As written, an Alternate Heresy...but with ponies.
Hope for unity was burnt to ash in the fires of the Lion's Heresy, yet the Maidens of the Imperium would not yield to the Arch-Betrayer's malice so easily. But hope and determination can only get you so far, For in the Grim Darkness of the far future...There is only War...
The Maidens: brightest and most benevolent of the Emperor's Champions. The light that they brought to the Galaxy has persisted long after they faded into myth. And though the unity they brought to the stars was shattered by the ambitions of the Arch-Betrayer, the hope for a brighter future that they instilled in the hearts of humanity and it's allies continues to burn bright in the darkness of the 41st millennium...
So little is known of the Emperor of Mankind, but far less is known of his greatest allies: The Maidens.
For ten thousand years, humanity has forever pondered when, where, and how these benevolent beings came to shine their light upon infant Terra.
The truth of their meeting has been revealed. It is now known that some time during the Dark Age of Technology, the man who would become the Emperor had travelled with several of His fellow Perpetuals, including Alivia Sureka, to the world of Molech, a Knight World only a few light years distant from Terra, in a one-way spacecraft.
Sureka watched as the Emperor entered a secret Warp Gate present on Molech, where He bargained with the powers of the Immaterium to gain new abilities and knowledge, including most likely the techniques needed to create the Primarchs.
He fell to his knees as a vision came upon Him. A vision of his sons: the Primarchs, turning against Him.
In one timeline, nine would turn. In another, only 6. But in every timeline, He would be laid low by the instigator of the rebellion: Horus, Dorn, Fulgrim, Sanguinius, all of them. There wasn't a single timeline where all of his sons remained loyal.
...If you would show me this, am I to assume you know how to stop it? The Emperor of Mankind asked of the apparition that gave him the vision, and then manifested itself in the form of a winged and horned equine.
To Sureka's shock, the Emperor would not return alone.
So little is known of them, these apparently equine creatures that reshaped themselves, to a genetic level, as human females and helped the Emperor conquer holy Terra.
These nine women are who we know today as the Maidens, or the 'Brides of The Emperor' if one believes the more fantastic stories about them.
What is known is that the Maidens returned to Terra with the Emperor. And when Terra was consumed by the Age of Strife, the Emperor and his Brides lit humanity's path through the darkness.
The Emperor himself is known to have said that through their aid, the Unification Wars were won 'twice as fast with half the blood' than what he would've been capable of on his own.
Yet, the true aid of the Maidens would not come through their own efforts, but through those of their sons.
Remembrancers have speculated for millennia the reasons for which the Emperor did not use the Maidens' genetics for every Primarch, perhaps he foresaw that the nine chosen would need it the most, but whatever the reason, each Maiden is known to be the 'Mother' of a single Primarch.
They shall be my sons, and in them will live the hopes of a unified humanity. Theirs will be the strength to prevail, not only when victory lies within easy reach, but even when it seems unattainable, when doom settles like a shroud all about. In those times of darkness, my noble sons will shine the brightest of all.
However, even with every precaution the Emperor took to prevent the worst from happening, The Ruinous Powers of Chaos somehow spirited the superhuman children away through the Warp, leaving them scattered across the galaxy.
The gestation capsules containing the Emperor's unborn sons were scattered through the Warp to human colony planets long since lost to Mankind during the Age of Strife.
It may have been at this time, when first touched by the hand of Chaos, that the first seeds of corruption were laid in the breasts of those Primarchs who would eventually turn Traitor to the Emperor and His Imperium.
This was a massive setback to the Emperor's plans. He had counted on His superhuman generals to lead his army of conquest out from Terra. Without them, His plans, so many millennia in the making, rested on a knife's edge. He needed an edge, something to give Mankind an advantage as they struck out against a very hostile galaxy once more.
Despite this terrible setback, the Emperor was nothing if not adaptive, and He quickly developed another solution. Using the remaining samples of genetic material from each of His lost Primarchs, the Emperor crafted the first Astartes gene-seed, stem cell zygotes from which could be cultured genetically-engineered organs that, when implanted within a normal, adolescent human male host, would allow that man to take on many of the physical and mental properties possessed by each Primarch.
The Emperor implanted these organs into His bravest, strongest, and best human warriors whom He intended to stand by His side as the vanguard of the Great Crusade. Thus were born the Legiones Astartes, the Space Marines, and they would reconquer the galaxy for humanity at the command of the Master of Mankind.
They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them and in the furnace of war I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armour I shall clad them and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines...and they shall know no fear.
Although an Astartes warrior was but a pale copy of his Primarch sire, the technique of implanting human beings with extra organs allowed for a certain degree of "mass-production," and where the Emperor's 20 superhuman sons had been centuries in the making, thousands of Astartes could now be engineered and trained in the matter of a single Terran decade. These techniques provided the Emperor with the required numbers of warriors to successfully launch the Great Crusade in ca. 798.M30.
During the earliest years of the Great Crusade, the more psychically gifted Maidens claimed that they 'felt' something. Something that they described as a calling.
The strongest of these callings was the one felt by Celestia. So strong was it's pull that she could determine it's source to lie on a planet near the Sol System.
And so, the Emperor chose to permit the Maiden to investigate with the Astartes born from her son to protect her if needed.
Celestia walked in the direction dictated by the strange feeling, flanked only by two Legionnaires of the XVIth. It warmed her heart to know the entire legion had wished to follow her, but she had instructed them to bring the Imperial Truth to Cthonia.
She found herself in a catacomb, and not long after entering she could hear a fight in the distance.
Nearly outpacing her bodyguards in her sprint, she found the source of the noise to be a gang of Techno-Barbarians trying to slay a woman and child protected by-
Celestia let out a shocked gasp at the sight of the boy. Though a preteen in appearance he towered over all but the largest of his opponents.
Her gasp had alerted the Barbarians to her presence, and whether it was the raised bolters of her guardians, or her angelic presence, they chose to flee rather than fight.
The boy noticed her too. "Who...are you?" The boy asked. Looking upon the Maiden as someone he knew, yet didn't.
"You...you're my son, aren't you." Celestia said, nearly in tears.
"...Yes, I believe I am." The boy concluded.
The infant Imperium rejoiced at the news that the first Primarch: Horus Lupercal, had been reunited with his mother.
The Emperor gave Horus full control of his Legion, returning Celestia to her destined role as her son's advisor, and permitted the other Maidens capable of sensing their sons to seek them out at the head of their Legions: The Thousand Sons, Generosity's Gems, The Imperial Heralds, and the Night Guard.
Meanwhile, the other Maidens joined the Emperor, Horus and Celestia at his side, and began the conquest of the known galaxy.
One by one, planets were brought into compliance through negotiation, the trading of goods, and if it were deemed necessary, the strength of arms.
This not only included human worlds, but also the Xenos worlds. This has been the subject of great unrest and controversy among the Imperium, and to this day the argument persists on whether or not if simply discarding the Alien from the Imperium could've prevented what was to come.
Yet, the majority of these doubts would fall silent after the Triumph of Ullanor, the greatest Imperial victory of the Great Crusade.
It is at this great triumph that the Emperor, alongside the Imperium's greatest nonhuman ally: Eldrad Ulthran, revealed that they had begun construction of a Webway Gate upon Holy Terra.
The overseeing of the gate's construction was declared by the Emperor to be of such great importance as to require his undivided attention, and thus, he retired from the Great Crusade and named Horus as his Warmaster.
The Emperor allowed the applause to thunder for a moment longer before raising his hand in an order of silence. "Though the necessity of a Warmaster is needed for now, our triumph at Ullanor has proven beyond doubt that the Imperium's ultimate victory draws near."
Another cheer and applause came and went. "And thus, a possibility once inconceivable now confronts us. The day will soon come when the Astartes as they are will no longer be needed."
This was meant with slight cheering, mostly from the Emperor's Children and the Word Bearers, but all others did not know how to take the Emperor's words.
"And thus, the Space Marines must change, adapt to a life without war. This has been done for most of the Legion's already." The Emperor said before gesturing to the Legions and calling out their less bloody accomplishments.
"The Imperial Fists are the greatest builders. The World Eaters, for all their ferocity, are unmatched farmers. The Emperor's Children are artists beyond compare, and the Word Bearers have taught the Strength of Unity to all who are willing to listen." The named Legions voiced their gratitude for the Emperor's praise, some more than others, while those that had gone unnamed either accepted the Emperor's judgment or chanced a bitter glare of jealousy.
"And it is for this reason that while a Warmaster remains necessary...a Peacemaker is just as needed." Various reactions of agreement and concern echoed from this statement, and they only grew in intensity when the Emperor pointed out his chosen Peacemaker.
"You, Celestia, shall bear this title."
Celestia's and Horus' ascension made the third century of the Great Crusade it's brightest. Through the Peacemaker's guidance, the Blood Angels, Raven Guard, and White Scars found themselves feeling as though they belonged in an Imperium they served only to please their father.
Yet, even a golden age is not without it's tragedies.
Just a decade after the Triumph of Ullanor, members of the Night Lords Legion committed unforgivable crimes, resulting in Luna sentencing them to death.
The source of this madness was revealed to be a renegade named Gendor Skraivok, a descendent of Nostromo's criminal nobility.
Skraivok allowed his fellow descendents of the Sunless World's dethroned rulers to return to power, and drive the people to rebellion through fear of retribution.
Luna would attempt to end the matter as bloodlessly as possible...but this decision would cost her her life.
The death of a Maiden shook the Imperium to it's core, and there were none who argued the Night Haunter's decision to destroy Nostromo, but the damage had been done.
Skraivok would elude capture for nearly a century...until a far greater tragedy eclipsed Luna's death.
Terra was suddenly, spontaneously, besieged by the horrors of the Warp. Something had destroyed the psychic barrier surrounding the Segmentum Solar.
The cause was revealed to be Magnus and his mother, Starlight Glimmer, crying out for help in the only manner available to them. Leman Russ had gone mad...and Prospero was under siege.
The Emperor would have little time to process this information, for he received a communique from Robute Guilliman stating that the Ultramar System had been engulfed by rebellion and madness.
Having already moved to send aid to Prospero, he now sent near-equal forces to quell the rebellion of the 500 worlds.
Having sent 6 Legions to Ultramar, and 7 to Prospero, those who knew of these tragedies expected them to be ended swiftly...but it was not to be.
As the Legions sent to Ultramar approached their query, a great Warpstorm manifested around the 500 worlds, trapping the Word Bearers and World Eaters within...but the truest horror came to the Blood Angels, Alpha Legion, and the Raven Guard, who suffered the storm to be born right on top of them.
It was only for the timely intervention of the Sons of Horus that Sanguinius was spared the grim fate of being eaten alive by his maddened sons, consumed by the mutation known as the Red Thirst, but no salvation would come for Corvus Corax who, like his sons, was maddened and mutated beyond recognition.
As horrible a tragedy as the birth of the Ruinstorm was...it was nothing compared to Prospero.
One of our false brothers lies dead, two of the Alien Witches that have poisoned the Imperium with their lies have been purged, and the galaxy has bore witness to our great power.
Now, we will bring humanity's undisputed rule to the galaxy. We will vanquish the Alien, we will cleanse the Mutant, we will silence the Heretic, and we will tear the Maidens' puppet from it's throne. DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR!!!
Attributed to the Arch-Betrayer: Lion El Jonson
Following the horrendous slaughter that would be remembered forevermore as The Dropsite Massacre, the Imperium was torn asunder. The betrayal of the First Primarch and his cohorts: The Salamanders, The Iron Hands, and to the greatest despair of the Imperium: the Maiden-born Iron Warriors, ensured that a large portion of humanity would follow them into Damnation for fear of being on the losing side.
The war that followed, The Lion's Heresy, would see more blood spilt in 7 small years than in the 3 centuries the Imperium had fought for it's freedom and right to exist in a galaxy that despised it.
Heroes and villains would be revealed on both sides of the conflict, every Legion would have it's story to tell, and every story would reach it's climax on Holy Terra.
Whether it was Magnus avenging his mother's death at the claws of Leman Russ, Rarity avenging her son's death at the hands of the Gorgon, the fated rematches between Jaghatai Khan and Perturabo, and Mortarion and Vulkan, more would be settled than not before the XIIth and XVIIth returned from Ultramar.
Yet, the return of these Legions would do little to soften the final blow struck. As the returning Legions descended to Terra, the Lion would launch one final assault upon the Imperial Palace.
The Lion slowed his advance to the Palace's throne room as a formidable obstacle arrived to stand in his way.
"Hmph, I remember you being a bit prettier the last time we met brother." Horus spoke as he glared in disgust at the inhuman thing his brother had become.
"You are no more my brother than that witch that spawned you, xeno-blood." The Lion spoke with unfiltered hatred for the Warmaster.
"Funny you should mention her." Horus smiled as he spoke before Jonson was enveloped in flames.
Luther moved to attack Celestia as Horus moved to attack the Lion, and the prelude to the final battle began.
The duel between the Warmaster and the Arch-Betrayer was the greatest battle of the Heresy. It is said that the combatants sparred for days on end before it concluded.
Yet, the conclusion is spoken of with far less zeal than the fight itself. The Lion found an opportunity to break away from the Lupercal and mortally wound Celestia at the sacrifice of Luther. And in his desperation to save his mother, Horus left himself open to a fatal blow, and was swiftly slain.
Before the Lupercal's body even fell, The Emperor, drawn by the death of his favored son, rose from the Golden Throne and drew his blade against the Black Knight of Caliban.
Weakened by his time upon the Throne, and desperate to turn his son from this path, the Emperor found himself hard pressed to stand against the champion of Chaos that the Lion had become.
In the end, it took Celestia's sacrifice to spur the Emperor's hand to obliterate the Lion that he may never return from the Warp as Luther inevitably will.
The battle was won. The traitor Legions began their retreat, and the loyalists began to reclaim all that was lost in the Heresy.
The events that followed, known as the Great Scouring, saw every planet in the Imperium mercilessly cleansed of Chaotic Taint. And though the World Eaters tried their hardest, none were more relentless in this task than the Sons of Horus led by the grieving Mournivial.
Yet, the Imperium's losses did not end with Horus and his mother, for the Emperor's wounds saw him entombed upon the Golden Throne, where he has remained for ten thousand years.
In the millennia that passed, the Primarchs and the Maidens have all but vanished. Only one remains to the knowledge of the Imperium: Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers and son of Twilight Sparkle.
Yet, as the enemies of the Imperium close in around it in the form of traitors, Orks, Necrons, rogue Aeldari, the foul Drukhari, and the newly discovered Tyranids, the Aurelian can only wonder if the stability he has maintained and the recent compliance of the Tau Empire will be enough to endure the trials yet to come.
It is the 42nd Millennium, and there is only war, fought in cadence to the echoing laughter of thirsting Gods...
A thousand curses upon the Black Knight of Caliban. He who tore the Imperium asunder, halted the Great Crusade, and laid low the three suns of the Imperium.
Let all who hear the Lion's roar be taken not by fear for what may come, but by fury for what has been done.
The Dark Angels Traitor Legion is known and hated by all the galaxy as the champions of Chaos Undivided, and the sons of the Arch-Betrayer, Lion El'Jonson.
Yet, even as we purge their heresy from the galaxy they blight, one cannot help but wonder...how did it come to this?
The answer, as is mostly the case, lies within the Black Knight's upbringing.
During the event that isolated the infant Primarchs from the rest of the Imperium, Lion El'Jonson was cast to a hostile, feudal Death World infested with monstrous, Chaos-warped Great Beasts that was named Caliban by its inhabitants.
The humans of Caliban had regressed to a feudal state, yet still retained sufficient technology to produce armour similar in appearance, if not quality, to Imperial Power Armour and firearms similar to Bolt Pistols. Caliban was kept relatively safe from the Great Beasts by the Knightly Orders such as the Order and the Knights of Lupus.
The Lion was discovered as a feral child by the Knights of the Order, including the greatest man of the age, Sar Luther. Luther then named the boy Lion El'Jonson (meaning "Lion, Son of the Forest" in the Calibanite dialect of Low Gothic).
In a very short time after this, the Lion replaced Luther as the greatest man on Caliban and became the Grandmaster of the Order.
The Lion killed a great many of the death world's Great Beasts, including one of only two Calibanite Lions on the planet, the other being slain by the psyker and Supplicant of the Order, Zahariel El'Zurias, with the aid of the latent psychic ability later called, "terror sight," that allowed him to slow down the perception of time long enough for him to find an opening in the animal's defences.
During his career as a Knight of the Order, the Lion led a planet-wide crusade of all the Knightly Orders against the Calibanite beasts.
If not for Luther, this crusade could not have occurred, as his influence was required to persuade the other Orders to participate. During the course of this crusade, the beasts were nearly exterminated. However, one of Caliban's Knightly Orders, the Knights of Lupus, chose to oppose the Lion for fear that they would rendered obsolete if the beasts were annihilated.
The Lion would not tolerate such madness, and mobilized a vast army of knights and men-at-arms to conquer the Rogue Order's fortress. Once inside...any hope the Lion of showing his rivals mercy was obliterated.
Jonson all but snarled as the gate held on. He knew that all he needed to win this was to find their leader, Lord Sartana, and bring him to heel. There was no need for annihilation if he could still force compliance.
At last, the gate gave way. The Lion was the first one through...and the first one to see what waited for them.
