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Inquisitor Gholth has captured Twilight Sparkle, but for what purpose? What use can the Imperium have for some winged alien psyker wearing the armor of the Archenemy?

And perhaps most importantly, how did they find her to begin with?

A new chapter of Black Horizons is live!

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A new chapter of Gear in the Machine is out! Will Gear Works be horribly mutilated yet again?!

(yes)

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Scenes from the 38th Company archives!

Ferrous Dominus training grounds (by Val Kenku)

The void mining nexus Ishrem (by BlvckMagic)

Company soldiers enjoying some down time (by Val Kenku)

The Merchant Corp actually has a pretty sweet lounge (by Yuozka)

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The Empress protects.

Don't know any Empress, sorry. Around here we put our faith in POWER ARMOR.

(art by EZ the Pony)

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Sister Sabbatine of the Sacred Rose

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My apologies for the incomplete post yesterday. Tumblr's draft system is highly unintuitive and it just discarded half the post I wrote 🫠

I redid it.

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Character Focus: Penumbra Shard

Unit type: Moon Mage

(Note: penal conscript class. Unit is to be under guard at all times)

Rank: Cult Magistra

Species: Unicorn

Psyker rank: Unclear (suspected Beta-rank)

Cult: Lunar Ascendance (defunct/disbanded?)

Tactical Specialty: Close support caster

(Note: Unit is to be deployed to night operations only)

Penumbra Shard - Penny to her friends, and Magistra Shard to her subordinates - is the effective leader of the Moon Mages, or at least the closest thing they have after the secretive cult of Lunar Ascendance was outed and convicted for treason against the Equestrian throne. Like everything else about the order, the hierarchy of the Moon Mages is shrouded in mystery, and much of what has been pried from the Mages through interrogation has been kept secret for one reason or another. At present all Moon Mages have been seized, sentenced, and transferred to the 31st Company fleet for service as combat sorcerers.

Penumbra herself is - probably - the oldest and most powerful of the Moon Mages. She claims to be 30"ish" years old, but this is confirmed as false. Surviving records of her presence date back more than 60 years, and it is suspected that she has significantly slowed or frozen her aging process, not just disguised it.

These records are disputed, however. Like all Moon Mages, there is physical evidence of her upbringing in ordinary Equestrian society, but no corroborating accounts. Penumbra claims to have attended and then taught at the Manehattan Institute of Magic, and was married to Ash Torchlight. None of her would-be peers remember her name or appearance, and her would-be husband disappeared without a trace roughly one year ago.

Penumbra Shard is a perfectly pleasant and ordinary mare at first glance, which sets her apart somewhat from the other Moon Mages. She is not prone to sociopathic dysfunction or violent outbursts and doesn't flinch at exposure to sunlight. She even has an affectionate motherly side toward ponies she feels close to. However, extended interaction inevitably reveals patterns of malicious and deceptive behavior as her facade of normalcy slowly falls apart. Penumbra lies often, and purposefully. She thinks of most other ponies as tiresome dregs she tolerates out of polite obligation, and has a cruel streak that emerges frequently in combat or when she thinks she can get away with harming a pony she dislikes. She is selfish and lecherous (a trifling problem when the subjects of her affection are willing, and a serious one when they're not), and eagerly manipulates others to her advantage or sometimes for her petty amusement.

Although a prolific liar and schemer, Penumbra is admittedly not the best at it. She has difficulty planning very far ahead and tends to react poorly when under stress. She also has great difficulty hiding her own emotions, particularly strong distaste or attraction for particular ponies. She could never stand to seduce or even feign mild affection for somepony she disliked, for example. On the other hoof, her desire for Lieutenant Dusk Blade is strong enough that it can easily impede her plans or cause sudden missteps because she's suddenly afraid of his disapproval or frustrated by his rejection.

Penumbra is not known for her temper, but when she does lose her cool her malevolent tendencies causes her to default to violent outbursts. More than once this has utterly ruined a greater plot or hurt somepony she nominally cares for. Despite these problems, Penumbra Shard finds it easier to forget her regrets than correct her behavior.

Like most Moon Mages, Penumbra Shard is largely untested in combat. The 38th Company Iron Warriors respect the power of sorcery but consider it an inferior tactical solution to their war machines, fortifications, and strategic bombardments. They also routinely underestimate the ponies of Equiestria, and unlike certain other equines the Moon Mages do not resent being overlooked. Princess Luna, the Commander of the Lunar Guard, mistrusts the Moon Mages deeply, and as a result they've mostly been confined under Nightwatch tower training other combat mages.

