Twilight tumbled out of thin air, slamming into wet earth with a loud thud. Her whole body tingled from residual Warp energy, sending shivers down her spine as it rushed out of her body. She coughed before trying and failing to get to her hooves, stumbling forward and landing on her face.

It was then that she opened her eyes. She was lying in a forest, underbrush and trees stretching on as far as she could see. The grass underneath her body was damp from recent rainfall, and the air was filled with the calls of birds she had never heard before. Thin beams of light pierced the foliage above her, and with a bit of struggle she managed to strain her head upward.

“I don’t think this is Equestria...” she mumbled, her eyes darting between the two moons overhead. Once again she struggled and failed to get up, flopping back down in the dirt.

“Twilight,” Twilight paused for a moment when she felt cold metal against her back. “Easy, Twilight; travelling through the Warp is never a pleasant experience, especially for one as new to it as you.”

“The Warp...” Twilight mumbled, before the realization returned. “We did it? We’re-”

“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “We’re in my home universe.” Twilight nodded, anything to keep her mind focused. A new universe. She was the first unicorn to have ever crossed a dimension and lived to tell about it. She chuckled, struggling to get back up before her strength gave way and she flopped onto her back. Now, though, she could see Celestia again, and she could not help but gasp.

Celestia had changed. Her wings, horn, tail, and coat had vanished, replaced instead by tanned skin. Her armor now looked several times more bulky, and she stood taller than a bear standing on its hind legs. Her arms no longer ended in hooves, but in long spindly digits not unlike Spike’s claws. At least she assumed that was the case, for Celestia’s left hand was now encased in a massive gauntlet tipped in large, curved talons. Her face seemed smaller, like that of a monkey, though her nose was more pointed and her ears smaller than any monkey she had ever seen. Her mane no longer blew in some unseen wind, but still retained its blue, pink, and green coloring.

“You’re...” Twilight started. “You’re...”

“Human,” Celestia finished for her. “As are you, though believe me when I say that I was always exceptional among humans.” Celestia looked down at her body, taking a moment to examine herself. “Though the fact that I am still female and have retained my usual hair color is interesting; I would have thought I would change back to my original form... Perhaps that’s an experiment for another time.”

“That means...” Twilight looked down at herself. She too had lost her coat, though her new skin was significantly more pink than Celestia’s. Her hooves had changed as well, the tips of her new fingers short and stubby. Her legs and arms had elongated, their musculature having shifted around slightly to better handle the change.

Everything about this new body felt wrong... yet why wasn’t she more freaked out about this?

“Um...” she started. “I... don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this?”

“It might take some time for you to get used to walking on two legs.” Celestia admitted, reaching down with her right hand to help Twilight to her feet. “But I think it should be a good place to start.” Twilight wobbled, grabbing on to Celestia to prevent her feet from slipping out from under her. Once she was certain she was not about to slip, she took a tentative step forward, grass tickling her toes.

One step became two. Two steps became several. Soon, Twilight was able to let go of Celestia, shuffling forward ever so slightly.

“I... I think I’m getting this.” she said, before letting out a small giggle. “I think I’m getting this. Princess, I’m walking!”

“Well done, Twilight,” Celestia said, giving Twilight a smile. “We’ll have more time for you to get used to walking. For now,” Celestia reached to her side and pulled out a pack, something Twilight had missed when they had met in Equestria. “Get dressed.”

“Uh... why?” Twilight asked. “I mean, I can understand wearing armor and all, but why do I need clothes?”

“Humans have a very large nudity taboo,” Celestia said before passing the pack to Twilight. She opened it to reveal a long skirt, work shoes, what she guessed was a shirt, and a few other articles she could not rightly name. “If you just walk around naked you’ll draw plenty of negative attention, and possibly be arrested if not shot depending on what system we’re in.”

“That’s...” Twilight started, looking back down at the pack of clothes. “That’s just... That makes no sense.”

