The Grimdark 6 Vol Two: Broken Beast

by SuperSaiyanDiclonius

First published 21st of September, 2019

After helping tend to the destruction of Ponyville, Fluttershy goes to feed the animals in her Sanctuary...only to find a new arrival unlike anything she's seen before.

Abuse. Fluttershy has seen it a few times before, and it always breaks her heart.

But she has never seen as bad as this.

She doesn't recognize the animal, only the look in it's eyes. Eyes that tell her that he won't resist...because that would only make it hurt worse.

Chapter 1:Abused Animal

Fluttershy panted the whole way to her Sanctuary, rebuilding had only just begun, and yet so much had been accomplished.

The ruined homes have been repaired, barring Sweet Apple Acres, and the ponies that were cured of Swamp Fever were intergrating well with Ponyville.

Fluttershy was the most helpful in the latter, she and Pinkie Pie learned the identity, special talent, and in Pinkie Pie's case, favorite foods and birthdays of every new resident.

In all the excitement, and the terror prior, Fluttershy had neglected checking on her Sanctuary. It was far enough away that she wasn't too worried that they had been attacked, but she hadn't fed her animals all day, having been called away from doing so by Twilight when...the war started.

She hated thinking about it, but ignoring it won't make it go away. Any belief that Luna and the new PDF could keep the Daemons out of Equestria was gone...Equestria was at war...a real war...the likes of which they have not seen in over a thousand years.

Fluttershy knew that a great and terrible change had come, and that it was still happening and would for awhile as Equestria and it's allies grew accustomed to the new normal...waiting for the next attack.

But right now, Fluttershy really needed to tend to her animals. Not just for their needs, but also for her own. She needed to do something normal while it was still normal.

She was slightly pulled from her thoughts when she heard the familiar boing boing of Angel. She knew that he was going to be upset with her for not having eaten yet, but the normality of such a thing actually made Fluttershy anticipate it.

He came up to her and started hopping around frantically, chittering at her so fast that she couldn't understand him, but she knew that he was yelling at her. "I'm sorry I'm late Angel... I was busy with something important."

This caused the small rabbit to get even more frustrated, but Fluttershy tuned him out until his temper tantrum was mere background noise.

No damage had been done to the Sanctuary, they had been too far away, but it would appear that most of the animals were hiding...Probably frightened by the sounds of ponies dying.

Angel still jumped around her in an attempt to get her attention. She sighed as she persisted in her journey to the food pantry. Eventually he would give up and just wait for her to feed him after he was too tired to jump around anymore. Such was their routine.

Fluttershy came to an abrupt halt when something absolutely foul made itself known to her nose. The stench almost drew what little she's had to eat from her stomach in an instant.

Oh, I see you've met him. Fluttershy finally turned her attention to Angel, who had stopped hopping around her.

"Huh, met who?" Fluttershy asked, realizing that Angel had actually been trying to tell her something important this whole time.

Angel rolled his eyes. Just come with me.

Fluttershy didn't need to follow Angel, her nose was leading her along in a far more painful manner than the rabbit ever had.

Along the way, she finally found her animal friends. They were hiding. Something had spooked them, and it was something inside the Sanctuary.

A terrifying thought came to the pegasus' mind, could it be another enemy? It was plausible, but none of the servants of Chaos that attacked them had smelled like this.

Finally, she and Angel came to the center of the Sanctuary...and she saw it.

It was an ape of some kind, not quite as big as a gorilla, but much bigger than a chimpanzee.

It was also green, almost like a plant. But what drew Fluttershy's attention was it's teeth. They protruded from it's lower jaw in a manner similar to a Diamond Dog's, but they were much bigger.

It was hard to make out much else, considering that it was leaning against a tree in the shade, it was only a single hand exposed to the sun that showed her it's skin color.

"Oh my, have you ever seen anything like him before?" Fluttershy asked Angel, who scowled at her.

Oh, of course I have. I just kept him hidden on a raft of flowers floating in a lake of air-freshener ON THE OTHER SIDE OF EQUESTRIA!

Fluttershy immediately knew that if this ape wasn't an agent of Chaos, which she highly doubted, but a creature looking to stay in her Sanctuary, then Angel was going to be problematic.

With a weary sigh, Fluttershy moved to investigate the strange creature.

Fluttershy had to fight for every step forward. That smell was horrendous. She didn't know why it smelled like that, and she prayed that it wasn't a natural musk. But that would wait until another time. For now, she had made it.

"Um, excuse me." Fluttershy said to get the ape's attention.

It turned to her, revealing red, serpentlike eyes... But their physical appearance meant nothing to her.

Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth and felt tears building up behind her own eyes. The ape's eyes were empty, there was no emotion behind them...and she had seen it before.

Abuse. A rare but existing problem, even in Equestria. Fluttershy had earned a few enemies among circus owners and Canterlot nobles for the inexcusable way they treated their pets and the legal battles she had fought to save them.

Most ponies only see the visible wounds on a creature's hide, but Fluttershy can see the worst of their scars through their eyes.

Most learned to fear ponies, and Fluttershy would release them into the wild immediately after healing them.

Others developed a deep-seated hatred for ponykind that hopefully, but not often, mellowed out over time...but this.

When Fluttershy looked into the eyes of this ape, she saw a creature that had given up. It didn't hate her, it didn't fear her, it was just going to wait until she was finished doing whatever she planned to do, even if it killed him...he may have even hoped for that, but had given up asking.

Even in spite of it's smell, Fluttershy lunged at the ape. It closed it's eyes in acceptance of it's fate, only to open them again when he realized that Fluttershy was hugging him.

"Oh, you poor thing I am so sorry." Fluttershy managed to say before she burst into tears.

The creature was confused, but then a face of sad recognition came upon him. He said nothing to explain this, not that Fluttershy noticed the face to begin with, he just let the pegasus do as she pleased. It didn't matter to him, he was used to it by now.

Eventually, Fluttershy came to her senses. She wasn't making her guest feel any better, and feeling sorry for him wasn't going to change what had happened to him.

Fluttershy removed herself from the ape and dried her tears. "I'm... I'm sorry about that, I just- ahem- My name is Fluttershy. This Sanctuary is a safe place, and you are more than welcome to stay as long as you like. You're safe here."

The ape's eyes didn't change one bit, but it gave a slow nod that it understood, not necessarily agreed, but understood.
"Um, Are you hungry? I've got plenty of food." Fluttershy said, gesturing in the direction of the Food Pantry.

Once more, Fluttershy was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Angel's approach. This time, it wasn't as welcome.

Fluttershy turned to face the furious bunny, who undoubtedly pieced together that the ape was staying, and prepared to defend her new guest, and herself, from the rabbit's wrath.

However, as soon as he stopped, Angel's anger gave way to shock. WOAH! Yeah, he's staying.

He didn't sound happy about it, but he understood that arguing was pointless. However, Fluttershy hadn't used the Stare on him, and he wasn't even looking at her.

Fluttershy turned around...and her heart sank again.

The ape had stepped out of the shade, revealing himself to be covered head to toe with various scars, from blade wounds to burn marks to the imprints of barbed chains on his arms.

Fluttershy couldn't comprehend it, even Equestria's worst villains weren't capable of such cruelty...expect one.

The Chaos Space Marines. The trans-human monsters that had attacked them alongside the zombiefied ponies and rogue dragons. Could this ape have been a slave to them? It was the only explanation that she could think of.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she realized that there was something attached to the ape. It was...a sticky note?
"Hmm? What's this?" Fluttershy asked out loud so the ape wouldn't be startled when she reached for him and removed the note.

Dear Fluttershy. I was in the middle of entertaining a guest when this poor lost soul drifted into my realm from parts unknown, and I just knew that if anypony could help him, it would be you. Best of luck.

Discord.

Well, at least that explains how he got here. Fluttershy put the note aside and went to feeding the animals, starting with her new guest.

Fluttershy led the ape to her Food Pantry and unlocked the door. "I don't really know what you eat, but feel free to pick anything you like."

The ape looked into the pantry, hesitant to go inside. Fluttershy realized that he thought it was a trap.

"Oh, it's perfectly safe. See?" Fluttershy walked into the pantry and grabbed a jar of cookies. She then opened the jar and took a cookie for herself to show the ape that they were to eat.

Fluttershy then handed the jar to the ape, who hesitantly took it. He slowly picked up a cookie and put it into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.

If he liked it or didn't, he gave no sign. He just handed the jar back.

"Huh, are you sure? You seem pretty big to just eat one cookie." Fluttershy said. She already knew that he believed that he was only allowed one, but she didn't want to tell him to eat more because she wanted him to feel independent.

It worked. The ape took the whole jar back to the tree she found him at and sat back down.

Smiling to herself at the baby step, Fluttershy finally got to work feeding the rest of her animal friends.

Author's Notes:

And so it begins.

To start off. Yes, I know I said I was going to fix Vol. 1 before starting Vol. 2. But the longer I waited, the more ideas came into my brain. Especially after a bold YouTuber risked his channel to let me see the series finale early. (No spoilers until a public release)

I'm still going to fix Vol. 1 eventually, but I really wanted to write this.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the actual chapter and (vaguely) my plans for the future.

To those of you who haven't figured it out. Yes, it's an Ork.
However, Fluttershy is incorrect in the assumption that it was a slave to Chaos.
For the true answer, look no further than my YouTube page where I posted a video specifically for this.

https://youtu.be/VL6EtOIiUws

And now for how accurately am I going to follow the canon for season 9. Well, for starters, even if we take all of their worst moments from every episode, there is simply no way the Royal Sisters would be irresponsible enough to pass the torch at the beginning of a war, so that's not happening. But of course, you're all interested in Grogar.

Yes, the legion of doom is still gonna happen, though Chrysalis will be a bit more unstable on account of the events of last volume.

However I will derail from the plot with an alternate ending to Frenemies, which you will see when you see it. (Gotta keep some surprises)

And of course, Luna and the PDF will still be defending the Dream Realm from the forces of Chaos. I'm contemplating whether or not if this will keep Aries out of the fight against Sombra. However, another difference is that since Aries (along with this Ork and 4 other characters) will be inheriting the Elements of Harmony, Sombra will not destroy them. I may have them destroyed later by a 40k enemy but that's a few volumes away.

Okay, that's all I got. Once again, I will be trying for weekly updates, but...life.

Chapter 2: The Devil You Know

"You may call me...Grogar." The large goat, obviously in service of the Ruinous Powers, declared to the assembled villains.

Chrysalis couldn't keep the shock from her voice. "The Grogar?!" It was a shared sentiment, Tirek and King Sombra holding the same knowledge of the first emperor, but Chrysalis barely heard them.

It made sense, if anycreature was capable of undoing what was done to her then it was him, but the fact that he served them unnerved her.

She could still feel it. The horrid sensation of her chitin and flesh being warped and twisted into unnatural shapes, all because she casted the summoning spell 5 seconds early.

Now, she couldn't help but feel that she and these others were being gathered for a sacrifice.

"Oh, I assure you. I am very real. And I gathered you all here as part of my plan for getting rid of Twilight Sparkle and friends. Once and for all." Grogar explained, complimenting the speech with a traditional evil laugh.

"But is it your plan?" All eyes fell to Chrysalis as she glared accusingly at the goat.

"I was tricked into following their plans as well..." Chrysalis contiued, pointing a hoof at the Star of Chaos dangling from Grogar's neck.

"...And the minute something went wrong....you saw what they did to me." Chrysalis concluded, earning shudders from the other villains as they recalled the Chaos Horror and imagined what they assumed such a thing would feel like.

"Hmph, you would do well not to compare my capabilities to yours. But if that's your concern..." Grogar closed his eyes. As he did so, his Star began to glow with the colors of the Warp.

A few seconds later, three Daemons: one that Chrysalis recognized as the one that taught her the spell, one that had blood red skin and a flaming sword, and one that somehow seemed pleasant and painful to look at at the same time, were pulled from rips in reality and sealed within the Star.

"There. The Daemons still amuck in Equestria have been sealed away along with the one who thought he could deceive me. Are you satisfied?" Grogar asked of the Changeling.

Far from it. The fact that he overpowered those beings so quickly only put Chrysalis more on edge, but she knew that if he was that powerful, there wasn't anything she could do.

Grogar took her silence as an answer. "Good. Now then, it is true that the Ruinous Powers are more concerned with destroying Equestria than conquering it. Which is why I will be relying on their assistance sparingly...rather than blindly jumping into the first opportunity to make a fool of myself."
Chrysalis was about to retort, but it was Tirek who spoke up first. "And why should you keep all their power to yourself?"

"Because I'm the only one who knows how to control the powers of Chaos rather than letting them control me. But don't worry, there is plenty of power to be had." With this, Grogar extracted some of his own essence and blew it like a dandelion towards Tirek.

The centaur greedily devoured the energy and immediately grew three times bigger.

Satisfied for the moment, Tirek retreated to having a private with the pegasus filly, who didn't seem to know who Grogar was.

Chrysalis was all but convinced that the pony was only present to be a sacrifice later...but the thought was immediately lost.

Just behind the centaur and the filly, Chrysalis saw movement. Whatever it was was gone before she could get a good look at it, but something about it's frame seemed familiar...she could've sworn she had seen three creatures of similar appearance after casting the summoning spell, though it was hard to remember...considering the state she had been in.

As Chrysalis turned from the possible hallucination, it would seem that Grogar was having a disagreement with King Sombra. "I don't do 'ours', I only do MINE! I will take back the Crystal Empire on my own! And I will destroy anypony who gets in my way."

Grogar merely smirked at the defiance. "Such confidence. Go. Try to take back your kingdom. I shall send you there myself. If you prevail, you may keep it."

It is at this point that the smirk disappeared. "But when you fail, you will submit to me."

Sombra was unimpressed. "And if I refuse this...deal?"

"Then I shall return you back to the darkness from whence you were summoned." Grogar replied.

"Fine." Sombra agreed without hesitation. "But this is a waist of time. I shall defeat all who get in my way. I shall crush those who defy me. I-" Any further monologuing was silenced as Grogar sent Sombra from his sight, and more importantly, his hearing.

The goat then looked to the other three. "I advise the rest of you to prepare to work together." And then he was gone.

Chrysalis and Tirek looked to each before the filly flew up to hover between them. "Well, working together sounds an awful lot like making friends. So you two are in luck because I know all about that."

Chrysalis was about to put the fear of the reaper into the foolish pony, but found it unnecessary as Tirek sent her flying with a flick of his finger. "Okay, you seem to be familiar with that pony. Would you mind explaining: What in the Hive's name is she doing here outside of chains?"

Tirek scoffed in amusement at the changeling's confusion. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's just as power hungry as you or I. Are you familiar with that incident 7 months ago where magic started to disappear from Equestria?"

Chrysalis' eyes almost popped out of her head. She had nearly had a heart attack that day. "Are you suggesting that filly had something to do with it?"

"Not something..." Tirek answered. "...everything. And she had tricked Twilight Sparkle and her friends into investigating my possible involvment, since stealing magic is my thing, and trapped them in Tartarus. She was thwarted by the honor role students at Twilight's 'School of Friendship', though if you ask her to tell you, she'll say the Tree of Harmony itself undid her plans. Hmph, kids. But enough about that. What the hay happened to you?"

Chrysalis took a step back. It was obvious what Tirek was talking about.

"Yeah, I'm curious too." Said the filly, who had recovered from her involuntary flight. "I mean, I know changing shape is kind of your thing, but that seemed...wrong."

Chrysalis sat on her haunches and let out breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding. "How much have you two been told of Grogar's...power?"

"You mean the ruinous power he referred to?" Tirek asked.

"Yes, but it's not ruinous power. He was referring to the ruinous power, The Ruinous Powers of Chaos Undivided. From what I understand, they are the foil of the Elements of Harmony, representing Despair, Hatred, Ambition, and Desire." Chrysalis explained.

This got the other villains attention...through Chrysalis quickly de-romantisized them. "And trying to use that power backfired horrendously. Grogar's right, sparingly is the only way to use such power, if at all. You can't trust the Dark Gods."

She could tell that they weren't as excited, but they were still curious. "Did you just say...Dark Gods?"

"Yes. I wasn't told much. Only that each of these Gods represents one of the Ruinous Powers. Considering we're talking about villains as arrogant as us, if not more so, I doubt that they're any more impressive than Twilight Sparkle and her friends...though if I ever get my hooves on Tzeentch, I'll make sure he knows exactly what that felt like." The others didn't need to know what 'that' was, they could still the cracks as her bones broke and reformed.

"Zeench? Hmm, I don't know of anycreature that would have a name like that." The filly stated.

"Indeed. Not even the beings of my homeland had such names." Tirek replied.

"Well whatever he is, he's the Dark God of Ambition. He's also known as the Archetect of Fate or The Changer of Ways. He claims that every plan is his and that all living things have a part to play in his schemes...and he's the one who sent that Daemon to give me the spell that rebounded on me and transformed me into that thing." Chrysalis snarled in anger.

"Interesting. Your personal history with him aside, I think I can stand to admire this 'Zeench'." Tirek stated.

Chrysalis arched an eyebrow. "Actually, considering how your plans all revolve around increasing your muscle mass, I'd say you're more aligned with Slaanesh: The Dark God of Desire."

Tirek thought about it, and shrugged in agreement.

The three villains contiued their conversation, completely unaware that they were being watched.

Grogar narrowed his eyes at Chrysalis. Her experience had changed her, for better or worse was yet to be determined.

"You didn't need her, you know?" Spoke a voice behind the goat.

Grogar turned to face the Heads of the Hydra that came up behind him. He knew them by the names of their fathers: Alpharius and Omegon. They always called each other by one or the other, and always acted as though Grogar spoke to the wrong one if he didn't keep up with the trading of their names.

They only way to tell which one was which was the different colors of their armor, though knowing the Alpha Legion, there were probably days when they traded armor instead of names and days where they traded armor and names.

"Maybe not Alpharius, but then again. She may be exactly what we need for our plans." Grogar replied.

"Hmm, it's possible, I suppose... also, I'm Omegon." The astartes replied.

Grogar rolled his eyes. 'Omegon' was wearing the blue and green armor today while Alpharius wore the green and blue, and even these differences to the armor weren't so great, as the green was a bluish green as the blue was a greenish blue. In fact, the only true difference was that one of them appeared to be a set of loyalist armor while the other sported a set of horns and Chaotic symbols...the armors were repainted daily.

"So, would any of you care to place a wager on how long it takes the ponies to defeat Sombra?" Grogar asked.

"You know..." Began Alpharius. "...I don't think they will." Concluded Omegon.

Grogar couldn't keep the surprise from his face. "You actually think that fool has a chance?"

This got a laugh from the Space Marines. "Oh no no no, we just wonder..." Omegon started. "...what chance has a master of fear..." Continued Alpharius. "...against one who has no fear." They concluded.

Author's Notes:

Oh boy, plans within plans have set into motion. But who are the puppets, and who are the puppeteers?

So, next chapter is going to be Sombra's attack on the Crystal Empire, and as stated before: I plan to keep the Elements in this story for a few volumes more.

Also, I'm going to try and get the next chapter out this weekend... and go on a 2-4 week hiatus.

The reason: while I won't spoil the series finale, I will say that I, as an individual, found it wanting, and thus: intend to write an alternate ending that I will post the day after the series finale goes public.

So if the next chapter doesn't drop for awhile, you know why.

Also, shoutout to The Reaper of Valhalla: one of my FanFiction.net readers.
The FF app is bugged, and thus: any PMs I try to send will go through, but will never be read.

So, in reply to your review: Thank you for your support and I appreciate the lengths you went to in order to get the most out of my story.

Okay, that's all I got, see you next time.

Chapter 3: Sombra's Shadow

Tempest Shadow stepped off the train onto the Crystal Empire station. She had been in Klugetown, cracking down on the thieves and slavers that frequent the lawless desert town, when word reached her that Equestria was going to war.

Tempest was sceptical about the claim, considering how swiftly most threats were dealt with, and how she couldn't imagine something worse than the Storm King, but she nonetheless answered the summons.

After arriving in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had requested that she meet with the leader of the 'Planetary Defense Force' to receive her orders. The fact that a planet wide alliance had been deemed necessary did nothing to help Tempest's worry, especially after Celestia informed her that Ponyville had been attacked and suffered over a hundred casualties.

The leader of the PDF was currently in the Crystal Empire, meeting with Twilight's brother, and so Tempest had come to report to this 'Aries'.

She had been told that another unicorn would meet her at the station. And after looking around for a few seconds, she found a pony matching his description: white coat, black mane and beard, dressed in uniform and appearing unfriendly at first glance, and second...and third.

Tempest approached the pony and hailed him. "Excuse me, are you Chancellor Neighsay?"

The unicorn looked at her with judgmental eyes. "Yes. And you are Fizzlepop Berrytwist, formerly known as Tempest Shadow, correct?"

Tempest raised an eyebrow at the pony's tone. "Yes. Though only Twilight and her friends are permitted to use my real name, so you will call me Tempest."

"A fitting name for a traitor. I will tell you right now that I do not share Twilight's haste for forgiveness, though in light of recent events, your services will prove necessary...for now." Neighsay declared.

Tempest wasn't too surprised. "Princess Celestia told me about you...and how your prejudice caused you to oppose her student in regards to her treatment of nonponies."

Neighsay's scowl softened for a half second before returning tenfold. "The incident with Cozy Glow has humbled me in that regard, but there is a difference between giving an unfamiliar creature a chance to betray you or befriend you, and giving a traitor a chance to betray you again."

Tempest took the accusation in stride. Honestly, it's what she expected from Twilight and the others. "Fair enough Chancellor. Please escort me to this Aries so I may remove myself from your presence."

Neighsay gave a swift, sharp nod and started walking. Tempest following at his side.

Silence reigned for the first 15 minutes, the two unicorns finding an almost unequestrian comfort in silence, before Tempest sacrificed comfort for duty. "Tell me Chancellor, what do you know of this Aries? I assume that he is not a pony, given his name."

If Neighsay was annoyed by the end of the silence, he gave no sign. "Certainly not. I believe he refers to himself as an 'astartes'. To put it simply, he is a warrior from another universe, and his enemies seek to destroy Equestria and the Elements of Harmony with it."

The only thing that shocked Tempest was the mention of another universe. Twilight had once told her of Sunset Shimmer, Celestia's wayward student, could she have some connection with this astartes, or was it a completely different other universe.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about him?" Tempest asked.

"I have not seen him myself, but from what I've heard, he is an eight foot tall bipedal knight who wears white and blue armor with the insignia of his 'legion' marking one of his shoulders, and a sword that is empowered by the legendary Alicorn Amulet...a gift from Princess Luna." Neighsay explained.

"The Alicorn Amulet!? That's-" Whatever Tempest was about to say was lost in an explosion in the distance. The two unicorns ceasing their conversation immediately as they ran to investigate.

Elsewhere

Sombra smiled sadistically as the ponies of the Crystal Empire fled in every direction, as they should. The smile disappeared as a spear landed near him, missing it's mark due to lack of practice.

Sombra turned to the Crystal Guards with clear annoyance. Weaker beings were supposed to run from him, consumed by terror, not charge him with hearts full of zeal and courage.

Sombra waited for the fools to close in before summoning a large crystal of frozen darkness beneath his hooves, riding it to ascend beyond the reach of those beneath him, who were sent flying by the emergence of the large stalagmite.

Before they could recover, Sombra appeared before the stunned warriors and fitted them both with helmets forged from shadows. The eyes of the helmets glowing green as the Crystal Guards became trapped in their darkest fears and were made into King Sombra's puppets.

As Sombra began to march forward, his new honor guard flanking him, he heard the telltale sign of a lightning based magical attack coming towards him.

He turned and formed a shield. The ball of lightning struck it and exploded, forming a small crater and lighting nearby houses on fire.

Tempest Shadow was already charging up another attack. She had advised Neighsay to focus on shielding them, something that she could not do.

Sombra. She had heard stories of the dark unicorn, but hadn't been inclined to believe them.

But that was then, and this is now. Sombra was real in this moment, and if she allowed the belief that such a thing were impossible to consume her mind, then Equestria would suffer for her inaction.

"Hmph. Take care of them." Sombra said to his guards, who charged with their spears.

They were a pegasus and an Earth Pony. They each relied on their spears and training in hoof to hoof combat. Tempest would applaud their courage for facing the Dark Lord after they woke up.

Lightning poured forth from her shattered horn, not enough to kill, but enough to render the two brainwashed ponies unconscious.

Sombra rolled his eyes. "How typical of weaklings. Though at least they proved that I actually need to put effort into crushing you."

"Come on and try it." Tempest snarled as she unleashed another electrical typhoon at the False King.

Sombra raised another crystal as a shield. The crystal exploded into shards that peppered Neighsay's shield. When the dust cleared, Sombra was gone.

"Keep your shield up. There's no way he's done with us yet." Tempest warned Neighsay, who gave a silent nod in reply.

The silence between them was interrupted when several smaller crystals surrounded them, their tips breaking on the shield.

Tempest didn't know what Sombra's plan was, but she had no interest in letting him have his way. She roared in defiance as she blasted the crystals and destroyed them all one by one...until she couldn't.

"Whu-what's happening?" Tempest asked no one in particular as her magic started to be repelled.

"I've heard of this. Sombra's crystals can form an impenetrable barrier if they surround one like so. He's trapped us." Neighsay snarled in anger as realized that they had been trapped.

"He's going after Princess Cadence. He has to be. We've got a find a way out of here before-" Tempest stopped dead.

Upon realizing that they had been trapped, she and Chancellor Neighsay had unknowingly came to the same conclusion, 'he's caught us, and thus, isn't after us' and let their guard down.

Sombra appeared behind them and slammed a helmet onto each of them. The minute he did, Tempest watched her magic run out control as lightning shot out and electrocuted Twilight and her friends, the royal sisters, and her old friends from foal hood.

She tried to stop it by pressing her hooves to her broken horn, but the lightning burned through her hooves until they were naught but charred stumps. And all Tempest could do was watch as she destroyed Equestria.

It wasn't much better for Neighsay. He saw the races of nonponies betray his trust, mock him for his foolishness, and lay siege to Equestria under the banner of the Princess of Friendship who had betrayed them all.

Everywhere he looked, ponies screamed at him for letting this happen. He should've known better, he never should've trusted nonponies and those who sympathize with their misbegotten kind.

Only two things were similar between these visions, they had failed Equestria, and their fears consumed them.

Sombra smirked with his head held high and his nose turned up as he continued towards the castle, his castle.

Elsewhere

"Come on Twilight, we need you." Cadence said as she wrote the final words in her letter and sent it to her sister-in-law. Shining Armor stood at her side with Flurry Heart, he would've been ordering troops into place...but he had given that task to someone more experienced.

As if thoughts of him summoned him forth, the doors to the throne room opened up to accommodate the War Hound astartes known as Aries.

Cadence would be lying if she said the warrior didn't unnerve her. He strode towards the royal family in armor lighter than plastic yet stronger than steel, the core of which was painted a pale cobalt blue, while the pauldrons, kneecaps, helmet, and the strange bulky backpack were bone white.

The helmet was removed, mag-locked to his thigh, just below his sword. Revealing the grotesque scar that locked his face in a primal snarl.

The warrior from another world had frightened Cadence when he arrived, but now that Sombra had somehow escaped from the Ether, she was grateful for such a being to stand between her loved ones and a power-mad tyrant.

Aries brought his fist to his chest in a warrior's salute. "I have positioned your soldiers in preparation for the enemy. All we can do now is wait for him to seal his fate."

The War Hound said this not as a boast but as a fact. Cadence envied his confidence. He didn't even know who Sombra was or what he could do, and yet he envisioned himself victorious.

"As grateful as I am for your assistance. I must warn you not to underestimate King Sombra. He wields power over his opponent's mind, and will force you to face your deepest fears." Cadence warned the Space Marine.

Aries did not scoff at the information, he only nodded in understanding. "Space Marines have no fear. Such is what I believed...until my brothers turned their backs on the Emperor, and my father with them. I died and endured a thousand hells for ten thousand years, if there are any fears left in me that I have not faced. I invite this bastard to teach them to me."

"Language please." Shining Armor hissed through clenched teeth with his hooves over Flurry Hearts ears. "She's just learning to speak."

"Ma~ma." The foal cried out. Stretching her hooves towards Cadence.

The Alicorn laughed at how quickly the tension left the room while Aries shook his head as if to say 'ponies'.

The humorous moment was gone in an instant as the sounds of battle were heard beyond the door, which had closed after Aries' entrance.

The War Hound took his helmet, fashioned very much like a knight's, from his thigh and placed it upon his head, the glass eyes lighting up an ember color.

He then drew his sword, Warp Eater, which had been forged for him at the request of Princess Luna with the guard, shaped like a two headed eagle with a snarling hound on its center, having been forged around the legendary Alicorn Amulet and the blade itself having been forged as a mixture of Equestrian steel and magic enhancing crystals that, at the flick of a switch, clothe the blade in the Amulet's power.

It is when Aries did just that, bathing the steel blade in a menacing crimson glow, that Cadence realizes his intent. "ARIES WAIT!!"

The War Hound turned his head slightly, not taking his eyes from the door. "I have no interest in prisoners."

"I understand that, and Sombra is not the sort of being to accept forgiveness, but those that follow him in battle will be brainwashed ponies, the guards that are fighting him right now. Defeating Sombra will set them free. Do not kill needlessly." Cadence explained.

Aries turned back to face the door completely. "If they are not Psykers, then they not dangerous enough to kill."

Cadence didn't know what a Psyker was, but she would take what she could get.

The sounds of battle grew closer and louder. Flurry Heart began to fuss as the noise and tension began to upset her. Cadence and Shining Armor gritted their teeth. And through it all, Aries remained calm and composed...as a World Eater, he would've had to fight against the Butcher's Nails for such a state, but now he only felt phantom pains as his mind told him that he should be feeling what was no longer there to feel.

The sounds of battle ended, giving way to a tense silence, the calm before the storm, before the doors to the throne room exploded off their hinges.

Shining Armor formed a shield around himself and his family while Aries endured the barrage of dust and shrapnel, undaunted.

From the dust came the Crystal Guard, bearing helmets of wicked design. Aries deactivated Warp Eater's power field and struck them in the head with the flat end of the blade.

Some of the possessed guardsponies moved past the War Hound to engage Cadence and Shining Armor, who defended themselves with amped up versions of a lullaby spell they use to help Flurry Heart sleep, the increased power forcing the guards to sleep.

Sombra walked into the throne room confidently, Neighsay and Tempest at his flanks. He was completely expecting the first wave to have already been defeated, but he wasn't expecting the 8 foot bipedal knight that was barreling towards him.

With a gesture, his honor guard moved to intercept. Upon seeing one's horn and the other's stump that was sparking with immaterial power, Aries reactivated Warp Eater.

Seeing this, Cadence quickly shouted for Shining Armor to stay with Flurry Heart before teleporting between the combatants and engaging the possessed unicorns. "I'LL HOLD THEM OFF! YOU DEAL WITH SOMBRA!"

Aries never broke stride. As soon as he was in range, he swung for the dark unicorn's neck.

Sombra raised a crystal beneath his feet, only to cry out in surprise when he started to fall.

Sombra became a shadow and solidified on his hooves behind his new foe and the crystal that he had cut in half.

Snarling in anger at the insolence of this creature, Sombra tried to trap him in a crystal cage.

Aries turned, located Sombra, and charged. Crystals sprang up around him, but he put his shoulder forward and charged right through them, shattering them like glass.

Sombra shot a beam of dark magic at the War Hound, but it was deflected by Warp Eater. In a last ditch effort, Sombra roared in defiance and blasted the astartes with a wave of power that saw him consumed.

Aries shook the daze from his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ponyville ablaze.

That's it, this is my greatest fear? Aries thought to himself. Admittedly, he would be disappointed if he failed his self given mission after coming so far, but wasn't afraid of it.

He was torn from his thoughts by a nearby scream. He turned and saw Fluttershy being disemboweled by a chainsword wielded by a World Eater.

The Traitor Marine turned toward Aries and charged. Aries drew Warp Eater and activated the power field.

The World Eater struck, but Aries parried him easily and stabbed him, burying Warp Eater in the twin hearts...of a Space Wolf.

Aries did a double take. He was certain that he had been fighting a traitor, and yet a loyalist laid dead at his feet.

"TRAITOR!!" Aries turned to the accusation and found himself facing a horde. Dark Angels, Iron Hands, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists and more were all charging towards him.

"NO! COUSINS WAIT! IT WAS A MISTAKE!!!" Aries pleaded, but it was hopeless. They fell upon him like a pack of rabid dogs. Beating him and stripping him of his armor and weapon.

Aries was then bound and gagged and dragged through a burning Equestria all the way to Canterlot.

At the castle of two sisters, Aries was made to kneel beside Celestia, Luna, and Twilight. They awaited execution by beheading, the death of criminals.

From seemingly out of nowhere, the Emperor himself came into view. Clad in Golden armor and wielding a sword that held the power of a sun and commanded a million more.

The Lord of Mankind addressed the gathered Space Marines. "We were meant to perish in the fires of the Horus Heresy. Before that, we were to perish in the silent darkness of Old Night. And before that, mankind was condemned to death a thousand times over by Alien Tyrants and Thirsting Gods. And every single time, we have risen from the ashes stronger than before."

Cheers arose from the gathered astartes before the Emperor raised his taloned hand for silence and continued. "Now, after countless years and enough blood to replace every planet's oceans, the last Xenos world has been purged." He then points his sword to Aries. And the last traitor faces retribution."

Cheers rose and fell, and then one by one, the Alicorns were brought before the Emperor and executed.

They begged and pleaded, insisting that they meant no harm and had only wanted to help, but it all fell on deaf ears.

After they were beheaded by the Emperor's holy blade, their heads were placed on pikes in celebration of Mankind's final victory against the Xenos. And then it was Aries' turn.

Aries racked his brain for something, anything that could prove that he wasn't a traitor, that hadn't defended the Xenos from Mankind's right for dominance over the galaxy, but there was nothing. He would die a traitor's death, such was his fate.

He was pushed to his knees before the Emperor, only just managing to look him in the eye. "Any last words heretic?"

"...Ave Imperator." Aries said as he accepted his fate. The sword rose...and then it fell.

Elsewhere

"Ahhahahaha, So much for your champion. I will put him to good use when I set my sights on Canterlot. But for now, I think you will feel..his wrath...first." Sombra's threat petered out, and Cadence knew why, because she felt it too.
Fear. Not the sort of fear that Sombra controls, but the sort that a pony feels when they stare into the eye of a manticore, or when they find themselves beneath the shadow of a Hydra, or when a sleeping Ursa Major stops snoring. There were a million examples of this kind of fear, and ponies only felt it when they were in the presence of something dangerous.

All eyes drifted to Aries, whose eyes locked onto King Sombra. "....How....dare....you..."

Sombra took a step back. "W-well, I-it seems that your will is stronger than most. I'll *ulp* I-I'll just have to put more power behind it, or you could just surrender."

There was a silent pause as no creature moved, and then Aries struck like a bolt of lightning.

Sombra threw every Crystal, Shadow, and Dark Spell that he could, but the War Hound didn't even slow down. Cadence could only think of one word to describe him, a word she would never say in front of Flurry Heart.

He.
Was.
Peeved.

Elsewhere

Chrysalis was still regaling her new allies with her limited knowledge of the Ruinous Powers when Grogar returned. "It seems that the three of you will have to suffice."

That told Chrysalis all she needed to know, but she still felt the need to ask. "What of King Sombra? Was he successful."

"HA!" Grogar exclaimed before channeling power into a large crystal ball, which then showed an image.

The villains cried out in fear and disgust, Cozy Glow even vomiting, at the sight of an 8 foot bipedal knight brutally murdering Sombra.

Chrysalis had never seen a pony bend that way before, and she was certain that the Dark Unicorn was already dead. And yet, the enraged warrior was determined to leave nothing behind but stains and cracks on the throne room floor.

Author's Notes:

I went through a lot of ideas for how this battle would turn out. I hope you all enjoyed it.

So yeah, I know that this volume is advertised as focusing on the Ork, but I'm going to be jumping between him and Aries as hearing the Emperor name him a heretic results in a mid-life identity crisis, just to keep his character interesting.

But that will be when I come back to this story. As I said last chapter, I am taking a break to write an alternate ending for season 9, which will be posted the day after the finale goes public in two weeks.

In the meantime, I will be posting a video for this battle on YouTube, stay tuned.

Chapter 4: ANOTHER Restless Night

Twilight Sparkle and her friends galloped as fast as they could down the halls of the Crystal Empire's royal castle.

They were spurred onward by the battle damage, fearing the worst, and the sounds of fighting coming from the throne room.

They finally made it, ready to face King Sombra...only to see that it was already over.

What they thought were the sounds of fighting was actually Aries beating something into a formless bloody stain, it was only the torn robe and smashed armor that told them that it used to be King Sombra.

Twilight tore her eyes from the gruesome sight long enough to search for anypony else, and found Cadence tending to the unconscious forms of Tempest, Neighsay, and the Crystal Guard while trying to keep her mind off of the War Hound.

After motioning to Cadence, Twilight and her friends made their way over to her, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack having to help Fluttershy and Rarity look away from carnage beside them.

"Cadence, uh, I see that Sombra has been...dealt with. Uh, would you mind explaining?" Twilight said while throwing a hoof in the War Hound's direction.

"Sombra used his magic to trap Aries in his worst fear and...well, while I am grateful that Sombra failed to turn him with his magic, I wish that he had managed to get out of the throne room before Aries caught him. Do you have any idea what he's afraid of?" Cadence asked.

Twilight came up with numerous theories but none that she could prove so she just shook her head.

"RRRRAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!" Aries delivered a final blow to the red stain upon the cracked floor before staring at it with clenched fists, as if hoping that it would move.

"...Uh, Aries?" The War Hound turned to the voice of Rainbow Dash, and at last realized that the Element Bearers had arrived. "Are you okay?"

Aries looked into the eyes of the Pegasus, where the other ponies seemed to be afraid of him for his gruesome display, the boastful athlete showed concern for the astartes.

"...No, but I'll survive." With that, Aries made to leave...only for Rainbow to fly in front of him. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold it big guy. No one's going to hold it against you if you're a little shaken. It's okay to be afraid, and we'll support you. That's what friends are for."

Aries' expression was hidden behind his helmet...barring his clenched fists. "I do not need your help. And my task here is done. It is almost nightfall, and I will be needed to help Luna and the others repel the night's invasion."

Aries shouldered past the Pegasus and made his exit. Rainbow Dash doubted that he had spoken with Tempest and Neighsay, both of whom had been sent to join him before all the craziness, and she knew for a fact that Luna wasn't expecting him tonight, but she decided to let him go. "Fine! You can have a night of punching things to cool off! But in the morning, I'm plANNING TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU ABout thi-"

The rest of Rainbow Dash's statement was unheard as Aries turned a corner on his way out. But he could guess the rest.

Friends, Xenos considered themselves his friends. He thought he was past this, he thought he had made his peace with the path he had chosen, but hearing the Emperor's own voice name him a heretic...but had he?

Aries realized that he had never actually heard the voice of the Emperor, and that what he believed was His voice had in truth been that Witch's doing... To think that such a thing was cut from the same cloth as Twilight Sparkle only served to remind him of his own bloodline.

Damn it all. Damn that Witch. It has poisoned his mind with doubt, and he needs to clear it. He needs to purge the Daemons that seek to despoil Equestria. To know how desperate the Great Enemy is to ensure that the Elements of Harmony never reach the stars and drive Chaos back beyond the veil from whence it came, once and for all.

Canterlot

Aries was starting to rethink his mistrust of Unicorn magic. Heretical or not, it would've saved him a lot of time. He was now several hours late...at least the PDF was expecting to cover the night without him, he was supposed to be in the Crystal Empire for the night.

But he finally made it...in time to see Luna bidding the PDF farewell?

Striding up to her allowed Luna to notice the astartes' arrival. "Ah, Aries. Twilight sent me a letter detailing what happened. Or at least, what she knows."

"I don't know why you've sent the PDF home for the night, but I need to join in defense of the Dream realm." Aries stated.

"Not all of us. We're still here." Aries turned to the voice of Spitfire and saw her, Pharynx, Buck Wild, and Trixie standing ready...or at least, all but the latter standing ready.

"We were prepared for an invasion, but it appears that the Ruinous Powers are still reeling from their defeat, the only Daemons that are spawning tonight are those born from the Nightmares of Ponyville. And they're hardly something requiring the entire force, especially with most of them still in recovery, so I left it volunteer only." Luna explained.

"I volunteer." Aries said with no discernible emotions. He doubted that they were actually reeling, more likely they had seen what happened and wanted to fuel his doubt. But was this the truth, or was he just finding excuses to justify continuing his heresy?

"I expected as much, though I must insist that you have Rainbow's talk after a night of banishing the fears of others." Luna stated.

".....let us begin." Was the War Hound's only response.

Luna released a sigh, but said nothing more on the matter. She and Aries then joined the others. "Alright Trixie, you should have enough practice now to cast the spell yourself. Think you can manage?"

"Yes ma'am." Trixie replied, shocking everyone. Luna must've had a word with the show mare regarding her personality.

Trixie closed her eyes and focused, her horn lighting up a cross between lavender and pink before her eyes shot open in the form of twin white voids that poured forth from her eyesockets to engulf the gathered creatures.

The white void faded out, giving way to the Dream Realm. The dreams of Equestria floated around them, but where naive innocence was once common-place, now, it was rare indeed.

Word of the Awakening had spread like wildfire. Though only Ponyville's survivors dreamt of the true horrors, those who place faith in rumors were being haunted by nightmares lesser and greater than the small Chaos assault. Phantom invaders with indiscernable features, and some imaginary monsters harassed the ponies of Equestria in all but a few dreams.

"Alright everypony. My previous orders stand." Lunas stated. Gaining nods of understanding from the assembled group.

"Aries. Yellow Jacket is still having Nightmares of the astartes sorcerer that shattered her horn. We managed to pacify her earlier tonight, but her fears cannot be banished so easily, and the power the phantom wields is frighteningly similar to the real thing." Luna explained.

"I gave her permission to rest and recover. I will defend her as she does just that." Aries declared. He had praised the unicorn as though she were one of his brothers when he heard of her ordeal against the Traitor, described as a Dark Angel Librarian.

"That is the only nightmare that would require your attention...If we have enough time to ourselves, I could let you spend the night slaughtering more of those Ork creatures if you wish." Luna offered. Aries knew why she brought it up, but said nothing more as he departed.

Luna sighed as she watched him leave. She knows nothing of what he saw in Sombra's spell, but she had seen his past. His father's betrayal...his brothers' last stand...his death and damnation...truly, the younger princess had never seen a more tortured soul.

That was the thought on her mind when her eyes caught something peculiar. At first, she thought it was just a shadow, but this was disproven as it wasn't attached to anything.

Luna glanced around to see if anycreature needed her assistance at the moment, but they all had the nightmares well in hand.

And so, Luna moved in to investigate the shadowy spiral. It looked like a dream, but it couldn't be, the dreamer would've had to be completely dead inside.

As Luna got closer however, she realized that it could be nothing else. As curiosity turned to concern, Luna entered the dream.

Darkness, that was all she could see. Even casting light with her horn didn't help much.

She walked along the dark halls, searching for whatever pony could be so broken as to dream of this, and help them escape the darkness.

The hall ended before a single door, which she opened with ease...and nearly closed it in fright.

Luna recognized the beast only for her experiences with Aries, it was an Ork. She had once conjured a small army of the beasts to appease the Butcher's Nails when Aries was still a World Eater, but this creature was a farcry from the war hungry savages Aries believed them to be.

He was covered head to toe in scars both old and new, bound to the wall by barbed chains, and his eyes...there was no denying that this Ork was the dreamer.

But how? How was an Ork in Equestria? And what could possibly have put it in such a state of mind? The Chaos Marines? Could they have brought over a slave when they invaded that was left here when they were defeated? Only one way to find out.

Luna's horn glew brighter as she probed the Ork's mind. It didn't resist her...but part of her wish that it had.

She saw them: 'Dem Drew Gahry Gitz' as the Ork labeled them. They weren't the Chaos Marines, but Luna quickly found that they were on par with them, if not worse.

It was brief probe into basic memory rather than in depth look into the creature's life like when she recreated the Atrocity for Aries, but it was enough.

This creature suffered so much pain that it couldn't immediately remember anything else. It didn't know how it got here, where it was before, only that it suffered...and suffered greatly. It had given up fighting back, given up begging for mercy...it had even given up on begging for death, which it now desired more than anything else.

Luna was about to see where it was now, but the dream ended...the Ork awoke. Leaving Luna in the Dream Realm, puzzling what to do next.

Author's Notes:

I am so sorry that it's this short, but I had a hell of a week, and I caught a cold.

But next chapter is going to be better as focus shifts back to the Ork (who gets a name) and Luna starts investigating. Will she go to Aries for advice? And if not, then who will she turn to?

These answers and more, on the next exciting episode...of Dragon Ball Z (sorry, not sorry)

Chapter 5: Ape Analysis

His eyez fluttad open lazily. He didn't wan' ta get up, he didn' care...but then again, wakin up is betta dan being woken up.

After weighin' da proz an' konz while resting his eyez for...bout 20 minutes, he decided to drag himself up off da tree.

He loiked da tree, it was quiet and kumfertable. But if they knew he loiked da tree, he would lose it.

With a weighted sigh, he lumbered off to see wut fresh hellz awaited him.

Da uvva kreetchaz all steered clear ov 'im. He may have cared, long ago, but bein feared by his equals meant nuffin ta him now...dey were all nuffin.

He walked around, looking for somethin, anythin, dat would make him feel loike he filled his quota fer tha day so he could go back to his tree. Eventually, he found her.

He had less clues dan a humie Mekboy tryin ta figure out how to werk a Shoota as to what she was, but he knew for certain dat she was gonna urt him badly. He didn' know how, he didn' know when, but he knew it would happen.

It's funny, he could've sworn dat dey waz done wiff dis trikk. Had dey really found a new way to Zogg him dis way?

Some Years Ago

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm, don't act so surprised, surely you saw it coming." Said tha Drukhari Wych. She had been noice ta him since dey met. For years, she had been koind an gentle as she tended to his wounds. Her treachery waz only revealed when she had broke 'im out, 'elped him escape...and brought him to a new, crueler master.

Less Years Ago

He had escaped. He waz free. Sure, dere were humies comin' ta kill'im, but he didn't care. He welcomed deff.

Da humie dat leveled one of deir flashloight gunz at him keeled over wiff a ole in hiz ead...da Dark Eldar dat recaptured him and da uvva Boyz thanked'em fer distractin' deir prey.

Even Less Years Ago

He knew betta dis toime. He knew dey waz watchin' him. He knew dat dese Eldar 'ere were just tryin'na trikk him inta finkin dat dey waz noice, or dey would try ta kill'im only ta be stopped, it waz always one or da uvva, so he would kill dem first...either as vengeance, or as mercy...turns out dat dese Eldar were a Cult of Isha.

He didn't wut dat meant at first, but da Drukhari Gitz taught him...as well as informed him dat some pakt or uvva prevented da Drukhari from spillin' Aeldari blood on da planet lest dey bring down da wraff of some uvva Eldar...dese Eldar only appeared to spit in'is face and leave him to'is fate...Oops.

Present Day

Afta dat, he stopped playin' along. He didn' trust anyone, he didn't try to get uvvaz ta kill'im, an' he didn' kill uvvaz eitha. So, da Drukhari Gitz got bored and went back to da usual torture tactics...guess dey got bored ov dat too.

Wutevva, just because dey wanted him to fall for it again didn' mean he was goin' to. He wasn't gonna trust dis fing, he wasn't gonna attack it, he wasn't doin nuffin.

Fluttershy watched the green ape stare at her, distrust clear in its eyes...distrust, anger...and despair. Like it knew that she was his enemy, that he needed to stop her, but he was powerless to do so.

