Chapter 22: First Steps Forward


Quiet ribbons of scarlet and lavender begin their inexorable march across the eastern horizon, heralding a new day. Ponies lay in their beds, letting the regal mountain capital dwell in silent splendor. But it hid something far more hectic. Deep within Canterlot Castle, the hallways ring with sound. It wasn't a noise often heard in Canterlot's halls and many ponies were glad for it: the clack of armoured hooves and barked commands resonate in the dark as the armed formation winds its way through the empty halls.

The stark glow of arcane conjured sunlight bounces from marbled columns and decorations, casting lengthy shadows into the darkest recesses. But it didn't come from outside. Princess Luna prowls along in the center of the knot of Equestrians. Celestia at her right with head held high and horn aglow as she casts the fiery radiance. The nocturnal princess barely keeps her head from lolling to her chest. Twilight had been appearing here and there like a phantom, spooking the guards every time she left. And here, directly behind Luna, Moondancer had found her place in the little squad a hoofstep from Starlight.

And standing directly behind the pair of tall Alicorns meant that it was incredibly awkward to find where she was supposed to look. Starlight had her stupid little alleyway looking just up and between the pair or Alicorns... not that Moondancer figured she'd be awkward or offended at looking. But she sure didn't want to trade places which would put her next to the braggart street performer on Starlight's other side.

With next to no sleep and the most abrupt wake up call she could think of, the cream-coated Unicorn stumbles along in Luna's nearly very literal shadow. Now if only her nose could block out the smell of sweat and musky lavender, that would be great.

'Twilight, you horn hogging hussy, where are you?!'

It was only getting worse as Luna shivers, her hind hooves nearly crossing. Celestia slows her pace again, supporting her sister. Sweet, but the Princess of the Night nearly got a horn up her rump again. The kingdom's most awkward game of red-light green-light hadn't been a disaster quite yet.

But with her own neck bowing under the weight of her big fat head in the pre-caffeine hours, Moondancer was having enough trouble keeping any kind of poise which was less awkward. She had to show some refinement and grace. Princess Luna was always something of a paragon of the 'night folk', as her researcher colleagues had dubbed them. They'd be pretty weirded out and jealous if they knew Luna smelled like old lavender.

Okay maybe she would be too. Backing off a step or two from the prestigious, prodigious Princess in front of her, the Unicorn's thoughts stall just a little...

'Eyes high, Moony. Don't let her think you're staring. You just admire her in the normal way.'

Celestia's voice shatters Moondancer's off-kilter musing. "Are you sure-"

"I'm fine." Luna's terseness ends that round of conversation like the few other attempted blurts that preceded it from the medical quarters. The quiet that passes between the diarchs had been suffocating for just about every pony in earshot. Still, Celestia keeps apace of Luna and supports the shaking mare as best she can. It was kind of adorable if it wasn't also so disconcerting and paradigm altering. Luna was always the ancient warrior mystic of legend, now it was just uncomfortable.

The younger of the diarchs occasionally shudders or spasms with nervous twitches, but her grim scowl and wide teal eyes betray a spark of resolve unseen in an age. Again, Moondancer was only catching the glare when she looks Celestia's way so it might have been anything. Sure, Celestia had been 'allowed' her moment earlier, but the Princess of the Night had permitted it only so long. Celestia seemed to have wordlessly relented after five or ten minutes.

With another short fizzling 'pop' and a surprised snort from one of the Night guard mares, Twilight blinked into existence with a little flap of her wings that brushes across Moondancer's side. The Unicorn gives a little 'eep' as Twilight's far-too-loud voice booms, "Sorry, sorry, Sunset's asleep now or... I think she is."

Celestia turns and Luna's attention follows a moment later. "Is she any better?" Celestia's sincere question sees Twilight's ears folding against her skull.

"She's asleep,"Twilight confesses more quietly, "but I should still keep an eye on her. She's my friend and I got her into this."

'Filly, you got me into this!' Moondancer scrunches up her muzzle.

A still frazzled Starlight and Trixie both stumble along, barely registering Twilight's reappearance. Neither appear to have gotten much sleep, and Moondancer more than sympathized. At least with Starlight.

'Trixie can go suck an changeling egg.'

A taut tail swat on her rump goads Moondancer to a state of semi-wakefulness. She flashes Twilight a red-hued approximation of a glare that she saw reflected as more 'befuddled' than angry in her friends eyes. Twilight beams reassuringly, but the faint lines of concern still stretch across her muzzle. But she did try to incline her head to say 'keep up'. She was also brushing her side in some mockery of 'personal space'. Twilight had wedged herself in the small spot between herself and Starlight.