The dreaded Beasts of the forests had been rounded up and caged. Hundreds of them snarled at the Lion and his followers, slamming themselves against their cages.
"NOW!!" Shouted the voice of Sartana. And by his order, the cages opened.
The lesser men of the Order backpedaled at the sight of the unexpected assault while the knights took up defensive positions. But the Lion...he strode forward, cutting down any beast that stood between him and his goal...and it wasn't compliance.
The Knights of Lupus had either hidden themselves away in tunnels or sought to attack the Order's flank while the beasts tore into their soldiery. The flanking maneuver may have worked, if not for Luther's valor.
Yet, Luther's efforts to ensure victory went unnoticed as Jonson seized it, slaying Sartana in his hideaway before doubling back to eradicate the remaining beasts.
Lion El'Jonson gave no praise when one did what was expected of them, a harsh mindset that would ultimately be the doom of the Imperium's golden age.
Eventually, a unit of the Emperor of Mankind's forwards scouts from the Ist Legion of Space Marines arrived at Caliban and identified the Lion as one of the Emperor's missing sons.
Jonson was immediately given command of the Ist Space Marine Legion when the Emperor realised he had not only found one of his lost sons, but the genetic father of the Astartes who had landed on Caliban.
Luther and the other members of the Order who passed the Legiones Astartes' trials were transformed into Ist Legion warriors, either as fully-fledged Astartes if they were young enough to undergo the implantation of the gene-seed organs, or through genetic manipulation to increase their physical abilities if they were too old for the process, like Luther.
After the new Astartes were ready, Jonson publicly re-named the First Legion the Dark Angels after an old Calibanite myth.
Luther, too old to be a Space Marine, was the first to be genetically modified and became Jonson's second in command, as he had been during the Calibanite crusade against the great beasts. Jonson then left with the Emperor and the newly re-named Dark Angels to continue the Great Crusade.
Due to the time they spent with each other on Caliban, the Emperor did not have the Lion reeducated on Terra, as was the norm, and thus, it would be some time before his first encounter with one of the Maidens.
It is known that the Emperor told his firstborn son of the nature of his supposed Brides, yet it is not known if the hatred he would later howl to the heavens was as present then as it was on Prospero.
"...Xenos?" The Lion said in shock. He had never said or heard the word before, yet he knew it's meaning, and he had just been told that he was to see them as allies.
I understand your hesitation my son, but they have proven themselves, as have their sons. The Emperor spoke.
Jonson had to remind himself that those 'sons' were his brothers. The thought wasn't pleasant. Yet, he chose to trust the Emperor. "They are but Advisors, yes? To the Primarchs born from them?"
Your interactions with them will be few and far between. They will have no power over you.
The Lion nodded curtly. "Very well, I will endeavour to avoid conflict with them, and focus on my own tasks."
Complying with the Emperor's decision to ally with xenos, the Lion nonetheless refused, when at all possible, to associate with the nonhuman. Thus, of the available missions he could've participated in, he always chose complaince missions with human worlds. The Ist Legion soon rivaled the Emperor's Children's record of compliances...until Sarosh.
Sarosh had been negotiating with the Imperium for some time, but was lethargic in its attempts at imperial compliance, citing a cumbersome bureaucratic system.
The Lion decided to intervene and hasten compliance, as the world possessed relatively advanced technology and was rich in natural resources.
The delegation from the planet came aboard the Lion's flagship, The Invincible Reason, and negotiations were proceeding smoothly.
However, it was all a treacherous ploy. The Saroshi had no intention of joining the Imperium, and used the conference with the Primarch to enact an assassination attempt, and deal the Imperium a devastating blow.
An atomic warhead had been brought aboard the Invincible Reason by the same shuttle that carried the delegates, and it was only for Luther's discovering it that the plan was thwarted.
Luther made his way to the Lion's quarters with a professional's haste, careful not to let his excitement show.
Jonson had personally executed the Saroshi delegates, and ordered a vengeful conquest of the planet below. Luther had been set to join the crusade when word reached him that the Lion sought his audience.
At last. Sar Luther thought to himself. I have finally achieved beyond his expectations.
Luther came to Jonson's quarters and let himself in, as he was expected, and found the Lion's back facing him.
"You wished to see me my lord?" Luther said as more of a statement than a question...he had always hated referring to his adopted son as his 'lord', but now that he had that lord's respect, the pill was far less bitter.
The Lion turned to Luther...and his hopefulness died in the Primarch's wrathful eyes. "...How long were the delegates stalling...how many hours passed before their treachery was revealed...how long did your weakness blind you?"
"W-weakness!? I-I reported it the minute I found it!?" Luther defended himself.
"Are you so foolish as to not remember by whose orders you were sent to investigate that craft? Or were you too busy sulking that I had dismissed you from the conference after I began to suspect the Saroshis' intent?" The Lion asked of his second-in-command.
Luther's words caught in his throat. He had indeed taken his task poorly, seeing it as Jonson underappreciating him yet again, and when he discovered the bomb in that state of mind, the desire to leave the Primarch to his fate, and inherit the Legion after his death, proved almost too strong to resist.
"...Buh-but I went back... I stopped it...I SAVED YOU!!!" Luther shouted.
The augmented human was on the ground before his mind registered Jonson's hand colliding with his face. "Because Zahariel talked sense into you. The fact that you've shown that you are able to repent is the only reason you're still alive...and the fact that he saved you from yourself rather than warning me directly of the danger is why Zahariel will share in your repentance." The Lion said as Luther picked himself up.
He wanted to shout, strike back, remind his ungrateful son of all he had done for him, how little he was repaid, what drove him to his doubt in the first place... but he knew that such words would be his death. "...Wuh-what are your orders...my lord..."
"Until such a time as you prove that I may trust you again, you are to return to Caliban and oversee the training of new legionnaires. You are to take Zahariel, and all others who knew of your hesitation and failed to report it with you. Am I understood?" The Lion's fingers, ever so slightly, curved around his sheathed blade.
"...Yes...my lord."
Sarosh was purged in holy fire, and later resettled by Imperial colonists, and Luther returned to Caliban on his Primarch's orders...it is believed unanimously, that Sarosh was the final hope for Sar Luther...and hope was denied.
In the decades following the Sarosh incident, the Lion brought thousands of worlds into the Imperium by war and diplomacy alike, though he notably turned away from any diplomatic mission with agreeable Xenos.
It is believed that the Lion was passively seeking to disprove the ideals of the Maidens, and turn the Emperor's ear away from them...there are some who ponder whether or not if we would be better off had he succeeded.
The Dark Angels were unable to participate in the monumental Ullanor Crusade, as they were preoccupied with other campaigns. However, the Lion nonetheless sent representatives to the subsequent Triumph...The news they brought back with them troubled the Primarch deeply.
Jonson could understand Horus' accent to Warmaster in the Emperor's absence, albeit jealously, but Celestia's ascension to Peacemaker... And the power given with her title, power over him...
The Lion retreated to his quarters and was not seen for days. When he returned, he sent a message of congratulations to his brother, and redirected his Legion's attention to the outer edge of known space.
Years later, the inevitable came and the Ist Legion personally discovered an empire of humans allied with xenos. And despite the Lion's wish for open hostility, they were willing to integrate with the Imperium.
Jonson made no attempt to hide his frustration as the Gordian League awaited reply. "...shall we open fire my lord?" Asked Paladin Corswain: one of the Lion's honor guard.
The Lion pondered it. Theirs was the only Legion out this far, they could easily make up any story they wished.
"...No. Inform the Gordian League that we are not the party they will negotiate with and contact the nearest Maiden-Born Legion. We are leaving.
The Dark Angels reported the existence of the Gordian League to the Word Bearers, and left the situation in their capable hands. Twilight Sparkle sent transmissions of thanks to the Lion, but he had no interest in her praise. He had done the Emperor's will.
The Gordian League and their Shield Worlds have proven themselves to be a great Boone to the Imperium, especially when the Shield World technology was brought to Cadia, and to this day is a great and terrible reminder of what could've been.
The Dark Angels continued to expand the Imperium's borders for three years after the compliance of the Gordian League. But then, Caliban contacted the Lion...with news of betrayal.
Jonson didn't even wait for his ship to land, he and his honor guard teleported to the fortress of Aldurukh and made all haste to the throne room where they knew Luther would be waiting.
My own sons?...Traitors? The warning played through Jonson's mind over and over again.
When Luther was questioned over the vox network, he advised that he and the Primarch speak personally to avoid prying ears.
Lion El'Jonson threw open the doors to the throne room, expecting Luther to try and spout excuses for how it wasn't his fault or responsibility...but he hadn't expected the horror that awaited him...and the Imperium as a whole.
During his years of exile, Sar Luther had been singled out by the Ruinous Powers, and twisted into something unholy.
Through Luther, the entirety of Caliban and it's transhuman inhabitants became devoted servants of Chaos Undivided, the loyalist elements either being killed off or, in the final moments of the brief war, cast into the immaterium through sorcery.
The final loyal Dark Angels on Caliban sought to warn their father, but the warning was brief and unclear.
Luther was rewarded for his part to play in the Grand Scheme, the greatest of the First Traitor's rewards was a pact with a powerful independent Daemon known as Drach'nyen, which now takes the form of a reality-rending greatsword.
It was with this sword, his traitorous warband, and the power given to him by thirsting gods that Luther lured the first Primarch into a trap. Isolating him from his Legion but for his honor guard, and dueling him in isolation whilst his fellow Traitor, the Astartes formally known as Zahariel and now known and despised by the whole of the galaxy as Lord Cypher, used his connection to the Warp to overwhelm the Lion's honor guard with Daemons.
The Lion fought with all the honor and valor befitting a Primarch, but though he managed to injure Luther, one of his hearts was pierced by the Daemonic blade.
The Lion fell into a death-like sleep, and Lord Cypher was the only one present to tend to him as he wished. Lord Cypher would feign innocence and turn the injured Primarch over to the Chief Apothecary, whilst Luther was held prisoner until he could be executed by the Lion's own hand. But though Cypher was incapable of tending to the Lion further...the damage had been done.
In his mind, Jonson scratched and tore at the wound in his chest. He had seen the sword that pierced his transform into some foul mist. He had seen the mist poison his body while Cypher replaced the evil blade with Luther's Power Sword.
He tried with all his soul to remove the corruption in his system, made even harder by the visions he knew to be lies, but his sons saw the wounds he was inflicting upon himself as he slept and closed his wounds before the mist could bleed from him.
Yet still he fought. For seven days And seven nights, the Lion fought to remain pure...but on the eighth day...he looked.
He saw the Emperor barter with the Maidens' patron deity, in order to prevent what would've been.
The Maiden-Born would betray humanity, the Emperor would be injured by Horus...and Lion El'Jonson would take over the Imperium.
Under his leadership, the Traitor Legions would be hunted down and destroyed, the Dark Gods would starve and die out, the galaxy would belong to humanity. And when the time came that the Imperium advanced enough in medicinal practices to revive the Emperor, he would leave the Imperium in Jonson's care and retire.
That is what was meant to be, but the Spirit of Harmony intervened.
The Spirit saw the slaughter of all races but Man as abhorrent barbarity, and sought to change it. She convinced the Emperor that she knew how to ensure the Horus Heresy would never happen. The Emperor, wishing to save his favoured son, opened his mind to the False God. And when he did...she destroyed him.
The being that emerged from the Warp with the Maidens in tow was not the Emperor, but a puppet made to ensure that the Imperium would be merciful to the inhuman.
The realization of this treachery drove the Lion into madness. He demanded vengeance for his Father. Against the Maidens, against their wretched traitorous sons, against the alien filth and the weaklings that tolerate them, and above all else...he demanded vengeance against the False Emperor.
The Lion died in mind, body, and soul...and the Black Knight of Caliban was born.
Luther started when he heard his cell door open. The sudden movement sent a spike of pain through him, for the Dark Angels had done as little as needed to keep him alive until Jonson could pass judgment.
"Get out." Ordered the Chaplain that had opened his cell. Luther obeyed without argument...the Chaplain struck him to the ground regardless.
Luther returned to his feet with barely a snarl of anger, and was escorted to the Lion.
Luther was brought before the awakened Primarch and forced to kneel before him. "...Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Luther smiled at his adopted son. "I only did what was necessary...and you know it."
The Dark Angels that bore witness shifted and clenched their fists as they did everything they could not to slay the traitor themselves...but the Lion merely sighed. "Yes, you did."
Jonson raised his sword and, to the shock of all, cut Luther's bindings. "You all have questions, and I will answer them in time, but for now, I must speak with my second-in-command privately on matters only just brought to my attention."
Loyal to the core, the confused Astartes obeyed their father's word. None of them even looked back...if they had, they would've seen the dark eldritch mist that poured from the Lion and returned to Luther.
Immediately following his private conversation with Luther. The Lion announced a full pardon for his betrayal and gave an explanation to the Deathwing and Ravenwing, who would pass it on to trusted individuals at a slow pace. The planting of the Heresy's seeds was a slow process.
Whilst the inner circle of the Dark Angels saw to the corruption of their brothers, the Lion looked to his own brothers for potential allies.
He first thought of the Angel, Sanguinius, but had come to learn that during his coma, the father of the Blood Angels confessed the source of his mistrust and secrecy: a mutation within his Geneseed known as the Red Thirst.
His confession was met with forgiveness and sympathy, and apothecaries of the Death Guard requesting to study the mutation that they may find a cure.
The Maidens had sank their deceptive claws deep into Sanguinius while the Lion slept. Any attempt of turning his trust away without giving away his heretical intent was treated as a poor joke.
The Angel was lost, but there were others who had already seen the glimpses of the truth.
The whispers of the Dark Gods guided the Black Knight of Caliban to discover seeds already planted prior to his own fall. Chief among them being Ferrus Manus, who had come into possession of a Daemonically possessed sword during the purge of the Laer, and fallen to the temptations of Slaanesh.
The Gorgon was going mad with his inability to reach perfection in spite of the countless augmentations he and his sons made to themselves, and Jonson easily swayed him to his way of thinking by promising a means of reaching his perfection. As he did, Luther was working to secure more secretive allies.
Luther shielded his face from the winds of Tsagualsa as he trudged forward until he came across a cave. Though it's occupants gave no sign to their existence, the whispers of the Neverborn confirmed Luther's suspicions.
Upon entering the cave, Luther lost all visibility. He corrected this with help from Drach'Nyen, drawing the daemonic blade and using the light emitted from the souls trapped within as an impromptu torch.
The First Traitor still found the cave difficult to navigate, with most of it's passages being all but inaccessible for even most Astartes who were not trained in scaling walls.
Yet he knew that he would not wonder long before finding his quarry...he was certain that they had already found him.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Drach'Nyen's icy blue light found itself eclipsed by an ember flame as a Daemonic Power Sword ignited mere inches from Luther's neck. It's wielder standing directly behind him.
"I see you have already learned the Primordial Truth." Luther spoke calmly in spite of his situation.
"Your sword looks better than mine. Perhaps I can bargin with your Daemon after I kill you." Spoke the unseen assailant.
"Stand down Caedus." Another voice broke the tense atmosphere as the man Luther sought, Gendor Skraivok, revealed himself. "If you've come here alone then you're either a fool, or you have something to offer."
Luther smiled at the disgraced Night Lord as his cohort removed his blade. Others of their ilk emerging from the shadows. "What I have to offer is vengeance against your hypocritical father, and a chance at tearing down this Imperium built on peace and restraint in favor of one where the strong will rule the weak."
Even through the Traitor's helmet, Luther could envision his eyes narrowing. "Go on..."
The inclusion of Skraivok's warband allowed the Traitors to start expanding weak points in the Imperium at the benefit that premature discovery would allow blame to be pinned on known traitors.
The Rogue Night Lords were secretly transported to the Ultramar System to learn the long buried secrets of the paranoid XIIIth Legion and use them to separate Guilliman from the Imperium, and sway him to join the Lion.
While the Night Lords played their part, the Gorgon moved to acquire another ally...in the form of the Maiden-Born Primarch: Perturabo.
Jonson was notably outraged at the thought of allying with a Maiden-Born but Ferrus was able to convince the Lion to give their brother a chance to repent for his tainted blood.
Begrudgingly, the Lion allowed the Lord of Iron his chance, tasking him with securing allies in the Cult Mechanicum, before moving on to recruit Leman Russ.
The Wolf King and the Lion had a rather violent history. At some point during the Great Crusade, the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves Legions were assaulting the planet Dulan that had not given in to the Imperium's demands to become a compliant world.
The leader of the rebels had insulted Leman Russ by naming him "The Emperor's Lapdog." Russ and his Space Wolves planned to assault the rebel leader's stronghold for this blemish on their honor.
While they were busy planning, the Dark Angels took the initiative and brought the fight to the capital instead and the Lion himself killed their leader. Russ found the Lion with the dead leader at his feet and immediately attacked his brother Primarch.
They fought for a full day and a night, the combat ending only when the Lion threw Russ through a table. When Russ got up, he started laughing at the foolishness of their quarrel.
The Lion, incensed that his brother appeared to be mocking him, hit him square in the jaw, knocking Russ out cold. Russ awakened many hours later to find that Lion El'Jonson and his Dark Angels had already left the planet.
