A Thousand Son in Equestria, part 23 (Eldar Empire Part 2)

>All is not going as foreseen.
>Your brother has disobeyed you, and his disobedience has allowed an old enemy back into this world.
>Your sister has disobeyed you, and might have damned you all as a result.
>And something...new....was loose in Ponyville.
>You are the Farseer, and you are pissed.
>Your sister kneels before you, her hand keeping her throat closed, as she recounts the tale of her being beaten and shamed by a pink animal.
>A pink animal that you remembered, from when she drove a knife into your back.
>She finishes her tail, and you let her wait in silence as her blood rips onto the courtroom floor.
>You shift on Celestia's throne as the pony sisters stare in horror at your bleeding Kin.
>LEAVE US.
>The Dire Avengers that your brother left behind to guard you snap to attention and march from the room.
>The pony Royal Guards do so as well, knowing that to stay behind for their princesses would be to die.
"Sister."
>You speak in your flesh voice, low and dangerous, and she winces.
"Take off your helmet."
>She breathes raggedly from the throat wound, but lifts her hand and complies.
"Come here."
>She does, like a wounded puppy, stumbling to the front of your throne, between Celestia and Luna.
>You slap her across the face with your remaining hand.


>She recoils from the blow, hissing, and you grab her throat with your mind, lifting her off her feet and choking her.
"Do you have ANY idea what you've done?"
>She keeps choking, scrabbling at her throat with her fingers as you rise to your feet, lifting her higher.
"How much TIME we have lost? Did you listen to a single WORD I told you in my dream-missive? How much I stressed the importance of your mission?"
>Luna has risen to her hooves in shock and horror as you choke your sister, but Celestia's gaze is as cold and as dead as ever.
"Could you not contain your disgusting urges for the moment? With how much is at stake, you risk EVERYTHI-"
>You hear the doors bang open, and for the briefest of moments, your anger dominates the cold, logical reserve of the Seer Path.
>I ORDER-
>"Let her down."
>You look past your struggling sister to spot your brother, fresh from his failed venture into Sweet Apple Acres.
>Disgust radiates from him in waves, his contempt for you overwhelming his normally laconic state of mind.
>You wither under his gaze, ashamed to have gone so berserk.
>But did they not understand how important this was?
"Brother, I-"
>"Put our sister down."
>There is steel and anger in his voice now, the Path of the Warrior coloring his mood.
>Or perhaps it was just hate for you.
>You let your sister fall to the floor, where she gasps for air. Luna makes a move towards her, but she glares at the night mare with such vehemence that the Princess is stopped in her tracks.
>Your brother walks into the room, his hands uncomfortably close to his direswords.
>"What in the name of Khaine are you doing?"


"We cannot afford failure, not at this stage."
>"That is not what I asked. I asked what you thought you were doing."
"Punishing her for her failure. She let her disgusting desires waylay her mind yet again, and it could jeapord-"
>"So you decide to punish her like some bastard Mon'keigh, or one of the Dark Kin?"
>You realize distantly that both of you are raising your voices, but you don't care.
"You KNOW what is at risk here, brother! This world MUST be unified under our command if we are to find the the Sword of Dawnlight, and if we are to make this world into Paradise, as the Old Ones commanded! And your failure di-"
>"My FAILURE?"
>His voice sends a small shiver down your spine, and you are reminded who your brother is. He was not chosen as Autarch by the Council for no reason. Some whispered that his mastery of the art of War was second only to the Phoenix Lords themselves.
>But you cannot show fear.
"Yes, your failure. I gave you an orde-"
>"You do not order me, BROTHER. I am Autarch. My only master is Death. "
>He moves close to you, hissing in anger, and your recoil.
>"You disgust me, brother. You send me to kill animals, like a butcher, and when I return, I find you torturing your own blood. You have fallen far from the Path."
>He turns his back on you and storms out of the courtroom.