Shoved aside just a little, it was an excuse to get out of some very awkward sight lines but it also felt like she was being shoved out into the ring of guards. That feeling stops as Twilight presses her barrel into Moondancer's, as if she needed some form of reassurance.

"It'll be okay." Twilight whispers, and suddenly, the sensation of a friendly embrace over her neck graces the Unicorn. And all the irritation and rancor melts in the slight glow of warmth and comfort.

"Mmmphkay." the warble passes Moondancers lips like a drunken hiccup. The chuff of laughter from Twilight's chest was both humiliating and still somewhat soothing. Kinda like she expected her father would do had he been here.

The group crosses through the narrow nave of the cluster of royal residences, the Celestial Sisters towers jutting up next to one another, but still separated by a little chamber no different than a hallway. Or at least, in the light of day it was just a hallway, but in this strange quasi-dawn the shadows grew deeper and light glints harsher.

The first of the guards crosses the sigil of the Equestrian diarchy and scrambles across to the doors on the far side of the room. They're swiftly sealed, and she takes up a position facing the closed entrance as the group swiftly blocks off every unused entrance while others surround their rulers in a protective ring of iron. Turning sharply, the party meets another chamber and a spiralling staircase leading ever upward.

The Lunar tower.

It isn't until then that all but two of Celestia's guards peel off. The half-score form two neat gilded ranks and shut the door. And there, behind the group that neatly ascends the curving slate steps, they wait to bar entry to any that would interfere.

"So." Twilight starts, stifling an errant yawn. "Is the spell the same one that you used to find the Tantabus?"

Evidently the question was heard as the Princess's ears swivel back to face Twilight. "Its substance is the same, Twilight Sparkle, though several safeguards need to be implemented." With a flick of her head, she barely avoids stumbling on the steps as her left hind-hoof kicks reflexively. Celestia swiftly leans in, wing enfolding her sister to keep her from tumbling on the sharp steps. Luna hesitates, but ascending the spiralling staircase another floor, the Princess of the Night continues albeit more quietly. "The creatures on the other side know dream magic. They may not be adept, but they are linked together and have a great deal of raw magical potential. They are... problematic."

Her eyes travel to Celestia's, and the very word made the elder sister suck in a breath and fix her with glimmer of lingering concern. Ignoring the glance, the slender midnight blue Alicorn continues with her gaze partially falling back on Twilight.

Steeling herself with a breath, Twilight asks the question that had gone unanswered. "Princess Luna, why do we have to do this now? You should be rest-"

"No." Again came a repeated answer. But a counter-glare from Celestia meets it again, as she'd been the last one to give voice to it. Twice.

And this time Luna can only sigh. Her neck stiffens and her voice slips into the chilly tones of her regal bearing. "Due to circumstances, We may have told a colt to do something he was ill prepared to do. And We left a friend to fend for himself. One without the aid of dream magic. Our return was an... unanticipated miscalculation. Once the colt's dream was soothed, We anticipated that We could find and return to Our friends dream to aid him further. But, it seems that We were drawn back when the colt suddenly awoke. It was not gradual, so there was no time to circumvent the effect."

Luna swallows hard. It must have been hard enough to admit she'd made a mistake. But now she was struggling just to get up the steps, swaying side to side with only Celestia's guiding wing to keep her from drifting.

Twilight follows close behind, tugging a slightly worried Moondancer with her. But, for the first time since the indignant shout at her bedroom door, Trixie mutters under her breath. "Starlight, does Trixie have this right: we were woken up in the middle of the night to try to help a pony fall asleep to... wake up somepony else? Is that really what's going on?" Trixie quietly muses, likely just meaning it to pass between herself and Starlight. "Frankly, Trixie isn't certain that Princess Luna isn't the bearer of the element of Irony, if that is the case."

"Thou could have stayed abed, showmare Lulamoon." Luna's backs back, flicking her tail in irritation leaving a cream Unicorn blinking. "Thou art unimportant. Starlight Glimmer, however, may be of some practical use as her capabilities are impressive."

Moondancer's breath hitches, and it could have sounded like a hiccup if the mare didn't know her friend better. Trixie, evidently, knew it too and fixed her with a sour glare to match her own rapidly reddening face.