If Jonson had his way, the fued between them would probably had gone on until the heat death of the immaterium. But avenging the Emperor was more important than the Lion's grudge against the Wolf King.
"...Could you...repeat that?" Russ said in shock.
Lion El'Jonson gritted his teeth, squeezing his bent knee with the hand he had placed upon it. "I said that I was sorry."
The Wolf King looked at him with an impassive face, making the Lion believe that he had wasted his time and pride in a foolish endeavor, then Russ let out a tired sigh. "Alright Jonson, ya have my attention."
The Lion quickly rose to his feet. Upon further examination, he realized that his brother seemed...out of it. He knew that the Wolf King had changed since the Nikea Council, where the Maidens and their spawn easily swayed the Emperor to their view on psychic powers.
The Lion had no qualms with the use of Librarians, but he did consider Magnus to be a little over-tolerated, and he now knew why. "Your suspicions about Magnus and his vile mother were correct, but I'm afraid it's too late to prevent the damage."
The Wolf King's expression changed immediately. "What do you mean? What have they done?"
"The Emperor is dead, the being who denounced your claims at Nikea was but a puppet." The Lion explained.
Russ lunged forward and wrapped a large hand around the Lion's throat. Jonson was ready to fight, but the look on his brother's face stopped him.
The fury he felt at the Lion's claim faded in an instant, replaced by confusion, rememberance, and finally, realization.
Russ removed his hand. "Leave me...I need to meditate." The Lion nodded and left the Wolf King to his meditation with his Runepriests.
Confident that his brother would make the right choice, the Lion left him to his own devices for the time being.
As he left Leman Russ to his meditation, the Black Knight was informed by Perturabo that, not only had he found an ally in Fabricator General Kelbor-Hal, but in the Salamanders.
The sons of Vulkan had been changing for some time, claiming that they had realized that they and the Imperium at large were only coddling humanity and allowing it to grow soft. It would later be known that the Drake Lord and his sons had been infected by Nurgle's Rot and turned to the worship of the Plaguefather.
The Lion returned to his duties, to avoid suspicion, but secretly planted Cults of the Ruinous Powers upon any human planets he brought into compliance. Eventually, Leman Russ contacted him, pledging his allegiance, and all but demanding to assault Prospero.
The Black Knight agreed, but added that they would need to wait, as the Maiden-Born would undoubtedly come in their entirety and crush them through strength of numbers.
To the Lion's slight surprise, Leman Russ offered to attack alone and let his fellow traitors feign loyalty a little longer to ambush their unsuspecting brethren.
The Lion reminded the Wolf King that he would be vastly overpowered and suffer great losses, but Leman Russ was determined to pay whatever price was necessary to end the threat of unchecked sorcery.
It later became known that Leman Russ knew of the Dark Gods prior to Jonson's fall, and had been slowly swayed by Tzeentch corrupted Runepriests that he was powerful enough, and wise enough, to bend the immaterium to his will.
In preparation for the assault against Magnus and Starlight Glimmer, Leman Russ committed the ultimate blasphemy, sacrificing his wolfsiblings, Freki and Geri, to become a champion of the Great Planner: a Daemon Primarch.
The psychic backlash of Russ' transformation had catastrophic effects on the Vlka Fenryka, turning all but the psychically inclined into mutant man/wolf hybrids known as The Wulfen.
With the Runepriests psychically controlling the Wulfen, and using their dominance over the immaterium to summon vast hordes of the Neverborn and bind them to the summoner's will, Leman Russ set a course for Prospero.
As the Wolf King began his assault, the Lion contacted Skraivok. The rogue Night Lord had been far from idle, having discovered the source of Gulliman's paranoia and forging several Cults of Chaos within the Five Hundred Worlds with assistance from traitors among the Ultramarines.
The Lion gave Skraivok the order to reveal himself, beginning a civil war within the Five Hundred Worlds.
News of these catastrophes reached the Emperor at nearly the same time, forcing him to divide his forces.
The Warmaster was tasked with securing Ultramar, while the Lion was sent to rescue Prospero. The Lion was relieved to find all of his allies among his assembled fleet.
His allies assembled, and his enemies divided, the Lion was ready.
"TO ME BROTHERS!! TO ME!!!" Shouted Amon. The Thousand Son Sorcerer could not be more relieved to see the Imperial fleet emerging from the Warp. Already, he could feel thousands of psychic signatures calling to him for use as beacons.
The surrounding Thousand Sons marines that were ungifted in Warpcraft disengaged the Wulfen and the thrice damned Runepriests that commanded them before crowding around their Librarian brothers who began teleporting en masse to their cousins.
Amon did the same, bringing no less than twenty with him. He reached out through the Warp to the nearest psychic signature among the fleet. Then, as if their minds were arms, allowed his cousin to pull him from the planet to safety.
The teleportation was swift and without incident. The Thousand Sons showed their limits and nearly collapsed upon themselves for the several days they spent fighting against the Wolves.
But while their brothers would be allowed rest...they would not.
The weary Astartes had no time to react as they were fired upon. Amon, who was at the center of the group, survived only for those who were cut down before his eyes as he threw up a psychic shield in front of him and his few remaining brothers.
Warp Lightning shattered the shield like glass. Amon was too worn, his enemies too numerous and too fresh.
As his brothers were put to the sword around him, Amon was approached by the treacherous Librarian that had pulled from the frying pan and into the fire. "I have plans for you cousin." The Dark Angel said beneath his hood.
As the Thousand Sons were relieved of their plight, the Maidens and their sons found their lust for vengeance against the Wolf King risen a thousand fold by the news of Starlight Glimmer's death, and the Lion happily let them go first, while he and his allies made up the second wave, save for Perturabo.
The Tyrant of Olympia, dropped with his mother in the first wave...and almost immediately turned on her.
At first the Lion feared that Perturabo's impatience would undo their ruse, but the Lord of Iron gave no sign as to the Heresy at large.
The Lion was not only relieved, but delighted by this development. For the White Scars had attempted to break away from their engagements to reinforce Rainbow Dash, and paid for it in blood.
Lion El'Jonson deployed near the Warhawk under the illusion of reinforcements, his allies doing the same.
The moment the Traitors landed...the drying blood on Prospero's surface was slickened anew.
The Dropsite Massacre was among the most catastrophic defeats in the Imperium's history, and Prospero is remembered to this day as a world of unending sorrow.
Starlight Glimmer had been torn to pieces by Leman Russ, Fulgrim was beheaded by Ferrus Manus, and Rainbow Dash was robbed of one of her alien wings and cast into the immaterium.
Yet, for all the damage inflicted, it wasn't a complete victory. The Night Haunter, who had been locked in a long Crusade against the denizens of Commorragh when Prospero had been attacked by Leman Russ, had broken away and arrived just in time to provide support for the Loyalists and allow them to retreat.
While the Lion cursed his inability to wipe out the loyal Legions, he was relieved to hear that a similar fate had befallen those sent to Ultramar.
The tribute and sacrifices paid to the Gods by Skraivok's Cults on the outer rim of Ultramar resulted in a great Warpstorm that saw the Word Bearers and World Eaters trapped within Ultramar for the foreseeable future.
While this news did please the Lion, it was the fate of the Blood Angels and Raven Guard that interested him the most. The possibility of turning two other Legions to his cause quickly became one of his primary objectives, but for now, he ordered the Salamanders, Iron Warriors, and Iron Hands, builders all, to begin seizing resource rich planets and preparing for the greatest war in the Imperium's history: The Lion's Heresy.
Jonson looked upon the captives with the eyes of a conqueror analyzing his newest weapons of war. "You may begin."
The Sorcerer bowed before turning to face the captives. At his command, seven mortals were sacrificed for each of the seven Astartes.
At first, there was no sign of the ritual's effect. But then, the Astartes began to shudder. The shuddering turned into violent seizures. And then the transhuman warriors began to mutate into something abominable.
Arms turned into claws or tentacles. Legs into talons or hooves. Mouths filled with predatory teeth sprouted from their faces or chests. They grew extra limbs or eyes.
When the screaming stopped, the possessed Astartes rose to their feet. Their leader, possessing the body of Amon, approached the Lion and kneeled to him."What do you ask of us, my lord?"
Planets across the Imperium rose in rebellion as the secret cults created by the Dark Angels, and others forged by Vulkan and Ferrus Manus revealed themselves and flew the Lion's banner. The broken Legions soon found themselves fighting a multifront battle. It was only for the efforts of the Imperial Fists that no such rebellion was successful near the Segmentum Solar...save one.
Kelbor-Hal revealed his allegiance to the Traitors, beginning the civil war known as the Schism of Mars with reinforcements from the Iron Warriors and Salamanders.
With the galaxy in Chaos, and his allies keeping the war machine rolling, the Lion only saw one immediate threat to his newborn rebellion.
In spite of the isolation of two Legions sent to Ultramar, and the damnation of two others, the Sons of Horus were completely unharmed while the Alpha Legion only reported the disappearance of their Primarchs and their mother...just thinking about that thing caused him to look over his shoulder with an arm raised to prevent a pie in the face.
The Lion's forces were(in his mind) more than enough to crush the Lupercal underfoot, but the aid of the Alpha Legion would prove dangerous. So he enlisted the aid of Leman Russ and his Runepriests.
The brief war between the four Legions would last for nearly a year, and each clash would end in a stalemate. This would change when the Night Lords intervened.
These were not Curze's Night Lords, but Skraivok's emerging from the Ruinstorm to add their murderous blades to the ever closing jaws that threatened to swallow Celestia and her son.
Yet so swift a victory was not to be, Konrad Curze arrived and added far more reinforcements to the Loyalists than Skraivok offered the Traitors, and tipped the scales even more in his favor by destroying Skraivok's warband in all but a few individuals who scattered to the winds.
Infuriated by this, the Lion chose to break off the Crusade for Horus' head...for now.
The Lion's retreat separated him from Russ, but brought him to a new ally...or rather, a tool.
Jonson couldn't hold back the disgust he felt when he looked upon his brother. What had once been Corvus Corax was now little more than gibbering machine of murder and madness.
Yet, whatever machinations drove he and the other mutants of the Raven Guard blinded the beasts to any who were favored by the Ruinous powers, as proven by the Cultists that selflessly served the beasts.
"I am sorry brother, I wish there had been another way...but you were blind. You couldn't see the Maidens for what they were." The Lion lamented.
"But he sees now my lord." A cultist half whispered through his teeth. "He sees all in the light, the shadow, and the Warp."
The Lion didn't bother to look upon the deranged mortal as he stared into his brother's black empty eyes. "...And what does he see?"
The cultist's smile defied logic by growing wider. "His master...the master...of all."
The Raven Guard, through primal instinct, aided the cause of Chaos. And none to soon, for the Lion had been pursued by the Night Lords and the Alpha Legion.
The two Legions may have been able to pick the Dark Angels apart on their own, but the Raven Guard pursued them as they retreated into the shadows. The brief war ending with the loyal Legions in retreat, and the Night Haunter captured.
The Arch Betrayer had been insulted by Konrad Curze in their final duel, and so he took his brother alive and gifted him to his Chaplains with the order: Make him repent.
As Konrad Curze was left to his dark fate aboard the Invincible Reason, Jonson would seek to regroup with Leman Russ. He followed the Space Wolves' trail into the Ruinstorm, and found him seeking the death of Twilight Sparkle.
Seeing the advantage of the Maiden's death, the Black Knight chose to aid the Wolf King in this endeavor.
The two Legions brought everything they had alongside the treacherous elements of the Ultramarines, but the faith of the Word Bearers and the fury of the World Eaters and the assistance of Robute Gulliman proved too much. The Lion was forced to retreat after Leman Russ was banished into the Warp by Angron.
The loyalists would remain imprisoned within the Ruinstorm for some time longer, but Jonson would have no rest. Upon exiting the Ruinstorm, the Lion's flagship was assaulted and boarded by the Night Lords, along with the last loyal remnants of the Blood Angels and a detachment of Raven Guard that had been absent at the time of their Legion's damnation led by the Primarch Sanguinius. Their target: Konrad Curze.
The Dark Angels did their best to prevent the Primarchs escape, but it was all for naught. The Lion could only howl in fury as his brothers escaped his wrath.
After this point, nearly three years after the Dropsite Massacre, the Lion focused his efforts on opening the way to Holy Terra. The path ahead was bloody, made even more so for the Imperium's alien allies.
Though the Lion would never admit it, he knew that the only reasons that the war was as equal as it was was the fact that Vulkan and Perturabo had permitted warmongering xenos races that had surrendered to the Imperium to join their rebellion, though he had every intention of cutting them lose when the time came.
Finally, after four years of bloodletting the likes of which had never been known before or since, the Traitor Legions and their puppets invaded the Segmentum Solar.
More blood was spilt in this one system than the rest of the galaxy. The Solar War had technically been fought since Kelbor-Hal conquered Mars, but it began in earnest when Perturabo and Ferrus Manus struck at the system's twin Warp Gates located at Pluto and Uranus while a massive armada of Dark Angels led by Luther, Space Wolves led by Chief Runepriest Kva, Raven Guard led by instinct and Dark Mechanicum forces, along with Xenos swayed by the Traitors to match the Imperium's Alien allies, sought to simply move over the Imperial defenses.
The Primarchs would meet powerful opposition along the way. The Imperial Fists, the Sons of Horus, the final remnants of the Blood Angels, the Night Lords, and the White Scars were already awaiting them.
Jaghatai Khan faced Perturabo at Uranus beside the final remnants of Iron Warriors loyal to Rainbow Dash, and to the Lion's fury, banished him before the Traitor Iron Warriors forced the Warhawk's retreat through numbers and ferocity.
Upon Pluto, the Iron Hands would brave the fury of two warriors of the Mournival. Horus Aximand, and Tarik Torgaddon. The Sons of Horus each led their own companies into battle, reinforced by the Imperial Army and Ork Freeboota mercenaries...but the Iron Hands were undeterred.
The vile servants of Slaanesh fielded heretical Daemon Engines fed by the pain and misery of trapped souls, imprisoned Daemons, and yet living victims bound in the machines inner workings, and the Daemonic daughters of their patron god.
In the end, Tarik Torgaddon forced his brother to retreat while he held the enemy at bay to buy him time, the brothers argued as long as Aximand dared to try and take his brother's place, but Tarik would prove the more stubborn of the two.
As these battles took place, the main fleet found itself hazarded by the Night Haunter, a thorn in the Lion's side that he saw fit to remove from the war. Thus, Luther baited Konrad Curze into boarding his ship and attempting to assassinate him. An attempt that once again leave him at the First Traitor's mercy.
"You damn fool. If you had any brains at all, you would kill me and be done with it." Curze spat at the Fallen Angel.
Luther sneered at the Maiden-Born Primarch, and slashed him across the chest and arms, just below his heart, with his now Daemonic Blade. "My Chaplains told me of your visions Curze. Of the assassin that the Emperor will send to destroy you when your usefulness ends. If you fear this fate so much, why ever would I save you from it?"
Curze looked the traitor in the eye, strong despite his injuries, and said. "Because I will be useful to the Emperor as long as I can kill you."
Luther stabbed the Night Haunter through the stomach and twisted the blade. Delighting in every grunt of just-restrained agony as Drak'Nyen absorbed his life essence. "No you won't, Because I will be the Emperor your assassin serves. And all your efforts to hide from her blade will be for naught."
Luther's words were accompanied by a click and a hiss as a containment unit opened behind the Night Haunter.
Curze struggled against the two Chaplains who wrestled him into his prison, but his injuries were too great. He was beaten into submission by the Chaplains' corrupted croziuses and thrown into his prison. As the latches closed, a temporal displacement field saw the Primarch frozen in time.
"Jettison him." The traitor ordered. He would next see the Primarch as a severed head.
The loss of the Night Haunter signaled the end of the first phase of the Solar War as the Night Lords retreated to deeper into the Segmentum Solar, breaking into strike forces that would wait in ambush at key strategic points along with the Alpha Legion and allied Eldar.
The armada's crawl to their target was slow and bloody. But eventually, it split in half. Luther pushing for Luna, and Kva leading the mad Cultists that served the Raven Guard to an artificial meteor known as The Comet.
Kva would encounter minimal resistance enroute to The Comet, but upon landing, he found himself ambushed by the vengeful son of Starlight Glimmer: Magnus the Red.
Luther would fair no better. For the defenses of Terra's moon were overseen by none other than Ezekyle Abaddon and the repositioned Horus Aximand.
As the battle for Luna raged on, the Phalanx, carrying Rogal Dorn and Sanguinius, and The Vengeful Spirit, carrying Horus Lupercal and Celestia, moved to reinforce Abaddon.
But the Primarchs' counterassault would never arrive. It was believed until this point, that the remaining Blood Angels had resisted the madness that consumed their brothers, but this was merely an elaborate trap set by Chaos.
As the Phalanx engaged the Traitor Legion armada, the remaining loyal sons of Baal succumbed to the Red Thirst, and Sanguinius himself, through his exposure to the Warp, was used as a conduit for a portal into the Immaterium. Bringing forth his missing sons from the Warp, along with their new leader, a powerful Bloodthirster called Ka'Bandha.
The Warp taken Blood Angels rampaged across the near-numberless decks of the Phalanx. Slaughtering as they pleased. The Imperial Fists fought a vicious battle against their corrupted cousins while Dorn and Sanguinius fought against the Bloodthirster.
