Thousand Son in Equestria, part 12 (Falling Stars)

>You really, really can't shake the feeling that something is incredibly wrong.
>You've forgotten something, something you know is important.
>Important and potentially dangerous.
>You knew you had to tell Celestia, but you couldn't remember what it was for the life of you.
>You've spent the day meditating, trying your hardest to retrieve your forgetten memory from inside your own mind.
>Despite your best efforts, the most serious worry you can think of is that you have no currency, and your pastries seem to be going bad.
>You could just eat rocks to keep yourself sustained, but you refuse to be without delicious pastry.
>You also refuse to be a freeloader. You are a Sorcerer of Tzeentch, not a lazy Nurglite.
>You had already received mail from Derpy today, including a letter from Trixie.
>She told you that she'll hold off on your lessons until her jaw recovers. It was apparently a worse injury than she thought.
>You thought about writing an apology, but you realized you had no paper on which to write it.
>And no money to buy paper.
>You are distracting yourself from your memory retrieval, stop that!
>You begin to sink deeper into meditation, when their is a sound of hooves banging at the door.
>You growl in frustration before sinking down from the ceiling, landing on your boots before stomping over to the door.


>You pull open your door as you approach, shouting out at whoever's interrupting you.
"WHAT!?"
>Your shout hits Applejack right in the face, her hat moving back on her head comically.
>"Whoa, whoa Anon! Didn't know it was a bad time, I'll come back later!"
>You calm down, slightly embarassed. You should not have yelled at Applejack. You havn't talked to her in a while, and you felt bad about ignoring one of your friends.
"I...I'm sorry Applejack. I'v been a bit distracted lately."
>She gets a sly look.
>"Derpy Hooves keepin' ya up late, huh Anon?"
>You start in shock.
"Wha..what? That's....that's preposterous, Applejack! We're not even...she wouldn't even..."
>Applejack laughs, patting you on the leg with a hoof.
>"I'm just messin with ya, Anon. I ain't one ta believe rumors o' that sort. And I'M not the one who's concerned with who or what you choose to court, anyway."
>She gets a little bitter at the last, and you compose yourself.
"Applejack...what's going on? Would you like to speak about it?"
>She sighs.
>"Talkin' about it'd be great, Anon. But that ain't wha ah'm here, anyway. I came to ask ya to do a job for me."
>Truly, the Fate Weaver provided. You ask for coins, and your God delivers this pony to your door.
"I would be happy to assist, Applejack. What kind of job do you need me to do? More, uh, 'applebucking'? Hunting, perhaps? Do you need me to provide a lecture on the nature of the Wa-"
>Applejack holds up her hooves.
>"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, sugarcube. Ah get enough lectures from Twilight already. Naw. What ah need you to do is real simple. Ah'll give you ninety bits for it, even. Ah want ya to babysit the Crusaders."


"You want me to do WHAT?"
>She holds up her hooves again.
>"Yeah, yeah ah know Anon, you're a giant alien with wierd powers and yer real good at stompin' critters like Discord, but this is important. They keep askin' ta see ya, and yer all Applebloom talks about!"
>Applejack pauses, looking nervous.
>"And ta tell ya the truth, ah think there's somethin' wrong with 'em. Whenever I turn around they're gigglin' like they know somethin' I don't. And Applebloom keeps tryin' to scare me with that monster voice. It's workin."
>You fold your arms. It DOES sound like you need to talk to the Crusaders, but you need to find out what it is you're forgetting, as well.
>But you know Applejack has more to say.
"......Continue..."
>She sighs.
>"Yah know how Rarity and Fluttershy have been actin' crazy lately?"
"YES."
>"Yeah ah figured you'da known. With the Crusaders around, ah don't have the time to talk any sense into 'im. I'm too busy buckin' apples or makin' sure those kids don't hurt themselves. So think of this as me helpin' yo-"
>You hold up your hand.
"Say no more Applejack. I'll be happy to help you. Just send the Crusaders over and-"
>"Uh...Anon. They're already inside."
>You turn around and look, spotting Scootaloo devouring your remaining pastries like a mower to grass.
>Applebloom waves at you, and Sweetie Belle joins her from the ceiling.
>You turn around, and Applejack is already gone.
>Godsdamned Xenos!
>Godsdamned xenos daemon princes!


