My Little Xeno

The first thing that Celestia did as she woke up the next morning was yawning heartily. It had been quite some time since she had last fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, but yesterday had been a great and busy day. Luna was lying by her side, cuddled up to her, and she looked around and noticed Antonius - drinking from his new mug and reading a book.

"Good morning," she said,
"and a merry Hearth's Warming! I see you are testing some of your presents."

"Morning," Antonius answered,
"yes. Presents really are a nice tradition. Oh, and a merry Hearth's Warming to you, too."

"Thanks. Yes, getting presents always is nice, especially if they come from the heart. Now, I should get up... if I can convince Luna to do the same."

Celestia carefully nudged her sister, who woke up with a yawn.

"Morning. What time is it?" Luna asked a little grumpily.

Celestia turned to Antonius:

"Oh... I didn't miss the time for raising the sun, did I? That would be inexcusable!"

"Don't worry, you still got time," Antonius told her,
"if you had kept sleeping, I would have woken you up in a few minutes, by the way."

"Good. Now, Luna, please get up."

"Yeah, I have patrol duty this morning anyway," Luna replied.

The princesses got up, and on their way to the refectory, Antonius and Luna told Celestia about their theory about the origins of alicorns. The theory was met with some skepticism, but they agreed to keep it in mind. Then they met with everypony they had celebrated Hearth's Warming eve with for breakfast.

After that, Antonius donned his armor and joined Luna on her patrol near Ponyville. They had dropped off Twilight and her friends in the town and were now walking through the snowy Everfree. Luna was not too talkative today, so Antonius inquired:

"Say, is something wrong? You're a little quiet this morning."

Luna shook her head and grumbled:

"No, everything is fine."

Well, she was definitely not the best liar.

"So you're quiet just for the fun of it," Antonius continued.

"You are more talkative in compensation."

"Correct. But since I'm not really a talkative guy, I'm going to annoy you until it's better balanced."

"Can I dissuade you from doing that?"

"Not really. You could, of course, just tell me what bothers you."

"You never give up, do you?"

"Never."

Luna sighed.

"Okay, okay. Last night, I came across a dream. An adolescent colt's dream. He dreamed about... me."

"Well, that does not sound too bad."

"...about my hindquarters."

"Oh... bad enough to worry about Chaos corruption?"

"What? No! He was content taking a look."

"Hmm... well, as an alicorn, you are an ideal of beauty, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I would prefer to be admired for what I do for my ponies, not for my posterior."

"As far as I know, adolescents are known to concentrate on the wrong... 'things' from time to time. I don't think he meant any harm."

Luna stopped and looked at him.

"Of course he didn't, and I don't hold a grudge against him. I just secretly took over the dream-image of myself and friendlily reminded him to concentrate on a pony's more important... aspects," she said.

"Then, what bothers you?"

"I'm not quite sure myself. I think I am a bit miffed about being reduced to a part of my body. What would you do if somepony dreamt about your hindquarters?"

Well, this was one of the strangest questions Antonius had ever been asked. Perhaps he could cheer her up with a silly answer?

"Well, I would solemnly declare: 'Behold the glory of Ultramar!'"

At that, Luna burst out laughing. Perfect.

"You are silly. Thank you," she smiled.

Antonius smiled back and started:

"So, don't be bothered if a colt does not only see you as the Princess of the Moon, but also as..."

"You have to say this, hmm?" Luna interrupted.

"Umm... sort of?"

She sighed:

"Okay, then say it."

"... the Princess of Mooning!" Antonius finished.

"For this joke, you owe me a massage later."

"No problem. Which part of your body?" he grinned.

Luna groaned and nudged him playfully.

Some time later, they were approaching Ponyville again.

"The town really looks ice in winter," Luna said,
"I have to admit that I like this season very much. So quiet, calm and solemn. Everything looks at least a little bit majestic now. Do you like winter, too?"

"Oh, yes," Antonius replied,
"the cold temperatures have a positive effect on weapons that tend to overheat, like plasma guns."

"Yeah, my mistake," Luna deadpanned,
"I had to ask you."

Antonius snickered and said:

"But I have to admit, the snow covered landscapes and settlements look somewhat beauti..."

He was interrupted as his transhuman reflexes kicked in. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen some sort of projectile flying his way and his arm rose to deflect it. The white ball shattered on his forearm armor. His hand was on his bolter, but he did not take it from his belt.
Snow. It had only been a snowball.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, and he got the answer.

"Damnit, you are fast."

Rainbow Dash!

"Rainbow, what was that supposed to be?" Antonius shouted.

"I threw a snowball," she shouted back.

She was hiding behind a small wall of snow, only her head visible.