“Believe me, Twilight; this universe is much stranger than just foibles over clothing.” Twilight merely nodded as she reached into the pack and began pulling out segments of clothing. “Will you be needing any help?”

“I think I’ll try it myself first, Princess.” Twilight started as she fumbled with what she guessed were undergarments. “But, if this was going to be a problem, why not just let me put the clothes on back in Equestria?”

“My armor is warded against Warp Travel; your clothes are not.” Twilight opened her mouth to counter, but Celestia waved her off. “Don’t ask me how that works, because it would take too long to explain. While you are finishing up there, I will reach out into the Warp and see just where we are.”

“Isn’t this the Imperium?” Twilight asked as she shimmied into her new skirt.

“The Imperium spanned a whole galaxy, Twilight.” Celestia replied as she kneeled in the grass. “We could be far out in the Eastern Fringe, or just a few light years away from Terra or Ultramar. A quick psychic scan should be able to tell me everything.” With that Celestia closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in concentration. Twilight turned away for a moment, fumbling with the last few bits of clothing while Celestia meditated. Once she was certain that she was properly dressed, Twilight took a moment to look around and survey her surroundings.

She saw now that the forest around her was far beyond anything she had seen before. The trees wove around each other in intricate spirals, not a single branch or trunk touching one another. Their leaves were a dark maroon on the bottom while retaining a traditional green color on top, each frond lined with a series of small red spines. Beyond the leaves she saw small reptiles darting between branches and stems, each step they made causing small flashes of bioluminescence up the side of the trunks.

So enamored with the sight of the bizarre wildlife, Twilight almost failed to notice that two of the lights had not winked out.

A scream died in Twilight’s throat as the beast lunged out of the brush. It let out a low hiss as it swiped at her, chitinous claws gleaming in the moonlight as they descended towards Twilight. Twilight yelped and curled into a tight ball, trembling as tried and failed to find some way to defend herself.

The attack never connected. The ringing of claws against metal filled the clearing, Twilight venturing a glance through her hands as Celestia stepped over her, sword blazing with power. “Are you alright, Twilight?”

“Y-y-yes...” she stammered, pulling herself up to her knees while Celestia slid into a defensive position. The creature hissed again, stepping about at the edge of the shadows as it tried to look for an opening. It found one and charged forward, its motions nothing more than a blur. Celestia swept her sword downward, parrying the series of blows her opponent launched towards her. Celestia stepped forward and slashed downward, but the beast darted away and snuck back into the shadows, circling around again as if it had no interest in Celestia and wanted to kill Twilight above all else.

The creature lunged forward again, but was stymied as Celestia threw herself forward, her shoulder slamming into the beast’s chest. It screeched in pain and anger as it lashed as Celestia’s armor, a second unseen pair of appendages slicing downward like the mandibles of a praying mantis. The mandibles scraped across Celestia’s armor, pulling her closer so the beast could attack her without risking retaliation.

The creature’s advantage did not last, for in the next instant Celestia cried out before a bright flash filled the clearing, Twilight ducking down and tossing her arm over her eyes. The beast screamed in rage, smoke rising from burned sections of chitin as it staggered away from Celestia. Celestia poured power into the flames surrounding her left hand before lunging forward, raking her claws across the monster’s carapace. White chitin and greenish ichor was vaporized by Celestia’s attack, the beast stumbling back and collapsing as it flailed helplessly with its claws and mandibles.

Within two minutes, all was still in the forest again.

“What... what was that thing?!” Twilight cried, struggling back to her feet while Celestia examined the corpse.

“Nothing that I faced personally,” Celestia mused, quickly stabbing her sword into the creature’s head to make sure it was fully dead. “But I saw enough through the eyes of my followers. This is a Lictor, a vanguard organism of the Tyranid Hive Fleets; they lurk about in forests picking off scouts and stragglers, feasting on their minds to find weaknesses in their enemy’s lines.” Twilight gulped again as she stepped closer to the mangled corpse of the Lictor. Its mangled body was like some odd cross between a reptile and an insect, with six limbs when the mandibles were taken into account. Its head was rounded, its mouth a mass of barbed tentacles dripping with what Twilight hoped was just saliva.