The Warmaster teleported from ship to ship with his Justaerin bodyguards in an effort to help his brothers slay the Daemon. It at first appeared as though they succeeded, but Ka'Bandha was reborn within moments gloating that as long as the portal tied to the Red Angel's life remained opened, he could never be vanquished.
As the battle upon the Phalanx deteriorated, and Abaddon continued to hold Luther at bay, Kva turned the tables in his battle with Magnus by sacrificing his own life and that of the Wulfen that had once been the Vlka Fenryka's First Company to return Leman Russ from the Warp. Reigniting the duel they fought on Prospero...with nearly the same result.
Back on the Phalanx, Sanguinius valiantly tried to end his own life to end the losing battle upon the Phalanx, but Horus and Ka'Bandha blocked his attempts. One trying to find another way to win, and the other confirming that there was no such path.
The battle between them ended when Sanguinius jumped into an attack Horus at aimed at the Bloodthirster, dying upon his brother's Talon and taking Ka'Bandha and the Blood Angels with him.
As Horus grieved over his brother's corpse, the Wolf King forced Magnus' retreat and completed a Chaotic ritual Kva had started, bringing the full Traitor Warfleet into Luna's orbit with the Invincible Reason at the tip of the spear.
The Phalanx was forced to retreat for the damage dealt during the battle against the Blood Angels, but the Vengeful Spirit rushed to meet the Invincible Reason in a brief exchange of Broadsides in order to extract Abaddon and Aximand from the lost battle against Luther.
The Solar War had ended...and the Siege of Terra has begun.
Luther knelt before the Black Knight of Caliban. "I have opened the way for you my lord. And I personally ensured that Konrad Curze will not be a problem any longer."
"Proceed with the next stage of the invasion, the throne awaits liberation." Came the Lion's reply.
"At once, my Lord." Said Luther as he rose and left, knowing very well that the throne would soon be his.
As he left the Lion's chambers, he was greeted by Lord Cypher. "Ah Zahariel, what brings you here?"
Cypher grimaced at the use of his old name, but did nothing to correct Luther. "I sought to warn you Sar. I know you plan to betray Jonson, and I believe that to be unwise."
Luther waved his hand in dismissal. "Nonsense, if the betrayal were my idea alone, your worries may have had merit. But this is the will of the Dark Gods. Jonson is simply a puppet who will soon realize that his efforts to save humanity has doomed it. The realization will drive him to madness and threaten to erase humanity, as is the reason we have the aid of the shattered remnants of the Cabal." Luther explained.
"But when the realization devastates him, before he flies into his madness, he will be vulnerable...and I will strike him down, and make this galaxy my own."
The Siege of Terra was concentrated on the Continent sized Imperial Palace. Daemonic Siege Engines forged by the Iron Warriors and empowered by the Blood God Khorne unleashed an unforgiving barrage upon Rogal Dorn's defenses alongside the Nurglite armaments of the Salamanders while Leman Russ led thousands of Wulfen to war against the loyalist defenders with the mutant Raven Guard striking from the shadows.
Meanwhile, the Iron Hands directed their attention to Terra's civilian populace, feeding them to their numerous horrible machines that only served to cause to pain those who were within them and despair to those who heard the screams.
This diversion served the Lion by drawing the Warhawk's forces away from the Imperial Palace in a futile attempt to defend the defenseless.
The more thoughtful sadists of the Iron Tenth brought forth civilians for Chaos Sorcerers of the Dark Angels to use as sacrifices to the Dark Gods in order to bring Ka'Bandha and the Blood Angels back into the fray.
Nazrik abdulk gorruk Ka'Bandha. Nazrik abdulk gorruk Ka'Bandha. Perseus continued the chant, he and the other Chaos Sorcerers and Runepriests sacrificing another servant of the Corpse Emperor in cadence with every syllable.
When the eighth Sorcerer spilled his eighth gallon of blood. The mighty Bloodthirster emerged from the boiling hot pool, his new servants in tow.
The Sorcerer smiled in satisfaction at the completion of his task...but the feeling was short lived.
While the Bloodthirster's return would aid the traitors' cause, it would also hinder them. Several of the Sons of Sanguinius had seen their father sacrifice himself to banish them back into the Warp, and while it wouldn't return the Angels of Baal from their madness, it did change them.
One of every three Blood Angels now lived through the final moments of their Primarch, attacking all that their false memories potrayed as Ka'Bandha and the corrupted Blood Angels.
This unexpected development in the midst of traitors' costed them dearly. Several Sorcerers and Runepriests would torn apart by the berserk Astartes.
To make matters worse, the remnants of the Emperor's Children and Death Guard Legions had emerged from the Warp and were making their way to Terra.
The broken Legions had suffered greatly from the Dropsite Massacre and the uprisings on their home worlds. To the point that the two Legions combined barely had a small fleet.
The Lion ordered Vulkan to intercept them, but numerous strike teams of Night Lords and Alpha Legionnaires that had kept themselves hidden assaulted the Salamanders fleet's rear and flanks as they engaged the loyalist reinforcements.
Fortunately, the majority of the reinforcements chose to assist the White Scars in defending the Terran civilians with the Maidens Rarity and Fluttershy in the lead. But the most elite units, led by Mortarion and Eidolon, added to the defense of the Imperial Palace with assistance from the Night Lords and Alpha Legion.
When the walls of Terra were finally breached, the Bloodthirster Ka'Bandha, along with Leman Russ and Corvus, were the first ones through the breach and were immediately challenged by Magnus, Mortarion, and the duet of Sigismund and Abaddon.
The defense held. Ka'Bandha was returned to the Warp, and the two Traitor Primarchs were thrown back by their loyal brothers who quickly saw the breach filled. And it only got worse.
Word reached the Black Knight that the XIIth and XVIIth Legions had at last broken through the Ruinstorm and were making all haste to Terra. With the Iron Hands being pushed back by the Maidens and Jaghatai, and the Imperial Palace holding strong against the Lion's steadily depleting forces, the addition of two more Loyalist Legions would end the assault on Terra with a Loyalist victory.
The Lion would not tolerate it. He called upon the Sorcerers and Runepriests that survived the assault of the Blood Angels taken by the Black Rage, and ordered them to see the Traitors into the Palace.
He knew that the force would be small, but was infuriated to learn that the few Sorcerers left could only teleport a hundred beings, and only if Leman Russ stayed behind and aided them.
Thus, Lion El'Jonson, Vulkan, and their most elite fighters were teleported into the Imperial Palace in cadence with an artillery barrage that would be followed by another attack led by Corvus Corax and Ferrus Manus.
Once inside the palace, the Traitors first obstacle was a large number of Custodes led by Rogal Dorn. Vulkan would stay behind to fight the VIIth Primarch while his undying Plague Marine Terminators would bring death and decay to the Custodes.
The Lion would press on, Luther and the Dreadwing in tow, until the Lion's fated encounter with Horus and Celestia.
The duel between them shook Terra with it's ferocity, and again for it's tragic end.
Jonson ducked, weaved and parried as Horus brought Worldbreaker down upon the Lion's sword again and again. The tainted weapon swaying more violently to the side as Horus' strikes put more and more strain on the Black Knight's inhuman muscles.
He only needed a few more strikes before his brother's guard would be opened enough for the Warmaster's Talon to end this. But just as the Lion's guard opened, he smiled.
Horus didn't know what his brother was planning, and he had no interest in finding out, so he seized the opportunity to end the Heresy once and for all.
Horus thrusted his Power Claw at his brother's hearts...as he began to shimmer.
The Warmaster's Talon found it's mark not in the Arch Traitor, but the First Traitor. Luther smiled at the Lupercal as he was banished to the Warp.
Horus felt his blood freeze as he realized what happened. His eyes immediately looking to where Luther had been fighting Celestia as the Justaerin fought the Dreadwing.
His fear turned to despair. His eyes found the very image he had feared: The Lion removing his blade from his mother's stomach as she fell to the floor choking on her own blood.
NNOOOOOO!!!!! The Warmaster howled as he charged the Black Knight. The Lion prepared to finish off the dying Maiden. Horus struck to intercept the strike...just as planned.
Horus deflected the blade before it could his end mother only for the Lion to use the momentum to turn the strike on Horus.
Celestia couldn't even summon the strength to scream as her son's head flew from his body.
The Emperor arrived the split second after the Warmaster's death, and sought to end his wayward son's reign of terror.
The duel between them eclipsed that between the Black Knight and the Lupercal, and saw both combatants mortally wounded...if only they were mortal.
In the end, the Maiden Celestia sacrificed herself and used what energy she had left to engulf the Lion in the flames of the sun and present an opening through which the Emperor could draw upon his own psychic power to erase the Lion's mind, body, and soul.
The battle was won. At long last the Black Knight of Caliban was vanquished. What few remnants of the Dreadwing remained fought desperately to claim the Lion's sword, the only remaining proof of his existence, and only succeeded for the Loyalists concerning themselves with the wounded Emperor and the bodies of the Warmaster and his mother.
Upon the Dreadwing's return, Lord Cypher, the highest ranking Dark Angel left, ordered a full retreat as the Word Bearers and World Eaters emerged from the Warp.
The sons of Lorgar pushed for Terra to aid the wounded, but Angron and Applejack mourned the fallen through vengeance. And thus, the Great Scouring began.
Any illusion of allegiance and brotherhood that tied the Traitor Legions together died with the Black Knight as the Traitors dispersed to their own home worlds.
The Dark Angels made themselves as small a target as possible while the Iron Warriors, Iron Hands, Space Wolves, and Salamanders fought every step of the way, allowing Lord Cypher's flight to Caliban to be relatively easy.
However, the Dark Angels would have no rest upon returning to Caliban. The lost loyalists that had been consumed by the Warp had returned, and taken Caliban in the name of the Emperor.
The Dark Angels had lost a great deal of their forces during the Siege of Terra, but they still held a numerical advantage over their loyal kin.
The fleet to planet bombardment saw Caliban shattered but for a single piece containing the Lion's fortress. The battle between them ended with the arrival of the vengeful Son of Horus, Ezekyle Abaddon.
The traitors fled their judgment...the loyalists did not.
Captain Ormand forced his hearts still as the Maiden-Born Astartes advanced towards him with their weapons drawn. He and his men remained kneeling as they awaited retribution.
The steps of ceramite clad boots grew louder, as did the bull-like snorts of Ezekyle Abaddon, whose hair, once genetically identical to his Grandmother, now burned with the fury of a Quasar.
The vengeful son of Horus halted before the kneeling Captain and surveyed the Dark Angels below him.
"...Where were you until now?" The Terminator snarled as his warriors formed up behind him, ready to execute the Dark Angels in an instant.
Captain Ormand didn't know why he still lived after what his Legion had done. Perhaps it was because he and his followers wore the same armor and insignia while the wings of their traitorous kin clung to an eight pointed star rather than a holy sword. But he nevertheless answered Abaddon's question. "We became trapped in the Warp shortly after we discovered Luther's heresy. We thought we had emerged within days...but time doesn't function as it should in the immaterium."
The Son of Horus flexed the fingers of his Power Claw as he contemplated how to proceed. "...Aximand!" Abaddon suddenly shouted.
Little Horus broke rank from the assembled Sons of Horus and came to stand beside the larger Astartes. "Yes Brother-Ca-that is...Legion Master?"
"I'm leaving you in command of the War Oath. See these Astartes to Terra, Erebus will know how to deal with them." Abaddon ordered.
Ormand was not the only one among the Dark Angels who visibly started in shock that their lives wouldn't end on Caliban, and Aximand appeared to share their confusion, but he nonetheless followed his orders.
As the War Oath disembarked for Terra, Abaddon returned to the Vengeful Spirit and resumed pursuit of Lord Cypher.
The Great Scouring endured for three years before the Traitor Legions reunited for a push into the Eye of Terror.
The Eye has been heavily guarded since the discovery of Cadia by the Word Bearers nearly a century ago. The planet had been brought into compliance through the witchcraft of Lorgar's mother, Twilight Sparkle, which could banish Daemons from their hosts and remove Warp Corruption from those who were willing to be saved.
Immediately following the Purge of Cadia's Taint, a vast swarm of Daemons flew from the Eye to retake the planet.
The Word Bearers drove them back and left Argel Tal upon the planet to lead it's people and preach the Strength of Unity.
The Word Bearers were not the only ones defending Cadia, vast numbers of Astartes and Imperial Regiments, including companies of Iron Warriors and Dark Angels that remained loyal as they stared into the Warp and saw it for what it was, turned their rear-most guns from the Eye to deny the Traitors escape.
Yet for all the Imperial opposition, there was a different reason that the Traitor Legions had hesitated to brave the gauntlet to the Eye. The strongest among it's guardians was not among the Imperium's warriors, but among it's allies. The most infamous Alien associated with the Imperium of Man: Eldrad Ulthran, ruler of the Aeldari Craftworld of Ulthwe...which now orbited Cadia like a moon.
Prayers and sacrifices made to the Ruinous Powers saw another horde of the Neverborn pour from the Eye as the Traitor Fleet drew near, diverting the Craftworld for the time being, but the Imperium was unforgiving.
The Vengeful Spirit emerged from the Warp and burned a warpath to the Invincible Reason.
The apparently suicidal attack saw Abaddon's fleet surrounded by the Traitors, but relief swiftly followed in the form of the World Eaters.
Caught between two Imperial armadas, Lord Cypher took the only route left to him. Leaving their lives in the Hands of the Dark Gods, the Dark Angels initated a Warp Jump.
A maelstrom of madness greeted Cypher as the Warp consumed him. Time and space lost all meaning as a thousand voices screamed in his ear, and yet were barely heard.
It was impossible to know how long he endured the horrors of the immaterium, but when it ended, he was on the surface of a planet again.
Standing to survey his surroundings, Cypher realized that the planet he stood upon lied within the Warp, as evident by the blood red sky.
The planet had no atmosphere, it's inhabitants were kept alive solely by the whims of the Dark Gods, and looking upon the sky showed Cypher all the twisted parodies of life the Warp had to offer.
Daemons the size of Planets swam through the Warp like whales through the oceans, smaller Daemons flew on wings carried by wind that didn't exist, and at the center of it all, appearing as though a sun, was the Eye of Terror.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cypher started at the voice behind him, and again when he realized who it belonged too. "Luther?"
"I'm glad to see you made it Zahariel. Your assistance will make everything easier." Luther said.
"Assistance!? We've LOST Luther!!" Cypher shouted.
"No. The Lion lost, as he was meant to, but I have only just begun."
The Loyalists broke the Traitors over their knee at Cadia, but they couldn't prevent a scarce few from escaping into the Eye of Terror, and the only slain Primarch who wouldn't return from the dead was Corvus Corax.
The remnants of the Traitor Legions would each find their banished Primarchs waiting for them upon their new home worlds, each populated by mutant tribal humans that had somehow managed to survive the horrors of the Warp.
From these humans, the Traitor Legions would begin to repopulate their broken brotherhoods. But it would not take long before disagreements led to bloodshed, desertion, and the splitting of the Traitor Legions into small Warbands.
This splintering would befall the Dark Angels as well, but far less so than the other Legions.
The Ist Legion may not have splintered at all, except that their last ditch effort to escape saw several of them scattered throughout real space and the Warp, with some not emerging until millennia later.
But of the two thousand Dark Angels that survived the Great Scouring, over a thousand of them landed upon the Daemon World Nabilac.
Nabilac was forged by the Ruinous Powers from the fragments of Caliban, and repopulated by the great beasts and the resurrected Knights of Lupus.
Sar Luther would bring the revived Order to heel, and name Nabilac the seat of his Empire from which he would deliver the galaxy to Chaos Undivided. Upon the arrival of the Dark Angels, Luther renamed his followers the Black Legion.
Under Luther's leadership, the Black Legion would grow in size. Sporting over ten thousand battle brothers and millions of slaves both mortal and Daemonic in as little as two decades.
There would be many setbacks, as various warbands raided the Black Legion's home world for slaves and supplies, but Luther would either drive them off, grind them to dust, or add them to his Legion's ranks.
Soon, Luther began sending messagers to various Warlords of high quality in an effort to accumulate forces for a single purpose: finishing what the Lion started.
It would be a painstaking process, but the very charisma that once ensured that Caliban would kneel to Lion El'Jonson soon gathered hundreds of thousands of Traitor Astartes, hundreds of Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes, and even the assistance of the Daemon Primarch Perturabo.
And thus, barely half a century after the Lion's Heresy's conclusion...Sar Luther launched the first Black Crusade.
The Traitor Legions poured forth from the Eye of Terror following a wave of Daemons. The Neverborn smashed against the Shield World of Cadia like rain upon an umbrella.
Luther cursed the fact that the Lion's mercy upon the Gordian League would add to his strife. Even now, Jonson's shadow looms over him and challenges him.
Nevertheless, the Khornate Iron Warriors proved their armaments to be superior to the Shield World's defenses. Meanwhile, an Iron Hands warband known as the Sons of Medusa assaulted Ulthwe with a large army of Daemonettes and the infamous son of Slaanesh: Fabius Bile.
For Luther himself, he and Cypher led the assault on Cadia while Perturabo engaged Angron, who arrived as reinforcements. Eventually, Luther found himself dueling for his life against Abaddon the Despoiler.