The rest of the ascent takes more time as Luna seemingly requires more and more aid from her sister, but it goes by in silence. The group travels up the swirling steps and past the little landings that spiral out into other private chambers, laboratories, studies, and what looked like a salon. Two large solar guard stallions still follow on Celestia's right while Luna's delegation seals off rooms before returning to the protective ring. That all stops once they reach the summit.

Past Luna's personal quarters, the final stairwell arches up into the pre-dawn aeries of Canterlot Castle. A single door is thrown open, allowing them out onto the balcony overlooking the city. A bluster of wind whisks in, chilly and cool for the late summer. The dawn was fixed in some strange-half maturation, tines of rich colours swirling in the heavens, but no trace of the sun itself. Their sun was the alabaster Princess who still embraces her sister. The bright illumination from her glowing horn acts like a flare, radiating heat and warmth from the blue-grey emulsion swirls painted on the tower's upper reaches.

As they proceed out into the wind-lashed pre-dawn, the Night guard finally fall into their defensive ring, spreading out fully across the balcony. Unicorn, Thestral, Earth ponies, male and female alike: the armoured warriors spread out five paces apart and face outward to oversee the world around them. Meanwhile, Luna and Celestia make their way up and around the tower to a single locked room heading up into the pinnacle room.

The observatory was well known to Moondancer, she'd seen it from a similar structure barely a stone's throw away. But Luna's horn weakly glitters, casting a pale blue glow on the door. Pure white moonlit sigils glow along the unassuming frame.

'Arcane runic wards?'

Moondancer looks again, seeing others burn off. Some most definitely were protective and deeply etched glyphs, but others flake away with the faint arcane scent of burning copper. There were even single-use scrying spells. The last two Solar guards take up a stance on either side of the door as it slowly groans open.

With a breathy rasp, Luna steps through even before Celestia, letting her sister's arcane light reveal the ill-used room. But even at a glance past her mentor and her younger sister, the ponies present could piece together that the room was no observatory.

The single chamber room smelled of dust and age, but the tang of copper and something else was never far from it. Star charts plaster the walls and a single large telescopic device juts downward from the ceiling, evidently directed at the moon. But those charts were subtly off, tracking something other than just the typical constellations. Light floods into the centre of the room, illuminating a clear non-reflective onyx floor. It was as if there was no floor at all, and everything floated above a pitch black abyss.

"Chalk and nightshade?" Starlight mutters, putting a name to what Moondancer had just caught a whiff of.

'That's it' Moondancer smirks, the familiarity of the arcane components putting her a little more at ease.

With a quiet creak, the chamber's doors close, locking the half dozen ponies inside: three Alicorns and three visibly more awkward Unicorns. It didn't fully dawn on Moondancer until Twilight and Starlight had wandered forwrd that she was just a few hooflengths from Trixie and the miserable whorse hadn't said a thing to her. No comments, no biting barbs... tired, scared, whatever it was it almost felt insulting. No, only the sound of hooves on stone disturb the deep abiding silence.

"Nightshade, Luna?" Celestia's question comes out quickly and easily.

The Princess of the Night, after a hesitant glance back at the door, clears her throat and replies. "It's calming and acts as a material component for some of Our purposes."Luna trots into one of the corners of the room, plucking what looks like several canvas bags from a shaded recessed alcove.

Twilight lofts a brow as if synchronized with one from Starlight, but the Lunar Alicorn picked up her explanation before she could be interrupted. "We need to cross into the realm of dreams and catch the thread that we had before. Here is easier to concentrate, the magic stronger. It takes some preparation, but we can help ensure there is no interference from the outside."

'This looks like a safe room for conjuration and evocation magics.' Moondancer pushes her glasses up her muzzle as she concentrates, mind parsing out the geometry of the walls and arcane resistant material. She'd have bet there was even lodestone somewhere arou-

"This looks a lot like a shielded evocation chamber, Princess." Starlight ventures after a glance.

"I was just thinking that!" Twilight replies, both getting a glance from Luna. But it wasn't one of reproach, rather a slight curve of a smile not so different than that of Celestia's satisfied grin. It was only matched by Moondancer's silent smirk as she stole a glance at an unflinching Trixie who, evidently, hadn't caught what everypony present had.

"Good," Luna nods, "Then you may be able to guess other steps." And sure enough, they could only bear witness to Luna pouring white chalk from the canvas bag and forming the arcane lines of some ritual circle.

