Swan lead the way for Anon through the confusing halls of the prison. His entourage of changelings and Javelin followed suite, their eyes roaming over the structure in mild interest or confusion.

"You know, this place is just as weird the second time as it was the first time." Javelin muttered, watching as the walls moved around him.

Pharynx raised an eyebrow at the unicorn, "What do you mean?" He asked, inquisitively.

Javelin gestured to the walls around them, "I mean... is it not obvious?" He asked in response.

"The walls? So? They just change a few times. Not that hard to figure out." Pharynx replied, simply.

Javelin frowned, "Okay, maybe for a changeling it'd be easy to figure out but for the rest of us, it's kinda confusing."

"It actually kind of reminds me of the hive back in the badlands." Thorax chimed in.

"Yeah! I was just thinking that!" Ocellus excitedly exclaimed.

Swan looked back over her wither, "Wait, you mean your hive moves and shifts like this prison?" She asked, incredulously.

Pharynx shrugged, "Yeah. It's what helps keep any intruders from being able to find their way around the hive. It's much more complex that what you've got here in this prison, though." He explained.

Anon looked over his shoulder as well, raising an eyebrow at the changeling's reply, "How much more complicated?" He asked, a slightly worried tone in his voice.

"Complex enough that you'll need a changeling to show you the way or you'll get lost in a matter of seconds." Pharynx replied.

Anon paused, "That's... gonna be a problem." He admitted, biting his lip.

The rest of the group paused with him, the ponies all dipping their heads in thought while the changelings shared curious glances.

"I suppose one of us could show you all around-" Thorax began to offer, but Anon shook his head.

"That's no good. For this plan to work, we need you three here at least until Tirek and Discord show up. We can't have the guys at the hive getting lost right away." Anon explained.

Pharynx tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "I suppose I could have Cornical show them around. He's in better shape than most at the moment. Plus it won't put him in so much danger to just show the way and leave once Tirek shows up." He suggested.

The group shared a look for a moment before a collective consensus was reached and they all shared a nod.

"That works. Bring him with us when we head back upstairs." Anon stated.

"Alright. Well with that settled, we're just about there." Swan announced, turning and pointing toward the door that only just appeared before them at the end of the hall.

The group swiftly made their way over to the door, but Javelin grabbed Anon by his pant leg, halting the human for a moment and earning a curious look.

"Anon... are you sure that we need these guys? I mean... can't the guard handle Tirek and Discord when we get them into the hive?"

Anon shook his head, "We need it to be convincing. If half the guard is missing when Tirek shows up to Canterlot, he's gonna know something's up." He replied.

Javelin bit his lip, "What if you just took a platoon or something? We can't trust these guys, Anon. They're in here for a reason."

Anon sighed, "I know. That said, we looked at Chrysalis the same way just a few weeks ago and now look at us. We're asking her hive to let us use their old home as a battleground and their general as bait... Besides, Swan's only showing us the ones who aren't in here for murder and other fucked up shit... I just think it's worth a shot. It's still a better risk than giving up all alicorn magic and hoping Tirek just doesn't do anything to my wives." He admitted.

Javelin let out a heavy sigh, "Alright. Just know that I don't like it, but I'm with you. Let's go meet these convicts."

Anon smiled, "Attaboy, Jav."

With that, the pair quickly trotted after the group and entered the holding block. They were immediately graced by a view of no less than a dozen cells on either wall of the hall. Steel bars held prisoners of various races and species, but the entrance of their prison warden quickly directed all of the prisoners' eyes over to the entrance.

"Major!" A guard snapped to attention, saluting Swan as she trotted over to her.

"Line 'em up, Lieutenant." Swan ordered, calmly.

"Yes ma'am!" The lieutenant replied, galloping off to the door controls.

A blaring alarm filled the air as dozens of guards rushed out from their positions and stood by each cell. Metal grating against metal raked at the ears of all inhabitants and guests of the prison as the doors opened, allowing the chained prisoners to step out into the hall in their bright orange jumpsuits.