Fluttershy wanted the ape to trust her, but she knew that going about it the wrong way would only convince him that he wasn't powerless to stop her. And between his large frame and predatory teeth, she was convinced that would lead him to attack her. So she would have to show him that she didn't want to hurt him without showing him how much stronger than her he was...at least, for now.

Her first thought had been to ask Twilight, but apparently the Honor Roll students have all had an odd dream. Something about a connection to the Spirit of Harmony being severed and new champions being chosen? Something like that.

She had understood enough to know that Twilight was too busy. So, she had one of her bird friends bring a letter to the next best choice.

"Oh, there you are Fluttershy... I kind of hoped you wouldn't be around that smell." Fluttershy turned to the sight of Doctor Fauna coming over to her as quickly as she could on three hooves. The fourth was covering her nose.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry I forgot to warn you about his smell. I'm afraid it's a natural musk or something." Fluttershy explained.

"Oh, you're referring to the strange creature from your letter, right? Well, I've seen my fair share of strange creatures wonder out of the Everfree Forest, but if your assumption that it came from the same place as Aries and those Chaos Marines is correct then I wouldn't know where to-" Ponyville's local vet came to an abrupt halt. She had seen the ape out of the corner of her eye, and now couldn't turn away.

She had treated manticores that had been chased from their territory by bigger specimens, so the ape's predatory appearance didn't frighten her. But his scars did. "...Oh...my...WORD! WH-WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME HAPPEN TO HIM!!!?"

Dr. Fauna was at his side in an instant. Examining every single injury. The slight movement in the ape's face told Fluttershy that the doctor's interaction irritated him for some reason, but he would tolerate it.

Fluttershy wanted to respect the ape's wishes and pull Dr. Fauna away from him, but she also wanted the ape to learn that they were just trying to help him.

Fluttershy thought it over and decided to ask Dr. Fauna to stop. "Um, Dr. Fauna? I think you're too close. He doesn't seem to li-"

"HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS!?" Dr. Fauna shouted audibly enough to make Fluttershy's ears ring. "THESE ARE KNIFE WOUNDS!!! I'VE TREATED ANIMALS THAT WERE ABUSED BY THEIR OWNERS BEFORE, BUT THIS!! THIS ISN'T ABUSE!! THIS IS...IT'S....I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!"

"I know. It's horrible what happened to him. But you're still maki-" "WHAT SORT OF SICK, TWISTED, MONSTER WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO ANOTHER CREATURE!?" Dr. Fauna interrupted again. "HE CAME FROM ARIES' WORLD, RIGHT!? MAYBE HE COULD TELL US WHAT HAPPENED SO WE CAN HELP HI-"

"STOP!!!" Fluttershy shouted over the hyperventilating vet, finally grabbing her attention.

"I know that what happened to him is horrible. But where you see it in his injuries, I see it in his eyes. And when you started examining him, you started making him uncomfortable. So please give him his space." Fluttershy said calmly yet boldly.

Dr. Fauna finally calmed and backed away from the ape, who decided that he didn't want to stand here anymore and wandered off, and raised her hoof to say something before Fluttershy politely cut her off and added. "And Aries made no attempts to cover up the fact that he hates other creatures. He has his reasons for doing so, yes. But he still hates them. So if that poor thing is from the same universe, then he is probably one of the Imperium's enemies. You have to admit, he probably was a terrifying pony-eating monster before somecreature hurt him."

Dr. Fauna fell into an uncomfortable silence as she processed what she knew about the situation and what she could do to make it better...nothing.

With a sigh of defeat, Ponyville's local vet lamented. "I'm terribly sorry Fluttershy but, I have no idea how to help you with this. I'm afraid you'll have to ask Twilight when she's free." And with that, Dr. Fauna made her exit.

Fluttershy gave out a disappointed sigh as she landed back on square one. And as if it couldn't get worse, Angel bounced up to her with a less than amused look on his face. Would you mind telling me why your new friend is STINKING UP MY SPOT!?!?

"I'm sure he didn't know it was yours, but I'll go tell him." Fluttershy said with a tired tone as she headed over to Angel's spot.

When she first built the Sanctuary, Angel had laid a claim to a small hillside where he could catch some sun. The hill was almost a perfect size for him...so she had to wonder what the ape saw in it.

As she expected, the ape was curled up on the tiny hill and nowhere near fitting on it. And he was covering his face to block out the sun. It couldn't be comfortable for him.

"Um..excuse me." Fluttershy said, causing the ape to poke his head out.

"You don't seem very comfortable here. Why don't you go back to that tree you seem to like, I'm sure it's a better fit for you." Fluttershy said still puzzling why he was trying to sleep on a rabbit sized hilltop with the sun on his face.

HA! Werked loike a charm. He thought ta himself as he pushed himself off da tiny ill an' made hiz way back to'iz tree. All he had ta do was keep troyin ta foind a betta spot, and she wouldn' take his tree away. Sure she moight let'im stay in a worse spot lata, but oh well. Stayin in a worse spot some ov da toime was betta dan losin' da tree all togevva.

As he made hiz way back to da tree. He thought about her...Fluddashoy, dat'z wut da uvva git called'er.

She seemed noice enough. He knew it was a trikk, of course. But waz it wrong to enjoy it till da mazk came off?

Ov course dat bizzniss bout ow he kame from anuvva world sounded weird...prolly a trikk too...but wut about dat uvva git. Aereez. Who da ell waz'e?

Dat waz prolly da trikk. Maybe Fluddashoy wasn' da one dat waz gonna Zogg'im ova. Maybe dis Aereez waz one ov dem Drukhari Gitz Zoggin Fluddashoy.

As he laid down on hiz tree, he found'imself remembrin da Cult of Isha. It had only appened once. Could dis be annuva?

...No. It waz a trikk. It ad ta be.

Fluttershy watched him settle down on his tree and take a nap... he wasn't the most active creature she's ever seen.

Fluttershy turned away and was about to tend to some other animals... when an audible pop signaled a teleportation.

Fluttershy turned to the sight of Twilight, evidently finished with whatever she was busy with, in time to see Twilight become acquainted with the ape's smell. "SWEET CELESTIA!! WHAT THE HEY IS THAT!?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Twilight. The new animal I asked you to help with is...musky." Fluttershy put it mildly.

"That's not the word I had in mind. Ugh, so where is he anyway?" Twilight said while putting a shield around her face to try and block out the smell.

"He's right over there." Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the ape while wondering to herself Isn't that a bit much?

Twilight turned the ape...and recognized it.

Fluttershy could tell from the look in her eyes. A look recognition...and fear. "Is...is that...AN ORK!!!?"

Author's Notes:

So, who remembers when Aries told Twilight everything he knew about the Greenskinned menace during the earlier chapters of Lost Loyalty?

For those why the Ork kept thinking Drukhari rather than Panzee Gitz, it's because they beat the name into. (Arrogant assholes)

You may also have noticed that these Dark Eldar are a little more patient when comes to causing pain. That's because they're a Home Brew of mine. Meet the Kabal Of The Shattered Soul.

These guys don't bother with the usual stuff and are rarely seen in the Dark City. There leading fetish is Mind-Fucking.

Also, the reason the Ork doesn't have a name yet is because the Dark Eldar never gave him one. He was just a plaything after all.

I was planning to use Zecora instead of Dr. Fauna, but I would take forever trying to write for her, sorry Zecora fans.

Sorry that it's just filler for now, I'm trying to get back to the Grim Darkness as quick as I can. My immediate plans going forward are to have Twilight asking Sunset Shimmer to cross reference her information vs Aries' regarding Orks and later to have Aries take Twilight's place during the events of Sparkle's Seven. I'm going to stick with season 9's plot until after the events of Frenemies, you'll know why when you see it.

Okay, that's all I got. See you next week.

Chapter 6: Comparing Notes

"Is that...AN ORK!?" Twilight shouted.

"Hmm, you've...seen one before?" Fluttershy asked, confused by this development.

"WHAT!? N-NO! I-UH..." Twilight was starting to freak out, so Fluttershy put a reassuring foreleg around her back.

"It's okay Twilight. I know that whatever he is is a dangerous predator, but this one has been badly hurt and doesn't want to hurt anycreature...if only because it doesn't think it can." Fluttershy said, now confusing Twilight, who sputtered out numerous failed attempts to reply before actually taking a look at the creature.

"...Wow, Aries made them sound so... monstrous... I never would've pictured this." Twilight said, confirming Fluttershy's original theory.

"So he did come from Aries' world. So, he just told you about them?" Fluttershy hypothesized.

"Uh, Y-yeah. He told me everything he knew about them. The first day after we all met him." Twilight explained.

"I'm guessing that he only knew bad things about them?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, yeah. They're...kinda evil." Twilight said.

"Don't you think Aries might've been a bit biased? He doesn't really like aliens." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Well...I guess but... they worship war." Twilight said.

This caused Fluttershy to understand Twilight's dread upon seeing the ap-Ork. "Oh...oh dear...but um, this one doesn't seem that bad."

Twilight looked between the kind pegasus and the warmongering beast. "Okay, maybe Aries wasn't quite right...or telling the truth...or maybe this Ork just picked a fight with the wrong enemy and learned a very painful lesson about picking fights for fun."

Fluttershy grimaced as the image of, not the Chaos Marines, but Aries himself inflicting the Ork's injuries while cursing him for the crime of being 'born wrong' danced through her mind.

"Well uh, is there anything that you can tell me about this Ork?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight, now over her panic attack, put her thinking cap on. "Hmm, well I can give you the book I wrote, but unless I ask Aries a specific question that would arouse suspicion... I think the best course is to compare notes with somepony else who knows abput Orks."

Fluttershy couldn't keep the confusion out of her face. "There's somepony else who knows more about Orks than Aries?"

Twilight nodded. "I'll tell Spike to send you the book while I go talk to her. I think you should get the others together so that we all know what we're dealing with. Getting Aries to leave this Ork in peace will probably be one of the hardest Friendship Missions we've ever done."

Fluttershy nodded as Twilight teleported away.

Twilight reappeared in her castle...face to face with Princess Luna.

"WOAH! P-PRINCESS!! WU-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" Twilight half-shouted in surprise.

"I came here seeking knowledge on a creature from Aries' world that somehow found it's way here." Luna explained.

"You know about the Ork?" Twilight asked.

"Yes an- Wait, you know about the Ork?" Luna asked back.

The two then exchanged information. From Twilight, the Greenskin's location. From Luna, Dem Drew Ghari Gitz. And from there, the two princesses thanked each other for the exchange of information and returned to their own duties. With Princess Luna promising to keep Aries away from Fluttershy's sanctuary with help from Rainbow Dash, and with Twilight sending Spike to give Fluttershy her book about Orks before seeking further knowledge on the matter at hand.

Sunset Shimmer's Dimension

The last week of Summer Break ensured that Twilight's arrival in this dimension went unnoticed. Unfortunately, Twilight had, in her excitement, forgotten to write ahead to Sunset.

Twilight glanced around the empty schoolyard before turning to look at the statue that served as a portal between worlds. Should I go back and write to her?

Twilight pondered it, but decided against it. She had been here enough times to understand that this world's Equestria was only a city rather than a country, and it wasn't half the size of Manehattan. So she chose a direction and started walking, confident that even if she couldn't find Sunset this way, she could find somepony...or do they say somehuman in this dimension?

She made sure to stay off the road, as her last trip here taught her about cars, and keep to the streets.

She was walking for maybe five minutes before she encountered a familiar face. Unfortunately, it wasn't one that she knew in this dimension. In fact, she only knew their Equestrian counterparts for their less-than-friendly interactions with the CMCs that had ceased after they found their Cutie-Marks.

"Excuse me Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, do you mind telling where Sunset Shimmer is?" Twilight asked, already expecting a similar attitude to the Equestrian filly from the human preteen.

"Um, shouldn't you know? And what happened to your glasses?" The young girl said with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip.

"Um, uh, how to explain this... uh, do you remember back when Sunset was... not so friendly?" Twilight tried.

The two girls brightened up. "Well duh, that's when that other you came and took her down with awesome magic princess powers!" The started to get excited as they recalled the events.

"Yes, well, it wasn't the other me, it was...me." Twilight explained.

They stared at her for a few seconds until their eyes widened with recognition. "Y-you're...you're..."

"The awesome magic princess?" Twilight tried.

This resulted in childish squeeing and jumping and babblings of admiration before Twilight put her hands to calm them down. "Okay, okay, I know magic isn't really that common here. But please, I was just doing what anypony else would've done."

This calmed them down, but only enough that Twilight could discern what they were saying. "Ican'tbelievethis. Thisissoawesome. Isthereanythingwecandoforyouprincess?"

"YES!" Twilight shouted a little too loud. "I'm looking for Sunset Shimmer or someone who would know where to find her."

They continued their babblings about not letting her down and how cool this was while they pulled out rectangular devices that Twilight recalled being popular in this world, though she still didn't quite know how they worked.

In just over a minute, a series of beeps erupted from one of their devices. "Okay, it looks like Scootaloo is with Sunset, playing some nerdy tabletop game at a shop called Gamers N Geeks. It's not far from here. Would you like me to call a limo for you? Daddy won't mind."

"Yes, thank you." Twilight said with a slight bow, which drove the young girls wild.

A short drive later and a slightly longer than necessary goodbye and Twilight was finally at her destination.

The 'shop' had three shelves of tabletop games, the cashier counter contained various snacks, dice, and trading cards, and the rest of the building's interior was a plain white room with half a dozen tables housing just as many games with players either participating or waiting for their turns in tournaments. Except for one table that seemed to house a game similar to Ogres & Oubliettes, though from what Twilight could see at this distance, the trademark Os were replaced by Ds for some reason.

A more focused scan of the shop allowed Twilight to find Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo facing off against the human copies of the Dropouts in, of all things, Warhammer 40k.

Twilight made her way over to the table. As she did, she made mental notes of the armies that she knew could prove to be very real.

Sunset had foregone her Thousand Sons/Daemon army, and seemed to be playing with loyal Space Marines. It was hard to make out details from a distance, but she could see that the of their armor was red, and their symbol appeared to be a black bird with a red...something, it was too far away.

Rainbow Dash had, ironically enough, an Ork army. While their skin was varying shades of green, most of which just looked like the wrong color was used, key spots of their clothing were painted red. Twilight noticed a lot of them had something that looked like a rocket attached to their backs, and she favored vehicles over foot soldiers.

Lastly was Scootaloo's 'army', which only had two squads and a vehicle. They were human, not Space Marines like Aries, but normal looking humans with an olive green armor and camouflage pants. This would probably have been the least impressive army, especially since Scootaloo, as a child, didn't have as much money to spend. But, the reason her army was so small was the vehicle, Twilight could only guess at how big the real one would be by comparing it's model size vs the difference between the model humans and herself. The conclusion: that was one big tank.

On the other side of the table, Lightning Dust had a Space Marine army that Twilight didn't recognize, bearing white power armor and a symbol that looked like a winged lightning bolt, and like Rainbow Dash's Orks, favored vehicles over foot soldiers.

Short Fuse, on the other hand, had a very recognizable army: World Eaters, Mostly melee specialists reinforced by two artillery vehicles.

And last but not least, Rolling Thunder's army. Twilight had no idea what they were but they had a lot of blades on their armor and vehicles, and did not look friendly.

At last, Twilight closed the distance. "Um, Sunset?"

Twilight had hoped calling out before putting a hand on the human unicorn's shoulder would prevent a shock. Unfortunately, a roll to hit with a ten unit squad drowned out her words, and her hand caught Sunset completely off guard.

"WAAAGH!! HUH!? T-TWILIGHT!?" Twilight blushed in embarrassment while the rest of the table started laughing, with Rainbow Dash adding. "I thought I was the Warboss."

"Urg, Twilight. Please tell me this is impor-" Sunset's eye went wide. "...Princess?"

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I jus-" Sunset waved off her apology. "Stop, stop. It's okay. Just tell me why you're here."

"Uh, is everything okay over there?" Lightning Dust asked. Her expression showing that she only cared because the game had stopped.

"Yeah, just...uh, hey kid, do you know enough about Space Marines to take my turn when it comes up? I'll probably be done before then." Sunset asked Scootaloo.

"Uh, I think?" Answered the preteen.

"Good enough. Come on." Sunset gestured for Twilight to follow her and walked out of the store and a small distance away from the door so that no one could eavesdrop, just in case.

"Is this about the World Eater?" Sunset asked.

"No, not really. But it's another creature from his dimension. He described them as being monstrous brutes, but this one isn't like that." Twilight explained.

"Hmm, do you mind if I see for myself?" Sunset asked while holding her hand out.

Twilight knew what she meant and nodded. Sunset placed her hand on Twilight's shoulder and her eyes began to glow. It lasted for but a moment before Sunset returned...well, not necessarily to normal, in fact she appeared pretty shaken.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked. The minute Sunset registered her existence, she threw her arms around her in a frantic hug.

"I saw it...I-I saw Ponyville...the violence...you...you fought a NIGHT LORD!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT FREAK WOULD'VE DONE TO YOU!?"

Twilight returned the embrace, unsure how to respond. She didn't know, she had only the most barebone idea what they were up against, and that horrified her.

"Sunset...does this Ork... does he prove that some of what this game says might be wrong?" Twilight asked.

Sunset pulled herself away, with tears in her eyes. "...It...it would have...except for Luna's discovery."

"You mean 'Dem Drew Ghari Gitz'?" Twilight asked, pulling a snicker from Sunset.

"That's...definitely what an Ork would call them. I don't know too much about them myself, except for what I've seen on the TTS series, but Rolling Thunder is playing them, so maybe she can tell you."

Twilight started, but nodded. Those bladed beings were Dem Drew Ghari Gitz? Definitely not friendly.

The two made their way back inside and towards their gaming table. "Fake a smile. These three yahoos aren't going to believe the whole 'magic pony princess' thing, so just let me do the talking."

The students of Celestia returned to Rainbow Dash crying in victory as Short Fuse rage-quit after his berserker charge rolled short by an inch and left him open to a counter-charge.

"Ahem, um, Rolling Thunder?" Sunset called to one of the two Dropouts who was laughing at the third's misfortune.

She turned her attention to them. "Yeah, what's up?"

"My friend here was reading a Warhammer 40k fanfic about an Ork who was...tamed by Drukhari. And she didn't know how that was possible. I don't know enough about the Dark Eldar to tell her, but you seem like a fan." Sunset gestures to her army as she said this.

Rolling Thunder grins at Twilight. "Oh yeah, the Dark Eldar could definitely scare the Waaagh out of an Ork. Just like I'm gonna do to Rainbow Dash in a minute." She winks at the rainbow headed teen who simply turns her nose up with a confident smirk.

"Oh please, as soon as I'm done taking apart these berserkers, you're next on the chopping blo-" Rainbow's smile disappears as her eyes launch open and come down to earth, or more specifically, Rolling Thunder's Drukhari out of range to charge her Evil Sunz, but in a perfect position to charge Short Fuse's berserkers...or any other army in that range.

"H-HEY!! NO FAIR!!!" Rainbow Dash's realization of the trap she had almost fallen for threw the two more clever Dropouts into a fit of laughter while Short Fuse cried out in arrogant relief that his army came away from the jaws of death.

"Anyway, yeah. It's perfectly believable that this Ork would give up on life after a tour of Cammoragh. Poor guy probably had a hole drilled into his gender less groin so the Incubi could-" "AND WE ARE DONE WITH THIS NOW!!!" Shouted Sunset Shimmer with her hands clamped over Scootaloo's ears.

Rolling Thunder looked at her with sadistic amusement. "Oh? I thought your friend here wanted to know more about them. It's not like you can Sugarcoat them."

Sunset scowled at her. "Can't you just give her a book or something?"

The Dropout shrugged. "Only one I got with me's my codex." As she said this, she dug the book out of a box at her feet. Presumably, the one she carries her armies in.

"Thank you." Twilight said, though she wished she had her horn so she could cast a quick-clean spell on her tongue.

Twilight reached for the book, but Rolling Thunder snatched. "Woah woah woah, thirty bucks?" She declared, holding her hand out.

"THIRTY BUCKS!?!? That codex is 7E. I could buy one online for five." Rainbow Dash shouted just as Twilight decided that these 'bucks' were bits.

"Well then, I guess you're waiting for it. Hope you can get same-day shipping." Rolling Thunder replied.

"Grr. Uh, Rainbow? I only got eight." Sunset said, holding up some green paper that Twilight hypothesized were these 'bucks'.

"Don't look at me, I don't have any cash on me." Rainbow replied.

"I got it." All eyes turned to Scootaloo, who was counting a large wad of bucks.

"...What? It's been a week and a half since I got my Baneblade, and I'm saving up for some Basilisks." The preteen replied to the stares.

"Huh? Then why didn't you bring it to our last game?" Rainbow Dash asked, gesturing to the large tank.

"Um, I wasn't finished painting it?" Scootaloo said with an uncertain voice, as if she didn't know if her answer was acceptable.

The older teens nodded in understanding before Rainbow Dash took the money and exchanged it for the codex...and then grabbing another one from her own box.

"Here Twilight, this is my Ork codex." She then hugged her friend and whispered. "Sunset told me what's going on. I don't know everything, and I definitely don't know what you discussed with her, but good luck."

The interdimensional friends broke the hug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna make little miss cheapskate pay for that stunt. I will not be charging the berserkers. Instead, my Wartrukks will deposit my Stormboyz, who will jump into the Dark Eldar lines and roll to hit."

The most audible reaction came from Short Fuse "WOO HOO!! YOU ARE SO GONNA PAY FOR THAT ON MY NEXT TURN!!"

"OH NO SHE WON'T!! AS SOON AS RAINBOW FINISHES HER TURN, I'M OPENING FIRE ON YOUR BERSERKERS WITH MY BANEBLADE!! HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR ELEVEN BARRELS OF HEEEEeeeeeeeeecckk??" Scootaloo bit her tongue when she saw Rainbow Dash's warning scowl.

"Nice save." The older teen said without softening her expression, causing the preteen to blush in shame.

Rainbow Dash finally looked away and started counting up the dice for her hit roll as Twilight started her journey home...only to come back a minute later. "Uh, Sunset? I kinda need a ride."

Author's Notes:

My most sincere apologies for taking so long. There were a number of reasons, the most immediate being my weekend.

I do most of writing over the weekend, I usually only need Saturday, but if I'm busy Saturday, I try to catch up on Sunday.

This week, however, my Trade School had a Dance Party on Saturday which I chose to participate in, and introduced a new activity that will occupy my Sundays until further notice: PAINTBALL!!

But, these are not the only reasons. I also did not have this chapter completely thought out from the beginning...and I fear that this problem is not over.

There are a lot of things I want to happen in this Volume, and things that I need to happen, and I don't how to make them happen.

I view writing a story as painting a puzzle picture while putting it together: my mind gives me plot twists, fight scenes, and other images subconsciously (I'm Schizotypal and use it to my advantage) I have to make my mind paint the missing pieces so I can complete the puzzle. All the while, my mad mind is painting puzzle pieces that form other pictures, and I am tempted to put away what I am trying to build in order to work on this new idea.

I am not going on hiatus...not yet. But, I have very few painted pieces for Vol. 3, so I am going to conclude this Volume, and then start on this new project, and when I run out of painted pieces there, I'll return to begin Vol. 3.

In the meantime, enjoy this filler chapter. P.S. I have never had the privilege of playing the tabletop, and will (hopefully) be getting my first figures this holiday season.

And if anyone's curious as to why I chose Rolling Thunder to be the Helper-Fairy this chapter, the Dark Eldar's need-for-speed gimmick made the Dropouts an easy choice, and Rolling Thunder's just sounds like it would belong to a pervert (but that might just be me)

I may add to it later to make it more interesting (I originally planned a conversation between Twilight and EG Diamond Tiara to give her a backstory separate from her pony counterpart, but I lolly gagged and felt like I didn't have time.)

Chapter 7: Make It Orky(ish)

Twilight's friends were frozen in place, their mouths agape, staring at the two codexes.

Most of their information applied more to the game than the lore, but what little there was painted a most morbid picture.

The Orks were everything Aries claimed them to be. The only thing that they learned from EG Rainbow Dash's codex was the names of significant Orks threatening the Imperium today, along with the battles they were fighting.

Everypony found the beasts deeply disturbing, since the absolute nicest of their kind can only be compared to Diamond Dogs and the meaner Dragons.

This was especially disturbing for Rarity, who declared the Orks to be the enemy of everything she stood for...until they discussed the Dark Eldar.

The Orks were not the enemy of Rarity's ideals, they were simply their absence...but the Drukhari were their perversion.

They were the most opposite of the Changelings, where the Changelings fed on love, Drukhari fed on despair. And where the Changelings abandoned their wicked ways at the first opportunity, the Dark Eldar enjoyed their cruelty.

Where the Orks had made war into a sport, the Dark Eldar had made torture into an art.

The stunned silence was only broken by sniffles as Fluttershy began to weep. "...that...that poor thing....how could they?..."

Rainbow Dash draped a wing over her eldest friend. "It's...it's okay. He's alright now. We can help him."

"...But should we?" All eyes turned to Rarity, who immediately threw her hooves up in defense. "I-I mean, don't get me wrong. It's horrible what those ghastly heathens did to him, but...do we really want him to...return to normal?"

Most were uncertain, but Fluttershy was not. "Rarity, I understand what you're saying, but even if this Ork decides that he wants to be evil...that's his choice. And we have to respect that."

Rarity was about to argue that, but Fluttershy put a hoof up and continued. "If he chooses to be evil, we will stop him. He's only as strong as the average Earth Pony, I don't believe that he's a Weirdboy, and unless he came from the Blood Axe klan, he isn't going to be interested in making plans...Besides, it's a little too late to prevent Orks from becoming a part of Equestria...unless we set my Sanctuary on fire."

The group was confused by this at first, but their eyes widened to pinpoints when they realized she was referring to the Ork's method of reproduction: shedding spores from his skin that grow in the ground until they emerge as fully grown Orks looking for a fight.

"So...I guess...befriending the Orks is our only option." Twilight voiced out loud.

"Oh, Aries is going to love this." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, knowing that he was probably going to declare war if they didn't let him kill the Ork...which they just couldn't do.

"Well, now that we know what we're not doin', does anypony know what we're gonna do?" Applejack asked her friends.

"Hmm, well I don't think a party will work, unless I convert my Party Cannon to use Dakka, but maybe if...OOOHH!!! WE CAN TURN HIM INTO A DRAGON!!" Pinkie Pie shouted, much to her friends' confusion.

"...and how would we do that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well duh, we already decided that the nicest Orks were like the meanest of Dragons, so let's teach him how to be a Dragon so he'll be a nice Ork." Pinkie Pie explained like it was obvious...and now that her friends knew she was being figurative, it was.

"Pinkie Pie...that's...THAT'S GENIUS!!" Twilight shouted, causing the party pony to smile with an audible 'squee'.

"Okay, so our best bet is to show him how Dragons have a good time and hope he doesn't take it overboard...eh, we've pulled off more half-baked plans than that." Rainbow Dash observed.

"CUE THE MONTAGE!!" Pinkie Pie shouted while hitting the Play button on a boombox.

https://youtu.be/whxcq4I0kAo

Fluttershy

Fluttershy presents the codexes to the Ork. Upon seeing his subtle reaction, and reading it as an expectation of strife, Fluttershy put a calming hoof on the Ork before explaining what she and her friends had decided.

Applejack

Applejack had a few burned trees left over from the Awakening that she had been meaning to get rid of after rebuilding the farm. So she figured letting the Ork chop them down would be a good baby step.

The Ork looked at the ax in his hand as if had been handed a child's toy gun to fight a war, but nonetheless did as he was told.

He charged the first tree and swung, the ax-head buried into the tree...and broke off. Fearing punishment for failure of his task, the Ork immediately grabbed the tree and pulled it from the ground and tossed it aside before charging the next one.

Applejack and Fluttershy looked on wide-eyed as scorched trees flew through the air, one smashing a stray cart, and another tearing away a large cluster of fruit-heavy branches from a healthy tree.

Rainbow Dash

It surprised nopony that Rainbow Dash gravitated towards the Evil Suns klan, (which Twilight realized was the Ork army used by the athletic Pegasus' human counterpart) or that she wanted to give this Ork a taste of speed as well.

To this end Rainbow Dash found the wreck of the Derby Racer cart from the race she, Rarity, and Applejack almost accidentally ruined for their younger sisters a while back and rebuilt it, painted red.

She sat the Ork in the passenger seat and took off down the streets of Ponyville...without having warned anypony first.

It didn't take long for the high speed cruise to become a frantic race between reckless driver and innocent pedestrians, and while Rainbow was able to avoid hurting somepony, she couldn't prevent a crash.

Rainbow Dash pulled herself out of the wreckage and shook the stars out of her vision. She looked for the Ork to see if he was alright, and saw holding one of his teeth...and smiling about it.

The smile disappeared when he realized that he had no pockets to hold his tooth in, and having no other way to keep it...he ate it.

Pinkie Pie

Ponyville's local party pony wasn't willing to turn her party cannon into a lethal weapon, but whatever else the Orks were, they were fun loving. With this in mind, she decided to ask some Dragons what they do for fun.

Smolder was still coping with the tragic events involving her brother and Ember, so Pinkie Pie ended up enlisting two members of Aries' PDF: Blaze and Inferno.

The Dragon couple set up an obstacle course of rocks and trees and other things for the Ork to test it's strength on.

After showing him how it's done, the Ork was unleashed upon the obstacles...or so they thought.

Unfortunately, Dragons are a bit stronger than Ork Boyz. And the Ork was only able to move half of the obstacles. To make matters worse, he once more came to expect punishment for failure and started to panic, attacking the unmovable obstacles with such ferocity that he was hurting himself.

Fluttershy immediately rushed to the Ork's side and calmed him down, and was astounded to see that his wounds were already healing with only the deepest leaving scars so faint, they were practically invisible next to the deeper scars adorning his body.

Rarity

Rarity and the Ork were behind a curtain. Fluttershy couldn't hide how nervous she was, she knew that Rarity absolutely despised the way Orks clothed themselves, and she also knew that the Ork was likely to hate anything that Rarity tried to dress him in, but Rarity had assured her that she would dress him as 'a stylish savage'.

Fluttershy had no idea what that meant...until the curtain parted.

The Ork was dressed head to toe in studded black pleather beginning with a bandana and ending in studded pleather boots.

The Ork's expression showed that he found the spiky studs to be too small, but otherwise, he liked it.

There was something else in his expession, but Fluttershy couldn't quite make it out. If Pinkie Pie were there with her, then she would've explained that his expression clearly stated that he had just developed the spontaneous urge to paint his skin white, fly into outer space on a rocket powered motorcycle, and call everyone a bastich.

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight thought long and hard about how to help this Ork, but in the end, there wasn't much she could do for...it hit her like a freight train, he needs a name.

After looking over the Ork codex again, she realized that Ork were very similar to pony names in that they primarily served to highlight the Ork/pony's identity.

And so, when Fluttershy brought the Ork to her castle, she asked the Pegasus to gauge the Ork's reaction to different names.

Unfortunately, all of Twilight's choices sounded more like pony names with an Orkish accent. (Tree-Shaka, Leatha-Face, Car-Raca, etc)

And then Twilight asked. "Well, do you want to pick your own name?"

END OF MONTAGE

The Ork looked over at a mirror in Twilight's castle, and slowly traced a finger across one of his scars.

...Slave...Plaything...Mon'Keigh. These are the only names he has ever known...and one other.

"...Greenskin." The ponies started at the raspy guttural voice, it was the first time he had spoke.

"Huh, G-Greenskin? Isn't that another name for your race?" Twilight asked.

"When dem Drukhari Gitz called me dat, it remoinded me dat I waz still an Ork...dey stopped when dey figured dat out... it's been a loooong toime...since I felt loike an Ork...even a wimpy one who don' wanna foight." The Ork, Greenskin, lamented.

Twilight had to struggle not breathe a sigh of relief when he said that he didn't want to fight. Fluttershy, however, stepped forward with a look of pity on her face.

"You're safe here. I don't know if you'll ever believe me but it's true, nocreature is going to hurt you here." No sooner had Fluttershy said this...did Aries walk in.

Author's Notes:

Welp, there's my first attempt at a montage...and probably my last.

Yeah, I could've done a whole arc about Greenskin(temporary name) fitting in with Equestria, but the next two or three chapters is going to be about Aries overcoming the doubt Sombra placed in his heart, followed by a retelling of Frenemies...and then we get to the good stuff.

And before anyone bites me over Mon'Keigh, that is not the Elder word for humans, it actually translates to 'lower lifeforms', basically making it the Eldar equivalent of Xenos.

That's...all I got for right now, If you can guess the DC reference, you win an Internet cookie.

Chapter 8: A Talk With Aries

Earlier That Morning

"Thank you for helping me keep that freak at bay. I'll try to figure out how to use my new power properly as soon as I can so I can get back to work." Said Yellow Jacket to Aries. True to Luna's prophecy, Aries had to face the Fallen Angel, as he dubbed him, numerous times while Yellow Jacket dreamed of the trauma she endured during the Awakening.

"Patience is a virtue, you cannot hasten your recovery." Aries said in parting as the horn less Unicorn faded from the Dream realm, waking up.

As the dream faded, Aries found that his PDF was in no need of assistance, he had taught them well.

...Any last words, heretic? The words of the false Emperor created by Sombra echoed in his mind. He couldn't shake them from his thoughts, he couldn't see the witch's deception in the Emperor's eyes. It was just so real.

"...Troubled?" Aries turned to the sound of Luna's voice. She seemed...odd. Like she had witnessed something troubling, perhaps a dream of what could be Equestria's future should Chaos return.

"I will not have this conversation more than once, and since you've made it clear that I'll be forced to explain myself to Rainbow Dash, you will have to wait." Aries replied.

Luna exhaled through her nostrils. "Circumstances have ensured that I will be occupied during that time, but very well. In the meantime, do you wish to dream? We've still another hour or so of work before the late sleepers are no longer our priority."

"...Istvaan. Let me fight beside my brothers." Aries said. With a nod, Luna's horn began to glow.

An Hour Later

Luna waved goodbye to the volunteers as she prepared to depart. Aries walked behind her as she did. "...Why did you do that?"

Luna stopped waving, but did not face him yet. "It was only a dream, and it's what should've happened."

Aries said nothing more of his dream...in which, Captain Ehrlen's suicidal charge was victorious against all odds, and Aries slayed Angron in single combat.

"So, are you ready for your talk with Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked, finally facing him.

"...I'm ready to be done with it." Aries replied, causing Luna to supress a giggle.

The two departed the Royal Guard Training Grounds that has become the PDF's headquarters. Aries made his way to a restaurant in Canterlot while Luna teleported to her own destination.

Waiting for Aries at the restaurant was not only Rainbow Dash, but two Unicorns that had been set against him by Sombra, one of whom he now realized had an injury similar to Yellow Jacket's.

The War Hound sat himself down. Rainbow Dash broke the ice immediately. "Did you clear your head?"

"...No. The Witch's trickery yet plagues me." Aries answered, seeing no reason to hide what he saw.

The ponies seemed confused by his choice of words, but otherwise understood. "It's okay to be afraid, and I get that you need to ignore your fears in a fight if you want to win, but the fight's over. If you keep it to yourself, it'll tear you apart."

Aries looked at the Unicorn who spoke, the one with a broken horn. Her eyes were full of regret and pain, and she carried herself like a soldier. "Who are you?"

"I am known as Tempest Shadow. I'm not going to pretend that my story compares to yours but...I've been here before. And when I arrived here, I didn't have anypony who was willing to help me, and that led me down a dark path... until Princess Twilight pulled me back." The Unicorn explained.

"Hmph. Very well, let's be done with this." And thus, Aries explained the vision Sombra had shown him, and what it meant to him.

"I had made peace with the fact that what I was doing went against the Imperial Truth, and I have made no attempt to hide that I only aided Equestria to vanquish a greater enemy to the Imperium. But now, all I can think about is the Emperor declaring me a heretic for my actions...And what I could do to prevent this prophecy." Aries lamented.

"You mean...stop helping us?" Rainbow Dash inquired fearfully.

"...I don't know." Aries confessed.

The table was speechless for a long time. Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "W-well...I-I don't know what to say to that. I know you're not the biggest fan of someone who doubts your Emperor. But thanks for sharing."

Someone who doubts the Emperor. Aries could see how badly Rainbow Dash was holding back, even without that line. Of course they wouldn't understand.

"For a human to doubt the Emperor is heresy. But you're either Xenos, or worse still, a Daemon, so what else could you do? I have heeded your request and have no further business here. Goodbye." Aries rose to walk away, but Tempest and the other Unicorn rose to stop him.

"A-Actually sir, we're reporting to you under orders from Princess Celestia...this...should've been done Yesterday but...things got complicated" The other Unicorn said.

"Then report and be quick about it." Aries answered without hesitation while his astartes mind used it's transhuman multitasking abilities to berate him for completely forgotting that he was, in fact, supposed to have done that.

"Yes, ahem, I am Chancellor Neighsay. Formally head of the Equestrian Education Association, I now wish to serve in the Planetary Defense Force against an enemy that is, undoubtedly, far more threatening than a lack of common knowledge." The unnamed Unicorn explained.

"And I have been wondering the lands outside Equestria where such practices as slavery is common and making them...less common. But now that a greater threat looms over my home, I'll do whatever is necessary to defend it." Tempest explained.

The 12th Legion has had a very hated history with slavery. Aries found his respect for this pony rising. "A senior member of the PDF lost her horn in battle with an astartes sorcerer during the Awakening. Report to our HQ and find her address, help her master her Warpborn powers."

Tempest was again confused by the choice of words, but nonetheless nodded. She departed while Aries turned his attention to Neighsay.

The Unicorn seemed like an underhanded sort, but one who thought of himself as a necessary evil, Aries knew how to use him."While Chaos' presence in the Dream Realm has weakened, it is possible that this is simply to throw us off the scent of other cultists that weren't involved with the initial attack. That, and Sombra's assault on the Crystal Empire has me concerned. I want you to investigate any potential threats, possible Cultists or local villains, and report them to me." Aries ordered.

Neighsay saluted and departed, and Aries took his leave.

Rainbow Dash watched him go. She wanted to tell him that anyone who thought the way his Emperor thought was wrong, evil even, but she knew in her heart that doing so would only make the War Hound her enemy...if he didn't kill her, which was a big if.

Aries paused on his way back to the PDF's HQ. He had grown accustomed with feeling lost in Equestria, but he nonetheless hated the feeling of not knowing what to do.

Training the Xenos, or Daemons, (he really needed to figure that out) would make him feel like he was doing something to spite Chaos, but now it only felt like heresy...which it was...but was it?

Aries could swear that he felt the Nails biting into his brain, but it was worse than that. He was simply...uncertain.

"My my, you do need some help." Aries expected to find another pony behind him, but the voice belonged to something... peculiar.

It had the body of a serpent, the head of a horse, the talon of a raptor, the paw of a lion, the hoof of a horse, a reptilian foot claw, and wings, one leather and one feathered.

".....Are you an ally to Equestria?" Aries asked the only question that mattered...though he had several.

"Oh yes, I'm honestly a little wounded that the others never told you about me. Though, they probably assumed you'd misunderstand." The creature said in a voice that screamed arrogance.

"Misunderstand what exactly?" Aries asked him.

"That I'm a spirit of chaos and disharmony." It answered.

"The servants of Chaos are far more disturbing than the likes of you, I would not have mistaken you for such a being." As soon as Aries said this, the creature's smile vanished in cadence with the sound of shattering glass emanating from it's head.

It's formally upturned face now stared at the War Hound with an unamused expression. "Allow me to rephrase that."

The creature snapped it's fingers, and in a flash of light...Aries was an Earth Pony with the War Hound's insignia as his Cutie Mark. "I am a spirit of chaos and disharmony. The mistake you would've made is believing that I'm affiliated with those imbeciles who wouldn't know what real chaos was if it smacked them in the head."

Aries, who had just come to terms with what was happening, attempted to attack the creature that dared to transform him so, only for the creature to wrap it's serpentine body around the War Hound's own while continuing it's incessant babbling. "I mean seriously, when do you ever plan chaos? It just happens. And Khorne? Khorne even has 'Honesty' among his virtues. And don't even get me started on Nurgle, that's as far away from chaos as you can get."

The creature waited for a reply, but all he got were the grunts and strains as Aries kept trying to fight back. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

"RELEASE ME DAEMON!! AND RESTORE MY HUMANITY THIS INSTANT!!!" Aries shouted in a far lighter voice.

The creature rolled it's eyes, but complied with a snap of it's fingers.

The instant he was a Space Marine again, Aries drew Warp Eater with the intent to end this creature's existence. Though the fact that it floated overhead and out of reach made doing so difficult. "And it's not 'Daemon', it's Discord."

Aries searched for any means by which he may slay this hated foe. A tree stood nearby. He ran to it and leapt, grabbing one of it's branches and pulling himself onto it before kicking off and falling through the air with a mad flurry of slashes that might've struck Discord...if he hadn't floated out of the way the minute Aries climbed the tree. "Really?"

Aries roared in frustration. "FACE ME IN BATTLE THAT I MAY DESTROY YOU COWARD!!!"

"Oh? Like how you wish to destroy our little pony friends because they weren't born as hairless apes who's most defining trait is destroying anything they don't understand rather than, oh I don't know, trying to understand it?" Discord inquired.

"YOU DARE TO MOCK HUMANITY!?" Aries shouted.

"I dare to mock everything, battle-puppy." Discord retorted with a sneer.

"DAMN YOU!!!" Aries shouted, still frantically trying to some manner of killing this thing, but finding none.

"Oh no, I'm pretty sure you're the one who's damned." Discord said.

Aries did not reply. Shaken as he was at having spent half a minute as something inhuman, the absence of the Nails allowed a swift return of his sanity, and the realization that the only way to beat this bastard was not to play his game.

Aries turned to walk away, only to find himself levitating into the air. "Oh alright, I'm done playing games. So, do you want my help or not?"

"I want nothing to do with you that doesn't end in your death." Aries declared.

"Well, lucky you. This little stunt just might kill me." Discord said nothing as he, with the ease of tearing wet paper, burrowed into the Warp with Aries trapped in the coils of his tail.

He slithered through the Immaterium at such speeds that neither Aries nor the horrors of the Warp had a chance to comprehend each other as they passed. It seemed to go on for less than a minute before Discord suddenly shouted "TAKE FIVE AND TALK TO YOUR GRANDSON!!"

Discord unceremoniously dropped Aries, who crashed into the not-ground of the Immaterium, sprang to his feet ready for a fight...and found himself face to face with the Emperor of Mankind.

"...huh...wu-wha..." It took Aries nearly as long as a mortal civilian discovering war to comprehend what was happening. Though to his credit, the Emperor was almost equally confused, though he recovered far quicker.

The Emperor's eyes left Aries as confusion traded place with annoyed understanding. The War Hound followed his master's and found Discord with his back pressed against a psychic shield of his own creation holding back a numberless horde of Warpspawn.

"...Take five and talk to your grandson...It is not often that I am taken completely by surprise, but that being has managed it."

"P-PAY NO HEED TO THAT WRETCHED ABOMINATION!! YOU OWE ME NONE OF YOUR TIME MY LORD!!!" Aries shouted as he fell to a knee and quite possibly became the first astartes to ever be so thoroughly embarrassed.

The Master of Mankind returned his attention to Aries. "I have done naught but hold this horde at bay for the last ten thousand years. And tempted as I am to seize this opportunity to leave the Golden Throne, that Xenos would undoubtedly allow Terra to fall if I attempted such."

Aries' hatred for Discord now threatened to eclipse his hatred for Angron. The spawn of Khorne had spared no detail regarding the Emperor's final battle against Horus Lupercal, and the consequences that befell the Imperium:now the embodiment of all that the Emperor sought to destroy. And here was an opportunity to undo all that damage, so close and so easily taken away by this fool.

"That fool is a being older and more powerful than myself. You would be wise not to underestimate him Aries." The War Hound was stunned. Though he didn't know why, of course the Emperor could read his mind...and know his sins.

The Emperor's face softened. "Your sins are miniscule compared to my own. And all of the Imperium joins you in your doubt." The Emperor waved his taloned hand, and Aries was granted a vision of the Primarch Roboute Gulliman...negotiating with Eldar.

"Though old wounds prevent a true alliance, the Imperium and the Aeldari draw closer and closer to putting their differences aside as their blood continues to stain the same swords. And even if such a thing comes to pass, even that may not be enough to prevent mankind's extinction." The Emperor explained.

"...Wh-what can be done?" Aries asked.

"I do not know...but with the numerous mad men who use my name to execute good men, I see no reason to slay you for using what little you have to defy Chaos. You are forgiven and set free. You did not fail me Aries...I failed humanity." The Emperor lowered his head as he said the last sentence. Those words...they somehow cut Aries deeper than hearing the Emperor call him a heretic. Why? Because even if Aries died a traitor's deatg, the Imperium lived on...right?

"...No." The Emperor returned his gaze to the War Hound as he rose from his knee. "No. I am not free. My duty isn't done."

"What more can you do? You are marooned on a primitive Xenos world. And if I let you return to the Imperium, they would not accept you. You would die needlessly." The Emperor explained to him.

"On Istvaan III, I gave up my life for you. On Equestria, I will give up my soul. I will devout myself to not only defending these Xenos from the Great Enemy, but in teaching them how to bring the fight to them, to the Imperium." Aries answered.

"And what would that accomplish but to get you and the equines killed?" The Emperor inquired.

"It will take the pressure off the Imperium and allow them to recover. We will not accomplish much, and even if we prevail, it will only ensure that Witch's prophecy comes true, but SO BE IT!" Aries shouted defiantly.

"You would do this? Sell your soul to Xenos and their God for an Imperium that will burn you as it would your father?" The Emperor asked of him.

"I am not meant for the new world that will be born from the ashes. I am only meant to burn this one down." Aries replied.

The Emperor smiled with pride at the War Hound. "Very well, but as you give your soul to this Spirit of Harmony, see that she knows that I will take it back someday."

Aries nodded, and would've said more, but. "That's nice. But I gave you five minutes and you took ten. I CAN'T HOLD BACK MUCH LONGER!!" Discord shouted as his barrier began to crack like glass along with his body.

The Emperor wasn't fooled, he knew that this alien was far stronger than he was letting on, but he also knew that if they had returned, then perhaps Aries would be more victorious than even He expected, so he played along. "Very well spirit. Take this wayward son from my sight until I may reclaim his lost soul."

"DONE!" Discord shouted as he sprang at Aries like a bolt of lightning.

The War Hound's last sight was the Emperor forming a golden barrier with which to hold off the endless horde that fell upon Him like a flood, and then he was speeding through the Warp again.

Author's Notes:

So yeah, pardon the randomness, but random is really the only way to write Discord. Speaking of which, Discord is more than his canonical self in this fanfic. Anyone care to guess what the Emperor knows him to be?

And as for the Emperor, I had the idea for this chapter running around my brain for awhile now. I hope I did it justice. If there's anything I need to add, remove or fix in this impromptu therapy session, let me know in the comments below.

Also, the reason I got it done this quickly is because it's been burning a hole in my pocket for months now, in case you were wondering.

Okay, that's all I got, I'll introduce Aries to Greenskin in the next chapter, see you then.

Chapter 9: Aries' Assault

Aries was released from Discord's tail the instant they exited the Warp.

Surveying his surroundings revealed that while they had returned to Equestria, they were not where they had been before.

"Why have you brought me here?" Aries demanded. They had landed in Ponyville, in fact, they were right in front of Twilight's castle.

"Well, it's not like the PDF can't function without you. And even you need to take a break sometime." Discord explained.

Thinking about it, Aries agreed with him. He nodded...and cut Discord's head off.

The Draconaquis' ears transformed into wings likened to those on his back, and his body remained standing. "...Still mad about the Earth Pony thing?" The flying head asked.

"Yes...but now that I have punished your heresy...thank you." Aries deactivated Warp Eater and mag-locked it to his thigh as he proceeded to Twilight's castle.

Discord reattached himself as the War Hound entered the castle proper. Hmm, I suppose I could warn him...but where's the fun in that?

