Abaddon the Redeemer in Equestria

Part 1 Where Are We?

A clearing in the Everfree Forest

"What happened?" was the first thought that entered Ezekyle Abaddon's mind as he awoke. He first noticed the immense headache of a kind he had not felt since he'd battled Belakor underneath Luna's surface. Then he slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was looking up at a picturesque blue sky that would have been the equal of those seen upon any Imperial Paradise World.

Where is he? Why is he lying on the ground? How is he still alive? He was certain that he was as he could see, feel, and hear the world around him as the ringing in his ears died down. The last thing he remembered was speaking with his father for what he knew to be the last time before the Ork attack planet exploded underneath him and his - HIS BROTHERS!

Immediately, he raised himself off the ground, such a thing would have been impossible for any regular marine in Cataphractii Terminator armor but the events on Terra's moon during the Solar Chaos Incursion turned him into a being closer to that of a Primarch than any other Space Marine within his legion. 

Instantly, he saw all of his fellow Justaerin, minus the youngest of their number whom he'd ordered to escape with their cousins from the Lightning Riders and Primarch Tengri Khagan, fully encased in their iconic black war plate, except for an Apothecary. Among them were the Tech-priests from the Mechanicum detachment who were a part of the strike force sent to rig the Ork superweapon to explode, but none of their servitors.

All of them were on their backs, unmoving, the helmets they wore preventing him from hearing if they still breathed. Rushing to the nearest of his brothers, he attempted to lift him from the earth back upon his feet. To Abaddon's relief, he heard a vox-distorted groan from the legionary as his brother awoke much the same way he had - with an intense headache.

"Brother! You are alive and that brings me great joy, but first, we must aid our brothers," Abaddon urgently spoke. 

The Terminator nodded in response and with that, they went to help their brethren. Every Lunar Templar found alive brought ease to his twin hearts, but war is never merciful. Eventually, the first casualty was found and declared killed in action, causing a shadow to fall across all those who'd regained consciousness. However, with the stoicism of the Imperium's finest warriors, they continued with their task - the time to grieve would come later.

In the end, four Battle Brothers and one Marshall Sergeant were found dead. That left 96 astartes including the Apothecary and himself. Three Tech-priests were also discovered to still be among the living. Losses were counted to be five KIA and one MIA - presumed alive.

The first order Abaddon gave after all personnel were accounted for, was for attempted contact with any nearby Imperial forces over the vox. No contact could be made though, in fact, no signals could be detected at all.

Concluding the obvious, that somehow they had been transported to an as-of-yet undiscovered planet, he gave the order for the contingency plan for any Imperial forces who found themselves stranded. The plan was made in case any unfortunate souls encountered dangerous warp phenomena and were cut off from the rest of the Imperium. The supplies were checked, and the reports came back better than he'd expected.

The armor of all those who still walked were functioning with only superficial and minor damage. The Tech priests stated they could restore them to their previous condition by scavenging the armor of the fallen. All the ammunition and provisions they had not spent or consumed had apparently been brought here with them. Their weapons too were carried along as well and they would only require some maintenance.

As Abaddon was looking over these reports, the lone Apothecary, the only one among them equipped with Mark II Legio Armor (basically MK 4 Maximus Armor) instead of Tactical Dreadnought Armor, approached him.

Normally, an ordinary Apothecary wouldn't have the authority to speak to what was effectively the second in command of the 16th Legion, but this one was, other than himself, the oldest brother present and had volunteered to join the mission even though all knew it was most likely a one-way journey. Therefore, he respected the medical practitioner and he was never one to pull rank.

"Captain, may I make a recommendation?" The Apothecary began. 

Abaddon replied, "Any insights would be welcome, Brother."

"Thank you, Captain. I have noticed that the biosphere of this world is suitable for human life, more than that, it is ideal. Furthermore, its environment bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Mother Terra in ancient pict-casts," the Apothecary said. 

"I have noticed as well, your point?" Abaddon asked. 

The Apothecary responded, "Captain, I suggest that a scouting party be formed, the world might be inhabited by humans that have not yet industrialized which would explain the complete absence of pollution and vox signals. This would be of great help to us if we could convince them to join the Imperium and would allow us to continue our duty."

"Hmm," he pondered over the Apothecary's words. They had merit and were reasonable, backed by logic and what little information of this world they had gathered. He nodded after carefully considering his options, it was the best course of action other than staying here and awaiting whatever fate had in store for them.

"Agreed," Abaddon finally stated. 

"Then I shall organize a scouting party at once-" the Apothecary said before he was interrupted.

"No."

"Captain?" the Apothecary questioned. 

Abaddon voiced, "I will lead the scouting party." 

The Apothecary's eyes widened slightly.

Sensing his misgivings, Abaddon clarified. "You disapprove Brother and I understand, but a leader must lead by example and you, as the only one amongst us who bear the secrets of our gene-seed, are too invaluable to risk death or worse - capture."

At this, the Apothecary could only lower his head and nod. Abaddon placed a reassuring power armored hand upon the shoulder of his brother and spoke.

"Form a defensive perimeter here for now Brother, I will send hourly reports over the vox-link. If I miss a report, you may organize a search party."

The Apothecary looked at the First Captain with a resigned expression on his face.

"Very well Captain, permission to extract the gene-seed of our honored slain," he relented. 

"Granted."

The Apothecary saluted him with a fist thrust over his primary heart and he returned the gesture before they parted. Informing the First Marshal Sergeant of the Justaerin of his intent, the officer seemed skeptical of the plan but he nonetheless placed his trust in his Captain and assumed temporary command over the Company. Then, he chose four Battle Brothers to join him, and they left the clearing and into the surrounding woodland.

With that, the Emperor's grand-genesons set out to make first contact with the inhabitants of this world that will start a journey filled with trials of friendship, love, discovery, and finally, home.

Comments would be appreciated