As Anon made his way back down to the throne room, Javelin right by his side, the duo stormed past the staff of the castle as they busied themselves in their daily tasks. Several maids and guards quickly jumped out of the way as Anon uncharacteristically forced his way past them, not even sparing a glance back in their direction. While the human was normally extremely polite and curious to the staff of the castle, it was immediately clear to all of them that he was in a very, very bad mood.

Javelin fixed the human with a wary look as they reached the throne room doors, and rather than let the guards open them for him, Anon aggressively thrust his hands against the large mahogany doors and forced them open himself. The guards stationed outside gave him a wide birth as he strode past them, his mind on a mission. As they reached the throne room and continued on down the hall toward the crystal caverns below.

Realizing where they were heading, Javelin looked up to Anon with a raised eyebrow, "We're going to see the changelings?" He asked, curiously.

Anon didn't so much as slow down, "Yeah." He responded, curtly.

"You, uh... going to tell me what this plan of yours is, then?" Javelin questioned.

Once again, Anon did not slow in his step, but he did look over to Javelin finally, "I have an idea... it might be crazy... stupid even, but I think it will work."

"What's the idea?" Javelin pressed.

Anon continued down the staircase until arriving at the entrance to the crystal caverns below, "Tia and Luna can't fight Tirek right now. So we need to replace them until they can." He explained.

Quickly putting the pieces together, Javelin nearly did a double take, "Wait, you mean having changelings replace them? Anon, even if Tirek does buy it and think it's them, he'll just find out as soon as he drains their magic. He'll probably be so mad he'll just kill them on the spot. How are you going to ask a changeling to do that?" He questioned.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth as he stepped onto the lift, "My plan isn't just to hang them out to dry. I'm planning on using them as bait."

Javelin frowned as he stepped onto the lift as well, "Bait? Bait for what exactly? And how is that better?" He pressed.

As the lift slowly descended, Anon stared out over the changeling hive once more, "Bait for a counterattack. I only need three changelings. In the meantime, Celestia and Luna can have our foals, then transfer their magic to Twilight, and we'll hit Tirek with everything we've got." He explained.

Javelin's skeptical look only grew more skeptical, "And what about Discord? He's kinda half the reason we're bucked in the first place." He asked as the lift reached the bottom of the cavern.

"I remember overhearing Chrysalis explaining that her hive was basically made of some kind of anti-magic material when I was hungover and trying to sleep. If we can lure him there, we can take him out of the picture entirely." Anon replied.

As Anon stepped off of the lift, and Javelin followed right after him, the stallion couldn't help the furrow that formed in his brow, "And just how exactly are you planning on getting Discord away from Tirek? And all the way to the badlands of all places?"

"Why do you think we're down here?" Anon asked, knowingly.

Javelin slowly nodded, "So... you want the changelings to pretend to be the princesses... and lure Tirek and Discord to the badlands so that their magic won't work because of the hive?" He pieced together.

Anon nodded, "We hide Celestia and Luna, lure Discord and Tirek into the hive, and proceed to beat the fucking shit out of them with whatever weapons we have. Pony magic won't work in there, but changeling magic sure will." He replied.

"Yeah but... Anon. They're not exactly the best fighters." Javelin reasoned.

Anon paused mid-step, his gaze swiftly flicking over to the prison on the opposite side of the cavern, "I don't expect them to fight. I just need them to help some extra muscle get into position in their hive."

Javelin followed Anon's gaze for a moment, before sighing heavily, "Are you really sure this is a better plan than what the princesses were thinking already? I mean... yeah Discord probably already told Tirek about Twilight, but there's a chance he didn't too. Discord might not be what you'd call 'sane' but he isn't stupid. He probably thinks Tirek will betray him unless he proves otherwise, and keeping Twilight a secret from him makes a lot of sense to me." He offered.

Anon shook his head, "That's risking everything on an assumption. An assumption about a guy who literally thrives off of doing the most chaotic things possible. To him, turning Equestria upside-down is probably heaven, and I doubt he cares if it's him or Tirek that's pulling the strings at that point."