Aries was proceeding to the room he slept in when the need for it arose (one time prior) when he heard voices. Twilight's, Fluttershy's and one other that sounded familiar.

He decided that he would let the Aliens(regardless of their true nature, he simply cannot bring himself to think of them as Daemons) know that he was among them, in case they needed to know of his location.

He went to the door the voices came from and opened it...Aries looked at the Ork...the Ork looked at Aries...the ponies had frozen in fear.

"...A-Aries...I can explain..." Twilight offered.

"...Those wounds were inflicted by a Dark Eldar. It is not first time that their alien prisoners welcomed the 12th Legion as happily as the humans we came to rescue, knowing very well that they would not survive." Aries explained.

The War Hound turned his head from the Greenskin to Twilight. "I assume you do not wish to kill it?"

Twilight was dumbstruck by the War Hound's reaction. "...No, we...we want to help him... you're taking this...remarkably well."

"Are you familiar with a being named Discord?" Aries asked.

Twilight and Fluttershy went from confused to concerned in an instant. "He didn't...brainwash you, did he?"

"No, but...I have had a long day, even by my standards. I came here to rest, not to fight. The Ork will turn on you. It's in their nature. And I have told you of the fungal spores that ensure more of their kind will be born by the hundreds within Ponyville someday. That will be your teacher. The lesson: Mercy is not a weakness, it is a sign of power. One you are not strong enough to wield. The blood that beast and it's spawn spill will be on your han...hooves." Aries explained.

He took one last at the Ork. It stared back at him with emotionless eyes, uncaring of it's own fate...for now. "Hmph." He turned back to Twilight. "At least the experience will serve to harden your kind, though they will probably execute you for causing the destruction." And with that, he left the room. Leaving Twilight just as mentally exhausted as he was.

On the other side of the room, still standing next to the mirror, Greenskin kept a neutral face. dey fink I'm stupid. Dat humie...he'z gonna try an' make me muck up so dey can turn on me an' say it'z moi fault. I see it comin' a moile away.

The Ork was pulled from it's thoughts by Fluttershy tapping a hoof on him. "...If he's right, we won't blame you. We know what Orks are like. Let's go home. It's been a long day for Everycreature."

Greenskin nodded. He knew better than to let them know that he was onto them. Dey're lettin' stay wiff da noicest one dat lives far away from da uvvaz so I'll be tempted ta stomp'er an zogg myself. Noice try.

The Next Morning

Luna had visited Aries briefly as he slept that night, but he had sent her away. He didn't wish to dream, only to rest, and to meditate on what had become his fate.

He knew what he wanted to do, but he had no idea how to do it. He was a single Tactical Marine, he had no means of teaching these primitives a means of traveling the stars or building war machines.

It was possible that he could find a means explaining the concept to ponies with the proper Cutie-Marks...he wanted to drive his head through a wall for thinking like that, but found that the ridiculous idea had some weight behind it.

And so, he decided that this was going to be his next objective, Equestria had a respectable defense for the time being, now he would work on offense.

With this in mind, he awoke with the intent of enacting this plan. Only to find he already had a window of opportunity to do so.

"Uh, good morning Aries. I'm sorry to bother you, but the Princesses wanted to see you on a special matter. They wouldn't explain what?" The message came from Twilight's serf, Spike, and saw Aries and Twilight's friends traveling to Canterlot.

As always, Aries tuned out their friendly chatter...until a topic of slight interest came up. "So how's the Ork doing?"

Fluttershy shot a nervous glance to Aries. Though he was listening, he hadn't turned to face them or given any sign that he was paying attention.

Fluttershy returned her attention to Pinkie Pie. "He's...the same. Apparently Luna had to help him through a nightmare about us turning on him."

"What!? after all we've done for him, including accepting the possibility of him betraying us, he thinks we would betray him!?" Rarity asked.

"Apparently, the Dark Eldar did the same thing. They would have one of their own pretend to be his friend for years and years only to turn on him and...laugh about it." Fluttershy said with barely contained rage.

Aries felt her disgust as his own. He had no pity for the Greenskin, but he would tolerate a hundred Orks over a single Dark Eldar purely because the Orks would cause less suffering to humanity.

He tuned them out after that. The Ork's current mindset, and possibility of aggression, was all that interested him. Ideas on how to help it most certainly did not.

Canterlot

An hour or so later, they arrived at Celestia and Luna's throne room. Waiting for them were the ruling Monarchs, Twilight's brother...wearing an old aluminium crown for whatever reason, and a Pegasus stallion that Aries did not recognize, save for the manner in which he carried himself: a soldier.

A gasp from Twilight followed by a scowl at Shining Armor told him that there was a story behind the aluminum crown, but he did not care to hear it. "You requested me?"

"Yes, after the Awakening, it was decided that Security required a dramatic increase. While we wanted Ponyville to receive the first enhancements, our laws demanded a vote between representatives of our provinces...all of whom chose Canterlot." Celestia said with a voice that was sad and proud in equal measures.

"It is not that they care more for our safety sister..." Luna began whilst wrapping a comforting foreleg around Celestia's back. "It is that without us, day and night will cease to cycle. I'm sure you remember the catastrophe that brings."

Aries was curious, but not enough to ask. Nevertheless, this rose Celestia's spirits a bit. "Ahem, to that end: two security systems have been put into place, one to prevent an infiltration, and one to prevent an assault. We called you here to test the latter's effectiveness against powerful foes."

"Hmm, I actually wished to speak to you about something similar. Seeing what you already have will serve to show how to improve your capabilities." Aries explained.

The Princesses then conversed with Twilight: who had evidently been summoned to test the infiltration counter-measures, while the Pegasus soldier came up to Aries.

"I am Flash Magnus: One of the Pillars of Old Equestria, and the designer of the security you'll be testing. If there's any problems, I will correct them." The Pegasus said to the War Hound before indicating with his wing for Aries to walk with him.

"...Magnus, the name of the Primarch of the 15th Legion, though you carry yourself more like a member of the 7th." Aries said aloud.

"I actually have a bit in common with you sir. An incident with an evil spirit ended with me and the other Pillars being trapped in a pocket dimension for a thousand years until Twilight and her friends got us out. Been catching up with society ever since." Flash replied.

Aries nodded. "The purpose of this walk is to lead me away from the defenses that I will be trying to breach?"

"Yes sir. They're being set up as we speak. Your next trip to the Throne Room won't be easy...hopefully." He said the last word in jest. Aries hoped his confidence was justified.

Outside Canterlot Castle

Aries had been instructed to wait a few more minutes as final preparations were made for his attack. He had paced the same three meters until Flash Magnus returned with an old Unicorn by his side.

"Alright, everypony's all set to keep you out. There's just one thing left to take care of." Flash Magnus turned to the Unicorn, who approached Aries and bowed.

"I am Starswirl The Bearded. Prior to the incident Flash told you of, I was Celestia's and Luna's teacher in the ways of magic." The Unicorn said.

Aries felt the introduction was unnecessary, but responded in kind. "Greetings, I am Aries of the War Hounds. I trust knowing your name was not the last thing?"

Starswirl shook his head. "For the purpose of both security systems, I placed a means of preventing unauthorized magic. I wish to see it's effect on your weapon, and also to enchant it with a protective sheath that will prevent you from cutting anypony."

Aries obliged the request, drawing Warp Eater and activating it...the power field, born from a magical artefact, was disabled.

The Unicorn casted it's magic upon the blade, giving it a silver glow. "I will remove the spell upon the end of your assault. Until then, your weapon is blunt."

The Unicorn bowed and walked away while Magnus took over the briefing. "Everypony is instructed to treat even a tap of your blade as being taken out. I'd rather you didn't hit them too hard after hearing what you're capable of. Good luck."

With that, Aries was left to begin his attack.

Charging straight for the gate, Aries found four Unicorns waiting with horns aglow. He also took notice of the large ballistas that began to train on him.

He sprinted to engage the Unicorns, moving too fast for the ballistas to track him...until the Unicorns halted him with their magic.

Their skills with the Warp were not as great as many, it took all four of them to slow him down, but it allowed to ballistas to fire.

The first bolt shattered on his shoulder. "AIM TO KILL!!" Aries shouted when he realized what they were firing warning shots.

Unsure at first, the second ballista still fired, the bolt shattering against the War Hound's chest plate.

He was closing in on the Unicorns, who were beginning to sweat and strain against him...until one of them lowered his horn before attempting to raise it as it glowed brighter, resulting in the War Hound feeling an unnatural force trying to lift him into the air.

Another ballista round struck him in the head, no damage. But the other three Unicorns copied their ally.

Aries stopped moving altogether as he was lifted an inch off the ground, and then another, and another.

Aries' limbs moved easier now, leaving him to theorize that they focusing on his chest...big mistake.

The final ballista bolt soared towards him. He grabbed it, spared a half-second to calculate that it had been aimed at his neck, and threw it at a Unicorn backwards.

The blunt wooden pole collided with the pony's hoof, not tripping it but causing enough pain and shock that it lost focus.

The others buckled under the unexpected strain, but didn't drop him.

He threw Warp Eater like a knife at a second Unicorn, but the first one caught it.

Aries was genuinely impressed. He knew that their weapons couldn't hurt him, but the fact that they were able to apprehend him was commendable.

The Unicorn that captured Warp Eater in its telekinesis sent it back at Aries. Aries decided that he would accept the loss, as in a true combat situation, the power field would've been functional...and that's when it happened.

The other Unicorns collapsed from exhaustion. Aries fought the instinct to catch himself and fell on his battery-pack.

This should've allowed Warp Eater to soar over his head, but it stopped in mid-air in time with a gasp from the last functioning defender.

The sword turned to face Aries and stabbed downward. Aries rolled out of the way, rolled back, and grabbed the sword.

The Unicorn tried to pull it away from him, but Aries allowed his grip on Warp Eater to hoist him up before charging full speed at the last guard.

The guard gave out a shriek, identifying itself as a mare, and fired a blast of magic at the War Hound.

Though the blast was consistent, it did not possess the power of even a lasgun. Aries charged right through it.

The mare seized up and closed her eyes. She opened them when Aries tapped Warp Eater's blade onto her, lightly. "This concludes our battle."

The guard blinked as she comprehended what was happening, and then lowered her head with defeated sigh. "We screwed up again."

Aries was all too familiar with the abhorrent state of Equestria's military, but found no fault here. "This defeat was not yours, if you had better support, you would've defeated me. I will advise superior armaments to replace the ballistas after I've finished my assault, to determine if there are other defenses that are adequate as is."

The War Hound's words saw the mournful look on the mare replaced by a smile that most mortal humans would've considered cute. "Well, since this is just a training exercise, I won't make you torture me to find out that our badges open up the doors. I know you could probably brake it down, but I'd rather you didn't. It would be expensive and time consuming to repair it."

The Unicorn gave Aries her enchanted badge and saluted him before helping her exhausted allies to their feet.

Aries opened the doors to the castle and proceeded through. Pegasai were waiting in ambush above the door, but they underestimated their opponent's reflexes, as many unfamiliar with astartes do.

Aries proceeded down the hall...and came across a peculiar obstacle.

On the other end of the hall was a Unicorn he had seen in the streets of Ponyville, a mare bearing a white coat, a mane of two different shades of bright blue and violet glasses covering her eyes.

She stood at the end of the hall with some sort of control system before her, Royal Guard Earth Ponies flanking her with crossbows ready and waiting for some sort of signal.

It was obviously a trap, and while he would advise better concealment, the War Hound's immediate priority was testing the ability to stop a Space Marine. Taking him by surprise can be rehearsed when they knew how to take him.

Aries charged into the obvious trap, noting a change to the material of the walls. He expected hidden crossbows or poisoned darts...he hadn't expected this.

The mare pressed an activation rune on her console, resulting in the ceremic concealment plates shattering like glass as hidden speakers erupted in a violent cacophony of noise that actually drove Aries to his knees.

The Earth Ponies fired their crossbows, no effect. Aries switched off the audio receptors in his helmet, deafening himself to the cacophony, and resumed his charge.

The Earth Ponies couldn't reload their crossbows even once before Aries closed the distance and eliminated them.

The mare at the console switched the noise off after being eliminated, obviously confused about Aries' swift recovery.

The astartes removed his helmet with an audible hiss, the mare wincing at the sight of his scarred face. "The helmet is sealed to the point that I could survive the void of space for a small time. I can only hear and speak through it because of speakers and vox communicators that I can turn off if needed. But the fact that I was required to do such a thing speaks volumes. You've done well."

The mare nodded her thanks, uncharacteristically quiet for one of her kind, perhaps mute.

Aries did not voice his curiosity, simply proceeding to the next objective.

It was the same everywhere he went. While Unicorn witchcraft, or clever tricks could put him on the back foot, the Equestrians lacked the means of putting him down. He was more certain than ever that the invention of greater weapons was necessary.

Not possessing a means of opening the doors to the Throne Room as easily as those of the castle, Aries charged through them shoulder first.

Seizing the shock and confusion of his violent entrance, Aries targeted the Unicorns first...or so he thought.

As soon as he charged, the War Hound found himself suspended in midair by none other than Celestia, who did not exert herself while restraining him.

Luna flew up and touched her horn to his head. "And this is me forcing you to sleep. Do I really need to do it, or will this conclude the exercise?"

"I yield." Aries said flatly.

Celestia lowered him down. She, her sister, Starswirl, Flash Magnus, and Shining Armor came up to him for a debriefing. "Heh, it was probably hopeless to think you wouldn't pull it off, but you took longer than I thought...am I allowed to be proud of that?"

"Indeed, I hadn't expected your defenders to perform as well as they did. But the reason for their failure is exactly what I expected it to be: lack of effective weapons. You can hold me off for scant seconds, or even immobilize me. But without a means of finishing me off, you only delay the inevitable.

"Yes. That...is a problem that comes from living peaceful lives protected by willing champions." Luna lamented. "What do you suggest?"

"You used my memories of power swords wielded by my brothers to create one for me. I want you to use my memories of other weapons to teach capable ponoes how to create versions that can be used by your kind. Firearms, artillery, war machines." Aries explained.

A look of shock upon those present. The two Equestrian soldiers turned to the Princesses, who turned to each other.

After a silent conversation between siblings, the Alicorns nodded in agreement.

"Very well. We must permit Twilight to test our infiltration countermeasures, but I shall visit tonight should you choose to dream." Luna said.

"I shall. Purely for this reason." Aries answered. With his task complete, had the spell on Warp Eater removed and returned to the PDF to train them.

Author's Notes:

And that's that. To start off, the reason Aries didn't do this before is because back then, he only intended to defy Chaos until he died again, he never expected to make it this far.

And when now that he believes the ponies could stand against Chaos, and has the Emperor's blessing, he's going to develop Equestria's military might as much as possible.

We won't see too much of it this Volume, as we're following the events of Season 9, but Volume 3 is going to switch from 40k getting used to Equestria to Equestria getting used to 40k.

It will also introduce a third Element Bearer, but he'll be in on the loop from the word go.

Also, the reason he's so relaxed about Greenskin is because he was A: turned into a pony, B: dragged through the Warp to meet the Emperor, and C: had the Emperor say, in no uncertain terms, that he had failed humanity. Even astartes have a limit before they're just done.

Okay, so that is going to be the last heavy focus on Aries until the main battle at the end. (Which will be bigger than last Volume's) And next chapter will revolve around Greenskin.

Okay, that's all I got, see you next time.

Chapter 10: The Waaagh of Friendship

Author's Notes:

To start off, I severely apologize for how late this is, I erased two separate plot lines that I wanted to do, but couldn't make work, and it drained me to undo what I had done.

I would promise that it wouldn't happen again but...I am a week and a half away from my holiday vacation, and I will be done writing until January, and for my last week I am writing a one-shot Christmas special that is 40k only (TTS to be exact) which means two things, this fic is done until January, and my FIMfiction readers will have to tune in to Fanfiction.net to read my Christmas special. (I'll try to post the fic in the Warhammer 40k group chat, but I don't know if I can get away with that.)

So, there's my apology and my plans for the future. If you have any questions, leave them below, and I'll see you all in January.

Greenskin never had anything but nightmares, so you can imagine his surprise when one of those 'Bony' gitz popped into his head and changed his dream with some of her Weirdboy stuff...he didn't like Weirdboy stuff. Especially when it didn't look bad, that's always the worst stuff those Weirdboyz do...cause it gets you when don't expect it.

That was last night's weirdness...but this time, things got a lot weirder.

He was alone. No boniez, no Drukhari gitz, Nothing...and it was cold.

Orks normally don't get bothered by such things. Whether they're standing on a planet with no atmosphere, or if a humie sets them on fire. But Greenskin was cold.

He held his arms tight to his trembling chest, breathing out small clouds. All he could think about was how cold it was.

There was a light, a green light. He turned to it...and felt a joy he never felt before.

Far into the distance burned a great green fire. It had to be the size of a Squiggoth, and he could hear Orks screaming their battle cry...it had been so long since he heard it, he couldn't even remember what it sounded like.

He was about to run straight to that fire and jump in feet first...but that's when they showed up.

The only warning was a sound not unlike a screaming child. Greenskin hit the dirt the minute he heard it. Dem Drukhari Gitz!

He saw them now, dozens of them in their spikey speeding things racing each other in circles. They were too far away to see him...but they were between him and the green fire.

Greenskin picked himself up and sighed. There was no way he was gonna risk it.

As he was mourning his loss...he felt something...something warm.

Greenskin realized that he could see his shadow now, and that it was surrounded by a pinkish purple light.

Turning around introduced Greenskin to a new fire. It was tiny thing, and it was quiet with no Orks and no war crys, but it was right there, and only had the same six boniez that have been tending to him since he showed up.

The boniez stepped away from the fire, giving him a path right to it.

The Ork moved slowly towards the fire. He felt warmer...safer. He reached out his hand.

....enskin....Greenskin?" The Ork snorted as he snapped awake, years of muscle memory telling him not to make the Drukhari ask again.

You can imagine his disappointment when he realized it wasn't one of those Drukhari gitz, but Fluttershy.

He still found it strange that the boniez had Orky names...sort of...In fact he was pretty sure that they were fake names meant to earn his trust, though their names did fit them.

Fluttershy had stepped back when he started like that. "Oh, I'm sorry to wake you, but it's past noon and, I was hoping I could try and help you feel better again."

Greenskin sighed, some quiet voice inside of him told him to tell the bony to sodd off, but he wasn't going to open himself up to a punishment. "Awroight. Where to?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Well, after reading through the codex again, we decided to try and find out what kind of 'Boy' you are...did I say that right?"

Greenskin nodded. He only had vague memory of Orks being actual Orks, but he could remember that every title ended in Boy. Storm Boyz, Mek Boyz, Slugga Boyz, Shoota Boyz, Pain Boyz...he didn't know why, but that last one reminded him of the Drukhari Gitz.

Twilight's Castle

"So, do you three think you can do it?" Twilight asked.

"Sure, it'll be easy." Said Apple Bloom, she and the other crusaders were brought up to speed in the hopes that they could help Greenskin find his place...preferably in one the less combative roles.

"So, what do you girls wanna try first?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, since he's going to be a fighter no matter what, I think the easiest to start with is the Slugga, Shoota, and Storm Boy." Scootaloo said.

"Twilight wanted to avoid the violent ones." Apple Bloom deadpanned.

"Well, what do you suggest?" Scootaloo came back agitated.

"A Mek Boy. I saw some pamphlets sayin' that Aries wanted ponies with Cutie-Marks about buildin' stuff to help him make some fancy new weapons for the next time Chaos attacks us. If Greenskin helps out, it might help the two of'em become friends." Apple Bloom explained.

"That's not bad. I guess a Killa Kan would be pretty useful if another invasion happens. I was thinking about the Goff Rokka, in case he doesn't want to fight." Sweetie Belle said.

As soon as the fillies agreed on the order they would try their ideas, Fluttershy and Greenskin came into the castle. "WOAH!! WHAT IS THAT SMELL!?" Scootaloo shouted.

Greenskin turned around to leave, but Fluttershy stopped him. "Sorry about that, he can't help it. So, is everypony ready?" The Pegasus asked. The three fillies nodded, undeterred.

Mek Boy

Apple Bloom had brought the group over to a duo of very familiar logs of applewood. "Okay Greenskin, my friends and I are going to show you how to turn this log into a derby cart, and see if you can do the same."

The Ork nodded, but he thought they were crazy. Even Mek Boyz weren't that good.

However, as the hours came and went, Greenskin learned what his foot tasted like.

The three fillies decided that he would never take to the idea if it didn't look Orky enough, so they built a wooden replica of an Ork War Trukk with stick-guns.

"Phew, sorry that took so long, but you should still be able to give it a try before sundown." Apple Bloom said.

The Ork strode over to the untouched log with full confidence that it could be done.

However, knowing that it could be done did not mean he could do it, for an Ork is born as an Ork is born, and Greenskin had not been born a Mek Boy.

He had sawed pieces off the log and thrown decorations and paint onto it. But he could only make it look like a piece of wood with paint and decorations on it.

Instinct born from experience soon caused a panic in Greenskin. If he failed, he would be- He was broken from the thought by a hoof upon him.

"Greenskin it's getting late. Let's try again tomorrow." Fluttershy said.

Greenskin looked at her like she grew a third eye. Pretending you wouldn't punish failure is one thing, but actually not doing it...they were really trying to trick him.

The three runtz came up to them. "Maybe Mek Boy isn't you." The first one said with a giggle.

"Don't worry about it big guy. We went through hundreds of possible destinies before we found our calling as Cutie Mark Crusaders." The second one said.

"Yeah, we'll just try somethin' else tomorrow." The third one said.

Greenskin had his doubts, but he nodded and followed Fluttershy back to his tree.

Greenskin's Dream

The fire was warm and safe. Greenskin could still hear the Orks around the green fire, but he could also hear them Drukhari Gitz too.

He kept his eyes on them, allowing the fire to warm his back, and was ready to run and hide at the first sign that they were getting closer.

But for now, he was warmer...safer...just a little.

Goff Rokka

The CMCs employed the assistance of Octavia and DJPON3 for this next one. Neither of them were fond of Rock and Roll, but they knew how to strum a guitar and beat the drums.

The two played a basic breakdown, just the same five notes in a loop to give the Ork the idea.

He definitely liked it. It was the first time Fluttershy saw him smile, and he even swayed a little and shifted his feet around.

After the eighth loop, the musicians stopped and Octavia handed Greenskin the guitar.

Greenskin used one of his large outgrown fingernails as a pick and played a series of notes with no rhythm, like he was testing it out. But after a while, it became apparent that he didn't know how to make a rhythm come from the notes.

However, he seemed to be enjoying himself. That fact that he actually made sound convinced him that he was doing it right, and he started jumping around and stomping his feet in cadence to the isolated notes.

"Hmm hmm hmm, your friend seems to be enjoying himself Fluttershy. Why don't you let him keep the guitar, I'll pay full price, rather than rent it." Octavia said while watching the flailing Ork, DJPON3 nodding her approvement.

Fluttershy nodded her thanks while the CMCs joined Greenskin's stomp-off.

The Dream Realm

Luna had kept a close eye on Greenskin's dreams after the first one. She hadn't offered guidance, as the Ork was far from trusting.

But it would appear that she would finally be able to leave him be. He had pieced together that he can be warmer, and still watch for the Drukhari, if he moved to the other side of the fire and stuck his head out.

Luna would've told him that he only needs to stick his head out occasionally, rather than constantly craning his neck like that, but he wouldn't trust her.

She was about to leave it at that when her eyes lazily glided onto the green fire that she knew to represent the Ork Waaagh! as the fire Greenskin settled for was the Fire of Friendship ignited on Hearth's Warming Eve so long ago...an idea came to mind.

With a grin that Cozy Glow could admire, Luna flew over the Dark Eldar and fell towards the Waaagh!. Her powers over the Dream Realm clothing her in the image of an Ork mentioned by name in Twilight's codex: Ghazkull Mag Uruk Thraka.

The fake Warlord landed with a thud, grabbing the Orks' attention before pointing her Power Klaw towards the Drukhari. POINTY EADZ!! LET'Z STOMP'EM!!!

The answer was loud and clear. WAAAGH!!

Greenskin watched as the Ork horde slaughtered the Drukhari Gitz before returning to their fire. He kept looking around for more of them, but as none appeared, he felt safe...truly safe.

Slugga Boy, Shoota Boy, or Storm Boy

"Are you sure we can't try something else?" Sweetie asked, a little worried.

"Like what? A Pain Boy?" Scootaloo shot back.

"As much as I hate to say it, Scootaloo does have a point. Even Twilight said it was likely that we'd end up here, Orks are meaner than Timber Wolves after all." Apple Bloom lamented.

Sweetie Belle still didn't like the idea that the only option left was what kind of weapon he would use to kill creatures, but she only translated her distaste further with a defeated sigh.

Fluttershy came up the hill with Greenskin and immediately looked worried. "Um, w-where did you three get all this?"

She was of course referring to the ax, crossbow, and rocket booster assembled on a table before them...she also began to understand why they were near the Everfree Forest and away from town.

"Twilight got'em from a friend of her brother's." Apple Bloom explained.

"Except for this. Rainbow Dash got it from the Dropouts. She wouldn't tell me how." Scootaloo explained while resting a hoof on the rocket.

"Is it safe?" Fluttershy asked.

Choosing her answer carefully, the Pegasus filly said: "Safer than an Ork Rokkit." It did not rid Fluttershy of her nervousness.

Before she could say anything, Greenskin left Fluttershy's side and examined the weapons.

He gave the rocket a test by smacking it with a closed fist. It immediately sped off into the woods and exploded. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief while Greenskin snorted in amusement.

The crossbow was next. He picked the weapon and pulled the trigger without aiming. It wasn't loaded, so nothing happened. He shrugged and dropped it.

Sweetie Belle was about to pick it up and explain how it works, but the Ork stepped on it and crushed it. Sweetie Belle stepped back.

Finally, he came to the ax. Unlike the Apple Family's wood ax, this was a battle ax made in the days of Griffonstone's glory when the Griffon army gave Equestria plenty of worry.

It was made as a two handed weapon, but Greenskin held it like a hatchet...and tested it on the table it and the other weapons had been laid out on, splitting it in half.

"Well, I guess he's just your average Slugga Boy after all." Sweetie Belle said.

Greenskin turned to them with a smile, one that quickly disappeared when he saw their expressions. Worry, concern, fear. "...Oi kan't keep it, kan Oi."

Fluttershy dropped her concern like a bad habit. "No, I-I mean YES! I told you that we would help you turn back to normal, even if...that means..."

Greenskin knew what it meant. He could keep his new Choppa, or he could keep his tree.

He liked that tree, but it couldn't chop things up. He turned to the forest that was right in front of him.

"...Fankz Fluddashoy." The bony looked at him with pinprick eyes. He had absolutely stunned her.

Greenskin took the first step...and he grew cold.

Greenskin's Dream

Greenskin had fallen asleep in the Everfree, and found himself back where he started, away from the smaller fire, but still closer to it than the green fire...that was open to him now.

Them Drukhari Gitz were still dead, and none had come to replace them, opening the way for him to join the other Orks...but it was a still a long walk.

You are free to go. Greenskin turned to the voice, to the small fire behind him. From it, emerged another bony, Twilight Sparkle, but she was different somehow.

"Who da Gork iz you?" Asked the Ork.

I have gone by many names, the one favored by my little ponies is the Spirit of Harmony. The bony answered.

"Armony? Wut dat?" Greenskin asked.

I'm afraid that I cannot word the explanation in a manner you would understand, but that is not the question you're asking right now. You want to know which fire to choose, do you not?

Greenskin was confused by the Spirit's choice of words, but he understood the question. "Do you know?"

I cannot answer for you, but I can point out an answer you have not thought of. The bony's horn started to glow, and Greenskin noticed a glow coming from him...two of them in fact.

Yelping as he looked down, Greenskin found two tiny fires inside of him, one pink/purple and one green.

After he finished freaking out about being able to see inside his chest, and freaking out about his chest being on fire twice, he asked the spirit: "Wut does dis mean?"

It means that you carry the Magic of Friendship and the Ork Waaagh! inside of you, regardless of where you go from here. The spirit explained.

Greenskin's eyes lit up. Waaagh!..dat'z wut it sounds loike. "So, Fluddashoy iz still moi...uh..."

Your friend, yes. The spirit confirmed.

"So, I can go be wiff uvva Orkz, an' still be friendz wiff her?" He asked.

The spirit could've tried to explain being friends in spirit, but knew the endeavor would be an exercise in futility. No, the other Orks would kill her. You couldn't be with Orks and have friends...but you could have friends, and still be an Ork.

"But Orkz iz made for foighten, Boneyz don' foight." Greenskin said as a fact.

Perhaps not. But several other creatures try to take advantage of that. So many, in fact, that trying to protect peace and harmony has time and again proven to be a war without end. The spirit explained with a slight smile.

"....A Waaagh!...dat doesn't stop..." Greenskin found it difficult to remember how to close his mouth.

The spirit smiled wider now. "Even in spite of all that's happened to you, you're still an Ork. And your connection to Fluttershy proves that you're more than just one of the Boyz. I look forward to the day you truly find your place. But until then, war approaches Equestria in the form of villains from it's past, and Fluttershy will need your help.

As the Ork came to terms with what was said to him, he smiled.

His dream changed, he was back in front of the smaller fire with Fluttershy and the other boniez, including the three runtz, and some shadowy figures were approaching them.

The boniez got scared and started to back away, but Greenskin met them head-on. The pink/purple fire inside him stretching out to stay connected to similar fires inside the boniez, while the green fire built into an inferno and erupted out his throat. WAAAGH!!

Chapter 11: With Frenemies Like These... Part One

She could only scream as her flesh and chitin was warped, deformed, and reshaped in an unnatural and agonizing manner. And through it all... he laughed.

He laughed at how easily she had fallen for his plan, at how quickly her followers had deserted her when offered another path, at how she, who abhors Friendship above all else, must rely on others to accomplish her goals. But more than this, he laughed at how everything was going Just as Planned...

KYAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! Chrysalis awoke in agony for but a second before the phantom pains of her broken curse faded into the depths of her subconscious. She took shuddering breaths as she recollected her thoughts and remembered where she was...and realized that she wasn't alone.

"Ooooohhhh..." Groaned Cozy Glow as she slowly recovered. She had evidently been standing too close to the Queen when she awakened, and was thrown across the room. The thought of how close she would have to be, and the possibilities of her intent for getting that close, quickly saw Chrysalis' fear replaced by rage.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IN HERE YOU LITTLE PEST!?" The Changeling shouted as she rose from her bedsheets(just the sheets on the cave floor) and confronted the young Pegasus.

"Oh! I didn't mean to disturb you, but while you were busy having a nightmare, Grogar gave us a job to do." Cozy Glow explained.

Two Hours Later, Unknown Forest

"So let me get this straight. Grogar wants us to get his Bewitching Bell, from a barrier erected by Gusty the Great, that's powerful enough to keep him from getting it himself, and he thinks we can manage this by working together, is that correct?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Tirek answered dryly.

"Meanwhile, he is off doing something else entirely?" Chrysalis added.

"So it would seem." Tirek answered.

"...Okay, I woke up from a nightmare of being turned inside out again, what's your excuse?" Chrysalis demanded as Tirek's attitude played on her last nerve.

The centaur breathed a heavy sigh. "Are you aware of Grogar's...'other' allies?"

Chrysalis felt a tingle crawl up her spine as she remembered seeing something vaguely similar to the creatures she saw as she was cursed. "I...may know something."

"I don't know who or what they are, but I know that they are far more powerful than they let on." Tirek stated with a fearful shudder.

"Ooohh, are you still upset about that?" Cozy Glow chimed in with almost believable pity.

Chrysalis put it together. "You tried to steal magic from one of them and failed miserably, didn't you."

"I had him...he was helpless...I grew so large that my horns began to pierce the ceiling of the cave...that's when he grew bored and stopped pretending to be helpless, retracting the power I absorbed from him as if I only held him by the finger...His power rivaled an Alicorn's." Tirek lamented.

"I'm not surprised. I know little about them, less than I know of the Ruinous Powers, but I know that they are tied to the Powers in some manner." Chrysalis explained.

"To think that Grogar has such powerful allies... and we're on our way to make him even more powerful." Tirek said more to himself than the others.

"Maybe... or we could make ourselves more powerful." Cozy Glow suggested.

"Hmph, that may be the first thing you've said that was worth listening to." Chrysalis said in agreement.

After a few more minutes of walking, the three villains came within sight of the snow covered mountain housing the Bewitching Bell.

"Scale the mountain..." recited Tirek, "...retrieve Grogar's bell..." Chrysalis continued, "...together." Cozy Glow concluded cheerfully as she pulled out a parchment.

"I've written a detailed plan with visual aids of how we can...ditch each other." Her cheerful voice died off when she realized that she had been left behind, her two associates moving in different directions.

Her frown quickly returned to a smile, though it was far more malevolent in appearance than the cheerful child's grin from moments prior. "When they're waiting for me at top, then they'll start to appreciate me."

Chrysalis

Chrysalis took the most direct approach, simply flying to the mountain. But the winds made such a thing incredibly difficult, and in time she found it to be impossible, forcing her to land.

Not long after she landed, she felt a shadow loom over her. She became amused at the thought of anything unrelated to Tzeentch being frightening to her and turned to snarl and hiss at her would-be predator.

As expected, the formless shadow fled for it's life. "Hah! As if anything in this forest could be as scary as I." Proclaimed Chrysalis.

...Don't...Tempt...Tzeentch.

The rustling of bushes drew Chrysalis' ire. Not again, didn't they get the message the first ti- Chrysalis dodged just in time to lose some stray locks from her mane in place of her head.

Firing a blast of magic on instinct without even knowing what she was fighting, she was again taken by surprise when her enemy charged through the blast and tackled her to the ground. Throwing her hooves up was the only thing that kept her attacker from crushing her skull in it's drooling, blood soaked jaws.

At last, Chrysalis saw what she was fighting. A Dragon with glowing red eyes, teeth that bled from the gums, and an unmistakable triangle-like symbol carved into it's head. "Your blood...FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!"

Tirek

Tirek comes across a lake with a clear view of the mountain...and the hazardous winds that forced Chrysalis to the ground.

The Centaur scoops up some mud from the lake bed and flings it towards the mountain, only for the winds to send it back into his face.

After a brief sputtering fit, Tirek determines a direct approach to be pointless, and tries a different route.

Cozy Glow

Cozy Glow trekked up the mountain until she sighted a wooden cottage. Perfect. Some conveniently placed moron that I can wrap around my hoof.

Just as she thought this, a pony came out of the cottage. But when Cozy Glow got a better look at him, she realized something was wrong with him.

His coat was brown with orange polka dots, bubbles came from his mouth every time he exhaled before they froze in the freezing mountain air, and were those...tree branches?

Cozy Glow's eyes widened as she realized that she was looking at a pony who was infected with the infamous Swamp Fever.

She started to back away, hoping to stay out of sight until she was far enough to run for it.

SNAP!

Cozy's eyes shrank to pinpricks as she turned to the sound, a stray dead plant beneath her hooves.

She slowly turned her gaze back to the sick pony, or rather...ponies.

Where once there was only one pony infected with Swamp Fever, there was now four, and they were all staring at the young filly with pleasant happy smiles.

"Uh...H-Hey there." Cozy said nervously, she didn't know why those smiles creeped her out so much, but what she really wanted to know was why ponies who were infected with a disease that would turn them into trees were happy to begin with.

Her confusion would turn to slight fear as the four ponies started to trot towards her.

Cozy Glow started backing up again. "W-wait a minute. Y-you do realize you're sick, right? Are you trying to get me sick too?"

Cozy Glow got her answer when the creepy ponies traded their trot for a full gallop. With a scream of terror, Cozy Glow turned and bolted.

Chrysalis

Chrysalis had been trying to force the Khornate Dragon off her through telekinesis, but the Dragon appeared to have some form of immunity to her magic.

Luckily, she finally managed to push the Dragon far enough off her that she could angle her horn and fire a beam of energy directly into it's chest.

The Dragon was sent flying ten feet, but was otherwise unharmed. Chrysalis quickly scrambled to her hooves and changed tactics.

A flash of bright green flames erupted around the Changeling and streched several meters into the sky before vanishing, revealing an Ursa Minor ready to brawl.

A normal Dragon would've thought twice about fighting something so much larger than itself, but this one was far from normal. BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! DEATH FOR DEATH'S SAKE!!!

Chrysalis answered the battle cry with a bestial roar and charged into another melee.

Tirek

Tirek dropped the vines and large leaves he had been stringing into a hammock when he heard the unmistakable roar of an Ursa Minor.

It was a good ways off, but a roar like that meant it was attacking something. Tirek didn't really care that the most likely thing to have drawn the beast's anger/hunger was his associates so much as he cared about the likelihood of them running into him while the monster gave chase.

His fears settled down when the distant snarls didn't grow any closer, meaning that whatever it was attacking wasn't smart enough to run.

Well, it certainly isn't Cozy Glow. It must be her royal majesty trying to make the Ursa bow down and worship the dirt on her hooves. Heh, just means I won't have her screaming keeping me awake all night anymore. The Centaur thought to himself while he returned to his hammock.

Cozy Glow

Cozy Glow used her small wings to throw herself down the snowy mountain as fast and far as she safely could while dodging the occasional electrical sneeze of her pursuers.

Luckily, they were all Earth Ponies with no wings or magic beside the effects of the Swamp Fever they were determined to spread to Cozy Glow.

She had remembered what Chrysalis had told her about the Swamp Ponies that the Dark God Nurgle had sent to invade Ponyville, but Chrysalis said that they had all been defeated by Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

Of course those lousy Do-Gooders would mess up like this, why couldn't they have failed to stop ME!? Cozy Glow mentally complained.

She glided down another segment of the mountain. She could see the end of the mountain now, but before she could land, she felt a burning pain flash through her left wing that sent her careening down into the snow.

She landed in a deep pile of snow that covered her from head to hoof, clenching her teeth through the paralyzing pain of her injured wing.

She didn't even recall that she was being pursued until she heard the hoofsteps of the Swamp Ponies closing in.

Cozy Glow froze, praying that the snow would keep her hidden from her pursuers. They surrounded the area, looking for any sign of her.

Cozy Glow eyed the forest just a short sprint from her location, but two of the four infected ponies were between her and safety, while another searched for hoofprints...and another was mere inches from her location.

The filly held her breath, uncaring for the freezing snow enveloping her, and shut her eyes. Hoping that it would all be a bad dream.

Eventually, the sounds of hooves falling on snow made her open her eyes again to find that the infected ponies had given up the chase and were going back to their shack.

When she was sure they were far enough away, Cozy Glow used the weather altering powers of the Pegasai to melt the snow around her.

Doing so left her face such a bright crimson, one would've thought that she was furious...but for the fear in her eyes.

Chrysalis

The Dragon dodged another swipe of Chrysalis' claws, flying into her guard and breathing Warp-fire onto her large chest.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, Chrysalis brought her large body down on top of the Dragon and smashed him into the ground beneath her weight.

The Dragon's scales absorbed the impact, a natural ability of their kind that protected them from fatal falls or rockslides, but Chrysalis didn't let up.

For the brief second that her opponent was stunned, Chrysalis rose up and crashed down again. Slamming her paws onto the Dragon this time.

She raked her claws against the Dragon's scaly hide as she rose up once more to repeat the attack.

She managed this two more times before the Dragon managed to blast one the assaulting Ursa's paws with a fire ball.

Reeling in pain, Chrysalis left herself open to a counterattack, and the Khornate Dragon capitalized.

Or rather, he would have. But the Dragon suddenly paused his attack mid-lunge, allowing Chrysalis to recover.

She recognized the look in his eyes, he heard something, something she couldn't hear.

Before the Changeling turned Ursa Minor had a chance to react, the Dragon flew off. Heading in the direction Chrysalis knew to house Grogar's Bell.

Chrysalis changed back to normal, keeping her left front hoof off the ground. It was far from her only injury, she was covered from horn to tail in numerous burns and claw marks, along with a single bite at the back of her neck.

Chrysalis wanted nothing more than to go after that Dragon and make him pay for the pain he had caused her, but the way he retreated told her something.

Even if one of the Possessed had been far enough away from Ponyville to remain as they were, they should've attacked immediately instead of coming all the way out here.

That Dragon must've heard the voice of a Daemon in it it's head, Chaos must be after Grogar's bell. With this in mind, Chrysalis knew that she was no match for the Ruinous Powers on her own. One rogue Dragon, sure. But if it wasn't alone, if there were a group of them, she would need some assistance.

Tirek

Tirek had gotten comfortable in his hammock, and only more so after the Ursa Minor quieted down. Tirek wondered if he'd seen the last of his associates.

He received his answer when a bush started rustling. It wasn't coming from the direction of the Ursa Minor, so he wasn't entirely concerned, and his slight concern melted away when Cozy Glow came into view.

The filly was wide eyed with shock and shivering like a leaf. Numerous twigs and leaves were caught in her mane and tail, and her left wing looked like it had been struck by lightning.

Having spent more than half a year in Tartarus with the young Pegasus, there was only one predictable response. "BAH HAHAHAHAHAHAA!!" Tirek laughed while pointing at Cozy Glow.

The filly's shock instantly gave way to anger. "It's. Not. FUNNY TIREK!!"

"Didn't make it to the top? Surprise surprise." Tirek smirked.

"Hmph, you didn't make it to the top either." Cozy Glow countered with a smirk of her own.

"I didn't try to." Tirek pointed out, erasing the filly's smirk while maintaining his own.

"WHA-AAH!!" Cozy Glow had leapt into the air on instinct in an attempt to reach Tirek's height for a proper shouting match, only to be painfully reminded of her injured wing.

Tirek snorted in amusement as the filly landed on her backside. "It took me five minutes to deduce that Grogar was right. None of us could scale the mountain on our own. So rather than face the dangers myself, I let the two of you do it for me so I could take what you learned and use it to my advantage."

Cozy Glow glared at the centaur as she nursed her injured wing. "I put up with your 'I'm smarter than you' attitude in Tartarus, but I'm over it now."

"And I've had enough of you trying to manipulate me with that 'insincere syrupy sweetnes'. At least now we get to see the real you." Tirek stated.

This is NOT THE REAL ME!! I AM CUTE AND LOVABLE!!! Cozy Glow shouted at the top of her lungs, being careful not to flap her injured wing again.

Tirek scoffed. "No you're not. You're annoying and you snore."

"I! DO! NOT! SNORE!" Cozy Glow shouted...her voice concealing the rustling of foliage.

Tirek responded by mock snoring like a lawn mower and pointing at Cozy Glow.

The filly once again adopted an air of arrogance. "At least I don't talk to my 'Gram Gram' in my sleep."

Tirek leapt from his hammock and almost stepped on the grounded Pegasus. "DON'T YOU DARE BRING GRAM GRAM INTO THIS!!!"

Before the filly could reply, a monstrous Ophiotaurus tears through the bush, roaring it's anger those who dared to invade it's territory.

Caught in such a perilous predicament, the two villains decided that the best course was to turn from the beast and point at each other. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

Author's Notes:

Yep, I'm back. Sorry that I've been away for so long, the thing is...rewriting canon events is one of my biggest pet peeves in story writing. It's why I started Vol. 1 after season 8, and kinda wish season 9 had already been a thing(or not...I'm still salty about the ending)

But no matter, I took a breather, I started another major project that I've been looking forward to (The Lion's Heresy With Ponies) and I've started proofreading Lost Loyalty as it's One Year Anniversary looms(which will be celebrated through the publishing of a full reboot of Chapter 6: Istvaan 3, since I've finally managed to read Galaxy if Flames)

Alright now about this chapter.

Frenemies is easily the best episode of Season 9, but it will not end the same way this time around.

Part two of this two parter is where it all goes wrong. The big bad is revealed, and Equestria will never truly recover from this invasion. (Vol. 1 was a builup with good guys, a buildup with bad guys, and a small fight in Ponyville. This Volume had it's buildup, and now it's gonna have an all out war)

Outside of that, you may have noticed that I gave a logical explanation for that scene where Cozy Glow's 'boiling temper' melted a pile of snow, as well as the numerous times Garble should've been crushed to death in Gauntlet of Fire.

Yeah, I decided that the less of mlp I associate with cartoon logic(outside of Pinkie) the easier it is to write a 40k crossover, but that's just me.

Alright, I ain't gonna give any dates for my next publish. The reason being that every time I do, something always comes up, but when I say I don't know when it'll happen...it has a habit of happening quickly.

Alright, that's everything. Leave a like and a comment, check out the Lion's Heresy(available on this site) and I'll see you next time.

Chapter 12: With Frenemies Like These...Part Two

The Ophiotaurus hissed as it slithered closer to the two villains. Tirek prepared to fight while Cozy Glow prepared to run, but they and the Ophiotaurus all stopped when they heard a call.

That call was an injured female Ophiotaurus emerging from the foliage surrounding them. The male took immediate interest.

Unfortunately, male Ophiotaurus are known to only feel affection for skin deep beauty, and the numerous burns and scratches adorning the female caused the male to see her as unsightly.

The Ophiotaurus hissed a very insulting warning. With a roll of her eyes, Chrysalis dropped the disguise and hissed her own warning.

The snake-bodied bull lunged at the Changeling. Chrysalis flew above it's attack and fired a beam of energy into it's back.

Rather than retreat, the beast turned and coiled inward before springing towards Chrysalis, whose injuries kept her from flying too high off the ground.

The Ophiotaurus managed to wrap it's serpentine body around the Changeling and bring her crashing into the ground, stunning her while it wraped itself around her twice more and began to squeeze.

Chrysalis could feel the air being forced from her lungs, but with a roar of defiance, she once again transformed into an Ursa Minor, freeing herself from her opponent's constrictive grasp.

The Ophiotaurus was wiser than to contend with Chrysalis as she was now, and chose to flee. But the Changeling wasn't interested in mercy, and slammed a paw on it's serpentine tail.

In a final act of defiance, the Ophiotaurus turned to strike with it's fangs, it's jaws opened wide...Chrysalis' jaws opened wider.

Cozy Glow, who had been watching the fight beside Tirek, hid her face between her hooves as a sickening crunch announced the monster's death.

Chrysalis changed back to normal and turned to the other two. "Thanks for the help." She said with a deadpanned exspression.

Cozy Glow looked back at her, and laid eys on the headless corpse as it spouted a splurt of blood. Causing her to turn green. "Hupm, ugh, so gross..."

Tirek was more composed. "So you were the Ursa Minor then? I thought it had eaten you. So what did this?" The Centaur referred to the Changelings injuries.

"It would seem that I was not the only pawn of the Ruinous Powers that was out of range when the Elements of Harmony were brought to bare against the forces of Chaos. And they are after Grogar's bell too." Chrysalis explained.

Cozy Glow's attention was torn away from the bleeding corpse in an instant. "Those Swamp Ponies almost got you too!?"

Chrysalis shifted her gaze to the young filly. "No, I was attacked by a Dragon in service to Khorne. And he was called away by...something. I believe it was another Daemon, but I'm not sure."

"Well, this is all very fascinating. But I am feeling rather exhausted and would rather settle down for the night if nopony minds." Tirek interjected.

"WHAT!? BUT YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!! IF ANYPONY SHOULD BE TIRED IT'S ME!!!" Cozy Glow shouted.

"Oh please, do you have any idea how hard I worked to set up this camp...that you're no doubt going to yourselves at home in." Tirek grumbled.

"GAH! CAN YOU BELIEVE HIM!?" Cozy Glow shouted at Chrysalis in the hopes of gathering an ally in her argument.

Chrysalis merely rolled her eyes and settled down herself. Cozy Glow gave a dramatic sigh and did the same.

Some Time Later

Chrysalis rotated the hunk of meat cut from the dead Ophiotaurus' tail that she was roasting over the fire. She would've preferred to have harvested the creature's Love, but she would make do.

"Do you have to do that? That smell is gross." Cozy Glow complained.

"Well unlike you Ponies, I can't just shove a bush in my mouth and be satisfied. Do these fangs look like they belong to an herbivore?" Chrysalis shot back.

