"Where we must go...

we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves?"

• The First History man

Celestia sat upon her throne in the center of the Sun Court. She eyed the petitioner's line with a perfect poker face of reserved interest. Her secretary and guards arranged the first session of court. Celestia suppressed a yawn as she leaned over to the alabaster white unicorn sitting beside her. A white-coated and brown mane unicorn with glasses and an ink pot for a cutie mark looks up to Celestia. She held scrolls and papers with ink and a feather quill writing down her documents.

"Raven, what time is it?" She asked, her tone pleasant chirp to it.

"It's eight thirty-two, Princess," Raven replied, holding out a notepad and scribbling down on it.

"I see. What is today's schedule after the days morning court?"

"Well, there is that new candy shop that you are to appear cutting the ribbon on its opening, then preparation for the Grand Galloping Galla, and-"

Raven stops at the sounds of a magical 'poof,' looking up to Princess Celestia to see a scroll appear in front of her seeing it was a scroll from her students.

"Huh, early for Twilight to send a letter at this time; perhaps it's for a ticket to the upcoming Galla."

Celestia says, opening the scroll, reading it as her expression from her usual calm princess smile dropped to Curiosity awe. Raven watched curiously at the slight shifts of the princess's expression. She pulled a blank sheet of paper with her magic and held it along with the schedule and lists.

'What is this "Cadean Hooman," and what is this aura Twilight spoke off? Perhaps this might be the source of his hostility or a new form of magic of hatred or darkness. No matter the case, I'm sure Twilight and her friends can peacefully fix the issue at hoof.' She says in thought before looking over to her assistant

"Interesting, Raven. I must apologize, but I'm afraid some dire news has come and requires my attention at ponyville, have the guard dispatch there and a call for my sister immediately."

"Yes your majesty, and mind me asking for a reason for rescheduling today's agenda?"

"We have a "guest," and one for not of this world, and by the report from my student, he may not be so compliant as how she described him to be. I only hope for a peaceful meet with this being and to subdue him with little call for action."

Celestial gets up from her throne with spreads her wings out and her horn glowing readying a teleportation spell, Raven opens an empty scroll and writes down Celestia's order word for word.

"As you say so, your majesty, I shall inform the captain to send a squad to meet you there."

"I can only hope that whatever this being is doing, Twilight and her friends have it under control; I can only imagine what might our new "visitor's" is doing as we speak."

With a bright flash. Celestia was gone from the throne room and teleported straight to the town's square of Ponyville, seeing all the ponies around her jump in shock only to bow immediately before her. She smiled back her princess smile as she strolled down the street of Ponyville making her way to the golden oaks library, with concerning thoughts and curious questions filling her mind.

"So does he wear that helmet and that weird mask thing all the time? He's got to eat, right? or does he eat?"

Rainbow Dash asks, looking through Thorn Grey's broken heavy power backpack rummaging through the human's stuff, throwing weird small packs, some odd metal boxes and cans, an old tattered book, a red stained shovel, a plate with a spork, and an empty bottle, a blanket and rolled up the sleeping bag and one long sheathed knives as she continued to bury her hooves and head into the large pack.

"I'm sure he eats, but maybe he keeps his helmet and mask for something, like a scar or probably embarrassed to show his face." Fluttershy softly spoke, looking at the items Rainbow Dash threw out for the backpack looking at the small bag that read 'Corpse Starch. Even in Death, I'm still Served.'

"Ooor, maybe he's just really ugly, bet he's got huge teeth, and can shoot lasers from his eyes."

Rainbow Dash says, snarks at Fluttershy, making her shiver and curl up shakily. Rarity picks up the strange book named 'The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer' in her magic and flipped through the pages, and picking up Grey's chest piece armor seeing scratch marks on the two peck pieces of his armor seeing the words "Giggle Dogz X X" followed with painted numbers labeled with two zeros and an eight, strange numbers.

"I must say that even for an alien, he has a lot of strange customs and sayings, even strange “fighting tactics,” but I say their weird brown stains that smear on some of these pages do have an awful stench."