>Their is silence in the coutroom.
>Silence broken by the sound of Luna laughing.
>You whirl on her, your eyes burning with shame and fury.
"What is so funny to you, beast?"
>"It pleases me to know that you are so degenerate, your own family wants nothing to do with you!"
>You clench your fist in rage, and the dagger at Twilight's throat floats closer.
>Celestia flinches and begs her sister to silence with her eyes, but Luna is having none of it.
>"Art thou furious?"
>The grin she gives you is almost enough to make you kill Twilight right then and there.
>Your own sister speaks up, struggling to her feet.
>"I...I recognize my failure, Farseer. I can...stave it off. I am not of Dark Eldar. Not yet. I may still serve our Craftworld. And I will. I will resume the search for Anaris' resting place immediately."
>You glare at Luna's smirking face for a moment longer before looking back to your sister.
"No."
>"No, my Seer? Bu-"
"You have already failed me once, Exarch. I will find the relic myself. I have a different task for you."
>She bows, one hand still held to her throat.
"First, fix your wound. Then, I want you to take a squad of your Spiders. Resume your hunt. You will go to Ponyville. Kill the pink and blue animals, and kill whatever they let loose."
>She gives a feral grin before bowing to you once more and teleporting out of the room.
>You turn to the still smirking Luna and the stonefaced Celestia.
"Now then. The three of us have much to discuss. Tell me of the building that Twilight Sparkle knows of as the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters."
>Luna's grin drops off of her face.

Justicar's Point of View
>You lift your other arm, dragging yourself up and out of that Limbo between worlds with all of your strength.
>You hold the sword above your head as you surge out of the portal, getting your right leg on solid ground and pulling yourself out of the hole.
>Eris comes vaulting out of it after you, corkscrewing through the air before crashing into a pile of books.
>You glance at her in concern before she pops out of the book pile, her eyes moving in circles as she comes back to awareness.
"Eris, are you well?"
>"I think.....I think I'm gonna be sick...."
>Her face turns faintly green, before she gets a handle on herself.
>"Whoa...that was...differe-"
>"Discord!?"
>Your head snaps around, and you immediately identify threats.
>A floating blue pony that STINKS of the Warp, her hooves on a strange book.
>She was the one who spoke, and she's staring at Eris in terror.
>The other one....
>A familiar pink pony, who was there when you were banished. She stares right back at you.
>Your storm bolter arm lifts up, and she pulls out a cannon from seemingly no where.
"This is for my brothers, xenos."


>"Justy, what the BUCK are you doing!? This might be a different Equestria, like our last trip!"
>"Pinkie, don't shoot! It might be Anonymous with a different suit!"
"This is the right one, Eris. I recognize this xenos. She was there when I was banished."
>"This isn't Anon, Trixie. It's a monster that tried to kill him, and us!"
"I will enjoy killing you, xenos."
>"I hope you like acid-flavored cupcakes, meanie!"
>She puts a hoof on the trigger, and you clench your fist, ready to fire your bolter-
>Before a comically large frying pan hits you in the back of the head, and you spot "Trixie" hit Pinkie Pie in the side of head with a hoof.
>You turn your head, surprised, as you look at Eris.
"Eris, wha-"
>She does NOT look happy.
>"Aren't we done with that 'xenos' crap, dude? How many times do I have to say it, I'M a 'xeno'."
"That's different."
>"HOW?"
"It just is."
>She growls in frustration, batting you on the head with her lion paw.
"Besides, this xe-the pink one is of the same race whose princesses banished your family to Tartarus. Do you not want vengeance?"
>"Dude, that happened thousands of years before this pony's grandparents were a twinkle in THEIR parent's eyes. Why the buck would I blame her for what Celestia did?"
>That made a heretical amount of sense.


>You stare at Eris blankly while you process the information, until she bops you on the head again.
>"So no going around killing ponies, alright!? Even THIS pony. I'm not going to sink to Celestia's level and kill or banish everyp0ny who's wronged me, and as long as we're friends, you're not either!"
>She crosses her arms and glares at you.
>Damn this xenos and her adorableness.
"Fine. I will limit the purging to Celestia and Luna."
>She sighs, before floating over and hugging your arm.
>"You are really, really stubborn, you know that?"
"It's part of my charm."
>She gapes up at you.
>"Was that a....did you just try to make a joke?"
>You ignore her and turn to look at the ponies.
>The blue one and the pink one are shouting at each other, the pink one looking dangerously manic as they shout incomprehensibly.
>You cough loud enough to get their attention.
"I have decided not to purge you in the Emperor's name."
>The blue one looks at you in confusion, while the pink one only scowls.
>The blue one shakers her head, trotting over to you.
>"So let me get this straight. You're NOT Anonymous, and that's NOT Discord?"
>She points a hoof at Eris, who glares at the blue one.
>"Do I look like a dude?"
>The blue one blinks, then turns her head back to you.
>"We're...uh...terribly sorry, mister....giant killer monster that Pinkie's met before. We were trying to free our friend, Anonymous."
>You jump as Eris fumes at your side.
"The Chaos Sorcerer?"
>".....Yes..."
>She has noticed your tone.
"WHERE IS HE?"


