Emperor's Child in Equestria
Chapter 8: Ainulindalë (Smile)
Previous Chapter Next ChapterYou are Twilight Sparkle and right now you are terrified. You look on as Anonymous puts himself between your friends and certain destruction. But as you eye the Space Marines he’s defending you from, you can’t help but think of how similar they look to Anonymous. Amps and speakers built into their armor. All the custom heraldry. Even their weapons looked alike. The only real difference was coloration. Where Anonymous was black and pink these were white and gold.
Suddenly their leader speaks to Anon.
“When you go to meet your false gods, tell them it was Discus Infernus who sent you.”
Then as one, the Disco Marines the ready their Storm Keytars and Synthmasters and let loose a nearly deafening sound. You watch in dismay as Anonymous takes a step back under the assault of the Disco Marines. For a moment he looks stunned, unable to battle. But finally he raises his Blastmaster and lets loose with a wild, chaotic howling. He probably can’t hear you, but you cheer for him.
You are Vinyl Scratch and right now you cannot help but watch in utter awe as Anonymous does musical battle with these Space Marines. You can tell right away that he had been holding back during your own competition, there was no way you could compare yourself to what you were hearing right now. Your awe only increases as the three Astartes are forced back a step by Anon’s music. The music blared by the Blastmaster is wild, brash, chaotic, and victorious and even outnumbered as he is his music holds theirs back.
The Disco Marines switch pace and change their music. Anonymous doesn’t miss a single beat and follows right along. Even as their music changes his own adapts, the notes writhing and changing and strangling the music of the three loyalists. They are forced back another step under Anonymous’s musical might.
Again the Disco Marines change their tune and at last Anonymous falters. They begin to bend their music around his, weaving the greatest and most triumphant of his notes into their own music, stealing from his song and adding to theirs. You can tell that he knows he’s losing, but he still stands defiantly against them blaring his music.
Finally the leader of the Disco Marines raises his head and a single, beautiful note tears from his throat, much like when Anonymous used his Doom Siren. The blast forces Anonymous to a knee and the noise finally ceases. Then the sergeant removes what looks like a microphone from his belt. He lifts it to his face and begins to blare into it.
“Hiiiiigh life! Myyy life! HIIIIIGH LIIIIIIIIFE!”
You are Anonymous and you have failed. You fought valiantly but without your brothers by your side the dogs of the False Emperor managed to best you. You listen in despair as Discus Infernus belts out his song. There's no way you can defeat these Astartes. You clench your jaw in impotent rage. For ten thousand years you have been the master of your craft, but alone you're still only a single man. You need help. You need your brothers. You need...
Suddenly you felt a hoof touch your pauldron. You look to the side and you see Vinyl there, turntables set up at your side. A hoof touches your other pauldron. You turn to see Pinkie wearing some nonsensical amalgamation of instruments. You can make out a tuba, an accordion, symbols, a banjo, a harmonica...
You feel pride well up in your chest at the sight of these two ponies ready to help you. The music of the Disco Marines has ended and you raise to your feet. The Astartes eye you and your allies warily as you prepare your rebuttal. You look to your left, Vinyl nods to you. You look to your right, a nod from Pinkie.
”He who stands by my side shall be my battle-brother! For Chaos! For Slaanesh! For Equestria!”
”FOR PONY!” Pinkie yells.
”FOR PONY!” you and Vinyl chorus.
You begin. The Blastmaster wails, the turntables wub, Pinkie polkas. After a while a tune emerges from within the discordant chaos of your instruments. Wubs and wailing time perfectly with Pinkie’s one-mare band. The Marines take a step back. Then another. And another. Soon the music reaches a fever pitch and the Disco Marines are forced to their knees. Only the sergeant remains on his feet. He takes a step forward.
“Sound is but a single facet of music, traitor! Let us hear your song!”
Pinkie looks up to you and just smiles at you. “Just follow my lead, everypony!”
You nod your consent to your battle-brother, as does Vinyl. Pinkie’s beat changes and you and Vinyl follow along.
She waltzes right up to the Disco Marines and begins to sing.
”My name is Pinkie Pie!”
The Marines all look to each other in confusion
”And I am here to say,”
Discus Infernus tightens his grip on his Storm Keytar.
"I’m gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your day!”
”It doesn’t matter now if you are sad or blue cuz cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie’s here to do!”
You watch in ecstatic glee as Pinkie sings to the stunned Astartes. And you just can’t help but do exactly what Pinkie sings for you to do. You smile.
”Come on everypony, smile smile smile! Fill my heart up with sunshine sunshine!”
Vinyl joins in with her.