>You sigh heavily before making your way back inside, closing the door.
>The second you do, Applebloom sighs and a pair of wings pop from her back.
>Sweetie Belle lights grows feathers.
>And Scootaloo's head lights on fire
>They sigh in unison, before Applebloom speaks up.
>"Finally. Ah thought we'd never get away! Anon you got no idea how hard it is stayin' this way all the time."
>Sweetie Belle pipes up.
>"She's not kidding! I have to stay in ONE FORM aaaallll the time! It's so stressful!"
>Scootaloo tries to add something, but her fleshless mouth is filled with now-burning muffins.
>Goddamnit Scootaloo, you wanted to eat those muffins.
"Girls. Girls, calm down! Please. And if you're going to shapeshift, do it away from a window."
>"Sowwy."
>Scootaloo hops off your counter, swallowing your muffins as she does so, when a thought strikes her.
>"Heya Anon, ya got any salt?"
"No Scootaloo I do not have salt, now sit down. We need to talk."
>"Awwww."


>Eventually, you manage to get the daemon-fillies to settle on your couch.
>You take a position up in front of the CMC.
"I'm going to tell you more about what you three are, and what you three can do. And why it's CRUCIAL that you stay hidden."
>Scootaloo starts chewing on herself.
"Right. The basics. You're daemon princes. You are, by all definitions of the word, immortal."
>The girls 'ooooh'.
"You can't be k-I mean stopped, and you won't get old. You can, however, be banished. If you get hurt enough, you can get tossed into the Warp, where my power comes from. Once you're in there, it will take an immense amount of effort to get you back out. So you need to stay safe!"
>Sweetie Belle nods, absorbing the information, while AB just watches you.
"Which brings me to why you need to stay hidden. You three are strong now, strong and dangerous. I don't know how much you remember before the elements, but I know you could stand against the princesses in a contest of strength and hold your own."
>Applebloom beams at the mention of her strength.
"Which is why you have to be CAREFUL in how you use it. You could hurt a pony, or a lot of ponies, if you three aren't careful. And if you hurt a pony, then Celestia is going to come down on you."
>Their expressions get somber.
"And then I'm going to come down on Celestia."
>They cheer up again.
"But we don't want that to happen. So you three must be careful. There was a tome once held in the Great LIbrary, which had a phrase in it that I particularly enjoyed. With great power, comes great responsibility."
>Applebloom's face suddenly gets serious, and she looks at her friends.
>"Girls. Y'all know what this means?"
>They nod, equally as solemn.
>"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SUPERHEROES, YAY!"


>That's not what you said at all.
"That's not what I said at all!"
>Applebloom and Scoots swell to their full sizes and daemon-forms, armor materializing from warp matter.
>Sweetie's horn glows, and gaudy purple caps appear on their shoulders
>They take up a pose in the middle of your living room and shout in unison.
>"WITH THE POWERS OF CHAOS, WE'LL PROTECT OUR FRIENDS AND KEEP EQUESTRIA SAFE! STAND TOGETHER, CHAOS CRUSADERS!"
>The combined might of their daemon voices shakes your house and you stumble.
>You noticed Applebloom's horns poking a hole in your roof.
>Goddamnit these kids. Adorable, but godsdamn them.
"GIRLS. STOP!"
>They glanced down at you, and AB appears to notice the rain of plaster on her helmet.
>"UH....OOOPS. SORRY ANON. AH DIDN'T KNOW MAH OWN HEIGHT."
"It's fine, I'll fix it later. Now change back, before one of the ponies sees you."
>The girls sigh, before shrinking back into filly form.
>They keep the capes.
>And Sweetie Belle is now blue and on fire.
>But fuck it, they aren't destroying your home anymore.
"That's better. Now what do you girls normally do on when you're being babysitted?"
>They grow mischievous grins, and your regret asking.


>Chaos.
>Absolute, glorious Chaos is unleashed in your home.
>A large part of you revels in it, reminding you of your older days, back in the Long War.
>The second you finished speaking, they launched into something called 'superhero' training.
>Sweetie's summoned and animated a bunch of chairs, and Applebloom's thrashing at them with a chainaxe, killing the chairs as Sweetie brings them to life.
>Scootaloo is belting out a truly horrendous song, the sonic force of her shouts shattering your windows and running cracks in your walls.
>You can only watch, dumbfounded.
"Girls!"
>They aren't paying attention. Applebloom's chasing Sweetie up a wall, chainaxe in mouth, while Scoots sings on the ceiling.
"GIRLS!"
>Now all THREE of them are joining in on the "Chaos Crusader Theme Song," standing on your ceiling in strange outfits and belting out a song that would please Slaanesh to no end.
>Oh Gods what have you done?
>You draw in a breath for another shout.
"GIR-"
>Silence.
>Complete and utter silence.
>Your surroundings, the Chaos, your hearing, all die away.
>You feel a turbulence in the warp, a tear in the gentle currents you have become accustomed to in Equestria.
>Agony, sharp and swift pours through you, and you feel your psychic senses overload as a ragged hole tears in reality.
>You know pain.
>The darkness.