Seeing that there was no convincing him, Javelin simply fell back in line at Anon's side, "Alright. Well let's try to coordinate this with Valorant and Shining Armor. The last thing we need is to leave Canterlot defenseless."

Anon nodded, "Agreed. First though, we gotta convince the changelings to even go along with this plan in the first place."

Javelin nodded in agreement as the pair quickly arrived at the entrance to the changeling camp. Hundreds of the little bug horses were out and about, going through their normal daily tasks, but paused and stared at the human and his guard in astonishment as he arrived. Several hasty bows were thrown Anon's way, but he quickly waved them off, a placating look on his face.

"Hey guys. I know we talked just a little while ago, but I've learned some things and I need to talk with you. Could some of you spread word to the rest of your hive and get every changeling over here?" Anon politely asked, loud enough to be heard by the dozens of changelings before him.

Surprisingly, the changelings complied without protest, and the soft sound of idle chittering amongst the changelings as they informed each other filled the air. Within a few minutes, the entire hive was standing around or buzzing in the air nearby, their ears perked forward in interest as they observed the human prince. A hushed silence descended over the gathered changelings as their general eventually made his way through the ranks and to the front.

"Prince Anon." Pharynx greeted, professionally.

"General Pharynx, thank you for coming out to see me. I know we just spoke, but there is some news I've received and I... well, I need your help." Anon explained.

Pharynx tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, "Our help? What news did you receive." He asked, curiously.

Anon let out a heavy sigh. He spared a small glance to Javelin, almost as if to ask the stallion what he should say, but a small nod of support from the unicorn in question quickly helped him make up his mind.

"Tirek and Discord are on their way here, and my wives plan to stop him would mean them giving up their magic... I don't know much about how magic works, to tell you the truth... but I do know that both Celly and Lulu are due to give birth at any time now. I don't know what them giving their magic up could do to both them and our foals. Hell, for all I know, nothing will happen... I just can't take that chance though." He admitted, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

Pharynx continued to hold his gaze on Anon, his expression as unreadable as ever. Seeing that he wasn't receiving a response yet, Anon took the hint and continued.

"My plan requires three changelings to help me. Now... I know I have no right to ask anything of you all. I've kept you in the dark about your Queen and mother and... I'm sorry for that. I just didn't know how to tell you and... I want so badly to believe that she's still alright. I don't want to put any of you in danger too, but if we don't stop Tirek, it won't matter if you guys go into hiding. The entire world will lose its magic and we'll all be his slaves. I think we can stop that with your help." Anon finished, patiently waiting for a response.

For several seconds, the changelings before him were silent, their wide compound eyes scanning him as if they were trying to decipher if he was lying or not. Some of the smaller drones and nymphs shared concerned glances, but they all turned to their general as Pharynx spoke up.

"So what's your plan?" He asked, calmly.

Taken slightly aback at just how direct the general was, Anon fumbled with his words for a moment before collecting himself, "W-well, I need three changelings to impersonate Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Possibly a fourth for Twilight, but we're not sure about that yet. I know your hive back in the badlands is made from anti-magic material. I'm sure you can gather where I'm going with this." Anon replied.

Pharynx slowly nodded, "You want us to lure Tirek and Discord to our old hive where they won't be able to use their magic to fight against you." He surmised.

Anon nodded, "Bingo. I'm not sure how many others I can get to fight with us, but at this point, the more creatures we have fighting alongside us, the better." He offered.

Pharynx scratched his chin, "So you want to use us as bait and also canon fodder?" He asked.

Anon immediately blanched, "What? N-no! I don't want anyone to get hurt fighting these guys. I just don't see any other way we can fight them. I mean, how do you beat the God of Chaos and a magic absorbing centaur unless you take away their ability to use magic?"