Rarity says, holding the small book in her magic aura and flipping through the pages but stops at an illustration of a guardsmen's anatomy of a rebreather gasmask and the correct usage as she picks up the cans from the ground that looked like the "respirator cans" on the same mask on the picture looking at both the cans and back at the picture. Mean while Pinkie giggled, shaking two metal can-shaped objects with rings attached to their tops, the sounds of shifting sand and jingles of the ring in her hooves.

"He sure does got a lot of stuff these things are heavy but make funny noises; must be like a weird maraca, haha."

Twilight sitting next to Applejack, looking at what looked to be the human long metal barrel and box with a single broken cable that drooped to the floor; Twilight held the strange metallic object in her aura, seeing there was writing scratched onto the side of it reading "Redeem" and on the other side eighteen marks. Such a strange object looked to be a mechanical device; the grip of it had a small ring with a tiny switch in it and some sort of miniature telescope built into the top rim of it as Applejack gave a concerned look to her friends looking through the alien items and strange objects.

"Twilight, I don't reckon we should be messing with these "things," I say we leave em be just like that Thorn feller. If he wants to be alone and make no friends, then let em be alone."

"I know this is wrong and invading his privacy, but this technology is far beyond our own even his kind possesses magic, but it considered dangerous for them or anything, but still, even without the use of magic, imagine all the possibilities we could learn. I try to ask him earlier, but... I... I wasn't successful on the information he gave, or of... himself. So I thought I would learn by getting self-educated." Twilight said with a low tone, looking at the heavy long metallic device as Applejack gave a concerning look at Twilight.

"And just what have ya learn so far sugercube?"

"Well... If I pressed this small lever thing here on the grip, it makes a clinking noise or this button that can detach or reattach the broken cable. Other than that, I don't know much about it. But looking at the text written on the sides of it, it read that this thing is something called a "Thilium Hotshot Lasgun MK: Two," but I don't know much of it" She remembers he did say that this thing was a weapon of a kind, but apart from that, it seems pretty much all useless by looking at it.

"I already sent a later this morning to Princess Celestia about Thorn and what I gathered from him."

"Speaking of Thorn, where is that he? I would like to add something to his... "Attire," if he calls just these pieces of metal a uniform." Rarity comes in levitating a chest plate and shoulder pads. Seeing it was cleaned but still made Rarity give it a look of planning as she moved it around in her magic.

"He actually Left this morning, I don't know where he went, he just vanished but even if I asked him, he'd probably just give me that usual silence, call me a "Xeno" and ignored me... like all of us."

As Twilight set the mechanical device down, a loud banging from the front door was heard, catching all the ears and eyes of the main six and the loud, stern, muffled voice speaking loudly. "By order of her majesty Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Open this door immediately!"

• • • Within the EverFree Forest • • •

Thorn Grey, a son of the now fallen planet of Cadia Prime, now stranded on a world populated by xeno aliens called "ponies" that all seem to possess pyker powers of an unknown capabilities. Was this the "Magic of Friendship" from the Inquisitional parchment orders, though dated beyond time, he made sure to read it over and over to keep every little detail of it in his mind and memory. He was offered housing by one of the ponies named Twilight Sparkle, a small purple unicorn pony and partially one of many of the xeno ponies, with his time spent on this world being only from the start to a couple of days his "interactions" with the locals were and still are being feared or were being avoided by the ponies due to his "aura" as Twilight calls it. Still, he believed it was a cursed mark from the warp. Even if he didn't feel it or know it, his time in the warp, though little was proof enough that he was tainted down to his very soul. All he could do now was pray and survive with nothing but is will, skills and memories and the cursed feelings of shameful dishonor and failure.

He remembered his interactions with Twilights friends and having him learn peace and friendship. However, with him going to a state of hollowness, she was only greeted by Grey shrugging, giving her grunts or low growls, or even ignoring her presence or other ponies that would interact with him. He walked with only his khaki uniform fatigue, without his armor, with the light metallic jingles of his shackles chains charming as he walked.

