Thousand Son in Equestria, part 5 (CHAOS CRUSADERS))

>You are proud of yourself
>You are quite sure that no Astartes, not even one of Russ' accursed Space Yiffers, has partied as hard as you have.
>You spent the night hyped up on Pinkie Essence, dancing, pretending to drink, and playing games-games! For Magnus' sake!
>Once, Pinkie Pie even managed to get your helmet off and play hot potatoe with it, much to everyone's amusement.
>You have truly, truly enjoyed yourself, more so than any time you can remember.
>The poni-no, your FRIENDS have treated you to a better time than any your so-called brothers did during the Black Crusades.
>So great a time, that you felt it was necessary to shut down both halves of your mind and sleep for real.
>It was a refreshing time, being able to experience complete and total intoxication and then the blessed embrace of sleep.
>So refreshing a time, you truly resent it when you are awakened by the sound of screaming.


>You come to awareness grudgingly, taking quick stock of your surroundings
>You are on your back on the barn floor
>You remember being overwhelmed by a wave of joy before losing consciousness, so that only makes sense
>The mint-green pony who was grinding on your leg last night is asleep, wrapped around your arm
>Pinkie Pie is using you as a pillow, and you see other ponies scattered around the room
>And many of them are screaming, quite loudly.
>And the loudest screamer is....Applejack?
>That can't be right. Applejack isn't the type of pers-pony who would scream. Not that loudly anywa-
>Chaos
>So much Chaos
>How were you not able to notice it before?
>The power of Chaos is EVERYWHERE now. You can feel your psyker ability surging in strength as you sense the familiar taint in the air.
>This is not right.
>Equestria is peaceful. It's Warp is clean of Chaos taint.
>So why is there a daemon staring at you from the barn's entrance?


>That, more than anything else, jolts you to full wakefulness.
>You take in the daemon quickly, your senses going into full panic mode
>The first thing you note, is that it's red. Bright, carmine red, like spilled blood.
>It's shaped like a pony, a very, very big pony. The size of Celestia's sister at least.
>Red barding covers it from hoof to head, and great, red batwings sprout from it's shoulders
>You move your gaze to it's head. Khorne's mark appears on it's forehead, while great curled horns pierce the metal of the helmet, and fiery red hair spills from beneath the head-covering.
>And those eyes...
>Sweet Tzeentch those eyes are too familiar
>At the same time you notice the eyes, you notice another detail that sends the dust that replaced your heart sinking deep into your body cavity
>Applejack stops screaming long enough to speak.
>"Is tha-Is tha you Ap-"
>"HEY BIG SIS."
>The daemon's voice is all too familiar, a sweet voice mixed with a growling, atonal echo like a snarling bear.
>It throws that last little detail into a stark relief.
>A cute red bow is tied into the daemon's hair, behind the horns.



>No
>nonononononNoNONO
>This is bad. This is much, much worse than you thought. You've got to think, and you've got to think fast, or you and everyone in the building is so incredibly fucking dead.
>You start to get up, careful to move Pinkie off your body as she starts to wake up.
>The mint-green pony is still curled around your arm like a Tzeentch-damned spider.
>The daemon-Applebloom takes a step into the room, a low growl building in her throat.
>"SO Y'ALL DECIDED TA HAVE A PARTY WITHOUT INVITIN' LIL' OLD APPLEBLOOM, HMM? WAS I TOO SMALL FER YA? BLANK FLANKS WEREN'T ALLOWED?"
>Shit, she's working herself into a rage. You've seen this before with Khornates. GOTTA THINK FAST.
>Applejack talks first
>"Applebloom, what happened to y-"
"No Applebloom, we couldn't find you, remember? I tried to get to you and your friends when you were at school yesterday to invite you, but I couldn't find you after you all left."
>Appledaemon falters a little at this, and she seems to notice you for the first time.
>"OH. ANONYMOUS. YEEAAAH, THAT MAKES SENSE, AH GUESS."
>Suddenly she seems to perk up, and takes another three steps toward you.
>"AH GOTTA SAY THANK YA, ANONYMOUS. FER ALL THIS! WITHOUT YOU, I NEVER WOULDA FOUND MAH PURPOSE!"
>Applejack shoots you a look that could crack concrete.
>You shake your head quickly. Now is not the time