"I noticed that. I want to know why!"

"Hey, relax. It's not like I almost killed you this time."

"Thanks for reminding me. Now tell me why you throw stuff at me!"

"It was just a snowball!"

Hell, this conversation was seriously annoying.

"Tony, it is just a snowball fight, a game," Luna snickered.

Antonius turned to her:

"A snowball fight? I think I heard about such an activity once, but I never experienced one."

"I think this is about to change," Luna grinned.

"So, you want to play a game with me?" Antonius asked Rainbow Dash.

"Now you got it!" she answered and threw another snowball.

He deflected it again without problem and thought about the invitation. A short glance at Luna told him that she nodded. Well, he could partake in this game. Until now, pony activities had been harmless and sometimes even funny.

"Okay, as you wish," he shouted.

"Great!" Rainbow answered and threw another snowball.

Antonius deflected it again and asked Luna:

"Now, should I walk over to her and throw a snowball at her?"

"No. We must build a fort and throw our snowballs from this position!" she answered and used her magic to construct a fairly large wall of snow in front of them.

"What? Princess Luna is on your team?" Rainbow screamed.

"Of course I am!" Luna shouted, formed a snowball and threw it, then she turned to Antonius and added:
"Now, take cover and only get up to throw a snowball! Try to hit Rainbow Dash without being hit - but do not do any real harm!"

Pfft... mini-warfare. Antonius played along and took cover.
As he grabbed a handful of snow and started forming it into a ball, his trained subconscious started calculating angles and trajectories, using the equations usually meant for grenades. It was funny that it really reacted to this game.

Antonius put this to a good use. His snowballs were precisely aimed, but at this distance, Rainbow had enough time to evade or take cover. Perhaps he could speed up the projectiles? No, that would increase the probability of hurting her. There was, however, still a way to hit her.

Antonius formed a large snowball and waited for Rainbow to vanish behind her wall of snow. Then, he sent the snowball flying. It travelled up into the air, much higher than the previous projectiles, and came down again - right where it should.

"Ah!" Rainbow shouted while Luna cheered.

A hit. Indirect fire was really useful at times.

Antonius was just about to form another snowball when he heard a familiar voice ask:

"Hey, y'all. Mind if I join this little fight?"

"Not at all, Applejack," Luna answered,
"just choose your team."

"She's on my team!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Applejack grinned:

"I don't know, you seem to be losing."

"What? Come on, three versus one is unfair!"

"I know. That's why I'm choosing your team. Wait a second, I'll come over."

They continued the icy nonsense for a few minutes. By now, Rainbow and Applejack had learned to watch out for Antonius' snow artillery and scoring a hit became much more difficult again. The only chance to hit them now was when they raised their heads above the snow wall to throw a snowball, but estimating where and when they would do so was more luck than anything else.

"Is this your idea of enjoying a beautiful winter's day?" a new voice asked.

"Don't complain to me, Rarity, I'm just returning fire. Respectively snow," Antonius laughed.

"Well, in my opinion, pelting each other with snow is... EEEK!!!"

A snowball had hit her side and Rainbow Dash laughed:

"Score!"

Rarity looked at the spot where the snowball had hit her, brushed the snow off with her hoof and glared in Rainbow's direction.

"Oh! It. Is. On!" she declared.

Rarity had obviously forgotten that she had been a little touchy about this fight a few seconds ago. She threw herself behind the snow wall and joined in on the fight. Antonius' and Luna's team had a new member.

They had barely started again as Twilight and Fluttershy came around.

"Hey, a snowball fight!" Twilight cheered,
"may we join?"

"I don't know, Twilight," Fluttershy added for consideration,
"somepony could get hurt by getting snow in the eye or something."

"Oh come on, Fluttershy," Rainbow shouted,
"don't be a killjoy! I need... I mean, WE need any help we can get - and that means Twilight, too!"

"Both newcomers for your team?" Rarity asked.

"Of course! To level our disadvantage here!" Rainbow answered.

Rarity grinned:

"Nice of you to admit that you are not up to the task of defeating us."

Rainbow glared at her for a second, then she said:

"Fine, one for us, one for you. Who wants to join the winners, aka us?"

"Perhaps Fluttershy should join us, and Twilight your team. That way, you'd have access to magic. You'll need it."

"What? I totally do not 'need' magic. Everypony knows that the flight of a pegasus is the most awesome ability anywhere! Fluttershy, you are on our team. Twilight, you'll join the losers!"

"Okay," Antonius answered as the newcomers took up their positions,
"now, shall we continue... or wait for Pinkie Pie to show up?"

"Oh! You need me for something?" a voice from behind suddenly asked.