"Luna," Celestia prompts, getting no response. "Sister." her voice more insistent. It catches Luna's attention via an ear flick but little else. "How do I help?"

"You don't." She calls back while carefully staring at the chalk line. Celestia visibly balks, hear rearing back as Luna continues, " I permitted you here to watch and guard, but you know as well as I that your power does not extend into the realm of dreams."

"Well..." Starlight bites her lip.

Luna purses her lips and wrinkles her muzzle, "Without outside magical interference."

"Okay, point taken." Starlight says. But the heat of Luna's words just wasn't there, and even Twilight flashed a slightly satisfied smile at her student.

Which all begged the question, "W-what uh, what exactly did I... y'know, miss?" Moondancer mumbles to the last remaining pony next to her... realizing with dawning horror who it was. She promptly gets a chilly 'what are you looking at me for?' glower from Trixie.

Moondancer sighs, eyes slowly drifting to the astronomical equipment set in a great gimbal from the roof. 'Do I tell Luna her circle isn't quite round? It's a good ellipse, maybe it's some sort of orbit? The princess knows what she's doing.' It felt more reassuring than letting an exhausted pony, Alicorn or not, create what looked like a complex arcane circle.

Before she could let her rising unease out, Starlight gave rise to an equally important question, "So, what are we doing? Scrying a location?"

Luna's reply is instantaneous as she carefully spirals another line of pure white chalk on the non-reflective floor, "We're constructing a method to contact and converse with others across the worlds, yes."

"So why don't we just use Twilight's book as a focus, or the portal mirror in the basement?"

The chalk bag drops in a puff of white dust, and Luna's hard teal eyes lock with Starlights. The Unicorn takes a hesitant half-step back as she bites her lower lip at the Alicorn's approach, "Say that again."


A series of connected teleportation flashes later, the group had left their entire cadre of guards far behind. The six ponies stand before the mirror, staring at the uncovered device so innocuously sitting in the middle of the room. Its dark frame and twisting floral decoration no different than a large gaudy piece in a Canterlot boutique.

Now that Twilight gave it a second look. Actually, she was almost certain Rarity had one just like that in her store.

Luna merely takes a breath, holding back something as she juts her chin out and bites the inside of her cheek. Her careful eyes study the outline of the frame before she turns, "Sister, I appreciate everything you've done to keep me safe. But your place is-"

"Don't even say it." Celestia harrumphs indignantly. "You just came back to us. You're exhausted. I am not letting you go out there alo-"

"SISTER!" Luna fixes her elder sisters gaze and reaches up, brushing a hoof over her cheek. "I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing.

Celestia takes a breath and swallows. Soft magenta eyes sparkling as they rove to and fro, searching Luna's face for a moment. "Promise me you'll be safe?" her every action looking for hesitation or doubt.

Luna glances down, then lays her ears back. "I'll do my best."

"Oh Luna..." Celestia sighs and embraces her sibling. "That's not good enough."

Luna tenses in surprise as the other Alicorn lets her go and trots purposefully towards the mirror. "W-wait!"

The aurora spangled mane billows as she approaches, and in a flash, she steps into the reflective surface. Silver ripples pool around her rapidly disappearing frame just as Luna bounds forward, entering a half second after.

Twilight blinks dumbly, not entirely comprehending as both of the royal sisters simply disappear without fanfare or warning. Twilight's muscles seize as the surprised voices filter in behind her.

"Starlight, the Princesses are gone." Trixie's voice rises with a creeping note of panic.

Starlight clears her throat, but it does nothing to hide her apprehension, "W-well, at least we still have Twilight here."

"I mean a REAL princesses!"

'Gee... thanks.'

And yet, at that moment, Twilight wasn't entirely certain she disagreed with at least the spirit of the complaint. Much like that impending dread of falling from the top of a tower, part of her just screamed 'jump and be done with it, it's gonna happen anyway'.

After a nervous wobbling amble forward, Twilight turns to stare at her cluster of confused friends... and Trixie. "Starlight," she fixes her gaze on the stock-still Unicorn, "Princess Luna wanted your help. Are you coming?"

She caught their attention, and Starlight lofts a brow at the question. "She said I was powerful. But she's got Celestia in there so..." she lets her sentence drop. And with a nod, Twilight couldn't say she didn't feel the same way about herself. She wasn't really needed, either.

But nerving herself up with a flicker and ruffle of her wings, Twilight turns and bounds towards the mirror and plunges forward with a muffled whimper.