MEANWHILE, IN EQUESTRIA'S SKIES
>You were running out of time.
>You had foreseen this, a doom falling upon your ship and your fellows the moment you fired the ship, but you had expected the doom to be from the Necron weapon.
>You were wrong.
>You underestimated the Mon'keigh
>Their ship drew alongside yours, and they sent a force of three to kill you, and retake the artifact.
>Three Knights, three mon'keigh augmented horrors that slaughtered their way through your ship.
>They killed Guardians and Banshees, Wraithguards and Warlocks, until you finally ordered your forces to retreat to the Webway.
>You would establish a Gate in Paradise yourself.
>And you would handle the Mon'keigh yourself.
>You rouse yourself from meditation in your chamber, even as your ship plummets towards the Paradise World's surface.
>They are here.
>You lift your witchblade.
>You are ready.


>They enter your chamber, one of them limping from a shuriken-inflicted wound to the leg.
>You can sense their minds. The leader is wary of you. He is wise.
>The other two are young. They expect you to be an easy conquest, as the rest of your people are.
>They are foolish. They will die.
>The necron weapon's blast tore a hole in reality, in the Webway, in the Warp, in Paradise's shield.
>The backlash had knocked your ship out of the sky. You were crashing.
>You are roused from your thoughts as the Grey Knights engage, intent on the artifact you hold in your left hand.
>The right one, a young mon'keigh, lifts a cannon, inscribed with hellish runes that blunt the power of the warp, fires a volley of bolts at you where you float.
>They would smash through a kine shield with ease, and pummel your body to paste.
>You rise to your feet, and slowly walk towards the mon'keigh, casually dipping out of the way of the bolts.
>You had already predicted the paths they would travel.
>The other young one closes, his force sword raised high, and the battle is joined.


>Force sword clashes against witchblade, and you marvel at the mon'keigh's augemented strength, even as you slip away and lash him across the chest, carving a thin gash.
>He ripostes, and you step out of the way.
>So slow, these mon'keigh monstrosities!
>The experienced one, the one who thinks of itself as Justiciar, lifts his wrists and sends a storm of bolts towards you.
>You predict the bolt's paths, moving out of the way.
>You expected be-
>You choke back a cry as the veteran slashes at you, his blade cutting through part of your rune armor. You twitch aside, receiving a thin cut.
>So slow, but so strong!
>Your mind races as you flow backwards, moving out of the way of more storm bolts.
>You cannot defeat them in a straight battle.
>Not with the Justicar at their head. You will kill them, but you will not survive the battle.
>And you must survive.
>You must open the way.
>Your eyes crackle to life behind your helmet, and you reach out with your mind, latching onto the wraithbone that your ship is composed of.
>The Justiciar recoils, and you feel his surprise, even as he guesses your intentions.
>He roars orders to his men. Futile orders.
>You tear the ship apart.


MEANWHILE, IN CANTERLOT.

>Luna stirred in her chambers.
>Something...something had happened. Something was wrong, so very wrong!
>The Princess of the Night gasps as she looks into the sky, feeling the wound in reality blasted above her world.
>A ship, a massive curved thing, like a living creature, is suddenly THERE, in the night sky, and falling to earth.
>Mere moments later, it seems to rip itself to pieces, chunks and portions of ship sent flying, hurled to the far corners of the world.
>One piece, bright and burning, is falling towards Canterlot.
>Noble ponies everywhere look into the sky as a star falls to the ground. Monocles pop off of faces and drinks fall the ground as the they watch the star slow, descending to Canterlot's streets in a controlled descent.
>A slender figure, clad in black plates and a robe, stands in the streets, a blade in one hand and a scepter in the other.
>It glances around as curious ponies make their way towards it. Spikes of blue lightning lash out harmlessly from the anomaly.


>You must admit, you are surprised.
>You had foreseen life taking root on the Paradise World, but not any that would take this...this shape.
>You reach out with your mind, instantly touching a city-full of thoughts.
>These creatures...ponies, they call themselves. Though they appear to be beasts of burden, they do think. Nothing anywhere near as powerful as the mind of an Eldar, but they are at least as smart as Mon-kei-
>Wait.
>You sense something.
>Two lights, bright, burning. Long-lived. Old.
>So very old.
>Almost as old as you.
>And one of them is approaching you.
>A white, winged creature, horned and glorious, descends from the sky, as pure as Isha's love.
>She lands in front of you, her purple eyes searching.
>You feel her try to delve into your mind, a child's attempt. You let her in, and dive into her mind in turn.
>She does not notice your presence.
>"Welcome.......Eldar, you are called? Farseer....."
>She struggles to find your name.