Antonius turned around:

"Pinkie. I have no idea how you can sneak up to me, but if you want to, you can join Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie cheered and hopped over to her team.

"Yeah!" Rainbow commented,
"so it's sky and earth versus humans and the horny ones."

After a second of stunned silence, Twilight shouted:

"'Horned'! It's 'horned', not what you said!"

"Perhaps it's both?" Applejack laughed and got pelted with snowballs in response.

The fight continued. Antonius had to admit that this useless activity was somehow quite enjoyable. The fact that his team scored some decent hits was a nice bonus. Since it got a little cramped behind the snow walls, team Rainbow had to leave their cover in order to evade Antonius' snowy artillery fire. His teammates used that opportunity to plaster them with snowballs.

After a while, Antonius recognized that something was different now.

"Fluttershy stopped firing," he noticed.

"She is probably too afraid to accidentally hurt somepony," Twilight opined,
"despite her snowballs barely reaching us anyway."

Well, that was a possibility. Antonius still scanned his surroundings for an ambush... by Fluttershy... damnit, he probably was getting paranoid.

He still continued doing so whenever he formed new snowballs, and then, he saw her: She was directly above him, a giant snowball in her hooves. So team Rainbow did not use artillery, but airstrikes. This game got more interesting every minute.

Antonius stayed in cover and watched her come down. Fortunately, she did not see him; her snowball so big that it blocked her view. But why didn't she just drop it? She came closer and closer until she was in his range. He jumped up, grabbed her and fell back into cover. She still held on to the giant snowball and looked a little embarrassed.

"Umm... hi," she said meekly.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow screamed,
"why didn't you just drop the stupid snowball on him?"

"I have to admit, that question is somewhat justified," Antonius said.

"Well, umm, I didn't want to hurt you," Fluttershy answered.

"Fluttershy," Antonius smiled,
"as you can see, I am wearing my armor. A snowball smaller than a house has no chance of hurting me."

"Hey," Applejack shouted,
"give us Fluttershy back!"

"Sorry, no can do," Rarity shouted back,
"she's under arrest for attempting to snow-bomb us!"

"Am I?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't know," Antonius told her,
"if we really implement some sort of POW rules, this game might get a little complicated."

"Give her back!" Rainbow demanded.

"No!" Rarity answered.

Antonius, who was still holding Fluttershy, put her down now and asked:

"Would you give me your snowball?"

"No," she answered,
"you're not on my team."

"While I appreciate your loyalty, I would also appreciate your snowball. Come on, give it to me."

Fluttershy looked at him for a second, then she closed her eyes and rolled backward. At the same time, she brought the giant snowball to her hindhooves and Antonius realized how she wanted to give him that damned thing.
But instead of smashing it into his chest, she gently pushed it there.

"Did I hit you?" Fluttershy asked, squinting at him.

"Umm... yes, you did," Antonius answered slightly confused.

"Yay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Indeed," Luna laughed,
"congratulations, Fluttershy, you are the first pony to hit Antonius!"

"What's going on there?" Rainbow shouted.

"Fluttershy just obliterated Antonius!" Twilight shouted back.

"SHE DID WHAT???" Rainbow screamed.

Team Antonius laughed. Rainbow's confusion was just hilarious!

"Yep, she totally did!" Antonius told Rainbow, grinning broadly.

"Then we get her back!" Applejack demanded.

"Okay," Antonius answered, grabbing Fluttershy and the still mostly intact snowball,
"you will get her back."

"Antonius?" Luna asked,
"what are you planning?"

"Start an assault as soon as I'm over there," Antonius answered,
"we'll end this fight now!"

Flutershy just had time to mumble an

"Oh dear..."

then Antonius had jumped out of the cover and was running towards team Rainbow.

"That's not what we meant!" Rainbow screamed.

Antonius was well aware of that fact. He crossed the distance to the other snow wall and jumped over it. While still in the air, he dropped the giant snowball on Rainbow Dash, sending her to the ground in a heap of snow. Once on the ground again, he set Fluttershy down and turned to Applejack.

"Horsefeathers..." she mumbled and reached back to throw a snowball at Antonius.

He was faster and caught her front hoof.

"Applejack!" Pinkie called,
"get out of the way! I cannot pelt him without hitting you!"

Antonius grinned. While it was a nonviolent melee, the basic rules were still valid. He had disorganized the 'enemy' team, and now they had to focus on him - and the probability of crossfire - while his team could attack.
They did so, just as planned. Twilight and Rarity jumped over the snow wall and threw their snowballs at Pinkie and Applejack, who dropped to the ground.

"I'd say, that's it," Antonius proclaimed.