>Trixie recoils at your sudden fury, and Eris looks at you askance.
>"Trapped in the moon! That's what the Eldar said!"
>You pause for a few moments, your fist clenched in front of the blue pony's face.
>Then you start shaking.
>Eris looks at you in alarm, and Pinkie pulls out a knife, wary.
>Your shaking increases, your armor rattling....
>Then you erupt in a thunderous guffaw, the force of your mirth echoing off the library walls.
>You clutch your sides as the humor of the situation overtakes you.
>Eris and Trixie stare at you in frank confusion, and Pinkie's eye twitches as she vacillates between her anger at you and her desire to laugh along with somep0ny.
>You gain control over yourself slowly, still snickering as you straighten.
"Heh...hehehe....ha...whew. The heretic was banished to the moon? It seems Celestia and Luna are crueler than I fir-"
>Wait, hold on brain.
>Backtrack a bit.
>Eldar?
"Excuse me, blue po-"
>"Trixie."
"Trixie, then, did you say Eldar?"
>"That's what they call themselves! One of them calling himself a Farseer captured Anon and opened up a portal to let a whole bunch more Eldar into Equestria!"
>Farseer.
>The same Farseer you and your brothers had chased onto this world?
>INITIATE PURGE. EXE


>You straighten, your mirth vanishing in an instant.
"How many more?"
>Your sudden change in demeanour catches Trixie off guard.
>"How many...what?"
"Eldar, how many?"
>"Trixie's not sure! They're all over Ponyville, hundreds, at least!"
>An invasion. The bastard xenos had initiated a damned invasion while you were gone.
>A xenos invasion of a xenos held world.
>You correct yourself.
>A xenos invasion of Eris' world.
>Eris turns and looks at you, concern on her features.
>"Justy...what's an Eldar?"
"The reason that my people hate, mistrust, and kill xenos."
>"Are they...what will they do? Why are they here?"
"Their methods are inscrutable and unknowable. They might be your greatest ally one moment and be sticking a blade in your spine the next. And now they're here, trying to conquer this world. Your world, Eris."
>Eris recoils, looking shocked.
>"So what do we do, then? How do we get them to leave?"
"We kill them, of course."
>She winces, having expected the answer but not liking it.
>"Okay, so current plan of action in your head is confront-NOT purge, Justy-confront Celestia and Luna, and then get rid of these Eldar?"
"Ye-"
>"Don't forget freeing Anon and saving Twilight!"
>That would be the pink one.


"We are NOT wasting our time trying to free your pet heretic."
>"Yes we are! He's our friend, and we're not leaving him behind!"
>You growl in anger and raise a finger to make a point when Eris floats in from behind you.
>"Hey, Justy, before you get all mad again, can you answer something for me?"
"Eris....fine, what?"
>"What's a heretic?"
>You ponder the question. You think answering that in the simplest way possible is the best course of action.
"Well, in the Imperium, heretics are those who recognize False Gods instead of the Emperor's divine Glory, those who make contact with and befriend xenos without a Sanction of the Inquisition, and those make use of the Dark Powers and make treaties with the Dark Gods of Chaos. They are monstr-"
>Eris cuts you off.
>"So....being a friend with a xenos makes you a heretic, right?"
>You scowl.
"That's a diff-"
>"And you told me in Limbo that Tirek was a daemon, and you're keeping him trapped in the sword, so that makes you-
"Both of those cases are different, Eris. Their "Anonymous" is the vilest of traitors, a monster who abandoned all ties to the Imperium out of greed and evil."
>She gives you an annoyed glare.
>"Justy. I want you to listen to me, please. These ponies have lost a friend, some...one close to them. They want the chance to save him, like you saved me. That's all."
>The two of you stare at each other for a moment.
" I am not risking my life to save a heretic."
>Eris' glare deepens, and you sigh. You are't winning this one. Not if you don't want to spend the next week with cotton candy in your helmet.
"But I will not obstruct them if they seek to free him."
>You are completely unprepared for Pinkie Pie tackle-hugging your helmet.


