Plague Marine Anon in Equestria II

(Other paste was running out of space. This is a continuation of last time.)

>Death had not yet embraced you, it seemed
>Truly, you either did not know when to die, or Father had great things for you.
>You lay broken, face down in the bottom of the slime pit, the cries of the xenos still reaching you despite the layer of vicious rot between you and them
>You tried to move, but your wounds were too severe
>You cursed as you attempted to move, but it was futile
>There was still so much to do! So much joy to spread, so many gifts to give!
>Truly, even though Papa had given you so much, you felt something you had spread across the galaxy for so long. . .
>Despair.
>You would never see little Twiblight again.
>You would not introduce the gifts to the rest of the planet
>You would not give these xenos a world without pain or fear of death, or tyrannical psykers or worries of a good crop
>You would have given them paradise, and here to lay, face down in a pit of slime, slowly dying
>You let out a yell of unholy rage, warp powered bile expelling from your rotten guts into the slime
>As the life seemed to fade from you, you prayed for just one more chance. . .one more time to make it right
>And it seems you were heard

>Time seemed to slow down from there.
>Unholy energy bubbled up from within you, and burst from newly formed boils on your skin
>Your face tentacles oozed with renewed vigor, and pus from your wounds flowed as if it were water
>It seems, you were truly given a second chance
>For what reason, you could not say. Perhaps this planet, in all it's purity, was important to Father, and the fact you alone had despoiled it and spread his gifts, even pledged the soul of a powerful psyker in his service, he had decided to reward you
>While you could feel the warp-infused glands within your throat and tentacles fade, it was of little consequence to you.
>You rose from the slime, and strode from the crater, seeing the shackled Twilbight with a look of deepest despair upon her face as the xeno princess readied a spear of crackling energy, aimed at the little ones head.
>This is something you could not allow.
>The bolt flew forward, and the sickening sound of flesh and bone being pierced rung through the false dawn.

>Twilight opened her eyes, only to find herself within a large shadow
>She gasped at what was before her, as did her friends, and even the princesses. "Potbelly? B-but. . ."
>She winced when she saw the bolt of energy that he had stopped with his body, the crackling thing sticking through his back.
>Blood and other horrible bodily fluids boiled off it as Celestia growled with pure, unabated rage.
>"You. Shall. Bur-"
>She was cut off by a bluish aura, as Luna tugged at her horn, the spell holding the rest of Twilight's friends and Twilight herself broken, for the time being.
>'Twilight Sparkle! I cannot hold my sister for long! You and the other elements must act quickly!' Cried Luna, struggling to contain the power of the sun.
>'She's right, Twi! We gotta use th' elements and Celestia'll be back ta normal! Just like Nightmare Moon 'n' Luna!'
>'B. .b.ut what about Potbelly?'
>'Forget that meanie pants! The princess is in trouble!' Pinkie Pie said, reaching over and dragging her over ot the others
>Somehow, she was wearing gloves and holding antibacterial wipes when she did this. . .
>Pinkie Pie being Pinkie, you supposed. But, she was right. The elements would put everything back to normal. . .right?
>Twilight focused her magic, and the elements resonated
>Before the final burst of arcane energy ripped through the air, she took one last look at Potbelly, who simply stood there, unmoving
>You weren't sure if he was dead, but the Elements would certainly do. . .something to him.
>After all, he was of Chaos. . .

>You are Anon.
>And if the giant burning spear that had pierced your chest just wasn't enough, soon everything burned.
>Your world was awash with pain and fire and . . .rainbow colored lights.
>This place had too much color, even it's magic
>Thinking back on it, dying face down in a slime pit would be preferable to this.
>But. . .something strange was happening.
>Your more grievous wounds healed, and your armor knitted together
>Your face tentacles regrew, and were slimier than ever
>As the pain subsided, you took stock of your surroundings
>The false dawn was subsiding, but you could see the effects of this powerful warp trickery.
>The land had healed, the forest sprung back to it's normal state, and the xeno princess was no longer looking like a creation of Khrone
>All your work had been undone. . .but something caught your eye.
>The rest of the xenos had been exhausted by the spell, and the moon xeno princess was spent as well, but you could see her as looked upon you with sheer horror
>'T. . .tis impossible! How can thou still walk!'
'You'd be a fool to think it would be that easy, wouldn't you? Such mere warp trickery would subdue me?'
>You laughed a bit as you heard a gasp
>You turned to see who else was there, only to see a very excited Twiblight Sparkle
>She rushed forward and embraced you, tears of ooze streaming from her eyes.
>'Monster! You planned to corrupt one of the elements from the start!'
'I do not make plans, Xeno. I mire and foil them.'
>You moved in to snap the xeno's horn, and she recoiled in fear.
>She attempted to scrabble away, and you clenched your fists in malicious glee

