A Thousand Son in Equestria, part 27 (Vengeance)

>Warp power, burning and incandescent, flows through you as you lean out of the hatch of the burning Nightwing craft.
>You rain fire upon the ruined castle ahead of you, burning gouts of purple and blue wrath that melt the stone and melt necrodermis like wax.
>But you cannot stop the crash.
>You hear Ditzy, Trixie, and Fluttershy scream in terror as the Autarch struggles to bring the craft to earth safely.
>Pinkie gives a great WHEEEEEEE! while Luna and Rainbow leap out of the plummeting craft.
>Applejack struggles to keep Rarity restrained as the mare flails around, and you spot Rainbow Dash looping around towards you all.
>"Guys, jump out! Luna and I can grab you!"
"Too many ponies, not enough time, Rainbow! You two just get to safety! We'll land the cra-"
>You cut yourself off as you lean back to dodge an accurate blast of Gauss Flayer fire from the castle walls.
>The Autarch curses again, and you feel the craft lurch horrendously, before plummeting into the Everfree Forest below.
"Hang on! It's gonna be a bumpy landing!"


>The Nightwing crashes into the forest below with loud WHUMP and a great explosion of grass and dirt.
>It slides with the force of it's crashing, and you and your friends brace yourselves inside the craft as it shudders to a stop.
>Trixie clambers out first and dry heaves, Fluttershy not far behind her.
>You leap out, bolter and blade at the ready as you stay on guard.
>That was no assault by Eldar foes.
>The Autarch had not lied.
>Necrontyr had arrived on Equestria.
>The deadliest foe known to mankind.
>Here, threatening your friends.
>You would not allow it.
"Is everyone alright? Is anyone injured?"
>Ditzy clambers out of the craft, holding a gray hoof to her forehead.
>"Fine here, Anon, just a cut."
>The sight of blood on her manages to make you even angrier.
>"Anon, when we're done here, you're treating your student to an expensive dinner."
"Sure you won't throw it up again?"
>"Ha. Ha."
>She glares at you, while Pinkie, Ditzy, and Fluttershy giggle at your small humor.
>You had to keep their spirits up if they were going to fight.
"Crusaders! Are Applejack and Rarity alright?"
>"JUS' FINE, ANON. RARITY'S STILL CRAZY THOUGH!"
>Daemonbloom, AJ, and the other two Crusaders come out of the downed craft, dragging Rarity between them.
>The Autarch jumps out of his cockpit, scowling and cursing.
>"The craft is dead, mon'keigh. We must continue on foot."
"That suits me just fine."


>Rarity scowls and shouts as you approach her.
>She squirms to get away from you, still freaking out, and you sigh in exasperation before reaching out with the Warp.
>The Eldar did a number on her mind, alright. Confusing her on what was Eldar and what was pony.
>But it wasn't sophisticated. Wasn't powerful. You could fix her. You were an Athenean in Magnus' Cult, once.
>You could do this.
>You carefully begin to unscramble the trap that the Farseer had laid in Rarity's mind, ignoring her hissing and struggling.
>You just have to remind her of who she is. That same sophisticated, clever, fancy unicorn who had come after you with those advances.
>Eventually, your magic finishes whispering into her mind, and she gasps in shock, twitching, as you clear her mind.
>"A...Anon!? Anon, I'm sorry! I just....Lyra, she..."
"Shhh. Apologies and explanations later. I have no time for it, and neither does Twilight."
>You part her bonds and stand up, turning to the rest of your group.
>The Chaos Crusaders. Luna. Trixie. Ditzy Doo. Five of your friends. The Xenos Autarch.
"Here's the bad news. Twilight and Celestia are held captive by a monstrous foe. A species from my world, so dark and terrible that Chaos itself recoils from it's presence. Their numbers are unknown, their technology is powerful beyond measure, and they know we're here."
>Applebloom looks at you, worry filling her voice.
>"SO WHAT'RE WE GONNA DO, ANON?"
>You smile and run your armored finger along your force sword.
"We, Applebloom, are going to save Twilight. We're going to save Celestia. And we're going to kill every Necron between us and them."