He remembered asking the xeno pony Twilight for privacy and being left alone. She asked why but he only gave her silence with the sound of him scrubbing the stains of his flak armor. She did give in to his request of privacy; But never did he dared removed his helmet to these xenos, nor anything, only to himself, to bear the sight of his own shame of failing to not only defend his home but a fortress world from the horrors of the eye of terror, but to even worse, failing at dying to defend it, and defending humanity.

No guardsmen bared such a burden or even thought of such things till now, he kept walking through the darkness of the forest only to stop at a site of familiarity, coming to a kreigsmen skeleton with his uniform withered beyond time with its metal armor rusted, trench coat and uniform tattered and only the top half of his skeleton only being seen. Just over the skeleton's skull was a planet rusted powersword that stood as a gravestone for the fallen Kreigsmen. He looked down at the corpse with his thoughts, remarking how such a guardsman could fail what many deem a simple task.

"Kriegsmen of krieg, fellow soldier of the imperium. Without sacrifice, there is no Victory... Without survival, there is no faith. Yet I, a man who has nothing left to sacrifice anymore, can still offer his life."

He says to the corpse, taking both of his hands to unclip the straps of his helmet and respirator mask, he let his mask fall to the grass ground, but holds his helmet in his hand, moving his gaze to powersword, he shifted his helmet to his side and held it firmly in one hand using his other to grab his dog tags, and rip them off from his neck, holding both helmet and tags on his sides as he stares at the blade of the power sword.

"But I ask you, fallen soldier of Krieg, what is a man who failed to offer his life... to defend his world, his home, his own species even... to defend the imperium. One who even failed to die doing his duty to the very end... What am I then? What can I do?"

He looked down at the corpse of the kriegsmen as if expecting an answer but only felt and heard the slight gust of wind that gently blew in the air around him and what was left of his burnt scared face; He set his helmet on the handle of the powersword; bowing his head, and stuffing his dog tags into his pocket before, resting both hands on his sides, and stood staring at the dirt ground watching his hands take off both of his black leather gloves, seeing the scared burnt flesh and muscle of his hands. He felt his right hand slowly move over to the holster of his laspistol, unclipping the button strap over it and Gripping its grip slowly; without realization or thought, he moved to press the short barrel against the right side of his head, reading himself a prayer he recites aloud.

"O most powerful and glorious Emperor, he who commands the winds and eddies of the galaxy, I, a miserable man adrift in peril, I cry unto thee for help, save me, or I will perish. I see how great and terrible thou art, I fear you and offer my awe, I fear naught but your wrath, and beg a chance to prove thyselves, so let me not die in the tumultuous of the warp and xeno."

He closed his eyes, feeling his hand shacked with the laspistol in his grip; here stood, the only human, born in war with only a singular purpose to fight against those who wish to destroy all that humanity to cinders. He wasn't even worth the title "True Born Son of Cadia Prime," let alone even serving the imperium; he opened his eyes to see the corpse lying on the dirt and continued his prayer.

"O eternal Emperor, who alone watches me, and rules the tides and storms, be compassionate to your servants. I ask thee to preserve me from the perils of the warp that we may be granted the safeguard to your haven domain of mankind."

He finished his prayer and, with his finger, began to squeeze the laspistol's trigger slowly but was interrupted by the sounds of bushes rustling and then silence from behind him.

"Dost thou truly believe a warrior such as thyself, should go beyond the stars in this fashion, Thron Grey of Cadia?"

Grey stood in silence at the voice of a high gothic accent feminine voice. He knew who this voice belonged to; how could he forget the voice of the same being that always entered his mind, believing to "rescue" him from his nightmares or memories. But after two nights of sleepless rest, he ended up giving to his exhaustion and finally communicating with this being that with the time spent, he ended up growing acquainted with her, seeing how they had some similar grounds and secrets kept, of course, she would know of this place being the same place he first came to this world, it was Princess Luna. Standing was the blue mane flowing with the almost real stars glistering, a dark blue shade of blue coat, and her cyan eyes staring at Grey, holding his laspistol to his head with his back turned towards her shaking his head from side to side.