Pharynx calmly held his gaze, "Do you intend to fight them hoof to hoof? Even with our throne negating Tirek's magic, he's potentially strong enough now that conventional weapons won't work on him. He might only get angry if we all throw ourselves at him."

Anon chewed on his cheek, "I know I'm asking a lot here... but even if we can't kill him or imprison him or whatever, I just need to buy some time... time for my wives to give birth and I can at least know that the foal's will be safe before they give their magic up. Like I said, I'm not asking you to fight. I just need your help to lure them away from here." He asked.

Pharynx's brow furrowed slightly as he considered Anon's offer. The rest of the hive behind him all shared a similar level of deep thought as they all considered the offer, but before the general could speak, a voice spoke out that startled everyone.

"Prince Anon!" Thorax called out, stepping forward.

Anon instantly looked to the more meek and quiet changeling, finding that to his surprise, Thorax was standing tall.

"Thorax?" Anon found himself questioning.

"I'd like to help you." Thorax declared, startling the entire hive.

"Thorax!" Pharynx hissed, scowling at the smaller changeling.

Ignoring his fellow changeling's protests, Thorax stepped forward, "Princess Luna has been visiting my dreams the past week. I thought I'd never be able to forget what happened that night but... she's really helped me. She's done so much for me, and asked for nothing in return. The ponies have given us food, shelter, and a possibility of a future. If this is what you need me to do to repay that, then I'll do it." Thorax offered, smiling up to Anon.

Anon, utterly touched by the admission, found himself speechless for a moment. He simply stared back at the brave little changeling, his expression a mix of surprise and gratefulness, but yet another voice quickly spoke out as well.

"I'm going too!" Ocellus cried out, galloping over to Thorax's side.

"Ocellus! No!" Pharynx barked, but the little drone simply ignored him as well.

"Ocellus, you're too young!" Thorax added, looking down to his broodmate with concern written all over his face.

"I'm grown enough! I'm not a nymph anymore and I wanna help! Princess Luna didn't just stave off your nightmares, you know." Ocellus rebutted, glaring at Thorax.

Thorax quickly took the hint and backed down, but Pharynx was simply having none of it, "Ocellus, you're barely a drone. You're not going on a dangerous mission like this. That's final." He ordered, his tone leaving little room for debate.

Her cheeks puffing up in frustration, Ocellus turned to the general, "I don't care what you say, Pharynx. The ponies have sacrificed so much for us. They took a leap of faith on us when all we've ever been to them was an enemy. We owe them at least this much. Maybe you're not willing to do it, but I am." She declared, stomping her hoof into the ground.

Silence reigned over the area for almost a full minute as every changeling stared at the little drone in shock. Such declarations were rarely, if ever made against the high general of the hive, but for the first time ever, Pharynx found himself stunned.

"A-are you sure about this? I don't want to ask too much of any of you." Anon weakly offered, noting the tension in the air around Ocellus and Pharynx.

"My brother is just being over-protective. They both are." Ocellus replied, sparing a glare to both Thorax and Pharynx.

Anon did a double take, "Wait, what? They're both your brothers?" He asked, looking back and forth between Thorax and Pharynx.

Pharynx let out a heavy sigh, "Yes, we're related. Thorax and Ocellus are my younger siblings." He explained.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth, "You know, I gotta say, I don't really see the resemblance." He quietly muttered.

"Neither do I," Pharynx replied, before turning to Thorax, "So what, you want to grow an exoskeleton all of a sudden? When our Queen is missing and we have no idea just how powerful Tirek is, that's when you want to go and make rash decisions like this?" He questioned, stepping toward his brother.

Thorax owlishly blinked at his brother before leveling a glare at him, "We owe the ponies for giving us a second chance. I want her back just as badly as you do, but if you think that the way to do that is to hide out here, then you're gonna get us all killed." He defensively replied.

"We have a chance to help. To really make a difference here. Not just to the ponies, but for all of us too. You remember what mom said before she left. If we don't stop Tirek, he'll destroy everything. Prince Anon is right. We need to help with this." Ocellus added.

