It was... Liberating... The sights, the sounds, the smells...

Once the Baneblades burst through the walls of the city I wasted no time in leaping from the battlements and following behind the tanks. I hadn't bothered to pick up a bolt pistol but I didn't need it anyway. My sword quickly found purchase in any enemies trying to climb onto or move around the tanks. Looking to my sides I had noticed that several of my Battle Brothers had begun to support the Militarum soldiers as well, our abundant close-range combat was able to complement the long range bombardment of lasguns, lascannons and lasrifles.

Gone was the headache, gone was the worry... and in their place... Elation! Pride! Excitement! I couldn't believe how much more fun the war had become now that we had the advantage. I saw every swing and every shot, I wasn't blacking out from blind fury, I was in full control and I felt every rush of joy and exhilaration as another corrupted creature fell before the might of the Empresses. Everything seemed to be moving fast and slow at the same time as my squad and I moved through the battlefield and pushed the deplorable warp-corruptions back.

Just after I brought my sword down into the skull of yet another ogre several las-shots rained down from the sky, garnering my attention to see several Valkyrie gunships soar overhead to lay down suppressive fire. Engines roared, missiles screamed and Lasguns hissed as the battle seemed to last forever, ending with the fleeing forms of what few troops were left after trying to siege Canterlot. I felt a tad exhausted as my feet eagerly requested to take a break while I turned my attention to one of the approaching Valkyries.

It landed several feet away only to slide open its side door and reveal the two ponies we were most concerned about. Dropping immediately to one knee I crossed one arm over my chest and bowed in respect. "My Empresses... It's good to see you again."

"And it is good to see thee again as well Sir Astelan." Luna replied as she walked up to me. "It relieves us greatly to know that thy soldiers have been able to outlast the siege of our home.

I could feel the pride welling up in my chest as I looked up to see eye to eye with her. "As much as I wish it was due to my own efforts, your citizens deserve just as much credit, for without their desire to keep their home safe we would not have lasted as long as we did."

"Very well..." Celestia began. "We shall see to it that everyone is justly rewarded, especially now that we have the artifacts to drive back the chaos menace."

I nearly stood up in surprise at that. "Truly, My Empresses?" They both nodded and I stood. "I shall inform the troops, soon... with your blessing, we shall take back our world."

I was more than eager to get back to my battle brothers, as well as excited when they reacted just as I had to the knowledge that we would finally be making our push outward against the forces of Chaos. It even seemed that the whole day was starting to get better and better as news of the anthromorphing process' success was being applied to unicorns and pegusai as well. This was just what we needed, Our populace would recover... and we would have our victory!

About four hours later, in the Canterlot Castle Med-wing

I pushed the door to the main lab open slowly with one hand while my helmet was held under my other arm. "You requested to see me Apothecary?"

Magron nodded to me. "With my apprentices as well as the fresh sterilization equipment that this Umbra person provided us we have made much faster progress in our augmentation experimentation and have managed to succeed where the original founders of our chapters had failed."

My eyes narrowed a little as I took the Solaris Knight's expression in. "I think it would be wise to explain what failure..."

He motions towards a door on the far side of the room. "In that room is our experiment, a volunteer from one of the surviving civilians in the earlier attack. Step through the door and you shall see what I mean."

With caution I slowly began stepping towards the door, opening it with my right hand. I was certainly surprised when I saw who was lying on the operating table, I turned back to the Apothecary and began to question him. "How long ago did the experiment succeed?"

With a smile he responded back. "It was just after the Empresses returned..."

"Do you realize what this means?"

"Yes I do, it means that we will no longer have to pass over mares when selecting for our Battle-Siblings, With enough time it is possible that we could make every pony into marines, tailoring the gene seed to bond with more than certain select gene pools. It's theoretically possible to merge the gene seeds into a more effective master-seed that would seek the true emulation of the Empresses."

I quickly closed the door and looked him in the eye. "Are you sure of this?"

"Right now it is only a theory, but it is one that is building its foundation every passing day. All I need is the genetic material of the Empresses and I can test my theories."

"I will speak with the Night Empress, although I am sure that you would be able to speak with Empress Celestia, since you are the Solaris Knights Chapter Master."

"I will ask her, since it is so soon after her return though she has been quite exhausted and I do not want to disturb her recovery. The acquisition will wait until they have both recovered from their journey to obtain the Elements of Harmony."