Anon counted one pegasus, two thestrals, two earth ponies, three minotaurs, two unicorns, and two griffons. All of them eyed him and his group warily, except for one. The lone pegasus of the group stared at the floor, his expression unreadable. His coat was snow white, and his mane held three distinct streaks of brown, red, and purple. Anon pursed his lips as he stared the stallion down, before finally looking over to the rest of the group.

"Alright. We don't have a lot of time to discuss this and I'm not trying to beat around the bush. We need your help." Anon announced, surveying the group and their reactions.

While some of the convicts shared looks of disbelief and even excitement, the same pegasus simply stared blankly at the floor, as if not hearing anything Anon had said. Sensing that there was still some hesitation to overcome, Anon pointed at one of the minotaurs.

"You, what are you in here for?" He asked.

"Robbery. Twenty seven counts." The burly voice of the minotaur replied.

Anon nodded, although he wore a slightly surprised expression on his face. He quickly pointed to one of the unicorns, "You?"

"Armed burglary. Never hurt anypony or anything. Just... yeah." The unicorn somewhat shamefully replied.

Anon nodded, then pointed to the lone pegasus "And you?"

The pegasus finally looked up to Anon, a blank look in his eyes, "Disobeyed orders. Ponies died." He said, simply.

Anon owlishly blinked at the stallion for a moment, before leaning over to Swan, "I thought you said none of these guys were killers." He whispered.

Swan nodded, "They aren't. His name is Phoenix. Sergeant First Class Phoenix from the aerial combat brigade of the day guard. He was court marshalled and charged with the deaths of three ponies under his command when his company was ambushed by bandits on the border of Griffonia." She explained.

Anon tilted his head to the side, "Why was he court marshalled?" He questioned.

"I disobeyed orders to save civilian lives." Phoenix replied, returning Anon's attention to him.

Anon raised a skeptical eyebrow, "You disobeyed orders... to save lives... but your own guys died to do it?" He slowly asked.

Phoenix nodded, "As guards, it's our duty to sacrifice ourselves to protect the ponies we're charged with protecting. My CO didn't seem to see it the same way I did, and I was sentenced for disobeying orders and the deaths of my ponies." He explained, eyes flicking down to the floor for just a moment.

Anon slowly nodded, turning to Swan for confirmation, "That's what his file says."

Anon turned back to Phoenix, "Then what the hell are you doing in here? How did you even get convicted for this?" He questioned.

"My CO didn't like me. Said I was a loose cannon and my actions that day proved it. She was able to quietly push my court marshal through while everypony was dealing with the changeling invasion aftermath." Phoenix replied, simply.

Anon quickly leaned over to Swan again, "Did you know about this?" He quietly asked.

Swan shook her head, "I only know what's in his file. It sure seemed off to me, but I figured the ponies making those calls knew more than I did about it, besides, he's never appealed his sentence." She shrugged.

Anon pursed his lips for a moment, before turning to the whole group of convicts, "Alright, so now that I have an idea of what I'm dealing with, I'll make you guys an offer. You help us against Tirek and Discord, and in exchange, you'll receive your freedom. I'll issue all of you an official royal pardon. Sound like a fair deal?" He announced, surveying the group.

Looks of shock and excitement ran through the group, making Anon breath a small sigh of relief at the prospect of them all taking his offer. It only took a few seconds for Phoenix to step forward, seemingly speaking for the entire group.

"If you need our help to protect ponies, then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Phoenix replied.

Anon smirked, "Good. Let's get them out of these jumpsuits, then. Pharynx, go get Cornical and meet us at the lift. Now all we gotta do is convince Tia and Luna that this isn't a horrible idea."

Captain Valorant rubbed the bridge of her muzzle as she sat beside Shining Armor. The two of them were looking over a map showing Canterlot and its strategic defenses, along with the crystal guard reinforcements the prince brought. For nearly an hour, the pair were debating the best course of action to defend the city, but they repeatedly came to an impasse.

