Anon ducked down low to keep as small a profile as possible as he sprinted after the guard through the hail of magic bolts and fire. Shock waves from explosions rippled through the air, nearly knocking him off balance and to the ground, but he managed to stay on his feet and keep pace with the smaller guard in front of him.

"Cover us! We're pushing through!" The guardsmare in front bellowed to her comrades as she led Anon to the breach.

"Covering fire!" The other guardsmares shouted in response, before a volley of magic fired just over their heads at the changelings.

Anon held his frying pan over his head as he moved, bits of debris clinking off of it the whole time. He stayed no more than an arm's length from the guard rushing in front of him, even with bolts of light and fire flying all around him.

"This way!" She called over her wither as she broke into a full gallop.

Anon quickly nodded and sprinted after the guardsmare. His longer stride made it easier to keep pace, and they quickly reached the end of the street, where over a dozen royal guards were locked in a battle of swords, magic, spears, and crossbows against the changelings blocking their path. Anon's heart sank in his chest as he observed the apparent blockade, but the mare in front of him didn't slow down her charge at all. If anything, she pushed herself to go even faster, prompting Anon to dig deep and rush after her as well.

"Wait! Where's the hole! There's nothing but Changelings that way!" Anon cried as he struggled to keep up.

"Just follow me!" She shouted back.

Anon complied and continued to run as fast as his legs would carry him. Just before they both reached the brawl happening in the middle of the street, the guard brought her hooves to a screeching halt just behind the other guards fighting back the changelings and grabbed the man-hole cover in the middle of the street with her magic. She ripped it open and frantically waved to Anon.

"There! Down the hole, into the sewers! Just keep going straight ahead! That's how you'll get to Princess Luna!" The guardsmare ordered, pointing to the hole.

Anon nodded as he reached the hole and climbed into the tube leading down.

"What about you?" He asked, as he started climbing.

Before the mare could answer, a changeling leapt over the defensive line of guards and tackled her to the ground. She punched the bug in the snout before headbutting it and using her magic to blast the creature off of her.

"No time! Just go! We'll keep them back!" She cried, before igniting her horn once more and shoving the man-hole cover over to Anon.

He quickly ducked down and continued down just as the cover slammed over his head. The sounds of fighting and violence dulled immediately as Anon was plunged into darkness. Only two small holes in the cover allowed beams of light to illuminate the sewer system as Anon climbed down to the bottom. He soon found his footing on a sidewalk of sorts next to the sewer water.

Anon spared one more glance up at the man-hole cover and violence surely happening just above him, before breaking into a jog in the dimly lit sewer.

"You know... you ponies can magic the smell away down here and make it all pretty... but you can't put up some damn lights down here?" Anon questioned as he trotted down the sidewalk, "Guess that's just something I'll have to bug Celestia about once this shit is over... hehe, bug... oh fuck I hope we don't all die."

Anon pushed himself just a tad faster as he ran down the sewer line. The sounds of battle raged over his head, and the occasional explosion shook the walls, or knocked some dust from the ceiling as he progressed toward his destination. Within a few minutes, Anon found another ladder leading toward the surface. He approached the ladder cautiously, his frying pan at the ready in case there were any more changelings waiting in the tube leading toward the surface.

Once he was directly under the man-hole cover, and could see no signs of any bug horses, Anon breathed a small sigh of relief.

Should I keep going? Or just pop up here? Anon thought to himself, before a distant buzzing sound reached his ears.

He looked down from the escape toward the direction he came from and frowned.

"Looks like this is my stop, then." He muttered, before climbing the latter.

As Anon climbed, the buzzing only worsened, and he felt, rather than heard, the beating wings of the changelings in his head. He quickly reached the cover and pushed on it with his free hand until it lifted from its seat. He pushed it over and out of his way just as the buzzing reached his ladder. Anon spared a glance downward just to see a sea of blue compound eyes staring back up at him and glistening fangs. With a very unmasculine scream, Anon hurried out of the sewer and threw himself onto the street, just as the changelings surged after him.

Anon grabbed his frying pan and smacked the first changeling in the face as it surfaced, knocking it back down into the hole and slowing its comrades' progress. He seized the opportunity and shoved the man-hole cover back over the hole, closing it completely. He threw himself onto the cover while the changelings below struggled to lift the cover, itself and his now added weight too.