>'Wait. . .'
>You paused, hearing Twiblight speak.
>She was still clinging to your shoulder. . .
>'Can we. . .just go? I need to. . .think about some things.'
>She choked out those words, wheezing and gasping as she did.
'. . .Very well. Where shall we go?'
>Without another word, you and the little one were enveloped in a purple aura, and vanished from the battle ground
>The false dawn snuffed out, Luna cursed until she could not, and fell unconscious
>Twilight and the Marine had ported deep within Froggy Bottom Bog, and he reveled in the filth and noxious fumes bubbling from the surface
>Twilight simply sat at the banks of the mire, looking up at the sky, lost in thought.
>How could the princess do that? Why would she? She never saw her like. . .that. . .
>She shivered, coiling up and closing her eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream
>Anon eventually tired of the new scene, deciding to explore the depths of the bog later
>He sat up against a tree near Twilight, and closed his eyes. Tonight was rather taxing, and they were in a new pickle.
> While the xeno may have treated the symptoms, the cause was yet to be cured. . .

>Things were, for a while, all jolly and well for you.
>You danced and sang and rolled within the filth that the swamp had to offer, feasting upon frogs and slugs that had fallen to your miasma and disease that you extruded
>Though. . .it was not quite the same. Twiblight was beginning to brood and lacked the plague filled vigor Father had bestowed upon her.
>Not to mention you had seen her when you slept. . .that dark blue xenos, glaring at you with burning white eyes
>You opted to sleep as little as possible because of that. . .
>If the psyker xeno had found a way into your mind while you slept, you'd have no part of it.
>One night, after a day of swimming in the rotting marsh,  you breached the topic her depression.
'Come now, little one. Why are you so down? We are safe and shall continue our spreading of gifts to all of Equestria!'
>'I. . .Celestia. She was my mentor. . .my friend. And she just wanted to burn me.' She said, her rotten tear ducts only welling up with slime.
'I told you of my run in with Grave Fever, yes? We made planetfall with an apothecary team. . .we were determined to find the source of the disease, as we had a feeling it was of Warp origin. My battle brothers were my family, my friends. I thought we would forever be united under the banner of the Emperor. . .'
>You spat that liars name out with literal venom, being sure to aim away from Twiblight as you did.
'How wrong I was. When I began to show signs of the disease itself, they tired to put an inferno bolt through my head. I had managed to avoid getting hit, but it burned through helmet and flesh alike, nearly stripping it to the bone. The injury was enough to activate my SusAn membrane, putting me into a deep healing slumber. I fell,  and they unceremoniously dumped me into a mass grave, filled with victims of the disease. . .the fools were so blind, they couldn't even see that they were what caused it in the first place!'
>Twiblight sniffled,  rubbing the slime from her face as she listened to you recount your fall from grace.
'As I was dying in that pile of bodies, I wanted nothing more than to live. I clung to life, my SusAn coma keeping me alive, if only just. Father could see me, the disease on the planet like a beacon to him,  a powerful warrior for His cause, amongst the bodies, and gave me an offer. Ascend from the corpses and be granted life anew. He snapped me out of my coma, filling me with terrible resolve, and I dug out of the bodies that had been heaped upon me in my time away from the land of the living. And when I broke from corpses, I stood, witness to my 'Brothers' handiwork. '
>You clenched your fist, looking at the bog with anger, your face tentacles becoming rigid with disgust.
'All of them. . .dead. Not only by the illness, but by bolt and blade, the madness the fever brought driving them to slaughter each other.  Unable to find the source of the disease until it was too late, even when it stared them right in the eyes. The disease and death had attracted Father's armies to the land en masse, and I was greeted by Uncle. . .'
>Twiblight giggled. 'You told me about him. . .he's even bigger than you!'
>You smiled, your anger fading slightly.
'Yes. . .he greeted me with open arms, and was jovial and full of life despite his disease ridden body. And that shirt. . .how ridiculous! But I digress. He gave me a new face. . '
>You flexed your tentacles to demonstrate
>'And a new purpose. I suppose the moral of this story is that even those you trust with your life can betray you, and the inevitability of decay is the only constant. That is why Father's army. . .why I. . .will never abandon you, unlike that Celestia.'
>'You. . promise?' She asked, looking up at you hopefully.
'Cross my hearts.'
>You kneeled down and held your arms out, and embraced her, smiling
>Equestria would know Father's gifts, like it or not.