When deployed to combat - assuming, of course, it is during the nighttime - Penumbra boasts a fantastic spread of useful spells: light-bending shadow barriers, freezing explosive bursts, and dark lightning that excites the pain nerves to such a degree that it can immobilize even an Ork through sheer agony. Her most useful spell, however, is the ebon vector.

The ebon vector generates multiple discrete "tendrils" of magic force that emerge from the ground or the body and act with semi-intelligent autonomy. They can bludgeon, twist, ensnare, pierce, or slice the enemy, adapting the exact point of contact as necessary for the task at hand. The tentacles are solid enough to block gunfire and strong enough to crush stone, and can adopt a solid "crystal" state capable of piercing or smashing stronger armored materials.

The spell even has non-combat utility, able to safely restrain creatures, lift objects Penumbra could not possibly move with her own strength, and even lift and propel her for the purposes of evasion or getting around an obstacle. She HATES doing it, though; evidently the magic tendrils are quite uncomfortable to have pressed against you, amd numerous aliens and ponies can attest.

Penumbra doesn't seem especially discouraged by her imposed service to the 38th Company. The Nightmare failed. The rebellion was thwarted. Eternal Night is a grim myth, while enslavement and genocide at the hands of Orks is a constant threat. Her life as a battle thrall and magic drill instructor is a humiliation, but it's a more dignified fate than a long imprisonment in stone or in Canterlot's dungeons. And really, what other fate could she hope for from this war-torn world, with Equestria allied to Chaos and the Nightmare vanquished?

Penumbra Shard isn't telling.

(Art by KlaraPL, Rozmed, Cotton Candy Pone, Fenwaru, Skyren, and SpoopsB)

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Character Focus: Penumbra Shard

Unit type: Moon Mage

(Note: penal conscript class. Unit is to be under guard at all times)

Rank: Cult Magistra

Species: Unicorn

Psyker rank: Unclear (suspected Beta-rank)

Cult: Lunar Ascendance (defunct/disbanded?)

Tactical Specialty: Close support caster

(Note: Unit is to be deployed to night operations only)

Penumbra Shard - Penny to her friends, and Magistra Shard to her subordinates - is the effective leader of the Moon Mages, or at least the closest thing they have after the secretive cult of Lunar Ascendance was outed and convicted for treason against the Equestrian throne. Like everything else about the order, the hierarchy of the Moon Mages is shrouded in mystery, and much of what has been pried from the Mages through interrogation has been kept secret for one reason or another. At present all Moon Mages have been seized, sentenced, and transferred to the 31st Company fleet for service as combat sorcerers.

Penumbra herself is - probably - the oldest and most powerful of the Moon Mages. She claims to be 30"ish" years old, but this is confirmed as false. Surviving records of her presence date back more than 60 years, and it is suspected that she has significantly slowed or frozen her aging process, not just disguised it.

These records are disputed, however. Like all Moon Mages, there is physical evidence of her upbringing in ordinary Equestrian society, but no corroborating accounts. Penumbra claims to have attended and then taught at the Manehattan Institute of Magic, and was married to Ash Torchlight. None of her would-be peers remember her name or appearance, and her would-be husband disappeared without a trace roughly one year ago.

Penumbra Shard is a perfectly pleasant and ordinary mare at first glance, which sets her apart somewhat from the other Moon Mages. She is not prone to sociopathic dysfunction or violent outbursts and doesn't flinch at exposure to sunlight. She even has an affectionate motherly side toward ponies she feels close to. However, extended interaction inevitably reveals patterns of malicious and deceptive behavior as her facade of normalcy slowly falls apart. Penumbra lies often, and purposefully. She thinks of most other ponies as tiresome dregs she tolerates out of polite obligation, and has a cruel streak that emerges frequently in combat or when she thinks she can get away with harming a pony she dislikes. She is selfish and lecherous (a trifling problem when the subjects of her affection are willing, and a serious one when they're not), and eagerly manipulates others to her advantage or sometimes for her petty amusement.

Although a prolific liar and schemer, Penumbra is admittedly not the best at it. She has difficulty planning very far ahead and tends to react poorly when under stress. She also has great difficulty hiding her own emotions, particularly strong distaste or attraction for particular ponies. She could never stand to seduce or even feign mild affection for somepony she disliked, for example. On the other hoof, her desire for Lieutenant Dusk Blade is strong enough that it can easily impede her plans or cause sudden missteps because she's suddenly afraid of his disapproval or frustrated by his rejection.

Penumbra is not known for her temper, but when she does lose her cool her malevolent tendencies causes her to default to violent outbursts. More than once this has utterly ruined a greater plot or hurt somepony she nominally cares for. Despite these problems, Penumbra Shard finds it easier to forget her regrets than correct her behavior.

