-Chapter Five-
After the Red Corsairs left the Irongarde, with only half of their payment and the split remains of the Corsair, Zarrix wasted no time and headed towards the Apothecarion. Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity found it rather hard to keep up with the panicked Terminator. "I hope Twilight will be alright…" Rarity said, the two practically sprinting behind Zarrix.
"Me too, Rarity." Rainbow Dash said, staying beside her friend. "Their technology is unbelievable. I'm sure they can fix her in no time."
Rarity nodded, trying not to burst into tears. "I know, but that monster hit her so hard and-!" Not looking where she was going, Rarity's foot caught against the grate, which was slightly sticking up.
When she went forward, an armored hand shot down and grabbed the fashionista, before another scooped Rainbow Dash off the ground. The two looked to see who is now carrying them, and saw none other than Kalex! "Thought you two would need help keeping up with the Warsmith." He said, the Legionnaire able to keep pace with Zarrix. "Besides, I still owe you for getting me in his favor."
Rainbow Dash looked behind him, and saw five other Iron Warriors in close pursuit. "Why are the others following, then?" She asked, looking at Kalex.
"Lady Sparkle is very precious to the Warsmith, even we can tell that. I wasn't kidding before, when I said he was important. Every one of us don't want anything to happen, which could cause us to lose him." Kalex answered, watching the warsmith enter their Apothecarion. "So, if there's anything we can do, we'll do it."
The six Astartes suddenly halted, just outside of the Apothecarion. Kalex placed Rainbow Dash and Rarity down, taking a guard position near the entrance, with the others. "What now?" Rarity asked, looking up at him.
"Now… We wait." Kalex said, looking up at the red light, above the Apothecarion's door.
-Inside the Apothecarion-
"How is she doing?" Zarrix asked, one of the three Apothecaries keeping him away, while the others worked.
"We've sedated her, the pain was making it difficult for her to comply with us." The Apothecary said, looking up at the warsmith. "But there's not much we can do, without opening her up."
"What!?" Zarrix bellowed, angered that they would consider such a thing.
"I'm sorry, Warsmith! There's nothing else we can do. One of the broken ribs caused internal bleeding. Only thing we can do, is perform surgery, only sorcery could possibly do anything without doing so." The Apothecary said, Zarrix looking towards Twilight. "Last I checked, we had no Sorcerers to perform such a task."
That's when it hit him. "Actually, we might!" Zarrix said, rushing towards the door.
-Outside the Apothecarion-
The group waited, even the Iron Warriors anxious to get word on Twilight. The moment its doors opened, the eight looked to see Zarrix standing in the doorway. "Rarity!" He called, the fashionista rushing up to him.
"Y-Yes! Right here, darling!" She said, standing in front of the Terminator. "How is Twilight, how is she doing?"
"The Apothecaries have her under sedation. Do you know any healing spells? Or any medical spells?" He asked, receiving a confused look from her.
"Y-Yes. I was able to learn a few, due to my practice often ending up with a few accidents from time to time." She replied, looking at him, concern in her eyes.
"Good, come in, quickly." Zarrix asked, moving out of the way so Rarity could enter.
Once inside, Rarity saw Twilight on the medical slab, three Apothecaries performing more detailed scans. "Twilight!" She yelled, rushing over to the four of them.
Before the fashionista could reach her friend, one of the Apothecaries stopped her. "She's under sedation. Please, stand back so we can work." He said, Zarrix catching his attention.
"Let her through. Rarity is a psyker, like Twilight, and knows a few healing abilities." The warsmith announced, the Apothecary moving out of her way, and allowed Rarity to look at Twilight.
"What are her injuries?" She asked, one of the Apothecaries showed a full body scan of her friend.
"She has four cracked ribs, three broken, bleeding around the upper right portion of her torso, and has a mild concussion." One of them said, recording what was said.
Rarity turned even paler, looking at her friend. "None of the spells I know can handle that. I mean, I could heal the cracked ribs, but to heal it all at once will take too much out of me." She said, just as a one of the Apothecaries went to place a strange needle into her… Only for a lavender aura to appear and sent the needle back.
"Her magic seems to be protecting her, possibly trying to heal her too…" One of the Apothecaries muttered, tapping the chin piece of his helmet, thinking about it all. Then an idea popped into his head. "Maybe you can." He spoke up, the group looking at him with raised eyebrows. "If the Irongarde enters the warp, being so close to the immaterium, both Lady Sparkle's and Lady Rarity's power will be multiplied by ten."
"Oh my… I know Twilight would love to learn how that works…" Rarity said, eyeing the Apothecary.
