There was no hiding the recent events from the other princesses. In short order, Twilight was given a deadline for the arrival of Celestia and Luna to assess the latest super-warrior addition to her castle. As such, her panic was at usual levels of mania.
Te'kan was hesitant to interact with the clearly insane equine, but he had found himself warming to the endearing little drake she kept as a pet. It had taken the better part of the week they had to prepare to reach that point, but Spike was pragmatic, clever, and clearly had the purple pony’s number. Most importantly, Spike had answered his every question in a short, efficient manner. He had stopped asking Princess Twilight questions to avoid the lectures.
Spike had been enamored with a fighting force that styled itself after dragons, or rather salamanders, native to Nocturne, homeworld and base of operations for Te'kan and his brothers. Te'kan had, the evening before, tentatively shared his story of his hunt for a Salamander as his initiation rites. He had left out the fatal, gruesome details, but had pointed out the honor brand he had earned. Every time he pointed out one of the brands, the little drake seemed a bit squeamish, which would make Te'kan grin.
However, he remained frighteningly cold for one so hot blooded in the presence of Hesperos. Some feuds were too old and bloody to simply forego, as Twilight was frustrated to learn. On the bright side, Te'kan had come to terms with his predicament.
He was just as trapped as the rubricae.
With no other foes of the Emperor present and the rubricae clearly being both subservient to and under the care of the princess for reasons beyond his ken, Te'kan had accepted his only option was to bide his time and be at peace with the locals. Aside from their frightfully potent witchcraft, little about them even remotely intimidated the astartes. Natives of his homeworld, human or otherwise, were far more imposing. He only had reason to fear the pink one.
The pink one, he shuddered to think of, was impossible. Ever present, always more aware than she seemed. Strong enough to nearly lift him from his feet in a hug and durable enough his reflex to crush her in his iron-strong arms was, to her, merely an impressive bear hug. He would have more concern and venom towards her if she had not proven so adept with food. Somehow, some way, she had replicated a couple of Nocturnian recipes from offhand, overheard conversations within the castle.
The galaxy would fall to madness if there were others like her.
Thankfully Twilight assured him that was not the case. She did, however, provide ample desensitization to the myriad improbabilities and eccentricities of the world he now inhabited. It was for this reason the announcement that the princesses would be arriving the next morning did little to phase him.
Hesperos watched from the shadows in amusement with Luna, who had intermittently shadow-walked to join him in his observations and place bets on the inevitable meeting.