"I'm telling you, Shining, the guard can't reinforce the entire western front without your crystal guard unit there to fill in the ranks. It makes more sense if we evacuate the city, and focus on defending just the castle." Valorant stated, gesturing to the map in front of them.

Shining shook his head, "And I've told you a dozen times, Val. If we even let them into the city, the amount of damage they'll do will be astronomical. We'll send orders to evacuate the city, but if we can keep collateral damage to a minimum, then we should." He rebutted.

Valorant sighed, "Just what makes you think any guards are going to be able to stop Tirek and Discord when we're spread so thin? If anything, this will just lead to more collateral damage if they have to fight us to get into the city in the first place. At least with my plan, we can keep the damage focused to the castle and not the entire city." She replied.

Shining's brow furrowed as he looked down at the board in front of him. He chewed on his tongue for a moment before letting out a sigh of acceptance, "Alright, alright... you're right as always." He said, shaking his head.

Valorant smirked, "Of course I'm right. You wouldn't have picked me to take your place if I wasn't always right, now would you?" She playfully added.

Shining rolled his eyes and lightly slugged Valorant's wither with his hoof, "Yeah, yeah. Alright. I'll send out orders to evacuate the city and have the crystal guard reinforce the Canterlot guard here in the castle. Twily should be here any minute so Celestia, Luna, and Cady can talk to her about the plan-" He began, only for Valorant to speak up.

"About that plan... I think we should at least wait until Anon gets back. He's a prince and has a say in what happens." She said, a small frown forming on her brow.

Shining sighed, "I know... but what are we supposed to do? He stormed off and nopony has seen him in hours. I hate to say it but at the end of the day, the decision falls on the princesses. It's their magic Tirek's after, not his."

"Well I can send Dusk and Echo to go find him. Last I heard, some of the lower enlisted saw him heading down to the caves below the castle, so maybe he has a plan figured out. I just... he gave me an order and I'm not sure I can refuse to follow it in these circumstances." Valorant explained, looking down to the floor.

"What do you mean?" Shining asked, tilting his head to the side.

Valorant bit her lip, "I mean... what if the princesses are wrong? This whole plan of theirs hinges on Princess Twilight being able to figure out a way to defeat Tirek. What if she can't? What if Anon's right and he kills the princesses the second he sees them because they can't fight back now? He's a heartless monster and he couldn't care less if they're pregnant."

Shining dipped his head in thought. For a few moments, silence reigned in the room, but that silence was shattered as Cadence walked in behind her husband. One look at the candy colored mare told both captain and prince that she'd heard much of their conversation.

"With regards to Anon's, I think he's worried sick about his wives... and I can't say I blame him. This plan is dangerous and risky, but I'm not certain what would be a better plan at this point. I trust Twilight implicitly, and I know that if there's any mare that can stop Tirek, it's her. Speaking of, she's just arrived, honey. I need to go to the throne room. Would you mind walking with me?" Cadence explained, looking to her husband.

Shining nodded, "Alright. Thanks, Cady," He replied, before turning to Valorant, "We'll figure something out. Tirek and Discord haven't been sighted near Canterlot yet, so we still have some time to decide for certain. Would you mind sending word of the new orders to the guards?" He asked.

Valorant nodded, "Alright. I'll let them know. Just... let's try to figure this out sooner rather than later."

Shining returned a nod before turning tail and leaving the room with his wife. The two trotted through the castle halls for a few minutes, passing dozens of guards frantically rushing to and fro, preparing for the worst, but said nothing. As they walked, Cadence couldn't help but glance at her husband, a concerned look in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Shiny?" She asked, softly.

Shining sighed as they passed several maids, "Val has a point. This whole plan could just be us giving up our best defense and hoping that it doesn't come back to bite us in the flank. I love my sister, and I know she's one of the most capable mares in Equestria... but I am worried that we're putting too many eggs in one basket here." He admitted.

Cadence lovingly nuzzled her husband, a gesture that he gratefully reciprocated, "I know, honey. It's weighing on all of our minds... but never lose faith, right?" She offered.