I put a hand to my chin as I thought back to when Empress Luna had informed me about the Elements. "To think... the very tree that held such powerful artifacts was underneath the original castle the whole time." I let out a small breath as I looked back over to Magron. "Thank you for this information and I hope that you will keep me informed if we get further developments like this."

"Of course my brother..." The Solaris knight replied before getting back to work. I took that as my cue to leave and speak with my Empress.

It wasn't long before I reached the doors to the Lunar tower, getting a salute from the two Lunar Templars that were guarding it I made my way quickly up the stairs until I reached the door to one of the most respected and private rooms in the entire castle... Luna's own private quarters. I hesitated as I brought my fist up to knock on the door, something about what I was planning to do just felt... well... it made me nervous. I could feel both of my hearts beating from a small adrenaline rush as it seemed simultaneously harder to breathe and easier to breathe. It was strange how opposites happening at the same time were occuring more and more often around me. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat before I knocked quickly on the door.

"Come in..." Was the slightly subdued response that I had been getting more and more used to around Luna in private. I opened the door and quickly shut it behind me. "I guess I should have expected you would still be dressed in your formal attire..." The lunar diarch chuckled as she stepped into the lighter part of the room. Her horn lit up and I could feel the connections I had to my armor fading away until I was in nothing but the jumpsuit I always wore under my armor. "At least you had the sense to wash up before coming up here."

Had I not been spending the past few months simply fighting until I was about to collapse with exhaustion I would've possibly had the humility to at least act embarrassed that my empress was practically seeing me naked, fortunately this wasn't the first time we had been alone together like this.. and it was hopefully not going to be the last time. "Of course... My love... It would be terrible if I were to meet with royalty looking and smelling like I had just come off the battlefield."

"You did just come off the battlefield though." She retorted as she used a wing to indicate for me to take a seat on the bed.

Without question I bowed a little before taking a seat. "Certainly, But that is not the point... I had plenty of time to recover."

I nearly flinched a little when she frowned. "no you didn't... This is a war... Nopony truly recovers from it... even after the war is over." She trotted over gracefully and hopped onto the bed to lay next to me and place her head in my lap so that I could scratch her ears as usual. "I can see it when I look into your eyes, these past few months you have become troubled... I have seen it many times in my own guards... I know the feeling myself. When you think back on those whose lives you have taken, do you not feel at least a hint of regret?"

When she said that my mind had involuntarily brought up a single memory, and it confused me as much as it made me just the tiniest bit angry at myself. The fear I saw, at the time it had seemed to thrilling to watch as the changeling knew I held its fate with a twitch of the trigger finger... just before a loud roar had destroyed it... I couldn't help think of other ways that I truly could have handled the situation, I wasn't acting myself... I could've taken the bug into custody, I... I could've interrogated it for the location of its hive or something like that... but... I wasted it... I killed it... just because I only wanted to slake a thirst for blood. When I had started first thinking back to that moment I could only think of how it seeded doubt in my own actions, how I began to doubt myself.

"You do... don't you..." Luna cooed from my lap as she rolled onto her back to look up at me without twisting her neck. At my nod she smiled. "That is good... Do not ever kill without regret for taking the life of another..." She did manage to surprise me by leaning up to nuzzle me just a little before she sat up again, lighting up her horn in order to use her power to place me in the center of her bed. I sat up and was about to protest but a gentle hoof on my muzzle stopped my protests. Looking into her eyes I saw more than just a mare who had gained the respect of powerful warriors... more than just a goddess of the night... I saw the feelings that she had, the sorrow at needing to keep her feelings hidden for the most part. "Shh... tonight... is just for us... worry not about the future... worry not about what goes on outside this very room... tonight... we only matter to each other..." She says quietly before leaning in for a somewhat chaste kiss that quickly grew into a more passionate one as my hand cupped her cheek.

A hoof on my chest gently pushed me back onto the bed as she broke the kiss. "...I missed you..." I say breathlessly.

"And I you... Astelan..." she cooed before leaning in for another kiss.

Author's Notes:

For those of you who are hoping for clop in this story... don't. I don't trust my own skill enough to accurately portray it, so unless I have a reader who decides to donate such a chapter any sort of intimacy in this story will be rated T.

I am sorry if this disappoints you, but I will not be sorry for not adding clop when I lack the skill to make them good.

Aside from that though, I'm happy to finally get a new chapter out