
Empy just can't catch a break.
Hm....why he didn't tried to cheer Luna? Of course they can't try things like that. But what in 100 or more years? After victory over Chaos and other forces? Be patient Luna. You life span is endless, wait, and be rewarded.