"KRRRAAAAAAAAGHH!!!" Came the howl of fury as Abaddon brought his Power Sword onto Luther.
The First Traitor deflected the earth shattering blow with contemptuous ease. The power of Chaos Undivided flowing through his veins allowed him to easily keep pace with the vengeful Terminator.
Drach'Nyen clashed with Abaddon's Power Sword numerous times until the Son of Horus overprimed his next swing and gave Luther a window of opportunity.
Stepping forward quickly, Luther thrusted his blade into the Despoiler's primary heart.
Abaddon shuttered as Drach'Nyen began to devour his soul, prompting a smile from the First Traitor. "Heh heh heh heh, in another life, it could've been you wielding this power."
Luther leaned on his blade, driving it deeper. "Tell me Abaddon, did your grandmother ever reward you for your service as I have been rewarded for mine?"
"Oh, what am I saying? Of course not. Celestia and that mewling child of the Warp could never wield such po-" Luther was made to bite his tongue as Abaddon headbutted him so hard, he lost his grip on his blade and fell down.
Abaddon gripped the hilt of Drach'Nyen while Luther recollected himself. "You are not worthy to speak our Mother's name...AND YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HARMONY'S POWER!!!"
Luther could only gape as Abaddon removed Drach'Nyen from his chest, the Daemon within screaming in pain as the Despoiler began to radiate psychic energy, his flaming hair burning brighter than ever before as his eyes burned the same.
A deep primal fear gripped the First Traitor as he realized what was happening. The Maiden's blood coursing through Abaddon's veins had given him a taste of Celestia's psychic power. A phenomenon most known for its existence in Erebus and Talos Valcoran.
"For the Emperor!" Abaddon shouted, raising Drach'Nyen, whose eldritch blue flames were being consumed by ethereal golden flames that were more benevolent in appearance than the flames illuminating Abaddon.
"For the Lupercal!" He added, gripping Drach'Nyen with the Warmaster's Talon as Cadia's sun, long dimmed to near nonexistence, reignited and realigned to further illuminate the Despoiler.
"FOR CELESTIA!!!" Abaddon brought the sword down with the promise of Divine Retribution.
Luther wanted to dodge, needed to dodge, but his body wouldn't move. Whether he was gripped by a fear-driven prey instinct, or held in place by divine intervention, none can say.
The first Black Crusade was remembered not for the return of the Traitor Legions, not for the Imperial heroes slain by the champions of the Ruinous Powers, but for the valiant end of the greatest hero the Imperium of Man, and indeed the very galaxy had ever known.
Abaddon the Despoiler had purified the Daemon Sword Drach'Nyen, now known as Daybreaker, and used the genetic gifts of the Maiden Celestia to assault the traitor warfleet with weaponized solar flares.
Smaller vessels were completely destroyed, and more than half of the enemy voidships were rendered shieldless and obliterated by the Imperial Navy and the World Eaters, who then spearheaded a countercharge into the remaining half of the Warfleet, forcing their retreat.
The solar flares avoided allied ships, and caused no harm to them, the only collateral damage were in a few thousand mortals who were struck blind by the sudden increase in light. But this price was all but ignored as even the blinded Cadians mourned the loss of the Despoiler far more than the loss of their sight.
Yet, for all the damage Abaddon inflicted upon the Traitors...he had missed his true mark.
Lord Cypher: Most mysterious and hunted among the Dark Angels. There are none alive today who remember his true identity, and fewer still who know the true extent of the sins he has committed. But one shines over all to be known to all the Imperium.
Just as the great hero Abaddon the Despoiler brought the Emperor's Wrath to bear against Sar Luther, Cypher disengaged his duel with noble Sigismund and shot the First Traitor dead, preventing his true death.
It is known that Cypher once served as Luther's second in command, but as the First Traitor's Black Crusades continued to be thrown back by the Strength of Unity, the Marine Without Master became disillusioned with Luther's madness and struck out on his own.
Countless attempts to capture or kill him have been evaded, his pursuers coming up empty handed, if not slain.
Recently, Cypher's actions have changed in nature, being more to the Imperium's benefit than to it's downfall. There are some who consider that Cypher has begun to accept the Strength of Unity and pursue forgiveness, but even the most forgiving teachers at the School of Unity upon Monarchia wouldn't dare to trust him unbound.
Though Luther would return to plague the Galaxy anew, his every following defeat would see his followers diminish and other warbands turning down his offers.
By the end of the 39th Millennium, the entirety of the Black Legion are former rivals that Luther has crushed underfoot and enslaved.
For the Dark Angels as they were, only a few warbands remain, fewer than those born from any other Traitor Legion. Yet, there are some who have yet to emerge from the Warp since the flight of the Invincible Reason, even the ship itself remains lost.
As the 41st millennium draws to a close, Alpha Legion spies have confirmed that Luther is once again on the road to war, preparing to launch his 13th Black Crusade.
"Are you sure it is here my lord?" Asked the ship commander.
"Question me again mortal and your soul will feed the Neverborn. The Dark Gods have never lead me wrong." Luther insisted, much to the commander's doubt.
"Nothing is coming up on our scanners my lord." Reported one of the personnel.
"Then it hasn't arrived yet. We will just have to wait." The First Traitor said.
"Wait? For how long? It could be another ten millennia befo-" The commander had uttered his last doubt. There were scarce few gasps of shock as Luther cut the man down, most had expected it the moment he opened his mouth.
"Death is the fate of all who dare to doubt my right to rule over all." Luther snarled, he opened his mouth to say more...but then, a storm broke out in front of his ship.
Warp Lightning flashed as thunder cracked, the energy formed a bubble that then exploded, blinding all who saw it, some permanently.
Luther alone had been able to see the phenomenon of reality being torn asunder, yet he would never be able to verbally describe it...if only for the memory being drowned by the feeling of excitement and anticipation of the victory.
"And all the galaxy will learn...I was never meant to be doubted, never meant to be overlooked, I was meant for more...FOR GODHOOD!!!" Luther howled with a madman's joy as his ship prepared to dock with the Invincible Reason and prepare it for war.
The Emperor's Children: the shattered diamonds of the Imperium, who have selflessly defended the defenseless from horrors that have time and again brought them to the brink of extinction.
It is the wish of the sons of Fulgrim that those who remember them do so not with pity for the losses they've suffered, but with happiness and gratitude for the fruits of their labour.
The Emperor's Children were one of the most popular Legions in the eyes of the general public for the amount of ruined and war torn worlds they have turned into Paradise Worlds.
Numberless were the peerless works of art created by the IIIrd Legion, which range from simple paintings to the Legion's Voidships.
Yet, the majority of these works of art, and the entirety of the IIIrd Legions service, was done not for the Legion itself, but for the people of the Imperium, no matter their origin or prestige.
The source of the Emperor's Children's selfless service can be traced all the way back to their founding on Terra.
During the days of the Unification Wars, the continent of Europa was ruled by a tribe of Techno-Barbarians that somewhat retained their sense of civilization.
Untouched by the savagery deemed common for their ilk, Europa nonetheless housed it's own evils.
The Empire was ruled by numerous noble houses who held the majority of wealth and resources while the commonfolk worked tirelessly to be rewarded with scraps.
The poor peasants of Europa were treated no better than slaves, with only just enough difference between the tyranny of the nobles and that of more common Techno-Barbarians to keep them from leaving. They were also subjugated to Witch Hunts, though it is unclear whether any Psykers were among the Europan populace, or if this was simply an excuse to legally murder any who the ruling Elite found wanting...it is even rumored that some were condemned simply for the corrupt rulers amusement.
All of this changed when the forces of the Newborn Imperium arrived at Europa.
Europa would be delivered from tyranny...but not by the Emperor himself.
Centuries prior, before the Dark Age of Technology died in the fires of the Age of Strife, the Maidens came to Terra.
The centuries between their recruitment into the Emperor's armies and the fall of the ancient human civilization whose name has been forgotten to time was spent training the Maidens, all pacifists by nature, in the ways of war.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash are known to have been the most excellent students in these early days, though the horrors of war would awaken slumbering spirits of wrath and ruin within the hearts of others that would make the two most combative seem tame by comparison.
Yet, the mother of the 3rd Primarch was no such warrior. Though she had learned how to use the weapons crafted for her by the Emperor's own hand, they would only be used defensively. Instead, the Maiden of the Emperor's Children would conquer a thousand worlds through word and wit alone. Negotiating and debating with the arrogant rulers of the most selfish regimes until they believed that surrendering to the Imperium had been their plan all along, and only realizing that they had lost their power when it was too late.
This warrior of words was the Maiden of Generosity, and her name was Rarity.
It would be this Maiden who would introduce the ruling tyrants of Europa to the Imperium. Striding towards their front gates unguarded and unarmed, yet clothed in form fitting Power Armor that was only just inferior to that of an Astartes.
Seeing this armor told even the simple minded guards who met her at the gates that the snow skinned woman before them was far more than her frail form let on. This may have been the only reason she wasn't set upon immediately.
"Who dares disturb me?" Inquired the Europan King Theo the IVth when the doors to his Throne Room opened unexpectedly.
His guards were the first beings he saw, but then he saw her.
His bloated jaw fell slack at the sight of the woman before him. Standing over 6 feet tall in purple armor with a golden trim, her face a blanket of snow covered by a tidal wave of flawless amethyst colored hair. He found himself becoming lost in her sapphire eyes, the pupils in particular. Though larger than average, the dark windows into the woman's soul reflected naught but warmth and light.
Had the king believed in such things, he would've mistaken her for an angel...but he didn't.
King Theo, like all his predecessors, was king by regicide. Though the former Techno Barbarian had long since grown comfortable in his power. A warrior's muscles being melted away by years of Sloth and Gluttony as he helped himself to every piece of food and feminine flesh he could wrap his greasy fingers around. And Rarity had a fairly slim waist.
"Ho? Well, I don't know you are. But I look forward to finding out." The King said in a raspy voice as he breathed through his mouth.
The welcoming look in Rarity's eyes never flickered as she gave the king a respectful bow. "Greetings your Majesty. I come before you as a humble messenger for my Lord, who wishes to extend his hand to you in friendship and unity."
King Theo's smirk faltered but a moment before returning. "Does he now? And just how much of Europa does he want in exchange."
Rarity shook her head in dismissal. "None my lord, you are welcome to continue ruling Europa as it's king and fly your banner beside ours as we unite Terra under the banner of our collective master: The Master of Mankind. And you will be generously rewarded."
King Theo was shocked silent...and then he busted out laughing. "GAH HAHAHAHAHAHAA! MASTER OF MANKIND!? OH HOHOHOHOHO! I HAVE TURNED AWAY MY FAIR SHARE OF ARROGANT FOOLS WHO SOUGHT TO TAKE MY KINGDOM FROM ME! BUT I'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED ANYONE WITH THEIR HEAD THAT FAR UP THEIR-"
The King fell silent as Rarity's welcoming look vanished, replaced by an expression that said typical.
King Theo's composure returned to him. "I'll give you a choice woman. Be my newest concubine, and I'll send a messenger to tell your Emperor you died. Or you can refuse...and I'll send a messenger to tell him you died."
Rarity's reply was a sharp wrinkle of her nose, one that the King returned. "Kill her."
The guards hesitated, put off by the woman's air of confidence, but they nonetheless aimed their primitive bolt guns at the Maiden and fired.
There was a flash of light that faded as quickly as it appeared, revealing nothing but bullet holes in the Throne Room's walls.
King Theo's jaw once again fell slack...with fear. A witch...a REAL witch...and I've provoked her.
"Find her!" King Theo all but whispered in a distant voice as he came to terms with the fact that a witch, who should only serve themselves and be the greatest form of power the unclean can possess, had a master that wanted Europa for himself.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he realized his guards were just standing there, just as frightened as he was. "FIND HER!!!
The search for Rarity would last two days before King Theo recalled his forces and prepared for an invasion, yet it was in vain.
Rarity had not fled Europa as the King had believed. Instead, she redirected her negotiations to the common folk.
She told the oppressed people of Europa of herself, her fellow Maidens, and their intent to unify Terra and beyond. The commoners regarded her promises as King Theo had, though with far more respect.
Their respect would grow when Rarity began using her psychic gifts to disrupt executions and steal extra food from the ruling nobility, all while teleporting from one side of the country to the other between sightings.
Though the Maidens had once possessed significant power in their own right, the Emperor had altered the Maidens both physically and spiritually, allowing Rarity's sorcery to match that of her fellow: Twilight Sparkle.
These attacks upon the stability of King Theo's rule would endure for almost a month before the tyrant took notice of commoners whispering praise to the Maiden and hoping for her success. Infuriated by what he saw as betrayal, King Theo ordered 500 random commoners to be executed, as a means of luring the Maiden into a trap.
King Theo grinned from ear to ear as the last few peasents were rounded up. In a few moments, his men would gun them down like dogs.
That vile witch always appeared at the last possible moment, either as a dramatic flair, or to ensure that his men were completely focused on the kill to come, before either attacking the executioner, or removing the condemned from harm's way before anyone had a chance to react.
But this time, a hundred armed soldiers aimed automatic weapons into a shallow pit full of peasents, and each man had two others at his back 10 feet away and 5 feet apart. It was simply impossible for a witch, who could only appear and disappear and use mind tricks, to deflect all of that without being killed.
King Theo raised a hand, and his men readied their weapons.
"FIRE!!!" Shouted King Theo, waiting to see where the witch would appear.
The same flash that had been pegged as the calling card for her teleportation appeared...within the pit.
The soldiers fired. A bright glow radiated over the peasants heads, deflecting the bolt rounds back.
King Theo let out a most unkingly yelp as a stray bullet came dangerously close to ending his reign of terror, causing him to flinch and shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, he saw the witch standing amongst the cowering peasents, her raised hand channeling a force field of psychic energy.
Rarity twisted her wrist and pulled her arm inward. Her shield reacted to the motion by drawing itself into a sphere in the Maidens hand, which she then launched into the sky where it exploded in a bright flash of light.
King Theo and his men shielded their eyes from the light. When their vision returned to them, Rarity stood before King Theo and his Honor Guard, wielding a masterfully crafted Power Saber. "This little dance between us has lasted long enough your majesty. Let's end it."
"BUTCHER THAT SOW!!!" Howled the tyrant.
Rarity had made fools of the nobility and brought hope and salvation to the people of Europa, her final card to play was a simple show of force.
King Theo's Honor Guard were the closest to traditional Techno Barbarians, each one a hulking wall of muscle wielding a monstrous Chain Ax similar to those that would be favored by the World Eaters since their founding.
The brutes were no match for the Maiden of Generosity, who danced between them with the grace of an Eldar and struck to disable their weapons rather than end their lives.
Awed by the display, King Theo's execution force made no conscious effort to assist the honor guard until King Theo snapped them out of it.
But they were not the only ones moved by Rarity's actions. When the execution force turned their Bolt Guns onto the Maiden, the civilians they had intended to execute scrambled out of the pit and mobbed them.
The moment shots were fired into the crowd of civilians, Rarity's dance took on a very different rhythm.
Rarity had fought the half dozen men with skill and grace alone, but now she brought her sorcery to bare, teleporting to the nearest gunmen with his bolter up and swiftly disarming him before disappearing and reappearing to do so again.
King Theo howled with fury that his forces were being matched by unarmed commoners and a single witch, yet the King did not realize...Rarity had already won.
Though the Maiden had come to Europa alone, a respectable portion of the Emperor's army lied in wait just beyond the small country's borders.
When Rarity had launched her energy shield into the air, she had signaled that army to attack Europa and conquer it in the Emperor's name.
The Techno Barbarians had been ready for an external siege...but so had the commoners.
Though many still doubted Rarity's promises, the news of an approaching army spurred a great many of them to rise up in rebellion.
If the wrong group of people rebelled at the wrong time, the Techno Barbarians would've crushed them mercilessly. But Rarity had made a point of focusing her efforts in aspiring hope in the closest cities to her attacking force, ensuring that the earliest rebellions would act in concert with her invasion and bring a swifter, cleaner victory.
The combination of invasion and rebellion was too much for the Europan military to handle, and five cities fell within the first day. On top of this, Rarity and the civilians had not only survived their battle, but had forced King Theo's retreat before enemy reinforcements arrived and forced Rarity's escape through a massive group teleportation.
King Theo's thugs tried their best to keep the news from circulating, but Rarity's ability to bring messengers and portions of her army to any city in Europa at any time made such impossible. It is unanimously believed that the Maiden could've brought her entire army into the tyrant's Throne Room and ended the war instantly, but chose her approach with the intent of building hope and trust with the Europan people.
Her strategy worked flawlessly, more and more commoners rose up in rebellion. There were even some among the Techno Barbarians who defected to the Imperium, though these are believed to have simply chosen the winning side.
After only a week since the invasion began, just over a month after Rarity first entered the country, Europa flew the Raptor Imperialis, and King Theo was incarcerated within the ancient prison known as Khangba Marwu.
Rarity spent the next month with the people of Europa...for two reasons.
The first was, naturally, to ensure a problemless transition from government to government. The first week was spent interviewing and handpicking the best candidates to govern the nation-state in order to ensure that another tyrant wouldn't rise to power.
The second was to ensure the liberated Europans knew her for who and what she was. There were a great many who had witnessed her miraculous feats, and mistook her for something Divine.