"Twilight TWILIGHT COME BACK! Trixie didn't mean you weren't a real princess, she meant Cadence! WAIT!"

With that weird statement still ringing in her ears, the Alicorn vanishes through the mirror, feeling the sideways yank so different from going to the human world.


The plane that Twilight emerged into wasn't the blasted monochromatic nightscape they had visited before, but something equally desolate. She squints against the glaring glow of a boiling heaven as if standing on the salt flats of San Palomino at mid-day. The baked hardpan crackles underhoof, dried into hexagonal desert pavement with tiny black rocks that scrape and crackle with every step.

But the reason becomes blatantly clear in moments. Celestia and Luna both stand on the same little rise that they had visited before. Celestia blazed like the sun, tail and mane whipping in a radiating firestorm wild and bright enough to make Twilight's eyes ache. The blackened sky boil away to near milky white with just the faintest touch of blue. The only shadows cast coming from Luna's body blotting out a long shadow so deep and dark that the light couldn't hope to overwhelm it.

The Celestial pair stand staring at something, and Twilight could already hazard a guess at what.

'The horizon'.

Twilight carefully wings her way up the slope, alighting next to Celestia and opposite Luna.

"Well well, what do we have here? Hmm, a trio of transplanted Post-pony Princesses? Or would that be proto-pony princesses?" The serpentine figure of Discord pulls itself from the shadows wearing an enormous and, frankly, ridiculous pair of sunglasses.

Celestia's voice even rings distant as she stares off into the distance, "What is-"

"The maze." Luna cuts her sister off, staring off into the horizon. And sure enough, much like last time, Twilight caught the impossible shape of the maze within the riotous maelstrom swirling angrily on the horizon.

But where it had once covered the entire sky, now wisps of it evaporate away in violent shocks of lightning wreathed hues. It hurt to look at, and part of Twilight could hear the thin wheezing scream of steam escaping in the distance.

"Oooo, you have seen it! Good girl. Somepony deserves head pats for perceptiveness." Discord says while miming a 'pat-pat' gesture and grinning all the while.

"Don't insult me, you know why I'm here." The dark Alicorn huffs.

Waggling a talon in his perked ear, the Draconequus just smirks. "Why else. To visit your brother from another mother. Although technically he doesn't have one either."

"Discord, what are you talking about?" Celestia circles around, getting the serpent to perpetually use Luna as a sort of shield, holding up his mismatched hands defensively.

"Eaaaaasy easy, yeash. Alicorns. Soo testy, oops, thee of them... Grrrruk." he tugs on his neck, stretching the skin like a collar. "Relax, it sounded better than 'curious kinda-friend' or 'biggliest boy-toy.' See, I'm being nice." He shrugs, hands up submissively.

But Twilight turns from the slow circling spectacle whirling around Luna and back to the maelstrom. "It's a lot smaller than it was." It whirls faster, spinning and rotating violently like the mathematical models she'd made of a galaxy for some of her fic- theoretical physics papers... that she hadn't shown anypony. Something about the colourful whirlpool converged on several points, and a single red vein slices right through the center.

Her statement draws Discord at least, who slips into the shadows, disappears, and re-emerges with a paw on Twilight's withers.

'Scuse me, personal space!' Twilight flashes a haughty glare at the Draconequus now using her as cover.

He smiles, then cocks his head to the side. "Ooooh how wonderful, that's two of three fillies. Okay, so, miss Smarty Science filly. Tell me this: have you ever put an ant under a magnifying glass?"

"E'What?! No! No of course not!" Twilight reels back from his touch, stumbling sidelong into Celestia. The Elder diarch steadies her with a flame wrought wing. Tiny effervescent embers lick at Twilight's coat, but she could only sense a warmth rather than blistering heat.

"And whyyyyy not?" Discord's smirk grows.

"Because the lens would magnify the intensity of the light, creating a ray that would probably scorch and hurt, or even kill it!" Twilight babbles before checking herself. And yet, the Prince of Chaos smiles with an energetic nod.

"Excellent. Ten points. Now, miss Sunny Days." The Draconequus snaps his fingers as a little numbered scoreboard bursts into existence above their heads, "The next question is yours. When localized heat is applied to a cloud, what is the result?"

Celestia answers with a neutral meter that betrays her irritation with the Draconequus's antics, "short wavelength thermal radiation will reflect off water droplets, reflecting long range thermal radiation which will vaporize the water condensate in the immediate area, causing it to reform upwards as large thunderheads of cumulonimbus elsewhere."