Shining smiled up at his wife, before quickly planting a loving peck on her lips, "Yeah. Never lose faith." He smiled.

Soon enough, the couple arrived at the throne room, finding both Celestia and Luna waiting on their thrones. Both were particularly distressed after the meeting with Anon, but tried their best to hide it. Unfortunately, they weren't doing a good job of it. Celestia was nervously fidgeting on her seat and glancing over to the doorway every few seconds, as if hoping that Anon would rush through at any moment, while Luna's wings ruffled over and over as she bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

The two royal alicorns were completely oblivious to the approaching love princess and prince, but after a polite cough from Cadence, they finally looked down to see them.

"Oh, Cadence. There you are. Thank you for being so quick to return." Celestia gratefully announced.

Cadence smiled, "It's no trouble. Are you two alright?" She asked.

Luna sighed, "What do you think, dear niece?" She asked, although there was no bite to her reply.

Cadence pursed her lips, "I'm sure Anon will come around soon. He just doesn't want anything to happen to either of you. You can't fault him for caring." She offered.

Celestia sighed and rubbed her temples, "We know... we're not mad at him... we just don't want him to do anything rash or dangerous. We love him but I don't understand why he doesn't trust us on this." She admitted.

Cadence failed to answer, prompting Celestia to sigh and rub the bridge of her muzzle, "Forgive me, you needn't concern yourself with our relationship drama. Let's just focus on what we're here to do. Twilight just arrived at the castle and she should be here any second." Celestia announced.

Cadence nodded before turning to her husband and giving him a loving nuzzle, "Looks like this is it for me as an alicorn, love." She smirked, sadly.

Shining planted a loving kiss on his wife's lips, "You were always beautiful to me, alicorn or no. Remember, it's only temporary." He offered.

Cadence nodded, before trotting over to the royal sisters and finding her spot on the steps leading up to their thrones. Meanwhile, Shining made his way over to the exit.

"As much as I'd love to stay, I need to help Valorant with the preparations. Good luck, all of you." Shining called as he made his exit.

"Thank you, Shining Armor. Good luck to you as well." Luna replied.

Shining exited the throne room and trotted off down the hall. For a few moments, silence filled the air of the throne room, but that silence was quickly broken as Twilight galloped in, barging through the throne room doors and all the way over to the throne.

"I came as quickly as I could. Is something wrong? Is it Tirek." Twilight hurriedly asked, a worried look on her face.

Celestia stepped forward, her eyes closed in disappointment, "I'm afraid I've put too much trust in Discord, and the effect that friendship would have upon him." She began.

"Discord has betrayed the ponies of Equestria and joined forces with Tirek." Luna finished.

"How could he do this? I thought our friendship meant something to him! I thought he had changed." Twilight replied, the hurt clear in her voice.

"Tirek has stolen enough magic that he now has the strength to steal flight as well. Without pegasai to control the weather, there will be no rain in Equestria. There is word that he has gone after Earth ponies as well. Without their strength, they will not be able to tend the land." Celestia explained.

"Ponies will no longer be in control of their world. That power will belong solely to Tirek." Luna added.

"There is no doubt that Tirek is after Alicorn magic. With Discord by his side, we will not be able to stop him from taking it." Celestia explained, a worried frown on her muzzle.

"Once it is in his possession, his power will know no bounds, and all hope will be lost." Luna said, almost hesitantly.

"But there is one solution," Celestia began, before all three alicorns stepped down from their thrones and just in front of Twilight, "It is only by making this sacrifice, that Equestria and the lands beyond it might be saved... we must rid ourselves of our magic, before Tirek has the chance to steal it from us." She explained, a defiant look crossing her face.

Twilight gasped at the mere thought of the plan.

"Tirek is set on possessing alicorn magic. When he comes for us, we cannot have what he is looking for." Luna elaborated, taking another step toward the lavender alicorn.

Twilight took a moment to contemplate the plan, before a resolute look appeared on her features and she stood just a bit taller, "I'm more than willing to do my part and give up my magic." She announced.

