Disclaimer : I do not own My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic nor Warhammer 40.000
If i did, I'd be rich, happy and Ô so very proud of myself. I'm just borrowing from them in hope to make people have a good time. But we all know that, I am just saying this because I'm somehow supposed to.
Note : Hello dear reader. This is it... my first big story. And I chose something easy to start. A crossover between two universe with nothing in common! This will be fun. Or a pain in the ass... Still I hope you enjoy it. I'll try my best to update it regularly on the weekend. So... without further ado... the beginning of the story and the absolutely necessary "It is the 41st Millenium..." introduction!
The art is by Nathan2000
Check him out!
THE MARE IN THE WARP
Prologue
It is the 41st millennium.
For more than an hundred centuries, the Empress has watched upon the pony Imperium from the throne of Canterlot. She his the master of of ponykind by divine essence and the mistress of a million worlds by the might of her inexhaustible armies. She is a living goddess carried by both magic and Dark Age technology. Every days, thousands give their life to preserve the power of the almighty Empress.
Yet even through her glory, she must be ever vigilant. Mighty battle fleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Empress' will. Vast armies give battle in her name on uncounted worlds. Greatest among his soldiers are the Adeptus Horsetartes, the Space Mares, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Legio Equustodes, personal body guards and disciple of the Empress, the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanequus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.
To be a pony in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. To live on the verge of tyranny in hope of a never coming better future. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of magic and harmony, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only the promise of more wars and the laughter of thirsting gods.
Planet Canterlot, third planet of the Solar System, centre of the Pony Imperium
Imperial Palace surroundings, near the Adeptus Equustodes barracks
The streets of Canterlot were busy as always. Even so close to the imperial palace, there were still thousands of citizens trying to have an audience with the Empress, trying to get passed the Administratum army of clerks and bureaucrats. Yet Spike knew that it could be far worse. In other planets, they were hundreds of millions. And he had seen the outskirts of the imperial city. Scary how a line could become a town... A shiver went through his spine at the thought. He quickly dismissed it and focused on the task at hand. Lady Twilight had summoned him... and he had to pay a visit to a friend. The dragon kept going, lost in his thoughts, closing on his destination.
The Equustodes quarters where somewhat out of place in the great imperial city. Amidst the exuberant and richly decorated temples and offices, the small functional barrack looked almost bare, despite its golden wall and the statues of heroes kneeling before the glorious Empress in front of the entrance. But its residents knew better. They were the chosen children of the Empress, created and devoted to her protection. Those four, heavily defended, walls delimited a sacred ground, as much as any temple on the galaxy. They were Equustodes, the Empress champions and protectors, they earned it by birthright and the blood spilled on the battlefield. This was as sacred as any relic and they were proud of it. No sculptor, no architect would ever be good enough to put it into a building or a statue.
The interior of the building was as martial as one could expect. Two guards stood at each doors, unmoving and threatening, living statues in stature and posture. Dozens of the elite warriors lived here, whenever the Princess didn't need their services, should it be in the Palace or around the expanding Imperium, and every second of their time, save for the few hours they occasionally needed to sleep or eat, were dedicated to make them better, worthier, and most of them trained or meditated to hone their already impressive martial skills and willpower.
Twilight Sparkle was not one of them. She understood the value of training, she did her share with compliance and enthusiasm, but she was not contempt with it. Something in her ached for knowledge and she could never resist the urge to consult the immense library deep under the building, holding some of the most hidden secrets of the Imperium. The time her kin spent bonding and improving their mutual experience, she spent between bookshelves, learning about the early age of the Imperium, on the few secrets of the Warps that she could safely learn, on the entities that reigned on the fringe of the galaxy... And today, the genetically enhanced mare had the opportunity to do all at once.
The book in her hooves was ancient, antediluvian even. Its covers were bare at the exception of the front, decorated with a silver unicorn sigil. Its content was so old most of the information inside would have been deemed heretical should have them been printed nowadays. Yet the data were too valuable for Twilight to dismiss. What she had found a few hours ago was an antique and original historical record from the Early Imperium... and most of all, an interesting one. Too often the one that were accessible were old Administratum records with little to no interest. But not this one. It was a report of various crisis having affected the Canterlot system itself with an heavy emphasis on one particular event : the Nightmare Night crisis.
Twilight knew the legends. It was said that in the last days of the Great Heresy, the Warmistress had a deadly fight with the Empress which ended with her victory upon the traitor. It was good enough for the common pony, to keep them hopeful and productive while reminding them the power of the throne, but to anyone having faced the force of Chaos first hand, it was just a necessary propaganda. This first hand copy just confirmed the suspicions she never dared to express aloud. However, the original story seemed way more interesting than she would have believed. One passage had retained her attention more than the rest of the story however. In the report, the Empress had used a powerful weapon to get rid of the Heretics assaulting the planets, including the Warmistress : the Elements of Harmony. Yet, there was no mention of such a weapon in any books of her knowing, and that covered a lot of books. The fact that such an asset would go forgotten was troubling. She had been looking for any clues about it for hours now and she had started to form some good hypothesises, but she would need more sources and more data to go on.