"I'm not worth of that or being called a soldier anymore, let alone a son of Cadia; I'm a deserter, a thief, a criminal, and a sinner no less... Damned from that moment I fallen... Why should I still draw breath, I failed to die defending my own home and kind... Tell me, what even am I anymore?"

He stood still as the silence grew between the two; Luna was and possibly the only pony that genuinely knows what he seen and has done from looking into his memories, how he was birthed into enlistment, the wars he survived, ascending to kasrkin, receiving his shackles, and even witnessing the death of his world. She couldn't imagine what he must have felt or even thought, realizing that all his life was spent defending against aliens, traitors, and demons for his people; he was meant to die alone without any thought or care whatsoever.

"Thou are a guardsman, a mortal, against odds greater than thy own, outmatched one to the thousands, yet look beyond yourself; thou survived so much and endured what would kill thee only to make yourself stronger; you were and still are a hero and soldier for your people, Sir Grey."

Luna looked at Grey, seeing his body frozen, listening to every detail she spoke, slowly taking step by step toward him.

"Dost fail them not by taking thy life, but rather persevere thou must to show them that the last of thy kin shalt stand yet strong to honor the world you called home and those thou had lost. Thou art not alone, Grey, knowest this well."

"As to answer thy's question of what are you. You are human, loyalist, and true born son of...the fallen Cadia Prime, but yet thou don't grovel to thy's knees; thou still stand weapon in hoo-... "hand," and ready against all." She said, looking down at his hands but back up to his back.

"So it is not what are thee should be asking, but rather "who are thou?" would be the better question, is it not?"

Grey listened and just stared at the corpse of the kriegsmen. He couldn't believe what he was thinking or about to admit, but she was right, a fucking xeno lifting him from his failure and showing him what he was doing. He didn't fail his people or fail to die defending them; he only was unable to protect the world, his home, and the gateway to the imperium. He slowly looked up from the corpse to the blue sky above, looking past the dark shade of the forest that surrounded the two. He isn't just a true born of Cadia Prime; he is Cadia Prime. Though the forces of chaos broke the gate of humanity, he still stood and fought till near death to defend against all that would kill him in millions of ways.

He soon lowered his laspistol to his side and continued looking up at the sky; he shouldn't take his own life just because he failed; he didn't fail. But instead succeeded in defending humanity by holding the line, and even as he drew breath and standing, he held the line even far from Terra's holy star. With his thoughts clear, finally coming to him, he felt a smile of pride grow on his face and slowly turned to Princess Luna, letting her see his scared burnt face and a smile.

"I am Sergeant Major Thorn "Mad Dog" Grey. Once kasrkin of the eighth Cadian regiment of the imperial guard, now of the X.X.th Giggle Dogs for great Imperium of Mankind. No longer a son of the fallen world of Cadia Prime, for I am Cadia, I carry the blood of a true born, Cadia is me. I stand and draw breath and still hold the line that was held for ten thousand years. Cadia stands with only Cadian blood to pay the price for all that died and for its fall, defending not the world but for imperium. Though my home and hearth are gone I still stand today strong, for the planet may have fallen, I STILL HOLD THE LINE!"

He cried out with a smile holding up his laspistol over his chest, looking down at Luna, who smiled at him in pure joy, walking up to him and but coiled back, feeling a dreadful feeling as she got near him remembering to keep a distance from, it didn't bother him seeing how he smiled looking at the slight tall, dark blue alicorn.

"Uh... Princess Luna... thank you, for a while, I was blinded by what was thought to be my shame only being my guilt, and... fuck me, I'm bad at saying thank you. Look thanks for the talk and helping me from my shit feast, for that, I guess I can call you... "a friend," if thats alright?"

