Astelan sighed, he was having simultaneously a good day and a terrible day... Which was doing little more than creating a headache for him to deal with at an incredibly inopportune time. "So... Tell me again, this time with the most serious look you can... what happened in the quarantine zone?"

The guardsman stood in place a bit nervously before the towering, armored giant. "Well sir, by witness testimony there was a group calling themselves 'The Lifebringers of Nurgle' that made their way from one end of the zone to the other, curing all of the inhabitants of their ills. Many of the residents of that portion of the city have taken to... worshipping... the order god of life."

Astelan could only let out another sigh. "Nurgle is supposed to be the Plague lord... what's going on? This isn't right at all..." Sadly, all the sighing in the world couldn't help to avoid the facts that were practically staring into his face.

The guardsman tentatively spoke up. "S-sir... what would you like to do about the area?"

"Are they attacking anyone?"

"No sir."

"Are they blaspheming against the Empresses?"

"No sir, in fact, they seem to be giving praise to both the Empresses and this Nurgle god."

"Then simply keep the quarantine up, but more as a precaution than anything else, if they're not actively trying to depose the Empresses we have bigger matters to deal with." Astelan says as he straightens in the Lunar Throne.

"Understood sir!" The guard says before taking off to inform his superiors.

With the returning silence Astelan removed his helm and kneaded his temples. "Low on troops... supplies... weapons... The universe is just waiting for me to ask that damn question..." He muttered before he stood up and made his way out of the throne room. "And I'll be damned to the warp before I give it the satisfaction..."

Ticondrius settled himself at the large table that was set up in the middle of the outpost, his helmet was off and he raised a bottle of mead to his lips as he subtly listened to the chatter of his battle brothers and some of the local guardsmen.

"I just don't get it..." A slightly shorter guard-pony says, his cream colored coat covered by Faux-fur to combat the cold of being so far north.

His companion, a light blue unicorn stallion looks up to him. "What?"

"Those things we've seen moving around out there, those beasts... there are so many that they could easily overrun us and force us to join their number... but... they don't... They just sit out there and watch. It's creepy..."

One of the Lunar templars, his space wolf colors still showing from quite a few of the scratches and nicks on his armor, sits down with them. "Remember my little friends, The Empresses watch over us, for it is their protection that keeps those monsters from overrunning us... though a loaded bolter and a few crossbows don't hurt." They all let out chuckles, giving Ticondrius a warm feeling deep in his soul when he realized just how many others were having similar conversations. Several of the noble generals were even having a bottle of mead alongside some of their troops.

"Out here in the warzone... rank means little." He mutters to himself before a unicorn mare sits down beside him, garnering his attention.

"Hello good sir-knight..." she greets with a small smile, receiving a slight bow in return as he picks up another bottle. "...I saw that you were over here alone and thought you may want some company."

"Company is always appreciated m'lady." He replies with a toothy grin, revealing fangs among his smile and catching her a little off guard.

"O-oh my... Where did you get those... fangs?" She asks with more curiosity than fear.

"They're part of the Lunar Wolves Gene seed, the marines modified with them take on traits of the wolves of our homeland. With the way this war is going though, I'm fairly certain that this modification may extend to all space marines soon enough due to the small amount of gene seeds we have to work with."

She nodded with a contemplative look, "Well, if that means that there will be more stallions with your stature, I'm sure there won't be too many problems with it." She chuckled as she began eating the soup she brought with her. "Supplies are starting to get thin though..." She sighs as she looks around at the number of ponies that were actually eating.

"Feed the young first, the marines can last a while without food... although some mead isn't unappreciated among our ranks." Ticondrius replies. "This is a siege, and we have to last longer than them..."

The mare gives a small nod. "It's just so... strange out here, those things you marines have been fighting truly do outnumber us by a blanket of monsters that stretches to the horizon." She sighs. "While nopony doubts your skill, sheer numbers may be able to bring us down."

He places a hand on her shoulder. "I know... All of the marines know... but we have to keep a brave face for everyone else, to show weakness is to let the enemy win, to overcome weakness is to be a true marine at heart." He gives her a warm smile, a welcome change amongst the cold winds.

She returns the smile as she nuzzles his forearm. "Then I guess us simple ponies can only hope to become as strong as you one day..." she giggles.

"Aye lass, now if only the comms worked we could get a decent gauge on how well the other cities are doing."

"I do have family in Canterlot I'm worried about... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was safe and they had..." She cuts herself off as she brings her hoof up to her muzzle. The marine ruffles her mane a little.

"You'd have to live on to preserve the memories of who they truly are Lass, if we're lucky it was simply a comms shutdown and the forces from Canterlot are already pushing them back."

The mare gives a nod. "Yeah... lets hope for that... By the way, my name's Autumn Rose."

"It's good to meet a beautiful mare such as yourself Miss Rose."

Meanwhile, in Canterlot

Astelan let out a small breath as he heard his bootfalls on the stone steps beneath him while he ascended to the edge of the outer wall. Memories flashed in his vision as he moved almost as robotically as looked.

So much, yet so little, had happened in his life... Elementary school, middle school, high school, a few years of college and an unerring dedication to buying expensive plastic miniatures... had the situation not been so dire he would have laughed at the irony.

"Maybe somewhere out there, this battle just happens to be a miniature wargame for some one else..." That little thought was enough to make him crack a minuscule smile under the fearsome visage of his helmet. The smile changed to a curious one as he got to the top of the steps

"Who the hell are you?" he asks as the Vox crackles to life again, catching the cloaked figure's attention. With a small flourish on a wind that wasn't there the figure's cloak brushed out of the way to reveal a stallion in Astra Militarum battle-gear. The stallion's brown coat was tinted an aged-grey.

With a confident smirk he pulls out a cigar and lights it up. "From what I've been told, your salvation from this chaos menace..." He replies before taking a long drag from the cigar and exhaling like a snoring dragon. "Name's Castellan Creed, and I brought reinforcements." The wall shakes a little just before four giant tanks burst out of the wall in a shower of dust and debris, their treads squealing while their guns began to light up the horde waiting just down the path.

Astelan quickly pulls off his helmet and rushes to the crenelations as his mouth gapes a little in surprise. He mouths the words 'no... way...' as nearly a full legion of anthropomorphised guardsmen poured out of the holes taking cover in the rubble and behind the tanks just to pop out and light up the battlefield even more with light from their Lasguns.

Creed gives a jolly chuckle as he stands beside the stunned marine. "I betcha they didn't expect Baneblades." Astelan's face grows a smile of pure joy as the tanks let out a succession of roaring artillery fire and continue to tear the horde to pieces.

"No they didn't... and this... is one of the most beautiful sights a marine could ever see." Astelan agrees.

Author's Notes:

...please don't be mad...

It took me forever to think about where I wanted this chapter to end because I didn't know if I wanted to just go with a large number of 1,000+ word chapters, or longer chapters hopefully trying to break the 3,000 word line.

Honestly, I'd like your feedback on this, after this small hiatus where I sought to get my writing mojo back I want to know if you guys don't actually mind the small chapters, or if you would rather have some long chapters come up?