"Ponies do eat bushes. We eat hay, and fruit...and pastries, and candy...mmm, I haven't had candy in half a year." The filly was staring off into space now.

Chrysalis removed her dinner from the fire and stabbed it with her horn, satisfied with the temperature and the faint trickle of blood diluted with grease, she removed it and began to eat.

"Care to spare some of that?" Tirek asked.

"The corpse is right there." Chrysalis pointed her hoof towards the animal's body.

"Seriously, you too?" Cozy Glow.

"Oh relax, it's not like I'm putting you over the fire. Although Ponies taste much better." Tirek said, licking his lips at thought while harvesting his own chunk of flesh.

Cozy Glow's eyes shrank to pinpoints. "You've...eaten...Ponies!?"

Tirek was about to make another remark when his eyes widened in remembrance before his good mood vanished. "Yes...that's why my brother Scorpan betrayed me actually. He was all about helping me steal power, but when he saw how I treated the Ponies I drained, it was too much for him."

"Your brother sounds as weak as Thorax." Chrysalis commented.

"Yes. I'm sure. I wonder, which one of these 'Dark Gods' would make them suffer the most?" Tirek asked the Changeling.

"Probably Slaanesh, though I don't know too much about them, not even Tzeentch." Chrysalis replied.

"Hmm, so which one would make Equestria a better place for us if they took over for that lousy tree." Cozy Glow asked.

"None of them." Chrysalis answered immediately. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would much rather see those lousy Ponies going about their sickening peaceful lives than let Equestria be taken by the Dark Gods."

That got the other villains' attention. "WHAT!?"

"Think about it, while the Spirit of Harmony is a constant thorn in our side, it still leaves us alone and doesn't force the...ugh...'Magic of Friendship' down our throats. The Dark Gods are tyrants, if we don't devote ourselves to servitude, then they'll just torture us for their amusement. And you've seen what happens to you when you serve them." Chrysalis shuddered at the memory of her curse, as did the others.

"But, didn't Tzeentch do that because you failed him?" Cozy Glow asked the Changeling.

"Ha! I failed to finish the summoning because I was attacked by another servant of Chaos. And they punished me instead of him. Thinking back, they probably-no-definitely would've stabbed me in the back when I was no longer useful to them." Chrysalis explained.

"And their servants are after Grogar's bell, we better make sure to get it before they do." Tirek stated.

Cozy Glow let out a tired yawn. "Yeah well, considering how dangerous that mountain's supposed to be, I think we have to save it until morning. Good night."

The other villains agreed, Tirek and Chrysalis finished their meals and used their magic to vaporize the Ophiotaurus' corpse, and settled down to sleep.

The Next Morning

The villainous trio returned to the wooden cottage where Cozy Glow had discovered the Swamp Ponies, only to find it abandoned.

The three villains found a trail of hoofprints...and claw prints from a Dragon.

The villains followed the trail across numerous hazardous terrains as they scaled the mountain. Chrysalis used her various transformations to clear these obstacles, Tirek used his raw power, and the two stronger villains took turns helping Cozy Glow.

The three came to the end of the mountain...only to find that their objective was on a different mountain that was separated from the one they stood on by a large gap that led down several thousand feet.

"Uh, does anypony have an idea how to get across?" Cozy Glow asked her associates.

"Hmm, I do believe I saw some vines on our way here." Tirek pointed out.

"I can make that distance if I do this." Chrysalis transformed into a massive Roc. Spreading her wings in a display of power before taking flight to prove her point.

Unfortunately, the wind proved itself superior to the giant raptor's wing beats. Chrysalis only managed to scrape her talons against the ledge before she was blown to where she started with such force that the other two had to dodge her massive form.

Chrysalis changed back and rubbed her aching head while the other two came up to her. "So much for that approach." Tirek said.

"No no. She got close enough that if I were to ride in her talons, I could tie those vines you mentioned onto that rock over there." Cozy Glow pointed out a rock on the other side that was fused with the mountain.

The villains tried the filly's plan. Tirek leaving to gather the vines and swiftly returning. Cozy Glow tying the vines off on their end of the gap before Chrysalis transformed back into a Roc and took the filly in her talons across the ledge.

As she approached the point of losing to the wind, Chrysalis flung Cozy Glow onto the other ledge and turned back.

The filly tied off the vine, allowing her allies to join her...only one obstacle remained.

They heard their enemies long before they saw them. The Dragon that attacked Chrysalis and the Swamp Ponies that had attacked Cozy Glow were throwing Warpfire and Lightning Sneezes at a magical barrier that undoubtedly held Grogar's bell.

"That Dragon is mine." Chrysalis snarled.

"Fine, just make sure you win this time." Tirek replied.

Chrysalis gave no response. She took to the sky and charged her enemy, who was too busy with the barrier to notice until Chrysalis shot him in the back with a blast of magic.

Wasting no time, the Changeling transformed into an Ursa Minor once more and slammed both front paws into the dazed Dragon, pinning him against the barrier.

The Swamp Ponies sought to attack the Changeling while her back was turned, but found themselves in the telekinetic grasp of Tirek, who proceeded to absorb their energy.

Tirek awaited a delicious magical meal...but what entered his body was Warp Energy.

The Centaur was smart enough to spit it out immediately, but the experience left him in a gagging fit that disrupted his telekinetic hold on the Swamp Ponies.

Two of the Plaguebearers sneezed lightning at Tirek to keep him stunned while the other two sprinted forward to bite him and spread their plague.

The two charging Ponies halted their advance when they started to get pelted by rocks and sticks.

"TAKE THAT!!" Shouted Cozy Glow as she scored a shot on one of the Ponies' heads. But her confidence died as she realized that the other two were coming after her now.

With a scream of fright, Cozy Glow took off running. The two she had pelted with sticks and stones made to chase after her as well, only to find themselves in Tirek's telekinetic grip.

The Centaur only hesitated long enough to growl at them before throwing the two Ponies off the mountain where they plummeted to their deaths.

Meanwhile Cozy Glow had ran a full circle around the battleground before being relieved by Chrysalis. The Changeling turned Ursa Minor leapt between the filly and her pursuers with the Khornate Dragon's head between her jaws.

Chrysalis allowed the head to drop from snarling mouth before letting out a thunderous roar. The Swamp Ponies, Nurglite to the core, charged her anyway.

Chrysalis knew better than to let one bite her. Luckily, they were close enough together that one swipe of her paw was all it took to send them both flying.

The Swamp Ponies landed hard. One hitting it's head on a rock, the other landing on a rock that pierced through it's body. The former stayed down, never to rise again. But the latter pulled itself from it's bloody landing and limped back towards the closest enemy: Cozy Glow.

The final Swamp Pony, which Cozy recognized as the first one she saw, sneezed lightning at the filly one final time before Tirek threw him off the mountain.

Cozy was too shocked by the fact that the creature was still alive to dodge the attack. Luckily, Chrysalis threw up an energy shield just in time.

The battle was won, but Chrysalis was still uneasy. "That can't be all of them. Something has to have been controlling them."

"Who cares? Let's just get the bell and get out of here." Tirek said.

"And how do you plan to get through that barrier? It's far too powerful for us to get through." Chrysalis pointed out, showing where she had crushed the Khornate Dragon against said barrier.

"Can you absorb it?" Cozy Glow asked Tirek.

"I can only absorb magic from living beings." Tirek pointed out.

Cozy Glow pondered the situation with a hoof on her chin, before coming up with an idea. "Like her?" She directed Tirek's attention to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis caught on immediately and assumed a defensive stance. "Betrayal."

Cozy Glow held her hooves up. "Not betrayal, teamwork. If Tirek absorb's your energy, then he'll be strong enough to get through the barrier."

"And after?" Chrysalis inquired.

"He...gives it back?" Cozy Glow said unsure.

"I do?" Tirek mirrored her uncertainty.

Chrysalis had a number of concerns, but chose only to voice the greatest among them. "And what happens if the Daemon attacks us while I'm left defenseless?"

"What Daemon?" Said a newcomer's voice.

The voice drew the three villains attention to the cave, from which a being emerged from the barrier effortlessly, holding Grogar's bell in a telekinetic grip.

"I-it's one of them!" Tirek snarled as he channeled his magic.

Chrysalis knew exactly what he was talking about. Though she had only seen silhouettes, the shape was unmistakable. The beings she had summoned for Chaos, Grogar's mysterious allies, it was one of them.

The large bipedal being was dressed in robes and armor, wielding a bladed staff. His armor was black with a golden trim, and a crimson eye sat upon his heart.

The being looked around him. "Hmm, it would appear that the remaining fodder has been done away with. This world truly breeds pathetic creatures."

"Who are you?" Chrysalis said uncertain, her instincts screamed at her to attack...yet, they also told her to run.

"I am your replacement Alien. A servant of Tzeentch who came to succeed where you had failed." The Sorcerer declared.

"I failed nothing. Tzeentch betrayed me." Chrysalis declared.

The Sorcerer seemed to scoff. "How does one betray a tool that has lost it's usefulness?"

That did it. Chrysalis' fight or flight instinct had come to an agreement. The verdict: fight!

With a howl of fury, Chrysalis threw a powerful blast of magic towards the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer attached Grogar's bell to his waist and brought his free hand up to meet the attack, deflecting it with contemptuous ease.

Tirek chose to join in the fight and send his own blast of energy towards the Sorcerer.

The Sorcerer brought the head of his staff up to intercept Tirek's attack, and then waved the staff in an arc in front of him. Sending out a shock wave that knocked the three villains back, and almost threw Cozy Glow off the mountain.

The filly scrambled to get her back hooves back on solid ground...and then quickly realized that the Sorcerer had Chrysalis by the throat and Tirek under his boot.

"Hmm hmm hmm, truly pathetic, you creatures of Equestria. Even if you long for the embrace of darkness, you are tainted by the corruption of...what is the word? Oh yes, Friendship. Hmm hmm hmm heh heh heh hah hah hah haa."

Chrysalis answered this insult by once again transforming into an Ursa Minor...only for the Sorcerer to change her back against her will and keep her from transforming again. "Wh-what?"

"Did you really thing you could defy the Gods? You, who cannot even control a hive of sheep minded insects?" The Sorcerer inquired.

Chrysalis tried to fire another blast at him, but it was intercepted...by Tirek.

The Centaur shook the Sorcerer off him as his power skyrocketed, allowing him to grow twice as large as he once was.

With no time to enjoy himself, Tirek got down to business. Firing a far more powerful blast of energy at the Sorcerer, who planted his staff into the ground to meet the attack.

The clash sent snow flying everywhere, cracks appeared in the ground, and the Sorcerer began to skid backwards.

Tirek began to strain and sweat. The Sorcerer grunted and snarled as his back foot touched a wall behind him.

Tirek's struggle became harder. Even with Chrysalis' power added to his own, he couldn't overpower the Chaos Sorcerer, and would soon be thrown back. The thought of losing made him scream in defiance, but it was in vain.

A slight jangle drew the Sorcerer's attention to his side...where he saw Cozy trying to take the bell from him.

"NO!" The Sorcerer shouted as he reached a hand towards Cozy Glow...big mistake.

Tirek destroyed the Sorcerer's staff and pressed the attack. Driving the Sorcerer into the rocky mountain wall...and through it.

Tirek watched the Sorcerer fall through the clouds. After another second, he felt a brief itching in his gums, and wondered if that meant the powerful magic user had died.

He was pulled from the sight of the clouds by a slight movement in the pile of snow next to the hole in the wall.

"TAH DAH!" Cozy Glow shouted as she popped out of the snow with Grogar's bell in her hooves.

Tirek grinned at the sight of victory when a voice called out to him. "M-my magic..."

Tirek looked to Chrysalis expecting anger in her eyes, both only found fear and desperation.

The thought of ignoring her pleas and keeping her magic for himself crossed his mind, but thinking of how well they worked together in the fight made him ponder just how much more they could accomplish.

With a faint sigh, Tirek returned the Changeling's magic.

Chrysalis breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up. "I didn't think you'd give it back."

"Neither did I." Tirek confessed. "But...working together...just seemed smarter than to continue fighting."

"When we helped each other, it...felt better somehow." Cozy Glow added.

"I haven't felt like this since I lost my hive. Having others who will be there for you is...pleasing." Chrysalis confessed.

"...All these years...taking power from Ponies..." Tirek continued their shared train of thought.

"When you use your power to help others..." Cozy Glow left it open.

"Yes, it feels-" Chrysalis stopped dead as the words of the Sorcerer echoed through her mind. Even if you long for the embrace of darkness, you are tainted by the corruption of...what is the word? Oh yes, Friendship.

"NNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Chrysalis shouted, startling the other two out of their thoughts.

"The Magic of Friendship may be preferable to Chaos, but only in the same sense that a common cold is preferable to the flu. It's still a disease that subjugates you and binds you to servitude. And I refuse to serve" Chrysalis stated with absolute certainty.

"Same!" Cozy Glow said.

"Obviously." Tirek replied.

"So, back to keeping the bell for ourselves?" Cozy Glow questioned, to which the other two nodded.

Grogar's Lair

The three villains waited for Grogar's return with the bell safely hidden. In less then an hour after their own return, the Great Goat revealed himself.

"The bell?" Grogar held his hoof out.

Cozy Glow donned her most pitiful face. "W-we're sorry Lord Grogar, we just couldn'-" The filly's pleas were cut off when she and the other two were slammed to the ground by Grogar's magic.

"I was not speaking to you. Omegon?" Grogar asked someone behind the villains.

The jangle of a bell was accompanied by an all too familiar voice. "I've found it, My Lord."

The Sorcerer the villains had thought they had defeated stepped out from behind them with Grogar's bell in his hand.

The Sorcerer returned the bell to it's owner and, with a wave of his staff, transformed his black and gold armor and robes into blue and green armor. "Also, I'm Alpharius."

Grogar ignored the Alpha Legionnare...and the second one that appeared at his other side, and kept his eyes squarely on the three villains. "Did you honestly think I would be stupid enough to trust you at your word?"

Chrysalis snarled in defiance. "Did you think we would be that stupid? You're no different than us, than Chaos, you just want Equestria for yourself, and for us to bow before you just like the Ponies."

"And you thought you could stop me? You'd have better luck enrolling Abaddon into Twilight's School." Grogar sneered.

"Don't worry, you'll get a second chance. But you'll be powerless until I see fit to trust you again...at least you know how to work together now." With that, Grogar pointed his bell towards the villains and rung it...nothing happened.

Grogar looked at the bell before trying again, starting to lose his composure as the bell refused to work. "ALPHARIUS!! IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE!!"

"You sent Omegon to watch over these three remember? What made you think I had it?" Alpharius asked with a sincere voice that made Cozy Glow jealous.

"STOP MESSING AROUND YOU FOOLS!! WHERE'S THE REAL BELL!?" Grogar shouted.

"We'll give you a hint My Lord." Omegon said.

Grogar made ready to voice his anger, when...

GONG!

Grogar turned to the sound just as he was struck by a black and gold energy wave that drained him of his power...and revealed his true form.

Discord hit the ground, weak and exhausted. The three villains gaped in shock before they and the Draconequus turned to the direction of the attack.

Standing on a very narrow ledge overlooking the group, Grogar's bell dangling from one of their fingers, was a tall lithe being clothed in bright vibrant colors, and wearing a horned mask.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS TALLIK!?" Discord shouted.

"It's nothing personal Discord Bringer, but I'm afraid your time amongst the Ponies of Equestria has made you soft." The Solitare stated.

"WHAT!? I KNOW YOU'RE A HARLEQUIN, BUT DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!!" Discord continued shouting.

"This is no laughing matter My Lord." Alpharius stated.

"The Ponies of Equestria must be forged in the fires of war. And while The Cabal was hesitant to let their next test be villains from their past, their faith in you was lost completely when they realized you had no intention of allowing them to face real danger." Omegon added.

"WELL WE CAN'T LET THEM DIE YOU IDIOTS!! THAT WOULD DEFEAT THE ENTIRE PURPOSE!!" Discord roared with rage.

"No. We can't let them all die." Alpharius stated grimly.

"But when forging a blade, the slag must be done away with." Omegon continued.

"Which is why my troupe has picked out a weaker warband to be Equestria's forging fire." Tallik concluded.

"A WARBAND!? OF WHAT!? ORKS!? CHAOS!?" Discord wasn't angry anymore. There was fear in his voice.

"No...my cousins." The Eldar said.

Discord's eyes shrank down to pinpoints and he said nothing more.

"I am sorry My Lord, but this is for the good of all. You know what's at stake." Alpharius said before he and Omegon teleported away while Tallik simply walked out while he owned the place.

"...No...NO!!!" Discord regained his senses and made to run. He had to warn them. He had to tell them what was coming.

Discord was halted in his tracks and dragged backwards by telekinesis. "And just do you think you're going?" Came the very irate voice of Chrysalis.

Author's Notes:

DUH DUH DUUUUH!!!! I have waited a looong time to drop this bomb.

Okay, to clarify: Discord is a part of The Cabal: an empire built around manipulating events through the shadows that convinced the Alpha Legion to betray the Imperium as the only means to ensure the destruction of Chaos.

But Eldrad Ulthran, the Eldar's head honcho of that time, foresaw humanity's necessity in the destruction of Chaos, and fought an unseen war with the Cabal during the Horus Heresy that ended when, and this is the quote, Eldrad announced that The Cabal had been exterminated.

If an Eldar announces anything, forget the grain, take that with a brick of salt.

So what're they doing here, and why are Harlequins helping them? Well that's not for this chapter.

Speaking of this chapter...yeah, I was not happy with Discord's stupidity in Season 9, so I decided to soften it a bit, pardon the creative freedom.

And coming up next, Dark Eldar! Oh boy, Greenskin's gonna go off the deep end when he finds out that he's been bamboozled again.

And how is Discord going to get the word out? Will he get the word out? Is there anything he can do or say to convince Chrysalis and the others of the coming darkness? Find out next time.

Also: I am making headway on the next chapter of The Lion's Heresy, but it's going to be longer than the first chapter because it starts with Rarity's pov during the Unification Wars rather than Fulgrim landing on Chemos.

Alright, that's all I got. See you next time.

Chapter 13: The Dark Eldar

"And just where do you think you're going?" Chrysalis snarled. She had been tricked. She did not like being tricked.

"Did you really think you could make fools of us? I'm the one who outsmarted you remember." Tirek added. He and Cozy Glow were looking forward to whatever Chrysalis had in store for him.

"Yo-You FOOLS!! LET ME GO!! I HAVE TO WARN THEM BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!" Discord shouted on the verge of panic.

"Oh please, why would we ever let you do that ?" Chrysalis inquired.

"BECAUSE THIS ENEMY IS WORSE THAN CHAOS!!!" Discord answered.

The trio of villains lost their anger immediately as a freezing chill crawled up their spines. "...wuh...what...?"

It wasn't true...in a manner of speaking, but while the Ruinous Powers were more dangerous, only the followers of Slaanesh were more terrifying. And thus, Discord spared no graphic detail regarding the coming threat.

Equestria

Far from the villains' cave, Twilight and her friends were listening to a most unusual tale of their own. "An den da glowin' Bony faded away, an dese free shadowy figaz came at me loike deze waz tryna spook me, AN OI KRUMPED'EM GOOD!! AHHAHAHAHAAA!!! MORK'S TEEF!!! OI AVEN'T FELT DIS GOOD IN....uh...um...I've NEVAH FELT DIS GOOD!!! AHHAHAHAHAAA!!!"

Fluttershy couldn't stop smiling at Greenskin's newfound joy for living, but the others were quite concerned. "Three villains from our past?" Twilight asked more to herself than to Greenskin.

"Yeh. Dat'z roight. An don' worry about foighten dem again. I'll clobber em all boi meself." The Ork stated. Slamming the head of his battle ax into his pleather-clad chest.

Twilight couldn't shake her worries though, and was already mentally writing letters of warning to her fellow Alicorns and Aries.

As Twilight and the others bidded each other farewell. Aries was in Canterlot with Princess Luna...and over a dozen sleeping engineers, blacksmiths, and welders.

As Aries described the mechanics of gas operated firearms as he understood them, Luna fed the words into the ponies' dreams. Once finished, she brought Aries into the Dream Realm with her to oversee how the dreaming ponies envisioned such weapons, and how to build them.

Outside of these developments, Equestria enjoyed a normal, peaceful day. No less than thirteen songs were sung this day, and not a single monster attacked an Equestrian provence, be it village or city.

However...there is a dark nature to Equestria's peace. For Equestria and it's neighboring allies...are but one Continent upon a planet that has yet to be named, as it's inhabitants believe their single Continent to be the entirety of their world...except those that inhabit the Continent furthest from Equestria.

Anthross

The Continent of Anthross is home to a great many bipedal creatures. The Minotaurs of Taurus, The Werewolves of Lycone, but none are more frightening than those of Anthross' ruling country: The Empire of Caprio.

Caprio was one of two kingdoms of Anthropomorphic deer. The other, Cervis, had fought a desperate war against their neighbors for the sake of their freedom. For the bipedal deer of Caprio firmly believed that it was their right as the mightiest beings to rule over all.

The war had lasted a thousand years. While Equestria knew not but peace and the odd averted peril, Cervis had been slowly beaten and conquered.

The men were deemed weak and sentenced to death...but the women suffered a far darker fate. They were to breed stronger men to rule them, the heirs of the power mad monsters that conquered them.

Cervis fell to Caprio but a day after the defeat of Nightmare Moon 8 years ago. In the time since then, whilst the Moose and Roe Deer enjoyed the fruits of their conquest, the Caribou: most elite of the three races of Caprio, sought greater prizes.

8 years ago, Minotaur spies loyal to the ruler of Caprio set sail to various lands to discover new conquests awaiting their masters. Of the various races discovered by these spies, King Dainn of Caprio was only interested in one.

The 8 foot Caribou sat in his throne in full armor, resting his right hand on the pommel of his Greatsword: Willbreaker, and clenching his left into a fist as he snarled in anger.

...The power to defy reality...WASTED ON THE WEAK!!! The king snarled, slamming his fist into the arm of his throne.

While the thought of such power being squandered infuriated him to no end, the thought of producing an heir to such power brought a very different emotion.

While it did nothing to calm Dainn's anger, the thought of breaking new women brought a cruel smile to his face. His smile endured even as the doors to his throne room parted to reveal his Advisor.

The Advisor was unperturbed by the manic look on his master's face. If anything, he was curious to know what vile thoughts produced such an expression...so he may wear it himself.

"My Lord, at long last our fleet is ready. Bearing enough storage space to bring a siege from across the world to the gates of cursed Canterlot... and return with beautiful bounty of fresh slaves." The Advisor announced with a bow to King Dainn.

The Caribou King's smile widened, parting his jaws as his tongue licked the growing drool from his teeth. "Prepare my army, we set sail for the bottom of the world. TO WIPE OUT WEAKNESS AT IT'S STRONGEST SOURCE!!!"

The order was met with sinister laughter and then the two Caribou went to make their preparations. For King Dainn, that meant paying one last visit to his harem.

The King walked the halls of his castle en route to his bed chambers, admiring the numerous trophies and portraits that adorned the walls, and bowing respectfully to the images of his ancestors. Thanking them for achieving all that he owned and paving the way for his own conquests that would be inherited by his greatest son.

The cruel King was torn from his musings by a great shaking of the castle. When the rumbling subsided, he could hear screams and shouts and noises that were completely alien to his ears. He immediately recognized the signs of an attack on his Kingdom.

Forgetting his harem for the time being, King Dainn sprinted down the halls and turned to exit his castle, only to be halted by an explosion behind him.

Something had torn through the walls of his castle, piercing through the hall and beyond before Dainn could even see it, but whatever it was left a group of the invaders behind.

The attacking forces moved so fast that King Dainn could hardly make them out as they charged him with blinding speed, some even appearing to run along the walls.

King Dainn did not allow shock to immobilize him however, he unsheathed Willbreaker and swung horizontally. The mighty greatsword cut a gash in the castle wall and parried a long knife from the closest attacker to the wall before coming across to behead the center attacker and cut a third's arm off.

King Dainn turned on his heel and spun, slashing out with Willbreaker while distancing himself from his more agile attackers. He knew he best advantage was his superior strength and reach...and the alloy that made up his sword and armor, known across Anthross as Caprian Steel...and to the wider galaxy as Adamantine.

King Dainn halted his fighting withdrawal and got the first real look at his attackers. Females, that was the first thing he noticed about his enemies, the second was that their clothes were even more revealing than that of his concubines. But the most unnerving thing he noticed about his feminine foes...was that they were all smiling.

King Dainn knew that smile, he had worn it many times himself, it was the smile of a tyrant preparing to crush the weak. Even the one who's arm he had severed wore a similar, albeit more manic, grin. No doubt already deciding how best to break the Caribou's will.

King Dainn snarled at their smiles...before returning one of his own. They wanted to show him that he was inferior, he would show them just the opposite.

His attackers smiles widened, and they opened a hole in their ranks to let another, more elite, fighter introduce herself.

Dainn's smile windened as well. The female before him was everything he sought in a mate. Power Incarnate. She negated the single edged blades of her entourage for a far deadlier sword that unfurled into a bladed whip nearly 5 feet in length, and covered her breasts with the flayed faces of past victims.

The female warrior twirled her whip beside her as she walked, cutting gashes into the floor of King Dainn's halls. She was a savage in every sense of the word, and King Dainn couldn't wait to tame her.

The female brought her whip back into a sword and leapt. Her impossible agility allowing her to plant her feet onto the ceiling and launch herself at King Dainn.

The Caribou threw up his sword and spun backward, but his opponent still managed to land behind him. King Dainn slashed at her again, only for her to lash out and wrap her whip around Willbreaker.

The sound of footsteps told him the weaker warriors were joining the fray once more. Thinking fast, King Dainn used his strength to slam the flat end of his sword into the females' leader and throw her from his blade into the midst of her entourage, her whip still wrapped around his sword.

Two of the weaker enemies evaded their flung leader and pressed the attack. King Dainn cut down one, but the other, the one missing an arm, leapt over his head while he was between strikes and swung her blade at his neck.

The Caribou bent his knees to avoid the decapitating strike, costing him an antler, before swinging Willbreaker through the assailant's stomach and cutting her in half.

The King screamed in rage and pain as his lost antler caught up with him, but he hadn't the time to mend his wound. 4 attackers remained, and their speed made fleeing a death sentence. It was only the narrow halls that only his powerful sword could ignore that was keeping him alive.

"You've impressed me Mon'Keigh." Spoke the leader of King Dainn's assailants. "Kneel to me now, and I'll make you my personal pet."

"It is not I who will serve you, it is you who will bear my sons." King Dainn promised as he removed the whip and readied Willbreaker.

The remaining warriors scoffed, snorted and giggled at the Caribou's words before meeting him in battle once more.

8 Minutes Later

The sound of screaming blissfully filled her ears now that sounds of battle had been drowned out. A bliss she enjoyed until she felt the need to acknowledge her subordinate...she had been kneeling for quite a while, after all.

"Report sister." Spoke the Succubus leading the raiding party: Crimson Clawed Clarissa.

Clarissa was the epitome of feminine beauty within the Dark City. Tall for an Eldar, she could stand eye to eye with an unarmored Astartes, and only an Astartes had a chance of meeting her soul-shattering gaze.

The Succubus was dressed head to toe in varying shades of purple that swirled in maddening patterns modeled after the Warp, with the exception of her namesake: a pair of blood red Hydra Gauntlets.

"The city has fallen. Our losses were minimal." Clarissa's younger sister, a Wych named Belatrixx, reported.

"Excellent, have you found a new toy to play with?" Clarissa asked.

"Indeed sister, the King of this country is going to be such fun to torment into submission." Belatrixx replied with a delighted, almost childish giggle.

Clarissa and Belatrixx were true sisters by blood, but where most siblings among the Dark Eldar fought over power and authority, often killing each other, Belatrixx was more than happy to let her sister have run of their Cult and it's allies so long as she was allowed to torture and kill at her leisure. Meaning she always had first pick of the captives.

The younger sister bid the elder fairwell before returning to her chambers and her plaything, while Clarissa turned her gaze beyond Caprio. Thinking of all the new species that would conquer and bring to the Dark City, giving no interest in the plots of the Harlequins that had led her to this world.

Her only thoughts were of the Continent that she would save for last, bearing a race of lesser beings more innocent and ignorant than any human or Ork or even Tau that had heard of.

Equestria. I will teach you the laws of the galaxy...and the penalty of weakness.

Author's Notes:

Words do not describe what this quarantine has put me through. I had only one month left in my trade school before I graduated, and that was in April.

My apologies for not posting anything in these trying months, but I just couldn't find the time or motivation to write fanfics. I was caught between chores, Netflix, and I finally found my laptop after it had been missing for years.(don't ask)

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this chapter.

Poor poor Greenskin, he finally felt safe and the Dark Eldar returned. I'm still contemplating how to make him react when he finds out.

Aries may have started Equestria's next big military development, but it's a long way off before the prototypes are ready for testing, so don't expect an armed Equestrian Defense Force taking on the Drukhari.

King Dainn: easily the most hated OC of the Brony community. I have never read the original Fall of Equestria, but I have read numerous Crossovers and self inserts that involve tearing the Caribou apart, including one particularly funny One-shot starring the TTS version of an Eversor Assassin.

The names Caprio and Cervis come from Capreolinae and Cervidae. Which are two groups of Deer. (basically the difference between Canines and Lupines)

And yes, the Minotaur spy I mentioned is Iron Will. Rather or not if a reveal of his past will happen in the story remains to be seen. (Featuring all these characters is hard)

And now for our antagonists...I am not a Dark Eldar player, and I know next to nothing about them.

Luckily, I downloaded Battlescribe after purchasing my first Ork models to make something of a shopping list for my infant Army, and used that to get some idea of how this invasion looks(I chose a Succubus for a warlord because it's the only one I knew anything about.)

On another topic. I might be walking away from this site for awhile soon.(I will try to finish this Volume first) And it's not because of the quarantine or anything like that...I have stated on my bio on FanFiction.Net(I really need to copy/paste that onto this site) that I am using fanfics to practice my writing abilities in preparation of trying my hand at original stories...and I think I'm ready to take a shot at it.

I've got an idea for a fantasy story, an idea for a sci-fi story...and two ideas for stories that I would love to see as manga and/or anime.

Well, that's all I got. If you haven't seen it yet, here's a video of my first models.

https://youtu.be/nzg17uFkIHg

Other than that, thank you, enjoy, and stay safe in our crazy maddening world.

Chapter 14: The Lesser Evil

The three villains stared at Discord with empty eyes. Trying to come to terms with the horror they had heard of...and finding it impossible.

"Yeah, nice try Discord. I might've believed you if these Dark Eldar weren't so...childishly grim." Cozy Glow rolled her eyes, causing Tirek to nod in agreement and Chrysalis to tighten her magic hold on Discord.

"Ghhk! Hitz...hitz the truth! Khhgh!" Discord forced out of his pinched throat as he dangled in the air.

"Oh, so we're just going let you go warn Twilight and her friends of this imminent threat and wait here...for them to capture us." Chrysalis remarked while tightening her grip even more.

"No...we'll...need your hel-akk!" Discord croaked out.

"Help you? No. However, if we ruled Equestria and these Dark Eldar were attacking our kingdom, that's a different story." Chrysalis smiled at the Draconequus as she spoke her terms to the laughter of the other two villains.

"...Deal." The villains stopped laughing as they processed what Discord just said.

"Uh, did he just say 'deal'?" Asked Cozy Glow.

"The Dark Eldar target leadership first, in order to leave the populace vulnerable so they can pursue them at their leisure. So you have a deal, I'll convince the princesses to step down and let you rule Equestria, and if we survive you can keep it." Discord said.

Chrysalis fixed him with a deadpan stare. "And what if our first orders are to have you and your precious pony friends imprisoned?"

"...An execution would be better." Discord replied with a clear honest tone. There was no sarcasm, no mockery, he had meant it.

"...yo...you're serious, aren't you. They....they're real." Chrysalis couldn't keep the fear out of her voice as she replayed what Discord had told her of the Drukhari in her head.

She thought of the Dark City, of the various horrors that awaited her if she was taken alive.

She could survive in the Arenas, her ego refused to believe otherwise, but how many fights could she win before the enemy poisoned her food just enough to let her next opponent humiliate her for the crowd.

That was the best fate she could think of, the worst...was the Flesh Cults. The very thought of enduring such horror, being stripped of everything that made her who she was and serving the monsters responsible...it was like Friendship with more agony.

Discord had fallen from Chrysalis' grasp while she was in thought, yet he had made no move to escape, waiting to their answer. "...As if I'm going to protect Celestia from alien assassins when I can just take the throne after she and the others are gone."

Discord breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Tch, shut up. Now go tell Twilight and the others what's coming." Chrysalis ordered with a wave of her hoof.

Discord slithered out of sight, leaving the villains to their own devices. "So, what now?" Cozy Glow asked the group.

"Well, as convincing as Discord was, there is still the chance that he will inform the ponies of our location so that they can take care of us after the main threat has been dealt with." Chrysalis stated.

"In other words, we should start looking for a new hideout." Tirek stated.

"Ooh! I have an idea!" Cozy Glow shouted. "Why look for a new hideout, when we can steal one from somepony else?"

Zecora's Home

The Zebra Witch-Docter was stirred from taking stock of her potion ingredients by a most pungent oder. She determined that the stench was coming from outside just as there was a knock on her door.

Opening the door revealed Fluttershy...along with a strange ape-like creature that she identified as the source of the stench.

The creature was dressed head to toe in spiked pleather, beginning with a bandanna and ending with studded pleather boots. It held a Griffon battle ax in one hand, and it's face was covered in deep scars that didn't quite look like they had been earned in a fight.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Ahem, Zecora, this is my new friend Greenskin, I was hoping you might be able to help him with something."

Zecora could guess what she wanted help with. "Meeting new friends is always swell, though we can't say the same for meeting their smell."

Fluttershy gasped and blushed. "Oh, sorry about that. I have tried bathing him before, but it doesn't seem to work."

"No need to worry my friend, I'll brew a potion that will put his stench to an end." Zecora smiled as she turned to begin her work.

"Oh, thank you but...that's not what we needed help with." Fluttershy said.

Zecora was about to question her when the ape-like creature spoke up. "See, I had dis freeky dreem where da Spirit ov Armonee said dat free ov Ekwayztreeya'z old enemiez waz comin' back for annuver go. And I decided dat I was gonna krump'em good, but I didn't know dat dey waz Wierdboyz, but den Fluddashoy told me dat you'ze could make it where der Wierd Stuff wouldn't work on me, see?"

Zecora stared at the creature before looking to Fluttershy for some form of translation. "Do you have something that could protect Greenskin against magic?"

Zecora beamed. "Oh my friend, why didn't just you say so? I've had a charm for that since ages ago."

Fluttershy watched as the Zebra rummaged through her belongings for a moment before presenting her a tiki necklace. "This charm is called the Amulet of Might, it protects the wearer from magic in a fight. I entrust it to you: a champion of what's right."

Fluttershy took the Amulet. It glowed a fiery orange in her hooves, and she could feel a great warmth emanating from it.

"Here Greenskin. This'll protect you from magical attacks." Fluttershy said as she handed the Amulet to the Ork.

Greenskin donned the Amulet, and briefly glowed the same fiery orange as it's power enveloped him. "Woah, dat was ded'ard."

"Thank you so much Zecora. I don't know which of our old enemies are supposed to be coming back, but I do know that even Sweetie Belle could lift Greenskin off his feet with her magic. I was really worried he would get himself hurt...or worse." Fluttershy shivered at her own implication.

"There is no need to worry Fluttershy. With the power of the Amulet, your friend is unlikely to die. And now that I've ensured he will survive, perhaps I can remove his stench while my plants are still alive." Zecora all but pleaded.

Outside Zecora's house

"And you're sure we can get away with this?" Tirek spoke in a tone of voice that was certain of the opposite.

"Relax. Zecora is so far from Ponyville that nopony will even notice, so long as we keep her from getting away." Cozy Glow confirmed.

"And what if she happens to have visitors?" Chrysalis asked.

"Then we either wait for them to leave or we grab them too. If you're talking about after we move in, you can just impersonate Zecora and tell them to get lost." Cozy Glow explained.

"I. Am not. Rhyming." The Changeling stated as a fact.

The villains ended their bickering and dove into cover when the door to the Zebra's hut opened to reveal Fluttershy...and something else.

"What in Equestria is that?" Cozy Glow half whispered half shouted.

"Well, don't ask me. I've never seen a creature like that in all my life." Tirek stated.

"Be quiet. I think it hears us." Chrysalis hissed through her teeth.

The creature had turned into their direction, squinting hard at the foliage that concealed them. "Greenskin? Is something the matter?

The beast ignored Fluttershy and started to walk towards the concealed villains, holding a Griffon battle ax like a hatchet over his head to swing at anything that came at him.

Fluttershy watched him move closer and closer to the nearest bush, his ax raising a little higher with each step.

When he closed the distance, the Ork lunged forward and ripped the bush from the ground...revealing a small rabbit.

The rabbit wiggled it's nose as it looked the Ork in the eye, looking as cute and innocent as can be.

Fluttershy walked up to Greenskin and placed a calming hoof on him. "It's just a bunny Greenskin, it's not going to hurt you."

The Ork wasn't fooled. "You'ze look loike a bunny...you'ze actin' loik a bunny...but you'ze smellz loike a buggy nid."

With that, Greenskin brought his ax down. Fluttershy dove for the endangered rabbit before she even realized what was happening...only to find herself held hostage by Chrysalis.

The Changeling Queen revealed herself and tried to counter the Ork's attack, only for Fluttershy to knock her to the side...allowing Chrysalis to hold her in her magic as she righted herself and stared down her new foe.

"There are not many who're capable of seeing through my disguises at a glance. I'm impressed." Chrysalis spoke with a smug grin.

"I'm guessin' dat yer one ov Ekwayztreeya'z old enemiez roight? I waz expektin free ov ya'ze." The Ork replied.

Chrysalis considered that Discord had betrayed them, but decided that if such were the case, then they wouldn't have sent Fluttershy alone. "Well, you're right about that."

Taking their cue, Cozy Glow and Tirek stepped out of hiding with the latter trying to absorb Greenskin's energy. Instead he just barely ducked in time to lose the tip of his left horn to the Ork's ax.

The two surprised villains scrambled to get at Chrysalis' side with Greenskin hot on their heels...only to stop short when the Changeling Queen dangled Fluttershy in front of him.

"Careful. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious friend, would you?" Chrysalis sneered.

The Ork sneered back. "You'ze fink I'm dat stoopid? Da minute I stop fightin' You'll just zogg'er anyway. Noice try 'orsefly, but I'm smarta dan dat by a lot an' sum morr."

The two other villains were stumped. They hadn't thought about killing the hostage anyway...but Chrysalis was focused on something else.

"...What did you just call me?" The Changeling hissed as a dark aura emanated from her.

This brought a smirk to the Ork's face. "Wut'z a matta? Ard ov hearin'...'orsefly?"

"...Hold this." Chrysalis snarled as she threw Fluttershy into Tirek with enough force to draw a grunt from the Centaur before he held the Pegasus and drained her essence.

While Greenskin did twitch at the sight, he had expected her to be dead by now, so he kept his smile. "Ha! Now you'ze finkin' like an Ork. Ere we go."

The Changeling and the Ork Boy threw themselves at each other with primal battle cries. GRAAAGH!! WAAAGH!!!

The two Warmongers struck hard, Chrysalis' magic infused horn clashing with Greenskin's ax. Chrysalis was stunned that the ordinary metal ax could parry her magical attack, and Greenskin was equally shocked to see what he could only believe was Waaagh! Energy empowering the Changeling's attack.

Of course, neither combatant revealed their shock to the other. Instead, they gritted their teeth and dug in. The clash was a stalemate...until Greenskin drew back his offhand and threw a Toof Tayka into the Changeling's mouth.

Chrysalis was sent sprawling across the grassy ground they fought upon. The Ork didn't wait for her to recover and charged straight towards her.

"Uh, should we help her?" Cozy Glow asked Tirek.

"Do you want to?" The Centaur replied.

The Ork closed in and swung to take the Changeling's head. Chrysalis took flight, losing strands of her main, and returned to earth in the form of a Manticore.

Roaring in fury, Chrysalis swiped a pawful of claws at her greenskinned foe. But the Ork swung his ax to parry the blow, chopping off two and a half toes.

Chrysalis roared in pain and thrusted her stinger at Greenskin, who threw up his offhand in defense.

The stinger pierced through the Ork's hand, injecting the venom over Greenskin's shoulder. The Ork barely registered it for his high pain tolerance, and responded by crushing the stinger in his palm.

Chrysalis gave a sharp yelp, as this translated to the Ork ripping out some of her tail-hairs, and lunged at the beastly alien to try and crush him under her superior weight.

Greenskin saw the telltale tensing of the Manticore's muscles and gave his own lunge. Landing under Chrysalis' backside while most of her weight was shifted to the front, allowing him to wriggle out from under her and, to the exiled Queen's unfiltered fury, climb onto her back.

Chrysalis bucked and flailed, trying everything she could think of to dislodge the Ork, but Greenskin had dug the thick pointed nails of his offhand into her hide and bitten into her. He wasn't letting go without a fight.

Chrysalis thought of changing back to her true form to loosen his grip, but that would leave her much smaller body in reach of his battle ax that could easily chop through her carapace. The only choice was to go bigger.

A flash of green fire found Greenskin trying to sink his teeth and nails into the scaly hide of a greed grown Dragon.

The Dragon's long neck reached over it's back to claim Greenskin, but the Ork swung it's ax into the open maw and slashed across the upper gum line.

Chrysalis roared in pain and brought a talon up to her stinging mouth. While she was distracted, Greenskin made his move.

The Ork climbed up the Dragon's back as fast as he could. He had been hoping to reach the base of it's neck, but Chrysalis recovered faster than that and channeled magic to mimic a Dragon's fire breath.

With no time to reach her neck, and little time to evade or counterattack, Greenskin leapt off the Dragon's back...and onto her left wing.

Greenskin landed on the dormant leathery appendage with a downward chop of his ax right into one of the finger-like wing bones.

Chrysalis roared in pain once more and flaired her wings, sending Greenskin flying. The Changeling quickly changed back to survey the damage to her wing, finding a long narrow gash.

A quick test flight had Chrysalis breathing a sigh of relief however, as it was no more damaging than the other holes in her wings.

Her relief turned to anger as the Ork's bellowing battle cry announced his return. Chrysalis was about to shapeshift once more...when a potion crashed over her head.

A similar potion struck Tirek, causing him to drop Fluttershy, who was herself struck by a potion that restored her life force.

A quick glance behind Tirek revealed Zecora, an additional potion being lightly tossed and caught in one of her hooves.

Chrysalis tried to transform, but found that she couldn't. She barely had enough time to register Tirek suffering a similar failure for his magic before Greenskin was upon her again.

With little means to fight back, Chrysalis took flight to avoid the battle ax swinging to and fro in an effort to chop her head off. Tirek and Cozy Glow were already running for it. And with little hope of winning the fight, Chrysalis flew after them.

The Ork gave chase for a few feet before realizing that the Changeling was too fast for him. "DAT'Z RIGHT 'ORSEFLY! YOU'ZE BETTA RUN!! YOUR EAD IZ MOINE!!!"

With his point made, Greenskin turned to Fluttershy, who was already rushing towards him in a tackling hug. "Oh thank goodness you're all right!! You're not hurt, are you?"

Greenskin patted the top of Fluttershy's head. "Nah. Dem Drukhari gitz numbed me ta pain a long toime ago...hmm, I wonda if I can put a spiky bit in ere."

Fluttershy realized he was talking about the gaping hole in his hand...and promptly turned as green as the Ork in question.

"I am glad that all is well, but the appearance of these villains is less than swell." Zecora states, bringing Fluttershy back to the present.

"Oh my! Zecora's right. We have to warn Twilight and the others immediately! Come on Greenskin." And with that Fluttershy gallops off, with Greenskin lumbering behind with a joyful skip in his step. After some mental debating, he decided that Chrysalis' skull would look the best if it were mounted to the bottom of his choppa.

Author's Notes:

And there it is ladies and gentlemen. A new chapter is born.

In case anyone's forgotten, the fact that Greenskin was, for lack of a better term, 'raised' by the Dark Eldar makes this his first fight that wasn't rigged to embarrass him.

And now that he's finally feeling like an Ork...the bomb's gonna drop. The next chapter is Discord alerting Equestria to the immanent arrival of the Dark Eldar, followed by another OC race being butchered by Drukhari blades.

In unrelated news, my plastic Waaagh! is growing. I've placed an order for Warboss Grukk and his Nobz, and I'm expecting them tomorrow. I'll also be getting an Ork Codex by the last week of July/first week of August.

Now, about this chapter: I apologize to any Zecora fans who felt I didn't capture her essence, but it was my very first time writing rhymes.

If I include her homeland of Zebrica( which I probably will) I'm going to make rhyming a Witch-Doctor only thing.

That bit about the villains never having thought about killing the hostage anyway is me poking fun at that scene in the finale where they threaten to rip Spike's wings off unless Twilight surrenders...and then keep their word. (I know they did it for the age rating, but still)

If anyone's curious about the Toof Tayka, it's always been my headcanon that the only martial arts known to Orks is a punch designed by a Bad Moons Warboss to harvest teeth without breaking them.

That's...all I've got for this one. I'll see you all next time.

Chapter 15: The Encroaching Storm

Astonishing...there was no other word, save sorcery, to describe what Aries has witnessed today.

In the span of eight hours, ponies bearing Cutie Marks in engineering, craftsmanship, weapons, and fireworks, have heard the description of firearms as Aries understood them and, under Luna's and the War Hound's guidance, dreamt up blueprints for single-shot, bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action, and gas powered semi-automatic weapons.

While the only fully automatic weapon they could come up with was a recreation of the original gatling gun, this short coming was overshadowed by two most unexpected advantages, the development of an anti-vehicle weapon and a potentially anti-Astartes munition.

The anti-vehicle weapon was born of a fireworks designer having the idea to replace the rocket's decorative payload with bottled lightning. While the weapon was thought up around the idea of killing traitors, the projectile was simply too slow, but not slow enough that it couldn't deliver a bolt of lightning into enemy vehicles.

But where the RPL(Rocket Propelled Lightning) wasn't ideal for fighting Astartes...enchanted bullets were.

Dazzling Light, a Unicorn prominent with delayed reaction magic, had approached Aries with the idea of inscriping enchantment runes onto bullet heads. The runes would have various effects, but the one that caught the War Hounds attention was the Jogging Ghost rune.

Jogging Ghost was a spell that allowed the caster to phase through solid objects. On a bullet, the rune could used to phase through advanced armor.

This would be helpful in a number of ways, though it did have drawbacks, not the least of which being the fact that the runes can only be applied to flat bulletheads...which led to the next issue.

"Tell me Luna, have you managed to acquire the necessary munitions for our weapons?" Aries asked the younger princess.

"Unfortunately, I have found no documents confirming the existence of the needed propellant, this 'black powder' does not seem to have been invented in our world." Luna replied.

Aries cursed his misfortune for never caring to learn the alchemical makeup of gunpowder and it's ancestor. He only knew what he did about the mechanics of firearms from knowing how to disassemble and clean his bolter.

"Fortunately, I believe I've found a solution." Luna declared, reclaiming Aries' attention.

"You can thank Dazzling Light for the inspiration, her mention of runes reminded me of a one the eldest runes, the first in fact, an energy rune." Luna explained.

"So it's only effect is a burst of concentrated energy." Aries summarized, impressed with the idea.

"Yes, so if we remove the casing and the firing pin, place the energy rune on the back of every bullet, and an activation rune on the back of a flat hammer, and we will have the necessary explosion to propel our projectiles into the enemy's heart. HUZZAH!!!" Luna exclaimed.

"Excellent." Aries stated with more professionalism before addressing the assembled ponies still trading ideas with one another. "Your Princess and I have decided on our course. Plans will be sent to your minds as you awaken that you may send them to others in your field. Your contributions to protect your nation will be remembered for generations to come. DISMISSED!"