===

>Canterlot, and by extension Ponyville and Cloudsdale, was a mess.
>Ever since that incident in the Everfree, Celestia had been weakened and bedridden, unable to attend the court
>Luna had been pulling double duty, and barely scraping by
>The modern nuances of Equestrian politics were alien to her, and she had not only to raise the sun and moon on her own, but learn of a way to stop the foul creature of Chaos before it struck again and unleash another horrible plague.
>IF one of the Elements was so entrenched in Chaos that they could not fully work, it seemed bleak, but she had an idea.
>Shining Armor. . .Twilight Sparkle's elder brother. While he excelled in Shield Spells, he was decent with other magic as well, and the closest blood relation to her.
>She had sent out a letter to him, requesting an audience with him ASAP.
>Surely he would answer the call if Twilight was in danger.
>One night, in a lull of activity, he burst into the audience chamber.
>'Greetings, Shining Armor. I shant keep you long, as I'm sure you wish to know the situation.'
>Armor snorted, a look of revenge over his usual calm face. 'Where's Twily?! I'll make that creature pay for what he's done!'
>'Calm thyself. The search for that demon is still being taken care of. He sleeps rarely, and while I stride though the dreams I am ever vigilant for his perverse mind. . .but he is wise to me. I know not of a creature that could sleep so little. And he sullies my otherwise beautiful night with his restlessness. . .'
>She shook her head, getting back on topic.
>'As you are the closest relation to Twilight, we believe that thou can use the Element of Magic to purge the Chaotic influence from her. . .'
>Shining Armor gave a salute. 'I'll do whatever it takes to save Twily! Let's get the rest of the Elements and go! I'll have the guard with me, we'll comb all over Equestria-'
>She raised a hoof, silencing him. ''Tis good to see thou hast resolve, but it is foolish to stride into battle at this point. The demon is as if disease were given form itself, and all withers before it. In the time that he has been hiding, it is likely he has made his toxic presence even more deadly. We are still studying some of the illnesses that plagued Ponyville, and finding a way to use it to protect ourselves from it. . .'
>She smiled, seeing a look of realization on the Captain of the Guards face. 'Which is another reason why thou art perfect for this task. Thy excellence in shield spells shall help our court mages prefect a spell to protect thou and the other Elements from the demons disease.'
>Shining Armor nodded. 'I'll be sure to do my best!'
>'Good. It will take no less than that to conquer that unnatural being. Now go, and report to the court mages in the morrow. I must attend to other duties. '
>Shining bowed, and left the audience chamber, and Luna did shortly after, heading into her room.
>She laid upon her bed, closing her eyes, but not sleeping. Rather, she began to dream walk, striding the formless void of the collective unconscious, seeking out the demon in his sleep.
>'Thou must sleep sometime. . .and I shall find thee.'