Like most Moon Mages, Penumbra Shard is largely untested in combat. The 38th Company Iron Warriors respect the power of sorcery but consider it an inferior tactical solution to their war machines, fortifications, and strategic bombardments. They also routinely underestimate the ponies of Equestria, and unlike certain other equines the Moon Mages do not resent being overlooked. Princess Luna, the Commander of the Lunar Guard, mistrusts the Moon Mages deeply, and as a result they've mostly been confined under Nightwatch tower training other combat mages.

When deployed to combat - assuming, of course, it is during the nighttime - Penumbra boasts a fantastic spread of useful spells: light-bending shadow barriers, freezing explosive bursts, and dark lightning that excites the pain nerves to such a degree that it can immobilize even an Ork through sheer agony. Her most useful spell, however, is the ebon vector.

The ebon vector generates multiple discrete "tendrils" of magic force that emerge from the ground or the body and act with semi-intelligent autonomy. They can bludgeon, twist, ensnare, pierce, or slice the enemy, adapting the exact point of contact as necessary for the task at hand. The tentacles are solid enough to block gunfire and strong enough to crush stone, and can adopt a solid "crystal" state capable of piercing or smashing stronger armored materials.

The spell even has non-combat utility, able to safely restrain creatures, lift objects Penumbra could not possibly move with her own strength, and even lift and propel her for the purposes of evasion or getting around an obstacle. She HATES doing it, though; evidently the magic tendrils are quite uncomfortable to have pressed against you, as numerous aliens and ponies can attest.

Penumbra doesn't seem especially discouraged by her imposed service to the 38th Company. The Nightmare failed. The rebellion was thwarted. Eternal Night is a grim myth, while enslavement and genocide at the hands of Orks is a constant threat. Her life as a battle thrall and magic drill instructor is a humiliation, but it's a more dignified fate than a long imprisonment in stone or in Canterlot's dungeons. And really, what other fate could she hope for from this war-torn world, with Equestria allied to Chaos and the Nightmare vanquished?

Penumbra Shard isn't telling.

(Art by KlaraPL, Rozmed, Cotton Candy Pone, Fenwaru, Skyren, and SpoopsB)

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Dagger Squadron (or at least the more suspicious half of it) continues after a day of rest, but obstacles persist as they pick their way through the Badlands toward their ominous prize. Daemons, Keepers, and treachery join the Orks in challenging the Elements of Destruction.

But of course, they're not the only Lunar Guard in the region...

New Nightwatch chapter is live!

(Empyra portrait by Enderbee)

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Terminator

by Cristian Alias

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gives u a banan

:D

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Desolation

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~STORY TIME~

For centuries the bat ponies - also known as thestrals - lived in exile after the failed usurpation of Nightmare Moon. During the failed revolution of the Lunar Princess they had been her most eager supporters, and they filled the armies of the usurper as the conflict spread and chaos spilled across the land. Their allegiance was not entirely natural. They had been used as pawns by the Nightmare and in particular by the Moon Mages, a cult of unicorns that practiced dark magic and sought to bring the Nightmare to ascendance. These rogue unicorns taught resentment and spread their bizarre beliefs to the thestrals, segregated as they were from the other ponies who walked in the daylight. After Celestia's victory the Moon Mages remained hidden, but the bat ponies were not. To Equestria, they were uncivilized agitators at best, and the soldiers of the enemy at worst.

The Moon Mages had a plot to bring about the Nightmare's return early, however, and ressurect their ancient rebellion.

That plot involved the creation of the Elements of Destruction, terrible weapons wrought from Harmony's own power and twisted to their malicious end.

With the dark Elements, they would free Nightmare Moon, overthrow Celestia, and rule Equestria under the blessed blanket of Eternal Night. The 6 strongest thestral tribes were told to capture dark spirits as sacrifices to this end: The Shad, a clan of skilled infiltrators and assassins. The Dark Hearts, a group of well-heeled blood drinkers (who didn't take very well to being cast out of civilized equine society). The Haunt, a clan known for their shamans who communed with the spirits. The Eisenwing, black-furred thestrals who were tight-knit, clever, and industrious. The Bloodeborne, the largest tribe, who bred and trained a vast host of warrior mares. And another clan that had a degenerative ocular disease and tended to change their tribe's name a lot.

The ritual was completed, and the Elements were created: large, twisted fruits that took with it the last of the dark tree's magic and vitality. But before the Moon Mages could call back the Nightmare, the Bloodborne turned on them.