Pharynx grit his teeth, "Everything I do, every decision, every call, I make for the hive; to protect the hive. It's too much of a risk." He asserted.

"Mom put her life on the line to help the ponies." Thorax rebutted, making Pharynx pause, "She's out there, potentially dying and alone, and we have the culprit coming right to our doorstep. Are you seriously telling me that you of all changelings, don't want a chance at some payback?"

Pharynx stumbled on his words for a moment, clearly struggling to find a suitable rebuttal, but found himself coming up empty. Still, he looked to Anon with hesitation.

Seeing this as his opportunity to act, Anon stepped forward, "I know it isn't much, but I can offer this as a sign of goodwill." He announced, stepping over to Ocellus.

As she curiously looked up to him, Anon reached down and grabbed the mana blocking ring atop her horn. After a few seconds, it flashed green and unlocked, allowing him to unclip it from her horn. Ocellus gasped as she felt her magic flowing once more, and with a squee of excitement, she burst into green flames, appearing a second later as a small blue pegasus. She smiled broadly up at Anon as she transformed back into her normal form again.

Anon smiled down at the little changeling for a moment before looking up at the clearly shocked crowd of changelings, "I'm asking for your help, but I want you all to know that I'll have all of your rings removed immediately. I'm not trying to guilt trip you, but please do consider it an act of good faith. You've all be extremely well behaved this whole time and at this point... I don't think it matters whether or not Canterlot is ready for you all to be here. We've got bigger problems right now." He explained.

Excited chitters ran through the gathered changelings at lighting speed, and within seconds, cheers and exclamations of happiness rang out throughout the caverns. Albeit with a resigned sigh, Pharynx turned and fixed Thorax with a serious look.

"Alright, fine. You two want to do this so bad, I'm coming with you." Pharynx announced.

"Bout time." Ocellus playfully snickered.

"What was that!?" Pharynx barked.

"Oh nothing, nothing. Just glad you came around, is all." Ocellus sweetly replied, a wide smile on her face.

Somehow rolling his compound eyes, Pharynx shook his head and walked up to Anon, "Alright, Prince Anon. You get three changelings. Possibly a fourth if needed, but no more. I can't put the rest of the hive at risk. I'll have the rest of the drones start evacuating the nymphs and grubs while we handle Tirek and Discord. Please tell you you have a plan to deal with them once your wives transfer their magic to... whoever it is they're transferring it to."

Anon nodded, "As far as I'm aware, we just need to buy Twilight time to figure out how to get the elements of harmony working again... or something. Point is, we just need to buy some time. Maybe a day or two at most."

Pharynx raised an eyebrow, "A day or two? You want us to keep Tirek and Discord occupied for a day or two?" He asked, incredulously.

Anon frowned, "Look, I wish I could tell you when exactly my wives were gonna go into labor but I just don't know. They're due at any time so it should only be a day or two at most. I don't know when Tirek and Discord will show up either. You want me to be honest, that's the situation. So are you in or out?" He replied, indignantly.

Thorax and Ocellus shared a look while Pharynx frowned back at Anon.

"Well, if we lure them to the hive..." Thorax trailed off, scratching his chin in thought.

"And if we only have to impersonate the princesses while Tirek and Discord are nearby..." Ocellus added.

"Without their magic, it may be possible to win." Pharynx finished, sighing.

Anon nodded, "Exactly."

"Alright. It's not a great plan, but I suppose it is a plan. Let's go get this over with." Pharynx commented, trotting over to Anon, "Which would be a lot easier with this ring removed." He intoned.

Anon rolled his eyes and removed Pharynx's mana nullification ring, before doing the same for Thorax. An entire sea of black forms quickly swarmed him, all excitedly chittering and cheering for the removal of their rings.

"Woah, woah. Hold on, guys! I can't remove them all by myself. I'll be down here all day and we don't have the time. I'm gonna be stopping by the prison before we go and I'll have Swan order her guards to remove them all for you guys, alright?" Anon offered, holding his hands up to halt the thousands of excited bug horses.