>Both of your visor-slits are obscured entirely by pink fur.
>If this is what the Heretic has to deal with daily, you do not envy him.
>But you do delight at the prospect of his misery.
"Get off my face."
>"Not until you hug me back, mister Grey grumpy-pants! I knew you weren't entirely a meanie!"
>"Awww, isn't that cute..."
>You feel a second set of limbs around your neck, and you scowl.
"Eris, stop helping the pink pony hug my head."
>"Not until you hug her back."
>This is so incredibly heretical.
>You hear laughing from the blue pony.
"Let me guess, you're going to hug my leg?"
>"Oh, no...Trixie will leave the hugging to Pinkie and Disco-the draconequus."
>"OH FOR BUCK'S SAKE I'M NOT A GUY!"
>You feel Eris let go of your neck, while Pinkie remains attached.
>"ERIS, OKAY, THE NAME IS ERIS!"
>"Okay, alright, Trixie is sorry!"
"So are you letting me go now?"
>"Nope. Hug first, for being so helpful!"
"But I didn't agree to help!"
>This is the scene that greets the Warp Spider Exarch and her squad as they emerge from the Warp around the four of you.


>You hear the discharges of warp energy and immediately snap to combat readiness....
>...And Pinkie remains attached to your face.
>The Eldar stare in shock and confusion, until the Exarch shouts something in her alien tongue.
>Then they bring their weapons up and start firing.
>Monomolecular razor nets are hurled from their Deathspinners, only to be caught on a glowing blue shield from Trixie, and a yellow bubble from Eris.
>The two of them teleport to your side, surprised by the sudden appearance of the aliens.
"Alright, miss...Pinkie. I am going to need you to let go of my face now."
>"Nope. Not until I get my hug!"
>Fucks.exe has stopped working.
>Initiating VIOLENT PURGE. EXE
>WHERE WE'RE GOING, WE DON'T NEED EYES TO KILL!
>You lift up your blade and charge at the nearest Eldar, locating him by the sound of his weapons.
"The Emperor is with us!"
>The Eldar, perhaps unaccustomed to the sight of a giant Grey Knight charging him with a pink pony attached to his helmet, fails to dodge out of the way as your blade buries itself in his shoulder, sinking all the way to his chest before you pull it out.
>You turn to where you hear the rest of the Eldar.
>And then a powerblade buries itself in your back and punctures a kidney.


>You grunt in pain as the Exarch retracts her power blade, and you hear Pinkie gasp in shock.
>But she doesn't let go, damn her.
>You spin, bringing your blade around towards the Exarch's head...
>But she is no longer there.
>You hear a clang as the Exarch lands on your back, her legs wrapping around your stomach.
>Why do xenos have such an overwhelming urge to embrace you!?
>You hear her whisper something to Pinkie Pie, and then you hear another sharp clang as a blade clashes against another blade.
>There is a crack as the blade breaks, and you hear Pinkie cry out in shock.
>Then you feel a sharp pang as another powerblade pierces your Aegis armor and cuts your shoulder near your neck.
>You twist violently, trying to dislodge the Eldar witch, but she clings to you doggedly.
>"I will enjoy bleeding you, Mon'Keigh! I will butcher you, just as my men will butcher your animal!"
>She must be talking about Eris.
>You roar in frustration, leaping backwards to slam your back into a wall.
>She disappears from your back, and you only succeed in cracking the library wall.
>There is another puff of air in front of you, and you hear a throaty chuckle.
>Then you hear a scream.
>And then Pinkie is no longer on your face.