“They’re a might bit faster than I thought they would be,” Celestia mused. “I suppose once I get used to fighting like this again, I should not have too many problems.”

“O-okay...” Twilight replied, stepping away from the dead Lictor towards Celestia. “So, it’s dead, right?”

“Yes, but Tyranids of any breed rarely travel alone,” Celestia reattached her sword to her hip before searching around. “Come Twilight; we’ll need to find an outpost of some sort before we are overrun with these monsters.” Twilight stood in place for a few seconds before quickly falling in place behind Celestia, the Princess tearing away at the foliage with her weapons.

Twilight shivered. Stuck on an alien world, hunted by monsters straight out of nightmares, and in a form she was not used to moving around in. Even the comfort of seeing Celestia ready to fight anything that threatened them seemed all but hollow.

Days had passed since the last communique. Mattias had sent small searches through the Aquittus System, once again turning up no sign that the Tau wanted anything to do with the sector. What time wasn’t spent searching for the enemy without was spent preparing the Sanguinium Martyres for the arrival of Lord Inquisitor Markos.

“So, if the Lord Inquisitor accuses one of us of heresy?” Nikolai asked as he and Alexis followed Mattias towards the hangar bay.

“I’ll have final say in the investigation,” Mattias replied. “Lord Inquisitor he may be, this vessel is under jurisdiction of the Ordo Xenos, not the Ordo Hereticus; I will have more power to examine if not block his accusations before they get too out of hand.”

“Unless of course he has you arrested for heresy,” Alexis countered. “Can’t really stop him with a bullet in your head, can you my lord?”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, Alexis.” Mattias deadpanned. “Truly, the Emperor has blessed you with a wise and discerning heart.” The two Valhallans exchanged glances as the trio stepped into the hangar. While it retained some modicum of efficiency that the Imperium prided itself over, there was a distinct lack of regulation among the dozens of collected civilian, military, and even xenos craft. Servitors and enginseers meandered through the ships, either adjusting and repairing Imperium craft or dismantling xenos vessels for study later. As Mattias and the Valhallans made their way down the first flight of steps to the main floor, he spotted Angelique standing in the center of room, watched over by a taller woman dressed in white.

“Sister Bianca,” he called, catching the Hospitaller’s attention. “How’s Angelique doing?”

“The little psyker has been stable for some time, Inquisitor.” Bianca replied, giving Angelique a gentle tap to turn her towards Mattias. “Magos Aryll made a few adjustments to her dampeners, so there should be no danger.”

“No death predictions this time?” Alexis said from behind Mattias. “I don’t like being told that some Eldar witch is going to snap my neck like a twig.”

“Steady, Alexis,” Mattias said, casting a glance towards the other man before turning back to Angelique. “What do you have to say? Are you better now?”

“Water is still until the stone strikes it,” Angelique mumbled, tucking her hands in her robes and bowing her head like a scolded child. “I have seen all that is before me, and have nothing more to say on it.”

“No business about mares and destruction?” Alexis asked, drawing another glare from Mattias.

“Let me handle this, please?” he growled, but Angelique only gave a sunny smile.

“The mare prances about the fields beneath the light, but that will not be seen for some time.” she chirped. “No business to be found here, less the Lord Inquisitor wishes to know about it.”

“She’s still having her odd bouts of prophecy,” Bianca sighed. “The only option left is to drug her, but that will only cause problems for everyone.”

“We’ll reserve that for if she has another ranting.” Mattias replied before his vox caster buzzed. “Inquisitor Mattias.”

“My lord, Lord Markos’ personal craft has just hailed us,” the dockmaster said. “He should be aboard in a minute or two.”