It was a problem shared between the Maidens, and was an even greater problem for the Emperor. But none of the powerful beings knew how to dissuade such thinking without making it a crime, which was unacceptable by the Maidens.
It is for this reason that Rarity refused the new Governor's offer for her to stay in the castle of the denounced King Theo, and instead spent her days within the inns of the commonfolk, paying for room and board in spite of every Innkeeper's protests.
She did this to ensure the people of Europa saw her for who she was, to tell them of her life before the Emperor.
She was no angel from the heavens, but a humble seamstress for a small town. She demonstrated her abilities by forming clothes fit for royalty for the people of Europa, teaching those who were willing to learn, and ensuring that one of her former students from the newborn Imperium would linger in Europa to carry on her teachings.
Yet, the insistence remained. No mere mortal human could do what the Maidens could, it was simply impossible...and they were correct.
Rarity had applied her talent for manipulation well, leaving the faintest hints to the truth in her every story of her past, while ensuring that none would piece it together until they were ready to accept it.
Yet, this would not happen within a month, and Rarity was forced to leave Europa in order to continue her part to play in the Unification Wars.
Upon returning to the acting Capital of the Imperium in the Himalazian Mountains, she was greeted with terrible news. The Primarchs, genetically built sons of the Emperor, 9 of which shared the DNA of the 9 Maidens, had been spirited across the galaxy.
Until this time, Rarity was still unsure of how to feel about the Primarchs, hers in particular. The thought of 'building' a son unnaturally, and one that was meant to be a lord of war, was unnerving to say the least.
But at the thought of his life being at risk, her maternal insticts awakened and threw her into a fit of desperation...one that ultimately turned to despair.
It would still be nearly a century before the end of the Unification Wars and the birth of the Great Crusade. At this stage, it was impossible to search for the Primarchs.
The Maidens all took it differently, some took a reprieve to mourn what they feared was the death of sons they would never know. Others, Rainbow Dash in particular, redoubled their efforts to see Terra united under the banner of the Emperor so they could take to the stars with all haste.
For Rarity, she looked to the Emperor for guidance.
"He's alive?" The Maiden said, more to herself than to the Emperor.
"Yes, your son lives. They all do, though only one has landed."
Rarity went through a mixture of emotions, to know that he was alive brought relief, but understanding that could change in an instant brought fear anew, and knowing she could still do nothing to save him brought her a sense of helplessness...he...him...it only dawns on her that her Primarch...her son didn't even have a name, and knowing that she had not even thought of it, and had rarely thought of him, threatened to overwhelm her with guilt.
"I understand your pain, but you can make it right...with your grandsons."
Rarity's flood of emotions was drowned beneath a tidal wave of shock. "M-mu my WHAT!!!"
The Emperor rarely showed emotion, but he is known to crack a humorous smile at the majority of the Maidens' more mundane moments. "Your grandsons." He said again.
Rarity retained her shock as she processed the Emperor's words...before it gave way to anger. "You're...you're REPLACING THEM!?!?"
The Emperor's smile disappeared. "Nothing can replace them, but just as they were meant to be my greatest servants...so shall the Legiones Astartes be theirs."
Rarity was the first among the Maidens to learn of the Emperor's Angels of Death, created from the genetic material of the Primarchs being implanted in young prepubescent boys.
The Emperor also took additional material from the Maidens for very specific Geneseeds. He had long since explained his vision of the Horus Heresy and it's relation with their sons, but he had also seen individual Astartes become great monsters in their own right.
While the addition of the Maiden's DNA within the Primarchs would affect their Geneseed, he did not wish to chance the nature vs nurture aspect of these Champions of madness, and thus reserved Geneseeds that were purely constructed of the Maidens genetic makeup for these individuals.
These individuals would later become some of the greatest heroes the Imperium had ever known, with the Emperor's word only just allowing people to see glimpses of what could've been.
After enduring the process of the Geneseed's construction from her being, Rarity returned to the nation-state of Europa to find suitable Aspirants for her Legion.
Upon her return, she found that the seeds she had planted in the Europans' minds had begun to bloom. Though there were still those kneeled to her as if she were a goddess, most gave but a bow of respect before carrying on with their day to day activities...though the Maiden noticed some of the residents had watched her as if waiting for her to attack them.
The truth of the Maidens alien origins had never been kept from the Imperium, but while it is widely accepted by Imperial citizens today, revealing the truth to early Terrans had it's consequences.
When Rarity confessed the discovered truth openly, many sympathizers of the old regime came out of hiding and attempted to insight rebellion. The attempts were ill fated, but not for imperial intervention. The sympathizers were simply incapable of turning Europa against it's alien savior.
Rarity looked on with pity as a husband and wife were dragged off by authorities, screaming curses at the Maiden as she passed.
A cursory glance was given to the confiscated explosives to reassure herself that the family's incarceration was necessary before Rarity refocused on her reason for coming here...the boy.
Rarity couldn't believe it when she heard that a child had turned in their own family, but she was determined to find out why, and to make sure he knew that he was appreciated.
To her dismay, the boy had been largely ignored by the authorities that arrested his parents. He simply sat on the steps of his home, hugging his knees into his chest.
"Thank you." The boy started when he realized he wasn't alone, and again when he realized who was addressing him.
The boy stuttered for a moment, giving the Maiden cause to giggle. "There is no need to be shy. It is I who should be awestruck by someone as brave as you."
The boy stopped stuttering and regained some composure...but turned his gaze from the Maiden as though in shame. "You shouldn't thank me...I didn't do it for you."
Rarity nodded in understanding. "I know, you did it to stop your parents from hurting innocent people. I'm sure they're all as grateful as I."
The boy looked at her curiously before averting his gaze again. "...what's gonna happen to me now?"
The Europan populace may be better off for Rarity's efforts, but it was still struggling. Many orphans had grown to adulthood before they could be adopted. This boy would likely be no different. "Well, I have an option...but I have to warn you, it could be very dangerous."
The boy's eyes locked with hers. "I...I've heard of this. Mom and dad said you were stealing children to be turned into soldiers."
Rarity bit back harsher words. "I-I am not stealing them! I've only taken volunteers from Orphanages who are fully aware of the risks."
The boy laughed at Rarity's reaction. "Either way, if it means I can help people, help humanity, then I'll do it."
Rarity smiled at his conviction. "I'm still going to have to tell you a story that might scare you out of it. But for now...what is your name?"
"Rylanor."
Rarity, like most of the Maidens, did not employ the use of the Emperor's Thunder Warriors, seeing them as too destructive for her taste. Thus, the birth of the IIIrd Legion's first company of a hundred Legiones Astartes all but doubled the Maiden's effectiveness.
For the savagery that most of Terra was subjected to, very few provinces could be taken bloodlessly. The first and most well known was the province known as Merica, which would later birth the greatest numbers of artists to bring Rarity's teachings to the stars.
In time, over a full and bloody century since the disappearance of the Primarchs, the Imperium of Man was ready to expand from Terra into the Segmentum Solar.
The IIIrd Legion, known at this time as Generosity's Gems, assisted in the taming of the populace of Terra's moon: Luna, though the final blow would be dealt by Celestia and the XVIth Legion.
Soon after Luna and Mars were brought to heel, Rarity and the other Psychic Maidens began to feel a sensation, as if something far beyond their sight were calling out to them. The mystery of this phenomenon would be solved when Celestia traced her calling to the world of Cthonia...to her son.
The confirmation that the psychic phenomenon was leading the Maidens to their respective Primarchs was all the Emperor needed to know. The Legions led by psychic Maidens were given first priority on the construction of the ships that would see humanity retake the stars. Within months, Generosity's Gems were starbound.
In spite of her concerns for her son, Rarity and the IIIrd did not shirk their duties to the newborn Imperium. Planets would be scanned for hostilities and have the necessary number of Astartes and diplomats deployed to ensure a safe and stable transition. The first years were so stable, Rarity would've thought the Emperor had exaggerated.
...but for the others.
Astropathic messages kept the Maidens in contact with one another as they branched out. From these, Rarity learned of the Imperium's first encounters with Xenos races and the horrors they had wrought upon humanity.
Reports of conflict were swiftly followed by reports of victory. Tyrants were ripped from their thrones almost in a day. While the Maidens made every attempt to show mercy, the majority of the modern Imperium's Alien Auxiliaries descended from unrepentant Penal Legions, and there are some species that had to be wiped out at the words of the Maidens themselves.
Not all of these reports together could wound Rarity's heart more than the single worst of them. The XIVth Legion had encountered a world besieged by Xenos so hostile and dangerous, that after fighting a month long battle that cut the Legion in half, Fluttershy saw no choice but to do the one thing every Maiden swore they would never do: subject the planet to Exterminatus.
As though the state of the galaxy were not frightening enough, Rarity began to feel her son's psychic call going quiet.
"He landed on THIS ONE!?" Rarity screamed after taking in the sight of the rotting world her son had been marooned on. An ugly world that seemed incapable of sustaining anything greater than swamps.
"It would appear so Lady Rarity. Shall I deploy a landing party?" Asked Rylanor, no longer the boy that had chosen innocent lives over his family, now the leader of Rarity's personal Honor Guard.
"Yes, your father has been on his own for long en-huh?" Rarity was taken from her thoughts when the psychic call that had grown quiet returned...not to call her to the planet, but to delay her arrival.
Rarity mentally questioned the change in the psychic link, but then images came to her mind...images of a planet far worse than the murky swamp world below her. A dead world whose populace could only wait to run out of food. A world...that was healing.
"My lady? Is everything all right?" Rylanor asked.
"...He is not ready to leave." Rarity replied.
Rarity's son, The Primarch Fulgrim, landed upon a planetwide wasteland known as Chemos.
Chemos was a bleak, unforgiving planet warmed by a small binary star and surrounded by a thick nebula dust cloud. The result was a world that was forever shrouded in perpetual twilight.
It had been settled by humanity during the Dark Age of Technology as a Mining World, but it was isolated from its neighbours by the great Warp Storms that marked the Age of Strife. The planet had been steadily running out of resources ever since, until only a scant few fortress factories were left to supply food for the dwindling population.
The need for survival saw the sacrifice of the people's livelihood. Art and leisure were all but forgotten as every waking hour was spent maintaining the vapor mines and synthesisers. A great many unsatisfied souls would end their lives every generation, adding to the survivability of the remaining populace and their dwindling resources.
Yet, even with these suicides. It became necessary to cull the homeless and the orphaned to further lengthen the dying world's lifespan. Children that could not be cared for by their own parents were put to the sword with no exception...until Fulgrim.
Scouts from the police force of the fortress factory Callax discovered the young Demigod, and were so smitten by the boy's godlike presence that they prostrated themselves before their rulers and begged that his life be spared.
Fulgrim was spared and given into the hands of one of his rescuers, a member of the Caretakers, to raise as his own child.
Named after an ancient deity of the Chemosian people, Fulgrim in time became a new legend to the people of that suffering world. At half the age at which most of the other people of Callax went to work in the vapour mines and synthesisers, Fulgrim proved able to fulfill all the obligations of an adult labourer.
He came to understand the ramshackle Chemosian mining technology with an intuitive ease that allowed him to begin to modify it with his extraordinary technical acumen, dramatically increasing its efficiency.
By the time he was only 15 Terran years of age, Fulgrim had risen from the rank of a simple labourer to become one of the Executives who governed the fortress-factory of Callax. As a leader, Fulgrim learned of the terrible plight that faced Callax and all the other settlements of Chemos as their technology and population gradually declined in the face of their resource shortages.
Under Fulgrim's direction, teams of engineers travelled far from Callax and the other fortress-factories, reclaiming and repairing many of the most ancient and far-flung of the world's original mining outposts, many of which had not been used since before the start of the Age of Strife. Mining production skyrocketed, and as resources began to pour in large amounts into the treasuries of the fortress-factories of Chemos for the first time in millennia, Fulgrim supervised the construction of even more sophisticated and efficient extraction machinery. This industrial efficiency soon grew to the point that Chemos' mines were actually producing surpluses for the first time in decades, allowing the world to begin to purchase food and other needed materials in large quantities from passing interstellar traders. Fulgrim, now the recognised planetary leader, fostered the re-emergence of Chemosian art and culture, important aspects of human life that had long been sacrificed to Chemos' resource shortage and need for constant labour.
It is in the midst of Chemos' rebirth that Rarity found her son. Fulgrim knew what her arrival meant, but felt the need to finish rebuilding Chemos on his own.
Rarity recognized this as an aspect of her personality. Fulgrim was shaping the planet as she would sew a dress in her time before the Imperium. And so, she chose to leave until Fulgrim had finished his work.
The wisdom of this choice has been argued since it was made, there were even those among Generosity's Gems who felt it was the wrong choice. But records would show that Rarity made her choice as one of her final acts of nostalgia for her old life.
...It would prove to be a tragic mistake for the IIIrd Legion.
As years turned to decades, and more Legions knew their Primarchs than not, Generosity's Gems had grown accustomed to the darkness among the stars.
While most Legions acted as shock troops, Rarity's grandsons adopted a more supporting role upon the battlefield. Sergeants would command Imperial Army companies alongside their squads, and direct their younger Battle Brothers to lend assistance in whatever manner was necessary.
But while supporting the Imperial war efforts would cement the Legions popularity, their primary method of conquest remained negotiation. It was believed that once a planet's ruler opened it's ears to Rarity and her grandsons, victory was assured...until Proxima.
The Compliance of Proxima, a joint effort between Rarity and the Emperor himself, signaled the beginning of the 3rd Legion's first time of strife. For the calls for peace were but a lure for a heinous trap.
When the Emperor, Rarity, and their respective honor guards met with the Proximan rulers, the Maiden was fired upon by one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy: a Vortex Weapon.
The Emperor intervened, taking the shot for Himself, and needed to be escorted from the ensuing battle.
Rarity directed the Emperor's Children alongside the Adeptus Custodes, but her efforts only allowed three of her sons to follow her and the Emperor in withdrawal.
The Emperor is said to have directed great praise to the Maiden and her sons, but when He authorized them to enact Exterminatus, Generosity's Gems collectively pleaded to be allowed to conquer Proxima rather than destroy it. For the sake of any innocent lives yet on the planet.
Ultimately, the Emperor denied them, foreseeing that the Legion would not survive, and dismissed them that His own fleet may carry out His orders.
For months Rarity and her sons would express their anger at the Emperor's actions, yet the truth of His foresight would soon reveal itself.
Due to an unforeseen accident within the Gene Labs of Luna, where the Astartes Geneseed is held, a large portion of the 3rd Legion's Geneseed was destroyed. Hindering the Legion's growth.
Soon after, a fast acting viral blight infected several of the Geneseed vaults on Terra, further adding to their losses.
Yet, extinction was not to be the IIIrd Legion's destiny...for the Primarch's call to Rarity sounded once more.
Rarity couldn't believe her eyes. Had she not seen Chemos as it was before, she would never have drawn comparisons between the dead world it was and the beautiful marble that grew larger as her Thunderhawk descended onto it's surface.
Led by her psychic signal, she guided the pilot to a beautiful city populated by humans of exquisite taste. Everywhere the Seamstress looked, a new dress caught her eye, more beautiful than the last.
The dropship landed in the town center, where Rarity's bodyguards deployed to stand opposite men in inferior, but more beautiful power armor.
Yet, the beauty of the guards paled in comparison to whom they were guarding. The Primarch was adorned not with armor, but with dress robes of the finest silk. Colored a dark amethyst with a lavender trim and magenta highlights. His ivory locks framing an approving smile as he looked upon the Astartes.
His approval swiftly turned to amazement, for Rarity had chosen similar attire. A white dress adorned with diamonds that caught in the sun, with platinum bracelets adorned with amethysts, and a tiara and choker of the same.
Rarity was just as stunned. But for a different reason. Though she felt she had mentally prepared herself to meet her Primarch...her son, to actually see him in the flesh caused a surge of emotion that threatened to undo the Maiden's professionalism.
"...I'm sorry." Rarity hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. "Wu-what?"
"I had known what you came for years ago, but I didn't know what strife would befall you in my absence...I thought you could wait until.." The Primarch hesitated.
Rarity's eyes widened. He knew. He knew the state of his Legion. But how?
"I am not as gifted as Magnus, but your blood coursing through my veins has added to my psychic potential. And when you came before, I learned everything. And now that you've returned...I am so sorry. I was selfish."
Rarity acquired a sad smile. "Only as selfish as your mother. I left you here to finish your work because I wanted you to have memories of a time before this war that you were born to fight. So you could be a normal person before you became a conquerer of worlds...the fall of the Legion is my fault.
Upon hearing this, Fulgrim's hesitation died, and he began walking towards his mother, who followed and met him halfway...the embrace between them was meant to be immortalized in a painting, but none who have tried felt that their attempt was worthy.
Reuniting with their Primarch triggered a rebirth for the 3rd Legion, it would only be two decades before they were able to stand on their own again. In the meantime, Generosity's Gems served alongside the Terran Wolves as an auxiliary.
The Emperor often accompanied them as well, developing a deep bond with Fulgrim who came to admire Him for all that He was doing for humanity and the selfless sacrifices He had made. This would culminate in Fulgrim requesting to rename the 3rd Legion. The request was accepted by the Emperor and Rarity and Generosity's Gems, now the Emperor's Children.