>Pinkie chooses that moment to speak up, still waking up from her cider and salt-induced coma from last night's party.
>"Oh wooooow, hey Applebloom, you're biiiig! Does all that mean you got your cutie mark?"
>Wrong thing to say
>Sweet Tzeentch was that the wrong thing to say
>Applebloom's eyes literally light on fire, and she lets out a rage-filled howl.
>She charges, wings spread, right at Pinkie
>You've gotta fix this
>You get up and charge the rampaging Appledaemon, giving her a tough shoulder check to the snout
>That did fuck all, and for the second time in less than three days you find yourself airborne, having been launched through the barn wall.
>Appledaemon's already at the hole, moving with freakish daemon speed.
>"NOW WHY'D YA GO AND TRY TO STOP ME, ANONYMOUS?"
>She sounds furious.
>You gather the Warp.


>She's already moving, roaring at you
>You've got one shot
>You bring up both hands, channeling the power of the Warp and the fury of Chaos into a roaring hellstorm of psychich power
>And then you hurl it at Applebloom
>She slams into it like a hammer hitting an anvil, and the hellstorm explodes, rocking the ground and driving up a storm of dust and rock.
>Applebloom lets out a shocked roar and staggers back as the dust clears. She shakes her head, looking up and glaring at you.
>Right, daemon prince. She's strong. So fearsomely strong, but that glare gives you hope.
>She doesn't know what she's doing. If she did, you'd be inside out right now. Moreover, she hasn't killed any of the ponies yet, even the ones she's mad at.
>Maybe Applebloom's still in there. Somewhere.
>You lift both your arms, straining as you use your power to lift the struggling daemon princeling into the air
>She growls unintelligibly at you, struggling and snapping at her invisible bonds.
"Applebloom."
>She roars again, but the struggles weaken.

"APPLEBLOOM!"
>Tzeentch, holding her is hard. It's like trying to hold a gallon of water in one hand. But you are a Son of Magnus. You can't afford to fail.
>She's still roaring and struggling.
>"Applebloom, ya need to calm down!"
>Applejack's made her way out of the destroyed barn, and she's got a mad 'big sister' look on her face as she makes her way over to the struggling daemonpony.
>This pony is either insane or has balls of solid ceramite.
>The struggling Appledaemon turns one burning eye on her sister
>"WHY WOULD AH DO THAT, SIS? YA HEARD PINKIE!! Y'ALL WERE JUS GONNA CALL ME A BLANK FLANK AND LAUGH AT ME, LIKE DIAMOND TIARA AND SILVER SPOON!"
>She struggles harder
>"NONE OF Y'ALL 'L EVER LAUGH AT ME AGAIN! NO MORE, 'APPLEBLOOM, YER TOO YOUNG TO HEAR THIS!' OR, 'APPLEBLOOM, YER TOO SMALL TO HELP ME AND BIG MAC BUCK THESE HERE APPLES!'"
>Applejack's still determined
>"Applebloom, stop that! Ya know we only do things like that for yer own good! Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon 'r just bullies, and bullies get what they deserve eventually! Now calm down and tell us what happened to ya!"
>Applebloom's stopped struggling
>Holy Tzeentch, did that actually work?
>"WHAT THEY DESERVE...."
>Aww shit. You don't like the sound of that.
>Applebloom turns towards you and roars, vomiting up a hellish stream of what looks like lava
>You don't have a choice. You put of a kine shield and drop her, struggling to hold back the flow of lava.
>Applebloom's already turned her horned head towards Ponyville
>"AH'M COMIN' FOR YA, YA BULLIES. AH'LL HAVE MAH REVENGE!"
>She rears back and does a horrifying whinny, before galloping off towards Ponyville, leaving flaming hoof-prints in her wake.


>Applejack stares at her sister's retreating flank, before turning that stone-cracking glare on you again.
>"Anon-"
"Applejack, not right now. Explanations later. We need to stop her. You need to wake the others."
>You don't say 'fix her.' It's too late for that now. She's an unstoppable killing machine for now and ever.
>But you hope, inside that killing machine, Applebloom's still in there, somewhere.
>And that's what drives you, hope. That's what keeps you going.
>You march back inside, after Applejack, who's rousing the few ponies who are still sleeping.
>Twilight's already up, staring at you and the holes in the building in shock.
>"What the BUCK just happened?"
>RD stares at Twilight in shock, as do a few other ponies. You ignore it.
"To make a long tale short, Applebloom's turned into an unstoppable otherworldly monster. We need to stop her before she does something she'd regret."
>Twilight gets a strange look on her face.
>"TO THE LIBRARY!"
>She gallops out of the barn, yelling at the top of her lungs.
>You stare at her in shock before watching Pinkie Pie, Rarity, RD, AJ, and FS all stream out after her.
>If these ponies have a book on binding daemon princes you will literally stick your force sword into your helmet and just give up on existing.