Dejected 'awws' sounded through the changelings but they did back off enough to allow Anon to lead his group out of the center of the changeling town and start heading toward the prison. As he walked, Ocellus and Thorax bounced in excitement at the ability to change once more. Ocellus transformed into several different iterations of the pony tribes before Pharynx turned to her.

"Hey, cut it out! If we're going to have to be holding a transformation for days, you're gonna need every last ounce of love in your body." He barked, making Ocellus change back to her normal form.

"Fine, mister grouchy pants." Ocellus muttered, pouting adorably.

As Pharynx's attention returned to Anon, Thorax leaned in toward his little sister, "I'm glad to be able to transform again too, but Pharynx does have a point. This is going to be a real challenge. Are you sure you're up for maintaining your form for days?" He asked, cautiously.

Ocellus nodded, "I am. I can do this." She proudly declared, smiling up at her older sibling.

Returning the smile, Thorax nuzzled his sister before looking up to the sight of the prison as the group quickly approached the front gate. The dozens of guards making their patrols and manning their posts watched the group approach with apprehension, but they all made way for their leader as Swan swiftly exited the front door.

Easily spotting Anon, Javelin, and the three changelings in the open area just in front of the prison, Swan unfurled her wings and took flight. Her two guards followed suit, and within a matter of seconds, they all landed in front of Anon. Swan eyed the changelings with scrutiny, a fact that made Pharynx frown back at the midnight black thestral.

"You took their rings off?" Swan asked, curiously.

Anon nodded, "The way things are going, we're gonna need all the help we can get. These three have offered to help me with a plan to stall Tirek and Discord." He explained.

Swan slowly nodded, "A plan... what plan? This is the first I'm hearing of this."

Anon sighed, "Look, I've just had to explain it like, three times. We're gonna have these three pretend to be Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, and lure Tirek and Discord to the changeling's old hive in the badlands where they won't be able to use their magic. The goal is gonna be to beat them there while they can't fight at their full strength and buy Tia and Luna enough time to give birth before they give their magic to Twilight." He quickly explained.

Swan slowly nodded once more, "Alright. So what do you need from me, then?" She asked, with a small nod.

Anon tilted his head to the side, "Wait... you're not gonna try to stop me?" He asked.

Swan raised an eyebrow, "You're my prince. That plan sounds risky, but it makes sense to me. At the end of the day, your orders supersede what anypony aside from your wives say, so unless they object to this plan, I'm all for it." She replied, simply.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth, "Huh... well, I haven't really... talked it out with them yet." He admitted.

Swan nodded, "Alright. Just tell me what you need, then go talk it over with them. If anypony can convince them to go along with a crazy plan, it's you. You are their husband, after all." She smirked.

Anon chuckled, "Thanks, Swan. Remind me to give you a promotion if this all works out."

Swan smiled, "I'll hold you to that, sir."

"Right," Anon clasped his hands together, "Now, just one question. How dangerous are the criminals we're housing in there?" He asked nodding toward the prison.

Swan bit her lip as she looked back over her wither to the prison, "Uh... I'm starting to have second thoughts already..." She muttered.

Anon shook his head, "Desperate times, desperate measure, Swan."

Swan sighed, "What are you going to offer them in exchange? It's not like they're gonna do it just for the hay of it."

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth, "Well... what do you think we should offer them? I was going to say 'freedom', but maybe that's a bit too generous."

Swan bit her lip once more. Her eyes squinted slightly as she looked over the prison, then down to the ground in thought.

"Hay, sir. With what you're asking for, nothing short of freedom will do."

Oh boy. Things are getting more and more amped up by the hour. There will be some considerable events happening in the next few chapters, so I hope you guys are as stoked for that as I am.

Oh! For anyone interested, I have finally made a discord server! If you want to chat with me, hang out and play games or watch me stream art and such, feel free to join :D

https://discord.gg/zSB8EUuA