++Astropathic Choir Intercept ZX971, Kyne's Fury 3.702.873.M39++

++Message to Inquisitor Tas Rovini++

++ Transcript Appended++

Thought for the Day: A fine mind is a blessing of the Emperor - It should not be cluttered with trivialities.

My Lord,

Three weeks. Three weeks I've spent "bonding" with that wretched xenos. My every instinct screams at me to hate it, to curse it, to destroy it in the Emperor's holy name, and yet I must instead pretend to be its friend. However, orders are orders. As per yours, I am doing everything I reasonably can to keep the creature intact and cooperative. I have been continuously engaging it in various innocuous activities for its amusement, humiliating as the task is. After some time I was finally able to get it to reveal substantial amounts of new information. While I have conducted numerous sessions prior to the one whose transcript I now send you, they have not featured anything beyond various play activities. I feel that with the slowness of Astropathic communication, I should not waste your precious time with transcripts of inane games and childish rhymes. Of course, if my Lord feels otherwise, simply say so.

++Interrogation the Forty Sixth++

Setting: Cell 59XBA. Cell is still brightly lit. Xeno is lying on cot, apparently asleep.

Kylara: *enters cell, smiles* Hello Twilight! How are you feeling?

Twilight Sparkle: *opens eyes, stretches, yawns* Oh, hi Ky! *smiles* [The creature has nicknamed me. Does the degradation never cease?]

K: Are you feeling alright this morning?

TS: *nods, yawns*

K: Great. You know, I had a thought.

TS: *curious expression* Yeah?

K: Perhaps we could try playing a new game?

TS: *excited* Really? That'd be great! *pause, expression becomes one of embarrassment* I mean, it's not like Regicide and all the rest aren't great and all, but…

K: You're getting a little bored?

TS: *nods* Yep.

K: Then I think I know just the thing for someone as smart and curious as you. [The xenos appears to have been some sort of scholar, and had evidenced curiosity in prior sessions. It appears susceptible to flattery vis-à-vis its intelligence.]

TS: Go on.

K: It's called the question game. I ask you a question that you answer as fully and completely as you can. Then you do the same to me. Then me again, then you again, and so on.

TS: *excited* I get to learn more about your species?!

K: *nods*

TS: *claps hooves, makes enthusiastic noises* Alright, let's get started! Ask away! [How it has failed to make the connection between questions and its mental breakdowns is unknown, but this is a clear another indication of the inherent inferiority of xenos.]

K: What are you?

TS: I'm an alicorn pony. I was a unicorn pony until I ascended.

K: *mumbles incoherently* [I accidentally almost blurted out what I thought about celebrating its own mutation.]

TS: What?

K: *shakes head* Nothing. Please, go on.

TS: Alright. What are you?

K: I'm a human. What was your home called?

TS: I'm from Equestria, home of the ponies. I was born in Canterlot, but I lived in Ponyville. At least, until they came… *shudders, teary eyes*

K: *grips TS's chin* Stay calm, you're safe. Stay with me.

TS: *nods, wipes tears away* Where… where are you from?

K: I'm from the planet Damnos, part of the Imperium of Man.

TS: *fascinated look* Imperium of Man?

K: *wags finger* Ah ah ah. You'll have your chance in just a minute. Now, who were your rulers?

TS: *shudders, deep breathes* Princesses Celestia and Luna. Who's yours?

K: The God-Emperor of Mankind, and His regents the High Lords of Terra.

TS: God-Emperor… *appears to be thinking*

K: What was your system of government?

TS: After Celestia and Luna defeated Discord, they took over leadership of Equestria, raising the sun and the moon. Unfortunately, Luna became jealous of the ponies shunning her night for Celestia's day, and fought her sister as Nightmare Moon. With the Elements of Harmony, Celestia banished her sister to the moon for 1,000 years. During that time, she ruled alone. A few years ago, Nightmare Moon returned, but my friends and I… my friends… *eyes widen*

K: *grabs TS, shakes* Snap out of it!

TS: *deep breath* R-right, Ky. My friends and I managed to use the Element of Harmony to get rid of Nightmare Moon and bring back Luna. After that, she and her sister ruled Equestria… until they came… *begins hyperventilating*

K: *slaps TS* Twilight! [What have I been reduced to? Playing nursemaid to an insane xenos?]

TS: *rubs cheek, nods* Right, right. Who's… I mean, what's your Imperium like?

K: We're an installer empire that stretches across one million worlds and more throughout the galaxy. We are united by our faith in the God-Emperor.

TS: *awed expression* A million worlds…

K: *smug expression* Yes, one million worlds, all unified beneath our Emperor in the name of humanity. [It felt good to see the xenos realize just how insignificant its backwater planet had been.]

TS: *staring, awed expression* I just can't even get my head around that. How could anypony possibly manage to do that? I-

K: *interrupting* It's my turn now, Twilight. You've mentioned every member of your species was somehow magical. Can you elaborate?