===

>The night was otherwise silent, but deep within the Canterlot Gardens, an ancient evil was awakening
>Discord, having returned to the stone so recently, yearned to be unleashed upon the world once more.
>And with all the Chaos that had been unleashed, the seals that bound him had been weakening!
>But this Chaos wasn't. . .his kind of Chaos. No sir, it was rotten and stifling.
>His was surreal and bizarre and just so much /fun/!
>How anyone could do anything his his kind of Chaos was beyond him, but it mattered little.
>He had been biding his time, collecting the energy from the others chaotic events, storing it and loosening the binds held him.
>He had heard that this one had even managed to defeat Celestia! He might ask him for an autograph. . .and have the pencil explode in his face.
>Wouldn't that be hilarious!
>His eyes shifted toward the direction of the Froggy Bottom Bog
>Soon, Chaos would reign once more.

==

>The weeks that followed were ones of intense work.
>Shining Armor had to help the Court Mages with that spell, as well as organize a continued relief effort to ease the pain the Plague Demon brought
>Luna continued to search the collective unconscious to find him, and he could see him briefly, as if half his mind were asleep
>He was crafty, this one, but no one could stay awake forever.
>She had been coming ever closer to finding his location, and would soon face justice.
>Unease still gripped her, though, as she looked out through the quiet Canterlot gardens in the waking hours of the morning
>She could feel Discords fell presence more than before. . .
>Ponyville would not survive two powerful beings of Chaos at once.
>Celestia, still bed ridden and wracked with guilt and sickness, did not wish for many visitors.
>But she would have to cope for now.
>Luna raised the sun, with some difficulty, and departed to Celestia's chambers.

>The doors flew open, and the Princess of the Sun let out a shrill, yet weak gasp.
>'It was told no visi- Oh. Luna. . .my sister.'
>''Tis me, Celestia. I've come with grave news. . .'
>Poor Celestia did not look well at all. Her once vibrant mane and tail were subdued and muted, and her white coat was pale and sickly
>Her eyes were red and puffy, and horrible bags were beneath them.
>Luna looked little better, the stress of pulling double duty and dreamwalking more intensively wearing on her appearance.
>'If anything, it looks like you should be the one in bed.' Celestia said, giggling weakly.
>'Nay, sister. Thou art in worse condition than I. Thou needst rest.' She said, sternly.
>Celestia sighed, looking out the window. 'You've been doing a great job, you know. It was hard, all those times I rose the moon. . .I always looked up, seeing you there, wishing you to come home more than anything. . .
>''Tis unwise to dwell upon the past when there are more pressing concerns.' Luna said. It was still a bridge they needed to cross, but they would come to that later. 'I've come to you with dire news. . .'
>'I am kept well aware of the current events by the hoofmaids and guards, Luna. . .'
>She shook her head. 'But they know not what I know. Discord. . .I believe he may loosening his binds again.'
>Celestia adopted a grim expression. 'Yes. . .that's very possible. Such Chaos in that creature would surely weaken the seal that my faithful student and her friends put upon it, and with one of the elements corrupted. . .I still do not think he could escape on his own power, though.'
>'Art thou sure?' Luna asked, skeptical.
>Celestia turned and stared at Luna, her voice becoming one laced with cold hatred. 'Luna. Chaos is unpredictable. There are no absolutes with it. But know this: Don't believe his lies. Should he offer a solution, a deal, do not take him up on it.'
>Luna blinked, not expecting her to take such a tone. 'I. . .very well, sister. You have my word. '
>'I know it is a tall order. But I believe you can do it.'
>She held out her hooves, feebly, smiling warmly
>Luna trotted forward, embracing her sister for the first time in a while
>They broke after a while, and Luna went to attend her duties.
>Yet plans were being made to undo all her hard work. . .