“Thank you for that information.” Mattias clicked his vox off before turning towards the large set of blast doors that separated the hangar from the docking bay. “Sister Bianca, did you ever hear of Inquisitor Markos during your time in the Ecclesiarchy?”

“That is implying that I ever left,” Bianca countered with a small grin. “But no, my coven never encountered any Inquisitor of that name. It is a large galaxy, after all.”

“Just wanted to make sure there were no connections I might have missed.” Mattias replied. Just then the blast doors slid open, revealing a small Imperial Cutter. It was surprisingly well kept, showing none of the usual battle damage and wear that vessels serving the Inquisition had a tendency to accumulate. Loading clamps pulled the ship towards a docking point in the hangar, micro-repulsors slowing its descent so it did not damage the Sanguinium Martyres’ deck.

Mattias and his entourage firmed up their stance as the cutter’s gangplank lowered, followed soon by Inquisitor Markos stepping out of the ship. The man was dressed in red and gold armor, a silvery cape trailing after him. The cybernetic eye and collection of scars on his face would have added to his intimidation factor in the eyes of anyone outside of the Ordos, but Mattias was more than capable of looking past simple appearances.

The sweat forming on his right palm told another story, but he was also skilled at ignoring that aspect of his life.

“Inquisitor Mattias, I presume?” Lord Markos said as he approached, stopping just before Mattias.

“Lord Markos, welcome to the Sanguinium Martyres.” Mattias said with a bow. “All the resources under my command are at your disposal for the duration of your stay.”

“Of course,” Markos cast a glance towards one of the dismantled xenos ships. “Though where you recovered these resources leaves many a question unanswered.”

“Those ships were shot down over Forgeworld Graia,” Mattias replied. “Magos Aryll has been sanctifying and reverse engineering any tech that might be of use to the Inquisition.”

“Good; your ties to the Mechanicus have reduced your possible corruption at the hands of the alien.” Mattias’ jaw tightened, but he refrained from saying anything as Markos continued. “Now, to the matter of the witch.”

“Yes, of course. Bianca, Angelique,” Mattias stepped aside as the Hospitaller escorted Angelique to Markos. The little psyker cringed as she neared the Inquisitor, a small whimper rising from her lips.

“Angelique Leggett,” Bianca said as she passed the psyker off to Markos. “Born on Harakon roughly 203.M45; parents were gunners aboard the light cruiser Redeeming Blade, lost with all hands battling Orks in the Attila system. She was brought in as a psyker at the age of three, sanctioned and released into Inquisitor Mattias’ service in 220.M45.”

“And during this time she has shown no signs of corruption?” Markos asked, leaning in to examine Angelique.

“The medicae that monitored Angelique before I was brought aboard found nothing beyond the norm.” Bianca replied. “However, Angelique’s powers developed rather early; as such her mental faculties were not prepared for the powers she wields, so she is prone to bouts of ‘prophecy’ and rambling.”

“The ax cuts deep,” Angelique mumbled, shying away from Markos’ examination. “It breaks the mare in the raven’s eye, and the light shall cover them both.” there was a long pause as Markos drew away from Angelique.

“... Even with her dampeners she still has a few moments.” Mattias said, cutting through the silence.

“Appearance matters not.” Markos looked away from Angelique towards Mattias. “I would like to question the girl more closely. Prepare whatever interrogation chambers you have.”

“As Angelique’s commander, I would like to be present for the interrogation,” Mattias’ eyes narrowed. “And that includes control over any applications of torture you might suggest.” Markos’ remaining eye narrowed, sending a small chill down Mattias’ spine. Fortunately, the man relented, relaxing ever so slightly.

“Of course; this ship is under your command, after all.” Markos straightened out before continuing. “Now then, I suppose I shall give you and your followers some time to prepare. I will make sure the supplies I brought from Ultramar are ready. By your leave,” Mattias nodded before Lord Markos turned back to his ship. Once he was out of earshot, Mattias heard one of the Valhallans behind him sigh.