In the years that followed, Fulgrim grew closer to his brothers, not only those born of the Maidens, but also those born only of the Emperor...he even earned the respect of Lion El'Jonson through a duel.
But there was one whose bond with Fulgrim was that of a true brother:Ferrus Manus.
The Phoenician met the Gorgon in the Imperial Forge by chance. He had arrived to forge a weapon worthy of leading his sons to victory.
Upon hearing of Fulgrim's purpose in the forge, Ferrus laughed at the absurdity of one as 'pretty' as Fulgrim toiling in a forge. Seeing the mockery as a declaration of war, Fulgrim promised to forge a weapon that the Gorgon could never hope to rival.
Fulgrim wiped the sweat from his brow as he concluded his work. It did not please him to look at it, but he knew that brute wasn't interested in beauty. Only power.
Forgebreaker, that was the name Fulgrim gave his creation, a giant Warhammer that would rival Dawnbringer forevermore. Fulgrim had to put genuine effort behind lifting the great weapon.
As Fulgrim turned around, he imagined Ferrus Manus producing a similar weapon to compare against Forgebreaker. It would be another day or so before the faintest flaw could be found in either weapon.
But Fulgrim had faith in his ability. He had poured his heart and soul into ensuring that Ferrus Manus would leave this forge chewing on his tongue, searching for the faintest criticism, and finding none.
"Are you finally finished? I've been waiting for quite some time." Came the cold voice of the forge's only other occupant.
"Hmph, if you had to wait longer than 20 seconds, I would've forfeited the competition. That was our agreement." Fulgrim reminded his brother.
"But for four seconds more...on three." Ferrus declared.
"One." Started Fulgrim.
"Two." Continued Ferrus.
"THREE!!!" The Primarchs shouted at the same time as they turned and ignited their weapons Power Fields
All of Fulgrim's expectations disappeared. He knew that he had lost the moment he saw it. Beautiful could not describe the sword in Ferrus' hands, it transcended beauty.
The sword itself was gold, but what set it apart from any other Power Sword bar the Emperor's own was that it's Power Field appeared as flames rather than lightning, giving it the appearance of a Phoenix Feather.
Fulgrim had miscalculated. He was so certain that Ferrus sought to compare power and functionality, he had never considered that his brother sought to make a weapon more beautiful than Fulgrim's. And he had done so.
"...It's...it's bea-" "Magnificent." The interruption tore Fulgrim's eyes from the sword and allowed him to see that the Gorgon was just as awestruck by Fulgrim's Hammer.
Catching himself, Fulgrim replied. "Y-yes I...I had thought that you would only care for practicality and power, so I built Forgebreaker to compete with Vulkan's hammer."
"Heh...I knew you only had eyes for looks. If I could make a flamboyant weapon without sacrificing functionality. I felt that your weapon would prove weaker...You would shatter this thing with one strike." Ferrus bowed his head.
"Ha! Only you would think to parry a hammer with a sword. I could never strike a capable swordsman with a weapon like this. My mother and Lucieus would've cut me down a hundred times over before I could even raise it." Fulgrim stated while lifting the hammer to demonstrate it's weight.
Ferrus accepted the surrender. "Your arms are a bit small. Perhaps it would be better in my hands."
"And perhaps I can show you what to avoid when fighting a competent swordsman with a fine blade." Fulgrim added as passed Forgebreaker with one hand, and extended the other to take Ferrus' sword.
When Fulgrim acquired the Power Sword Fireblade, he had believed that he had built an everlasting bond with the Gorgon...but it was not to be.
Ferrus openly distrusted the Maidens and their sons, and even without this, his personality clashed not only with Fulgrim, but with the Imperium as a whole.
The Iron Hands were the most violent Legion in the Imperium, with so few peaceful compliances that you could count them on your hands.
Fulgrim nonetheless made every attempt to keep his bond with the Gorgon, and probably would've done so...but for the Laer.
The Laer were a xenos race that had been openly hostile to the Expeditionary Fleet that had discovered them.
If any other Legion had spoken up first, things might've been different. But Fulgrim claimed that he could bring the Laer into compliance in no less than three months.
Even Rarity claimed that Fulgrim was being reckless, but in the end, Fulgrim convinced her to relent, promising that he could bring the Laer into Imperial Compliance.
Confronting the Laer almost immediately shattered Fulgrim's confidence, and he swiftly learned that peace was never an option.
The Emperor's Children function primarily as negotiators and support for the Imperial Army, and Fulgrim had insisted on his Legion handling this alone. The war was devastating.
It seemed that Fulgrim would be forced to retreat and regroup, but salvation came in the form of the Iron Hands.
Ferrus Manus had naught but respect for his brother, but knew that his pride was his greatest shortcoming. If Fulgrim needed reinforcements, he would suffer long beyond learning such before sending a call for help.
And so, the Iron Hands followed the Emperor's Children in secret, and only deployed when interference was undoubtedly necessary.
The purge of the Laer was thorough and absolute, none survived. And Ferrus Manus vowed to keep his involvement a secret for the sake of Fulgrim's pride. For years, there was no sign of what was to come...until the Diasporex.
The Diasporex was a nomadic, democratic confederation of humans and aliens who lived aboard a vast collection of ancient starships, maintaining a network of solar collectors around various stars to fuel their vessels' power generators. The aliens who existed in alliance with the Diasporex humans were a large quadrupedal species that lacked eyes and made use of cybernetic enhancements.
The Emperor's Children learned of the Diasporex when the Iron Hands called them to assist in their extermination, claiming that they were hostile and dangerous. Having no reason not to believe the Gorgon, Fulgrim committed his Expeditionary Fleet to the conflict.
The Diasporex fought a hit and run battle for many weeks, until the Emperor's Children discovered and assaulted their refueling stations. Drawn out of hiding and into open conflict, the two Legions made short work of the enemy.
Fulgrim's armored boots echoed through the halls of the Fist of Iron as he approached his brother's quarters, his face set with concern.
Please, let him be wrong. The Phoenician thought to himself as he entered Ferrus' private chambers and saw his brother examining a cybernetic implant taken from the Diasporex.
"Just as I suspected, completely inferior." The Gorgon said to himself with an arrogant smirk before crushing the implant and tossing it aside. "Get rid of it." He ordered the serfs that were already moving to follow his orders.
"I do not recall you being so emotional. Your smile used to be so rare." Fulgrim stated.
At last, the Gorgon noticed him. "Ha! Far be it from me not to appreciate victory against annoying weaklings. I can't tell you how furious I was to need you for this."
Fulgrim smirked. There was the proud perfectionist he had grown to love. "Did you consider asking them to hold still for you?"
Ferrus laughed as he rose from his seat, and Fulgrim's smile vanished as he caught sight of the Laer Blade Ferrus kept as a trophy on his waist.
Ferrus noticed his brother's distaste. "You're not still upset that I've taken up swordsmanship, are you?"
"N-no! It's just...something about that sword...unnerves me." Fulgrim shuddered as he confessed.
"Ah well, it is a xeno weapon after all. And you definitely suffered more from the Laer than I did." Ferrus reasoned. "Nevermind that, what brings you here?"
Fulgrim steeled himself, once more praying that he was wrong. "When we took the Diasporex Flagship. One of the aliens cried for mercy."
Ferrus arched an eyebrow. "Huh, I wasn't aware those things could speak."
"They can't. The message was telepathic." Fulgrim corrected.
"Ah. So what of it? Why should we care?" Ferrus asked.
"Because it claimed that it just wanted to be left alone. And looking at how the Diasporex fought, I believe it." Fulgrim explained.
The Gorgon's expression became hostile, very hostile. "So you're calling me a liar? Is that it?"
"Brother...you've been acting strange ever since the Laer Campaign. I've read the reports, I've heard the rumors, and now...what's happening to you?" Fulgrim all but pleaded for an explanation
Ferrus' eyes drifted downward. His scowl remained for a time, but then it twisted into an amused smile as he began to laugh. "What's happening? Hehehehe, I am discarding weakness. The Diasporex may not have attacked me, but they provoked me...with their weakness."
Fulgrim eyes widened with horrible realization. "You...you exterminated them because they were inferior. THE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF THE IMPERIUM IS TO STRENGTHEN US!!"
Ferrus waved off Fulgrim's hysteria. "It would've been a waste of our resources to include those scum."
"THAT IS NOT YOUR CALL TO MAKE!!" Fulgrim shouted. Trying desperately to reason with his brother.
"Actually, it is. Unless the Emperor himself overturns me. But he was not here, so I judged the Diasporex myself...and found them wanting." Ferrus said with no attempt to disguise his arrogance.
Fulgrim was speechless for a moment. The man that stood before him was a farcry from the brother he loved. "...The Emperor will hear of this."
Fulgrim knew that his words were the death of his bond with Ferrus Manus. But it was the only choice he could make.
Ferrus said nothing. He stared for a moment, and then he went to a weapon stand holding Forgebreaker and retrieved the mighty hammer. Presenting it to Fulgrim.
Fulgrim nodded in agreement as he reached for the hammer. He had expected such a reaction.
...he hadn't expected Ferrus to draw the Laer Blade and cut off the hammer's head.
The Iron Hands were censured by the Emperor and sent to relieve the Iron Warriors by request of Rainbow Dash, where they would remain until the end of the Ullanor Campaign.
But none of this did anything to mend Fulgrim's wounded heart. Even his mother knew nothing of the grief of a friendship being torn apart in such a cruel manner. And so, Fulgrim sulked in isolation for a very long time.
It would not be until the Emperor's Children were called to reinforce the Death Guard in the war against the Megarachnids that Fulgrim emerged. Not with Forgebreaker, nor with the Fire Blade, but the 3rd Legion's holiest weapon: the burning spear known as Phoenix Beak.
The Megarachnids were one of the deadliest xenos species the Imperium had ever encountered. After the deaths of the Blood Angels tied to the 140th Expeditionary Fleet, the Death Guard were sent to purge the alien threat with extreme prejudice.
It brought tears to every Maiden's heart when they saw what Fluttershy had become, but the pitiless xenocidal warrior known as Death's Reaper was exactly what the Imperium needed her to be.
Yet, even with the Death Guard's experience in war, and the Emperor's Children serving as support, the Megarachnids pushed them to their limit and reaped a bloody toll from both Legions...until the Angel arrived.
Seeking vengeance for his lost sons, the Primarch Sanguinius brought several IXth Legion companies into the fray.
Rarity's first impression of the Angel of Baal was unnerving, for how seamlessly he fought beside Fluttershy in a maelstrom of slaughter that proved him a dark equal to Death's Reaper. Yet, Sanguinius had two sides to his personality, and later revealed himself to share Rarity's love of the fine arts.
The addition of a third Primarch should've spelt the doom for the Megarachnids, but to the surprise of all, interference came in the form of an undiscovered human civilization called the Interex.
The Interex revealed that they had marooned the Megarachnids upon their homeworld of Murder after defeating them in a war long past. The Interex chose not to exterminate them so as not to have the blood of an entire species on their hands.
Fluttershy argued that the Megarachnids should be eradicated. While Rarity wouldn't lose sleep over the gate of the aggressive species, it pained her to see Fluttershy ready to slaughter them. And so, she argued that the Megarachnids were not a threat so long as Murder remained cut off from the wider galaxy.
In the end, it was decided that the fate of the Megarachnids would be determined after the Interex were brought into the Imperial fold. To this end, the newly appointed Warmaster Horus and his mother were contacted and given control of the situation.
Years passed, the Imperium grew in strength, but without warning or provocation...tragedy struck.
Luna, the Lady of the Night, had been killed while trying evacuate the innocent from the surface of the rebelling world Nostromo.
All the Imperium mourned the Maidens death, but Konrad Kurze was struck with more fear than grief. For it was not his remorseless killers that had destroyed Nostromo, but those amongst the Night Lords that were more aligned with Luna's ideals than Kurze himself.
This convinced Kurze that his Legion's fall from grace was inevitable. That the Emperor's efforts to save his soul from damnation had been for naught.
Rarity and the other Maidens tried to console the grief-stricken Primarch for fear that he planned to cull his Legion and commit suicide, but their efforts were wasted...until the most terrifying of the Maiden-Born, Angron of Nuceria, came forth with a plan to ensure the VIIIth Legion could never harm the innocent.
To this end, Applejack contacted Rarity and requested that she use her contacts amongst the Imperial Aeldari to secure passage to Commoragh. Their mission: break the Dark Eldar over their knee before leaving the Dark City under the Night Lords' care, who in turn would be watched by Companies of the Emperor's Children and the World Eaters.
Commoragh was more than any one Legion could handle, but with the World Eaters forming the speartip, the Emperor's Children providing support, and the Night Lords flushing out ambush attempts, the Drukhari gradually lost ground.
It was during this campaign that Rarity was scarred across her face. Though she had been scarred before, a blade had never touched her face until her duel with Lelith Hesperax...who was promptly slain in fury by the IIIrd Legion's most legendary hero.
Blood poured from his body onto the shower floor as he washed away the filth of the last battle and revealed his many scars, old and fresh alike.
The campaign was over, the Dark Eldar only existed as refugees hiding in lower dregs and allyways of their city, as it should be.
He despised having to let them live. He knew that the Night Lords needed something to keep them occupied while they stayed in this self-appointed exile. He had agreed to it at first...but then they ruined her.
Rarity, the Mother of his Father, the source of Fulgrim's greatness, the source of his own greatness, whose beauty was unmatched by any in all the universe...scarred by a knife-earred whore.
The water ceased as he shut off the shower and stepped out. As he did, his eyes lazily drifted to the mirror.
His reflection stared back at him. Even in fury, he was beautiful. He represented everything that the Emperor's Children aspired to be. As close to perfection as an Astartes could come, and now... A Maiden was less perfect than he.
His fist shattered the mirror and dented the Adamantine wall behind it as he realized what sort of blasphemy had crossed his mind. He then stared at his bleeding, mangled hand in rage and regret that he could be so arrogant...before noticing a piece of glass before him in the perfect shape for him to use as an impromptu knife.
Taking the blade in his ruined hand, Lucius carved the perfection from his flesh.
The Commoragh Campaign saw the Emperor's Children removed from the birth of the Nikea edict, but Rarity was pleased to hear that no censure had been passed, save the one passed on the Space Wolves after a Rune Priest went mad and attacked a group of Thousand Sons.
After that, the galaxy seemed to have finally yielded. For nearly a century, there was nothing more dangerous than rogue Orks and stubborn Aeldari who refused to abandon their claim on the galaxy. But then, with no warning or sign, Leman Russ laid siege to Prospero just as Ultramar became divided by civil war.
"We've emerged from the Warp. Powering down Gellar Fields." Called out a voice on the vox. As soon as the psychic barrier was down, Rarity, Fulgrim, and every Librarian present extended their presence as if they were stretching out their arms.
An Astropathic message sent ahead ensured that the Thousand Sons were aware of their evacuation plan, and Librarians were materializing within the IIIrd Legion's flagship with groups of their kin...but Starlight and Magnus were nowhere to be found.
Just as she began to fear the worst, Rarity felt a strong pull, and recognized the psychic signature of Magnus the Red. She pulled with all her might, and allowed the Primarch to teleport onto Generosity of the Emperor. The sight haunted her forevermore.
Magnus' back had been broken, and his injuries so severe that not even an Astartes in Terminator armor could've survived...but the broken Primarch was all but invisible to Rarity for what lay beside him.
Torn metal and ravaged meat bled under the Primarch's hand. It was so unrecognizable that Rarity only knew the body's identity for a single tuft of hair that wasn't covered in blood...hair that was half cyan and half amethyst.
"...ss...st-Starlight..." Rarity was dumbstruck at the reality of what she saw. Starlight Glimmer was dead, eaten alive by Leman Russ.
"Stay with Magnus mother, I will handle this." Fulgrim offered, but Rarity refused.
"No, we will lay her to rest later. First, we will avenge her.
Upon rescuing the survivors of Prospero, the Emperor's Children deployed to the Azure District on the western side of the planet's capital alongside the Death Guard.
The Emperor's Children did not lose sight of their objective. They acted as support, not as the spearhead. But none of them protested the cynical nature of the Death Guard as they had against the Megarachnids.
Fulgrim and Rarity commanded opposite flanks beside Fluttershy and Mortarion's assault. Cutting down any that survived the onslaught and cutting off reinforcements.
The Daemons were known to the Maidens, and no match for their own sorcery. But the Wulfen were a different matter entirely.
To know that every Wulfen was once an Astartes caused Rarity to ponder how many of them were but victims in this madness. She would hesitate to cut them down in the hopes that they could be saved. Those beside her did not protest the expended energy in fighting mercifully...for they believed that the war would end swiftly.
Reports came in that Perturabo had opened fire upon Rainbow Dash and that the Iron Warriors fell into infighting. Jaghatai Khan and his White Scars made to assist, but doing so had left their flanks exposed.
The Space Wolves lept upon the sign of weakness, leaving only a skeleton force and a horde of Daemons to face the Emperor's Children and the Death Guard.
Faced with no choice but to continue their mission to purge the enemy from their side of the planet, Rarity nonetheless called to deploy the second wave.
Saul Tarvitz grit his teeth as another Wulfen yelped in pain as he ran it through, before he pulled his sword free and beheaded one of the foul shebeasts that leapt at him from behind.