==

>The Bog was pretty much a perfect place for you and Twiblight
>It was wonderful and rotten, brilliant and decaying.
>Although, you had another problem to deal with.
>The local wild life didn't just include the usual slugs and such. . .but also, a giant hydra.
>Twiblight neglected to tell you of that little detail, but you could not find fault with her. She had been through quite a lot, so it was probably the last thing on her mind.
>But this did put you in quite a pickle. . .without weapons to properly deal with the monster, you were in rather dire status when it came deep into the bog where you two had roosted, seething with anger
>It was like the Hydra was the guardian of the Bog, and desired revenge
>You were currently dodging the heads of the massive creature, which were thankfully slow and prone to being tangled.
>Twiblight shot bolts of entropy at the thing, but it was a hardy creature, resistant to magic and disease alike.
>The two of you were ducked behind a tree, hiding from the massive beast.
'Well this is certainly a problem. Have you any suggestions?'
>'We can't run anywhere. That's how we handled it last time with my former friends. . .'
'I'm open for suggestions!'
>Twiblight peered around the tree, looking at the beast and tapping her hoof on her chin, flecks of necrotic flesh falling off.
>'I've got an idea!' She said, her eyes shining dully.

>You were about to ask what, but she ran off without another word.
>She yelled at the top of her phlegm-y lungs, firing bolts at the Hydra to attract it's attention.
>The beast took notice and tried to gobble the annoying thing up, but she was faster than that.
>She seemed to be luring it somewhere, so you followed along in the background, making sure to stay out of sight.
>When the Hydra had little Twiblight cornered, you were unsure what to do. . .
>But she knew exactly what do.
>'Potbelly! GET UP ON THE HYDRAS BACK!'
>You blinked, rushing forward to the surprised beastie, sprinting with all of your Astartes might.
>Too late it turned away, as you sprang from the ground and grabbed it's side, clambering up the scaly hide
>Twiblight continued to distract it as some of the heads and the tail attempted to bat you off like a fly, but you would not be so easily shaken
>You saw the creatures yellow spines sticking out, like jagged teeth.
>With glee you charged forward, gripping it at it's base and pulling. Pulling. Pulling.
>The creature roared and kicked with pain, rolling over in an attempt to get you off.
>You were nearly crushed by the beasts weight, and disoriented by the change spinning, but warriors of Nurgle are not so easily felled.

>With a final burst of strength, you ripped the spike out from the creature, tossing it aside.
>Twiblight caught it with her magic, and shot it into one of the heads eyes
>With a resounding -schulk-, the spike hit it's target and the head fell limp.
>You kneeled down, your tentacles drilling into the wound, the toxins and slime within them pouring into the creatures lifeblood
>You were caught off guard, however, and the tail of the beast knocked you off it's back, sending you crashing into ground.
>It mattered not, though, as the pain from the spike and Father's Gifts were compounding on the beast, as it lost it's balance and fell, bleeding profusely
>Twiblight helped you up with her magic, and you didn't bother to dust yourself off. Why get rid of all the delicious dirt and gunk?
>'You alright?'
'You know I've been through worse.' You said, a bit smug at your ability to shake off death. 'This is but a bruise to me.'
>She giggled and coughed, looking at the Hydra. 'Let's get back to camp. . .we need to do some rebuilding.'
>You shook your head, smiling evilly.
'Twiblight, you know that Father accepts all kinds of creatures. And such a beast would be a wonderful addition to the family. Why, with his help, there could be nothing in Equestria to stop us. We would transform this planet into paradise!'
>Her eyes widened, sharing your perverse glee. 'Oh, that's a wonderful idea! He could do so much. . .and it would be so easy to help convince my former teacher to surrender. . .'
'Yeeeesssss.' You said, your face tentacles twitching with excitement. 'Inscribe His mark on him. I shall attempt to contact Father. He just loves pets.'
>You smile as she goes and does her grim duty, pulling out the spike from the downed head and beginning to engrave Nurgle's mark on the beast. . .