At the War Hound's word, Princess Luna dispelled the shared dream and ensured that each ponies waking thoughts were the designs of the chosen weapons.

Luna stayed to give further words of thanks and encouragement while Aries took his leave.

...He didn't get far.

A green flash erupted in front of the War Hound before fading and leaving behind a scroll that fell to the floor.

Aries looked down at the parchment and saw the emblem of Equestrian royalty.

What business would Celestia have with me? Aries thought to himself as he read the scroll. When he finished, he made all haste to Celestia's Throne Room.

The Throne Room

When Aries arrived, Twilight and her friends were tending to Fluttershy and her pet Ork, and Luna was conversing with her sister.

"You spoke of an attempt on Fluttershy's life, do you know who was behind it?" Aries inquired, fearing he knew the answer.

"Yes, the assailants were three villains we've defeated in the past. How much do you know about Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow?" Luna asked of him.

Aries allowed himself some ease. It was not the Great Enemy but a local menace. Though that did not make them harmless, he had long since educated himself on the selfish tyrants the ponies of Equestria were too soft to execute in the event they would rise again. "I know enough. I will hunt them down if you wish, but I will show no mercy."

Twilight turned from Fluttershy at the War Hound's words. "Uh, I don-don't think that'll be necessary. I mean, we have dealt with them before."

"If you do not need me, then handle it yourself. But if I am forced to assist you, it will mean their deaths." Aries declared.

"Piss off humie, dez moine! Especially dat 'orsefly." Stated the Ork. Aries glared silently in response.

"What Greenskin meant to say is 'thank you for your concern, but we will handle this ourselves'." Fluttershy said after putting herself between the Ork and the Astartes.

"As much as I wish to destroy that beast, it is not worth making you my enemies...it would be a strategic failure without Imperial reinforcements." Aries reassured the Pegasus, wondering why her friends thought the strategic failure he spoke of was a joke.

"I tire of this. If you have nothing else, I'll have the PDF ready to deploy if my intervention proves necessary." Aries announced as he turned to the door...which opened on it's own.

From the doors fell the form of Discord, covered in filth and robbed of his breath. Aries immediately deduced that Tirek had once again stolen the creature's magic.

"DISCORD!!!" Shouted Fluttershy in concern for the creature. She and her friends swiftly coming to his aid while Aries and the princesses gathered to hear an explanation for his state.

"I-I'm fine...I jus...need to breathe..." The Draconequus struggled for every word due to his exhaustion. Through this however, Aries could see fear plain in his eyes.

"Gather your breath and explain yourself. What has become of you?" Aries demanded. The ponies seemed to want to say something about the War Hound's lack of concern for Discord's health, but held their tongues for the time being.

Discord gathered the strength to rise to his feet, and a moment later he spoke. "Do all of you remember that whole King Sombra incident some time ago?"

"What does that filth have to do with your current state?" Aries asked.

"Well you see, I might have been the one who brought him back as a means of giving you and the ponies of Equestria a bit of combat practice." Discord confessed with awkward chuckle.

A collective WHAT!!? rang out from the assembled Equestrians. "...If that's what you were scheming, you could've told me." Another, louder WHAT!!? followed Aries' statement.

"Yes, well, I felt that you needed to be kept on your toes as well. No hard feelings?" Discord asked the Astartes in a clear attempt to direct the shock towards him.

"None, am I then to assume that the three villains encountered by Fluttershy are your doing as well?" Aries connected.

This time, the WHAT!!? came from Discord before he slithered into Fluttershy's personal space to make sure she was all right.

The other ponies had turned their undivided attention on the War Hound while Discord got the details of Fluttershy's encounter. "Are you Okay? Did they hurt you!? What did they do to you!? I swear if they left a scar on you, I'LL-"

Fluttershy put a hoof on him to calm down "It's alright Discord. I'm fine. Tirek drained my energy, but it was Greenskin who got the worst of it."

The Ork started laughing at Fluttershy's words. "If dat'z da wurst dey'ze got. Den I'll zog'em good next toime."

"Yes...about that..." Discord turned to the wider group. "Ahem, may I please have everypony's attention again. Yes, I am responsible for Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow's return, but I'm afraid they're not our biggest issue."

"You mean you've done something worse?" Rainbow Dash accused.

"NO! I understand your disapproval about the situation, but I had everything under control...until my associates decided I wasn't pushing you hard enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Twilight.

"Well, the Princesses are already aware that I came for another world. Aries is aware that I know more about the wider galaxy than he does. But what none of you know about me is that I'm a member of an interstellar alliance of various species, including Aeldari and members of the Alpha Legion Astartes who are dedicated to sabotaging the grip of Chaos upon this galaxy. We call ourselves...The Cabal."

Every Equestrian in the room was blown away by the reveal. "...And they decided that the villains of Equestria's past weren't good enough to push us." Reasoned Aries, though he still had to question the involvement of the Alpha Legion in his mind while dealing with the present situation.

"Well, they were okay with it...until they figured out that I wasn't going to allow anypony to be harmed, and was ready to shut them down if things got too dangerous. Now they're going to make certain that Equestria gets well acquainted with the realities of war." Discord explained.

"You mean...this alliance is going to attack us!?" Rarity asked.

"No no no, they never do their own dirty work...but they did lead a small warband of...Pirates, to the other side of the planet. These pirates make their fortunes off selling slaves, and if they don't have enough storage for everycreature on the planet, then they'll just take what they can...and kill the rest." Discord explained.

A grim silence gripped the Equestrians, Aries alone maintained his composure. "Are they traitors? Orks? Or Eld-"

"THAT ONE!!!" Discord shouted before pointing frantically to the Ork in the room.

At first, the Ponies were as confused as Greenskin...then their pelts paled to a depressing grey. "...y-you don't....you don't mean..." Twilight stuttered.

"Yes, I'm afraid I do. And as much as I want to join your freakout, we don't have time. These aren't going to be strong enough to wipe us all out, but we need to minimize the damage as much as possible, and that means getting the word out to your allies. We need everycreature we can get to leave their own lands behind and congregate in Equestria. These freaks are cowards by nature and avoid larger and heavily defended targets in favor of weaker prey." Discord explained.

"Agreed. I will dismiss the PDF to their homelands to assist with the evacuations." Aries declared and stormed off.

"Right...I'll...I'll start writing letters." Twilight mumbled and half walked half dragged her lifeless body away from the vicinity.

Fluttershy hesitantly approached Greenskin. "...G-Greenskin...we need to go home now. Some bad creatures are coming to Equestria, and I don't want you to get hurt again."

"...it'z dem Drukhari Gitz again, itnit." The Ork stated plainly.

Fluttershy's eyes shrank to pin pricks. "...I...Ah..."

"...heh...hehe...hehehaha....ah-HAHAHAHAHAHA!!...PAAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAAA!!!! DEM GITZ DID IT AGAIN!!! DEY ACTUALLY 'AD ME FINKIN' I WAZ SAAAFE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!" Greenskin was barely standing as he continued to guffaw at destiny's cruel prank.

Fluttershy didn't know to think of it. On one hoof she was greatful that he hadn't regressed, but on the other, this couldn't be the best coping mechanism.

Fluttershy's concerns turned to dread when her ears picked a small pitiful whimper. "...please...stop."

Fluttershy and the other assembled Equestrians turned to Pinkie Pie. Her mane and tail spilled onto the floor of Canterlot Castle as twin grey rivers as the distraught Party Pony to plug her ears with hooves. "...stop...no more...please."

The reason for this reaction: Pinkie Pie was so attuned with laughter and it's many meanings that she and another like-minded individual could hold an intelligent conversation using only laughter.

And what she deciphered from Greenskin's laughter would haunt her soul beyond the dying day of her final incarnation until the very last shred of her essence faded into oblivion at the end of time.

Author's Notes:

I declared that this was happening in the comment when I deleted the Cancelled announcement...I didn't know that deleting a chapter deleted the comments on that chapter...oops.

But, to repeat myself: numerous individuals expressed their disappointment at my cancellation. Which caused to reevaluate why I thought to cancel it in the first place.

I still feel like I bit off more than I can chew with how many characters are involved in this story. And the more I learn about 40k, the more I really how silly this story is...I actually thought I was being lore accurate when I began.

But if no one minds me not giving focus to the actions of every character in a room(did anyone even notice that Spike was in this chapter) or that Aries is inevitably going to ignore more and more heretical actions as the Ponies try to show mercy to those who don't deserve it, then I will continue to work on this story that I genuinely thought no one cared for...how wrong I was.

Thank you all for kind words and your support of a botched up idea, I will never again be found wanting.

Chapter 16: The Bloodbath Continues

Deep within an unnamed mine, snarls of swiftly turned to screams of agony as the Drukhari Raiders added more corpses to the body count.

The Mon'Keigh of this world were pathetic indeed. Drixx thought to himself as he beheaded another canine creature. He couldn't wait to slake his blade on the innocent blood promised by the Harlequins, but he could still enjoy disproving the beliefs of primitive warriors who thought their pathetic race was the epitome of strength.

The Incubus carved a path through the bipedal canines in the mining shaft he had infiltrated, his brethren having separate on the notion that any who couldn't handle themselves alone were not worthy of their klaive.

Drixx paused after the last dog fell, appreciating the slaughter. "Hehehahahahaa, is this it? Are none of you worthless creatures capable of entertaining me?"

Just the Drukhari made his challenge, a howl answered him. (BBBAAAAAAAAARRRRRRKKKKK!!!!) YOU FILTHY INVADERS WILL PAY FOR RUINING OUR HOMELAND (GGRRRRRRR!!) I, FIPPY DARKPAW OF THE SABERTOOTH CLAN WILL SLAY YOU ALL (BARK!)

The battlecry was followed by a slim blue furred canine creature with olive green pants and a poorly made sword charging towards the Incubus...Drixx cut him in half without a second thought. "Hmph, I suppose a challenge is too much to hope for."

Pressing on, the Incubus leapt over poorly placed tripwires and butchered what few Mon'Keigh still dared to oppose him. His objective: the center of the mining shaft.

Deep in the heart of the mountain, the canines have been herded to their doom by the Incubi. Only the outer ring remained ready to fight. The rest, mostly women and children, cowed in submission.

"Kill the warriors." Declared the klaivex. Drixx and the others obeying without hesitation.

Drixx cut down one, and then another, and yet another before the fourth finally parried the first blow.

Drixx backed off in a small attempt to alleviate his boredom, only to find a very interesting surprise.

"Didn't I kill you already?" Drixx asked the slim blue furred canine.

"You and many others, but I will not rest until I have my revenge." Vowed Fippy Darkpaw as he raised his blade and hackles at the Drukhari.

Drixx smirked and leapt towards his foe. His first strike deliberately easy to read in ordee to test the beast's strength, and his following strikes increasing in speed.

"Where was this competence the first time creature?" Drixx asked as he continued the mock duel.

"I incarcerate differently every time. You will not face the same foe again, only the same vendetta." Fippy snarled as he continued to parry the onslaught of attack.

Drixx's brethren had finished culling the strong. Some gathered to watch the duel, while others scoffed at Drixx's antics. Incubi held themselves to a certain standard. They were meant to be efficient fighters, not wytches.

That didn't stop Drixx from playing around...nor his foes from taking advantage of his arrogance.

Drixx left himself open to lure Fippy into a charge, but the canine creature sweapt his sword across the ground as he charged, turning a false opening into a real one.

While the Drukhari's helmet prevented the sand from entering his eyes, it obscured his optics long enough for Fippy to close the distance and slash Drixx's helm, marking it.

The Mon'Keigh didn't let up. It dropped it's sword grappled the Dark Eldar. Wrestling him to the ground and trying to bite through it's armor.

The other Incubi did nothing to help their comrade, they either laughed at the turn of events or demanded that Drixx stop embarrassing them.

Drixx was furious with the turn of events. He refused to lay here while a literal Mon'Keigh dog used him for a chew toy. But the creature held his arms firm and the Drukhari's klaive was pinned between him and the beast.

Drixx managed to roll himself and the dog over so that he was on top of the beast and released his grip on his Klaive to start pushing against the ground.

Fippy held on for dear life, knowing that allowing the invader to recover would be his death. But the invader was able to get a foot up and add to his leverage.

The shift in weight caused the invader's blade to shift, reminding Fippy of it's presence. Quickly forming a plan, Fippy released his hold on the invader and swiped his claws against it's skull faced helm hard enough to break his claws.

While the invader was stunned,Fippy grabbed his sword...and darkness fell.

Drixx barely registered the dog's severed head before an unseen blow sent him sprawling. When he recovered, he was staring into the unpleased eyes of his Klaivex.

"You worthless wretch. Not only did it to strike you, not only did it stain your armor, but you allowed that disgusting creature to touch your Klaive." The Klaivex snarled. "I would've allowed you to redeem yourself, but for the Klaive. Now there is only shame. Yours, and mine."

"It is not over. That creature comes back from the dead. I may yet reap vengeance against him." Drixx argued, fearing for his life.

"No, I will." The Klaivex declared before leaning in to give Drixx his last order. "Run."

---

Fippy Darkpaw opened his eyes once more. He could hear the screaming of his fellow Diamond Dogs from every direction. But he instinctively knew that this incarnation was weaker than the last, which meant there was little he could do.

Taking cover and seeking insight into his next move. Fippy saw a pair of his kinfolk coming down the cavern.

At first, he thought to call out to them. But then a pair of invaders rounded the corner in pursuit.

They took aim with strange weapons that seemed to fire glass and shot the two Diamond Dogs in the legs.

Fippy winced and snarled at the heinous cruelty as the creatures closed in on their prey, a single meter from Fippy's position.

Fippy watched with building fury as the invaders reveled in the suffering of his kinfolk. One of them walking around to put his back to the vengeful Diamond Dog.

Examining the invader's weapon, he saw a small part that looked as though it were the activation mechanism.

As his kinfolk succumbed to their agony, putting the invaders in a blissful state for a moment, Fippy leapt atop the rock he hid behind and lunged.

Both feet landed on the closest invader's back and sent him flying into his fellow, his weapon falling from his hands beside Fippy.

The Diamond Dog quickly grabbed the weapon and squeezed the firing mechanism as he aimed at the invaders.

Shards of glass fired from the weapon into the two invaders who screamed in agony and collapsed.

Firing again into their heads to end their misery, Fippy pressed on.

The next creatures Fippy encountered were the worst of the invaders yet. Their faces were hidden behind metal helms, they possessed three or four arms which appeared to be sowed on, glass vials protruded from their backs, and worst of all...they were herding captured Diamond Dogs.

Taking at the last ones in the lineup, to avoid hitting Diamond Dogs by mistake, and fired.

The first one succumbed to a volley of glass. Fippy trailed the glass to the next then...disaster.

The weapon ceased to fire. It had run out of glass. Fippy cursed himself for not grabbing the other weapon and reached for his sword...grabbing a hammer instead.

Stupid curse. Fippy thought as he met the charging abominations head on.

---

Lazzerekt had two hands in a screaming dog, a third looking for another tool, and a fourth in the air with a finger twirling in tune to the blissful screams. The haemonculus hummed to himself as he studied the inferior creature's anatomy that he may learn how best to harvest it's agony.

Within moments, the creature's screams quieted into a pitiful moaning, and then a whimper, and then it lay silent forevermore.

Lazzerekt pouted as his patient selfishly expired and robbed him of it's blissful pain. You'd think they'd be more durable. Oh well, I'll fix that.

The haemonculus began removing it's large arms to service new Wraks when he heard the familiar sound of some unfortunate soul being dragged into laboratory. It wasn't until he heard the voice of a fellow Eldar that he grew interested.

Two Incubi had dragged in a third while the Klaivex stood before Lazzerekt. "This worthless failure has embarrassed me for the last time. Do you wish to harvest him? Or should I feed him to that crazy Wytch?"

"No need to cast him aside. I was just thinking about a new Wrak. Thank you for the donation to my experiments." The haemonculus smiled with genuine gratitude.

The conversation was interrupted by the sounds of battle nearby. "Grrr BARK BARK Grrr!!"

Author's Notes:

It occurred to me as I began writing this chapter that some of you, or even most of you, wouldn't get the reference, as there are actually people in the world who were born after World of Warcraft.

So to those of you who understood this reference, scroll to the centered text that reads "End of Story", and to those of you who don't know what I'm talking about...gather around the fire children.

Beginning of Story

In a time before micro transactions, Pay to Win, or Game Companies that cared more about money than customer satisfaction, there was an MMORPG...Everquest

Everquest was the world's first 3D MMORPG, and the pioneer of all that came after.

By today's standards, it's a simple game. Basic repetitive movements that could never hold a candle to the likes of World of Warcraft coupled with one of, if not, the most immersive soundtracks/sound effects of any video game.

Developed in 1999, Everquest continues to burn bright to this day. With a "demo" that lets you play two characters up to level 105 with access to all but the latest zones of it's last two or three expansions and an online store that does NOT horde the best items in the game(just some snazzy skins and passive pets)

The absolute best example of how well the developers listen to their fans is Fippy.

Fippy Darkpaw is the first named mob players encounter in the original human spawn zone(nowadays players begin the game elsewhere, but the zone still exists)

He is a Gnoll spawning at a random level between 4 and 7 who will pop into existence, charge the main gate, and be killed by either the guards or intervening players...he remains the most killed named npc of any video game to this day.

He was never meant to be anything more than that, but over time, Fippy developed a fanbase. And during the Underfoot expansion...he was reborn.

His respawn mechanic was a curse that magically cloned him that he may continue his eternal crusade against the kingdom of Qeynos. And over the decades, his millions of clones merged into a Raid Boss so powerful that the only member of the 40k universe who could fight him 1v1 is Big E Himself!! (fight me in the comments)

So if World of Warcraft's dessent into darkness has you looking for a new MMO, try Everquest absolutely free until level 105. There is no time limit, there is no secondary website like Steam that tries to update every time your computer turns on, and you get this every time you fight something.

https://youtu.be/8rsvRWKy5zs

End of Story

Be honest, am I good at writing fight scenes? It bothers me how short this was.

I wouldn't expect more of Fippy Darkpaw, that was just a one time gag...though we might see Drixx again...sort of.

The congregation into Equestria begins next chapter. But First, an update on Across the Void. See you all next time.

Chapter 17:Battening Down The Hatches

Aries oversaw the mobilization of the Planetary Defense Force. They would stand to face the coming storm, while the civilian populace were being evacuated to Ponyville

Many had questioned why the evacuation was centered around Ponyville, the answer was it's close proximity to the Everfree Forest. Should the worse come to pass, the civilians can flee into the wild. Of course, the aptly named village of ponies was far too small to hold non-combatants of six different species, and so every single camping tent was being set up just ahead of the small town's borders, whilst the floating city of Cloudsdale was being repositioned directly over Ponyville.

The Pegasai were enshrouding their city with storm clouds the color of a Raven Guard's armor with but a single opening from which fresh new volunteers for the PDF were falling into sloppy undisciplined ranks...Aries would work on that later.

Pegasai may have made up the majority of Pony recruits, but Ponies were far from the PDF's majority. Dragon Lord Garble knew the truth of the threat posed to Equestria, and committed all but the youngest Dragons to their defense whilst the youngest and unhatched eggs were being held in Ponyville with the other civilians.

"Faster, we are facing the swiftest and cruelest foes the galaxy has to offer. We need these defenses up and running NOW!" Aries ordered as the PDF and Equestrian Royal Guard dug out trenches and positioned tanks. Aries almost smiled when he heard that they had tanks, but his good mood faded when he realized that they were the absolute most bare-boned tanks he had ever seen. Two treaded tracks held up a Feudal Age cannon behind a lightly armored canopy that was only big enough for one Pony.

Almost useless, Aries was at least able to introduce them to the idea of grapeshot by putting nails and screws in place of a cannonball. Completely incapable of piercing Wraithbone, but possibly able to disorient their lighter flyers and slay Wytches.

Ultimately, the bulk of the Equestrian Defense fell to sorcery. Unicorns were evenly spaced out in every trench to provide shields to the defenders and stromclouds were being moved into position directly in front of them and would stretch a mile out in all directions.

Aries once more cursed the necessity of such madness, yet here he was, helping Daemons of the Warp defend their home when all logic said he should be purging the planet himself. What more madness will follow? Aries thought to himself.

"Lord Aries? A moment if you will?" A vaguely familiar voice not belonging to an Equestrian he dealt with routinely came from behind him.

The War Hound turned and lowered his gaze to that of Dazzling Light...and a firearm

"...It's only been 4 days...how?" Was all Aries could say to the miracle.

"When we heard there was trouble coming up, we pulled out all the stops and did the best to get at least something ready...unfortunately we could only manage to get a prototype for the weapon, the magazine, and about 500 rounds of ammo. We shot 5 of them. They seem to work. Anyhow, since figuring out that our best case scenario was one working gun. We decided to save the Pony version for later and make this one for you." The Unicorn explained, holding up the weapon.

Aries took the firearm in his hand. It was far lighter than a bolt gun, with a far more slender profile but for the round drum magazine, which only held 30 high caliber rounds of magically enchanted bullets.

He remembered seeing the blueprints from the shared dream, the generic version of this weapon was meant to have a lever-like trigger without a guard, but this version was clearly made for human hands. Nay, his hands, it fit perfectly into his grip, and also lacked the stock of the generic version.

"...What do I call this weapon?" Aries asked.

"We call it: The Equestrian Defender...Mk1." Dazzling replied.

Aries said nothing in response, for he was thinking. He had not meant the weapon's type, but the weapon in his hands. The miracle that should've taken weeks, months even, to be ready to defend it's creators, and was ready in days.

Was it truly a miracle? Or was it the defiance of peaceful creatures that refused to vanish into the darkness.

...Defiance. That shall be your name. Aries said this to himself, Dazzling Light had already left.

---

Six eyes watched from the Everfree Forest as Fluttershy and Nurse Redheart helped Smoulder carry Dragon Eggs to a prepared fire pit. Smoulder had shouldered the burden of caring for the eggs while her brother helped Aries prepare the defense...though the ones watching them neither knew this nor cared to learn.

"Well, it's safe to say that they're not interested in us." Tirek concluded when he realized that the Equestrians were commiting all of their forces to defending themselves and not hunting for he and the others.

"Discord must've finally slithered his way to Canterlot." Chrysalis added, grinning at the thought of the Lord of Chaos being brought so low after decieving them.

"So...they believe him...about the Dark Eldar." Cozy Glow stated with no small amount of nervousness in her voice.

A haunting chill clawed the spines of the elder villains as they were reminded of the coming doom that threatened them all. "Well...at least we can take over the rest of Equestria while the ponies' attention is focused on Ponyville." Tirek stated, though none were too thrilled at the idea of conquering a doomed world.

"Well...you two have fun. I'm going to blend in with the refugees and wait for this to blow over." Cozy Glow declared and tried to fly away only to be caught by Tirek.

"Oh no you don't. If you get caught, you'll sell us out to save your own hide. We're just going to wait it out here, right?" The last word was meant for Chrysalis, but she had walked away while the other two were busy.

"Hey, no fair! Let me go Tirek, Chrysalis is stealing my idea." The young filly whined. The centaur simply snarled at his luck while dragging Cozy Glow with him into the darker depths of the Everfree.

---

A Unicorn mare trotted unnoticed past Fluttershy and Smoulder. She had a pale green coat with a mane and tail that were two different shades of orange, appearing like Autumn leaves.

She waved a hoof as she passed the Pegasus, her smile appearing friendly enough, and then turning into a smirk at a successful infiltration.

These ponies are so easy to dupe. Chrysalis thought to herself as she explored the camp.

Yaks had joined the Ponies and Dragons now and the first Hyppogriffs could be seen in the distant sky, less than 20 minutes away. So spots where she could be alone were few and far between.

A small voice in the back of her mind said she should help set up camp, if only to throw off suspicion, but she quickly tore the voice limb from limb, the thought translating to reality as she shook her head with clenched teeth.

She wasn't here to help these fools, they were here to help her. A truth taught to her by her ancestors...It was once believed that the Changelings were meant to serve up Equestria for beings greater than themselves, but the ancient ones that believed this were deposed long ago...just like she had been.

She shook her head again, slaughtering more annoying voices. The fools that came before her didn't matter. The fools that abandoned her didn't matter. She was neither of them and held little interest in their beliefs. What she believed in, and what she would fight for, was herself. All else was meaningless an- Chrysalis was pulled from her thoughts when she hit something. Something hard. She shook her head and looked up...and up.

Aries turned to stare at the foolish equine that bumbed into him, and was now staring at him slack jawed. "If you are not here to join the defense, then get out of my sight."

The mare remembered how to close her mouth and shook the shock from her mind. "Uh um, the defense. Ri- Wait! You mean against the invaders!?"

There was shock, but not fear. As though the conclusion was that Aries was fighting the enemy. "Yes." He answered simply.

"Wuh why would somecreature like you defend ponies?" The mare asked, as though Aries should be above such things. It was...different.

"I fight to kill the enemies of the Imperium of Man and the Emperor of Mankind. The Dark Eldar are among these enemies." Aries stated. "I have no further interest in your questions. If you do not wish to fight, leave. If you do wish to fight, your sorcery will be best served shielding the tanks."

The mare stared for a moment...and then smiled as she trotted towards the tanks.

Chrysalis didn't know why she felt this way. But something about that creature, one the likes of which she had seen numerous times before, felt...familiar. Like it could've been her inside that armor.

She knew who this creature was, as Grogar had informed them of Aries' nature after she and the others watched him kill Sombra, but now that she had actually been in his presence, she could no longer see him as another fool taken in by the promises of peace and everlasting happiness.

Instead, she felt his unease and discontent, and now believed that whatever this creature was, or wherever he came from, they were just like her.

Of course, this meant that they wouldn't tolerate her, but she could fix that. If this Imperium ever showed up, she could replace a single soldier and work her way up the latter, maybe one day she would replace the Emperor and rule mankind herself.

It was a pleasant enough thought. So when she finally shook off the shock of her encounter with the War Hound and realized that she was standing beside ponies to fight against the Dark Eldar, it felt...right. Yes, she belonged on a battlefield. Teaching her enemies that she was superior to them. And for the first time since the betrayal of her hive...she didn't feel alone.

---

"Are you sure that everyone's ready?" Thorax asked.

"Yes Lord Thorax. Everychangeling is accounted for and ready to leave." A younger Changeling named Buzz replied.

Thorax could tell by Buzz's tone that he wished they had left already, and he shared the sentiment, but he refused to leave anyone behind. "Alright. Let's get go-" Thorax stopped when he heard piercing shriek growing louder and louder.

Thorax turned his head and barely made out a large dark shape fly right past him and into Buzz. By the time Thorax turned his head back to the younger Changeling, he was already falling to the ground in two halves.

Thorax didn't have time to be in shock before the shrieking returned. Thorax turned to the sound far faster, and still barely transformed into a housefly in time to evade Buzz's fate.

More shrieking, followed by the screams of panicked Changelings told Thorax the grim tale. The Dark Eldar had arrived.

Author's Notes:

At last, the moment we've all been waiting for. I have no excuses for why the ponies built a gun in 4 days, I just wanted Aries to have one is all. If my description was too vague, it's basically an AR-15 chambered in 50Beowulf with no stock and a drum mag.

Future Equestrian Defenders will not be seen until Vol. 3, but they will draw their inspiration from this video.

https://youtu.be/QyjhOpD__Bk

For Chrysalis, yeah I know most people like to compare her to genestealers(I even gave a nod to that) but I always drew more comparisons with the Imperium for her.

If anyone wants a in depth on how the Changelings descend from genestealers in this fic. A patriarch found itself in Equestria via Warp Shenanigans(same as the Orks that fought the Dragons) and started breeding amongst the ponies. However, the Spirit was able to Corrupt/Purify them(the only real difference between these two is the eye of the beholder) and gradually turn them away from serving the Tyranids.

It doesn't really matter though, as this bit of lore is never going to be explained in the story any deeper than this.

Also, before you jump down my throat about Chrysalis relating to Aries, she has some serious issues regarding a solitary life style, as proven by her habit of talking to logs.

And while Tirek and Cozy Glow may also be villains, they are not the same...I will admit that I'm mostly drawing up this proud warrior persona for Chrysalis because she went down fighting while the others got petrified in very cowardly poses, and I'm a sucker for characters that don't give up on their dreams...even if they're evil.

Not much more for this, except to say that I'm planning nonstop violence for the rest of the story until the aftermath bit so...buckle up buttercup.

Chapter 18: Counterstrike

"What's taking Thorax so long? He should've been here by now." Starlight asked no one in particular. The others shared her concern.

The Changelings were the only group that hadn't made their way to Ponyville, even the Griffins were now present...those that could be convinced to leave their homes.

"I'm sure he has his reasons. Probably a couple of stubborn Changelings that don't wanna leave." Smoulder said. Everycreature that knew her from before cringed when they heard how much her voice had changed. Becoming quieter, losing it's spark.

Starlight let her ears drop."Yeah, I know. I'm just worried about him. About all of us. Aries and his kind were made for a reason. And we only have one Astartes to help us."

Twilight shared some words with her friends before coming over to put a hoof around Starlight's shoulders. "It'll be okay Starlight. We can do this."

Starlight looked at her mentor."I know, but at what price? We lost Ember last time, along with a hundred ponies and twice as many Dragons...and Aries was ready to celebrate an easy victory."

Twilight considered how to reply, but Smoulder suddenly had a coughing fit.

The young Dragon fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. Before anycreature could try to help her, she let out a smoking belch that materialized as a parchment.

Spike blinked. "You learned how to send and receive letters?"

Smoulder blushed and scowled at him. "I learned during the school break so I could stay in contact wi-" She froze. Her eyes shrinking to pinpricks as her blood ran cold and her breath grew erratic.

Everycreature present suddenly grew very concerned. Starlight teleported to the young Dragon's side to read the message, a hastily written message consisting of two words written so quickly and erratically that the attempt to write the last letter had torn the page and barely let Starlight recognize the mouthwriting as Ocellus'.

DARK ELDA_/\

---

A familiar stench alerted Aries to an unwelcome guest. He turned from overseeing the building defenses to observe Greenskin lumbering towards him, weapon drawn and looking for a fight. Actually...sniffing for one.

Aries watched the xeno grab a pony by its tail and drag the poor creature to its nose to take a long loud snorting smell before dropping the bewildered mare and continuing towards the defensive line.

Aries drew Warp Eater and confronted him. "Get out of my sight before I kill you filth."

The Ork glanced at the War Hound and waved his arm dismissively. "No toime fer dat humie. Dat orsefly's ere."

Aries was about to retort before recalling that 'horsefly' was the creature's nickname for Queen Chrysalis.

No sooner had Aries made this connection did Princess Twilight and her friends teleport near him with fear in their eyes. "ARIES!! THERE'S TROUBLE!!!"

"Fluttershy's pet has her scent. The fel Changeling will not hide long." Aries affirmed.

Twilight was taken aback by this, but quickly regained her senses. "It's not Chrysalis, it's Thorax! The Changelings are under attack!!"

Aries knew immediately who was attacking and what Twilight wanted from him. "We cannot abandon our positions for a futile rescue attempt. It will only result in more death."

Twilight was about to protest, but Starlight beat her to it. "No it won't. I wanted to talk to you about this after we finished preparations, but if we teleport into their midst, we can take one or two of them out and teleport back. And now that they're busy attacking somepony else, it'll be even worse."

Aries pondered this. Deep striking through teleportation would be incredibly effective. Especially since the Dark Eldar knew next to nothing about defending themselves. And as Starlight pointed out, they were focused on the Changelings. No predator was more vulnerable than one that was subduing its prey.

"...Very well. We will make preparations. Ork, stay here and locate the Changeling." Greenskin needed no further prompting, and began sniffing towards the defensive line...where one of the Unicorns appears to have deserted her post.

Damn, I knew she was too willing...but the rest are not willing enough.

---

"HHHRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Pharynx cut down another Eldar invader. Whatever the sadistic aliens had expected, shapeshifters that transform into Bloodthirsters wasn't it.

Pharynx had taught several other Changelings this form. But he learned quickly from the deaths of his finest warriors that trying to kill the fliers outside was a suicide mission, so he reluctantly retreated to the Hive's interior where the Eldar had a far lower advantage.

The ever shifting Hive separated squads and made the enemy's coordination difficult, but the creatures were fast, and many Changelings had lost their warrior's mentality after Chrysalis was dethroned.

Another group of invaders came into the throne room, the centermost area in the Hive which currently a large number of survivors, and Pharynx give them to time to survey their surroundings.

His sword cut down but one of the agile aliens, the other three rolling under his strike and aiming their weapons.

Pharynx had those weapons in action, they cut through most armors and caused immense agony, and he knew the only way to counterattack was to not feel pain.

A dark purple flame enveloped his Daemonic body before the first shuriken could pierce him, the poisened projectiles striking only metal...because the Changeling turned himself into a block of solid steel.

The shuriken penetrated deep. But as an nonliving object, Pharynx had discarded his nervous system and was now a soul possessing a block of steel.

Changelings in such forms still felt pain their minds told them they should feel, but since the pain caused by the Splinter Rifles of Drukhari Kabalite Warriors was indescribable, Pharynx registered them as pinpricks.

Some of the other Changelings used Pharynx as cover to launch their own attack, one of them leaping atop the block of steel in the form of a large Dragon to breathe fire at the invaders.

The Eldar dodged to the sides just as four other Changelings came around Pharynx.

Pharynx himself transformed into another Dragon, the wide cone of fire proving effective against their agile enemies, and made sure they had nowhere to run.

One Changeling turned into a Yak and charged a Drukhari. This was a feint to grab it's attention while the Changeling next to him turned into a Hummingbird and flew faster than the Yak could run.

Unfortunately, the Hummingbird wasn't than the Kabalite Warrior. His Splinter Rifle launched a shuriken into the Yak's shoulder. Downing him instantly as the toxin did its work.

The sadistic alien grinned in pleasure as he drank in the Changeling's pain as his eyes found the Hummingbird hovering over him...just before it turned into a whale.

The other two Eldar didn't even stumble as the room shook. They had suppressed the Changelings on their side of the battlefield, forcing them to turn into a rock and another block of steel. They then used the immobile Changelings as cover from Pharynx and the final Changeling.

One of the immobile Changelings tried to take its true form and move out of the way, and paid for it with a painful death. Pharynx failing to slay his killer before he joined his friend.

"COWARDS!!! GET OUT HERE AND FIGHT!!!" Pharynx shouted.

The two Kabalite Warriors laughed at his outburst. Courage and Honor were naught but weaknesses to them. They paid for there arrogance when an unnoticed lizard transformed into a bear.

The bear grabbed one of the invaders' head in his jaws and wrapped his paws around the alien's body so he couldn't raise his gun.

This didn't stop the other one from trying to shoot him, but the immobile Changeling took the chance to change into a mouse and run for it. Revealing Pharynx as a Bloodthirster once more, his sword raised.

The unhindered Kabalite Warrior tried to run, but Pharynx struck true, splitting him vertically in half as the bear twisted his head and broke the final alien's neck.

Pharynx changed back to his true form, the surviving Changelings coming up to him as the bear revealed itself to be Thorax.

The Changeling King was hardly recognizable. One of his antlers was broke in half and the other was a mere stump, one of his wings was shredded and he was covered in numerous other injuries...none of which were more haunting than the look in his eyes. "They...they took Oclleus."

---

Another group of Dark Eldar investigated an empty room for hiding Changelings. Finding none, the group turned to leave. But a flash of light and audible pop drew their attention.

They turned around...and Defiance roared.

Aries meant to fire two shots, but squeezed the trigger before the first shot finished cycling. It didn't matter, one shot was was enough.

The Kabalite Warrior dropped like a stone. The only mark on his armor was a protruding dent in the back where the solid round phased through the front of his armor, punched through his body, and then shattered against the back of his armor and sent the shattered bullet back into him.

The other Drukhari were struck simultaneously. Some by magic beams, and others by arcane lightning.

Aries' Kill Team consisted of four Unicorns. Bumblebee and Yellow Jacket, the latter's new mentor: Tempest Shadow, and Chancellor Neighsay.

"Show no mercy to these alien horrors. For you will receive none in return." Aries warned them.

The response was four curt nods. Aries led his team deeper into the Changeling Hive.

---

Twilight, Starlight, and a score of volunteers appeared elsewhere in the hive. They met no resistance yet, but knew better than to think this would be any different, if not worse, than the Awakening. "Alright everypony, groups of five or more. The Princesses are waiting for any signals that they need to help less powerful Unicorns teleport back. Let's make sure nopony, or Changeling, gets left behind."

The Princess of Friendship was met with more vocal acknowledgements than Aries before the 20 odd Ponies split into smaller groups to rescue survivors. One such group was led by a black male Unicorn whose eyes unnaturally reflected light.

---

"Aw Zogg, da 'orsefly got away." Greenskin groaned as he realized he was following the scent in circles.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the absence, my Trade School is still doung the Government Dance on account of Covid-19 and the new Overlord.

Starting with the biggest topic first, I don't if Changelings actually work like that when they turn into objects, as I can't recall any of them being attacked while in such a form. This is just some head-canon I'm using to give them a fighting chance.

The shattering bullet didn't occur to me when I initially came up with the phasing bullets, but it's a happy accident. Can you imagine the mess that made?

And finally, Ocellus. Pour one out for the poor girl because her fate will not be pleasant. Naturally, Twilight's gonna attempt to rescue her later, but do you ever really save a Dark Eldar's prisoner?

That's all for now. I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but see you then.

Chapter 19: Aries Unleashed

Celestia pased tirelessly as she waited for the first signal. She understood Twilight's deduction that she and her sister were the only ones with enough power to enhance teleportation for weaker Unicorns to return, but she still wished to do more against the invaders.

"Do not be ashamed sister. Pulling our Ponies and the Changelings out of harm's way is just as important as fighting the Dark Eldar." Luna reassured her.

Celestia sighed. "I know Luna, and it's not the first time I've trusted Twilight to handle something without me. But those were local problems that I felt confident she could take care of, not otherworldly invaders that feed off pain."

"Perhaps. But Aries is leading the charge. His kind were bred for this. And Twilight Sparkle is far from helpless an- oh!" Luna ceased her pep talk when she and Celestia felt the first Unicorn reaching out to them.

Luna would've gotten it first, but decided to let her sister feel helpful.

Celestia seized the magical signal and pulled it towards her. A single Unicorn materialized with two Changelings.

Nurse Redheart looked over the two Changelings while the Unicorn took off.

"Hey! You're supposed to be going back!" Celestia called after him.

The Unicorn turned to face her, his eyes full of fear and not quite seeing her, and teleported elsewhere.

Celestia was dumbstruck. What sort of horror had her student subjected herself to?

---

Thunder cracked and the enemy died. Defiance spat it's hatred into the alien's heart without mercy or forgiveness. Aries kept a mental note of how much ammo he had left in the single magazine they had built for him. He would have to send Defiance with the first evacuation to be rearmed.

Five rounds left. But every single shot has been fatal. A fine test indeed. Aries thought to himself.

His killteam rounded a corner, the Changeling Hive sealing the way behind them. There were no Dark Eldar here...only Changeling corpses.

Bumblebee gagged at the sight of the slaughter. A family of four with the youngest being an infant...they had flayed it.

Yellow Jacket snarled like a beast. "How could anything be so evil? They shouldn't exist. "

"They won't. We will purge this evil in the name of the Emperor." Aries stated.

"And in the name of Equestria." Neighsay added. The other Unicorns started for fear that Aries would take offense, but he ignored the comment.

The group pressed on, but before they could reach the next passage, a group of Kabalite Warriors came in from the other side.

"Shields up. Charge!" Aries ordered. It wasn't the first time he'd opted to save his dwindling ammo for greater foes.

The Dark Eldar brought their guns up and fired, but Bumblebee and Neighsay prevented any shots from getting through.

Yellow Jacket and Tempest unleashed their arcane lightning upon the enemy just as Aries closed the gap. His first strike beheading two at once, the second cutting a xeno from its right shoulder to its left hip, and the third cutting the final alien in half at the waist and removing its forearms at the elbows.

Aries pressed on. Yellow Jacket and Tempest at his heels. Neighsay hesitated at the cooling corpses for a moment but proceeded over them. Bumblebee took longer, not because she wasn't used to such death, but because she was. And that terrified her as much as their foes.

---

Starlight had decided that the Unicorn that left wasn't coming back. She couldn't blame him. These things were worse than any monster they'd ever encountered.

The first time I was in this place, I had to fight Chrysalis without my magic. I almost wish I was doing that again. Starlight thought to herself.

"Alright everypony, if he was coming back, he would've done so already. We can't wait any longer." She called to remaining three in her group.

One looked angry at the deserter, but the other two seemed to envy him.

The four pressed on, finding trouble almost immediately. Fighting was heard a distance away. A quick teleport brought the Ponies into the fray.

Three Changelings laid dead while a Dark Eldar towered over a Changeling foal that stood frozen in fear. The alien had turned towards the newcomers. It wasn't like the ones they'd encountered before.

Starlight and another Unicorn shot magical beams at the alien, but she evaded with astonishing speed and grace. Twirling around in a hypnotic manner.

Starlight encased her group in crystal just as the alien plunged one of its knives into the back of a Unicorn's head. She had hoped to save him, but the Eldar was too fast.

Starlight teleported herself and the other two living Unicorns around the young Changeling. Leaving the dead Unicorn, and more importantly, the Wych's blade, trapped in the crystal.

The third Unicorn screamed at the death of the fourth while Starlight and the Unicorn that helped her last time fired again.

The Drukhari flipped away from their attacks. Abandoning her second knife.

"You! Take her and get out of here!" The Unicorn fighting by Starlight shouted to the one that was cowering. He complied. Taking the Changeling foal in his hooves and teleporting back to Ponyville.

"So that's where your kind came from." The wych said as she walked casually toward them in an unassuming manner.

Starlight wasn't taking the bait. Especially now that she had a good look at this creature.

A severed human hand clung to one of the wych's breasts, while the other was covered by the freshly flayed face of a purple Changeling. It's green blood leaking down the left side of the murderess' body.

She kept her modesty with a loin cloth of human faces sown together, and bound her crimson hair in a topknot with a human skull that was too small for even a child. She was as beautiful as she was horrifying...and she was looking at Starlight the way Rarity looks at new clothes.

Starlight didn't bother with a warning. She decided that this creature was going die right there. She weaved together the most complex spell combo she had ever made. Accelero, Sumilo Duplexus, and as much power as she could put into a blast.

Starlight reared up on her hind legs. Her horn glowing with a blinding light. The wych had plenty of time to stop her, but wanted to demonstrate her superiority with a last minute dodge.

However, at the last second, Starlight's first two spells put her not only in two, but in three places at once.

Standing side by side, the three Starlights unleashed all the power they had, the beams proving too wide to dodge.

The wych only evaded disintegration by leaping vertically into the air. Wyches could leap over 20 feet off the ground. But it wasn't good enough she fell towards the beam.

She felt the sensation of her own skin being burned from her flesh before hitting the ground in pain. Starlight stumbled as her duplicates disappeared, she didn't the strength to finish her off.

In a blind fury, the wych leapt forward, screaming like a banshee. All thoughts of grace and flamboyance replaced by a need for revenge.

Vengeance was denied. The other Unicorn, forgotten by the enraged wych, fired a beam through her chest. Puncturing a lung and throwing her backwards.

The wych struggled and thrashed, but couldn't rise again. Her gargling gasps of breath growing quieter and quieter, before she fell silent and still.

Starlight gasped for breath. Refusing to take her eyes off the monster. "...th..thanks."

"You should leave. You'd be a sitting duck if you got attacked again." The other Unicorn said.

"...I...I recognize you...from the train." It was an odd thought. But for a Unicorn to use so much magic, slight delirium could expected.

One-Way Express spared a chuckle at this. "Now I know you need to leave."

"...yeah...probably...but what about you?" Starlight asked.

"I can handle myself." The golden Unicorn stated.

Starlight tried to argue further, but had to stop herself from falling over and decided to take the hint.

Her horn lit and she was gone. Pulled to safety by the princesses. One-Way doubted that she would stay longer than she needed to...unlike the others.

One-Way knew it was wrong to be angry with them. They weren't warriors. Heck, he wasn't a warrior. But creatures needed help, and they had stepped up. Now, they were running before the job was done. But not him, he wouldn't let Aries onto his train without a ticket, he'd be dead before he left innocent creatures to suffer while he fled for his life.

As he renewed his determination, the wall in front of One-Way Express opened up. As good a direction as any. The Unicorn thought to himself as he moved deeper into the Hive.

---

"HHHRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" Screamed the abomination as it swung a cleaver at Tempest in spite of her electric assault.

Four Aries noted as he shot the monster in the head while beheading another. He new not the name of these creatures, World Eaters learned little of their foes beyond how to kill them, but he knew that they were created by the Dark Eldar from their victims...some had even been human.

What humanity they had was lost. All that was left was multi-limbed drug-fueled monsters that could only ease their eternal pain through the rage of battle. Much like his brothers.

Tempest and Yellow Jacket fell back. Bumblebee and Neighsay used their telekinesis to slow the closest abominations while Aries put them out of their misery.

Three monsters remained, but they were not alone. A dark shape leapt from behind the center abomination and kicked off its head towards Aries.

The War Hound brought his blade up in the nick of time. Warp Eater's power field clashing with another as the tip of an alien power sword cut a gash into his helmet.

The Incubus would've fled, but Bumblebee stunned him with her magic, allowing Aries to cut him in two.

Several more of its fel kind came from between the remaining abominations. Tempest and Yellow Jacket halted their advance from behind Bumblebee and Neighsay, but the abominations kept coming.

Aries locked blades with one and shot another in the head along with one of the Incubi.

Two Aries noted as he twisted Warp Eater to expose the monster to a headshot as its final kinsmen brought its blade up.

One Aries dodged the cleaver and beheaded the last abomination. The two jigsaw bodies falling as one.

The Incubi had succumbed to their electrocution by the time Aries finished fighting the monsters. Everypony was exhaus-...Aries gave a slight shiver as he realized that he was spending far too much time around these creatures.

"Neighsay, return us to Ponyville. We will not last much longer if we do not withdraw." Aries ordered.

"...No. You will not." Spoke an alien voice.

Aries turned around...and became wary. He knew no fear, even in the face of death. But he knew that he was very likely to die in the next moment.

Incubi were the most well known Dark Eldar warriors remembered by the XIIth Legion. Aries knew them the moment he saw them, as he knew the appearance of their leaders. A Klaivex.

Warrior killers over a millennium old, a Klaivex was the absolute deadliest Dark Eldar in close quarters combat. And while Aries may be a War Hound, he remains more fond of providing fire support for his brothers than charging into the fray himself. He knew he couldn't win.

...Zero Aries leveled Defiance and fired the last round. Completely unsurprised when the Klaivex jerked his head at the same time Aries pulled the trigger.

Aries maglocked his firearm to his hip and charged.

The Klaivex would've torn him apart, he had no illusion of that, and he doubted his Equestrian allies would've saved him...so he was pleasantly surprised when a golden magical beam forced the Klaivex to stop short.

Aries slashed across his midsection, but the Dark Eldar flipped over him, only to be met with not four, but five Unicorns.

One-Way Express fired first, the other four following suit. They were trying to drive the Klaivex back towards Aries...they failed.

The seasoned fighter unleashed a secret weapon, a Tormentor, and left the Equestrians writhing in agony.

The Klaivex was among them in an instant, Aries right behind him...too slow to stop him from bathing his demi-Klaives in Equestrian blood.

Warp Eater lashed out, chasing him off for an instant. "GET US OUT OF HERE!!" Aries shouted. Hoping that at least one Unicorn with their horn intact was still alive. He hadn't seen who all was struck.

The Klaivex leapt at him. He brought Warp Eater to bear...and was back in Ponyville.

"GOOD HEAVENS!!!" Celestia shouted as she beheld the bloody sight.

Aries looked down at the dead and dying, at last learning who was who.