music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GusLypfx7OQ
>Glowing green eyes, long devoid of life, of sentience, of will, stare out from the castle walls, looking into the darkness of the Everfree.
>Watching.
>Waiting.
>When you come for them, all their waiting is for naught.
>Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle explode out of the forest cover, soaking gauss flayer fire and roaring as they unleash Chaos magic upon the Necrons.
>Necrodermis runs and melts underneath their wrath, before repairing itself almost as quickly as it can be mended.
>And that's when your volley of doombolts slams into the battlements and hurls them from the wall.
>The metal terrors slam into the earth feet first, cracking the packed dirt with their weight, before regaining their feet.
>And taking a sonic-powered hoof to the skull.
>Rainbow slams into one with such force that it's necrodermis neck cracks, and it staggers before reorienting it's skull and struggling to track the fleeing pegasus with Gauss fire.
>And that's when Pinkie's cannon and Rarity's magic lights up the Necron line, piercing armor and denting necrodermis.
>As the Necrons struggle to turn their fire back on your friends, you charge out of the woods, bolter firing.
>Mass-reactive shells slam into Necron chests, sending shards of metal and glowing green sparks flying into the air.
>And then you are among them.


>Your blade flashes and sings as you dance among the Necron horde.
>Arms and heads of necron metal go hurling into the air, and xenos automatons crumple as you drive your warp-powered fists into their chests and necks.
>But even as you drop them, they rises again, lashing out with the bladed ends of their gauss flayers and cutting your ceramite armor.
>There is a flash of wraithbone as the Autarch leaps and dances among the Necrons, tearing automatons off your back and tearing them to bits.
>The Chaos Crusaders land among the Horde, hooves flashing as they smash and burn the Necron Warriors.
>You see Trixie and Rarity hurling spells and Warp-powers among the Necrons, and you rejoice in the call of war as it sings in your blood.
>But it is not enough.
>They do not die.
>They cannot die.
>The only rise again, harder and stronger, firing gauss flayers at you even as their metal bodies come back together.
>And then the Lychguard come.


>You roll to the side, pulling your blade from a Necron Warrior's chest, and a massive metal warrior crashes into the ground where you once stood, a small crater forming from its weight.
>Before you can react, it is on you, fractal-edged axe lashing and whirling around you as the glowing green blade cuts a line across your chest.
>You swing your sword at its chest, and it blocks with its axe before bashing you in the chest with its massive shield.
>You stumble, staggered from the Lychguard's massive strength, and only just manage to bring up your blade and catch the axe on your sword.
>You struggle against unfeeling servos as the Lychguard bears down on you.
>And then you stick your bolter in its stomach and empty the magazine.
>Explosions rock the creature's metal stomach, sending necrodermis and green lightning flying as the bolts blow holes in the creature's stomach.
>It stumbles from the impact, barely rocked as its body begins to heal.
>But the stumble is enough.
>You leap and slam your blade into the Necron's face, jamming the power sword in its skull.
>It falters a bit, axe-hand jerking, before you tear your arm up and away, ripping its skull in twain.
>It gives a mechanical howl and phases out in a burst of green light.
>You hear more impacts as more Lychguard drop from the castle walls, shields at the ready as they march towards you and your friends.
>You can't fight them all. Not if you want to save Twilight. You will tire and you will die.
>But the Crusaders won't.
>Without you having to even speak, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo charge the marching Lychguard, bucking them away and caving in chests with powerful headbutts.
>"GIT TO THA CASTLE, ANON! WE CAN TAKE THESE GUYS! C'MON GIRLS! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"