”All I really need’s a smile smile smile from these happy friends of miiiiiiiine!”
You activate your Doom Siren and chorus along.
"COME ON EVERYPONY, SMILE SMILE SMILE! FILL MY HEART UP WITH SUNSHINE SUNSHINE!”
”ALL I REALLY NEED’S A SMILE SMILE SMILE FROM THESE HAPPY FRIENDS OF MIIIIIINE!”
Discus Infernus is finally forced to his knees by the song.
”COME ON EVERYPONY, SMILE SMILE SMILE!”
Pinkie continues while you and Vinyl chorus.
”Yes, the perfect gift for meeeee!”
”FILL MY HEART UP WITH SUNSHINE SUNSHINE!”
She pokes Sergeant Infernus in the chest with a hoof. ”Is a smile as wide as a mile!”
”ALL I REALLY NEED’S A SMILE SMILE SMILE FROM THESE HAPPY FRIENDS OF MIIIINE!”
”To make me as happy as can be!”
You all sing together. “SMILE! SMILE! SMILE! SMILE! SMIIIIIIIILE!”
”COME ON AND SMILE!”
”COME ON AND SMILE!”
The sergeant and his marines are all knocked onto their backs at the conclusion of the song.
Slowly Sergeant Infernus gets to his feet, Storm Keytar still clenched in his hands. He points a ceremite clad finger at you.
”You and me, heretic! Once and for all we shall settle this!”
Pinkie trots back to your side.
“Alright, I got another good one if-”
You raise a hand and cut Pinkie off.
You look at both Vinyl and Pinkie, your two greatest battle-brothers in Equestria.
”You helped me in my time of need, I will not forget that. But this is something that I have to do on my own. Infernus and I have been rivals for centuries, his chapter was founded as a direct counter to my kind. It must be I who finally brings an end to our feud.”
Pinkie and Vinyl both look solemn but accept your answer. You kneel down and they both trot over and envelope you in a hug.
”Good luck.” Vinyl says.
You end the hug and get to your feet, hefting your Blastmaster.
You face Sergeant Infernus and brace yourself.
“Come and hear the song of Slaanesh!”
You turn a nob and pull the trigger. The pink Warp-wub coalesces around the mouth of your weapon and then lances off towards the Disco Marine. At the same time Infernus starts shredding his Storm Keytar and a golden beam of sanctified wub lances toward you. The beams meet and the cacophony knocks the surrounding crowd of ponies to their knees.
Infernus yells “Louder! Louder!”
You respond “Can you hear me over this noise?!”
You both advance on each other.
You are Vinyl Scratch. You watch as Anonymous and the sergeant face off in the greatest wub duel you have ever born witness to. The two begin to advance and you have to shield your eyes as your glasses aren’t nearly enough to protect you from the glorious sight. The two meet in the middle and a great explosion of light and sound obscures them from sight. A great blanket of fog forms in the wake of their wub duel. Lances of golden and pink light constantly erupt from the fog accompanied by each combatant’s own unique music.
Eventually you can no longer take it. Anonymous is fighting for the fate of Equestria in there. You have to help him! Pinkie and the Disco Marines seem to have come to the same conclusion as you. All at once the four of you race off into the fog to assist your respective champions.
You are Twilight Sparkle. You watched in awe as Pinkie Pie and Vinyl Scratch did battle with the Space Marines alongside Anon. But now Anon and the sergeant were having their own personal duel. A duel that could decide the very fate of Equestria.
Suddenly you see Vinyl, Pinkie, and the two Disco Marines race off into the cloud of fog that formed around the duel.
Rainbow turns to you. “Twi’, we can’t let those guys do this by themselves! We gotta help ‘em!”
She’s right, Anonymous may be considered evil to the rest of the galaxy, but here on Equestria he was a hero.
”Alright, come on girls! Let’s go help our friends!”
The five of you race into the cloud after Pinkie and Vinyl. It takes a while, but finally you reach the center and the fog begins to dissipate. And you have no idea what the buck you are looking at.
Somehow a stage has been set up where the drop pod and the ruined fountain used to be. Vinyl’s got her turntables set up, Pinkie’s got her personal polka arsenal, the two Disco Marines are tuning their Synthmasters. And there in the center of the stage, Sergeant Infernus and Anonymous stand back to back, microphones in hand. They notice you and Anonymous takes a step forward.
”ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SHIT, PONYVILLE?!”
They all begin to play, Anonymous and Sergeant Infernus singing together.
“Ahh! Because we! Are! Your friends! You’ll! Never be alone again! Come on! Well come on! We! Are! Your friends!”