Neighsay had been the one to save them, but he was far from salvation. The Klaivex slashed his throat and cut off his left front leg...he had been lucky.

One-Way Express was gone. Beheaded in one stroke...and Bumblebee was drowning in her own blood like Neighsay.

Tempest and Yellow Jacket were unharmed but for the agony of the Tormentor. Aries knew that when Yellow Jacket came to her senses, she would demand blood.

Looking up from the apparent defeat, Aries could a handful of Changelings being looked at by medical personnel...but there was bound to be more.

"How many have returned?" Aries asked.

Celestia was trying to heal the wounded, but Luna was able to answer. "Just 6 besides yourself. Starlight Glimmer will be ready to return in a moment."

"I will reload my weapon and join her. This fight is far from over." Aries stated.

Author's Notes:

And there it is, a chapter almost completely devoted to Aries kicking ass. Before anyone says anything, I know that Aries was fighting Wraks. It's just that one of the biggest complaints of the first Volume is that he knew too much.

I don't know if Wraks come with ranged weapons, but the ones seen here were merely armed with large cleavers.

I don't really know how Incubi stack up against Space Marines, but I'm definitely sure a Klaivex is beyond Aries. He has only been an Astartes for 30 years after all.

Also, does anyone else remember One-Way Express, because I genuinely forgot him until a new reader complemented his introduction two days ago. Oops.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I got some bombs to drop.

I have stated numerous that I've living in a Trade School. Well, that changes in about a month...cause I'll be graduating and getting a job.

This means that until I settle into a new normal, my breaks between chapters are going to be even longer than before...but that's not all.

I have stated on my FanFiction.Net bio(that I swear I'll copy/paste to this site one day) that I am using fanfics as training in the hopes of writing something authentic. Well...a few days ago, I wrote down the few paragraphs of an original Dark Fantasy Novel.

It's going to be a while before I get that one off the ground, and I'm going to try to finish Broken Beast and the next chapter of the Lion's Heresy(I can't believe its been over aYEAR and I'm still not done) before committing to that wholly. But I'm fricken excited to actually give it a shot.

Alright, coming up next will be a bonus chapter to tie up a loose end that I forgot to address. Followed by the conclusion of the Battle For The Hive, and I will see you all there.

Bonus Chapter: Deus Ex Nope

Far from the growing carnage in the Changeling Hive, and the mounting tensions in Ponyville, a certain pink party pony who's feeling a lot less cheerful than normal was making haste towards a certain castle.

I don't know why I only just thought of it, but there's no way the Dark Eldar can counter the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie thought to herself as she entered the castle of the two sisters and galloped through it's abandoned halls to the Tree of Harmony.

At last, she came to her destination. The Tree unleashed the Elements...those it still had.

"WHAT!? Wuh-where's Kindness and Laughter!?" The perplexed pony asked no one in particular.

"Kindness will be found when it is needed. Laughter...will return to you when this is over." No one in particular answered.

Pinkie shook off her surprise and pulled an Ork Snazzgun out of her mane as she turned to the voice of Tallik. DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!!!

The Solitare flipped over the onslaught of various projectiles, including a kitchen sink, and struck the Snazzgun with his Harlequin's Kiss. The wrist-mounted weapon shooting a long monofilament razor wire made of alien material that sprang out, sliced the Ork weapon into a billion pieces, and then retracted in an instant.

"Now now, none of that. You know that this is necessary." Tallik chided the Earth Pony.

"Necessary!? NECESSARY!!? HOW IS FORCING US TO FIGHT DARK ELDAR WITHOUT THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY OR MORE THAN ONE GUN NECESSARY!!!??" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Because it will harden you to the cruel realities of the wider galaxy and make you ready to save us." Tallik explained.

"Yeah yeah, I already read your stupid prophecy." Pinkie retorted, pulling her Black Library card out of her mane as proof of her claim. "What I mean is why don't you just train us yourselves? Or at least use something that'll just kill ponies instead of...that."

"Because this is the way it must be. The strife your people suffer this day will forge heroes capable of reshaping the galaxy." Tallik replied.

Pinkie didn't argue further. She just lowered her head. "So before we get to spread our happiness to the stars, we have to suffer its greatest hardships."

"The galaxy tells the cruelest jokes." The Solitaire said in genuine sympathy.

"I hate dark humor." Was Pinkie's last words on the matter before she returned to Ponyville.

Author's Notes:

So, some backstory on this. I have mentally mapped out how I want this volume to go, and I forgot to include the Elements of Harmony, but I'm too in love with my current idea, as it allows Equestria to grow into what it needs to be for the following story arcs. (Arc 1 is going to be volumes 1-4 and end with Equestria going to space. Arc 2 is going to have a yet unknown amount of Volumes and end with the Elements of Harmony being plugged into the Golden Throne to revive the Emperor. And Arc 3 is going to be the big finale and end with a Rainbow Laser turning the Warp back into the Well of Souls)

So yeah, sorry not sorry but this doesn't end nearly as quickly or cleanly as Volume 1 and I probably won't even mention the Elements again until Kindness shows up in the epilogue.(guess who gets it)

Next chapter comes when it comes and I'll see you all there.

Chapter 20: Flight Of The Changelings

The advantage of the Changeling Hive had run its course. The Dark Eldar communicated through their radio signals of the existence of the Throne Room and the large resistance within and patiently waited until the Hive permitted a large force to amass.

It was a mixed group. Wyches, Wraks, Incubi, and Kabalite Warriors. Over two dozen Dark Eldar out for blood.

The Wraks went in first, letting the Changelings believe that it was still just a small group that happened upon them.

A duo of Changelings on guard called out an alert and charged in the form of large Dragons. Nochangeling thought much of it, Wraks were the easiest enemy for the shapeshifters to deal with, that changed when the Dragons doubled over in pain before changing back.

Pharynx saw the enemy force arrive en masse. The nimbler Wyches and Incubi outpacing the lumbering Wraks.

"INCOMING!!!" He shouted. Transforming into a small gnat and meeting the enemy's charge.

Anychangeling that was too young or scared to fight transformed into a rock or a lump of steel while Thorax and the rest joined Pharynx.

The fatal accuracy of the Drukhari was known throughout the galaxy, but none of the warriors present had ever bothered to attack something as insignificant as a gnat. And so they could only wait for the Changelings to make their move.

Pharynx had flown past the frontrunners, the Kabalite Warriors ceased their advances and readied their weapons for his attack. They were expecting the black Bloodthirster...not a giant boulder.

Thorax and the others transformed into Dragons and bathed the Wyches and Incubi in a tsunami of flames. All but a single agile Wych were burned alive,but the Incubi's wraithbone armor was immune to natural Dragon-fire.

The Incubi counterattacked with their tormentors. Crippling the Changelings and returning them to their natural forms.

Pharynx had broken the Kabalites' lines and rolled into the Wraks before changing into the black Bloodthirster. He had butchered all but three in a fatal spin before seeing what had become of his fellows.

The Tormentors even affected those that had turned into inanimate objects, for the attack was psychic in nature.

Forgetting his own enemies, Pharynx took flight and roared as loud as he could. Unfortunately, he was still in the form of a Bloodthirster, and the remaining Kabalites were all too aware.

Pharynx crashed to the earth in more agony than he ever felt in his life. Changing back to his true form as he struck the ground and bounced twice. He didn't even register the broken bones and torn wing as he seized in paralyzing pain from the Splinter Rifles poisened projectiles.

Yet even in his agony, Pharynx made the effort to crawl towards the other Changelings, Thorax in particular, in some vain hope that he could protect them.

The Kabalite Warriors laughed at this, seeing only foolishness in trying to look after others. An unheard message across their helmets' communicators encouraged the Incubi to take their time with their prey.

Before they could respond however, several beams of light with varying colors blasted into numerous Dark Eldar.

"FOR EQUESTRIA!!!" Pharynx had never been so happy to see a Pony. Twilight Sparkle charged at the head of a small group of Unicorns and started firing on the various Drukhari besieging the Changelings.

The Unicorns wasted no time. Twilight teleported to Pharynx and healed him. The Alicorn's magic overpowering the toxic chemicals.

Pharynx didn't waste time thanking the Pony. He just changed back to his Bloodthirster form and returned to battle

"Where's Aries? I thought he'd be leading this sort of thing." Pharynx asked Twilight as she landed on the shoulder to shield him from the Kabalites.

"Aries came here separate from us with an elite group. He told us to focus on getting you guys out of here while he fought the enemy." Twilight explained while Pharynx charged into the largest group of enemies and cleaved three of them in half with one stroke.

"Heh good, I'll be sure to join him after we take care of these guys." Pharynx said as he redirected his efforts. There were no more groups trying to fight back, now the survivors were running.

Victory was short lived. An explosion permitted an invasion of sunlight into the Hive's Throne Room as the vehicles outside had started bombarding the hallow mountain.

A Drukhari Reaver plunged into the hole. It was only the fortune of proximity that allowed Pharynx to destroy it before the pilot could take in its surroundings.

More explosions shook the Hive. Informing the defenders that their advantage had been spent. "We need to go! NOW!"

Pharynx wanted to argue against retreat, but he knew that there was no hope of the Changelings fighting the Drukhari alone with only a few Ponies to defend them. "I'm guessing you brought a way out?"

Twilight's answer was to teleport Pharynx and herself back to Ponyville while the Unicorns with her did the same with the other Changelings.

---

Chrysalis grit her teeth as another explosion shook the Hive. She was alone now, the Unicorns that she accompanied had either died or fled in the first encounter...she had killed 20 aliens by herself since.

She doubted there were many Changelings left, and was certain that rescue was all but complete, so all she had left was to get out.

Unfortunately, for all her power, she lacked a teleportation spell. And the odds of finding a Unicorn to hitch a ride with were growing dimmer.

"...Well well, what have we here?" Chrysalis turned to the sound of the voice and realized that she might actually be in trouble.

The Wych twirled a bladed whip, and clothed herself in the flayed skins of creatures recognized and unrecognized. "You're a bit taller than the others of your kind. Or perhaps, are you smaller and just disguise yourself so?"

The Wych chuckled and the verbal jab while Chrysalis prepared to fight. "I am the Queen of the Changelings you insolent cur, and while I thank for teaching my servants the folly of their treachery, I have no interest in repaying you. Begone!"

The chuckling became outrageous laughter. "Ahhahahahaa, Did you mean to frighten me little Queen? You are far from the first monarch I have ki- Is your crown an organic growth? How fascinating. "

The Wych moved as a blur. Chrysalis threw up a magic shield the moment she saw the creature move. Attacks struck her shield from all directions. Chrysalis didn't have time to take advantage of the Wych's surprise at the shield before she attacked again.

"Magic!? I see there is more than height to assert your dominance over the weaker ones. But it seems you can't attack and defend at the same time." The Wych claimed.

Chrysalis proved her wrong by quickly pulling the magic shield into her horn and blasting it forth as a shockwave.

She sought to grab the alien in her telekinesis, but The Wych had landed on her feet and threw a small knife.

She grabbed the knife instead, but the brief loss of concentration allowed the Wych to close the gap.

The Wych had leapt over Chrysalis in a spin, severing her wings with two lightning fast strikes before landing gracefully behind her.

Chrysalis grit her teeth in pain and turned to see the Wych smiling wider. She was having fun.

Chrysalis transformed into an Ursa Minor and charged. The Wych leaped again. Chrysalis stood on her hind legs with open jaws to try and catch her, but she flipped in midair and kicked off the large bear's nose before leaving a series of cuts down Chrysalis' back.

Chrysalis changed to her true form with a scream of pain and fury as she turned and fired beam at the grinning Eldar.

She dodged by merely moving her head. Chrysalis moved the beam lower and the Wych turned her body. Chrysalis moved the beam toward her and she ducked under it. The Changeling tried again but the Drukhari backflipped over it and landed on her hands.

Chrysalis could hear the Wych laughing at her now. Her fury start to get the better of her. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!! HOW DARE YOU!! JUST WHO IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"

As she screamed she continued to try and strike the Wych with her magic. The Wych continued to dance around the attack as she answered. "Belatrixx the Butcher. Second in command to the Cult of the Crimson Claws. I can't wait to claim your crown little queen."

In her rage, Chrysalis hadn't realized that the Wych had been coming closer as she dodged. She had no time to defend herself when the bladed whip lashed out and cut her horn in half before spinning around and blinding her in one eye before she had time to register the first strike.

Belatrixx took a step back, twirling her Razorflail as she watched her prey writhe in pain, drinking in her agony. The Wych lamented that they were not within the Arena. This would truly have been a spectacle.

The little queen recovered and stared hatefully at the Wych with her healthy eye. "...You think I'm just your toy, don't you? You loathesome brat! I AM YOUR DESTROYER!!!"

The little queen transformed again. This time into a large winged reptile. Belatrixx expected her to use the monster's maw as her weapon...she hadn't expected it to breathe fire.

Belatrixx was nonetheless fast enough to evade the flame, but it flooded the area it struck like pouring water, and the little queen used the flow the chase the Wych.

The damage done to Chrysalis' wings was present in her Dragon form, preventing her from flying. But her draconic scales were immune from any blade she knew of.

...she didn't know of a Wych's Razorflail.

Belatrixx slit the Changeling's wrist, causing her to thrash her body wildly in pain. Knocking Belatrixx to the ground by accident and scraping her face.

The infuriated Wych charged Chrysalis and contracted her Razorflail into a proper sword before leaping at Dragon and stabbing her through her lung.

Belatrixx leapt from the Changeling's flank before she returned to her true form and fell. Coughing up green blood.

"...Dammit. Just when I was starting to have fun." Belatrixx pouted as she leaned over the dying queen.

The Hive shook more violently now. The Reavers and Raiders were going to bring the whole mountain down upon them in frustration for being denied their part in the carnage. Belatrixx couldn't blame them, but it looked like it was time for her to leave.

Just as she raised her weapon to finish off her foe, a bright flash drew her attention.

Belatrixx couldn't believe what she saw. A Space Marine! One of the Imperium of Man's augmented Mon'Keigh standing beside one of the creatures described to them by the Harlequins that brought them here.

Aries and Starlight had returned to the Hive in the midst of the battlefield. Aries wasted no time before raising the reloaded Defiance.

Evidently, the Phasing Runes that allowed him to bypass armor weren't effective against unarmored and scarcely clothed enemies. His perfect headshot went right through the Wych's skull without causing damage.

The Wych charged. Aries drew Warp Eater and activated its Power Field. Belatrixx leapt over his head and lashed out. Unfortunately, Razorflail's were not Power Weapons, and the bladed sections of the whip couldn't cut deep enough into ceramite.

Belatrixx fled. Aries fired five rounds at her before she was out of sight, but none struck home. The Hive shook. "This place is coming down, get us out of here!"

"Wait, that wuh-what abo-" Starlight stopped when she realized which Changeling the Wych had been tormenting.

Chrysalis stared into the eyes of the Unicorn that turned her Hive against her, and had just saved her life, and decided she wished she had died.

Starlight nonetheless moved toward the Changeling. "Leave her. She would do the same to you." Aries stated.

"I know." Starlight replied as she healed the Changeling's wounds. Unfortunately, Unicorn healing could only close opened flesh and accelerate the duplication of blood cells. There was nothing Starlight could do for Chrysalis' horn and wings.

Chrysalis rose to her feet and scoffed. "As if my day couldn't get any worse."

Starlight was unperturbed. "What are you even doing here? You couldn't have been dumb enough to join us by accident just to get away from Greenskin."

Before Chrysalis could reply, a Raider flew into the area and began to lock weapons onto them.

Aries fired blind as he ran to stand next to the natives. "Get us out of here! NOW!"

---

Far above the Changeling Hive, a single Drukhari ship, The Flayer of Will, hovered in high orbit. Within the only room untouched by the screams of agony of the Dark Eldars bounty of slaves, a meeting was taking place.

"You saw what?" Clarissa demanded.

"An Astartes from the Imperium's forgotten glory." Belatrixx repeated.

"And it was fighting alongside one of the equine creatures that the Solitaire brought us here to slaughter." Observed the Homunculus who turned Drixx into a Wrak for the Klaivex Fune not long ago...Praxis was his name.

Fune nodded in confirmation. "I encountered these Mon'Keigh as well. Every one that I encountered had significant sorcery at their command."

Clarissa didn't like the sound of that. "The Harlequins sent us against a psychic race!? Are we sure that we are the ones meant to destroy them...and not the other way around."

A dreadful silence washed over the room...before it was broken by the laughter of a single entity. A Dark Eldar at the head of the table, Clarissa's mate and the Archon of the Cabal of the Shattered Soul: Sarhan. "Hmm hmm hmm hmm, If Cegorach's jesters think we are foolish enough to be slaughtered so easily, then they have misjudged us. We have had our fun simply slaughtering the weak with brute force, now we will return to our roots...If these foolish creatures had any sense at all, they would've left the bug like creatures to die and kept their abilities a secret...thank you for drawing them out." The last sentence he said to one of the Changelings that had brought aboard. The other Drukhari shared a fit of condescending laughter at the poor creature's expense.

The Changeling Ocellus once had a light blue carapace and light red wings. Now, her green flesh and veins stood exposed to the hateful creatures around her. Numerous tubes and wires crucified the Changeling to the ship. Feeding her nutrients and regulating her vital systems to ensure she wouldn't perish until her captors chose to let her.

She was still conscious, yet she couldn't even scream as her suffering fed the monsters around her.

Author's Notes:

And so ends the first major conflict. Having lost the element of surprise, the defense of Ponyville will not be as easy as they first thought...and they didn't think it'd be easy to begin with.

I worried that I might've been downplaying the Eldar Warriors to make it an even fight, but two nights ago, I finished reading the Night Lords omnibus, which featured Eldar as the final antagonist. Turns out...I might've made them a bit more powerful.

I depicted the Kabalite Warriors as never missing a shot, but the Ulthwe guardians that fought against Talos and his warband were described as having the accuracy of Guardsmen. (Granted, this could just be the Night Lords being dicks)

Aside from that however, I think I was pretty spot on.

Chrysalis is not getting redeemed. Don't worry about that. However, I do have a plan for her that places in the spotlight of the first Volume of Act 2(the fifth Volume in total) what that entails will remain a secret for a little while longer.

Coming up next is the fallout chapter. The Changelings took incredible losses. Several Ponies lost the will to fight and are likely to spread panic. Chrysalis is going to have an encounter with the Royal Sisters...and something happened offscreen during the attack in the Hive that I've looking forward to writing.

That's all I got for this one. Next chapter might get delayed indefinitely as...this may be my last one before my graduation. (I was told by my instructor that he expected to be done with me in two weeks...that was last week)

Welp, whatever happens will happen. Rest assured that the majority of my attention is directed to finishing this fic. I'll see you all next time.

P.S. do Eldar also call their radios a vox, and if not what do they call it?

Chapter 21: The Aftermath

Aries, Starlight, and Queen Chrysalis appeared in the midst of Ponyville's military presence. More than a few Ponies had less than friendly reactions towards the Changeling Queen, but Aries waved them away as he searched for somepony in charge.

As luck would have it, Twilight came sprinting toward him. She didn't even register Chrysalis as she skidded to a halt in front of Aries. "YELLOW JACKET ATTACKED CELESTIA!!!"

Aries sprinted in the direction Twilight came from with the Princess of Friendship hot on his heels. Chrysalis and Starlight shared an awkward glance before going after them.

Aries had already deciphered what happened before he arrived on the scene. The tears in Yellow Jacket's eyes only confirmed it.

"GET OFF OF ME!!! LET GOOO!!!" The enraged Unicorn shouted, throwing lightning from her shattered horn as she tried to free herself from Luna's telekinesis.

"ENOUGH!!!" Aries shouted with the full strength of his three lungs and his helmet's vox emitter, rivaling the Canterlot Voice. "YOU WILL CONTROL YOURSELF THIS INSTANT OR I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!!!"

Yellow Jacket ceased her struggle for the ringing in her ears, and didn't resume when she recovered for the threat. "What. Happened." Aries said in a normal voice, already knowing the answer.

"...Bumblebee's dead." Yellow Jacket replied with the whisper of a ghost.

"And you sought to avenge her through betrayal?" Aries prodded.

"The Princess wouldn't let me go back. She said it was over. Tha-" Aries cut her off with a hand gesture.

"The battle for the Changeling Hive is over...but the war has just begun. They will come for us, and meeting their charge and abandoning our defenses will only ensure their victory." Aries couldn't count the times he had thought as much when he and his brothers were ordered to do exactly that, and paid for it violently...he was always grateful that he hadn't been indoctrinated until after Angron's battle against Leman Russ.

Yellow Jacket saw reason at last, and guiltily looked to the unconscious form of Princess Celestia. "...W-wuh..what have I done?"

"You lost your sister." Aries stated. "I butchered countless Daemons for ten thousand years when I lost my brothers...and I still yearn for vengeance. They will pay. I promise you."

Luna released the grieving Unicorn and turned her attention to Aries. "Thank you for your assistance. Now...could you explain her?"

Aries and Twilight followed Luna's hoof, and Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally realized Chrysalis was among them. "...How do I keep losing to you?"

"Huh!?What!?Why!?Wuh-WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE!!?" Twilight shouted.

"The enemy of my enemy dies second. We will deal with her once the xenos have been purged." Aries explained.

"I think you mean I'll deal with you after those freaks have been eliminated. But I suppose we'll have to wait to find out." Chrysalis smirked.

"If you beg, I will make it slow." Aries promised.

Chrysalis laughed. She disguised it as mockery, but it was genuine. It had been too long since she was in the company of someone who gets it. But of course...all good things must come to an end.

WAAAGH!!! Chrysalis' good mood vanished when she heard that filthy ape's warcry. She whirled around to meet his charge, but found the Ponies around in between them.

Greenskin lowered his ax as he slowed down, obviously confused. "Wut'z goin' on ere? Why can't I kill da 'orsefly?"

"Greenskin, I know you're still mad at Chrysalis for attacking Fluttershy. But she's on our side now. Okay?" Twilight tried to explain to the Ork.

Shockingly, the Ork was more disappointed than angry. "Aw, but I wanna krump it."

Twilight was about to reply, but Chrysalis shoved her aside and stared into Greenskin's eyes. "Listen here ape, as soon as I've settled the score with the Dark Eldar...you're next."

Greenskin rolled his eyes. "Weze ain't gonna finish dem stoopid. Deze gonna finish us...cept fer me. Dey'll just take me back...I'd ask you ta zogg me, but dem Drukhari Gitz in da trees'll stop ya...dere always in da trees."

"Your past is not our future Ork. The Dark Eldar that are attacking us do so because they are manipulated by others of their foul kind, they have no relation to your tormentors...and they are not in the trees." Aries stated.

Greenskin rolled his eyes and sauntered off back to Fluttershy.

"...That creature was one of their slaves?" Chrysalis asked.

"It is unimportant. Come, we must discuss our next course of action." The War Hound declared.

---

Fluttershy and Nurse Red Heart were helping Thorax tend to the Changelings. The Pegasus was beyond horrified to learn that only 31 Changelings survived the slaughter. And if it weren't for Pharynx, that number would've been cut in half.

The wounded were few, as Drukhari poison leaves no survivors, but the emotional scars were the most horrific injuries inflicted. Hence Fluttershy's involvement.

"It's okay. The monsters are gone now, you're safe here." Fluttershy promised the Changeling foal. He wasn't crying anymore, but he had just watched his parents die, and would've joined them if it weren't for Starlight's group.

"...uddashoy...FLUDDASHOY!!?" Fluttershy turned to the unmistakable accent of Greenskin.

"I'm in here Greenskin. Please keep your voice down." Fluttershy called out.

The Ork lumbered into the medical tent, his imposing figure and large battleax that he held in one hand causing the Changeling foal to dive under Fluttershy's legs. "Oh no, it's okay Grub. This is Greenskin, he's a friend. Greenskin, this is Grub, the Dark Eldar hurt him just like you."

Greenskin snorted. "Not yet dey 'aven't...but dey will soon enough. If he'z lucky, dey'll just kill'im."

Fluttershy's jaw fell slack and Grub screamed before fleeing past the two of them and out the tent.

Greenskin shook his head at the Changeling's ignorance for thinking he could flee. Upon seeing this indifference, Fluttershy's shock gave way to anger. "...Greenskin..."

The Ork turned to the yellow Pegasus, and his deadpan face tightened up with nervousness. Something about the look in Fluttershy's eyes told him that listening to her every word was the only thing that would keep him alive.

"Go find Grub. Tell him you're sorry. And bring. Him. Back!" Fluttershy ordered. "Okay Boss!"

---

Aries held a meeting with the Royal Sisters, Twilight, Starlight, and Queen Chrysalis. He would've preferred to have all the leaders present, but they were tending to their own people, the Changelings especially.

"...I see." Celestia said in response to the explanation regarding Chrysalis.

"Believe me, no one is more disgusted by my presence here than me. But it'll be difficult to take over Equestria if Equestria has been destroyed by lunatics." Chrysalis explained.

Celestia was ready to retort, but Aries stopped her."Enough. Your squabbling is pointless. We have a more pressing issue to address."

Twilight and Starlight lowered their heads. They knew exactly what was on his mind. "Right, out of the 20 or so Ponies that volunteered to help the Changelings, more than ten ran away when they realized what we were fighting. They've already spread panic across the defenses, and now the only Ponies left were already part of Aries' PDF and a handful of the Royal Guard."

Starlight picked up where her teacher left off. "Because of this, we no longer have enough Unicorn volunteers to effectively shield our defenses."

"What of the Crystal Empire? How have they not arrived yet?" Aries asked. He had numerous concerns about fighting this war without magical shields to make up for their lack in weapons.

"We do not know. We've sent word to them, but have heard no response." Luna explained.

"The Crystal Guard and Shining Armor are leagues above your pathetic excuse for an army. We can ill afford their absence. Send a messenger via teleport to report our situation immediately." Aries demanded.

The Royal Sisters seemed as insulted as Chrysalis was amused by Aries' description of their guards, but chose to ignore it for now. "Very well. Starlight, would you be kind to journey to the Crystal Empire. You should have enough magic."

Starlight bowed respectfully. "Of course Princess. I won't let you down." And then she was gone with a flash of cyan light."

---

Greenskin wondered around the refugee camp looking for any sign of Grub. The Changelings had a scent similar to Tyranids, but with so many present, it was hard to pick which one to follow.

Fortunately, the Ork happened across a familiar face. "Oy Stripy! Fink you could 'elp me out!"

The creature in question, Zecora, turned to the alien brute with a perplexed look on her face. "...I do not mind helping a friend, but please do not call me that ever again."

"I'm lookin fer one ov dem buggy fings. It'z about yey big wiff a red shell an' green eyes an' wings. He'z tryin ta run away from dem Drukhari Gitz." The Ork explained.

The Zebra put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Hmm, a young Changeling full of fright would likely seek a hiding place absent light...look to the forest, with shadows as black as night."

Greenskin followed Zecora's gaze to the Everfree Forest. Roight into dere waitin jaws...Zogg me.

---

Grub couldn't stop trembling under the bush that hid him. All he could see was the smile on the female alien that killed his parents while wearing another Changeling's face over her chest.

Greenskin's words weren't full of malice, the Ork wasn't trying to scare him, he had stated a fact. And Grub knew he was right. The monsters were coming to get him.

Grub's trembling had been shaking the bush that concealed him, the rustling had been so loud that the young Changeling didn't realize another creature was approaching until light pierced the shadows around him.

Grub yelped in fright as he looked into the light, excepting the smiling Wych, but finding a young Pony instead. "Hey, what are you doing all the way out here?"

Grub slowly relaxed as he took in the filly. She seemed harmless enough. "I-I'm hiding from the monsters."

The filly's eyes lit up with understanding. "You mean the Dark Eldar? We're hiding from them too. I know a super safe place where they can't get us. Come on."

The filly held the foliage open and gestured for Grub to come out. He was still terrified, but knew that if a small Pegasus could find him here, the monsters definitely could.

"W-what's your name?" Grub asked the Pony as he followed her through the forest.

The filly looked shocked as though she had forgotten something important. "Oh golly, where are my manners? I'm Cozy Glow. You?"

Grub smiled at the Pony's adorable reaction. "I'm Grub."

Cozy Glow snickered. "Heck yeah you are. HE'S ALL YOURS TIREK!"

Grub didn't have time to be confused before he was lifted into the air and drained of his energy and flung like a rag doll into a hastily built cage with several other creatures that Cozy Glow had led into the same trap.

Author's Notes:

That's all for now. First off, my most sincere apologies for forgetting about the Crystal Empire. The main purpose of this Volume is to shorten the list of characters so I can manage the story better without realizing I forgot to include X.

And now we see what our other local villains have been up to behind the scenes, and Greenskin is on a collision course with them. Coming up next. See you there.

Chapter 22: Brutal Kindness

"GRRUUUUUUUUBB!! GRRRUUUUUUUUUUUBBB!!!!" Greenskin shouted into the Everfree Forest. He knew them Drukhari Gitz were enjoying the show. Grub was already dead. They were just waiting for Greenskin to go in after him...they always were.

"...Greenskin? Is that you doin' all that hollerin?" The Ork turned to the voice of Applebloom to see all three Cutie Mark Crusaders coming up to him...Scootaloo with her wings pressed against her ears.

"Yeh, dis stoopid bug ran into da trees, an Fluddashoy wantz me ta go get'im." Greenskin groaned.

"Lemme guess, you think the Dark Eldar are in there?" Scootaloo asked while trying to clear the ringing from her ears.

"Course dey are. Dey alwayz are." Greenskin took two steps back as he said this. His Choppa held in two hands like a child's teddy bear.

Sweetie Belle sighed. "Greenskin, I know these things hurt you worse than anypony could ever imagine, but they're still all the way in the Changeling Hive. Besides, I heard Aries, Twilight and the others kicked their flanks."

"Dat'z just wut dey wan'chyu ta fink." Greenskin stated.

"Alright, have it yer way. We were investigatin' some missin' creatures ourselves. We'll just add this'in to the list. Come on girls." Applebloom called, already heading deeper into the forest.

Greenskin watched, jaw agape, as three little fillies walked right into the waiting claws of the cruelest creatures in the galaxy. He watched the shadows leap out to claim them, only to vanish from his sight.

Before Greenskin even realized it, he was following them. The three fillies threw him proud smiles in the belief that he was facing his fear...but some things are stronger than fear.

---

Cozy Glow was still giggling about how easily that Changeling had trusted her. The Dark Eldar may have been terrifying, but if Tirek absorbed all the energy from these cowering losers, they wouldn't be a match for him, and then they would rule Equestria...until Cozy Glow found a way to get rid of Tirek and rule herself.

She kept grinning about it until she heard a familiar accented voice shouting into the Forest. "GRRUUUUUUUUBB!!! I KNOW YOU'ZE PROLLY DED, BUT IF YOU AIN'T DEN COME ON OOOOUUUUUUUUUUUTT!!!"

Grub? The Changeling? Cozy Glow thought to herself as the green Ape thing that fought Chrysalis came into view.

The Pegasus filly dove behind a bush, ironically the same bush she'd found Grub in, and watched the Ork...and his companions.

Cozy Glow grimaced with disgust at the sight of Cutie Mark Crusaders, even if their gullibility is the reason she got as far as she did in her first scheme, she still hated how stupid they were...it was too easy.

Cozy Glow knew they were looking for a scared foal, so she'd give them one. She took off running, the fools chased after her without knowing who she was, and she made sure not to give them a good look.

"Hey! Wait up!!" Sweetie Belle called. Cozy Glow added to the illusion by whimpering and crying out loud enough for her pursuers to think she was afraid.

After about a half minute of this, she came to the hideout she shared with Tirek: An abandoned Manticore's den.

"Tirek! Get ready! I brought the Cutie Mark Crusaders and that thing that fought Chrysalis when we tried to take Zecora's place." Cozy Glow called out.

Soon after, her pursuers caught up to her. Greenskin came up first followed swiftly by the trio of fillies. "Oy! I know you! You'ze friendz wiff dat 'orsefly!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders finally got a look at who they'd been chasing. "Cozy Glow!? What're you doin' here?" Applebloom demanded with no shortage of hostility.

"Baiting you. Again." Cozy Glow explained as Tirek made his move.

Greenskin turned to find a much larger Centaur than the one he had seen before. It backhanded him right off his feet, remembering his Amulet of Might.

The Ork landed on a tree, breaking it. Most creatures would've been out of commission after that strike, but Greenskin just shook it off.

The Ork returned to his feet, no longer holding his Choppa like a protective charm, but as a weapon. "You'ze may be da size of a Nob, but you hit loike a grot!"

"Allow me to fix that." Tirex grinned, turning his attention to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

His lava colored magic engulfed Sweetie Belle, dragging the young filly towards him...and something in Greenskin snapped.

"GET AWAY FROM MY RUNTZ!!!" The angry Ork shouted as he charged the Centaur.

Tirek tried to hold Sweetie Belle out as a shield, but an itch inducing buck to his shin from Applebloom distracted him just long enough for Greenskin to close the gap.

The Ork's Choppa struck Tirek in the chest. Unfortunately, the Centaur had absorbed too much magic for an unenchanted weapon to cause serious harm. Though it did break the skin and illicit a reaction from the Centaur.

Most creatures would've seen how little damage they did. But Orks only see the damage they do. The fact that Tirek was bleeding from what should've been a killshot was enough incentive for Greenskin to start clobbering the Centaur with his Choppa.

Tirek braced himself, but the Ork was relentless. He tried to grab the ax with his magic, but Greenskin's amulet prevented this. He tried to grab with his hand, and Greenskin tried to cut it off. When this failed, he grabbed the offending appendage with his offhand and brought it to his mouth.

"YYEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOWWWWUUUUUCH!!!" Tirek screamed when the Orks teeth closed on his hand, several finding purchase in the cut Greenskin made with his Choppa.

Tirek realized that not only were the Cutie Mark Crusaders laughing at him from a safe distance, but so was Cozy Glow.

Infuriated by this, Tirek attempted to jerk his hand from the Ork's mouth, but Greenskin held strong even as he was swept off his feet.

Finally fed up, Tirek punched the Ork with his other hand. Sending him flying and almost crashing into Cozy Glow...two of his teeth were still in Tirek's hand.

Greenskin stood up and spat half a tooth into his offhand. After deciding it was still big enough to be valuable, he stuffed it in one of his pleather jacket's pockets before looking around for his Choppa.

"Lose something?" Cozy Glow asked him while holding the large battleax in her hooves.

"GIMME DAT!" The Ork shouted as he started chasing the filly...right into Tirek.

The Pegasus dropped the ax into the Centaur's undamaged hand. Tirek grinned as he chopped down at the Ork.

Greenskin didn't stop moving, he ran into Tirek's guard and grappled him. Jumping up to grab his shoulders and wrap his legs around the Centaur's waist.

"Gah! Get offa me!" Tirek shouted as he started bucking like a mad bull and trying to swing the ax while his arms were held out.

WAAAGH! Greenskin headbutted the bucking Centaur once, twice, and thrice. Stunning him into dropping the Choppa.

Greenskin leapt off of his opponent and grabbed the Choppa, turning into a lower swing that would've cut his front left leg in half but for how powerful he was...but it still managed to open an artery.

"GAAAAAAGH!!!!" The Centaur howled as he limped away from the Ork. Greenskin pressed the attack, chopping into the horse half of the Centaur's body and striking the spine.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! NO MORE! I GIVE! YOU WIN!!!" Tirek cried out as he fell to the ground. His spine wasn't broken, but the pain was more than the Centaur had ever felt in his life.

Greenskin halted, trying to process what he was hearing. "...Wut?"

"Y-you've won! I'll not harm you or those Ponies with you. Just don't hurt me anymore, please." Tirek whimpered as he tried to reach his feet again.

"...Bu...But You'ze so big...how-how can you be dis scared?" Greenskin asked no one in particular. He couldn't wrap his head around how anything bigger and stronger than himself could be afraid of him.

Fortunately, the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew the answer. "Tirek isn't big. He steals power from other creatures like he tried to do to Sweetie Belle. According to Rainbow Dash, he's just a scrawny old goat." Scootaloo said.

The Centaur in question forgot his pain for a moment. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!" Tirek shouted, attempting to rise.

scrack! "GAAAAAOOOOWWWW!!!" Tirek cried out as he grabbed the bloody stump of his left horn before Greenskin grabbed his goatee and forced the Centaur to look into the Ork's red reptilian eyes.

Since coming to Equestria, Greenskin felt safe, he felt happy, and he felt like an Ork again. He had felt these before, until the Drukhari Gitz revealed their trickery, but even then he had only felt despair, disappointment, and sadness. This was the first he could remember feeling angry, but it was also the first time he had ever seen something this UnOrky!

"YOU ROTTEN SQUIG MMEEEEEEAAAAAATTT!!!!" Greenskin slammed his Choppa into Tirek's neck hard enough to chip it's blade. Blood erupted from the wound like a geyser.

Seeing that he hadn't taken the Centaur's head, Greenskin drew back for another strike.

"RUN!!" Cozy Glow shouted as she plowed into the back of the Ork's head.

Tirek used the distraction to sacrifice all the power he had gathered in order to heal his injuries and make a run for it.

"Stop'em!" Applebloom shouted as she and Scootaloo rushed to help Greenskin while Sweetie Belle used her magic to blast Tirek in the eye.

The stunned Centaur crashed into a tree but kept going, his fear of the enraged Ork driving him as far from danger as possible. Cozy Glow joined him before the other Crusaders could reach her, her functioning wings letting her outrun all of them.

"GET BACK ERE YOU GOOD FER NUFFIN GIIIIITT!!!" Greenskin shouted as he gave chase...before catching a sight out the corner of his eye.

Grub, the Changeling he had been looking for, laid on his side in a quickly built cage with other creatures that all possessed lightless eyes and no strength at all.

Any other Ork would've kept chasing Tirek, but the same instinct that drove him after the Cutie Mark Crusaders redirected him to Grub.

The cage wasn't too high and lacked a top, it was only built to contain creatures who didn't have strength to lift their legs over their own knees. Greenskin walked right through it without putting any extra effort into crushing the wooden bars.

"...ey, you okay?" Greenskin asked. Lowering himself to the Changeling.

"...they...they got me...just like you said." The Changeling whimpered. His eyes seeing faces that weren't there as his mind connected this horror to a far greater one.

"No, dis ain't dem. You'll know when it's dem." Greenskin spoke with the sage wisdom of experience.

"...What can I do? I don't want them to get me." A tear trailed down the Changeling's eye.

Greenskin looked to the Changeling, who saw faces that weren't there. Then he looked out into the trees, where every shadow brandished cruel bladed weapons and even crueler smiles. Finally, he looked to Tirek's severed horn, the horn he had cut off.

"...Dey's ain't gonna getcha runt...cause I'm gonna get dem." Greenskin promised. Not for himself, but for the small creature he was inexplicably driven to protect.

Greenskin grabbed the young Changeling and threw it over his shoulder. Putting his Choppa in the loop Rarity added to his pants for the first time since he got it so he could grab other creatures while the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped those that had the strength to stand.

"Come on Runtz, let'z go ome." Greenskin called as he led the way back to Ponyville.

Scootaloo and Applebloom had some choice words regarding the term 'runt', but Sweetie Belle had a very different concern. From her position behind Greenskin, she could see that the Ork tore his jacket sleeves at the shoulders during the fight. Rarity...mismeasured!?

Author's Notes:

And there it is, Greenskin's long overdue character development. For those who don't know a lot about Orks, he's a Runtherda: An Ork Slaver that raises and educates the grots, squigs, and snotlings as well as non-Ork slaves.

A handful of Runtherdas develope parental bonds with their charges, the most famous being a Runtherda who shoved a Big Mek into his Shokk Attack Gun for using his trained attack grots as ammo.

For anyone who didn't get a visual of how Cozy Glow is holding Greenskin's ax, it's double bladed with curving blades, and Cozy Glow has her hooves right below the blades so it hangs off her hooves.

For those who didn't understand how Greenskin ripped his sleeves, Orks grow bigger as they win fights. (I know most of you got that one, but my mother reads my fics, and she only knows what I tell her about 40k)

Geez lois, did anyone forget that this is meant to be Greenskin's story? You'd think I did for how much I focus on Aries. But the point of the first four Volumes is to establish the setting for the story I've been waiting to write, and I've got big plans for Greenskin...or as he will be known by his own kind: Sovtskin Rodwasta.(though I won't get to use that name till Vol.4)

Alright, that's this chapter written. The next chapter will reveal the fate of the Crystal Empire and position the final pieces for the next battle of Ponyville. If the last one was the Awakening, then this one is a hot cup of black coffee.
Stay tuned.

Chapter 23:Cold Terror

Starlight took a breath before making the last teleport to the Crystal Empire. She expected a sudden Temperature drop, even with the Crystal Heart keeping the worst of the harsh weather at bay, it was still below 50 degrees in the summer.

However, when she teleported into the lively city deep within the frozen North, she got a lot more than she bargained for.

Starlight let out a yelp as she went from a comfortable 65° Spring breeze to an unforgiving and life threatening -21° Blizzard.

Starlight summoned a shield to keep the flaying winds from adding to her discomfort and surveyed the scene...it became painfully obvious why the Crystal Empire Ponies never arrived.

No way...that's impossible. Starlight thought to herself when she identified the perpetrator of this weather: Wendigos.

The wailing horse shaped spirits from the days of the ancient pony tribes had invaded the Crystal Empire. This made no sense, as the Wendigos can only besiege areas devoid of Friendship.

More frightening than the return of an enemy so ancient that most considered it a myth was the presence of snowy mounds that occasionally had lifeless Pony legs protruding from them.

Starlight knew that staying put was suicide, but she couldn't believe that everypony in the Empire was dead. And so she ventured forth, her shield preserving her from the worst of the merciless wind.

For the first moment, there was nothing. But as she ventured into the center of the city, she realized that the Crystal Castle at it's center was protected by a great shield. Shining Armor.

Starlight picked up the pace, but then, out of nowhere, a Wendigo rammed into her shield.

Starlight winced in pain at the unexpected strain on her already aching horn. What the!? Wendigos never attacked directly.

Her wince became a scream as she was suddenly besieged by the frenzied beasts.

Her advance ground to a halt, all of her concentration was devoted to her shield...and it wouldn't last long.

Starlight knew the only way out was to teleport, but doing so would require her to drop her shield. She had to time it so her shield would drop between attacks.

She waited, watching the Wendigos throw themselves into her shield. Three attacked at once on the right, with two striking on the left as the three recoiled.

Starlight took a breath and gritted her teeth, she knew this was going to hurt. As soon as the three slammed into her shield, she dropped and rolled on the ground to avoid the two...against the wind.

She never opened her eyes, she just focused on her memories of Cadence's Throne Room and teleported, praying she was fast enough.

The bitter cold disappeared, and the shrieking spirits became concerned voices. Taking this as a sign that she was somewhere else,(either the Crystal Castle or the Afterlife) Starlight opened her eyes.

She let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding when she confirmed she was still alive. She tried to get to her hooves, only to cry out and collapse. The concerned Crystal Ponies rushed to help her while Starlight surveyed her injury, three frostbitten claw marks.

She barely recognized the blurry face of Sunburst before she passed out.

---

The darkness brightened to the crimson orange of light shining over shut eyelids. Starlight groaned in discomfort as she stretched her waking body.

Stretching proved to be a mistake as her injuries punished her for daring to seek comfort.

Hissing in pain, Starlight opened her eyes. A nurse had heard her waking up and came to greet her. "Try not to move so much. You're not in any danger, but your injuries can still get infected."

Starlight surveyed herself. She was covered in scrapes and scratches from the wind, and the claw marks had been bandaged with a heater placed next to them to counteract the frostbite. "...how long was I out?"

"Not long, an hour at most. Sunburst has been checking on you every five minutes. You just missed him actually." The nurse replied.

"Could you please tell him I'm awake? I also need to speak with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor." Starlight requested.

The nurse nodded and trotted off. Within moments, she returned with the requested three Ponies plus Flurry Heart.

"STARLIGHT!!!" Sunburst shouted as he tackle-hugged the injured Unicorn as gently as his emotions allowed.

Shining Armor gave a slight chuckle. "Thank goodness you're okay. We tried to send word to Princess Celestia, but the Wendigos blizzard prevented letters from getting through."

"That explains a lot, you probably never even got our letters." Starlight hypothesized.

"Your letters? Does that mean Canterlot is being attacked too!?" Cadence stated.

"Not just Canterlot...the whole world." Starlight said as she launched into an explanation. She told the royal couple of Discord's scheme with the native villains, of his mysterious associates known as the Cabal...and of the Dark Eldar.

"We didn't know what to expect. We knew they'd be evil but...what they did to the Changelings..." Starlight shuddered at the memories of the Wych wearing a Changelings face on her breast.

"...That explains it." Sunburst said suddenly, gathering everypony's attention. "I hypothesized that the Wendigos strange behavior could only have been caused by an absurd increase in negativity. They shouldn't be able to attack areas where creatures are happy and living in Harmony, but if other areas nearby are suffering more negative emotions than we've ever recorded, that would explain it."

Starlight paled as she remembered something Twilight told her. "Discord said the Dark Eldar arrived on the other side of the planet...lands we never even knew existed...creatures we never encountered..."

A grim silence gripped the Ponies assembled...until Flurry Heart grew fussy over the dark atmosphere. "Oh, I'm sorry Flurry. I would've found somepony to foalsit if I knew we would be talking about stuff like this." Princess Cadence said as she consoled the crying filly.

"Well, in any case, we still need to find a way to evacuate the Crystal Empire without losing anypony else." Shining Armor stated, hoping somepony would come up with an idea.

"If I rest for a little longer, I should be able to summon enough magic to teleport out of the Crystal Empire and get back to Ponyville to get some help." Starlight suggested.

"Hmm, I may be able to assist you in that regard...but I want this back." Cadence added playfully before lowering her horn to Starlight's...and transferring her Alicorn magic to her.

Starlight was overcome by the power, and lifted into the air in a bright cyan glow that caused the onlookers to shield their eyes.

When the glow settled, Starlight floated back down beside the bed. Landing on her hooves without a single scratch on her body. Her eyes went to her horn, the briefest focus flaring her magic to half of what was once her full potential, and then to Cadence, who needed Shining's help to stay upright.

Starlight's look of astonishment became a look of determination. "I won't let you down Princess."

The weakened Alicorn could only give a silent nod before Starlight teleported away.

---

"Y-you want me to...oh, I shouldn't be surprised." Rarity groaned. After freaking out about her sister's encounter with Tirek, and frantically thanking Greenskin for protecting her, they had to address the issue of his clothing.

The sleeves of the Ork's jacket had ripped at the base, and the his pants had ripped in his thankfully empty groin. Adjustments would have to be made, but Greenskin had requested another change besides size.

Rarity groaned again as she took Tirek's broken horn into her magic. The thought of ruining the symmetry of Greenskin's jacket by adding the large bullish horn to one of his shoulders elicited no small amount of dread induced shuddering from the Fashionista as she put it atop the pile of torn clothing.

Greenskin was left in his less stylish undergarments, a loose black t-shirt and checkered boxer shorts. His boots miraculously did not require repairs, though Rarity still knew she would have to make a larger pair eventually.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a bright cyan flash that startled her and the Ork both. "Dowwowow! Who threw da flash bomb?"

When Rarity's vision returned, she saw the culprit behind the surprise. "Starlight!? What in Equestria are you doing here?"

The Unicorn in question took in her surroundings with a confused expression. "Oh! Sorry Rarity, I was trying to find Princess Celestia, but I guess I need to get the hang of Alicorn Magic."

Rarity's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "WHAT!? w-why do you have Alicorn Magic!?"

"No time to explain. I need to find Princess Celestia fast, and I can't risk teleporting again, so...I guess I'm running." Starlight said more to herself than to Rarity as she galloped out of Rarity's boutique.

Greenskin observed all of this silently. Dese Boniez
ave alot ov Weirdboyz 'round.

---

After explaining the situation to the Royal Sisters, Starlight was instructed to stay put, as she couldn't control her powers.

In her place, Celestia and Luna personally led the rescue operation.