"Ah ah, no points for half answers." Discord waggles a finger.

"The convective lift then causes wind, regional weather fronts, and storms." The Solar Alicorn doesn't even blink as she stares unwaveringly at him.

"Yes. However," Discord flips a cue card from his palm like a magician and tilts his glasses down. "I would have also accepted an rainy storm of chaos. Ten points, though I'm not so sure you deserve it." he waggles the card at a none-too-impressed Celestia. "Now, miss Gloomy Mooney-"

"I don't have time to play." Luna cuts him short and looks up at the maze, squinting for a moment.

"Oooooh you sound just like him." Discord smirks and slips over Twilight and Celestia's backs, landing in a coil of scales and parts on her right before slithering up and over to Luna. Reaching over, the Draconequus grasps her shoulder and pulls her in. His serpentine tongue flicks out, forked and black as his solitary dagger-like fang protrudes with a mirthless grin. He grasps her head in his talons, turning it forcefully towards the shrinking maelstrom.

He cups a hand to her pivoting ear, and the voice comes through gnarled and vicious from the midst of the maelstrom.

"You will relent, Horus. You were to be the Chosen of the gods themselves, and what did you do but cast it away! You are abandoned. Abandoned by your sons, by your so-called friends, and by your damned creator! You are alone!"

"No." A weak but defiant voice growls back with a hacking cough and the sound of spitting. "I'm merely holding your attention. Soon enough, I'll split your feathered skull open."

Raucous, bitter laughter meets the statement. Its rankling sound bleeds through with the shrill cry of carrion birds. "Stupid short-sighted fool! How long has it been? A day, a month, a decade? You. Are. Alone! You're a child playing in the halls of kings, understanding nothing of the world around you!"

Even Twilight could hear the voices, as did Celestia by the crook of her head and faint distant gaze in her eyes. And she heard the bitter base growl, then the triumphant cackle of a chorus of discordant choirs. It was enough to churn something in her stomach as the raucous call echoes so aimlessly and miserably across the sun scorched flats. Twilight's ears flick as she hears a crunch, spotting Luna digging her hooves into the hardpan with a glare of malice clear across her muzzle.

"For today's daily double, and a chance to win." Discord smirks and whispers the question so close and sibilant that it flicks the fluff of the Alicorn's ear. "Bear in mind, these places love symbolism. So, if our little mirror here was a flower, it is an evening primrose. Why?"

Celestia blinks, and Luna shoots Twilight a glance that said 'don't answer' which stops the youngest Alicorn cold. The princess of the night shoots Discord a vengeful glare, "It only opens up at night, and closes when directly in sunlight."

Discord smiles and glances to Celestia, his grin growing ever wider by the moment until the knowing Cheshire smile consumes his entire face. "Precisely, I think we have a winner."


"Morning, Garviel. Something the matter?" The speaker merely glances up from the plastron laid out across his lap, buffing pad still in hand. The glossy green armour reflected his thick jaw and dappling of new beard growth.

The triumvirate of captains walk in on commons room separating the series of personal chambers that make up garrison 26 block. X-III is etched on the brass plaque at the back of the round, marking out the group in question.

"Nero, get up." Loken nods, gesturing to the pair of captains flanking him. "We've got something to attend too. Pick six other troopers and grab your gear, we only have room for ten. It's going to be cramped."

Sergeant Nero Vipus nods once, standing and pointing at another enormous legionnaire in the back corner flipping over a series of cards. "Setar, grab the heavy flame set on your way out. Caphon, Basek, Kamphaddon, Larakkon, Marcellus, you're with me."

Other legionnaires nod, already rising. They didn't need a 'why', something Marr was now eminently grateful for as he half-cocks his head quizzically to catch Torgaddon's attention.

"What's the matter, Tybalt?" Torgaddon flashes a wane smirk, "Don't have a squad who will just follow you to oblivion in good faith?"

"Not these days." The line captain grumbles.

"Well, if it's any consolation, this lot think Garvi's crazy too." he clasps the fellow captain's shoulder with a wry grin and little shake. "It's just that they got used to his stoic straight up and down kind of crazy a while back."

Looking at the squad of legionnaires rapidly breaking up to seize armoured plates and equipment, Marr lets a thin breath pass his lips. "Lucky."

"Isn't he?"