>You follow the ponies into town, racing after both them and the rampaging Applebloom
>Fortunately, it appears that most ponies vacated upon hearing a double-toned voice screaming for blood
>A few of them weren't fast enough
>Twitching, injured ponies lie everywhere, tossed haphazardly by a searching Applebloom.
>"WHERE ARE THEY? ARE Y'ALL HIDIN' EM? COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, YA COWARDLY FILLIES! I WILL HAVE LAST BLOOD!"
>She's loud enough to hear from a block over.
>Fluttershy briefly checks on the injured ponies, making sure none of them are in fatal danger, before rejoining your group.
>As you all race for the library, you can hear another sound underneath Applebloom's frenzied shouting
>It's....strange....
>Like the engines of one of the God-Machines you are familiar with. Mixed with the frenzied sounds of a guitar. And the roar of a motorcycle. And screaming.
Very loud screaming, coming from only one voice.
>"OOOOOOOOOOOH YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
>As you pass the destroyed marketplace, the source of the screaming comes into view


>Another daemon pony sits in the shattered town square, shoveling pilfered cupcakes into its mouth with one hoof while snorting salt with the other
>Occasionally, it takes a break from one of these activities to add a scream to the horrible cacaphony of sound coming from the deformed scooter it sits on
>The pony itself is as large as Appledaemon, and covered from head to flank in dark purple barding. Feathered orange wings flap spasmodically on it's back as it snorts and giggles.
>The most fearsome part of this pony is it's head. Like a human skull and a pony's face mixed together, with burning purple fire for a mane. Two horns protrude from it's forehead, and purple eyes peer at you and the other ponies as you enter the square.
>It sits on a monstrosity of a scooter, a massive black daemon engine covered in armor and screaming boomboxes.
>It's eyes light up as it sees you all approaching, but it fixates particularly on a particular rainbow-maned pegasus.
>"RAINBOW DASH!!! OH THIS IS JUST GREAT! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU! AT LEAST, WHEN I WASN'T DOING SALT AND RANSACKING SUGARCUBE CORNER AND GETTING MORE MUSIC AND DRINKING CIDER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND-"
>Dash interrupts her.
>"Scoots!? Is that, is that you under all that!?"
>"OF COURSE IT'S ME DASH, WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE! OH, OH, RAINBOW, YOU WANNA RACE!? I CAN GO SO FAST NOW! YOU SHOULD SEEE IT, REALLY! AND AFTERWARDS YOU SHOULD TRY SOME SALT! SALT IS REALLY GREAT LET ME TELL YOU!"
>Dash's look of horror is growing, and Applejack's glare just got about 20% more furious as she glances at you



>There is a roar of displaced air as Scootaloo suddenly charges in the middle of you all, tossing you like bowling pins until she's face to face with Rainbow Dash
>"WELL DASH, YOU WANNA RACE? DO YA DO YA DO YA?"
>You no better than to say anything, but you frantically shake your head in the negative from over Scootaloo's shoulder
>Rainbow Dash glances at you, gulps, then looks back at Scootaloo.
>"Well, sure Scoots! You know me, I'm always up for a race! So..can you, uh, fly now?"
>Scootaloo's eyes roar into twin bonfires. That was the wrong thing to say.
>"I DON'T NEED WINGS TO BEAT YOU, RAINBOW DASH! AND WHEN I CATCH YOU, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW USELESS THEY ARE WHEN I RIP YOURS OFF!"
>Suddenly she's on her scooter again.
"Rainbow Dash, run! Get the Warp out of here!"
>Dash doesn't need to be told twice. She jets off into the air, a rainbow colored blur as Scootaloo's daemon scooter launches after her, riding the sky like it's a well-paved road.
>The others look up at the two racing pegasi in terror.
>Twilight speaks first. You have to hand it to her, she keeps her head in a terrible situation.
>"Okay, we need to get to the library, and we need to do it fast. We grab the elements, find Rainbow Dash, and then we fix whatever's wrong with Scootaloo and Applebloom."
>She turns a glare on to you.
>"And then we get some answers."


