As the soft wind breezed past the airship hovering just above the clouds, glistening rays of yellow and white light spilling all over the hull, Anon walked, his hands clasped behind his back. Dressed in his military garb, he surveyed the fleet of airships all around his flagship, their cannons prepping for the coming battle. A feeling of pride welled in his chest as he observed the air force he'd help create over the past year, the sight of military might bringing a tear to his American eyes.

As he walked toward the bow of the airship, he passed several familiar faces and some new. A butterscotch stallion quickly dropped his task of loading a cannon to salute him while he walked past. He quickly returned the gesture, still finding the feeling to be a bit odd, considering his utter lack of former military background. All the same, he pressed on, giving a slight nod to Valorant as she passed him, receiving one in exchange. A quick glance up revealed two familiar bat ponies gliding in place in the headwind, their eyes covered by a pair of heavily tinted goggles.

"Dusk, Echo, you two enjoying the ride?" Anon asked, smirking at the slightly silly sight of ponies with big, bug-eyed goggles on their heads.

"Just enjoying the atmosphere." Dusk replied.

"You don't get winds this strong in Canterlot, I'll tell you that." Echo whooped.

Anon snickered at the pair before returning his attention to the deck before him. Another pair of ponies were rolling a cannon over to the stern of the ship, both politely greeting him as they passed by. With his way clear, Anon moved ahead, making his way toward the bow of the ship with a slight pep in his step. He was expected, after all.

Soon enough, he found himself reaching his destination, and immediately found his eyes pulled to the three large equines waiting for him there. First to catch his eye, no doubt due to the brilliant gold that coated her armor and reflected her sun so blindingly, was Celestia. Armored from neck to hoof, her suit of armor covered her alluring body in solid gold nearly an inch thick. It was so heavy that the wooden deck was indented all over from her horseshoes digging into the softer material. Her helm laid on the table before her, the spartan-esque design giving her a look that was both strikingly fearsome, and beautiful.

Beside her, adorned in a similar set of ordained armor of silver, was none other than Luna. Her midnight blue coat could be seen in the small gaps in the joints of her armor. While Celestia's suit was thick and durable as all Tartarus, hers was designed to be much sleeker and agile, allowing many more gaps for flexibility and quick movements. She also weighed considerably less, leaving many ponies surprised when she walked up beside them. She was sharpening her sword while the last of the trio of equines turned toward the approaching human, a smile forming on her face.

Chrysalis's black coat was noticeably subdued compared to the two alicorns beside her, but her hybrid armor of greens and blacks did an excellent job of making her stand out above the crowd of ponies on the ship. Her armor was unlike anything he'd ever seen, having both hardened chitin covering her belly and neck, along with chitin-coated steel greaves covering her legs, and soft chitin for her joints. It was both practical, durable, and flexible, though being made primarily of organic material, it wasn't quite as strong as Luna's silver or Celestia's gold.

"Ladies." Anon greeted, stepping up to the table the three were stationed around.

"Honey, you look absolutely dapper in that uniform." Celestia replied, glancing over to him with a smile.

"I concur." Luna nodded.

"I think it could use a little green... but otherwise, I agree." Chrysalis offered.

Anon chuckled, glancing down to his outfit. The design was inspired by his vague recollection of military uniforms from back home on earth, combined with the new designs he'd seen for the Canterlot guard in Equestria. His pants were a deep navy blue, with a single stripe of gold running down either side, while his coat was pitch black, adorned with a few sets of medals and another golden strip running around each sleeve.

"Well when I finally earn the medals, I guess I'll like it more." Anon shrugged.

"We've been over this, Nonny. What troops would be inspired by a leader who doesn't have anything on their uniform?" Celestia chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Raven explained it at least a few dozen times to me... so, anyways, are you all ready?" He asked.

"Ready to get back into the fray? No, never. Ready to put an end to a threat preemptively for once in our lives? Absolutely." Luna nodded, levitating her silver helm onto her head with her magic.

"According to my infiltrators, his armada should be passing through the mountain range below us within the hour. Good call on the cloud cover, Tia. They'll never see this coming." Chrysalis smirked, looking over the edge of the railing to the thick cloud cover below.

"I loathe violence... but after Tirek, it's become clear that we can't just wait for threats to arrive on our doorstep and hope Twilight and her friends can handle things. We almost lost everything because of my leadership last time..." Celestia sighed, her head hanging slightly.

It was immediately obvious as to exactly what she was referring to, as all three pairs of eyes traversed over to Anon's mechanical hand, poking through his sleeve. The mechanisms that made up his digits and appendage were covered by a black glove, but Anon reflexively clasped his hand into a fist as he looked down at his own amputated limb; a sobering reminder of just how close he'd come to death barely a year ago.