"The only down side, while using both of your powers, the two of you will become a beacon to the Void Stalkers and Daemons within the Warp." He continued, Rarity having a terrified look on her face, the Apothecary looking up at the warsmith. "So, they will require your presence here… To keep them away, fully."
Zarrix just stared at him, until he finished and then looked at the sedated Twilight. The suggestion confused Rarity, causing her to look at the Apothecary. "How would his presence affect anything? I mean, I've heard this before but wasn't given an explanation." She asked.
The Apothecary looked at her, giving nod. "Our Primarch became a Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided, which is a very powerful entity within the warp. Such a being has the ability to ascend an Astartes, or even a mortal, into Daemonhood." He looked at Zarrix, who continued to stare at Twilight. "The Warsmith has killed enough enemies, in the name of our Primarch, to ascend four times now. This gives him quite the presence every time we enter the warp." The Apothecary walked up to him, placing a hand on the Terminator's shoulder. "My Warsmith… If you are going to make a decision, now is the time."
Zarrix snapped out of his trance, and heard the Apothecary's words. He gave a light sigh, pressing something on his helmet. "Bridge, this is Warsmith Zarrix… Prepare the ship for immediate warp travel. Set a course for any destination that should take a few days to reach, or until I order us out." He looked around the room, receiving nods from the small group. "Make room for Rarity to work. I will personally oversee her protection during the procedure."
The Apothecaries gave a nod, moving so that the fashionista could be next to Twilight. The three then manned nearby terminals, keeping an eye on her body's functions. The four were ready when the alarms for a Warp Jump began to sound.
-Outside of the Apothecarion-
When alarms started to sound, Rainbow Dash jumped from immediate panic. "Whoa! W-What's going on!? Are we under attack?" She asked, looking around and noticing the Iron Warriors nodding to each other.
"Negative, Lady Dash. Those are the alarms for an emergency warp jump." Kalex said, giving a confused look to his brothers. "Though, I don't know why."
A voice suddenly spoke up. "If the Warsmith ordered an emergency Warp Jump, it means they've found a way to help save Lady Sparkle." The group turned to see none other than Sergeant Malk and Alor walking up. "Which also means, we should escort Lady Dash to the Warsmith's chambers, and leave a guard with her in case a Warp Entity somehow gets past the geller field."
Kalex gave a nod. "I'll escort Lady Dash back to the Warsmith's chambers and stay there, until his return." He said, Malk giving a nod.
"You two." He pointed to a pair of Iron Warriors nearby, who snapped to attention. "Go with Kalex, and protect Lady Dash. The harm towards Lady Sparkle was a blow to our honor, reputation, and the Warsmith's trust in us… I will not allow something like that happening again."
The two nodded, with a 'yes, sergeant' response. When Rainbow Dash headed off, the three quickly followed suit. "You really can't judge a book by its cover." The daredevil thought, smiling. "And Twilight, please pull through… I don't know what things would be like without you back in Equestria." Her smile quickly faded, replaced with a look of concern and worry.
-Twilight's Dream-like State-
Twilight looked around, confused. She was in her human form, while standing in what looked like a realm of purple clouds. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, it even had that mysterious vibe to it. "R-Rainbow? Rarity? Zarrix?" She called out, but the only response she got was a terrible shriek-like roar. This caused her to turn around, and see the shadowed figure of some massive creature, which made Tirek look small! "What in the name of Celestia is that!?" She screamed.
The creature stepped forward, its twisted claws apparent, but suddenly stopped. Its eyes narrowed at her, before giving an irritated growl. The creature pulled itself away, slowly disappearing back into the purple clouds. Twilight was confused, she didn't know what had just happened… That thing had her right where it wanted, but backed off. Until she felt a powerful presence looming behind her that is, and just froze.
"There is no reason to be afraid, mortal. So long as I am here, those void stalkers will keep their distance." A powerful, yet calm, voice said. This made Twilight turn around to see a massive Iron Warrior, standing at ten feet tall, wearing strange Terminator armor. He had no helmet, which allowed her to see the cybernetics linked to his mind. In his right hand, was a hammer that nearly stood at the same height as him, this allowed her to also see the strange bolter weapons mounted on both wrists.
"W-Who are you?" She asked, despite feeling the immense power coming from him. Twilight knew this was no ordinary Iron Warrior.
He just looked down at her, before a faint smile appeared on his face. "You already know me by name, the Astartes within the Irongarde speak it with revered tones… However, my looks are different now because I have chosen to appear in my old form." The Iron Warrior lifted his hammer up, and then slammed it on to the ground. This caused thunder to suddenly boom, and made Twilight jump. "I am Perturabo, the Lord of Iron and Primarch of the IV Legion."