>You watch in awe as the Chaos Crusaders rip and tear their way through the Necron lines, trampling the remaining Necron warriors and stirring up such a frenzy that all their fire concentrates on them.
>You raise your blade in salute.
"Give them hell, Crusaders! The Dark Gods watch over you!"
>Applebloom roars in response, and you smile as you watch them wreak Chaos on the Necron forces.
>Then you turn and signal to your friends.
>The Autarch is already sprinting for the castle entrance, Luna not far behind him.
"Come on! We have to get in there! Twilight needs us, and so does Celestia!"
>Rainbow dives down towards the castle's entrance, Ditzy and Fluttershy hot on her heels. The three pegasi easily juke sporadic Gauss fire, relying on the CMC's distraction to make it safely.
>Trixie, Pinkie, Rarity, and AJ come on foot, and you remain outside the castle walls, providing cover fire as they make their way into the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
>As you usher your friends inside, you turn and give the Crusaders one last salute as they give their all to hold back the Necron tide.
>Then you slam the rusted gate shut, and race after your friends.
>Time was not on your side.


>You struggle to catch up to the sprinting Autarch and the racing Luna, passing your friends as your ceramite strides eat up the distance.
"Xenos! The Farseer!? Where is he?"
>"Close, mon'keigh."
>Luna glances at you as you three race ahead.
>"Celestia is farther inside, Anonymous. I can feel her. She's trapped, and afraid, and in pain."
"Is Twilight with her?"
>"I don-"
>TWILIGHT IS SAFELY WITH ME, MON'KEIGH.
>You flinch at the sudden mental contact as the Farseer contacts your mind.
>You're dead already, xenos.
>COME INTO MY PARLOR, SAID THE SPIDER TO THE FLY.
>You roar in anger as you charge up stone steps, ignoring crackling Necron machinery that works it's way into the ancient stone.
>The Autarch keeps pace with you, his blades at the ready, as Luna and the ponies bring up the rear.
>Finally, you reach the castle's anteroom, a worn-out stone enclosure with six stone orbs standing in the middle.
>Six orbs, underneath which stands the Farseer and Twilight Sparkle, the Farseer's witchblade held to the purple unicorn's throat.


>Your blade and bolter are up in a heartbeat, but even as you twitch, the Farseer brings his blade closer.
>"None of that, mon'keigh. Or I cut her thro-"
>He's cut off in mid-sentence as an excellent shuriken pistol shot impacts his hand, slicing apart three of his fingers.
>The Farseer's witchblade drops and Twilight skitters free, much to your surprise.
>The Farseer stares at his missing fingers in surprise, even as the necontyr metal replacing his hand begins to grow back.
>He glances up.
>Right into the burning eyes of his brother.
>"Autarch, you li-"
>Another shuriken shot takes a chip off of his shoulder.
>Literally.
>"Silence your lying tongue."
>You ignore the xenos, using a quick pull of the Warp to bring Twilight to you and shield her from Farseer's mind.
>She shouts at you immediately, beating her hooves on your armor.
>"Anon, Celestia's in trouble! Some huge....thing has her captive! We have to save her!"
>You turn and look at the Autarch, and he nods at you. You nod back.
>He wants the Farseer to himself.
"Lead the way, Twilight."
>You and your friends leave the two Eldar to their own devices as you race onwards through the castle.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-_3T3JLnoM
>The Farseer and the Autarch wait in silence for a time, listening to the sound of Gauss fire from outside, and the roars of daemon princes.
>They do not speak.
>There is nothing more to say.
>The Farseer lifts a hand and hurls warp lightning at the brother he betrayed, furious and scared for the first time in his life.
>He cannot win. He is not yet compleat. Necron augmentations devour at his Warp presence even as they struggle to convert his body.
>And without his warp power, he is not match for his brother.
>The Autarch dances aside from the lightning, mandiblasters firing on full auto as the the Eldar leaps at his brother.
>The Farseer struggles to block the hail of fire with a shield, but he is too weak.
>He was always too weak.
>His shield shatters under his brother's Direblade, and he struggles to raise his own sword as the Eldar master of War descends upon him.
>Blade clashes against blade, one fueled by desperation, the other by fury.
>The clash is not long.
>It is not beautiful.
>It is short, it is ugly, and it is wet.
>The Autarch's sword sings, and parts the Farseer's hand from his body.
>And then it buries itself in his chest as the Autarch whirls stabs backwards into his brother's ribcage.
>The Farseer grunts, almost surprised, as he feels his heart pierced by wraithbone.
>And then he dies as the spirits of vengeance tear his mind asunder.
>The Autarch lets the corrupted corpse drop from his blade, and then turns his attention to the stone spheres.
>And to the Dawnlight Blade, trapped within them.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlLVYWT-Hc
>Twilight races ahead of you, guiding you.
>The journey from the Eldar's abode to his master's hall is not a long one.
>It is a hall familiar to the Mane 6, to Luna, to Celestia.
>The hall where Nightmare Moon was vanquished.
>Green light flickers and flares in the darkness of the hall as Necron machinery fires and flickers, black metal coiling among the pillars.
>The machinery ends in a great archway at the hall's end, connected by wiring and tubing to a great cage that holds Celestia entrapped.
>A massive figure, more than twice your height and shrouded in a cloak spun from the night itself, has it's back turned to you.
>It clutches a great staff in one metal hand as it looks upon the machine, tapping in commands with it's other.
>"The Eldar's gambit failed, as expected."
"Release Celestia, you soulless husk."
>Your friends spread out around you, looking determined and furious.
>"Do you know how long we have planned this invasion, primitive?"
"It doesn't ma-"
>"Species have gone extinct. Entire worlds have been bathed in flame, their denizens dying out without so much as a whimper. Stars have gone black and cold in the void."
>The Necron Lord turns his emerald eyes over his shoulder and glances at you.
>"We have had time. Time to seed this world with weaponry, with technology to prepare for arrival. Races have flourished under our guiding hand, and now we have awakened to claim this world once more."
>He turns back to his calculations.
>"And you were kind enough to bring one of our weapons with you. Pariah. Nightbringer."
>You hear a sharp gasp from behind you, and you turn....
>To see Derpy's eyes begin glowing a bright green.