Slowly, the cover rose from its seat, much to Anon's dismay. He pushed down with all of his might and fought to keep the bugs from climbing out with his frying pan, but it was to no avail. The changelings soon had enough clearance to climb out.

Just as the first changeling poked its head out from under the cover, a bolt of bright white light shot from afar and smoked the bug horse right in the face, knocking it down the hole and halting its allies' advance. A similar aura wrapped around the man-hole cover and forced it back into its seat. Once it was held securely in place, Anon rolled over to the side, just as the sound of hooves clopping against cobblestone reached his ears.

Anon looked up to see Javelin rushing to his side as another guardsmare fired a beam of intense magic energy at the seams of the cover, effectively welding it in place.

"Anon!" Javelin cried as he galloped to close the distance.

Javelin quickly reached Anon along with the other guard. There were several dents and scratches in his armor, along with a small smear of green blood on his helmet. The stallion was so dirty that his coat was more brown than white, but otherwise he appeared unharmed.

"Jav! There you are," Anon replied as he got up to his feet, "You look like hammered shit." He chuckled.

"I could say the same about you. What are you doing here? The city's under attack! What were you doing in the sewers?" Javelin pressed, looking over Anon worriedly.

"It's a long story. Basically Val's platoon is pinned down about five minutes down the road and needs backup. She sent me to get Luna's help so she could get her platoon in place to assault the castle." Anon explained.

"Val? Lieutenant Valorant? Why'd she send you to tell us that?" The guardsmare questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"Like I said, long story. You guys know where Luna is?" Anon pressed, looking to Javelin.

"Yeah, she's right this way. Follow us." Javelin replied, turning and leading the way toward a bombed out boutique down the road.

Anon and the other guardsmare quickly trotted after Javelin and soon found themselves amidst a sea of royal guards, and local ponice that were scrambling all over each other to assess damage and prepare for the assault.

"We need more medical over here!" One mare called.

"They're breaking through the Eastern flank! Send Apple company over there to harden our rear before we assault the castle!" A high ranking royal guard ordered to her subordinates in a nearby window.

Anon surveyed the scene of admittedly less destructive chaos with a frown.

"It's this bad all over the city, isn't it?" Anon asked, nearly pausing Javelin's stride.

"It's... yeah. It's not good. The changelings hit us with everything they had before we were ready. They outnumber us ten to one, and most of our leadership was captured at the wedding. Only a few dozen of us managed to escape. As far as we know, aside from Princess Luna, all of the princesses and senior leadership of the royal guard are being held hostage by Queen Chrysalis right now. The elements of harmony bearers are fighting their way to the elements as we speak, but... we're almost certain they won't make it." Javelin admitted, a deep frown on his face as well.

"Fuck." Anon muttered.

Before anything else could be said, they arrived at the boutique, finding Luna addressing several lieutenants, captains, and majors.

"Be swift! We have only a few precious minutes before the changelings overwhelm our rear guard. Once that happens, we'll have nopony to watch our flanks while we push into the castle. If that happens before we rescue my sister, we'll be surrounded and summarily wiped out." Luna ordered, addressing her troops with the eyes of a determined leader.

"Yes Ma'am!" The room sounded off in unison, before swiftly departing to accomplish their assigned tasks.

Just as the room cleared out, Javelin led Anon inside while the guardsmare took up her position outside the doorway. Luna looked up from her maps and documents on the table as they approached, her eyes widening in surprise.

"A-Anon!?" Luna gasped.

Javelin smirked, "Found him sneaking around in the sewers, Princess."

Anon shared a quick chuckle with Javelin before looking over to Luna, a slight hardness in his gaze, "Hey, Luna. It's been a while."

"It... it certainly has. Are you alright? Were you injured in the fighting?" Luna pressed, leaving her desk and making her way to Anon to inspect him.

"I'm okay. I'm not really the one you should be worried about though. Val's platoon is pinned down and needs help to join your assault. She managed to squeeze me through the changelings' line but a lot of guards are getting the crap kicked out of them back there." Anon explained.

Luna's gaze hardened, "Where? Can you show me on the map?"

"Yeah," Anon replied, before placing his frying pan down on the table and pointing at the red circle in the center of the map, "Is this us?"

"Correct. We're less than five hundred hooves from the castle right now." Luna replied.