"Not quite," Luna smiled.

She had given her subjects the advantage and had stayed in front of Rainbow's snow wall. Now she pointed at Antonius' leg. He looked down.

"Fluttershy? You again?"
The yellow pegasus clung to his leg. Well, 'clung'... her grip was so soft that he barely noticed her, but she had managed to put a snowball to his thigh.

"Hmm... you're surprisingly persistent," he admitted and plucked her from his leg,
"and I am obviously hit. I should fall now, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, " Luna grinned,
"you valiantly fell to ensure our team's victory."

"Okay, then: Ow!"

Antonius dropped to the ground any lay on his back, Fluttershy sitting on his chest.
Now Luna hovered a snowball over Fluttershy's head and asked:

"Do you surrender?"

"Yes!" Fluttershy immediately answered and the princess put her projectile away.

Luna regarded the other members of team Rainbow:

"Do you surrender, too?"

"Guess so," Applejack said, eyeing the snowballs still pointed at her team,
"what do you think of it, Rainbow?"

Rainbow was still busy digging herself out of the heap of snow and grumbled:

"Meh. Fine. Whatever... Wait, why is Fluttershy sitting on Antonius?"

"Because she defeated him. A second time, actually," Twilight grinned.

"No way!"

"Yes, she did," Antonius grinned,
"in Fluttershy, the blood of the legendary pegasus warriors of old truly runs strong!"

Rainbow looked at him completely dumbfounded, then she stammered:

"Warrior? Fluttershy? That's... ah shucks! Okay, okay, we all surrender."

Pinkie Pie did not seem to mind having lost.

"What a great game! And now I have the best idea ever! Let's go to Sugarcube Corner for some hot cocoa!" she cheered.

"Really a marvelous idea, my dear," Rarity opined and all of them went to the confectionary shop.

Antonius had expected a quiet conclusion of their snowball fight, but he was proven wrong. Luna had barely entered the shop when the Cakes almost freaked out.

"Princess Luna! You! Here! Now! How can we be of service? Do you want some cake, Your Majesty? Coffee? Tea?" Mrs. Cake babbled.

"You may calm down, good mare," Luna answered,
"we are just here for some hot cocoa... but now that you mention it, a slice of cake would certainly be appropriate."

Soon Antonius and the ponies were sitting at a table, drinking, eating, talking and laughing, although it took them a few minutes to becalm the Cakes enough so that they were not perpetually at the ready to refill their cups or plates.

Antonius thought about his day so far: The only purpose of this snowball fight had been to have fun. Kept in perspective, it had been quite useless, a waste of his talents even. But 'keeping it in perspective' was probably the wrong approach to assess this activity.
It had been fun.
Shenanigans. Nonsense. But fun.
At any rate, it had obviously been great for morale. That was probably the use of such 'holidays', doing things that just were fun.
Still, he had seen how the ponies handled such a situation. Sending a pegasus to deliver a 'bomb' had been an interesting tactic... tactic! Perhaps he should add a little snowball fight to the training of the PDF? Would be a way to teach his soldiers strategy and tactics without having to bother Luna to create one of her shared dreams... and they would probably even like it.

It really was weird: What the ponies did always seemed to have its perks. By combining 'the pony way' with his planned lessons, he could probably increase the effectiveness of his training.

Antonius took a sip of his cocoa. One of mankind's qualities had always been to adapt to new conditions - if they had no possibility to alter said conditions. He was doing both: He adapted to the pony lifestyle, while at the same time nudging the ponies towards a lifestyle more suitable for fighting Chaos.
When this process was over, his hosts would be ready to help mankind, while mostly keeping their kind nature.
And he would... yeah, what about him? A son of Guilliman living... happily among aliens. Neither his captain nor his chapter master would probably be very enthusiastic about that. Of course, he had never broken the Codex Astartes. Perhaps he had 'stretched' it a little bit now and then, but broken? No definitely not. But still...

"A bit for your thoughts," Luna said.

Antonius turned to her and answered:

"Well, I've been thinking about my time here. I really enjoy it. I just have to ask myself if it's okay for me to have fun while my brothers are fighting and my species is in danger."

"Hmm... would it help your brothers fight or miraculously save mankind if you were grumpy?"

"No, of course not. My mood can't influence those things."

"Then, there is no reason for you not to enjoy your time here."

Antonius thought about that for a second, then he said:

"The logic may sound simple, but I can't disprove it. You're right."

Luna actually had managed to remove his doubts. Usually, removing a Space Marine's doubts was one of the tasks of a chaplain, but Antonius had (almost) never been picky. He was content that it had worked.
So, he would simply continue his course of action. And he would enjoy it.