He rubs the back of his neck and looks away with grunting as Luna stares up at him in awe; before her banishment, many ponies feared her for her being as she led armies and fought with them, but also as a ruler during the old equestrian days, but now all fear her believing her to be nightmare moon. But hearing Grey, an alien from another world, not only thank but ask to be her friend made her cheeks blush slightly, making her smile happily and scream out in her Cantorlot voice, making Grey get thrown off by the sheer volume and sound wave.

"THIS PLEASES US TO OUR CORE, AS WE APPRECIATE AND WOULD GLA-" Luna stops mid-sentence to see Grey covering his right ear and Stumble on his feet.

"A thousand apologize; thou are still not accustomed to this new age since our banishment, Sir Grey."

"By the Emperor, that some serious pipes you got there, bet you could give a titan's roar a run for their credits heh, but...thanks, and enough with the sir crap; just call me Grey or "Mad Dog" if you want."

"Thenceforth, we shall refer to you by you as "Grey," and we wish for thee to refer to us as... Luna. But we wonders and wish to ask thou, if thy isn't bother?"

"Shoot n' hit 'em."

Luna looked at him, a bit confused by his words and slangs, growing more curious but still only going for her question. "What is this "Mad Dog," and why does thou go by it as named?"

Grey chuckles with a memory coming to his thoughts of how he got that nickname. Looking at his shackles and their broken chains, he places his hands on his hips and shakes his head.

"A story for another day… Luna, remind me to tell you someday, but for now, I must pay tribute to the fallen for this will be the last I see of this place in the distant time."

He says, turning to see the kriegsmen's corpse and the rusted powersword that held his helmet, hovering his hand over it and closing his eyes. Luna sits watching before bowing her head with her eyes closed, giving Grey and the dead soldier her respects, the sound of a light wind blew gently across the tree tops, with the only sound being the slight rustling of leaves and silence.

"Pass auf Dich auf, soldat, Für Imperator und Imperium."

"Pass oof di- what?" a different voice chirps out from behind to attempt to repeat the words Grey said, making him smile and suppress a chuckle.

He let down his hand and turned with Luna to see it was Pinkie Pie, followed by Rainbow Dash, Twilight Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack as they walked through the forest brush.

"Pass auf Dich auf, Soldat" if my memory and Kriegen tongue are correct, it means "Take care, Soldier" and "For the Emperor and Imperium." a Kriegen's memento all Kriegsmen say when we are ready for death, or to honor the fallen, I remember fighting with his kind, even "befriended" two of them, I think at least, yet still that was long long ago, and I'm sure their long dead."

He darts his eyes over behind the six ponies hovering his hand over his laspistol to the sounds of bushes rustling and sees six golden armored looking ponies wielding spears around a tall, almost glowing white coat alicorn, with a beautifully bright color mane of pink green and blue almost as if looking at shades of the sky of a rising and setting sun.

"So, this is the "Human" that you mention Twilight?"

"He is princess and he's actually..."

Twilight's expression shifts seeing Grey's face for the first time along with her friends. There was barely anything left besides the right half looking normal, complete with a small flat nose and two small sunken purple-colored eyes. The only hair was his brow, and the messy brown shade of hair was a small line on top of his head with his side shaved down to his bare skin. Still, his real catcher was the left side of his face's flesh looked to be melting off his head, his pale-ish skin mixed with red leathery look with his left eye almost looked half ceiled by the skin, she could even see a significantly large gash that split over his left eye and up to the remains of his burnt ear, revealing the muscles of his jaw and even his teeth.

Looking at him made Twilight and her friends understand why he wore his helmet and always wanted to be alone besides his creepy aura, making them feel a bit sorry for him, seeing how he is now.

"That's going to need more than a bandaid and a cake to fix."

"Grey, I-I'm sorry, does it hurt or anything." Fluttershy said, tilting her head over to look at the burn scar on Grey's face and even seeing the same scars on his hands

"Darling, if you had told us, we would've offered more to help you."

"Geez, wicked scar Grey, but... wow." Rainbow Dash said, hovering over Rarity and looking down at Grey's scars staring at his muscule sliced brunt face.

"Dash, really." Applejack looks at Rainbow Dash disappointedly but looks back at Grey, taking off her hat and holding it in her hooves over her chest.

