"This is the most awful place we've ever been to," Fluttershy sobbed as she lay on the hard earth of Cadia Prime. It was a statement she had been repeating for the last six days, and her friends could do nothing but agree with her.
"Well, at least there's been a lot of great action!" Rainbow Dash said, trying to lighten the mood as she kept watch at the mouth of the cave. "I never knew our Rainbow Power could react like that!"
"None of us were expecting our Rainbow Power to activate so suddenly," Twilight said. "And we certainly weren't expecting it to disintegrate everything in the vicinity. I never thought friendship magic could do that."
"The Crystal Heart disintegrated Sombra, and that's straight up love magic right there," Pinkie Pie said as she rolled a stone on the floor between her hooves. "I'm just glad I had my eyes closed when those whatevertheywere things tried to kill us."
"They were humans, or at least I think they were…"
"Some of 'em were demons, for sure," Applejack said as she stood near the cave entrance with Rainbow Dash. "And that fightin's gettin' closer. I think we've hidden here long enough."
"At least we can take solace in the fact that our beautiful suits of armor are still pristine," Rarity said as she lay next to Fluttershy, a reassuring hoof on the pegasus' shoulder. "But is there anywhere safe on this harmony-forsaken planet?"
"Not likely," Twilight said as she walked over to stand beside her friends at the cave mouth. "But maybe there are places where the fighting has subsided for now, like this place. We had to move some bodies to get in here, but…"
"It's Ok, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said as tears welled up in her friend's eyes. "When we get home you can find us a spell that removes these awful memories from our minds forever, right?"
Pinkie Pie's sentence had turned from a reassurance into a nervous, hopeful question at the end. Twilight turned to look into her friend's eyes and sympathized perfectly. Filled with determination, she smiled and nodded.
"If a spell like that doesn't already exist, I'll make it," she said. "For now, let's get out of here. I have a feeling that the Magic of Friendship that lives within us won't permit such evil to live, so our Rainbow Power should reactivate when it's needed. I hope."
"For now, let's get out of here," Rainbow Dash said as she rose into the air. "I'm gonna go scout the area real fast. I'll be back in a minute."
"Alright, but be careful," Twilight said as the others voiced their own well wishes. Rainbow nodded and flew off as quickly as she could.
Rainbow Dash flew across the landscape at such a furious speed that she was nothing more than a blur to those who saw her. With the massive battles and uncountable numbers warring across the planet, she knew that there was no chance of her not being seen. What she wanted was to be seen without being recognized or followed, but that was easier said than done.
Rainbow Dash glanced behind her as she flew, a horrific sight greeting her cautious curiosity. A pair of purple manta rays with long fangs and spiked tails pulled a large, fiery disc-shaped chariot. On the chariot rode a being that appeared pony-like in form, though it was covered from head to hind quarters in a long, ragged robe. The daemonic manta rays screamed as they were discovered, and Rainbow Dash's heart and mind were struck with a wave of confusion and fear. Refusing to allow these monsters to affect her she changed direction in mid-air. A moment later she slammed her back right hoof into the face of the creature riding the disc, sending it falling to the ground below. The chariot altered its course almost as quickly as Rainbow Dash had, darting down to catch the rider before it landed. Curious, Rainbow Dash landed on the disc next to the robed creature as it tried to right itself.
"What in Celestia's name are you?" she asked as she pushed the creature down with a hoof.
"I come in peace," it said, its voice raspy and strained. It sounded as if it was unused to speaking, though Rainbow Dash suspected that it was more likely to be unused to its current form.
"You look like a pony, but I don't think you are one. Answer me, what are you?"
"I am a Changeling of Tzeench," it said, fear clear and consistent in its voice. "Please, do not hurt me further. I have a proposition for you from my masters."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I can take you and your friends to some place safe. You are in grave danger. You destroyed a powerful Chaotic Monument to Khorne when you arrived here. Now the Daemon Prince Angron seeks your blood."
"Yeah? Well he can't have it!"
"You don't understand," the changeling said, it's form mutating for a second as fear rippled through its body. "The monuments being erected now make those the Daemon Prince built on Armageddon look childish in comparison! Angron has entered this war on the side of his patron deity. He supports the cause of the Black Crusade by building monuments to weaken the Veil, but he does not serve the Despoiler. His only goal is to shed the blood of the worlds beyond the Cadian Gate, and you have set him back in that. He will kill you if you do not flee."
"Thanks for the warning," Rainbow Dash said as she spread her wings to take flight. She wasn't sure how truthful its words were, or anything about monuments to Khorne, but her gut told her that trusting the creature was a bad idea.
"I can help you find a safe place," the changeling said as it rose to its unsteady feet, two of which were now gnarled, black talons.
"We'll find some place safe on our own," she said.
Then, with lighting speed she threw herself at the daemons pulling the chariot and kicked them both between the eyes. They let out gurgled screams of pain as they fell to the ground, pulling their chariot and its rider with them into the dense treeline below. Rainbow Dash tore through the air at her most urgent speed, hiding among the clouds as she made her way back to her friends. When she arrived, she gave them the changeling's warning. Despite their mistrust of the daemon, they knew that it was time to find a better place to hide. With extreme caution and Rainbow Dash's careful scouting, they made their way through the small gaps inbetween battlefields to find safety elsewhere.
Ix'thar'ganix, Slayer of Destinies, and servant of Tzeench lifted the injured changeling from the ground. He looked the creature's form over as he held the bleeding daemon in his grip. It was four-legged from trying to imitate the equines, but that was impossible to do. They had a magic that was foreign to this universe; one that the Slayer of Destinies and his cohort desperately wanted for themselves. This magic had completely annihilated a Khornate camp, going so far as to disperse the massive Chaotic power in the camp's holy monument. Much blood had been spilled to create it, and much blood would have to be spilled to replace it. The sky of Cadia had shuddered at Angron's rage when the structure had fallen, and the Warp had shuddered at the sudden destruction of such a powerful tool of darkness. Now the Daemon Primarch sought the murder of those responsible. Neither Fateweaver nor Destiny Slayer had foreseen the power of these strange equine creatures. Nor did they truly understand it. The only thing they knew was that it was good; and what was good could ultimately be corrupted for the glory of Chaos.
"Is it done?" the Lord of Change asked as he stared down at his shaking slave.
"They will travel in the only safe direction available to them, master."
Destiny Slayer grinned as he looked to the East. He and his cohort had spent days gleefully manipulating the tides of battle from the shadows, creating enough space for these creatures to safely fall into their trap. Now they would have to face the witch, and their power would be put to the test. If they failed they would die, and the scribes would catalogue their power as interesting but ultimately useless. However, if they succeeded… Destiny Slayer smiled cruelly as he imagined the infinite possibilities.