>Pain.
>Agony unlike any you have ever experienced grips you, as your soul suddenly tries to leave your body.
>You collapse to your knees, gasping, as you friends cry out in agony alongside you.
>Trixie collapses, unbreathing, as Ditzy's aura increases in strength elevenfold.
>Luna falls to her knees, screaming, as the aura of a Black Pariah tears at her soul and her essence.
>Even your friends untouched by the Warp scream as the pain envelops them.
>Ditzy, for her part, is gritting her teeth, struggling, as the Necron Lord continues to speak.
>"Good. Quite good. It seems the Old Ones purged our other gene-weapons from your species' pool, but your ancestors survived. And the gene you carry has come through pure, untainted. Imotekh will be pleased. Now kill them all."
>Derpy gasps again, and you feel the agony increase, blood running from your nose and mouth and filling your helmet. You put your arm to the ground, and scream in pain as you feel the aura growing nearer.
>Ditzy comes into your line of sight, her eyes glowing a furious Necron green.
>She grits her teeth and struggles to speak against orders encoded into her gene-code millennia ago.
>"A...Anon..."
>You can't speak. The pain. It's too much.
>She puts out a hoof on your arm, and you scream in agony once more.
>"Have to....have to..."
>She clenches her teeth once, struggling to get the words out.
>"Kill me."