“I don’t like him,” Alexis said.

“I can’t say I’m overly fond of the Lord Inquisitor myself,” Mattias replied. “But until he leaves we’ll have to listen to what he has to say. Nikolai, make sure the interrogation chambers are prepared.”

“Yes, my lord.” Nikolai said before starting off to a different part of the ship.

“You are going to regulate this to interrogation, yes?” Bianca asked as she led Angelique back to Mattias. “I cannot say that anything more intense will bode well for Angelique’s psyche, and I myself cannot be asked to perform to more... exacting standards.”

“It won’t come to that, I’m sure.” Mattias said, watching as Lord Markos entered the cutter. “Angelique has committed no sins that warrant torture, so I do not see the need to escalate beyond a verbal interrogation.”

“Yes, but will Lord Markos agree with you?”

“I don’t know... and that’s what has me worried.”

The forest had grown more dense since their arrival point. Brute force alone was not providing adequate speed, so Celestia had to resort to using her sword to hack through several thickets. Hard work, no doubt, but Celestia’s might was far beyond a few trees and shrubs.

But then Celestia was a god in all but name; while she was not worn down, Twilight was a different matter entirely.

“Princess...” Twilight whimpered from behind her. “I don’t think I can go further.” Celestia stopped advancing and turned to face Twilight. The younger woman was shuffling along, each step as if she were carrying a heavy load on her back.

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” she said, giving her companion a smile. “Just a little further, and we should be able to rest.”

“I can’t...” Twilight replied, before her strength finally gave way and she sank to her knees. “My legs haven’t been this sore since Cadence and Shining Armor took me on my first hike...” Celestia opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. Twilight was in no condition to travel any further, sitting on the ground as if she was consigned to whatever fate awaited her.

Never before had her student looked so lost. So vulnerable.

Celestia attached her sword to the clamp on her hip before moving to Twilight, offering a hand to the young woman. “Here, Twilight,” she said, her voice soft. “I will carry you a little further, then we will rest and continue on tomorrow.” Twilight paused, looking up at Celestia for a moment before nodding and taking Celestia’s hand. Her smile returning, Celestia slid her arm under Twilight, hoisting her up so her student could get a firm grip on her armor.

“This isn’t a problem, is it?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Celestia replied, shifting her armor slightly so Twilight would be comfortable. “I understand that it might be hard for you at first, but you will adjust to this realm in due time.”

“Oh...” there was a pause, Celestia busying herself with ripping through the underbrush, before Twilight spoke again. “Princess?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Did you ever miss this?” Twilight asked. “I mean, living here, ruling the Imperium?” there was a pause as Celestia considered the question.

“For a little while, yes.” Celestia answered before pushing another tree aside. “I did spend the first portion of my life in what would become the Imperium, after all, and Equestria was not exactly hospitable when I arrived. But after a while, once I started populating that world with my creations, it became more my home than the Imperium was.” she sighed. “But I suppose I still wondered if my followers had ever risen above their trials, if they had achieved the greatness I felt Humanity was destined for.” there was another pause, the only sound being the calls of native wildlife and Celestia’s boots crushing plant matter beneath her. She thought about continuing on, but her thoughts on the Imperium would have to wait until they reached the safety of an outpost.

And once her suspicions were laid to rest.

“I miss Equestria...” Twilight mumbled, squirming about to try and find a comfortable crook in Celestia’s arm.

“I do too, Twilight... I do too.” Celestia stopped walking as a low hiss cut through the forest. She turned about, reaching out into the forest with her power to try and find the enemy. She spotted them, coming through the jungle to her right; they were smaller than the Lictor that had attacked Twilight, sticking close to the ground as they pushed forward. Light from one of the moons beamed down on them, highlighting long claws protruding from their forelimbs. Their carapaces were a deep blue, flecked with streaks of green and white to better hide in foliage. This isn’t a Hive Fleet I remember from the Throne.