TS: *nods* Earth ponies were the ones without wings or a horn. Their magic came from an inherent connection to the earth, making them stronger, tougher, and more able to grow plants than the rest of us. Pegasi had wings. They could physically touch and move clouds and such. They were able to control the weather. Unicorns had horns. They could make conscious use of their magic, though most only ever used minor telekinesis and perhaps a few showy cantrips. I was the exception. Alicorns had wings and a horn. They can use more powerful magic than any other pony, and had all the strengths of the other three as well. Their lifespans are much longer. [I guessed as much, if this Celestia truly reigned 1000 years before her apparent death or abduction.]

K: Thank you.

TS: No problem. Now, how in Equestria did your kind manage to get 1 million worlds? I've studied evolution, there's no way humanity could have evolved spontaneously on all of them, but the sheer scale of population needed to even maintain a minimal presence on a planet… what drove you to it?

K: The Emperor commanded us to spread ourselves amongst the stars, to claim the galaxy for our own.

TS: *awe* Unbelievable…

K: What was your place in the social order? You mentioned you had been born a unicorn to unicorn parents, but now you are an alicorn. What happened?

TS: When I accidentally switched my friends' cutie marks, I had to finish Star Swirl the Bearded's final spell to undo that. When I created that new magic, combined with everything I learned up until then, Princess Celestia summoned me and told me that I was ready, and she helped me become an alicorn. [Star Swirl the Bearded? Celestia could create new alicorns? This raises so many questions.]

K: Interesting.

TS: Besides me, and…. them, have you met any other aliens while colonizing the galaxy?

K: Yes.

TS: *excite expression* Who? Where? What were they like?

K: *shakes finger* Only one at a time, Twilight.

TS: *appears embarrassed* Oh, right. Your turn.

K: You mentioned cutie marks? What are those?

TS: *points to brand on flank* Like this. They were marks a pony would get when they discovered their special talent. That would help a pony know what they wanted to do with their lives. They magically appeared whenever you found what you were meant to do. [Seems like the perfect system of social control to me.]

K: *interested expression* Really now.

TS: *nods* Yep. Now, my turn. What were the other aliens you found like?

K: Hostile, vicious, murderous, and bloodthirsty. They warred with us. [True in most cases, though not all. Xenos civilizations can hardly be permitted to exist either way.]

TS: *hurt look* R-really? *downcast* [I suppose the failure to detect my deception means that the creature is not a telepath.]

K: Really. You're the first I've encountered that didn't try to murder me. [Not true, incidentally. But reinforcing the idea that our species alone is capable of reasoned conduct makes it more likely to divulge something useful about its attackers.]

TS: *sad expression* That's horrible. I'm so sorry for you. *hugs K*

K: *hugs Twilight*

TS: *releases K after 26.3 seconds* Your turn.

K: Can you tell me something of what you know about whatever it is that ended your planet? [A risky question, but the xenos seemed most likely to give me what I wanted while in such an emotional state.]

TS: *swallows nervously, looks around* O-o-ok. *Quiet voice* It started with Z-Zecora. She lived out in the Everfree, we d-didn't know she was gone for days. Next it was the… the… the Apple f-family. They were… they were… they were…

K: Focus, Twilight!

TS: *deep breath* They were taken! They were skinned! Their hides were left out in… *eyes dilate* No! No! NO! I beg of you… Please… *crying* Please, please leave them alone! Don't take them! Don't take them! Don't take them! *incoherent screaming*

K: Please, just turn the damned thing off.

++Interrogation Ends++

++Thoughts++

My Lord, while there are many questions remaining, this particular interview has yielded much information on the nature of the xenos society, and in particular its leadership. We now know that the diarchs took power after deposing the previous ruler in a coup with some manner of mystical artifact called the Elements of Harmony. These appear to have played a reoccurring role in Equestrian history, enabling the defeat of Luna by Celestia, and later the second defeat of Luna by Twilight and her mysterious friends. If the descriptions of their powers are accurate, they possess both the powers of teleportation and imprisonment, as well as mind control. The description of events leaves me with little doubt that Celestia was the real ruler. After disposing of her sister for an extended period, she was able to manipulate Twilight and her companions into brainwashing her sibling into becoming a bulwark supporting her own throne. This theory is further backed up by the subject's choice of words with regards to her own ascension: Celestia, and Celestia only, is said to have dubbed her ready. Despite being nominal diarchs, Luna's approval was neither mentioned nor apparently needed. Combined with the xenos' prior oaths to her as if a deity, and her place in their society becomes relatively clear. Her apparent thoughtfulness at the mention of the God-Emperor thus takes on a new meaning.

The other valuable nugget from this process is a clue into the nature of the attack on this Equestria. Apparently, at least at the beginning, the process was slow and measured. The initial target, Zecora, is described as being far from civilization – in the Everfree, whatever that was. The second target, the Apple family, shows us that the invaders had knowledge of, and appreciation for, terror tactics. The family was evidently abducted, murdered, and their flayed hides deposited by stealth in some sort of public area. The means and motivation for this are presently unknown. Still, such tactics are a start in our question to narrow down the source of the world's destruction.

Your servant,

Interrogator Kylara

++Message Ends++