"No."
>She grits her teeth harder, scowling at you.
>"Anon...have to...can't....killing you all."
>You struggle up from your supporting hand, regaining your knees even as more blood pours from your ears and mouth.
"Fight him."
>"I..can't...."
>You reach out, your soul blistering even as you reach for her.
>You reach with your hands. With your mind. With your spirit.
>You will not let this happen.
>Not to Ditzy. Not to her.
>Your friends had saved your body. Had given you back something you had thought lost for eternity.
>Ditzy had given you something you never had.
>She had given you laughter, on the day you met her.
>She had given you joy, when you danced at Pinkie's party.
>She had given you love, with her jokes and her company and her joy and her clumsiness.
>She had given you your humanity.
>You would not lose her.
"Fight him, Ditzy Doo. Fight him with me."
>You use her name, her real name, the name she gave you, and only you, to use.
>Your arms encircle her body as you dive inside her mind.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrAm9Eiqcw
>Darkness.
>Nothing but soul-searing, roaring darkness.
>You feel the cold fury of the Pariah gene that defines her life, that makes her a black spot, a walking void of pain and anguish to your senses.
>You float in that void, your soul unshielded, your mind bare, as you struggle to reach her.
>To save her from what she was.
>As she saved you.
>The darkness rips and tears at you, at your soul, struggling to suck all that you are into that gaping void, the nothingness that is Ditzy Doo.
>You deny it.
>Because it is a lie.
>Ditzy Doo is not darkness. She is not void. She is not nothing. She is a p0ny. A p0ny you cannot bear the thought of living without.
>And so you fight against the darkness, filling it with memories, with knowledge, with who she is.
>You and her baking muffins the night you met. Trading stories and laughing as the night whiled away. The dance. Her saving your life when you fought Farseer.
>The kiss she gave you when you saved her.
>You fill that empty void, that hollow darkness, with memories of light and life and happiness.
>And something sticks. A light, blooming in the darkness.
>The pain stops.
>And Ditzy Doo collapses in front of you.


>You jolt back to reality, forced from her mind as the pain recedes.
>You gasp in anguish and terror, your heart leaping in your chest as you stare at Ditzy's unconscious form.
>You watch, waiting for what seems like aeons....
>Until her chest rises and falls, and she breathes.
>You exhale, fear still gripping your nerves in an iron grip.
>And then you hear the calculations stop at the machine ahead of you.
>The Necron Lord turns his metal head to regard you as you rise to your feet, stepping between him and Derpy's fallen form.
>Your friends are sprawled out behind you, unconscious or close to it from the pain.
>"Impossible. Your primitive magic should be of no use......"
>He trails off, calculating, as you raise your bolter and fire a stream of shots at his machine.
>Sparks fly and lightning whirls through the air, and the Necron Lord's eyes refocus on you.
>"You have delayed our invasion by approximately 2.5 minutes. For this, your death will be slow at the hands of my crypteks."
>He whirls his staff, and advances on you, his massive footfalls cracking the stone as he advances, his cloak whirling around him like a shroud.
>You raise your sword in defiance at the metal giant.
"Come, creature. I will teach you the meaning of pain if I have to engrave it on your circuits."
>"When I am finished with you, I will compleat the Pariah, and have her kill your beast allies."
>He raises his staff, and your blade rises with it.
"You'll have to come through me, first."

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoaUYcwEpSw
>The Staff comes crashing down, and you raise your blade to block it, roaring in defiance as your blade clashes with necrontyr metal.
>The Lord bats your parry aside with his fearsome strength, and your arm flies wide as it's batted away.
>You barely have time to bring up a kine shield as the staff whips around again and lashes you in the chest, hurling you backwards.
>But you remember Derpy behind you, and you arrest your fall with your back leg.
>You roar in rage and bring up your bolter, firing at the advancing Necron Lord.
>Bolt shells clash and explode with his necrodermis shell, rippling or denting the metal, and you watch in horror as he brings up a hand to dissuade your bolt fire.
>And then brings that hand down on your bolter, catching it in his massive grasp and crushing the gun between his metal fingers.
>Then the staff comes again, and you raise your blade with both hands, catching the bladed tines of the weapon with your own blade.
>You grunt as you struggle to hold the Lord's weapon back, spitting your defiance at his emotionless mask of a face.
>He whirls his staff around and slams the blunt end into your kidney, knocking you into a stone pillar.
>You exhale in agony as the Lord stomps over to you, and the staff comes down once more, this time at your head.