>You avoid recoiling in disgust at the primitive tongue that issues from her mouth.
>It sounds like the speech of the Mon-keigh. It sullied your ears to be forced to hear it.
"Farseer will do, Princess Celestia."
>She recoils, her eyes widening.
>"How did you know my name?"
"I see much, Celestia."
>She frowns.
>"Why are you here? What is it you want? You are not the first guest I have entertained from another world. I will not have more 'Chaos' brought into my world!"
>Your mind reels, for the first time in more than ten millenia, you are surprised.
>You are caught off guard. Chaos, here? In Paradise? That cannot be! The Old One's shield was too powerful to be pierced by any slave of the Ruinous Powers!
>Your eyes narrow. The mon'keigh. The one on this world. It must be him who brings the taint.
>This....this could work to your advantage.
"Celestia, I will be honest with you. There is much we need to discuss. I promise you, I am an ally, as are my people. I come here only to seek succor. Sanctuary, from that you know of as 'Chaos.'"
>Her eyes widen, and you sense her confirming a dozen supsicions in her mind.
>"Tell me everything you know."
>You smile behind your ghosthelm.
>It was almost too easy.


IN PONYVILLE
>You awaken on your back, still in your home.
>The Crusaders are above you, looking down at you with concern in their eyes.
>They're still back in filly form, although Applebloom has beaten a dent into your chestplate trying to wake you up.
>You think she might have cracked a ribplate.
>You rise to a sitting position.
"How long....how long was I out?"
>Applebloom pipes up.
>"Ah ain't sure Anon! About an hour, maybe. What happened? You were yellin' at us fer practicin' at bein superheroes and then you just collapsed! You kept mutterin' and twitchin'!"
"I...something's happened, Applebloom. Something bad. We need to find Twi-"
>There comes a knocking on your chamber door.
>It's sharp, quick, full of anger.
>You rise to your feet, and open the door, expecting Applejack.
>Outside, arrayed before you, are white pegasi in golden armor, all glaring at you as they surround your house.
>Behind them is Princess Luna, clad in midnight-black barding. She gives you a sorrowful look, and then speaks.
>"Anonymous of Prospero. You are under arrest for murder, malice, and suspicion of being a threat to all P0nykind. Do not resist, or we will be authorized to use lethal force."


IN THE GRIFFIN KINGDOMS, BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN BORDER OF EQUESTRIA.
>Captain Ra'kwal of the Griffin Army wound his way over the broken rubble and burned rock as he and his men approached the crash site.
>A star had fallen from the sky, curving it's way into griffin lands as it impacted.
>Stone was melted and tossed in the explosion, and Ra'kwal had been sent to investigate.
>His men stepped over the burning hot stones, staring in awe as fires raced over the white metal of the mysterious object.
>They approached the crater it lay in carefully, wincing as they drew close to the massive fire engulfing the object.
>There is a sound of grinding metal, and they see something shift in the burning wreckage.
>A massive, armored object rose from the fire, a crackling blade held in one hand.
>Two more rose from the flames, blue glowing eyes piercing the hearts of the griffins.
>Ra'kwal's mens panicked, lifting crossbows, but the griffin leader held out his claw, telling them to hold their shots.
>One of his men panicked, and fired his bolt anyway.
>The wooden shaft slammed into the chest of the lead creature, hitting it's shell and shattering.


>Ra'kwal wasn't sure what happened next.
>The creature lifted it's arm, and there was a bright flare on it's wrist, and a roar of sound, and suddenly, nothing was left of the griffin that fired but a bloody mist.
>His men screamed and backed away, and the lead creature lifted itself out of the crater, making it's way to it's feet in front of Ra'kwal.
>"Can you sense it brothers? The xenos witch is far from us. And I sense more. The taint of Chaos is upon this world."
>Ra'kwal shook, panicked at the steel-grey giant before it.
>"Y...you can speak? Please, don't hurt us! My-my man was a fool! He didn't know what he was doing!"
>The massive creature looks down at the griffin before him, as if noting it for the first time.
>"Interesting. A xenos fluent in Low Gothic. Tell me, alien, what world is this, and who does it belong to?"
>The griffin gulps.
>"Th-the ponies call it Equestria! A-and their ruler, their Celestia, s-she's a God, they say! She moves the s-s-sun!"
>The creature's arm lashes out, lifting the griffin up to it's eyes.
>"Your answer is informative, but incorrect, Xenos."
>The griffin's eyes widen.
>"From this day forth, this world belongs to the God-Emperor of Mankind."
>The creature's hand squeezes, and the griffin's neck snaps like a twig.
>A second Knight, this one toting a psycannon, makes his way out of the crater.
>"What now, Justicar?"
>"We purge this world, Brother. We will burn a path....there. There, we will find the artifact."
>The Justicar's finger points beyond the mountainside, in the direction he sense the artifact.
>Canterlot.