"That is only fair. But first, we need to get your, 'Elements.'"
>You recall that these Elements are what Twilight claimed to use to lock away Discord.
>If those weapons are powerful enough to lock away a force of Chaos that powerful, you hope they are strong enough to return two fledgeling daemon princes to their senses.
>Twilight glares at you a moment longer before racing to the library.
>She throws the door open with a burst of telekinesis as you all plow through the door.
>And skids to a stop upon finding Spike, dressed in an incredibly tacky tuxedo, having tea with Sweetie Belle.
>On the ceiling.
>Sweetie cranes her neck to look down and around to look at you all as you enter.
>"It's about time you all got here! Spike and I were just having a little chat."
>Her eyes are blue fires
>Rarity walks slowly into the center of the room, gaping up at Sweetie Belle in horror.
>"Sweetie? Sweetie Belle what are you doing? How did you even get Spike up there? And why is he in that tacky tu-"
>"SHUT THE BUCK UP, RARITY."
>Sweetie Belle's lips havn't moved, but you can easily recognize it as her voice.
>It's coming from all around you.


>This is not good. Twilight's weapons are stashed in this library. Who knows what would happen if Sweetie Belle used them?
>She's still focused on Rarity.
>"I'M TIRED OF HEARING YOU WHINE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING I DO. ALL I'VE EVER WANTED, ALL I'VE EVER HOPED FOR, IS THAT THE BOTH OF US COULD GET ALONG, COULD BE FRIENDS AND SISTERS, LIKE APPLEBLOOM AND APPLEJACK."
>Rarity seems a bit taken aback.
>"But Sweetie, we WERE being friends! Remember, after the social, we start-"
>"STARTED, RARITY. THEN YOU STOPPED. YOUR WORK WAS KEEPING YOU BUSY, YOU'D SAY, OR 'NOT TODAY SWEETIE BELLE, I'M TIRED.' WELL TODAY, RARITY, THAT'S ALL GOING TO CHANGE. EVERYTHING'S GOING TO CHANGE. YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE, RARITY."
>A grin is growing on Sweetie Belle's face, a grin that's growing into a fang-filled grimace.
>You're pretty sure that Spike has pissed his tux.
"Sweetie Belle. Sweetie, you need to stop. You're scaring your sister and Spike. Come down, and let's just talk this over. I need to know how this happened to you and Applebloom and Scootaloo."
>Her neck twists as she turns that gaze over to you.
>"ANONYMOUS! I HAVE TO THANK YOU AGAIN, YOU KNOW! WITHOUT YOU, WE NEVER WOULD HAVE DISCOVERED THE WONDROUS GIFTS THAT CHAOS BESTOWS ON IT'S FOLLOWERS! WE NEVER WOULD HAVE RELEASED DISCORD AGAIN! BUT YOU CHANGED US, ANONYMOUS! YOU SHOWED US THE TRUE PATH!"
>All the ponies are staring at you now, in a mix of rage, hatred, and disgust. Only Pinkie gives you a look that even approaches sympathy.
>That doesn't matter right now.
>You know what you have to do.
>Discord. He's the cause of all this. You need to crush him.


>Most of the ponies stare up at Sweetie Belle with expressions of terror when they mention Discord.
>Not Twilight. That pony's sharp as a razor, and she wants some answers.
>Twilight taps you with her hoof
>"Alright, Anonymous, you've got some explaining to do."
"Twilight. Not right now. I know how to fix this. Get your elements. Distract the Crusaders as best you can, use your weapons on them if you have to. I'll handle Discord. Whatever's happened to them, the Crusaders are still in there, somewhere. Don't lose hope."
>She's still glaring at you as you teleport out of there, leaving your new friends with that leering caricature of Sweetie Belle.
>You step outside of the warp into Canterlot's garden.
>The sky is raining chocolate.
>You can feel Chaos here, stronger than anywhere else. Your powers surge within you, your psychic senses singing at the brush with Chaos, even in a form like this.
>You have to save your friends.
>You have to save Applebloom.
>You have to kill a God.