"You misunderstand," Luna shook her head, "Our magic cannot just disappear into thin air. Somepony must keep it safe." She explained.

"That somepony is you, Twilight." Cadence spoke up, walking over to her sister-in-law.

"Why me?" Twilight questioned.

"We do not believe-" Celestia started, before a voice cut her off from across the throne room.

"Why you indeed, Titty Sprinkles. That's a great question." Anon called out from the entrance, his hands on his hips and a small frown on his face, "And while we're on the subject of great questions, I've got one for the lot of you. Just what the hell are you doing?" He demanded, stepping forward.

Behind the tall man, Javelin, Swan, Pharynx, Thorax, Ocellus, another unassuming changeling, and a number of ponies, griffons, minotaurs, and thestrals followed in, all walking forward as Anon strode into the throne room. The aghast look on his wives' faces was made all the more surprised as they watched the entire group enter.

"A-Anon!" Celestia cried, both in surprise and relief.

"Honey, what are you doing? Who are those creatures?" Luna questioned, looking at the gathered group with hesitation.

"These guys are my plan. The plan that we're going to go with. I know you guys think that Twilight is gonna be the big hero to save everyone, and that's fine, but I'm not about to stand by and let you leave yourselves defenseless to do it. I have a plan, and I want you all to hear me out before you go ahead and do quite literally the stupidest thing you could possibly do, and give your magic up when you need it most." Anon announced, halting just a few paces behind Twilight.

Their minds both struggling to comprehend what Anon said, Celestia and Luna worked their jaws for a few moments. Eventually, Luna was the first to manage to close her mouth and find her words.

"U-um... alright, honey. We'll hear you out." She hesitantly replied.

"Luna?" Celestia questioned, quickly turning to her younger sister.

"Let's just hear him, Tia. Anon... well, he was right about Discord. I don't want to imagine what would happen if he's right about our plan too." Luna sadly admitted.

Celestia's response died in her throat, and she quietly sighed as she looked over to her husband, "Alright. What's your plan, honey?" She asked.

"As the great Sun Tzu once said, 'All warfare is based on deception'. While we don't know what they've done with Chryssi, we do have three changelings here that can impersonate the three of you." Anon replied, pointing to Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.

"You want the changelings to pretend to be us?" Cadence parroted.

"Honey, we aren't going to let changelings take the fall for us." Celestia asserted.

"I'm not saying that. You remember how the hive in the Badlands is anti-magic, right? Well the plan is for these three to impersonate you all, then we lead Tirek and Discord to the Badlands where they don't have their magic. From there, it's just an ambush from the rest of these guys here and we can take them out." Anon explained, smacking his palm with his fist.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all stared at Anon in different levels of shock. Cadence appeared to be completely surprised at Anon's ability to come up with a plan like the one he was proposing, while Luna looked very impressed at his ideas. Celestia wore a pensive look on her face as she contemplated the risks and possible collateral damage.

"What of the rest of the changelings down in the caverns?" She asked.

"They're evacuating. I've already ordered their mana rings to be removed." Anon replied, firmly.

Celestia nodded, "I see. That was a good call." She acknowledged.

Anon raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect you to approve." He admitted.

Celestia shook her head, "I was planning on issuing that order after this meeting anyway. As for your plan, what would the three of us be doing while everypony else is fighting Tirek and Discord?"

Anon raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "That's easy. You two would be giving birth to our kids while Cadence looks after you. Then if you're still dead set on giving Twilight your magic, you can do so. After our kids are born." He replied, commandingly.

Celestia and Luna shared a look of deep thought, before glancing back up to Anon, "Well... with his stolen magic unusable it might be possible." Luna suggested.

"How would you even ensure Tirek followed them to the Badlands?" Celestia questioned, looking to Anon.

"Leave it to me." Anon replied.

Oh boy, here we go. The next few chapters are gonna be a wild ride. Hope you guys are as excited for it as I am :D

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