The Royal Sisters appeared in the Crystal Castle, expecting a swift exodus...and found a slaughter.

Between Starlight's return to Ponyville, and the Princesses brief trip to the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor's shield had failed, and the Wendigos ran ranpant.

Celestia had scarcely believed how Starlight described the Wendigos abnormal behavior, but now saw with her own eyes as the once passively hostile creatures tore fleeing Ponies limb from limb with serrated teeth and monstrous claws protruding from their hooves.

The Royal Sisters sprang into action, Celestia putting herself between the monsters and desperate Unicorns trying to hold them off, and Luna seeking to avenge a freshly slain Pegasus.

Both Princesses blasted a Wendigo with as much power as they could muster. But to their horror, it barely stunned them.

The Wendigos counterattacked. Luna simply dodged the attack while Celestia teleported herself and the small group of Ponies behind her back to Ponyville.

Luna dodged two additional attacks from the Wendigos and blasted the offending beasts in the time it took her sister to return...a look of despair upon her face.

"We...we can't save them...if Shining Armor was still holding them off or, if everypony was in one group but..." She kept frantically searching for an answer that wasn't there. But no matter how she tried to solve the problem, the answer was the same: their magic wasn't enough to make the required trips back and forth over such a long distance.

Luna set her face to keep her emotions from overwhelming her. "Find Cadence and her family, I will gather as large a group as I can. GO!!"

Celestia didn't argue, the stern tone in her sister's voice spurring her unfocused mind to obey.

She teleported to the royal bedroom...and was greeted with a horrifying sight.

Flurry Heart, crying like the infant she was, was barely shielding her weakened mother and unconscious father from no less than five Wendigos.

Celestia wasted no time. Channelling as much power as she could spare whilst retaining enough for one more long distance teleport, she blasted the Wendigos away from the Alicorn filly and surrounded her shield with one of her own making.

Flurry Heart looked up to Celestia, her tearful eyes still alight with fear. "It's alright little one. We may not have interacted much since your birth, but I am your friend, now and always."

The few memories of Celestia Flurry Heart held pierced the veil of fear, and the filly lowered her shield to let the eldest Alicorn come close to her.

The Wendigos had not been idle during this time, but Celestia's shield was far stronger than Flurry Heart's, so the Pirincess of the sun was able to retain her composure as she spared the briefest moment to comfort the filly.

Unfortunately, that composure faltered when she realized there had been a fifth Pony in the room. Sunburst, close friend to Starlight Glimmer and Flurry Heart's Crysaller, laid dead in a pool of frozen blood, his throat ripped out by a Wendigo's maw.

Wasting no further time, Celestia teleported herself and the Royal Family of the Crystal Empire back to Ponyville.

Help was already there, tending to the Ponies Luna had managed to save. The Lunar Alicorn was also recieving aid due to a scratch across her barrel.

Celestia approached her sister with Flurry Heart wrapped in her hoof. "How many?"

Luna looked to her sister, and to the Royal Family receiving medical attention, before casting her gaze downward. "Six."

---

Shining Armor returned to consciousness within half an hour. Clutching his aching head. "Ughn, Wha...what happened?"

"...Shining?" Came the familiar voice of his wife in the bed next to him.

Shining Armor turned to her. "C-Cadence? Where are we?"

"Ponyville, you passed out, and the Wendigos attacked. My Auntie got us out while Luna saved everypony she could." Cadence said sadly.

Shining's world stopped turning. "...wuh...what..." He stuttered.

"...It's not your fault. I know that's what you're thinking Shiny, but it's not true." Cadence said still weak.

Starlight came in the medical tent, tear trails plain on her eyes. "I'm...I'm so sorry...you trusted me to make it...you trusted me to get help..."

"It's not your fault either." Cadence replied. "The only creatures to blame for this are the ones who drove the Wendigos insane in the first place."

When Cadence said this, Shining Armor suddenly remembered the last moments before he blacked out. He had plenty of energy left. He wasn't nearly as exhausted as he was during the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot. But then, he suddenly felt an agonizing pain. A deep pressure on his horn more powerful than any attack his shields had ever endured...even from the frenzied Wendigos.

"The Dark Eldar..." Shining Armor hissed, his despair giving way to anger. "...They did this."

Starlight was about to ask him to elaborate. But then, then thunder cracked and boomed in a far more rapid pattern than was normal, and members of every species started running back towards the Forest.

Starlight stuck her head out of the tent and realized with an accelerating heartbeat that the thunder was coming from the black storm clouds in front of Ponyville, activated by waiting Pegasai for one reason. "...They're here."

Author's Notes:

And so it begins. My apologies for how sloppy this is. It really shouldn't exist, but I had forgotten to include the Crystal Empire prior to this chapter and needed to explain their absence.

Initially, I was going to have the Dark Eldar attack them directly, but that wouldn't have explained why they weren't included in the initial evaluation like the other kingdoms.

I should probably have just rewritten the last few chapters to include them, and I might do that later before I start Vol. 3, but I want to finish this Volume as soon as possible because...two weeks of job hunting have paid off.

It's just an interview, it's not set in stone yet, but it's looking good. And that means that I'll have to get used to an entirely new schedule soon, and I want to have this done or as close to done as possible before that happens.

P.S. In case anyone's lost on why the Wendigos Blizzard would prevent the magically letters from getting from A to B. I based that on the fact that the letter Spike sends to Celestia in the intro is visibly seen floating in the wind as ash. So the intense wind from the blizzard would probably tear the ash clouds apart.

P.S.S. If anyone interested in seeing my welds, I celebrated my graduation with a video.

https://youtu.be/Ww1mkFnN4qI

That's all for now. Next chapter...the invasion begins.

Chapter 24: Darkness Falls

Kieran reveled in the speed of his Reaver. He didn't care for stealth, for he knew these creatures could never hope to compete with such speed, let them see him coming.

The Reaver pilot was delightfully surprised when the revoltingly pleasant area and blue sky gave way to dark foreboding storm.

As though the very heavens signal their doom. Kieran thought to himself as he led the vanguard up into the clouds to dive from the heavens upon their prey.

As the Drukhari leveled out his craft he allowed memories of past raids to play through his mind. He couldn't count the times he had used cloud cover to great effect, dropping from the sky in a spin so that the bladed keels of his deadly vehicle could tear the lesser races to shreds. He vividly remembered every look of shock and horror.

Such a look marked his own face when the dark clouds suddenly ignited with the fury of Khaine. Singular lightning bolts were no problem for Aeldari technology, but this wasn't natural. The omen of doom now appeared to be the very planet defending its people.

Kieran swerved through the narrowest gap between strikes as an electric net ensnared his brethren and sent numerous vessels crashing to the ground. One strike snaked its way from the tip of a sharpened keel, scarring the wraithbone.

Kieran dived in a calm spot. Questioning how the storm could erupt in multiple locations simultaneously and yet remain idle in others.

He received his answer when he came under the clouds. Winged quadrupedal Mon'Keigh were kicking the clouds from below and somehow spurred the lightning.

Kieran didn't waste time warning his slower kin, he opened up with his nose mounted Splinter Cannon.

Five winged creatures fell to him before they broke ranks. Most fled from his vengeance, but some dared to challenge him.

"Come then." The Drukhari said with a sadistic grin as he gunned the engines. His Reaver flew far faster than any organic creature, and the scar they left on one of his keels was quickly hidden by the first kill's blood.

Kieran spun like an arrow, eviscerating any foe that dared to challenge him, before leveling out and pursuing those that fled.

Some of the creatures had fled into the clouds to avoid him, alerting the other Drukhari to their presence. Reavers and Raiders plunged through the clouds in pursuit of their new prey. The ambush quickly became a bloodbath...but not quite a massacre.

The winged creatures were still striking the clouds. Spurring lightning above and below. 8 Drukhari craft had already plummeted to the ground.

To add to the frustration, the alarm had been raised. Kieran saw multiple winged hostiles of various species take flight from the enemy village and make all haste towards him. This is going to be annoying.

---

Aries watched as Garble led a Counterstrike of Dragons, Griffins, and Hyppogriffs to the struggling Pegasai. The Xenos vehicles were far faster than the winged equines, but Aries took note of Spitfire and her Wonderbolts making tighter turns and forcing their pursuers to overshoot, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the Raiders were close enough to deploy their waiting landing parties.

He turned to the three Alicorns beside him. "Will your shields be powerful enough to encompass our entire defense?"

Celestia turned to him. "Our efforts in the Crystal Empire may have been daunting, but we can manage."

"I-I know my shields aren't better than my brother's, but I'll do what I can to keep Equestria safe." Twilight said more to herself than anyone else.

Luna simply staired angrily. Aries could understand her frustration, few were the World Eaters trusted to hold defensive perimeters, as it was just not in their nature to refrain from joining the fight as soon as possible.

He at least could reason with himself that he couldn't join this fight, as it was in the sky, but Luna did not have that luxury. Her feathers twitched and shook with the burning need to join the fray and leave the Ponies on the ground to fend for themselves.

"We will have our chance Luna, there is plenty of blood to be spilled." Aries said in an attempt to calm her.

The Lunar Princess looked to him to reply, but was brought back to the fight by the scream of a Pegasus robbed of a wing falling to the earth.

Luna's wings spread half their length as the Alicorn stepped forward, only to snarl and scream before resetting herself.

Aries allowed her to see him hang his head in more shame than he actually felt at his mistake, she wasn't desperate to end lives, but to save them.

---

Kieran was the first to engage the reinforcements. He had first sought to take the head of the leader, a winged reptile with a bejeweled scepter, but the beast spat a ball of fire from its maw that struck the Drukhari's Reaver with enough force to alter his trajectory.

He nonetheless managed two kills simultaneously on bird-winged creatures, but he refused to be denied his prize.

He circled back, killing three more fools that dared to challenge him with his Splinter Cannon, his eyes tracing the sky for the enemy commander.

The beast was besieging a Raider, it had landed upon the open craft and had slain the pilot and now sought to send the vehicle plummeting to the ground.

Kieran watched this all take place, ready to lunge and behead the beast with his bladed keels as soon as it took to the skies again.

His keened senses alerted him, he turned his just in time to see one of the creatures from the first wave, a bright orange winged beast similar to those he saw ridden by the humans of Krieg with a blue bodysuit charge into him with its hooves out.

Kieran spun his Reaver to avoid the hit, expecting the creature to overshoot him...only to find it turning with him.

Kieran suddenly stopped and shot forward, hoping it would be caught on his keels. But the creature had dared to plant its hooves on the nose his Reaver and glare at him.

With a flap of its wings, the creature shot forward. This time its hooves connected, sending it and Kieran plummeting.

Kieran drew a knife from his side and grabbed the creature's jumpsuit, but the beast planted all four hooves onto his chest and kicked off into the sky.

Kieran snarled as he threw down the blue fabric he had ripped away. He refused to plummet to his death. Searching for any means of escaping as the ground grew closer, he quickly spun in midair to redirect his landing to another Reaver flying below him.

Kieran did not recognize the pilot as one of his squad, so he slit her throat and cast her body from the Reaver as he climbed into her seat and sought his new foe. So, you're what passes for a champion among your worthless race. I'll have your hide as a cape.

---

Far from the front lines, a certain Centaur turned his head to try and decipher the sounds of war, for he had not heard them before.

"Hey, what's that?" Asked a Pegasus filly beside him.

"If I had to guess, I'd say those Dark Eldar creatures have made their move." Tirek replied.

Cozy Glow's face brightened up. "Oh goody, that means the more cowardly creatures'll run away into the Everfree while the brave ones stay behind to fight."

Tirek grinned. "Which means I can regain what I was forced to waste on that loathsome ape and then some. And no matter which side wins, they'll never expect another attack from within the Everfree."

"Indeed." Spoke a haunting voice that drew the two local villains attention to a very dreadful sight.

The creature, a female by its voice, had dark purple hair bound in a ponytail by a tiny skull, and deathly pale skin that was both beautiful and terrifying. But the most foreboding thing about her, which told the villains beyond doubt what this creature was, was that it clothed itself in flayed skin and faces, including that of a Changeling over one of its mammeries.

"We were thinking the exact same thing." Belatrixx smiled sadistically as more and more Drukhari emerged to surround the villains.

---

Several lesser Mon'Keigh sought to engage him, Kieran used his Splinter Cannon to dispatch the fodder as he sought his prey.

There, it was playing the same games with a lesser Reaver pilot. Using the singular advantage of its slower speed to make tighter turns while seeking to attack the pilot in close quarters.

"You are a fly in the eyes of a hawk." Kieran said aloud. Aiming his Splinter Cannon to take out the creatures wings.

Suddenly, another blue garbed ace struck his Reaver from below, turning its nose upward, before coming back down to strike Kieran from his vehicle once more.

Kieran would show these creatures the superiority of the Drukhari. He turned into a bank and gunned his engines.

The enemy aces had been using Drukhari bloodlust against them. Relying on their foes seeking to chase them. Kieran instead evaded, leveling out his bank to fly straight ahead away from his foe before turning back and charging it.

Kieran stared into the flight goggles of his opponent, seeking any clue to anticipate its movements. Then he saw it, the creatures winges turned to spin it's body backward and away from the bladed keels.

The creature spun and Kieran spun with it, angling his Reaver to disembowel his prey.

A wet slash was added to the cacophony of battle as the winged quadruped fell to the ground with its entrails trailing behind it.

"SOARIN!!!" A feminine voice cries over the battle. Kieran turns to see his initial target staring at the falling carcass of its fellow before turning to Kieran with a primal snarl.

Oh, was he precious to you Mon'Keigh? Kieran thought with a sadistic grin.

The female ace charged in a zigzag that transitioned into diangonal loop-de-loops in an attempt to keep the Drukhari from anticipating her movements.

It was a fool's errand, Kieran read her like a book. Just before the enemy ace made contact with him, Kieran dipped his Reaver downward to cause the creature to slam into his burning engines.

Or at least, he had hoped so. But the Mon'Keigh could read him too, and angled her wings to be caught in the engines thrust. Propelling her away with barely a singe.

Kieran looked behind him to see the creature was turning for another attack. He decided to meet her charge.

He watched, as before, waiting for the slightest hint of where she would dodge...but she didn't.

The enemy charged headlong at the narrow snout of Kieran's Reaver. Then, at the very last second before being impaled, she turned slightly upward in a high-risk maneuver that shaved her tail on the Reaver's nose.

Kieran spun just in time to avoid hooves to the face. A sharp klang told him that his enemy had planted her hooves onto one of his bladed keels.

When Kieran slowed his spin, the Mon'Keigh kicked off his keel and shot upward.

Kieran gave chase...but then he realized that his enemy was heading into the storm clouds.

Oh, no you don't. Kieran tired of these games and fired his Splinter Cannon. One shuriken pierced a rear hoof and ceased the Mon'Keigh's flight.

Kieran smiled a slasher's grin as he angled his Reaver to cut his foe in half...but then, an explosion turned the Drukhari's world inside out.

All he could perceive as the darkness fell around him was his Reaver in the ever growing distance. It had been torn in half by, of all things, a multicolored blastwave that looked like the discharge of an artillery gun. A similar colored streak of light trailed from the ruined Reaver to the Mon'Keigh ace that had struck him so hard, her hooves broke through his armor and ribcage alike.

---

"GO RAINBOW DASH!!" Shouted Twilight Sparkle. She was far from the only Pony whose grim expression of dreaded anticipation turned upside down at the sight of the rainbow colored Pegasus destroying a Dark Eldar Reaver with her Sonic Rainboom...but Aries was focused on something else entirely.

The Raiders had been closer, as anticipated. And Garble and his Dragons had barely managed to destroy a third of them, but one of thosed that crashed to the once grassy plains, now a scarred and scorched patch of earth, revealed a most unnerving truth to Aries...the Raiders held only their pilots.

---

"The time has come. The Mon'Keigh's warriors will have fully committed themselves to their front lines." Observed Fune at the head of his Incubi.

"Poor fools. Did they really think we would attack from one front?" Belatrixx giggled at the thought as she observed the cowarding civilians at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

She and Fune had been deployed at the back end of the forest at the head of their remaining warriors while Praxis added to their forces with hastily added implants to some of the native fauna. He was disappointed that he didn't have time to make improvements...but at least he had that one creature to play with.

Belatrixx caressed her new top as she recalled those creatures, a quadruped with the upper body of a humanoid and one of the natives youths...she hoped she could find one with more fitting marks upon their flanks than the two towers that currently covered the Wych's breasts.

Author's Notes:

DUH DUH DUUUUHH.....It might've been a frontal assault before the Dark Eldar knew what Equestria was capable of, but now the true cunning of the most vile creatures in Warhammer 40k comes out.

Not much to say about this chapter. It was pretty straightforward. But I may go dark for awhile.

The interview I mentioned in my last chapter fell through, they found someone with more experience. But after realizing that trying to go back home was too limiting, I took the plunge and an offer on the other side of the country. This one is guaranteed, and I can leave as soon as Tuesday or as late as next Monday depending on how soon they want me up there.

Oy veh. I am both excited and terrified, mostly because of the weather. I'm known to wear a jacket in 70°+

Welp, that's all I got, except for an explanation for my mother: Reavers look roughly like X-Wing fighters when their wings are folded in, and those wings are bladed. Raiders look like flying Spanish Galleons.

See you all next time.

Chapter 25: The Jaws of Death

Fluttershy was the first one to Rainbow Dash's side when she flew into the Medical Tent. She hid her relief behind a mask of professionalism when she saw that it wasn't the rainbow-colored Pegasus herself that was hurt, but another Pegasus she had to carry inside.

Spitfire was crying out in pain. Fluttershy took one look at her injured hoof and knew immediately what caused it. "Follow me! We don't have much time."

Rainbow Dash carried the poisoned Pegasus bridal style through the rows of beds. Most were empty, for now, but others held the few wounded that were recovered before Spitfire. Most had horrible gashes or were missing limbs, but enough had the telltale signs of shuriken wounds to tell Rainbow Dash they knew how to cure Drukhari poison.

That cure happened to be a very overworked Dr. Horse. The Unicorn doctor was exhausted to the point of passing out. Such was the reason healing magic was only used in extreme cases.

Dr. Horse shook his head and grit his teeth as Rainbow Dash brought Spitfire to him. "Nurse Redheart! I need your assistance! We've got another one!"

Nurse Redheart galloped to the doctor's side, helping Rainbow Dash place and hold Spitfire on the bed while Dr. Horse channeled his magic into her leg.

Spitfire screams of agony quieted, but didn't go away. Though it seemed she was able to comprehend where she was and what was happening to her. "AAAAHHEEERRRRR!!!! HE-HE KILLED SOARIN!!!"

Rainbow Dash lowered her ears, but was unsurprised. "I know. Don't worry, I paid him back in full. He won't hurt anypony else ever again."

Spitfire gritted her teeth and shockingly managed a smile. "Way to turn your weakness into a weapon Rainbow Crash. You need to be up there slamming into more of them."

Rainbow blushed a bit at the use of her nickname among the Wonderbolts. "Heh heh, yeah. If the doc can manage from here, I'll-" She was cut off by the sound of panicked screams from outside.

---

Sweet Apple Acres. The humble home of the Apple family had its fair share of open space after a large portion of its trees were destroyed by the berserk Dragons in the Awakening. For this reason, a large portion of the refugees, the Yaks in particular, had set up camp there.

It was also close enough to the Everfree that if the defense failed, the refugees could easily escape into the wilderness. However, some were not content to wait until the defensive lines were broken.

"Uh, girls? Are you sure about this?" Lily Valley asked her two fellows.

"It's alright Lily, I know the Everfree Forest is scary, but it can't be worse than those freaks." Roseluck stated.

"Indeed, I have yet to encounter anything truly menacing." The odd voice froze the two ponies.

"Uh...Daisy? Please tell me that was you." Like asked the final member of their group, who had been in front of them the entire time...until now.

"...D-Daisy?" Lily tried again, quickly giving in to fear, as she and her friends were known to do.

Unlike the many times before, fear was now the most logical response...especially when a wet thud echoed from behind them.

The two Ponies turned and shrieked with fright at the unexpected noise. Many times in their lives, they would open their eyes after doing so and found that they had been afraid of something silly. This time, they opened their eyes to find Daisy with her eyes gouged out and the skin of her flanks peeled off.

The horror and unbelievable nature of the sight before them caused the two flower Ponies to faint. This has also happened many times in their lives, but they would never do so again.

"Go on ahead sisters, I will linger long enough to break these weaklings...it won't be long." Belatrixx grinned as she put away her latest top. It did not suit her as well as Cozy Glow's flanks, but it didn't hurt to have options.

The rest of the Wyches, only 8 of whom survived the assault on the Changelings, formed the vanguard of the Dark Eldar's ambush.

They sprang from the Everfree Forest and were butchering civilians before anycreature realized they were under attack.

Most of the attacks were not immediately fatal, as was their way, so the screams of their first victims drew the attention of the next, who were cut down as those beyond them turned to run.

Chaos ensued. The Ponies of Ponyville were never the bravest creatures, and the only response to the Dark Eldar they had was to panic.

Yaks were more difficult to intimidate, but they were hardly a match for the speed and grace that allowed the Wyches to dance across the ever-bloodying farmland.

The Incubi came next. While the Wyches focused on enjoying themselves and showing off, the Incubi focused on efficiency. They ignored the dying and suffering, only ending the misery of those whose throats were underfoot, and focused on slaughtering the assembled creatures while the dance of the Wyches moved to entrap them.

At this point, the surviving Yaks realized the futility of charging their enemies and used their next favorite tactic: stomping.

Yak hooves interacted with the earth in a manner similar to Earth Ponies. But where Earth Ponies accelerated plant growth, Yaks could shake the earth. Causing artificial Earthquakes within their vicinity.

The sudden tremors caused the agile Eldar to trip and stagger, allowing the already clumsy and panicking Ponies to scramble away while those that dared to fight back were able to score some hits.

Fune oversaw this, and decided to end it. The Klaivex sprinted to the Yaks in cadence with their stomping and activated his Tormentor. At the same time, the last squad of Kabalite Warriors caught up to their faster allies and added their Splinter Rifles to the already one sided slaughter.

Sweet Apple Acres was a very large farm. The initial attack alerted the wider refugees to what was happening, but as many as 120 creatures were butchered in as little as three minutes, and the worst was yet to come.

---

Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash out of the Medical Tent as soon as she heard the screams. The Pegasai didn't have time to ask anypony what was happening before they heard the shuriken fire.

Rainbow Dash went from shocked to furious. "THOSE CHEATING JERKS TRICKED US!!! FLUTTERSHY! GO GET ARIES! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!"

Fluttershy couldn't even acknowledge before Rainbow Dash was gone. She quickly followed her friend's example. Launching into the air and flying towards the defensive line.

She did not get far.

A great shadow looming over her was the only warning Fluttershy got before she was swatted from the sky.

Fluttershy wasn't the most athletic Pony, but she was able to control her crash landing and recover quickly, but her attacker was just as fast.

Fluttershy barely dodged the second strike and at last got to see her attacker: a Manticore.

An alien device had been shoved into its head, injecting an acid-green fluid into the mad beast's brain and forcing it to attack anything it could reach.

Fluttershy took one look into its eyes and knew that there was no reasoning with him. All she could do was run.

The problem is, it wasn't alone. Numerous Bugbears, Chimeras, Manticores, and other creatures of the Everfree were rampaging towards Ponyville.

Several Griffins tried to fight back, but the sheer number of predatory beasts meant it would be a costly fight. And the Dark Eldar would join the fray soon.

Fluttershy tried to get airborne again, but a Bugbear intercepted her. Forcing her back to the ground to avoid its stinger.

The Manticore pounced at her. She dodged opposite the Bugbear. And to her shock and horror, the Bugbear attacked the Manticore.

As soon as the bee-like stinger pierced the Manticore's side, it responded in kind with its scorpion tail. Neither beast seemed to register the pain of each others corrosive venom anymore than as an itch, which was enough for the beasts to tangle up in a pile of paws, claws, and snarling jaws.

Fluttershy's heart seized at the sight of two animals tearing each other apart. "...no...stop...STOP IT!! STOOOOOOOOOOPP!!!"

The Bugbear ripped the Manticore's throat out. It had lost a paw and a wing in the struggle, but was still a dangerous creature, and Fluttershy's shout had drawn its attention.

The wounded Bugbear scrambled off the Manticore's corpse and lunged at Fluttershy as if killing her would end its suffering...attacking her did.

Fluttershy could only close her eyes and throw a hoof over her head when she saw the Bugbear lunge at her, but she opened her eyes when she heard it crash to the ground and felt a thick sticky liquid splash over her body.

The Pegasus opened her eyes to find the Bugbear dead at her hooves with a familiar double bladed ax embedded in its head.

Heavy footsteps drew her attention behind her. Greenskin, still in his undershirt and boxers, walked up to the Bugbear and reclaimed his Choppa before throwing an exhausted look towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Told ya Deze in da treez."

---

"TAKE THAT!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she plowed into another Drukhari. She knew just from watching them that they were more agile than she was, which meant the only sure way to get them was to hit them in a straight line from a distance too short for them to react.

These strafing runs proved too much for the sadistic aliens. Even the fatal accuracy of the Kabalite Warriors wasn't capable of keeping pace.

Rainbow Dash struck another Wych, sending her crashing into an Incubus. The enraged warrior threw the Wych from him and charged the Pegasus. But Rainbow Dash had already vanished from sight, only to slam into the Incubus from behind.

Another Incubus observed Rainbow Dash closely. The rainbow colored Pegasus knew from one glance that this one was different, possibly in charge.

She knew instinctively that this one wouldn't be as easy to deal with as the others, but she also knew to keep an eye on him and always know how close he was to her.

She dodged some Splinter Rifle fire as she scanned for a new target, weary of the Incubus watching her. Suddenly, she made out a Wych toying with a wounded Griffin.

The injured creature refused to give up, but the Wych only enjoyed his defiance. Rainbow Dash would fix that.

She flew higher into the air in a spiral pattern, changing directions every so often to throw off the Kabalites still firing at her while she watched and waited for the perfect opportunity.

The Griffin lunged, and Rainbow Dash lunged with him. The Wych dodged out of the way of the Griffin ready to cut him again, but Rainbow Dash was going to connect first.

Pain Rainbow Dash slammed bodily into the Wych screaming in agony. When she righted herself, she knew that she'd been hit and that her attacker was going to strike again.

She tried to take flight, but the pain returned, driving her to the ground as she screamed.

She turned her head frantically, looking for the cause of her pain. And then she saw him, the Incubus.

Fune smiled behind his masked helm as he walked up to the Mon'Keigh champion that had caused him so much trouble, his Tormentor keeping her in place.

The Klaivex put a boot on the creature's throat. "You're good...but not good enough. I'll keep your wings as a memento."

Fune raised a Demi-Klaive...and was sent flying by a strike to the back.

Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief when the Tormentor ceased its work as her saivor galloped up to her. "Thank goodness you're alright darling. I thought I might've been too late."

"Thanks for the save Rarity." Rainbow Dash said, accepted her friends helping hoof. "Now let's get out of here before he finds his way back to us."

Fune was already on his feet. Charging towards his prey and killing anything that stood in his way. Rarity teleported the two of them as far as she could...which wasn't very far.

"I doubt that's the last we've seen of him, but I'm sure Aries can take care of him when gets here." Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"Well, I don't think we'll have to wait too long darling." Pointed a hoof out towards the other side of Ponyville, where reinforcements had finally arrived.

At the head of the herd was Starlight, Chrysalis, and of course, Aries.

Author's Notes:

And so the war continues. I officially got a release date, I'm leaving Friday and starting work Monday. So I'm probably not going to be writing over the weekend as I'll be getting my bearings.

However, I'm sure you noticed the abnormal speed in which I wrote this chapter. That would be because I have a pretty good idea how I want this fight to go, and I'll even be starting the next chapter today.

I doubt I'll conclude the entire book before I leave my Trade Center and start my new life, but I'm gonna try.

Press F for the flower Ponies. We will not be seeing them again. Fluttershy is about to lose. Her. Shit over what the Dark Eldar are doing to the creatures of the Everfree. And the Dark Eldar have two more trump cards to play before its all over.

All this, and more, in the next chapter. See you then.

Chapter 26: Rematch: Aries vs Fune

Four foals hid in the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, the trio of fillies that owned it, and their latest charge: Grub the Changeling.

"I knew it! I KNEW IT!!! THEY CAME FOR ME! JUST LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD!" Grub cried out in panic.

"Well...I'd love to tell you you're wrong...but you're kinda not." Scootaloo whimpered as she peeked out the window to make sure nothing was coming towards the clubhouse.

"Ju-just stay calm everypony. Our sisters'll be here soon." Applebloom whispered, more to herself than to the others.

Suddenly, the clubhouse door exploded into splinters. Eliciting a scream from all four creatures as a Dark Eldar burst into the room...unconscious.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity came in behind it. "C'mon! We gotta get outta here!" Rainbow Dash shouted while Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle into a hug.

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Sweetie Belle shouted as her sister ended the enbrace. The 6 creatures then bolted for the nearest semblance of safety.

"Applebloom, where's Applejack!?" Rainbow Dash yelled over the sounds of slaughter, her trained eyes moving this way and that to monitor potential threats.

"She was at the farm with Pinkie Pie and Prince Rutherford. Trying tah put together a feast fer everypony!" The youngest Apple sibling shouted back.

Rainbow Dash didn't get a chance to reply as she shot in front of the group to intercept a Wych.

Two more of its fel kind charged towards them, smiling sadistically at the thought of slaughtering the weak.

Rarity prepared to fight, but suddenly seized as she was gripped by a crushing wave of apathy.

Wha-what is this!? Are they doing this? Rarity thought to herself, quickly dismissing the notion when she saw that the Wyches were suffering the same thing.

The source of the apathy revealed itself when Pinkie Pie, whose coat was grey and mane was straight, walked up beside Rarity and gestured for her to follow.

Applejack was with her. She would've had a touching reunion with Applebloom, but neither of them were in the mood at the moment for the presence of Pinkie.

One of the Wyches screamed in frustration and charged the group. Pinkie turned and bucked her, her tail obscuring where the Wych went.

The other Wych paled with fear at the sight. She had seen what became of her sister. Pinkie Pie broke the laws of physics and cast the offending Wych into a Warp Portal. More specifically, the drooling maw of She Who Thirsts.

The other Ponies didn't know this, they only knew that one Wych disappeared and the other ran as far from Pinkie as it could.

"...W-what happened?" Rarity asked no one in particular.

"They killed Rutherford." Applejack answered as the disheartened Party Pony led them out of danger.

---

"Welp, it was noice knowin' ya Boss. I could try ta kill ya fore dey getcha, but dey'll prolly stop me." Greenskin sighed, but Fluttershy barely heard him.

The yellow Pegasus stared in the direction of the Dark Eldar. The invaders had kept their distance from Aries and his reinforcements, happily observing as the maddened creatures of the Everfree slowed his advance.

Fluttershy couldn't begin to fathom how many had died. And while all of Equestria would mourn the Ponies, Changelings, and other creatures. Most would see the creatures of the Everfree as part of the assault.

Fluttershy looked to the Bugbear and Manticore that had died in front of her. The Bugbear's teats were swollen with milk. She had yet to see any younger creatures among the rampaging horde, so they were either slain by the Drukhari, or the mother was out hunting when she was captured.

The Manticore reminded her of when she first became the Element of Kindness by taming a wild Manticore by removing a thorn in its paw.

...the thorn in its paw. The crushing pressure that had been building in Fluttershy's heart faded as her attention once more focused on the Manticore. More specifically, its head.

The alien device that drove it mad was still intact. Its muscles twitched as the poison fired pain into its brain. But the Bugbear's device had been shattered by Greenskin's Choppa, and its corpse laid still.

"THAT'S IT!! GREENSKIN! WE NEED TO-" Fluttershy turned to where she remembered Greenskin being, only to find that he had been defending the distracted Pegasus from a Chimera for some time.

The beast was on top of the Ork, its snake head had been cut off, and Greenskin was having a biting contest with the tiger head while strangling the goat head.

"GREENSKIN!!" Fluttershy shouted in concern as she flew towards the struggling creatures. She knew exactly what to do.

Before the Chimera even registered her, Fluttershy landed on its heads and shattered the vials of toxin attached to its skulls.

At first, nothing changed. But then, the Chimera stopped trying to kill Greenskin and was frantically trying to get away from him.

"Greenskin, let it go." The Ork looked at her like she was crazy, but in doing so, he opened his mouth and let the tiger head go.

"GAAAAAGH!! GET OFFA ME! LET GO!!!" The tiger head, a female, shouted with fear in its voice.

Greenskin realized what had happened and let go. Fluttershy was about to explain herself to the confused creature, but it was suddenly attacked by a Manticore.

The Manticore bowled the Chimera over and would've bit into its throat, but Greenskin shattered the vial on its head.

The two creatures broke off their fight when the effect wore off of the Manticore, but kept watching each other for the next attack. Each thinking the other had started it.

"Fluttershy!? H-how did you..." Starlight had seen the group and was ready to rescue Fluttershy and Greenskin when she realized that the animals weren't frenzied.

"Its those things on their heads. Its driving them crazy, just break them and you'll set them free." Fluttershy passed on.

Starlight smilied at the revelation. Turning and blasting a device on a Bugbear as she ran off to spread the word.

"Listen to me. I know you're scared and confused, but the monsters who did this to you are attacking us, they used you for a distraction. We're on the same side." Fluttershy said to the confused creatures.

"Da Boss is roight. Dem Drukhari Gitz did dis." Greenskin added, pointing in the direction of the Dark Eldar...who were watching Aries keenly.

---

The War Hound cut the tail from a Manticore and beheaded the goat and tiger heads of a Chimera in one stroke. The Manticore lunged at him, but he used his free hand to hold the beast back. He would've ran it through, but Starlight drug the beast off him with her magic and destroyed its device.

Aries watched as the beast came to its senses, took one look at him, and desperately tried to flee. "The Dark Eldar are usually better at turning creatures into their puppets."

Starlight released the Manticore. "They must've cut corners to get as many done as possible. Fluttershy's working on convincing the ones we save to help us. I say we give her as many magical monsters as she wants."

Aries nodded in acknowledgement, making a note to aim for the devices. Though he wouldn't hesitate to cut them down if he needed to.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't have to worry about that. He saw that the Dark Eldar had took notice of him...and among them was the Klaivex from before.

"STARLIGHT! AID ME!!" Aries shouted when he saw the Kabalite Warriors taking aim at him.

Starlight teleported between them and brought her shield up. Aries drew Defiance and returned fire.

He aimed at the Kabalite Warriors, knowing already the futility of trying to hit the Klaivex from this distance.

Three Kabalites fell before Aries shifted his aim. He took note of his foe's Tormentor and knew what came next.

"Now!" Aries shouted. He made sure to brief the Equestrian Defenders on his first encounter with this deadly foe, and Starlight was more than capable of putting his plan into action.

The Tormentor activated, Fune grinned at the Astartes' attempt to resist bending his knees in pain whilst the alien psyker cried out and- he realized almost too late that the wretch was merely feigning pain...and poorly at that.

Fune flipped backwards to avoid the Space Marines blade and sprinted away as he shot at the Klaivex. One round struck home on his shoulder, blowing out a chunk of his flesh in spite of his armor.

The trivial pain barely registered as a nuisance to the Dark Eldar, who successfully retreated from his opponent's wrath to the safety of his kin.

Aries knew that trying to shoot the Klaivex now was a waste of ammo, and he still had but one magazine.

6 lesser Incubi charged at the War Hound and Starlight, the latter of whom unleashed the full might of her psychic fury in a cyan energy wave that disintegrated the two center most Drukhari.

A burst from Defiance fell one other before they closed the gap. Warp Eater parried a single strike before Starlight teleported herself and Aries above the Incubi, gripping the War Hound with her telekinesis and firing a lethal blast towards the xenos.

Aries' armor deflected shuriken rounds fired by opportunistic Kabalite Warriors. Aries prepared to return fire, but one of the Kabalites fired on its fellows before revealing itself to be Chrysalis.

The Changeling blasted the remaining Kabalites with arcane lightning from her damaged horn before taking note of Aries and Starlight.

The latter of the two had missed her mark, but the Incubi couldn't reach them from the air, which motivated her to stay up there a while longer and lay down suppressing fire.

Chrysalis seemed displeased to Aries, possibly because Starlight was handling herself better than the Changeling would've liked, but her attention was swiftly refocused on an attack from behind.

Aries could only afford to register the attacker as a Wych before returning his attention to the fight at hand. Adding Defiance's roar to Starlight's magical onslaught.

Fune tired of this, and threw the klaive of a dead Incubus like a boomerang.

Starlight barely ducked under the blow...but she hadn't seen the xeno throw one of his own weapons.

The demi-klaive pierced the Unicorn's stomach, causing her and Aries to drop from the sky.

The War Hound grabbed the wounded Unicorn as she fell and landed on his feet with a thunderous thud. Already aiming Defiance towards the Dark Eldar.

Aries had expected the Dark Eldar to already be on him, but a group of Equestrians led by Buck Wild had engaged the Incubi as he and Starlight fell.

Bold as the effort was, it only served to tie the xenos up while Aries shot and killed two other Incubi. The Ponies were swiftly butchered. Buck Wild himself was beheaded by the Klaivex, who now stared Aries down.

The War Hound placed Starlight gently on the ground, freeing his sword arm. He knew this battle would end in his death.

The Klaivex tilted his head, as if intrigued. "I've never known your kind to care for any race but their own. I'm curious as to what drives you to this madness."

Aries replied to the alien's question with Defiance. The two aliens charged him. The final Incubus fell to Defiance, leaving the Klaivex alone to face Aries...it would be more than enough for the Tactical Marine.

Aries swung Warp Eater to take the villains head. Fune parried with his lone demi-klaive and spin-kicked the Astartes in the head.

Aries knew he would be dead before he could react, but he instinctively recovered from the strike and attacked again. He was pleasantly surprised to not only live through this, but to find Warp Eater swinging towards a Klaivex bound in Starlight's cyan aura.

The magical energy flickered as the injured Unicorn failed to hold him any longer, but the Klaivex couldn't clear the strike completely and Warp Eater took away an optic from his helmet.

Fune stared Aries down, his almond shaped eye exposed and full of hate. Aries met his gaze with equal disgust and intolerance for the foul creature's existence, Warp Eater held ready for the next clash.

The Klaivex charged, Aries waited, looking for the faintest sign of where the alien would strike.

The alien moved to the War Hound's left and quickly rolled around behind him. Aries turned with his guard up and deflected the first strike. But then, Pain

Aries felt more pain than he ever had before as the Klaivex activated its Tormentor. But he refused to let it stop him. He swung his off hand to punch the Eldar, but the Klaivex cut off his arm and cut open his stomach.

A mortal would've keeled over, but Aries thrusted Warp Eater at his foe. The Eldar moved to the side and try to cut off the War Hound's other arm, but Aries lowered his stance enough to catch the blow on his pauldron.

Aries swung again, the Drukhari ducked under the blow and spin-kicked Aries again.

Aries knew that trying to resist the blow would slow him down, so he fell with the kick and rolled away from his foe. He was completely unsurprised to find the distance meant little, but he was able to bring Warp Eater between them once more.

As the two champions continued their duel, a cacophonous roar echoed from the Everfree Forest. Signaling the arrival of a great and terrible foe.

Author's Notes:

And I'm calling it there. Good grief there are too many characters to focus on, I almost forgot to add Pinkie Pie and Applejack. And I somehow thought trying to add my own OCs was a good idea. (R.I.P. Buck Wild)

Now I need to go back to see what's going on with the frontlines, and who Chrysalis is fighting. Then...we get to the good part.

I've had this final boss for a good long while now. Feel free to guess what it is in the comments below.

I have been in Wisconsin since last Friday, but I don't start my new job until Monday.

This is both a blessing and a curse as while I do have time to write, I also have a lot of time to think about all the different things that could go wrong for me when I finally start working. Most of that is just me being nervous, but telling myself that doesn't stop me.

Alright, that's all I got, see you all next time.

Chapter 27: Fury of the Righteous

Celestia and Luna each fired a blast at the fleeing remnants of the Drukhari fleet for good measure. Only 4 vehicles remained, the rest lay burning on the scarred plains outside of Ponyville.

"That's the last of them. Come sister, Aries will surely need us." Luna said to Celestia as she prepared to take flight...only to pause as an unearthly roar emanated from the Everfree Forest.

Moments Prior

Queen Chrysalis scowled in disgust that Starlight Glimmer was holding her own against the Dark Eldar. She would never admit it, but she had started to develop a begrudging respect for the Unicorn since this conflict began.

Chrysalis was torn from her thoughts by a dreadfully familiar sound, the sound of several small blades grinding against each other as a bladed whip unfurled.

Chrysalis turned and blasted the Razorflail with her lightning. Glaring vengefully at Belatrixx.

Chrysalis recognized the Wych's top as the Cozy Glow's flanks. While she never liked the villainous filly, she found herself feeling a tad upset to know she suffered such a cruel fate.

Belatrixx recognized the look in her eyes. "Oh, did you know this creature?"

Chrysalis narrowed her good eye. She remembered well how their last fight went, and had been planning her revenge ever since.

Belatrixx's smile disappeared when green flames enveloped the Changeling and faded to reveal the Wych staring at herself. "Allow me to show you the true reason I am the Queen of all Changelings."

Belatrixx lunged. Completely shocked to find the imposter matching her blow for blow. Impossible! It took me years to perfect the Razorflail! She only saw me use it once!

The Wyches danced with their Razorflails between them. The deadly blades ringing out as they clashed, rebounded, and clashed again. It reminded Belatrixx of her mother.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Now do you understand? There isn't a single Changeling alive who can mimic movements better than I can. Even when my personality shines through a creature that's too different for me to stomach impersonating, I'm able to fool all but their closest friends by mimicking their body language perfectly." Chrysalis explained as she continued her dance.

Belatrixx wasn't having fun anymore. This was outrageous! This wretched creature needed to be taught a lesson.

Belatrixx went for the kill. For all of Chrysalis' perfection at mimicking Belatrixx's playful attacks, she hadn't seen the Wych fight all out. She moved faster, hit harder, and aimed at more vital areas. Chrysalis managed all of three deflections before she had to transform into a hummingbird to avoid a fatal blow.

Belatrixx's smile returned as she cemented her superiority over the Mon'Keigh. She twirled her Razorflail in an attempt to catch the tiny target, and unlike Chrysalis had in their first fight, Belatrixx was well aware that the Changeling was flying towards her as she dodged, prompting the Wych to backstep as she kept up the barrage.

Unfortunately, Belatrixx realized too late that Chrysalis was directing her into a trap. She heard the familiar sound of a Changeling's transformation behind her just in time to leap to the side.

A large sword crashed down where she had been standing a second prior, and Belatrixx followed the blade to a black Bloodthirster that transformed into a dark male Changeling.

Chrysalis returned to her true form and stood beside the newcomer. "Wonderful of you to join us Pharynx. Where did you find that new form?"

Pharynx regarded Chrysalis with an annoyed scowl. In the past, he would've followed her to the end, and he still saw the wisdom in her philosophy. But she had abandoned the Hive without a fight. She was selfish and uncaring of her subjects. The more he thought about it, the more Pharynx considered that if she had remained in charge and conquered Equestria...he probably would've usurped her himself.

"Hmph, Thorax and our other warriors are helping where they can...you looked like you weren't doing too well by yourself." Pharynx jabbed.

Chrysalis shot a glare at the other Changeling, but quickly returned her attention to Belatrixx.

The Wych's scowl slowly returned to her slasher's grin as three more Wyches joined her. The two opposing sides charged as an unearthly roar echoed from the Everfree Forest.

---

Fluttershy thought she had seen the worst of the Dark Eldar in how they carelessly discarded the lives of other and caused pain purely to cause pain, but she had not seen what they can do when they have time to focus on a single victim...until now.

The abomination that had once been Tirek roared in agony as it slithered from the Everfree Forest. His equine lower body had been cut in half with the back half being replaced by the tail of a Hydra. A Chimera's and Manticore's paws had been sutured onto his body under his arms, and their muscles had been unnaturally swollen to the point of separating the fur to look like hairy human limbs and even breaking the skin in places.

The tails of the same beasts(or at least different members of the same species) protruded from his back and over his shoulders. The snake hissing and snapping wildly and the scorpion stinger dripping a purple poison that definitely wasn't natural to Manticores.

Tirek's back was covered in various vials that constantly injected alien fluids into his body, driving him to madness while also ensuring his obedience to his new master.

Between his front legs, Fluttershy made out the haunting sight of Cozy Glow. Her hind quarters had been removed and the rest of her body had been surgically attached to Tirek. All of the Pegasus' hide had been cut from her flesh. Her wings had been snapped and left hanging by strands of meat. Her eyes hanged from their sockets, and her digestive system had been replaced by machinery that forced her vital organs to keep functioning against their will.

Many of the animals Fluttershy and Greenskin had set free fled from the terrifying sight, but some still stayed at Fluttershy's side ready to fight...but Fluttershy didn't register this.

"Wut'z da plan boss?..Boss?..BOSS!?" Greenskin tried to Fluttershy's attention, but she was focused on something else.

Praxis road on the shoulders of his creation, his Wraks adding their blades to the butchery. Cutting down fleeing or fighting Equestrians and the Everfree beasts that were still under their influence.

Praxis enjoyed the spectacle, drinking in the suffering he had caused to so many as an afterthought while he focused on Tirek.

Fluttershy stared at him, her lips rising into a snarl and her head lowering, causing her mane to cast a shadow over her eyes.

Greenskin observed this, and oddly enough, the shadow that fell over Fluttershy's eyes didn't look dark to him. But rather an earthly green.

"...You...MMOOONSTEEEEEERRRR!!!!" Fluttershy shot towards the haemonculus like a bolt round fired by the Emperor Himself, breaking the sound barrier for the first time in her life.

Tirek's snake snapped at Fluttershy on instinct, but otherwise, nocreature had a chance to react before Fluttershy slammed into Praxis and the two of them crashed back into the Everfree Forest.

Tirek didn't register this, neither did the Wraks, it had all happened too fast. Thus the abominations continued to stalk towards Ponyville, killing all in their path.

Greenskin and the free animals found themselves leaderless, but those who hadn't fled already were unwilling to back down. Especially Greenskin.

The Ork stared into the unfocused eyes of the Centaur. You'ze da unOrkiest git I've evah met, and I planned on killin' ya...but not loike dis.

Greenskin knew the horrors of the Drukhari more than any creature alive, for he had died at their hands when they had squeezed the very last drop of his being out of him. He didn't even remember when it ended, or how. For all he knew, he could've been made into a Wrak himself and was killed fighting battles for the very creatures he feared and hated more than any other being in the galaxy. He wouldn't wish that pain on anyone...even if they were a piece of rotten squig meat.

"Alroight Boyz, Fluddashoy'z takin' it to dere Boss, which means it'z our job tah take it to dem. Let'z show'em our teef! WAAAGH!!" Greenskin charged the hulking horrors, a horde of Manticores, Bugbears, and Chimeras right behind him. The beasts of the Everfree were larger than any Wrak, but Tirek towered over all of them...at least it'd be a good fight.

---

Fluttershy and Praxis crashed through branch after branch with no sign of slowing down.

After hitting a clear spot for half of a second, the haemonculus was able to strike back with a syringe of poison.

Fluttershy felt the needle pierce her spine just as she slammed the Drukhari into a tree. While the pain was immense, she was able to break away before Praxis could recover and inject the needles contents.

Praxis righted himself and displayed his 6 arms. The natural two were the only ones with hands. Two ended in syringes, one in a scalpel, and the last one in a Splinter Pistol. "I learned a great deal from the adolescent I dissected, but I look forward to seeing the contrast of a more developed specimen."

Any other time in her life, that sentence would've terrified Fluttershy to the core of her being. But right now, she could only think of the all the innocent creatures, sentient or not, who suffered because of this monster, and how many more would suffer if she let him escape.

This thing couldn't be reasoned with, and it couldn't be taught the error of its ways. It had to be...destroyed!