Same song, starting from 2:02

>You roll as the staff slams into the pillar, cracking the stone base with the force of the blow.
>You leap to your feet as the Necron Lord begins to slowly withdraw his staff from the stone pillar.
>Too slowly.
>Your blade comes down, charged with your rage, your love, and all of your Warp energy.
>The force sword tears through Necrodermis and servos, slicing through black metal and tearing the Necron's arm.
>The Lord turns his head to look at you, seemingly surprised, and you bury your sword up to the hilt into his head, just beneath the jaw.
>You remain like that, his head transfixed on your blade, for six heartbeats.
>Then his other arm comes around, grabs you by the neck, and hurls you across the hall to slam into the Necron machine.
>You watch in awe and shocked pain as the Necron Lord casually tears your sword out of his face and impales it in the ground, then reaches down to re-attatch his arm.
>Then he brings up his staff, the light glowing a ferocious green.
>Light stabs out of it in a glowing lance, aimed right at your chest.
>You meet the light with a blast of warp power, blue lightning clashing with green light in a deadly battle of magic against eldritch science.
>A battle that science is winning.


>"Embrace your death, primitive. You were doomed the moment you came against me. All has been predicted, calculated to the greatest level of accuracy."
>You grunt as you hold back his staff's light-beam with your own willpower.
"I...don't accept...that."
>"It does not matter what you do or do not accept. Your fate has been determined. It is to die at my hands. We are the Necrontyr. We own all."
"All is dust, Necron. As you will be."
>You push back with your power, struggling to hold his attention for just a little longer....
>Already, you spot your friends struggling to get to their feet, returning to consciousness....
>All except for Ditzy, Luna, and Trixie. The former exhausted from your psychic surgery, and the latter from exposure to a Black Pariah.
>You watch as they see you struggling, and your face lights up as they gather together, their eyes glowing as they form up.
>Necklaces of familiar gemstones and shapes arrange themselves on their necks, and you feel the power charge in the Warp as the prepare the Elements of Harmony for a blast at the Necron Lord's back.
>And that's when the Necron turns, his free arm pointed right at your friends.
>And he releases a Tachyon Arrow from his wrist right at them.


>You shout in fear and fury, dropping your warp lightning as you bend all your concentration, all your might, all your magic, into that raging projectile.
>The Necron's staff of light burrows a bloody hole in your shoulder, and the smell of burned flesh fills your nose, but you don't notice.
>Your will clamps down on the Arrow, and you struggle to keep that volatile projectile stopped as it spins furiously no more than six inches from Twilight's face, a glowing green hurricane of death and destruction.
>You cannot blink, cannot breathe, cannot do anything but concentrate, or your friends will be flash-vaporized into nothing but dust on the wind.
>You feel your mind begin to fray and collapse as you struggle to keep the arrow from advancing, but even with your prodigious might, you watch as it inches, closer and closer, to the Element bearers.
>You can save them, you can let their-
>The Necron raises his staff, the end glowing, and points it at Twilight.
>At Ditzy.
>At Fluttershy
>At Pinkie.
>At Luna, at Rarity, at Applejack, at Rainbow Dash, at Trixie.
>At your friends, the ones who'd saved your body and the one who saved your soul.
>You let your concentration slip for one moment, and the arrow moves an inch closer.
>You reach out your will into the weapon you stole from the Grey Knight.
>And you shatter it.
"DAEMON, I RELEASE YOU FROM THIS HOST!'

Music:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rWj7lL6lMU
>You are only able to watch as Tirek Griffinfather leaps from the shattered daemon blade, roaring as shadows coalesce around his body.
>You watch as he leaps on the back of the Necron, his halberd coming down on the first creature he sees, intent on sowing Chaos and destruction.
>You watch as the Necron Lord whirls and parries the strike, his strength throwing the daemon prince off balance.
>The two great being struggle, staff against halberd, as the Elements build and the arrow slips closer.
>Your consciousness begins to fade, blackness eating at the edge of your vision, but you keep your eyes open as you watch the Necron struggle against Tirek, desperate to fire at the Element bearers.
>He doesn't get the chance.
>You watch, as your friends gather together, their elements pouring forth a massive blast of rainbows and light.
>You watch as the Necron Lord recoils, hand covering his face as he screams in a metallic tenor.
>You watch as Tirek howls in agony as the light envelops him.
>You watch as the light reaches you, as your friends shine on.
>Then your consciousness fades, your body forcing you into a regenerative coma, adn you watch no more.
>Your concentration fails.
>The Lord screams.
>Tirek rages.
>The arrow fires.
>And light swallows the world.