Steps on the stone floor interrupted her train of thoughts. She did not need to check to know to whom they belong ; they were obviously footstep and that tended to eliminate most of possibilities; but she did it anyway. As expected a small purple and green dragon stood next to here, an inquisitive look on his face. Un
"Right in time, Spike," started the unicorn, returning to her books. "I need you to fetch some books for me..."
"Huh... sure, Twilight, -" Spike tiptoed a moment before he dared to continue is sentence. "- right after we go to Moon Dancer funerals right?"
"Oh Spike don't be silly!" she dismissed absent-mindedly. "We don't have time for this sort of thing. Now could you find me a copy of Predictions and Prophecies? Also the books related to the legend of the Mare in the Warp please?"
"The Mare in the Warp?" he answered, his body moving on his own to obey his mistress. "But that's just filly's scare story..."
"I don't think so. Not anymore anyway. I have a feeling there's more to the legend than we were led to believe..."
Spike opened his mouth to retort, then resigned himself with a sigh. There was no talking to Twilight when she was in that mood. The dragon serf quickly disappeared between the shelves. "I'll see you later Moon Dancer," he thought with a hint of guilt. "It's not like you're going anywhere anyway..."
Twilight returned to her reading and theories. She was on the verge of a breakthrough, she just knew it.
A few days later.
One would think finding the date, or at least a very close approximation, of a very rare incoming astronomic event based on a few legends and poorly dated historical events would be a difficult task. Let alone discovering the existence of said event based on a few myths and prophecies. But one would not have access to an imperial library, nor an extensive memory on everything book-related driven by an extraordinary focus. Thus is was not surprising that it took only a few days for Twilight to find the answers she was looking for. They were not reassuring.
"Spike?" she called, "Write a message to the Throne. Use my accreditation codes."
The dragon nodded and took a antique piece of velum and a quill out of his .
Beloved Empress,
Please forgive my boldness, but my researches in ancient lores, warp magic and historical battles have led me to believe that we're on the brink of a catastrophe.
If my calculations are correct, the Warmistress and part of her armies that were previously defeated and exiled in the Warp should come back in a matter of weeks, if not days.
I humbly suggest that the highest defence protocols should be put into place as quickly as possible.
I eagerly await your orders.
Your faithful Equustode,
Twilight Sparkle.
After a quick check of her serf work, she nodded in approval and let him send the letter through his magic.
"Are you sure this is okay?" the dragon asked.
"Of course," she said with unwavering confidence. "In all my years of service, I've never done anything but do my best for the Empress. I've been her most loyal citizen, guard and student. She know I wouldn't send her such a note without reason. She will consider my words."
She had no sooner finished her sentence than a big, rolled up sealed parchment blurted out of Spike's mouth in a green flame. A knowing grin draw itself on the mare face. The dragon took the letter, and with his Lady approval, unsealed it and begin its lecture.
TO : EQUUSTODE TWILIGHT SPARKLE
FROM : THRONE OF CANTERLOT
YOUR MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE EMPRESS. AS USUAL, YOUR DILIGENCE AND THOROUGHNESS DOES YOU CREDIT, AND THE EMPRESS GREATLY VALUE THE INFORMATIONS YOU BROUGHT AND THE EFFORTS NEEDED TO PUT THEM TOGETHER. SHE WILL PONDER UPON IT AND ACT ACCORDINGLY IN TIME.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE TIME YOU SPEND IN THE LIBRARY AND THE TOMES YOU HAVE CONSULTED. YOU ARE ASKED TO RETHINK THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR TIME. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER; GUARD IT WELL.
AS A REWARD FOR YOUR DEDICATION, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO CHECK THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEFENCE SYSTEM OF PV-01, IN THE PONYVILLE SECTOR. MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE EFFICIENT. A LIST OF THE PONY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PLANETARY DEFENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, IN EIGHTEEN HOURS. FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR MISSION, YOU WILL COLLABORATE WITH THEM AND ASSUME A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IF NEED BE.
MAY THE EMPRESS LIGHT ALWAYS BE WITH YOU.
SUCCESS IS COMMEMORATED; FAILURE MERELY REMEMBERED.
There was a minute of uncomfortable silence. The Monitor knew his mistress could not feel good about it, and he didn't need to look at her to know that her pride should have taken a serious blow. "Well at least she considered your words..." he tried.
Twilight grunted half-heartedly.