Their Queen, Norn, had nurtured a deep hatred of Nightmare Moon for her failure and the thestrals' subsequent exile. She knew that should the revolution of the night begin again, the bat ponies would be called upon to serve as the Nightmare's foot soldiers once more, and countless thestrals would suffer for her victory. Norn didn't care for this, so when the Elements were complete, she murdered the Headmistress, Starsong Ebony, and ate the fruit that had been born of her tribe's spirit: the Element of Carnage.

Five Elements of Destruction remained: The Element of Shadows, the Element of Malice, the Element of Pain, the Element of Terror, and the Element of Deception. They ostensibly belonged to the thestral tribes, but none were so reckless as Norn to eat them. The tribes were confused, felt cheated and betrayed, and feared what the splintering of their strength would do for their struggle against Equestria.

The remaining Elements of Destruction were sealed away, and a prophecy issued by the Moon Mages: For when the Nightmare's long sentence was over, her most worthy servants should partake of those cursed fruits and become her champions, heralding Eternal Night and bringing justice to the cruelly exiled ponies and ruthlessly prosecuted cultists.

The plot was set, and the Moon Mages prepared to wait out the Nightmare's sentence, but a thousand years, alas, is a LONG time.

The tribes could not endure, and the Moon Mages only helped so much. There were wars, famines, schisms, raids, plagues, and disasters. The thestrals dared not reach out to Equestria for aid, although many thestrals made a habit of raiding and burglarizing Equestrian villages at night. So it was that the reputation of the thestrals as soldiers of darkness faded, and their modern reputation as thugs, thieves, and bandits was established.

By the time Nightmare Moon was free again, the Shad had splintered hopelessly and become a gang of lowly thieves. The Dark Hearts had given over their clan to immortal monsters, their leaders infected with undead vampirism and promising power to those who would serve as thralls and partners. The Eisenwing had been scattered by constant conflicts with Equestria and other neighbors, their clan brought again and again to the brink of extinction. The Haunt were almost totally wiped out by a magical disaster; of their own making, Equestria's, or the Moon Mages none will say. And the tribe of blind thestrals took on a hundred new names, surviving mainly as brutes and killers for hire as their legacy faded, again and again, into irrelevance.

It was from this motley herd that Penumbra Shard attempted to assemble the fated warriors, reaching out to them in dreams to summon them to the ancient barrows.

Dusk Blade.

Nacht.

Neuron Dialect.

Gloom Fang.

Banshee.

Names unknown to Equestria. But with the conclusion of the prophecy and the onset of Eternal Night, their names would become a curse among all the ponies that had dared to defy the darkness.

But prophecies are fragile things.

Plans have snags. Timelines fail. And yet again the power of darkness faltered before the light.

The Nightmare was purified before the chosen thestrals ever tasted the cursed fruits. The Moon Mages were eventually killed or imprisoned once their treachery was exposed. The bat ponies have been welcomed to Equestria proper, their ancient crimes faded into myth. The "chosen" ponies lead their soldiers in nightly patrols over Canterlot, protecting its sleeping citizen from criminals and miscreants. Most of them, at least.

And that is the story of the Cult of Lunar Ascendance. An embarrassing, little-known footnote in the history of the Nightmare's defeat. A tale of tremendous hubris and forgotten magic, and terrible artifacts buried in the wastes, never to be seen again.

Those who know anything more of the Elements are imprisoned or dead, and Equestria is all too happy to let such detestable weapons rot in whatever loathsome vault they were sealed in. A failure of a weapon for a war that was over before it began.

May they never see the light of Celestia's sun.

(Art by Rozmed, Glumarkoj, and Loom)

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Lord Of Change

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The mysterious chirocorn, Banshee.

The last survivor of The Haunt, an ancient tribe of jungle-dwelling bat ponies. Banshee's past is shrouded in mystery: how was it her people disappeared? Why was she spared? How did she acquire a horn? Why is Dagger Squadron so certain that she should be dead?

But even more insidious is her future. Terrible portents revolve around the furious mare, and the annihilation of the 38th Company and the Princess of the Night has been foreseen in the dreams of the dark champions of the Lunar Guard. But how can this mere pony think to challenge the might of Chaos?

Art by Fef! https://bsky.app/profile/justfef.bsky.social

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I love warhammer 40k fans on here because they’re all like “I LOVE blorbius scrunklius, he’s such a relatable tragic character. The scenes in his book where he talks about how his father failed him always make me so emotional. He’s my sweet little babygirl and I would protect him with my life.” And then I look up blorbius scrunklius or whatever and his canon artwork looks like