"Grey... I-I'm sorry, I-we didn't know you-"

Twilight was stopped by Grey holding out his hand, seeing the same burn scars with patches of pink around the center of his palm, and shook his head slightly, giving his usual blank stare as if she was staring at a statue.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, AppleJack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity even, it's fine, don't even worry about it, I know I was ugly from the start even before... well this." He says, pointing to his face and seeing their expression growing to a sorrow, awkwardness but a slight brighten mood.

"Besides, if you think this is bad, you haven't seen my other ones from fighting Orks or Tyranids."

"Pardon me, Darling, but what is a "Tear-a-nid" Rarity asks with Twilight following. "And what's an Orc?"

Grey smirks a bit at their questions, making fun of their innocence in his thoughts but quickly drops his smirk and sets his gaze locked on the giant White alicorn that glowed brightly as if he was staring at the sun itself. Grey knew who this and knew not to antagonize. Even as a guardsman, he knew what a stronger alien looked like from others and proved it was the strongest even without support from its kind. This one showed it just by him looking at her; her voice was kind and caring yet held a light sternness of authority and power.

"Greetings "Human of another world" I am Princess Celestia Coo-ruler of Equestria, I Welcome you to our world and hope to engage in hopes of "peaceful" terms, and ask you kindly to put down your weapons please."

"... What...?"

“Finally, my brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”
- Philippians 4:8

"When the people forget their duty they are no longer human and become something less than beasts. They have no place in the bosom of humanity nor in the heart of the Emperor. Let them die and be forgotten."
- Leto Barbaden, Governor of Salinas. Prime Edicts of the Holy Synod of the Adeptus Ministorum

Author's Note

“Let your past make you better, not bitter.” - someone happy

A good quote not only in the story of this chapter but for some characters, to look more inwards of oneself, to set a side pride and self-care but focus on not what is lost, but to focus on what to gain, maybe you see it here or not, but in the end who are we to others eyes, as we are to our own?

Art Showcase

Character face reveal, and yes I know it ain't perfect but I ain't a professional nor good at detail and shit but ay, suckin at something is the start at being good at something.

This one I didn't feel like digital drawing it so I'll show and say that every drawing I MAY make for this story starts of as s sketch, so yes the art is all done by me, aint much but its honest work.

News/announcement

News from GW, new Cadian Modals of Kasrkin squad, Sentinel and even Creed himself been remodeled, New models with possible new thing remade, equaling to a possible book. So that means we Guard players might get a New Codex book soon...

9TH EDITION LETS FUCKING GO! CADIA STANDS!

Please, I beg you... GW

Shoutouts

Thanks for Grammerly for majority edits and Bronycommander for Proof reading this chapter go give him the support proper credit he deserve as a big "thank you" to him.

UH... this one took a while to type and proof read, due to the fact that I tried to bring out the feeling of despair and act of seeking redemption of moral type of deal may seem quick but I also wanted to add the princesses meeting our Cadian and a little start of a moment, thank you for understanding.

Now all I can say is some chapters may be extended or I might make for some art in theses chapters so all I ask for you is patience for said future chapters for this story, and to enjoy not only the story but its growth with the characters.

Even as a restart of the beginning I didn't expect much from it but seeing how many of you enjoy it it warms my heart to see something small grow, so all I can say is thank you truly and I wish to show you how I can appreciate your support, like, and comments to this story it means a lot for it being a hobby and I love it and you for such things.

Also for the german translation part forgive me if I messed it up, Speaking it Im ok but writing/ typing in it might as well be a new language to me... literally.

Take care as always and have a nice day or night and Cya in the next chapter my friends.

: )

P.S.

Next chapter will be a filler for question/ answer of battle of Cadia Prime, some info dumping of Warhammer lore, war the main character was in being Orks and Tryanids, and to what is the X.X.th Giggle Dogs so in other words a filler info chapter at the beginning and mid, but the end I can only give a hint at what's to come.

and their hungering beings for chaos ; )