Fluttershy flew straight at him and then turned sharply when he aimed his pistol at her. Shurikens tore through the bush behind where Fluttershy had been as she slammed into his head before he could turn.

His scalpel arm struck out, slicing open an artery in one of her hind legs and forcing her to retreat above the trees.

She surveyed the damage, she would have to bind the injury quickly or she could lose a fatal amount of blood. But she had to finish the Dark Eldar first.

She had the speed advantage, but if she got close enough to hit him, his reaction time ensured that they would both be struck, and his attacks were more lethal.

As Fluttershy pondered this, shurikens tore through the trees as the haemonculus fired blindly. That's it, I need to hit him from a distance.

Fluttershy dived back under the trees, breaking off branches and vines as she went.

"What's this? You drag me all the way out here for a fight and now you cower before me!? YOU SHOULD'VE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU WASTED MY TIME!!!" More shots rang out, shuriken punching through solid oak trunks as though they were rotten or hollow.

Fluttershy ignored this, continuing to gather supplies. She dove to the ground, scooping up as many triangular pieces of rock as she could. She didn't have time to sharpen them, but if she could put enough speed behind them, it wouldn't matter.

"Well, are we done playing games?" Praxis called out. He didn't shooting at the darting form behind the trees anymore, it was clear to him that he couldn't hit her.

"Hmph, very well. Remember your place next time, whelp." The haemonculus snapped as walked backwards towards the village, keeping his eyes on his cowed foe as he went.

Suddenly, something shot out of the forest and nearly struck him. He caught the offending object in his hand and found that it was a crude spear.

Praxis didn't have time to process this before another spear struck him in the thigh.

The blunt tip bounced off with far too little pain to warrant a Drukhari's attention, but Fluttershy erupted from the bush from the same spot she had thrown the second spear and drove a third into Praxis' eye.

His attached arms lashed out, but the Mon'Keigh cleared his attack range before he could strike her back.

Praxis removed the spear from his eye, more annoyed than anything. Cadian irises are so rare these days.

The rustling of tree leaves above him caused the Drukhari to look up in time to jump out of the way of a large rock the cleaver beast had dropped on him from above.

Unfortunately, he made the mistake of exposing his back. Fluttershy dropped from the sky like a lightning bolt with two spears in her hooves and drove them both into the Drukhari's back, breaking the shafts...and stabbing the broken ends into him as well.

From her position on his back, and with four staves stabbing into him, Praxis couldn't reach behind him but with one arm, an arm that Fluttershy had stomped on.

She then brought up her other front hoof and stomped on the haemonculus' head repeatedly. Praxis flailed his arms out desperately, trying in vain to reach his opponent with one of his deadly weapons.

One of his arms with a syringe came close enough to Fluttershy that she bit into his wrist and arrested the assaulting appendage. She then quickly brought up the hoof that arrested the arm that could reach her and stomped on the arm. Driving the syringe into the Drukhari's back.

By a stroke of luck, the syringe pierced Praxis' spine and unloaded its deadly concoction, the very one he had tried to inflict on Fluttershy at the beginning of the fight. A dreadful poison that caused his bones to rapidly grow spiky protrusions all across his skeleton.

Fluttershy leapt off him as one of these spikes stabbed the soft inside of her back right hoof, and turned to watch as he, as immune to pain as any haemonculus, tried to aim his Splinter Pistol at her one last time before he was frozen in place as his joints became locked up by excess bone.

Fluttershy panted, exhausted, and looked down to her bleeding leg. She had tied it off with a vine when she had been building her spears, but she had still lost a lot of blood.

She wasn't feeling cold yet, so that was a good sign. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to help anypony else back at Ponyville, nor could she stand to trouble the doctors knowing how much they had needed her help before the fighting even reached the town.

Her mission completed and her rage spent, Fluttershy laid down in front of the haemonculus petrified by his own cruelty and relaxed in order to slow her heartrate. Her part to play had ended.

Author's Notes:

Oh, I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while. Hell, I wrote the whole thing in a freaking day. THAT'S how well I envisioned it in my head before I even started writing.

The version of Fluttershy from the Changeling timeline cemented Fluttershy as my favorite Mane 6.

Anyone's whose seen my username(and knows the source material) knows I'm a fan Elfen Lied. And Changeling-Hunter Fluttershy reminded me of Lucy, which in turn convinced me that if her fate had been kinder, Lucy would've been exactly like Fluttershy(she even pitied that little shit stain Tomoo before he pushed her over the edge)

Anyone who follows my YouTube channel, keep an eye out for a new video about this fight.

Next chapter will be Greenskin vs Tirek and, possibly, the conclusion of Chrysalis vs Belatrixx and Aries vs Fune.

That's all I got for this one, see you all next time.

Chapter 28: The Final Push

Aries managed one last parry before a kick to the face put him on his back and broke his nose. He had lost his helmet to a vertical chop that put a scar across his forehead, and was incapable of keeping his balance because his battery pack had been damaged.

As the Astartes blinked in an attempt to clear his blurring vision, he made out the sight of the Ork leading a group of Equestrian beasts into battle against the abomination that was once Lord Tirek.

The Wraks accompanying the monster met them first, Greenskin chopped off one's arm and claimed its cleaver alongside his ax. Using it to bisect another Wrak as he continued to charge Tirek, bellowing his warcry as he went.

The Klaivex's boot slamming into his chest refocused the War Hound's attention. The xeno raised its blade...and was enveloped in a cyan energy wave.

Aries turned to the exhausted but recovering form of Starlight Glimmer. She had removed the alien's demi-klaive from her stomach and had healed the wound as Aries had fought, but was nonetheless on the verge of passing out as she limped towards the Astartes. "I...I thi...think we're done here."

Aries' reply was slowly rising to his feet. In spite of his numerous injuries, the loss of one arm, and his body bearing the full weight of his Power Armor minus the helmet, he was a Space Marine, and only in death does duty end.

"Ar-are you crazy!? What can you even do in your staaa..." Starlight paled midsentence as she stared at something behind Aries. The War Hound turned to find the Klaivex still very much alive, though his armor had all but shattered, and his demi-klaive no longer possessed a functioning Power Field.

Aries didn't hesitate, he reignited Warp Eater and charged. The Klaivex, a Drukhari to the bone, turned and fled from the vengeful Space Marine.

Fune was gravely injured, and knew he had no hope at slaying the Mon'Keigh as he was. But he knew he could outrun him.

The slaughter was slowing. Enough beasts had been killed or set free that the Equestrians could focus their efforts on the Dark Eldar. Fune would've sounded the retreat long ago, but had wanted to kill the Space Marine first.

Better late than never. He thought to himself as he sprinted towards Praxis' reinforcements. He didn't see the haemonculus, but had greater concerns...more than he knew.

A sharp pain cut into Fune's leg and the Klaivex toppled to the ground. He looked to the source of his pain and his other demi-klaive, still faintly shrouded with the dimming glow of the quadrupedal Psyker's magic.

A foreboding storm of thunderous footfalls told him that the Astartes was closing in behind him. Now fearing for his life, Fune desperately struggled to stand and called out for aid.

A single Wych took notice, the wretched fiend was amused by the Klaivex's strife, but nonetheless moved to engage the Space Marine while Fune began a limping run.

His hope of escape died as a golden energy beam struck the Wych before she could attack the human. Fune looked to the beam's source to find a fresh wave of enemy reinforcements lead by the two most impressive specimens of the native Mon'Keigh he had seen...and the Astartes closing the gap.

Refusing to die a coward when he knew his death was certain, Fune howled in outrage and drew the demi-klaive from his leg, activating its Power Field.

The Klaivex managed to block the first blow, but the momentum of his opponent pushed through his guard anyway. The last thing his eyes saw was the bleeding stump between his shoulders.

---

Discord had never felt so powerless in all his life. He had been helping Smoulder tend to the Dragon eggs when the battle erupted. Now, all he could manage to do was put a hefty stick between himself and whatever monsters were attacking him.

Smoulder embraced her maternal instincts, ferociously defending the helpless eggs from all would be attackers with great gales of fire. Unfortunately, the maddened beasts and the Wraks that came after were robbed of any sense of self-preservation and rampaged through the flames. What once were hundreds of eggs were now barely a dozen as the two eggsitters desperately fought for survival.

Discord had recognized the crude implants easily enough, and had done his fair share of setting the beasts free. But there was little he could do against the Wraks except run for his life and hope Smoulder would save him again.

The battle had worn the mortal Draconequus ragged. It had been countless millennia since he had been so exhausted, so he wasn't too shocked when he finally lost his footing and fell to the ground so much as he was surprised he had lasted this long.

A Wrak stepped on him and raised a crude cleaver. Smoulder was on the other side of the egg clutch fighting off two Wraks at once, so all Discord could do was throw his arms between him and his death.

A red streak slammed into the Wrak and sent it flying off of Discord. The lord of Chaos looked to his savior and found Dragon Lord Garble offering his talon.

Discord accepted the offer and was pulled to his feet. "How you non-immortals managed to last this long, I will never know."

Garble didn't waste energy on a reply, he simply charged into one the Wraks fighting his sister.

Several other Dragons followed, many enraged and grief-stricken at how few eggs were left. Discord was confident nothing else would threaten him if he stayed this close.

Of course, that confidence died when he beheld the haunting sight of Tirek. He and the majority of the Wraks were fighting a group of animals led by Greenskin. The Ork in question was being held in one of Tirek's overgrown arms.

Tirek's scorpion stinger struck at the Ork, but his Choppa intercepted it and chopped it off, causing corrosive purple poison to rain down on the Ork's scarred face, as well as Tirek's arm and shoulder.

The acidic poison melted the flesh of both creatures. While Tirek didn't let go of his prey, he did howl in pain. Greenskin however barely gritted his teeth. "Wut? First Toime?"

Discord snorted at the Orks comment, but his amusement disappeared when Tirek threw the Ork towards himself and the Dragons. He didn't land anywhere near the eggs, but Discord knew what came next.

Sure enough, Tirek slithered towards them with the Hydra's tail that made up the back half of his lower. Charging forward at breakneck speed and crushing a Manticore under his weight.

"INCOMING!!!" Discord shouted while pointing towards Tirek to alert the Dragons. Knowing that he would be no help in this fight, the draconequus dashed towards the Dragon eggs and gathered them up in his talon and paw before making a run for it.

Greenskin however was undeterred and shook off his landing before charging in again. "WAAAGH!"

Garble also saw fit to engage the abomination. He and half a dozen other Dragons enflamed Tirek's upper body, but as it was with the Wraks, the pain of burning meant nothing to Tirek except to draw his attention.

The large monster held no weapons, and could not think to absorb the energy of the Dragons, but he was capable of using his own magic and blasting two of the Dragons out of the sky while grabbing a third and bringing it close enough for his snake head to bite it.

The serpent's venom was just as potent as the scorpion tail's, and the Dragon could only scream in agony as his veins burned and opened within his body, allowing the venom to spread to his muscles and organs.

Tirek threw the dying Dragon into another. At this point, Greenskin had closed the gap. The Ork was kunning enough not to just start hacking, and ran around behind the monster to climb atop the base of his tail.

Tirek focused on the more infuriating Dragons rather than the itchy sensation of a creature climbing to stand on the base of his tail. He paid for it when Greenskin brought his Choppa down directly on the monster's spine where the Hydra tail was connected to his equine body.

The first chop got his attention, the second chop spurred him to action. He started twisting his body in an effort to reach the Ork, but his large arms that could hold Greenskin in one hand were too long and not flexible enough to reach him.

A third strike chipped one ax head, and shattered the head that Greenskin had already chipped in his first fight with Tirek, and Greenskin needed one more good chop to pull this off.

Tirek lowered his body so his hooves touched the ground and quickly bucked his serpentine body. Greenskin stumbled and had to grab on to keep from falling, but this allowed Tirek to finally reach him.

Garble flew in and slammed into the monster's chest before looking up and spewing a wave of flames directly into his face.

Greenskin seized the moment to climb back up and bring his Choppa down with all his strength.

The Choppa cut all the way through Tirek's spine and broke off into three pieces. Tirek's serpentine tail twitched and spasmed, but then laid still.

Greenskin quickly removed himself from the howling beast and grabbed the cleaver of a dead Wrak. Tirek reached for him and Greenskin embedded the blade between the thumb and index finger, severing the bones of his index and middle fingers and pushing the offending appendage away so he could put some distance between them long for him to arm himself again.

A Wrak charged him and swung its cleaver at his head. Greenskin ducked under the blow and tackled the monster. Putting his forearms behind its knees and pulling it off its feet before jumping on its chest.

The weight of the Ork crushed its ribs and found Greenskin having to pull his gore-covered boots out of its chest before taking its cleaver and chopping off its head.

The Ork then turned back to Tirek, who had been fighting the Dragons this whole time. "WAAAGH!"

Tirek blasted the charging Ork, but his Amulet of Might protected him from the monster's magic, not that Tirek was capable of understanding this and trying a different strategy.

Greenskin ran up to the mutilated Centaur and cut off one of the feline paws that had been added to his body. He tried to slap the Ork with his previously wounded hand. Greenskin moved to the right and held his blade out. The outstretched ring and pinkie fingers slammed into the blade and were cut in half.

Garble landed atop Tirek's shoulders and sank his teeth into the Centaur's neck. Tirek tried to grap him with his other hand, but stopped when he felt Greenskin chop into his back again.

With the spine already severed, and a Wrak's cleaver proving sharper than the Griffin forged battle ax, Greenskin's blows cut deeper and deeper. Tirek thrashed around and tried desperately to stop the addition to his agony, but his pain would soon end.

Greenskin struck the earth beneath the monster's belly and moved forward to cut further across the wide waist of his foe while Garble continued to rip chunks out of his neck.

Finally, Greenskin succeeded in removing the Hyrda's tail from Tirek's body. His two remaining equine legs managed to drag him forward all of one meter before he fell to his side. Greenskin lopped off the other added paw and began chopping him in half once more. Other Dragons added their teeth to the savage butchery that could only be called a mercy killing for this one type of victim, as it was not uncommon for haemonculi to move a subject's brain or add backups in order to ensure it survived, suffered, and fought for as long as possible.

Eventually, Tirek stopped moving. Satisfied that he was no longer a threat, the Dragons moved on to the surviving Wraks.

---

Belatrixx had fled the moment she saw the fresh wave of reinforcements. These foolish Mon'Keigh thought they had won the day, but they would learn soon enough.

Of course that idiot Fune had gotten himself killed by the Astartes, and Khaine only knew what happened to Praxis, but if they were weak enough to die here, then good riddance.

The Wych dodged a green bolt of lightning. The little queen was determined to finish their dance. Oh, it was tempting to linger and let her, but the others had already started to flee and Belatrixx was gravely outnumbered. Perhaps if the little queen survived what was coming, Belatrixx could convince Clarissa to let her keep it.

She chased the other fleeing Drukhari through the Everfree Forest to the designated exfil sight. The Raiders that survived the distraction and three others kept in reserve would be waiting to return them to the Flayer of Will. This would soon be over.

Just as she broke through the foliage and saw the waiting Raiders, she heard the telltale sign of the little queen transforming. Evidently, she had seen the ships and was preparing to do something drastic.

A great shadow loomed over the Wych in the unmistakable shape of a larger Dragon. She was prepared to dodge its fire breath, but the little queen spewed out ahead of her and cut off her escape.

The Wych darted to the side but quickly found herself surrounded in a circle of fire with the little queen landing between the Wych and the Raiders. "You're not going anywhere!"

A casual glance over the insect's shoulder revealed that the flames had quickly died down to below knee height. Belatrixx wouldn't even have to try to jump over it.

The Wych unfurled her Razorflail and charged, the little queen shot forward to meet her. Belatrixx knew that there were only two outcomes, either the queen dodged her initial attack and allowed her to flee. Or more deliciously, Belatrixx cut the bug's legs off and took just enough time to turn her to face the Raiders so she could watch Belatrixx escape.

A delightful thought, but the little queen would never be stupid enough not to dodge...or so she thought.

The two warriors met. Belatrixx lashed out at Chrysalis' legs, and Chrysalis leaped...forward.

The action cost her a rear hoof, but her forward momentum carried her directly into Belatrixx...horn first.

The Wych coughed blood and stared dumbstruck at the horn piercing her below the ribcage. Chrysalis thrusted upward to put her horn as close to Belatrixx's heart as she could, and then shot as much lightning into her as possible.

In spite of her injured back leg, Chrysalis reared up and displayed the dying Wych for all to see as green lightning tore through her being, burning off the crude top made from Cozy Glow's flanks, scorching her hair, and spider webbing burn marks all over her spasming body.

When Chrysalis' front hooves touched the ground again, she flung her head to dislodge the Wych's corpse and spat on her before limping away.

She heard the Drukhari beginning to take off. Good, let them leave. Let them return to their Dark City and bring with them the tale of the Changeling Queen Chrysalis. Chrysalis smiled at the thought of having taught these fiends to respect her...but that smile quickly vanished when she realized the Raiders weren't leaving just yet.

Author's Notes:

And we are almost done. I picture two chapters remaining by this point. Though it is possible I'll have to stretch that to three.

Additionally, the technical difficulties have been worked out, and I start work Monday. So if there's a bit of a pause between this chapter and the next, you'll know why.

Having said that, I am going to start writing the next chapter immediately after posting this because I have been looking forward to this for a very long time.

That's all I got for now, see you all next time.

Chapter 29: The Dawn Breaks

Discord was careful not to drop a single egg as he ran. He was exhausted, more so than he'd ever been in his entire existence. But at least he was safe.

He slowed to a stop to catch his breath, lowering the Dragon eggs down between the large roots of an oak tree, before he noticed something peculiar.

Amist the browns and greens of the Everfree Forest, an inconspicuous pink drew his attention. When he peered the bushes obscuring his vision, his eyes widened with horror.

"FLUTTERSHY!!!" The Spirit of Chaos shouted as he dashed to the unconscious Pegasus, his exhaustion and the Dragon eggs forgotten.

He saw the blood pooling around her leg and the crude vine tourniquet that had come loose. Instinctively, he snapped his fingers. The crushing severity of the situation dawning on him when nothing happened.

"No...oh no oh no oh no no no. Not her. No not her...CHEGORACH!! BRING HER BACK! BRING HER BACK OR I SWEAR I'LL MAKE YOU COWER BEHIND SLAANESH!!!" Discord shouted to the heavens.

"How do you plan to do that as a mortal Discord Bringer?" A familiar voice came from behind the Draconequus.

Discord whirled around to face Tallik, his rage slightly dissipating when he saw the Solitaire holding Grogar's Bewitching Bell. "What are you waiting for, a thank you? Hurry before she dies."

"You can bring dead mortals back at any time. What does it matter if she expires?" Tallik asked.

"I am not in the mood for your games Tallik. Give me my powers back, and I promise I'll only prank you for revenge." Discord stated.

"First you must promise that your pet will be the only one you restore." The Eldar declared.

"She is not a pet you bastard! She is the galaxy's greatest hope!" Discord explained.

Tallik tilted his head. "The Equestrians will recover from her loss. And Kindness' succussor will soon be revealed. What does one Pony matter?"

Discord snarled...exhaled...and started laughing. "Hehehehehahahahaa...one Pony...one village...one planet...one species...it always comes down to the bigger picture...we never consider the smaller pieces...or that the picture falls apart without them."

Tallik raised his head in recognition. "You speak of the Necrontyr."

Discord ran his talon over Fluttershy's mane. "...How much suffering would've been prevented had we been kinder to them?..Fine. I swear on my immortal soul that I will not resurrect anypony or creature that has been killed in this war."

Gong!

Tallik was already gone when Discord snapped his fingers. It didn't matter, he would speak with an Orkish accent for the next thousand years. But Discord couldn't have cared less right now.

"Hhhrrrmmm..." Fluttershy moaned as she slept, her injuries gone without scars and her lost blood rapidly replenishing. She would awaken soon, but not before it ended.

---

Aries flexed the fingers of his recently reattached hand. The wonders of Equestrian magic never ceased to amaze him...though Celestia did state that if his arm hadn't been recovered, he would've required a cybernetic.

"The xenos are not retreating, they are regrouping. We need to recollect our forces and get ready for the next assault." Aries stated.

"I feared as much, their types never learn their lesson." Celestia grimaced.

"What lesson? Their losses were minimal. They gamble on being able to replace those losses with profits made from selling new slaves." Aries stated.

The Royal Sisters were taken aback. But sure enough, the majority of the slain attackers were the brainwashed creatures of the Everfree. Too few Equestrians had been able to cause lethal damage to their attackers during the initial ambush.

"...es...Aries!" The War Hound turned to find Shining Armor galloping towards him. "Aries! It was them! The Dark Eldar were the ones who attacked the Crystal Empire and destroyed my shield!"

The Royal Sisters were aghast, but Aries held a greater concern. "I trust there is more to this information than a demand for revenge."

"...They did it with one attack." Shining Armor clarified.

Aries understood the gravity of the situation immediately. His eyes went to the heavens, searching frantically for something he hoped he wouldn't see...yet it was there.

Aries did not see it in time, it made itself known when the nearby city of Cloudsdale vanished into steam from a series of explosions. While everypony stared horrified at the destruction, Aries stared with outrage beyond the fading steam to the sight of their deaths. A Dark Eldar Void Ship.

"They'll scatter us. The purpose of their first attack was to draw us into a tighter group, now they mean to decimate us and hunt the survivors at their leisure." Aries stated. His superhuman mind frantically searching for a way to turn this around...and finding none.

The ship was already repositioning itself to fire on Ponyville. Aries knew there was only one thing to do, and every fiber of his being cursed him for it. "SOUND THE RETREAT! WE NEED TO EVACUATE AS MANY AS WE CA-"

---

"...Belatrixx...was SLAIN!?" Clarissa screeched in outrage.

"We've captured her slayer mistress. We will bring her to your private chambers when we return." Said the Wych on the other line.

Clarissa was livid. A filthy Mon'Keigh dared to vanquish her best fighter. Her own flesh and blood! She didn't care if every single worthless beast on that miserable planet died in the bombardment, this one was hers, and her fate would be the worst possible. After Clarissa finished shattering her soul, she would toss the husk to the flesh covens and let them twist into the worst possible form. Oh yes, her suffering would be infamo-

---

Aries visibly reacted with shock, for what he saw would've caused most humans to pass out at the sheer impossibility of it.

One minute he was staring at the Dark Eldar vessel. The next, he was staring at the moon...in midday.

He turned his head to Luna, who was holding a hoof to her head and groaning in pain. "Oooh...I'm going to be feeling that for a week."

...is this what fear feels like? Aries thought to himself.

---

Greenskin knew that the battle wasn't over even before Cloudsdale perished, of course the Drukhari Gitz weren't finished yet...they hadn't won. And the thought of them losing without at least taking him back was just absurd.

...Almost as absurd as a Wierdboy throwing a moon at them...which is when Greenskin finally dared to believe. "...We...we won?"

His blank expression slowly turned to an ecstatic grin. "We won. WE WOOOON!!! TAKE DAT YOU DRUKHA- NO! YOU PANZEE GITZ!!! WE BEAT YOU!! WAAAAGH!!!!"

Greenskin jumped around and hooted and hollered. Swinging his cleaver over his head and smashing it into the ground. The nearby Dragons and liberated animals joined in the primal festivities. Letting out victorious roars and shooting flames into the sky.

The animals departed back into the Everfree Forest while the Dragons went deeper into Ponyville to find out what had happened and what they would do next. Greenskin moved to join them...when he noticed something.

Tirek, what once was Tirek and was now a ruined pile of meat, was still moving.

All of dat Choppin an burin an we still didn't hit da brain. Greenskin thought to himself as he readied his cleaver to put the Centaur out of its misery once and for all.

The movement came from a single leg, but the closer Greenskin got, the more he started to think that it wasn't Tirek moving it, but something under him.

Did he fall on a Wrak or sumfin? The Ork as he grabbed the twitching appendage and moved it aside.

Most would've jumped back in horror, but the Ork only let out an 'ah' of realization when he discovered living half-body of a Pegasus filly. "You'ze must be dat runt dat stole me Choppa an gave it tah Teerek."

The filly squirmed and screamed silently. Her vocal cords had been removed, possibly because Praxis was one of few haemonculi who preferred to work in silence.

Few were the Orks that were capable of pity, but Greenskin knew exactly what it felt like to be skinned alive. It had been done to him a few times in fact, it wasn't pleasant. "You'ze may ave been a good fer nuffin git, but ya didn't deserve dis."

Greenskin raised his cleaver to put the filly out of her misery...when something struck him in the head.

Orks have a high pain tolerance, and Greenskin's life in Commorragh had push that pain tolerance far beyond the norm, to the point that even Ghazghkull himself would cry out before Greenskin did. Thus, he only paused to scratch where he had been struck before raising his cleaver again.

Is this what you want? Greenskin recognized that voice. It was the Spirit of Harmony. He followed it to an object on the ground in the shape of a pink butterfly. "Hmm, wut dat mean?"

Do you truly wish to kill this filly? The voice clarified.

"Huh? Um, well, not really. But what else can I do?" The Ork asked the voice within the strange object.

Do you wish to save her? Greenskin thought about it. He thought about things more often than most Orks. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this is what the Panzees wanted.

"...How?" The Ork asked.

Take this jewel in your hand. The spirit said to him.

Greenskin grabbed the pink butterfly, and remembered.

Before he was sold to the Kabal of the Shattered Soul, he had spent his youth in a cage in a room full of caged Orks. Human and Tau children would be brought before the Orks, and their parents would have to choose between subjecting their children to the lives of slaves in Commoragh, or feeding them to the Orks.

The Orks howled and roared in demand for the soft flesh and undeveloped bones that added the perfect crunch, but Greenskin didn't, because he knew this was what they wanted.

One day, when Greenskin had been given a humie girl, he had tried to protect her. This ultimately sealed his fate, and ensured he was sold to crueler masters. But the more he recalled that day, how the Panzees were furious with him, how the humie and her mother were shocked and grateful, and how even the other Orks were impressed that he turned an easy meal into a proper scrap with the Panzees, the more he realized that the best way to stick it to those gitz wasn't to put their victims out of their misery. It was to truly save them.

As he remembered this, the butterfly changed into the unmistakable maw of an Attack Squig. But not just any Attack Squig, but the sort commonly used by Runtherdz to herd around undisciplined grotz and snotz.

The Squig glowed the colors of a rainbow and emanated an aurora of the unmistakable bright green of waaagh energy.

Greenskin pointed the Squig shaped jewel towards the suffering filly and it unleashed a wave of energy. When the energy faded, the filly was whole and unharmed...but still laid upon the ground in a state of pure shock.

"Dere dere, it'z alroight. I'll take care ov ya."

Author's Notes:

The next chapter will be the last. So, I have concluded my first week of work, and found it tolerable. However, as it goes from 2pm to midnight, I'm going to have to save my writing for the weekend. So if I don't post the final chapter tomorrow, it'll be a whole week before I have time to write some more.

Luckily I have most of it in my head already, as it's mostly just setting up future stories and foreshadowing the wider plot of the saga. But for now, let's talk about this chapter.

Yes, as I foreshadowed all the way back in Chapter 8, Discord is an Old One who tried to lengthen the lives of the Necrontyr, thus violating whatever bullshit laws the Old Ones have which got him imprisoned and allowed him to survive the War In Heaven.

There is more to his backstory that involves the Cabal and the founding of Equestria, but I'll try to add that into the final chapter.

I know I kinda ended things a little fast, but the moon thing was just too funny to pass up.

And before anyone jumps down my throat about Greenskin only using one Element, Season 9 confirmed you don't need any Elements, you just have to believe which is the Orks' whole thing.

That's all I got, see you all next time.

Epilogue: A New Era

Hours after the assault on Ponyville, Aries attended a war meeting with the Royal Sisters, Twilight... and Discord. "Now that the crisis has been dealt with, I expect some answers from you regarding this 'Cabal' and its intent." Aries stated.

"I find their intent of little importance. These brigands encouraged the most vile creatures in the galaxy to besiege us in order to test our mettle. The deceased are still being rounded up and identified! THEY MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!!" Luna shouted. Only to wince in pain, as she was still feeling the migraine brought upon her by using the moon as a Power Maul.

"As much as I agree with you Luna, repaying the Cabal would be a little tricky...considering there is a literal God protecting them." Discord stated.

This got the room's attention. "A God?..like...a Chaos God!?" Twilight asked. Rightfully concerned.

"Oh no no no no, its Chegoragh, the Laughing God of the Eldar. He and I go way back." Discord explained.

"You know this being!?" Celestia inquired.

"Yes yes, I believe it would be easier and less time consuming if I simply explained where I came from. This would answer all your questions." The Draconequus stated.

The Ponies were definitely interested, though Aries was sceptical. "Try to keep it short." Aries demanded.

"Yes of course, I'll even drop this playful mask and speak seriously for the first time in millennia." Before anyone could question this statement, Discord transformed. Gone was the goofy comedic Draconequus. In its place hovered a levitating amphibious creature that had a look of sage like wisdom upon its face.

Confusion was the dominant emotion among the Equestrians. Aries however was too unfamiliar with Discord to separate this from the norm.

"Wu-what is this?" Celestia asked.

"This is my true form. The creature you are familiar with was merely a mask." The creature spoke without moving its mouth, its voice echoing from within the skulls of the listeners.

"If that is true then...you've been a part the Cabal before even coming to Equestria." Celestia deciphered.

"I was not merely a part of it. I founded it. Ten thousand years ago...but my story begins much further in the past than that...to the day I earned my name." Discord began.

"Millions of years ago, my species inherited the galaxy. We evolved beyond physical form, becoming no more than spirits capable of bending reality to our will. Back then, what is now known as the Warp was referred to as the Well of Souls. And we kept in perfect balance."

"All of this changed when we discovered a species called the Necrontyr. A technologically advanced race that evolved on a planet orbiting a dying sun. This left the race short lived, and no matter what advancements they made, they could not live longer than 40 years." Discord paused to let the Equestrians catch up. They were still reeling from the revelation that Discord was over 60 million years old.

"When our races discovered each other. The Necrontyr begged us to bend reality in order to legthen their lives, but my people refused, stating that our laws forbade such practices of power." As this, Twilight erupted.

"WHAT!? HOW COULD YOU BE SO COLD!?" The youngest Alicorn shouted.

"...My thoughts exactly. I did not understand why my people would not help them, they were no threat to us. And so I attempted to use my powers to aid them. My people intervened, imprisoned me, and named me Discord Bringer for threatening their order." This stunned all but Aries, for all who knew of Discord would never have suspected that was how he earned his name.

"In their outrage, the Necrontyr declared war on my people. Though we were victorious initially, the Necrontyr found false salvation in the form of beings more ancient than ourselves. Beings who promised them immortality, but deceived them into becoming little more than mindless automatons. These beings, the C'Tan, then used their slave army to try and conquer the galaxy." Discord explained.

"I assume that they failed, but what does any of this have to do with the Cabal?" Aries inquired while everyone else was reeling from the shock.

"Patience young Astartes, this has more to do with all your questions than you could possibly imagine. For you see, my people, in their shameless hypocrisy, broke the very laws that claimed I could not save the Necrontyr and created warrior races to fight against the C'Tan and their servants in a war of such magnitude, it devoured the entire galaxy...and birthed the Ruinous Powers." Discord explained.

Now, Aries joined in the shock. He was silent until Discord spoke again. "The war left my people and the C'Tan devastated. If any others of my race suvived, then they have fled this galaxy. In the C'Tan's weakened state, a select few Necrontyr managed to overcome their submission and gain control of their mindless kin, leading a revolt that ended with the C'Tan subjugated by their own slaves."

"...Well...good for them. I hope they found peace." Twilight stated.

"They slumbered for millions of years. With they and my race gone. The warriors my people created were left with neither their masters nor their foes and had only their instincts. These were the ancestors of the Orks and the Eldar." Discord explained.

"WHAT!?" Aries was grateful the more emotional Equestrians covered his own outburst. To know that the xenos shared the orgin story of the Legiones Astartes was disturbing to say the least.

"The Eldar inherited the galaxy we left behind, and learned how to manipulate the Warp in order to create their own Gods to keep the Ruinous Powers at bay. They eventually discovered me in my prison, but chose to leave me to my fate lest I contest their dominance." Discord continued.

"From what we read about the Dark Eldar, they were the norm of the old Aeldari Empire, so that isn't surprising." Twilight stated with disgust. Aries took note of how she 'read' of this, but decided it would wait...for now.

"Then you should also know that the fall of their empire birthed Slaanesh, who slaughtered all of their Gods...but for 3. Isha, Khaine, and Chegoragh. It is the latter's worshipers who set me free." Discord continued.

"And from there, you formed this Cabal. But you've yet to explain their intent." Aries stated.

"The Cabal was forged in the hopes that I could restore the galaxy. Chegoragh had a plan to restore the Well of Souls and dissipate the Chaos Gods, and the Cabal was a part of that plan. It consisted of many races, including Eldar and humans, we even recruited the Primarchs of the Alpha Legion into our ranks." Discord continued.

"You WHAT!? IS THE EMPEROR AWARE OF THIS!!?" Aries shouted. He was aware of rogue Astartes being a part of this, but Primarchs!?...and why did he make it sound like the Alpha Legion had more than one?

"He is. In fact, the Emperor himself was offered membership. But he refused to abandon humanity...and I refused to let him forget the irony when I learned of how he treated your father." Discord stated.

Aries attempted to comment, but found he had nothing to say. Discord continued. "After the events of the Horus Heresy, Chegoragh came to me. He revealed unto me a planet held within the Eye of the Warp, untouched by the taint of Chaos: Equestria."

"So, what Aries told us is true. We're...Daemons?" Twilight asked.

"No, but Alicorns can be considered Daemon Princes of Harmony." Discord clarified.

"Okay, so it's not everypony, just...us." Twilight and the other Alicorns had a slight existential crisis while Discord continued.

"Chegoragh told me that he foresaw a race born of this world being a crucial part in his plans to dispel Chaos and restore Harmony. With this in mind, I was tasked with ensuring that the races of this world would pool the long forgotten ideals opposite the Ruinous Powers into a new Warp Entity: The Spirit of Harmony."

"From what I've been told of the Spirit, it was born from a seed planted by the Pillars of Equestria. Are you the one who gave them this seed?" Aries asked.

"I put it in their path and let them make of it what they wished. What they believed to be a seed was given to me by Chegoragh. It was a tear of Isha, an Eldar Goddess who cried out for her wayward subjects to remember what they had forgotten, lessons learned by the Ponies of Equestria and given form in the Spirit of Harmony...I suppose one could call her Isha's daughter." Discord stated.

"So the Spirit of Harmony is of Eldar origins...my heresy deepens." Aries lamented.

"You are already aware that the Imperium and the Eldar are at a truce. Such drama is for other times." Discord quipped. Aries stared daggers at him through his helm while the Alicorns recovered.

"So...they are trying to...help us?" Celestia questioned. Luna remained disgusted by the thought and Twilight was still trying to wrap her head around it.

"It is you who will help them...they and all the galaxy, and while I am as displeased as you at what has happened here...I do understand that perhaps, I should've been willing to push you harder than I was. If I had, Ponies would've died...but far fewer than this." The ancient being lamented.

At last, Twilight returned to her senses. "If you had done that, I don't think we could've stayed friends afterwards...maybe this was for the best."

Even Aries couldn't hide his shock at what Twilight had just said, but Luna was most vocal. "WHAT!? YOU CALL THE SLAUGHTER OF OUR SUBJECTS FOR THE BEST!?"

"NO! OF COURSE NOT!..but...we got lucky with the Awakening. We were supposed to be attacked by an army of Space Marines. Instead, we only fought three. If we had fought that army...even with the defenses we had today...they would've killed us all." Twilight lowered her ears in grim acceptance of reality.

"B-but we learned from the Awakening! We were preparing ourselves for the next attack! It didn't have to come this early!" Luna argued.

Aries and Twilight both fixed her with a look. "Villains don't wait until we're ready Luna. We thought we had time, but we're out of time. That's what the Cabal were trying to tell us. We're not getting ready for war...we're at war."

"She is right. I have accepted your conditions of only recruiting volunteers because I cannot train the force we need alone. But now that the PDF houses the veterans of numerous engagements, promotions will be given out to exemplary members, and they will be tasked with training more warriors. And unless the numbers of volunteers jumps dramatically, we will need...a draft." Aries added.

Both Royal Sisters were stunned by the thought of forcing Ponies to fight, but at last the rude awakening the Cabal had given them had sank in. If they continued as they were, they would all die.

---

As the meeting went on, so too did rebuilding. The bodies had been given precedence, but with over 700 slain, there had barely been enough time to identify them all, let alone bury them.

Few creatures dared to approach the pile of bandage-wrapped bodies, those few that did were seeking to learn what names to write on the gravestones. But without family members who were willing to examine the corpses, and with the doctors who were forced to double as morticians having to take regular breaks to lose their lunch and gather their wits, they had barely identified 80.

Little headway had been made in repairing the damage done to Ponyville, and the wreckage of the Dark Eldar vehicles still scarred the plains just beyond the town.

The Dragons had piled up the dead Drukhari and burned them, jeering and cursing their slain foes. This would normally be seen as barbaric by most Ponies, but many Ponies, Hyppogriffs, Changelings and others gathered beside the Dragons to scream their outrage at the burning corpses. Most demanded that they return their loved ones to life.

In the midst of all of this, Fluttershy was returning to her Sanctuary. Unlike the Awakening, the Dark Eldar had not left her home unscathed. Many of the larger animals had been killed by the maddened predators and Wraks, though most of the smaller animals had survived.

The familiar boing boing of Angel came to her. The thought of Angel impatiently demanding his food came unbidden to her mind, and she Stared at the rabbit without thinking about it.

"ANGEL IF YO-" She stopped when she realized that Angel wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were drifting from place to place, and his ears dragged on the ground.

The rabbit bumbed into her and their eyes met. Angel had been crying, he only ever cried when he was hurt, and there wasn't a mark on him. ...Hairy...Frankie...Dave...Xavier...they...they're...

Fluttershy lost it. She took the bunny in her hooves and cried into him. Any other day, Angel would've violently protested, but today he cried with her.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed in that spot, lamenting the loss of their friends, but eventually, Angel's stomach growled, and Fluttershy realized that he didn't care that he was hungry.

Letting Angel starve himself
wasn't going to bring anycreature back, and he was far from the only animal that needed tending to, so Fluttershy put the bunny on her back, dried her eyes, and kept moving forward.

When she had nearly made it to the Food Pantry, she realized Greenskin was back by his tree. Her heart sank. Discord had told her that Greenskin was alright, but she had hoped that since they had beaten the Dark Eldar, he wouldn't have regressed.

She started to go to him but paused. What could she say that he would believe? She had finally convinced him that he was safe, and then she was proven wrong. She was thinking of a way to apologize to the Ork...when she finally noticed something.

Yes, Greenskin was sitting under the shade of the same tree she had first found him under, but he wasn't lying against it, he was facing it. And seemed to be talking to something in a quiet tone.

Fluttershy used her wings to hover over to him as quietly as possible, and was completely blown away by what she saw.

Cozy Glow, the image of the villainous filly's flayed front half dangling from Tirek had been burned into her mind, and yet the only proof of this horrible fate was the look of pure shock on the healthy filly's face while Greenskin tried to get her to eat a cookie.

The Ork noticed her and stood up with a relieved smile. "Ah, dere ya are boss. Can ya show me how ta do dis roight? I kan't get'er ta eet."

Fluttershy was absolutely flabbergasted. Her eyes went from Greenskin to Cozy Glow and back. "But-she-I saw-she was..."

Her reaction confused Greenskin before he realized what had her so freaked out. "Oh, you'ze wunderin' how she got'er skin back. Dat waz me. I fixed'er."

As he said this, the Ork showed Fluttershy a jewel...or so she thought. But not only did the color seem familiar, it shined with all the colors of the rainbow and radiated an all too familiar magic. "You...you have the Element of Kindness."

"Koindness? Wut dat?" The Ork asked.

Fluttershy took a moment to process this. "Um...well uh...K-kindness is when...you do nice things because...they're nice things?" She knew the more complex answer by heart, but this was the best simple explanation she could come up with for the Ork.

"Ah, so troyin ta 'elp fingz dat 'ave been 'urt wiffout sayin' dey owe'ya sumfin. Not exactly Orky but...I fink it'z good." Greenskin stated.

"...so do I." Fluttershy smiled.

"So, fink ya kan figah dis out? You'ze a bettah Runtherd dan me." Greenskin complimented.

Runtherd Fluttershy remembered that title from the Codex. The story of Zodgrodd Wortsnagga and his Soopa Runtz had given Fluttershy some slight hope that Greenskin might not turn out so bad, but the fact that most Runtherdz had a slave master's mentality, and were mostly older Orks had kept Fluttershy and her friends from introducing the idea of becoming one to Greenskin.

While allowing herself a moment of gratitude that Greenskin had become the best possible Ork, she also pondered what to do with Cozy Glow. "Well, Orks are far more resilient than Ponies Greenskin. In fact, only the cruelest and most patient of Dark Eldar can...hurt you like that. But it wouldn't take nearly as long to do such a thing to Ponies, and...she may never come back. It's only been a month since I started taking care of you...you really are strong for coming back so quickly. But Cozy Glow...she may be gone for good."

"So you don't know ow tah get'er tah eet eithah...oh well, plan B." Before Fluttershy could question him, Greenskin opened the shocked filly's mouth, crushed the cookie in his hand, and dumped the crumbs in her mouth while massaging her throat to make her swallow.

While Cozy Glow remained unresponsive to the display, Fluttershy could only stare with her mouth hanging open. She never would've considered force feeding somecreature...but the more she thought about it, the more she realized Greenskin might be exactly what Cozy Glow would need to get through this. As for what would become of the filly when she regained her sanity, Fluttershy would have to discuss this with Twilight.

---

Two weeks had passed, the bodies had been buried, the buildings had been rebuilt, but so much remained to be done.

The Yaks had been left leaderless, and the Changelings had been reduced to a tenth of their former numbers and had lost their home. While these were the most pressing issues, they were far from the only ones that Celestia planned to address.

Canterlot held countless creatures within its court, all waiting to hear the Eldest Alicorn's advice. Celestia had never felt so uncertain before a speech, but knew better than to show it. "I wish I could tell you that these trying times were over, but in truth, they have only just begun. We had learned from the Awakening that we would need to adapt in order to survive, but we did not do so fast enough, and many innocent creatures paid the price for our hesitation. To this end, I'm afraid even more power and authority will be granted to Aries. Including...the right to force creatures to serve in the Planetary Defense Force."

Many gasps of shock and frightful murmurs rippled through the Ponies, Hyppogriffs, and Griffins, but the Changelings, Yaks and Dragons were unmoved...if not pleased.

"Regarding his intentions, the War Hound himself will now address you." Celestia stepped from the center of her balcony overlooking Canterlot and allowed Aries to take her place.

The crowd below stared with looks ranging from gratitude to ourage, Aries had expected as much, and knew exactly how to respond. "The current of our defenses is unacceptable. Half of the forces that accompanied me to the Changeling Hive fled in cowardice and sowed fear amongst the populace upon their return. And when we were outflanked by our foes, what few of you had the courage to fight back were incapable of causing adequate damage."

"While our engineers are hard at work providing more adequate weapons, we need warriors to wield them. 200 from each race...as a start." Aries concluded.

The mutterings of the masses returned, but were stunned silent when suddenly, a bright flash of light erupted from the crowd.

Aries leapt from the balcony onto the court of Canterlot, believing this to be another attack. But this suspicion was quickly put to rest when saw the Ponies of Equestria treating the scene with familiarity...and also with shock.

Ponies parted from where the flash had emitted, hooves upon their muzzles, as whatever had been at the center of the flash made its way to Aries.

Aries strode towards it as well, meeting it in the midst of the crowd, and found himself staring down at an Earth Pony colt.

The foal was the least intimidating creature he had ever seen. Smaller than the Cutie Mark Crusaders and baring a white and brown coat that appeared natural to equines. But the look in this creature's eyes were eerily familiar. Aries himself had stared into the skull-shaped helm of a World Eater Chaplain with those very same eyes when was 11 years old.

"I'm joining the Planetary Defense Force." The colt said as if he were Aries' commanding officer.

"Who are you?" Aries asked the colt. "Pipsqueak sir." Came the answer.

"Hmph, you have more courage than most of your kind, but what makes you think a child like you is capable?" Aries asked. He knew that Celestia would never permit a foal to enter his ranks, and indeed, she was flying down to them as Aries spoke. But before the ruler of Equestria could address the matter in any way, Pipsqueak turned to the side.

Celestia's face mirrored that of her subjects as Aries finally realized what magical flash had emitted from this boy. He had received his Cutie Mark, and it was the mark of the War Hounds.

---

Behind the planet's sun floated an alien construct, a Webway Gate of such massive size that it allowed entire Craftworlds to pass through. It is through this gate that the few surviving Drukhari made their way home.

The last 8 Wyches of the Cult of the Crimson Claws dreaded what would become of them. Not only had they lost their leader and the majority of their sisters, but their allies of convenience were in equally dire straits, and they were the only ones with anything resembling a prize.

That creature that killed Belatrixx was strong. It spite of the preemptive punishment the Wyches inflicted on her, she still had the strength to scowl and make death threats to her captors. If the Wyches survived their journey back to the Dark City, then there was no doubt that this 'Chrysalis' would buy their way into a new Cult...in the Arenas.

Author's Notes:

And so it ends, we have one more Volume taking place in Equestria before the story moves into the galaxy proper...but that's going on the back burner for a minute. I'll explain why after I explain this chapter.

All in all, this Volume took a lot of twists and turns. I had a lot of ideas I didn't get to put into motion. One of the biggest was getting an Equestrian Strike Team on the Drukhari ship and getting a much darker picture of what losing this war would've entailed.

I had a really dark scene planned where Twilight and Aries encounter a room of Equestrians strung up like Ocellus and Twilight almost killed herself to save one (which would've been Cozy Glow before I scrapped the idea) before trying to save another only for Aries to kill them all and scolding Twilight for almost killing herself for nothing as rescuing the most innocent would only leave them stranded in a Drukhari vessel without Twilight to protect them.

I also wanted to put Belatrixx against Rarity, but dropped the idea in favor of using her as a plot point to put Chrysalis in her current predicament. If the original plan had gone through, it would've ended with Belatrixx being taken alive and turned to stone after Rarity in a potato sack and ruined her hair out of spite(Aries would've noted that destroying one's in such a manner would even grievance an Astartes more than death or pain)

All in all, the final product is very different from what I envisioned, but the important stuff is still there.

I'm going to reword the reveal that Discord's an Old One in the previous chapter so it's not as in your face. I should've dropped the bomb here, but I got impatient, so here's hoping future readers have a better experience.

Cozy Glow is definitely have a longer journey than Greenskin...but I guarantee that none of you know where it's going to end.

Pipsqueak, I'm kinda pissed that for all the new characters that only appeared in one episode, the CMCs never helped Pipsqueak find his Cutie Mark, but whatever. I fixed it.

And last but not least, Chrysalis...in Commoragh. That is going to be the title for Vol.5 which will consist entirely of what she has gone through during the events of Volumes 3 and 4...but it's going to be awhile before I get there...which brings me back to putting this on the back burner.

I have been employed for all of two weeks. It's easy work, it's good money...and it's boring as hell.

Beggars can't be choosers, and I'm definitely glad I got some income and I'm not living at a Trade School or with my mother anymore, but I want to be a chooser. And in order to do that: I'm taking off my floaties and diving into the deep end...I am writing an original Dark Fantasy novel.

Not only that, but I made a friend in Job Corps whose an aspiring artist who expressed willingness to turn my novel into a Manga after I write it.

So yeah, sorry guys, but it took all my patience to finish this Volume before committing myself to this next step. And while I do intend to come back, it's gonna be awhile.

Parting is such sweet sorrow. I have gone through a lot while writing this thing, and I wouldn't take back a minute of it. I look forward to the day I return to this story with Vol.3. I'll see you all then.