“The Tyranid infestation must be far greater than I realized,” Celestia mused, taking a few steps back to put some distance between her and the approaching Hormagaunts. The pack let out another hiss, rippling around as they searched for a good moment to strike. Beyond them Celestia could see larger shapes lurking in the shadows, possibly Warrior strains guiding the more feral Gaunts.

“Princess,” Twilight said as she clung closer to Celestia. “There’s more of them.” Celestia turned her head slightly. A second pack of Tyranids, the larger ones much more visible now, stalked out of the brush to her left. Celestia turned again, trying to keep both broods in her field of vision before they attacked.

Just when it seemed that the Warriors would send their broods forward, there was a flicker of blue light before one pitched forward, a sharp crack echoing through the woods as the other Tyranids hissed in confusion. Several more cracks rang out, numerous Tyranids collapsing dead, before Celestia spotted smaller shapes darting between the trees, stopping only to let off another burst of fire.

The Tyranids, enraged by their discovery, lashed out in all directions.

Celestia took two steps back and swept her free arm outward, a curtain of fire arching out towards the attackers. Several of the Hormagaunts fell smoldering to the ground, but several more bounded forward and jumped, claws raised. Celestia once more took a step to the side, enough to shield Twilight from the enemy, before swiping out and shredding the first of her opponents. All around her shots from the third party rang out, splashing among the Tyranids and shattering chitin like thin glass. The warrior forms pulled back, many of the still standing Gaunts falling to their sides in preparation to charge what they saw as the bigger threat.

That rally proved to be their undoing, for a second wave of fire dropped in from above. Missiles and energy slammed into the gathered aliens, some getting only seconds to screech in pain before they died. Twilight gave a small yelp as Celestia shifted again, a few stray shots pinging off her armor without much effect. The Tyranids, exposed and under fire, screeched as they bled back into the forest, fire from their enemies chasing them down.

As Celestia heard the faint whine of repulsor lifts begin to drown out the hisses and snarls of the Tyranids, she allowed some of her tension to release. “Are you injured, Twilight?”

“No,” Twilight replied, letting go of Celestia so she could get a better view of their rescuers. “I think I’m okay... and I think I’m beginning to hate those things.”

“There are many who would see that as a good thing.” Celestia set Twilight down, rising up to grab her sword. “But don’t allow yourself to lose focus; we are not out of this yet.”

“But the Tyranids are gone, right?” Twilight offered. “Those people saved us.”

“In a manner of speaking.” Celestia said. “But this just confirms my theory: we are not in the Imperium yet. Crossing over was not as precise as I would have hoped; the Hive Fleets or the interference of Chaos might have something to do with that, but we’ll cross that bridge once we come to it.” Celestia’s face set in a scowl as she saw her “rescuers” stepped from the forest.

They were short, shorter than the average human, and dressed in green armor topped with curved helmets. Their faces were hidden away, the only sign of life coming from a single glowing light that functioned as an eyepiece. They wore nothing resembling shoes, instead perfectly happy to walk about on hooved feet as the approached. Their weapons were sleek, several of them glowing blue from the ammunition they used, and more importantly they were held at the ready in case Celestia chose to attack.

“We are not in the Imperium, but we seem to have discovered an outpost of the Tau Empire.”

Author's Notes:

Hello again.

So yes, I decide to turn Celestia and Twilight into humans. While having them remain ponies would be hilarious, I'm sure, it also makes for a big headache and I don't think the story as I have it planned out would work all that well. Also, it'd be Out of Character for the Imperium to just accept an apparent xenos that claimed to be their god.

And Celestia's way off target, both in location and timing. We'll see how well she handles that in the future.

Hope you still enjoy the story. Likes and comments are appreciated, and if I screwed something up please let me know.