Anon traced his finger back down the map and route he could recall taking, "There. Right about here. I didn't walk very far in the tunnel to get here, so they're not far away." He explained.

"Are you sure this is where they are?" Luna questioned.

"Yeah. I'm sure." Anon nodded.

"Alright," Luna turned toward the doorway, "Guard!" She called, prompting the guardsmare to quickly enter the room.

"Yes, your highness!" She responded.

"Go to the next building over and find Captain Copperhead and tell her that she's to take two platoons and punch a hole through the changelings lines to thirty fourth street and trot street. Now!" Luna ordered.

"Right away, Princess!" The mare replied, before galloping away to carry out her orders.

With that finished, Luna turned back to Anon and slowly approached him. She shyly looked down and away from him, prompting Anon to kneel down to be more eye level with her.

"Luna? What's wrong?" Anon asked.

"I just... I missed you. All this time I hoped to see you again and now... this is how we meet? In the middle of a war?" Luna replied, a mirthless chuckle escaping her lips as she averted her gaze.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright. The royal guard is full of a bunch of badasses that'll kick these little bug fucks back to whatever little shithole they crawled out of, and we've got you holding the reins here. Honestly, I don't think I'd trust anyone more." Anon replied, placing a comforting hand on Luna's wither.

"We'll get Princess Celestia out of there. Don't worry, Princess." Javelin added, giving a determined smile to the Princess of the Night.

Luna half smiled at that, although her posture still remained the same. Anon's brow furrowed as he chewed his tongue in thought for a moment.

"Luna... I-I know we left on bad terms... but... I missed you too. Both you, and Celestia." Anon offered.

"I've missed you more... more than I care to admit, Anon." Luna replied, looking up to see him.

Anon hesitated for a moment before pulling Luna into a hug. She gratefully accepted the gesture, opting to bury her muzzle into the crook of his neck as she sighed out through her nostrils. She wrapped her hooves around Anon's waist and squeezed him just a tad tighter, before releasing the hug and getting back to her hooves.

"Thank you, Anon. I almost forgot how good your hugs are," Luna chuckled, before looking back at the table with a sad look in her eyes, "Unfortunately, hugs won't save us here. It's been over a thousand years since I've commanded an army, even if it is splintered and small at the moment... I think I need all the encouragement I can get." She admitted.

"I'm here now, Luna. Just tell me what we need to do to get Celestia and the others out of there." Anon replied.

Luna sighed, "I'm afraid that until we assault with all our forces, there's simply nothing we can do."

Anon planted his hands on the table as he examined the maps, "There has to be something we can do. I've seen the goo they use to capture ponies. It's gross as fuck. I wouldn't want to be stuck in that shit all day."

"There's no doubt that Celestia and the rest of the ponies being held hostage are being held in either the goo you're referring to, or in changeling pods. The goo is easy enough to get out of, but the pods can be difficult. Not to mention their overwhelming numbers... even if we managed to fight our way inside, I don't know if we could free them before being captured ourselves." Luna added, her brow furrowed in thought.

Javelin walked over to Anon's side and eyed the maps with him, "What about a small infiltration team? The west wing has a secret underground entrance that we could exploit and enter the castle through. It's just next to the archery range."

Luna raised an eyebrow in interest, "That's a good proposal, but all of our infiltrators are either prisoners or MIA." She replied, sadly shaking her head.

"Maybe not all your infiltrators, Princess." Dusk spoke up, flipping down from the ceiling and landing on the table.

"Gah! Fuck!" Anon shrieked, falling backwards as he flailed his arms wildly.

"Sorry to startle you, sir." Dusk replied, hopping off the table to offer a hoof to the fallen man.

As Anon took Dusk's hoof and got to his feet, Luna approached him, "Thank Faust you're here, Dusk. I was so worried the Night Guard was completely captured."

"They got the majority of us, Princess. Hit us while we were all sleeping and captured the entire chain of command. Echo and I are the only ones that managed to get away as things really kicked off." Dusk replied, turning to Luna.

Luna hissed through her teeth, "I suppose two Night Guards are better than no Night Guards." She admitted.

"We'll hit them for you, Princess." Dusk replied, confidently.

"Don't get too excited, Dusk. We'll get our chance to counterattack. I'm just not quite sure if I like this plan, yet... It's dangerous, not to mention, the changelings can look exactly like any creature they see, or even any object. Getting into the castle as a changeling would be easy, but getting in as a pony is nearly impossible."

