Alexander opened his eyes, feeling more refreshed than he had in years. The sun was just peeking out over the horizon, bands of orange creeping through the sky. Alexander was about to delve into his morning routine when he realized that, he didn't have a morning routine anymore. Oh, man, Gunny would be shitting earthshaker rounds if he was here. Alexander sighed. He really hated PT. Still, he needed to keep in shape if he were to protect the innocence that existed here. Did I really just...? There was a brief moment of clarity as Alexander realized he had a purpose again. Somehow, he had come to the conclusion that these ponies were worth...protecting.
It was a heretical thought, protecting xenos, even ones as human as these. It was something the Imperium did not tolerate. Then again, he wasn't really a part of the Imperium anymore, was he? He had to make his own way now...make his own decisions as to what was heresy and what was moral. He couldn't rely on the teachings he had been raised on, the very teachings that had led to his current...situation. It was sobering, to say the least.
Alexander shook his head. He had spent enough time moping to last a lifetime. Now, it was time to exercise. A five mile run seemed right. Dressing, Alexander packed everything he had into his backpack. The furnishings for his bunker-like home were to be delivered today, so he might as well move in. Alexander put on his armor and full kit before leaving the guest room for the last time. Much to his surprise, Alexander found Twilight sitting in the main library.
"What are you doing up?"
Twilight looked up from her book. "Oh, hello Alexander. I always get up this early." She tilted her head, frowning. "Where are you going?"
Alexander shrugged. "I'm moving into my place. The furniture should be delivered today before too long."
Twilight shook her head. "That's great, but I wanted to know why you are leaving this early. The sun's barely up."
"Physical Training."
"Aren't you going to have breakfast?"
Alexander shook his head. "I never eat before a run. That's just asking for trouble." He walked to the door. "Besides, bit early for that, don'cha think?"
Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, okay, yeah." She perked up. "How about we meet for breakfast? There's a cafe down the street from Sugarcube Corner."
Alexander shrugged. "Sure. See you at eight."
Twilight watched Alexander leave before pulling out a scroll and a quill. "Talk to Alexander? Check! Make breakfast plans? Check! Spike still asleep?" A soft snore from upstairs answered. "Check!"
Alexander was jogging at a fair pace towards what he had been told were the Whitetail Woods during his tour of Ponyville. As he began to run down the clearly marked path through the woods, a tune began to sound unbidden in his head. Rumor had it that the song had been found on a data crystal dating back to the 3rd millenium on Terra. But Alexander didn't care. It was a song that his regiment had adopted to use when marching or running. He smiled as the music played in his head. His head bobbing in time with the beat, he began to sing.
I've got the reach and the teeth of a killin’ machine,
with a need to bleed you when the light goes green,
best believe, I’m in a zone to be,
from my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze.
Put a grin on my chin, when ya come to me, ‘cuz I’ll win,
I’m one-of-a-kind and I’ll bring death
to the place you’re about to be:
another river of blood runnin’ under my feet.
Forged in a fire lit long ago, stand next to me,
you’ll never stand alone.
I’m last to leave, but the first to go,
Lord, make me dead before you make me old.
I feed on the fear of the devil inside of the
enemy faces in my sights:
aim with the hand, shoot with the mind,
kill with a heart like arctic ice
I am a Soldier and I’m marching on,
I am a warrior and this is my song
I bask in the glow of the rising war,
lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore,
wade through the blood spilled on the floor, and if
another one stands I’ll kill some more.
Bullet in the breech and a fire in me,
like a cigarette thrown to gasoline, if
death don’t bring you fear I swear
you'll fear these marching feet.
Come to the nightmare, come to me,
deep down in the dark where the devil be,
in the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth,
where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps.
Call to the gods if I cross your path and
my silhouette hangs like a body bag;
hope is a moment now long past,
the shadow of death is the one I cast.
I am a Soldier and I’m marching on,
I am a warrior and this is my song
my eyes are steel and my gaze is long,
I am a warrior and this is my song
Now I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief,
and the least of me's still out of your reach.
The killing machine’s gonna do the deed,
until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves.
Chin in the air with a head held high,
I’ll stand in the path of the enemy line.
Feel no fear, know my pride:
for God and Country I’ll end your life.
I am a Soldier and I’m marching on,
I am a warrior and this is my song
my eyes are steel and my gaze is long,
I am a warrior and this is my song!