==

>Disturbing reports had been flying into the royal court as of late.
>And they confirmed Luna's suspicions about the location of the Demon. . .and his new 'pet'.
>If he had corrupted the hydra, then things were going to be considerably more problematic.
>Twilight had been twisted into a grotesque parody of her former self, yet still retained her incredible power. Something that only she could rival.
>And Equestria's guard was strong and competent, it was grossly outmatched by the combined forces of the Demon and the Hydra.
>Luna paced in her room, her mind rushing with increasingly desperate thoughts.
>She was running out of time. The anti-Plague spell had yet to be perfected and most of Ponyville was still reeling from the effects of the illness.
>Frantically she paced before slowing down, taking a deep breath.
>She could find a way. She WILL find a way to stop them. No matter the cost.
>She laid her head down to rest, and beginning to dreamwalk.
>If the Demon was sleeping, he would be haunted by nightmares unend-
>'Ah ah ah, going somewhere?'
>That voice. . .it couldn't be?
>And yet it was. Through collective unconscious, he appeared, laughing giddily.
>'Oh I've just been DYING to get to meet you, Princess Luna! You gave me a run for my money. Bringing about eternal night and all that. Not my style, but you get an A for effort! Still, too little too late. Those pesky Elements of Harmony, right?'


>'Silence thyself, Discord. My quarry is not with thee.' Luna said, pushing past the ethereal Discord.
>'Oh come now, don't be so rude! I simply want a little chat is all. You of all people would know how BORING it is, sealed away like that.'
>Luna stamped her hooves and turned to him, shouting with a thunderous voice. 'WE TOLD THEE TO SILENCE THYSELF!'
>Discord waved his lion paw in front of his face, gagging a bit. 'Phew! Breath mint, Luna. You need one. 1000 years of no dental care is really showing.'
>The Princess shook her head and continued on, pressing onto the collective unconsciousness.
>'Hey, wait up! You haven't heard what I have to say!' He called out.
>'What could thou possibly offer to us?' She asked, not looking back as he caught up.
>'Oh, just a little solution to your pesky Plague Demon is all. But if you really aren't interested. . .'
>She paused, turning slowly enough you could hear gears grinding.
>'That got your attention, did it? Oh goodie! Now, you see, him and I are of the same but different skies. His Chaos just brings death and decay, but mine brings change and chocolate milk! Now which would you prefer?'
>'Neither.' She said flatly. 'Celestia told me not to listen to you.'
>'Oh come now, are you always going to live on her every word? A good ruler would take a chance, take risks! At least, that's what I think.'
>'Thy opinion doesn't mean aught to us. We are wasting our time.'
>'But you didn't even hear the best part! There's a way to get rid of him forever, return Twilight back to normal and have everyone have a happy ending!'
>Luna paused, looking at him intensely.
>'I seal him away in something called the Warp. Nasty place. Right on the doorstep to someone. . .higher than me, and really, REALLY doesn't like him and his kind. I'll go in there, do my business, you blast Twilight with the Elements and everything is hunky dory!'
>'And what of thou?'

>Discord sighed, looking into the vast emptiness of the collective.
>'1000 years gives someone a lot of time to think, you know? So I think, maybe I could use my powers of change for good, rather than just. . .what I was doing. Chaos isn't inherently evil, you know.'
>'Thou could have fooled us.' Luna said, flatly.
>'I know it's asking a lot, but if you give me this chance, it'll be the first step on my reformation.'
>He snapped his talon, now appearing as a Colt Scout officer. 'Scouts honor!'
>Luna thought on this for what seemed like an eternity.
>Time was running ever shorter. Even now, the Demon and his minions could be letting loose on Ponyville. . .
>And Discord. . .could he truly change? Would he be true to his word?
>And. . .he was right. She couldn't just live in Celestia's shadow forever. She would cease her own page in history, using Chaos to defeat Chaos!
>If she could remove this threat and help reform Discord. . .then surely Celestia would approve.
>And yet. . .
>'Nay. I shall not risk betraying my sisters trust.'
>'What?! C'mon, give me a chance! I promise I'll be good.'
>'Thy words are useless to me. Begone.'
>Black tendrils of energy wrapped around him, pulling him into the void of the collective.
>'You'll regret this!' He screamed as he sunk into the deepest darkness.
>Luna sighed, and returned to the waking world.
>It was still night. . .the time to rise the sun was far away.
>She still felt a growing unease creep over her, unsure if she made the right choice.
>She banished these thoughts and returned to slumber, the dreams she saw only her own
>And yet as she slept, time continued, and the Demon would soon come again, with terrible resolve. . .
>Hopefully, you, the Elements and Ponyville . . .nay, Equestria as a whole, would be prepared.