"Echo and I are ready to do whatever is necessary." Dusk acknowledged.

"That reminds me, where is Echo, then?" Anon inquired, just before Echo dropped from the ceiling onto the table in front of him, much like Dusk.

"Whatthefuckwhy!?" Anon cried out as he fell backwards again.

Javelin facehoofed as he walked over to help Anon get to his feet once more.

"Sorry, sir. Got stuck in the rafters up there for a minute. Meant to drop down with Dusk." Echo explained, a sheepish smile on his face.

"You two are gonna give me a heart attack way before the changelings kill me." Anon sighed.

"Kill you? Anon, the changelings aren't trying to kill anypony. They feed on love. What they want is much worse. They want to capture our entire race, imprison us in their hive, and feed on our emotions until all that is left is an entire species of dried, empty husks." Luna explained, a grave look on her face.

Anon pursed his lips, "You know, I kinda preferred it when I only thought they were trying to kill us." He admitted.

"Regardless of what they plan to do to us, we have to fight them and put an end to this siege. We heard your plan to infiltrate through the west wing. We'd like to volunteer to lead the team. We're very familiar with that part of the castle, and any underground terrain will be almost pitch black. You'll need thestral eyes to see where you're going down there, anyway." Dusk spoke up, looking to Javelin and Luna.

"Are you certain, Dusk? We might not be able to break through their defenses with the troops we have. If you find yourselves in peril, help may not come at all." Luna cautioned, eyeing him with concern.

"Understood, Princess. We're willing to take that risk." Dusk replied, Echo nodding alongside him.

"Wait, hold on, time out!" Anon called out, making every pony look at him, "Luna was just saying how the changelings can impersonate any pony they want, right? How do we know that this is the real Dusk and Echo?" Anon inquired.

Luna's brow furrowed considerably, "That is a good question. Well, only one way to know for sure. Dusk, Echo. Names." She demanded.

Both Dusk and Echo snapped to the position of attention as they faced Luna.

"My real name is Ardent Light." Dusk responded, firmly.

"My real name is Double Time." Echo answered, just a firmly.

Luna gave a satisfied nod, "They're the real Echo and Dusk, alright. I know them well enough to know they would never give out their names unless my sister or I commanded it."

Anon tilted his head to the side, "How are you so sure?"

"If it helps, sir," Dusk spoke up, "I vividly remember watching over you at the nightclub six months ago while you were dancing. You also drank six lava flows, tipped thirty bits, and needed Sergeant Javelin to help carry you back to his house after you threw up in the alleyway on Whinny road." He recalled.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth, "Alright then. Fair enough." He relented, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Now that that's settled, let's get back to the topic of the infiltration team." Luna instructed, redirecting all eyes back to her.

"I volunteer as well." Javelin added, prompting Luna to look over to him.

"Sergeant, are you sure?"

"It was my plan, Princess. I should go. Besides, I've been serving in the castle for years. I know my way around well enough to get us to Princess Celestia asap." Javelin explained, a determined look in his eye.

"Don't forget about me." Anon spoke up, prompting all eyes in the room to dart over to him.

"What!?" Luna exclaimed.

"You guys are gonna need as much help as you can get. Besides, I already made a promise." Anon replied, looking to Javelin, Dusk, and Echo.

"Absolutely not! Anon this mission is extremely dangerous to begin with, and you're not even a guard! You don't even have any armor!" Luna exclaimed, quickly closing the distance to Anon's side.

"He may not be a guard, but he can sure fight like one." Javelin spoke up, redirecting Luna's attention over to him.

"Sergeant, I couldn't care less if Anon was the best fighter here, he's not a combatant!" Luna cried, before turning back to Anon, "You could be captured in there! Who knows what kind of horrible torture the queen could inflict on you!" She pleaded.

"Princess, with all due respect, we need literally all the help we can get right now." Dusk spoke up, once more pulling Luna's attention away from Anon.

"If what Sergeant Javelin says is true, then we could definitely use the extra muscle. The three of us aren't going to stand a chance in Tartarus against all the changelings in there if we're compromised, and if we're going to be retrieving Princess Celestia, we're almost certainly going to be compromised." Echo added.