It hadn't escaped his notice that the feminine abominations came at the IIIrd Legion in greater numbers than the others of their kind. And he swore that he could hear them whispering to him and his brothers...though he didn't care to listen.
He was torn from his thoughts as the heavens fell upon him. Iron Hands drop pods descended onto the Emperor's Children, killing some, and driving others from cover to be cut down by the enemy. ARE THEY MAD!? The IIIrd Legion Captain thought to himself...he soon received his answer.
Tarvitz watched as the Iron Hands departed their drop pods...and began to massacre his Company.
Before Tarvitz could react, he felt the telltale tingling of his teeth that forshadowed teleportation.
A massive Iron Hands Terminator appeared just to his side and swung a Thunder Hammer at him. Tarvitz barely survived by leaping into the air, he then twisted upside down and performed a 360° spin, his sword finding a gap in the traitor's armor.
Tarvitz landed behind the headless Terminator before it even began to fall. He saw his brothers beginning to push back...and also saw the female creatures that had plagued him and his brothers fighting alongside the Iron Hands, appearing to bask in their presence.
"By the Elements...what have you done?"
As Xth Legion drop pods rained down upon the Emperor's Children, the Iron Hands sent Thunderhawks behind the enemy lines. They did not carry Astartes, but rather the Iron Tenths most dangerous mortal followers: the Warsingers of Istvaan III.
The telepathic psykers summoned and herded the Daemonettes of Slaanesh with their siren's call, and allowed themselves to be butchered in a Chaotic ritual that summoned forth Kanathara, a Keeper of Secrets whose hooves shatter mountains and whose voice lulls the sun.
While the Greater Daemon moved to take Rarity's soul for its Dark Master, Fulgrim faced a far deadlier foe, his brother.
Ferrus Manus revealed that he had slowly been possessed by a Daemon within the Laer Blade. And though he had managed to break free and imprison the Daemon, the ordeal had revealed to him his weakness, and further drove him to pursue perfection.
Fulgrim argued that this wasn't him, that he was still a puppet to the Great Enemy. Ferrus stated that if it were true, then he was too weak to free himself, and needed perfection all the more.
The two Primarchs clashed as only Demigods could. As brother fought brother on one side of the western front, Rarity desperately fought to reform a proper battle line before the arrival of Kanathara.
An attempt was made to contact the Death Guard for reinforcements, but it only revealed that they too had been betrayed by the Salamanders, with Vulkan fighting Mortarion and Fluttershy simultaneously.
With no reinforcements and no preparations, Rarity made the desperate decision to teleport to Kanathara's location and face the Daemon head on.
The Maiden of Generosity is a far weaker sorcerer than the other magically inclined Maidens, but the nature of their Warp Craft made them Anathema to the horrors of the immaterium.
Rarity's first attack banished hundreds of Daemonettes, the rest choosing to fall back and allow the Greater Daemon to fight alone.
Kanathara would not be so easily felled. But Rarity's speed and agility allowed her to avoid the Daemon's counterstrikes.
Unfortunately, the Daemonettes did not remain cowed forever, they simply waited for Kanathara to hold the Maiden's attention until the right moment to strike.
That moment would never come. Sensing the threat, Magnus the Red rejoined the battlefield with the last remnants of his broken Legion.
The Crimson King teleported between Rarity and Kanathara and smote the Daemon where it stood. Allowing Rarity to return to the allied lines and find that the Emperor's Children under her command had successfully drove back the Iron Hands with the aid of the Thousand Sons.
From there, Magnus led a counterattack against the Salamanders while Rarity moved to reinforce Fulgrim as the Night Lords arrived in system.
Unfortunately, Rarity's efforts to save her son were in vain. She arrived on the scene of Fulgrim's battle against Ferrus Manus...as the Gorgon removed his brother's head.
Rarity's despair fed the Dark Prince, who showed it's gratitude by raising Ferrus Manus above his mortal limits, ascending him to Daemonhood.
As the Gorgon's living metal spread to encase his entire body, Rarity's despair gave way to fury, her psychic powers amplifying a hundred fold and manifesting in the form of crystallized energy that she willed to go forth and impale the fallen Primarch.
Rarity collapsed in exhaustion, tears of grief blinding her from all but the frozen wave of diagonal stalagmites that had impaled and enveloped Ferrus Manus.
The tension began to leave, and she began to fall unconscious...until the cracking started.
With no small amount of effort, Ferrus Manus burst forth from what was meant to be his grave. The Daemon Primarch had lost all semblance of humanity, bearing a serpentine lower half, two pairs of arms, and a nest of snakes protruding from his skull.
Yet, the Gorgon's perfection had been forever denied. Three of Rarity's crystal spikes impaled his flesh before his transformation was complete, and they then melted away and left fist sized gaps in the Gorgon's iron scales.
"You...how dare you!?" The Gorgon's voice was both a hiss and a snarl, a whisper and a roar,echoing from the ends of the galaxy and inside Rarity's mind.
The Maiden tried to stand, to summon forth her power from before or even a simple spell, but it was useless. She was spent.
"How dare you do this to me...you filthy xenos wench...I WAS ALMOST PERFECT!!!" The Gorgon struck like a viper, Rarity couldn't even summon the strength to put her arms between them.
"YOU WON'T HAVE HER!!!" The Gorgon was thrown to the side as the vengeful form of Rylanor crashed into him. Rarity didn't have a chance to react before she was pulled from the blood soaked ground by an Astartes who then took off at a full sprint.
Rarity's world was a blur. All around her, the Emperor's Children did battle with the Iron Hands, forsaking their flawless technique in favor of berserker rage.
A feral scream alerted Rarity to an attack from a Daemonette. No sooner was the scream cut off along with the Daemon's head by the Marine carrying her. Lucius.
When next they were engaged, drop pods landed between Lucius and the enemy. The Night Lords sprang forth on wings of fire and fury, delivering just punishment onto the Daemon and the traitor alike.
Rarity turned her eyes to the sound of a Thunderhawk coming in low. "It's...it's not ours." The Maiden's words barely a whisper and were only heard by Lucius.
"LOOK OUT!!!" Shouted Saul Tarvitz who pushed the other Astartes out of the way as the Iron Hands Thunderhawk fired a strafing run.
Lucius rolled out of the way while holding his mother like an infant in his arms, when he righted himself he kept on running...shedding a single tear as he stepped over his brother's body.
The Thunderhawk had landed, and enemy reinforcements would engage them soon, but salvation had arrived. An Emperor's Children Thunderhawk appeared in the skies above them.
Lucius ran as fast as an Astartes could, cutting down anything that dared stand against him, but as Rarity's eyes drifted to the sky...she saw a foreboding shadow descending upon them.
"Luci-" Rarity's attempt to warn her son was cut short as the Iron Hands Assault Marine crashed into him. Destroying his battery pack and planting him into the ground.
Rarity's armor prevented Lucius' body from crushing her, but she was nonetheless helpless to defend herself from the raised chainsword that rushed to her neck.
Lucius threw the flat of his deactivated Power Sword between the chainsword and it's target, diverting the Assault Marine's attention towards him.
The traitor removed his foot from Lucius' back and stomped on his sword arm before striking to behead the scarred warrior.
Shots rang out and the traitor fell. Lucius recollected Rarity with his functioning arm and ran as fast as he could...ignoring the blood flowing from his neck.
The Dropsite Massacre scarred the Imperium as a whole, but not even the Thousand Sons suffered as many losses as the Emperor's Children. Fulgrim had been slain, along with most of their Commanders, and Rarity had been incapable of giving orders in her state.
Fortunately, the Night Lords had been accompanied by their guards from the Emperor's Children and the World Eaters. The Companies guarding the Dark City were switched out annually, and the Emperor's Children Company stationed there at the time were the elite Ist Company led by Lord Commander Eidolon.
Eidolon took over as Legion Master while Rarity retreated to her quarters to grieve, and ordered the IIIrd Legion to return to Chemos for reinforcements...they only found despair.
Fabius Bile: When the Emperor created the holy Geneseed of the Astartes from the genetic material of the Primarchs, he also created some from the genetic material from the Maidens themselves for select individuals who would become legends in their own right.
However, the prophecies that showed every deviation of the Imperium's future all shared one common villain, one man whom the Emperor forbade to become Astartes.
Born amongst the nobility of Europa, Fabius Bile was accustomed to a life of luxury...a life that ended when the nobles were robbed of their power.
Fabius was initially offered a place amongst the IIIrd Legion by Rarity, but once she heard the boy's name. She withdrew her offer.
Bitter and vengeful. Fabius would dream of the life that Rarity had taken from him that night, and in this same dream he would be visited by a messenger of Slaanesh.
This messenger would take the form of Fabius Bile's future self and guide him down the path to his destiny.
Fabius would pledge himself to the IIIrd Legion as a serf. He would then rise through the ranks and earn the special privileges that would ensure his victory. Including Chemical Rejuvenation lengthening his life until the discovery of Fulgrim.
When the IIIrd Legion made Chemos it's home world, Fabius Bile was permitted to live there as a teacher of medicine. There, Fabius Bile secretly poisoned his every patient with a horrid concoction that allowed those infected to hear the whispers of the Warp as if they were Psykers.
On the eve of the Dropsite Massacre, Fabius' long waiting came to an end, and Chemos was devoured by a Warpstorm known as the Maw of Slaanesh.
What the Maw spat out was a living nightmare. All that lived was in pain, and many of them embraced it. And at the center of it all stood Fibius Bile, reforged as an Astartes by the Daemon that guided him and the will of Slaanesh.
When the shattered remnants of the Emperor's Children returned to Chemos, they found a world despoiled by the horrors of the Dark Prince. What few of their brothers survived had been driven insane and now serve under Fabius Bile.
Vowing to destroy this Usurper, Eidolon committed his forces to purging the corrupted planet.
Fabius and Eidolon commanded roughly equal numbers of Astartes, but the maddened Cultists and Daemonettes turned the tide in favor of the heretics, making a ground war all but impossible. Eidolon sought to commit Exterminatus, but Rarity, in a fit of grief-stricken madness, refused to let her son's homeworld be so callously destroyed.
This hesitation would prove costly, as Fabius Bile sent forth a fleet of Warp-tainted warships to assault the limping IIIrd Legion Fleet. The extinction of the Emperor's Children seemed imminent...But salvation emerged from the darkness.
Guided by his visions of catastrophe, Konrad Curze led his Legion to the rescue of the Emperor's Children and, ever the monster whose help is unwanted but forever needed, destroyed Chemos in the same manner as Nostromo.
Rarity's screams of despair wounded her sons far more than the mercy-killing of their homeworld, and many feared that she would demand vengeance upon the Night Lords. That is, until Curze himself arrived onboard their flagship to explain himself to the distraught Maiden.
None besides the two holy figures know what words passed between them, but when they emerged from the Maidens private chambers, Rarity's mind was whole again...though her tears never truly faded.
Chemos was gone, but Fabius Bile managed to escape, and though the temptation to hunt him down was great, the atrocities committed by letting him live were nothing compared to what would've occurred had the two Legions not set their sights elsewhere.
While the Dark Angels and Space Wolves waged war against the Sons of Horus and the ruined Blood Angels and Alpha Legion, and the Iron Warriors clashed with the White Scars, the Iron Hands and Salamanders had seized the opportunity to bolster the Lion's forces. Enslaving a large portion of the Imperium and increasing production across numerous Forge Worlds.
With so many Loyalist Legions deposed, it fell to the Night Lords and Emperor's Children to rally the mortal warriors of the Imperial Army.
The weakened IIIrd Legion contacted worlds still loyal to the Imperial Truth and rallied their forces while the Night Lords descended on worlds taken by the traitors and led multiple rebellions. In a year's time, the Astartes were spearheading an Imperial Fleet of thousands of ships bearing billions of defiant souls.
The Night Lords followed the visions of their Primarch elsewhere, leaving Rarity and Eidolon to lead the mortal army. Thus began a campaign of liberation that would occupy the Emperor's Children until the siege of Terra.
Hive World Vostroya:When the Emperor's Children sent out their call for aid, the people of Vostroya refused to reinforce them, stating that the men they would send to fight would serve the Imperium better building weapons for those on the front lines.
The Emperor's Children accepted their logic and allowed the Vostroyan people to evade Active Duty on the frontlines.
Wrought with grief after the Heresy's end, Vostroya intended to draft every firstborn son of every family into the Imperial Army.
To their surprise, an Emperor's Children Chaplain visited the Hive World's Planetary Governor, and requested that the Emperor's Children be permitted to use Vostroya as a Recruitment World to make up for the devastation their Legion had suffered.
The Governor of Vostroya couldn't form a reply. It was known to him that the Astartes could simply demend his service. And yet, the most desperate Legion of them all would merely request his assistance.
Vostroya's destiny was changed by this encounter, but only slightly. The Vostroyan Firstborn serve honorably and by choice. Not as a penitant regiment of the Imperial Guard, but as the 15th battle company of the Emperor's Children.
After seven years of unfathomable bloodshed, the Siege of Terra had begun. Though the Emperor's Children wished to make all haste to reinforce their allies, they had received word that the Death Guard were in more dire need of aid.
The Megarachnids, an ancient foe of both Legions that had been spared extinction for the sake of diplomacy with the Interex, had returned as a far more dangerous threat.
Though the Heretics beneath the Lion's banner were the most hateful and xenophobic of Mankind, they knew that the Imperium's xenos allies needed to be countered if they were to achieve victory. To this end, Vulkan and Ferrus Manus saw fit to grant the Megarachnids the one thing they didn't have last time, technology.
The vile xenos marooned upon Murder ensured that Rarity would always regret her decision to oppose Fluttershy's wish to slaughter them. Celebrating their freedom with a crusade of carnage against random worlds with no importance or commonality.
The Death Guard had tried to stop them, but were now in danger of being overwhelmed.
Determined to right this wrong, the first recorded vox message between the arriving Emperor's Children and the surviving Death Guard is Rarity apologizing to Fluttershy and stating Now we do it your way.
The battle was long and hard, and bled the wounded Legions even more. In total, only 2,200 Astartes would reinforce Terra, and 1,500 were Death Guard.
The Salamanders would attempt to crush the wounded Legions outright, but their assault left them open for hidden Night Lords and Alpha Legionnaires who ensured the limping Legions would have very little interaction with the enemy until the made planet fall.
The two weakened Legions were ultimately unable to do more than fill in gaps in the other fronts, adding to the enemy's losses while reducing their own until...the end.
News of the Emperor's fall, of Horus and Celestia's deaths, shook the Imperium to its core. And nearly every ship still capable of flight took the Astartes Legions after the World Eaters and Word Bearers already hot on the Traitors heels. Even the ruined Death Guard would participate in the Great Scouring.
But the Emperor's Children were too shattered and too weak. Rarity and Eidolon would spend twenty years on Holy Terra attempting to reassemble their Legion. Once again taking in orphans left behind by the scars of war.
When the IIIrd Legion was ready to take its ships into the stars once more, they found the Thousand Sons waiting for them.
Prospero. The world that witnessed the birth of the Lion's Heresy, had witnessed the death of a Maiden and a Primarch, had been reshaped by Rarity's grief.
The ethereal crystals Rarity had summoned to impale Ferrus Manus were spreading across the ruined world. They would need to be removed in order for the planet to be inhabitable once more, and so Magnus the Red had decided to make his former homeworld into a Shrine World. A planet sized memorial not only for the victims of the Dropsite Massacre, but the Heresy as a whole.
After a brief period of mourning, the Emperor's Children resumed their duties defending Humanity and it's allies from all who would disown Harmony in the name of Chaos or selfishness...yet their suffering had not yet ended.
Eidolon brought his hammer down upon another twisted parody of an Astartes before spinning it around to dissuade two others who were swiftly engaged by his brothers.
Eidolon left them to fight alone. He hated doing so, but he had to hurry, he had to stop the bastard from escaping with her.
He brought his hammer down on a bulkhead and blew it open...revealing a horrible sight. Humans, equines, and hybrid creatures, all twisted parodies of his mother and some bearing the marks of Slaaneshi corruption, stood between him and his objective. Rarity, in stasis in her true alien form, held by crawling horrors at the side of the Corruptor of Chemos: Fabius Bile.
Rarity's abduction was the final death of the IIIrd Legion. What rose in it's place was no noble Phoenix, but a dark vengeful creature whose sole purpose was to reclaim what it had lost.
Eidolon became single minded in his pursuit of Fabius Bile, to the point of almost ignoring any endangered world or system that had no relation to the Clone Lord and chasing down even the faintest lead with the zealotry of a witch hunter. This reckless abandoning of his duties to the wider Imperium caused a schism in the Legion that may have lead to civil war...were it not for the 2nd Founding.
As more and more Legions became leaderless in the centuries since the Lion's Heresy, Lorgar decreed that more Legions were needed. Thus, trusted commanders of the Legions would take 500 Astartes and form a new Legion with it's own doctrines and traditions.
Several Legions split from their parent Legions gracefully and with respect. The two Child Legions of the Emperor's Children fled a drifting Hulk.
The Vostroyan Firstborn could no longer keep their bargain as a part of the IIIrd, and the old traditions were kept alive through the Lamenters. For the Emperor's Children themselves are incapable of selfless behavior, they had too much, and too much had been wrongfully stolen from them. Should Rarity ever be recovered...perhaps their wounds may heal.