>Discord is not hard to find
>You just had to follow the laughter and the screams
>You can see him now, whirling in the air
>Luna and Celestia are fighting him, hurling lightning and white fire at the twisting draconequus.
>They are losing.
>And you know why. They're using the clean Warp, the positive emotions that all ponykind generate. They are too good to use ponykind's fear, it's hate, against Discord
>You have no such restriction
>You gather the Warp, the emotions you have felt and seen today gathering into you.
>The fear the ponies felt when the Chaos Crusaders attacked Ponyville
>The anger that your new friends have for you right now.
>The hate you feel for Discord
>The hope you have that everything will be okay.
>You gather all of that psyker power and bring it down on the laughing Chaos God's head.
>A massive pillar of burning purple-pink warp light comes roaring down from the sky, slamming into Discord's back and forcing him down to Equestrian soil.
>He screams as it strikes him, in surprise and in pain.
>The pain in that scream brings savage joy to your nonexistant heart.
>He slams into the hedge maze in front of you, the shockwave of his impact burning away the leaves from the hedges.
>You walk in towards where he fell, pulling out your force sword as you walk. Chaos sings in your blood.
>You're going to kill a God.


>You can see he's already up as you approach.
>Even in your heightened state of psyker power, you expected nothing less.
>After all, this creature, whatever it is, is beyond a mere daemon prince, and you would not bet on yourself in a fight against one of those.
>But all of that is a secondary concern.
>There are only two facts that matter.
>The creature in front of you twisted, corrupted, and hurt your new friends.
>And it is going to die for it.
>Discord coughs in surprise as you approach, sword still in hand.
>"What is THIS now? You're my biggest follower, Anonymous! You should be leading the Chaos Crusaders in the attack on Ponyville right now. What are you doing here?"
>You ignore the creature. It's words do not matter.
>You lash out with the sword, scoring a gash on Discord's chest as he hisses and recoils.
>You hurl twisting warp-lightning at his retreating form, and he yelps in pain, before snapping his fingers and disappearing.
>He's still here, somewhere. You can sense it. You just can't find him.



"Come out, you cowardly filth."
>His voice comes at you from the air around you, laced with chuckles and hisses.
>"Cowardly? Come now, Anonymous! Drop the act! You did what you set out to do! Chaos is free on Equestria! I am the essence of all four of your Gods, Anonymous! I am Nurgle's corruption, Khorne's hate, Slaanesh's glorious sense of fun, and Tzeentch's scheming! You should be worshipping me! You should be SERVING me."
>You whirl around, still holding the sword. You can hurt him. You know that now. And if you can hurt him, then you, Celestia, and Luna might be able to kill him.
"I am no servant, Discord. I am Chaos' master, not it's slave. Chaos is the tool I use to shape a better galaxy. You are a broken tool, and broken tools are thrown away. Come, and die."
>His chuckles fill the air again.
>"You are so, so deluded, Anonymous! Just like Ahriman was! And Magnus, before him! Do you think that they didn't hold lofty goals in their minds when they did what they did? You are a slave who cannot see his chains! This has all been pre-planned, Anonymous! Your hope is pointless here! Let it go, and serve me!"
>There, in the burning bush.
>You turn your hand towards it and lash out with warp lightning.
"Not in another ten thousand years, scum."




>You hold on to the stream of warp lightning as the Chaos god writhes in agony.
>You step toward him, sword raised in one hand, lightning still flashing in the other.
>He gasps in pain as the lightning wraps around him.
>"Wha-what is it you want! Stop, make the pain stop and I'll do anything! Anything!"
"Take away your gifts, creature. Turn Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle back to normal. Give them back their souls!"
>He shouts something in between a laugh and a scream.
>"And what of you, Sorcerer!? What of your power! Do you not desire daemonhood? Do you not wish to be clad in flesh again?"
>That hit too close to home.
>You turn up the lightning, and move in close to Discord, sword held high for the killing blow.
"My desires aren't important, right now, Discord. What I do here, I do for my...for my friends. For the ponies that make this world their home. I am not your slave, to be chained by false promise."
>He holds up his mismatched hands, arching in agony.
>You move in close, ready to bring the sword if he tries anything.
>Suddenly, the Chaos creature contorts, faster then you can follow even with your enhanced senses, and wraps around you in a constricting hold
>All the pain he felt moments ago is apparently gone.
>"Surprise, Anonymous! Oh, you and your precious 'friendship!' Really, your devotion to such a concept is quite pathetic. I think it's time we dissolved you of that notion, so you can get right back to what you were meant to do."
>His eagle talon touches the forehead of your helmet, and everything goes black.
>"Serving Chaos."