>Your unobstructed vision grants you a quick look at Pinkie as she struggles with the Exarch, her hooves battering the Eldar's helmet.
>The scream was the Eldar Exarch herself, a thin knife having pierced her right eye lense.
>Even as you watch, the Exarch tears Pinkie off of her, slashes her once, twice with her power blades, and hurls the pink pony into the wall.
>Pinkie does not get up.
>You feel a strange, foreign anger take hold of you.
>The Eldar turns towards you, flicking Pinkie's blood off of her blades.
>"Now, Mon'Keigh, I don't believe we were finis-"
>Your pauldron slams into her helmet with a sharp *crack*, and you feel the wraithbone of her faceplate shatter.
>She grunts in pain and shock, and you feel sharp cuts as she slices at you with her blades.
>You drive her straight into a wall, cracking her warp jump pack with the force of the impact.
>Unleashed warp energy leaps out from pack, and she wails in inhuman agony.
>Your press your elbow onto her collarbone, keeping her suspended as she flails, struggling to slice your face and neck with her powerblades.
>She only manages to cut your arms.
"This is the judgement of the righteous, scum!"
>She spits at your helmet.
>You drive your daemon blade into her chest, all the way up to the hilt.


>She grunts in shock, purple blood running from her lips.
>You think she says something in her filthy alien tongue, but you ignore it.
>Her eyes go glassy, and she smiles at you. She knows she is not yet dead.
>Her soul stone is still attatched to her armor.
>You watch as the stone in her chest begins to glow with a soft blue light, and she slumps over, life having fled her body.
>You grimace in disgust and pull your blade free, then you turn on the others.
>Warp Spiders dance around the library, pouring fire into Eris and Trixie's shields.
>The pony sorceress hurls doombolts at the leaping Warp Spiders, doing more damage to the books than the Eldar.
>Eris is having more luck, having turned one Eldar's armor into...is that cheese?
>You kill that one first, wordlessly cleaving him from stem to stern as he gapes at his change in armor.
>The next you chase with a line of storm bolter fire, ripping books to pieces as it darts across the book cases.
>At last, the legendary Eldar speed runs dry, and a bolt catches it in the leg and blows it off.
>Your blade takes it's head a moment later.
>The last two Eldar see the state of their companions and flee, vanishing into the Warp.
>Which gives Trixie and Eris time to notice Pinkie's unmoving form, curled in on itself near a pile of books.
>You hear sudden shocked gasps, and you can smell the scent of salt in the air as Trixie begins to cry.
>You sigh and sit down, holding a hand to the new bloody rents in your armor.
>If only the damned pink mare had let go!

>You hear coughing from the pink pony, and Trixie gasps as she struggles to speak.
>"Still...here, everyp0ny. Just....this....this really...really hurts."
>Eris hovers over the pink pony in concern, and she moves to aid her as Pinky struggles to turn herself over.
>You do a once over of the pink pony.
>A jagged scar runs across her nose, slicing her face.
>Her second wound is more serious. A long, jagged cut along her stomach. It is bleeding fairly heavily.
>She looks up at you, a serious expression on her face.
>"Okay...got the message....no hugging the big grey grump...getting stabbed is NOT fun."
>You have to admire her spirit.
>Trixie is glaring at Pinkie, who's grinning at her sheepishly.
>"I can't believe you! Were you just trying to-"
>"No...Trixie, I am seriously in a lot of pain. But I'm...I'm gonna be okay. I just need to wrap up the wound."
>Eris smiles softly, before snapping her talons.
>"Gotcha covered."
>A thick white bandage materializes on Pinkie's stomach, instantly growing a red spot as it soaks up the blood.
>A second snap, and there's a bandage on her head.
>Pinkie frowns.
>"Can I get this in an eyepatch?"
>Eris giggles, and snaps her fingers again, forming an eyepatch on Pinkie's head.
>The party pony gives a weak cheer before getting back on her hooves, Trixie supporting her.
>You cough callously to get their attention.
"We need to get out of here. The Eldar will descend on this position in a hurry."
>Eris frowns at you before looking back at the ponies.
>"But how will we get out if they're all over town?"
>Pinkie grins, turns and rummages around in the book pile, before pulling out what looks like a rubber suit.