Twilight nearly fell over, shocked to actually see such a being right here, right now. Then something hit her, which made the princess a bit nervous. "A-Am I dead?" She asked, looking up at him.
Perturabo raised an eyebrow. "No, you're very much alive. As we speak, the others are trying to save you." He answered, lowering the hammer. "The reason we're able to speak, is because your ship is traversing the warp, to help your friend heal you, along with your natural ability to help the process. Unfortunately, I already know they will not succeed. Your body is in worse condition than they believe."
Twilight suddenly went pale, hearing that she's was going to die soon. "So… A-Are you here to collect my soul, then?" She asked, holding a hand over her heart.
Perturabo actually laughed at her question, receiving a confused look from the girl. "No, my dear, quite the opposite… I am actually here to prevent your death." He answered.
"Huh?" Was the only thing Twilight could say.
Perturabo gave a nod to her. "Iron Warriors are cold, calculative, killers that rarely show emotion. However, you managed to cause a Warsmith, which is a lethal Iron Warrior, to feel so much. Not just that, but the presence of you, and your friends, have caused his whole Warband to change." He said, making Twilight think about it.
"So, what are you going to do, Lord Perturabo?" he asked, looking at the Primarch. "What can you do to help me?"
"I am a Daemon Prince, and formally a Primarch. There are many things I can do." Perturabo said, lifting his left hand up and held it over her forehead. "What I'll give, will come at a price. One that Zarrix will pay for." Twilight gave the Primarch a worried look. "He will be fine, do not worry. And, as a sign of good faith, I will give you a gift."
"What is it?" She asked, watching the light appear within the armored palm.
"You will see, once you have woken up." He simply said, before placing his hand on to Twilight's head. Within seconds, her eyes lit up, the dream becoming bright.
-The Apothecarion-
Rarity channeled her magic into Twilight, a blue aura mixing with the princess' lavender one, as they covered her torso. The fashionista could feel how much her power has grown, the mere moment they entered the Warp. However, Rarity couldn't shake the feeling of something stalking the two of them, just beyond the ship's haul, until Zarrix got close… Then it backed off, until it felt she was vulnerable again.
The Apothecaries were hard at work, keeping an eye on Twilight's vitals and making sure nothing is wrong. "Alright, the ribs have healed, and the internal bleeding seems to be slowing up. We might-… Wait, what the?" One of the Apothecaries said, eyeing the screen, alarms beeping across all three terminals. "Her muscles are starting to inflame around her lungs!"
"Her vital signs are starting to spike, as well. Blood pressure rising!" Another yelled, pressing a few keys on his terminal. "If this keeps up, we'll have to find some way to inject her with stimulants and muscle relaxants!"
Rarity started to feel the internal wounds open back up, pushing her magic to its limits in an attempt to stop it. "I-I'm starting to lose control of the bleeding, and I can't seem to stop it!" She announced, sweat starting to drip down her marshmallow white skin. "Something is causing her body to fail, and rip itself apart!" Rarity could feel the stress in Twilight's body, along with muscles starting to destroy themselves and-…
Within seconds, the fashionista felt something new, there was something sprouting from Twilight's back! A glow started to appear around her body, Rarity began to notice her injuries started to repair themselves. "Her vitals are stabilizing, and everything is going back to normal." One Apothecary said, using his terminal to scan Twilight further. "Abnormality detected on her back, but she is definitely going to pull through." His gaze went to Rarity. "Whatever you did, Lady Rarity, well done."
"Thanks, but that wasn't me…" Rarity said, the magic aura leaving her hands and Twilight's torso. "I was starting to lose her."
The Apothecaries looked at one another, Rarity placing a hand on her friend's forehead. "If she didn't do that, then who did?" Another Apothecary said, the others unsure what to say, Zarrix walked over to Rarity.
He gently placed a claw on her shoulder. "Go and get some rest. This probably took quite a bit out of you." Zarrix said, the fashionista nodding, and left with one of the Apothecaries. The warsmith looked at Twilight, moving next to where she was laying. "Leave us." He ordered, the two Apothecaries leaving. Once they were gone, Zarrix placed one of his claws against her cheek.
Then, out of nowhere, Zarrix fell back in pain! It felt like he was boiling within his own armor. The Apothecaries, who heard the heavy fall, rushed back in. "Warsmith!" The two yelled, seeing the Terminator grabbing at his chest, while reeving in agony.
Even though the Apothecaries yelled to him, looking for what could have caused his pain, Zarrix could not hear them. A powerful and calm voice echoed around his mind. "She will live, Warsmith Zarrix, and more. The price has been paid, with a portion of the souls sent to me, by your hands."Zarrix tried to find the source, but couldn't… It was an obvious answer, after that."I look forward to seeing what comes from this decision."