"B-but, I-" Luna started, only to pause as Anon placed his hands on her withers. She quickly turned her head to see the tall man as he kneeled down beside her.

"Luna, I'll be alright. I've already cracked a few skulls on my over here. These guys are tough, but they're not that tough.
Give me a chance to go get Tia out of there." Anon said, keeping his voice level and firm.

Luna's lower lip trembled, "A-Anon... if something were to happen to you... I could never forgive myself."

Anon pulled her into another hug. The lunar princess immediately accepted the embrace, shutting her eyes as she breathed in his scent, "You need to trust me this time. We may have had our falling out before, but I don't want to let a bunch of ugly bugs suck my soul out for the rest of my life and enslave you ponies. I want a future, and I'm gonna fight for that."

Luna wrapped her forelegs around his midsection and squeezed him closer, "I missed how smooth your skin feels." She whispered.

"And I missed how soft your fur feels." Anon whispered back, stroking his hand through the fur of her wither.

"If you're successful... will I see you again?" Luna questioned, her voice as soft as a quiet zephyr.

"You will. I promise." Anon responded, squeezing Luna tighter once more.

Luna gave a shaky nod as she finally released the hug and pulled away. She stepped away from Anon completely, two noticeable tear streaks on her cheeks.

"O-Okay... be careful, Anon." She ordered, her voice cracking slightly.

"I will." Anon nodded, with a small smile.

Luna returned the nod, before wiping the tears away and clearing her throat. Once she was presentable again, she turned back toward the rest of the ponies in the room and straightened her posture.

"Very well. I suppose this might go down in history as the day four stallions saved us all from the changeling invasion." She chuckled.

"I'll drink to that." Javelin laughed.

"Seconded." Dusk grinned.

"Right. Prepare yourselves, then. As of this moment, we have no idea what exactly is waiting for you all in the castle. Be prepared for anything." Luna ordered, her voice once more regaining it's authoritarian nature.

"Yes Princess!" The three stallions saluted.

Before Luna could say anything else, a commotion outside drew the attention of everyone in the room. All eyes darted to the broken window to see dozens of Royal Guards making their way toward the boutique. All of them looked weathered, and covered in cuts and bruises. Several were wrapped in bandages around their forelegs, hindlegs, or barrels, while others walked with limps or were carried by their comrades.

At the front of the group, covered in dirt and bruises, strode Lieutenant Valorant, a bandage wrapped around her head and covering one of her eyes. Her helmet was missing, and for the first time since Anon met her, the illusion of her armor was no longer present. Her deep purple coat was finally visible, along with her fiery red mane and tail, and her deep red irises that seemed to exude confidence.

Anon hurried out of the boutique to greet the approaching ponies, followed closely by Luna, Javelin, Dusk, and Echo. Once they were all outside, and the platoon of ponies arrived in front of them, Lieutenant Valorant snapped to the position of attention in front of Luna.

"Third Platoon, Hay Company, reporting, ma'am." Lieutenant Valorant greeted.

Luna nodded, "Glad you managed to make it, Lieutenant."

Anon smiled as he crossed his arms, "Told you I'd get you the backup you needed."

"Thank you for that. We wouldn't have lasted much longer." Lieutenant Valorant gratefully replied.

"Casualty report?" Luna questioned, a worried from on her face as she surveyed the platoon.

"Three MIA. We've got at least a dozen wounded, but the rest of us are ready to go, Princess. A bit battered, but more pissed off than anything." Lieutenant Valorant responded, firmly.

Luna nodded, "Very well. The casualty collection point is over there in the bakery. Have your wounded brought there, Lieutenant, and then prepare your ponies for the assault. We'll need to provide a suitable distraction for the infiltration team."

"In-filtration team? Princess?" Lieutenant Valorant tilted her head to the side.

Anon raised his hand, "That's us."

Lieutenant Valorant looked over Anon, Javelin, Dusk, and Echo with confusion written all over her face. After a few moments, she let out a small chuckle and shook her head.

"Eh, you know what? Why the hay not? Can't be the craziest thing I've heard today."

Author's Note

Aww, they had a reunion! For the record, no the frying pan is not going anywhere. Hope you guys liked this one. I had a lot of fun with it. The next chapter is going to be a doozy, and you'd better believe the one after that will be even more intense. I'm looking forward to it almost as much as you guys probably are lol