>This is the most heretical, most stupid thing you have ever done or seen.
>You, Trixie, Pinkie, and Eris have *sneaked* out of the building successfully.
>Trixie, Eris, and Pinkie are all adorned in strange rubber suits, and they tip-toe along, jumping from building shadow to building shadow.
>You just walk.
>The Eldar havn't even arrived yet.
>You hear whispering as the three xenos stop behind a tree.
>"So how are we gonna do this?"
>Pinkie speaks up.
>"I've got a plan! Those Eldar jerks fly around in weird skips and bikes. We just need to grab one, fly to Canterlot, and get the Princesses to free Anon!"
>You cough, pointedly.
>Pinkie rolls her non eyepatched eye.
>"And beat the cupcakes out of Farseer, too."
>Eris speaks up.
>"Do any of you know how to fly one of their ships?"
"I can figure it out."
>Pinkie rubs her hooves together, and she leads the four of you towards Ponyville's park.
>There, you spot it, a Fire Prism.
>Four Eldar Guardians stand in defensive positions around the craft, their shuriken rifles held at attention.
>Pinkie turns and looks at you all.
>"Okay, so here's the plan."


>This is so incredibly stupid.
>You squat down in a bush as you watch Pinkie, Eris, and Trixie take up position around the Eldar Guardians.
>You sit there for about twenty seconds, watching as Pinkie tries to roll from bush to bush, only to wince and rub at her stomach wound.
>You watch Trixie sneak from bush to bush, tip-hooving in an effort to stay stealthy.
>Eris is the only one that stays unobserved, because she just changes color to match the trees.
>The Guardians are staring at each other in confusion.
>Fuck this shit.
>You leave the bush.
>Four minutes later, Pinkie, Eris, and Trixie finally burst from the bushes in some pre-set formation.
>Only to find you leaning against the Fire Prism, four dead Eldar at your feet.
>"Buh...wha?"
>You shrug.
"Your plan was taking too long."
>Pinkie pouts.
>"Yeah, but it was more FUN! And we woulda just tied em' up! You didn't have to kill em! "
>She thinks for a second.
>"These guys seem...kind of dumb, anyway."
>You shrug again, opening the cockpit and jumping in.
>It BARELY fits you, and your armor scrapes against the sides as you reach out and power up the vehicle, flipping switches and charging the weapons.
>Pinkie, Trixie, and Eris scramble inside, and you get ready to take off.
"So where, exactly, are we going?"
>Pinkie leans over and yells at you.
>"Canterlot Castle! That's where the Princesses will be!"
"And Farseer?"
>"Him, too, maybe!"
"Good enough."
>You take off, the anti-gravity tank hurtling out of Ponyville, unmolested by Eldar.

Music:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh0iihjANPc
>You flick a lever on the Fire Prism's cockpit, and the Eldar tank kicks up to a speed that some Imperium tanks can only dream of.
>Pinkie and Eris shout in joy, Pinkie throwing her hooves out of their cockpit.
>Trixie is holding her mouth and struggling not to vomit.
>Eventually, the sorceress mare calms down, while Pinkie and Eris take time to get to know each other.
>Which mostly consists of telling them stories about their lives.
>They are remarkably similar po-peo-xenos, whatever.
>Pinkie, unfortunately, is a horrendous backseat driver.
>"Hey, hey Justicar! Hey, heeeeey!"
"WHAT!?"
>"Calm down, Justy, this isn't about the driving."
"...Okay."
>"I just wanted to know about you, you havn't shared much about your life. Tell us a story! What do you do for fun!"
"Well I serve my immortal Emperor and purge her-"
>"No, Justy, she means FUN. Like, recreation time."
"Ah. Well, as an Astartes, I was allotted fifteen minutes of spare time a day, during which I normally meditated on the teachings of the Holy Emperor."
>The anti-grav tank goes silent.
"When I was feeling particularly...antsy, I would occasionally use my spare time to work in extra sparring with the brothers of Titan."
>Still silence. Until Pinkie speaks up.
>"Justicar. You need a party more than anyone I have ever met in my entire life."
>"Dude. Seconded."
>"Trixie *urk* thirds that motion."
>You scowl and keep driving.
>Canterlot is in sight.
>"So...uh, Anon, how do we stop?"
"I have no idea."
>"WHAT!?"
>They start screaming in surprise and fear as you slam the stolen Fire Prism right through the gates of Canterlot.