Alexander repeated the song twice more before he finished his run. He still had an hour before he was due to meet Twilight at that cafe. Plenty of time to head over to his new home and take a quick shower. He had nearly made it when he thought he heard a squeal.
"HANDS!"
Wait, what? Alexander found himself bowled over by a squeeing aquamarine unicorn. It was bouncing as it sat on his chest. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! A human! A real human! I finally found one! And they said I was crazy!" The pony gasped. "I have to tell Bon Bon!" Alexander sat up as the aquamarine unicorn disappeared in a cloud of dust. What in the warp was that all about? Alexander dusted himself off as he stood up. I'm starting to get really tired of ponies running me over. Grumbling, he went inside to shower.
It was almost eight. Alexander was headed for the cafe Twilight had mentioned, but he was having trouble finding it. Was it that way, or...? He saw a sign down the street depicting a steaming cup. That way. He walked to the cafe.
Alexander found Twilight sitting at an outdoor table, speaking to a pair of ponies. One of them, a unicorn stallion, was the same olive green of Alexander's fatigues with a jet-black short cropped mane and tail. His cutie mark was a half-filled hypodermic needle. Interestingly, the stallion appeared to wearing ponified flak armor. The other pony was an enigma though. It may have been an earth pony, but it was wearing a red cloak that completely covered its body, as well as a large, squarish mass situated on its upper back.
Twilight noticed Alexander approaching. "Alexander!" She waved him over. "These two ponies said they were looking for you."
The two mystery ponies turned towards Alexander. The olive unicorn blinked. "Holy crap on a crepe! It's Alexander!"
Alexander frowned. "Do I know you?"
<Interesting. It appears he has not been subjected to the same transforming forces that we were exposed to. This warrants further study.> The cloaked pony spoke with a strange buzzing voice. <Perhaps the warp exposure had a different effect on him than it did on us, Syrette.>
"Pff. There you go again, Iron," retorted the unicorn. "You keep trying to test everything. Lighten up, relax a bit."
"Wait a minute." Alexander scrutinized the pair intensely. "You two do seem familiar."
The green unicorn rolled his violet eyes. "Well, duh. We've only served together, what? Five years?"
<Five years, two months, and twenty-two days before the incident. I would be more precise, but that would be a waste of vocal processes.>
Alexander's eyes opened wide in astonished recognition. "Cyrus? Aaron? Wha...? Why the warp are you two ponies?" He stared at the ponified medic and techpriest in bewilderment.
The unicorn chuckled. "Good to see you too, buddy. And the name's Syrette now. As for Aaron, here," he waved a hoof at the cloaked pony. "He chose Iron Cog. As for why we're ponies," Syrette shrugged. "No idea, although, I am surprised you just got here. We've been here for almost two years now."
<Approximately one year, eleven months-->
"TMI, dude, TMI."
<Proper time keeping is integral to ->
The argument between the two was interrupted by Pinkie Pie popping out from under the table. "Twilight!"
"Gah"
"What th-!"
<Interesting.>
"What is it Pinkie?"
"Twitchy tail, Twilight! Twitchy. Tail." Pinkie's tail was indeed twitching. "And my knee's pinchy! Something really bad is about to happen!" Twilight paled and dived under the table. Iron Cog and Syrette regarded her with curiosity.
"Um, why are you hiding under the table?"
Twilight poked her head out. "Pinkie Pie has something of a sixth sense that warns her about things."
Pinkie Pie popped out of a planter, plant and clump of dirt on her head. "When my tail's a twitchin', it means stuff's about to start falling from the sky. But my tail's never twitched this much before! And achey knee means that something scary is gonna happen!" Pinkie popped back down into the planter.
Cog gave an unimpressed snort. <The correlation between one's tail twitching and objects falling from the sky is highly improbable. To assume such a thing is illogical without hard data to support one's prognosis.>
Twilight shook her head. "Mr. Cog, I used to think the same thing before I tried to figure it out scientifically."
<Irrelevant. I can-> The techpony froze, a pair of orange lights glowing under his hood where his eyes would be. <Warning. There are multiple contacts of unknown origin falling towards location: Ponyville from low orbit. It appears subject Pie's prediction has come to be.>
Alexander's face tightened. "How much time do we have?"
A ball of fire impacted down the street on a pillar of smoke, cratering the road. Screams of panicked ponies filled the air as dozens of fireballs fell towards Ponyville. The plummeting debris smashed into the ground and buildings around Ponyville, thick, dark smoke shrouding the crash sites. Shapes could be seen moving through the haze.
<None.>