"He gave this to me,"
Horus said.
"Do you see it? The design on the ring? It was fashioned a year before his birth. He sent it to me as a gift for the Warmaster. He said I was his Centaur, and that wherever I rode, the Legions would be at my side. Well, now I have ridden here, and he shall finally face his terrible archer."
The Harlequin playing Loken leaned in to inspect the ring on the left pinky of the Harlequin playing Horus, while the latter continued:
"It was made in Persia, the year before the Emperor was born. Sagittarius, the invincible archer. 'This is you,' he told me. 'My Warmaster, my Centaur. The commander of the Imperial Legions, man and weapon as one. Where you turn, the Legions turn. Where you go, the Legions go. Where you strike, the Legions strike. My son, you need only go forward, and the Legions shall go with you.'"
Horus then fell into a long silence.
"You see," Horus suddenly laughed again. "I always liked that invincible archer. And now, we truly must go there."
Yuki was on the verge of tears. He covered his face with his hand. Oh, the Warmaster! Who could witness the tale of the Warmaster and not feel a sense of profound regret?
He recalled the most vivid descriptions he had ever encountered:
The Thought-of-the-Emperor Fist, thoughts surging like a spring!The Yearning-for-the-Emperor Sword, never to be forgotten!The Horus-Emperor Palm, through every life and every age!Emperor, Emperor, Emperor!
Thirty years of solitude, the First-Returned Son! The most unforgettable gift, the Centaur Ring! The investiture at Ullanor, the Warmaster of the Empire!
Gwaaa—Father, I truly love your mouth so much! Waaaa—Yaya—Heehee-haha!
Yuno also allowed a rare smile to cross her lips. It had been a long time since she had seen something so amusing—the perfect evidence of human weakness, a tragedy born from miscommunication and the inability to understand one another. And yet, even so, it was an love that could not be destroyed or concealed.
Slaanesh was nearing a state of pure ecstasy. "In all these years, every time I witness this scene, I enjoy it just as much."
The only one slightly dissatisfied was Khorne. "Is that it? Where is the boarding of the Vengeful Spirit! I want to see Sanguinius torn apart by Horus!"
Suddenly, Khorne fell silent. A golden hand rested upon his shoulder. Everyone felt the emergence of a new power.
He sat in the back row of the audience. Not a single entity turned around, but everyone knew exactly who He was.
He spoke: "This is quite a lively gathering. It is truly an honor to have such distinguished guests watching a play together."
The performance on stage continued. The Harlequins were truly the finest actors; even in this situation, their performance remained flawless.
The play lasted for nearly a year—longer than the depiction of the Aeldari Empire's Fall. The actors knew they could not stop. Even if Yuki and Yuno were willing to call it a day, the other guests in the audience would not agree.
Khorne had left a few times, but he always returned shortly after, carrying a few fresh heads. The golden silhouette did the same, returning after every brief departure.
But no performance can last forever.
Finally, the Harlequin playing the Emperor of Mankind boarded the Vengeful Spirit along with Sanguinius and Rogal Dorn. When the two Primarchs appeared, Khorne's hand tightened on his axe with an audible crack, and the golden silhouette's form trembled slightly.
When the Emperor's psychic power shattered Horus's hesitant body and His longsword pierced Horus's heart, it may not have been factually accurate, but it was presented with overwhelming impact.
As everything faded back into darkness, the Aeldari had designed a final sequence: the dying Horus saw the Emperor of the past. He returned to Ullanor, back to the moment he was appointed Warmaster. The Aeldari playing Horus reached out his hand to the "Emperor."
"Forgive me, Father. The Imperium of Man will eventually rot, and your wishes will be shattered. Your sons will slaughter one another, and all of it... is because of me."
The actor playing the Emperor looked at him coldly. "The aura upon you is so evil. Who are you?"
"Father, I—"
"You carry an aura that does not belong to this era. Are you from the future? Is what you say the truth?"
"Yes..."
"Then what of Horus? My little Wolf of Fenris, how is he?"
The play ended with the Emperor's question. The time had come; Slaanesh decided to move and claim the souls of Cegorach's followers.
However, another entity moved faster.
"Slaanesh! Khorne! Give me back my Horus!"
The Emperor's monstrous rage projected onto this remote planet. Khorne roared, blocking the flaming Greatsword with his axe. Three of the Warp's supreme entities erupted into a fierce battle, while Yuki marveled at the exquisite adaptation of the ending.
Yuno reminded him, "The Aeldari likely designed this as a distraction for their escape."
"Then let them run. Slaanesh is here; they won't get far anyway. Let's go do what we ought to do."
Everyone had things they ought to do—like the Harlequin Troupe. They had successfully ignited the Emperor's emotions, buying themselves precious time to flee. However, for Slaanesh to catch them, she only needed to spare a fraction of her attention during the fight with the Emperor.
Several Harlequins died instantly. If they could not return to the Webway, even Cegorach could not save them. Yet the Webway was currently pinned shut by Slaanesh's power.
As Slaanesh's influence closed in, the Solitaire stepped forward. "Please, do your best to bring new jokes to the Laughing God."
Before being completely consumed by Slaanesh, he bought the remaining Harlequins about twenty seconds. But it still wasn't enough—unless a miracle occurred.
Fortunately, miracles are never in short supply within the Warp.
The pink tentacles Slaanesh had placed over the Webway gate were suddenly scorched by blue flames. A devious cackle rang out, and the Webway gate swung open.
The Harlequins realized the Great Architect (Tzeentch) had made his move. As Yuki had said, this was currently the liveliest place in the universe.
By the time the Harlequins finally escaped, Yuno and Yuki had already returned to the Aether Fleet. They looked down at the planet, which was beginning to disintegrate. "Incredible. I didn't think we could actually summon so many of them."
Yuno's focus was entirely elsewhere. "Now that you've been thoroughly noticed by the entire Warp, you're likely to become quite famous soon."
"Being famous in the Warhammer universe is rarely a good thing."
"But," Yuno continued, "you didn't bring me here just to review a Harlequin performance, did you?"
Yuki laughed and shook his head. "I really can't hide anything from you."
"Our hearts are one, after all."
Yuki pulled out a small box and dropped to one knee. He opened it to reveal a gold ring engraved with a Centaur.
"I'm not very good at saying these things, Yuno. Will you be my Sagittarius?"
"No, that's not how you say it."