"It's nothing I haven't come to terms with. Besides, I'm not the one going into the fight here, all of you are. Are you all sure you're okay? I know you two aren't pregnant anymore," Anon replied, gesturing to Celestia and Luna. He quickly turned to Chrysalis, "-but you still haven't laid our eggs yet and... I dunno, is that a bad thing?" He hesitantly asked.

Chryaslis chuckled, "Oh, Nonny. They're perfectly fine. It takes a week for the eggs to gestate enough for me to lay them. Don't worry, it's never slowed me down before. Besides, I have two alicorns at my side." She dismissed.

"Damn right." Luna grinned.

"Oh, Luna... not you too. First Sergeant Javelin and now you... next thing you know, I'm going to start using human words that make no sense..." Celestia playfully rolled her eyes.

"I mean... some of his words are pretty fun." Chrysalis relented.

"Like 'fuck'. That's a fun one to say." Luna giggled.

"God, I'm so proud of you. One day I'll have all of Equestria swearing with normal words." Anon beamed, wiping the beginnings of a tear from his eye.

"Shit is still my favorite." Javelin chimed in, walking up the same steps Anon had previously traversed with Valorant at his side.

"Ah, there he is." Anon smiled, tussling Javelin's mane.

"Sergeant, Captain, glad you could make it." Celestia nodded to the pair of royal guards.

"Well you weren't gonna launch the largest and first Equestrian offensive without me, Princess. No way, no how." Valorant smirked.

"Very good. We're all aware of the plan, yes?" Luna questioned, nodding down the map secured to the table before them with multiple knives.

"Crystal." Valorant nodded.

"We've only gone over it seven times. At this point I could do this mission in my sleep." Javelin snarked.

A small chorus of chuckles ran through the group before the tell-tale sound of thunder could be heard off in the distance. All the mirth and humor in the air suddenly vanished, and a serious look appeared in the eyes of all present.

"That's the signal." Celestia announced, grabbing her helm with her magic.

"Let's be swift. If we finish this within the next few hours, we'll have ample time to make it back to put the twins to bed tonight." Luna acknowledged, unsheathing her sword from the scabbard mounted on her back.

"Oh, I do so love how fussy little Artemis gets when you try to tuck him in." Chrysalis giggled.

"He is just the worst at bedtime." Luna chuckled alongside her.

As Luna and Chrysalis headed down the steps with Javelin and Valorant, Anon glanced over to Celestia, finding her hesitating for just the briefest moment. Just as she stepped away, he turned to her, gaining her attention and making her pause.

"Something on your mind, Honey?" Celestia asked, tilting her head to the side.

Perhaps it was the lighting of in that gorgeous skyline, or maybe the sheen of her intricately detailed, golden armor, but for the briefest moment, the equine before him appeared to Anon as the most beautiful warrior angel in history. Her flowing mane of colors gently blew in the wind, reminding him that time was indeed still passing, and she was starting to get concerned from his lack of a response.

Quickly clearing his throat and coughing into his fist, Anon shook his head, "Sorry, it's just... you look really good in that armor. You and Luna... and Chrissy... all of you, honestly." He admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Celestia chuckled at his admission, stepping toward him and placing a dainty little kiss on his unsuspecting lips. The contact, brief and gentle as it may have been, conveyed so much love and devotion, that he found himself utterly swept away by it. It was only as she pulled away and he saw her lips moving, that he knew she was even speaking again.

"-to recall you saying that you wanted to keep Luna and I pregnant for the rest of our lives, just popping out foals for you every year like a couple of broodmares. Unfortunately, this armor won't quite fit if we're to be laden with your foals for decades to come." Celestia chuckled.

A small blush wormed its way onto Anon's cheeks as he recalled the rather intimate nights spent with the mare before him, and his ever-evolving catalogue of dirty talk with which they enjoyed. Still, he found himself oddly fixated on the last few words from Celestia's mouth. It was a small thing, nagging at the corner of his mind, though he quickly shook his head of the idle beginnings of a thought and refocused on what he wanted to say.

"Yeah, that's true... but can I be serious with you for a sec?" Anon asked, gently.

Immediately sensing the shift in mood from her husband, Celestia's face morphed into one of concern, and she leaned in close while wrapping a wing around Anon's back.

"Of course, Sweetie. What's wrong?" She asked.

"Just... I know this is just me being silly, but I just want you guys to be careful... I know you're immortal and armored to the gills, but after everything that happened with Tirek last year, I just... I worry, I guess." Anon admitted, his gaze falling to the deck below.

The feeling of cold gold registered on Anon's jaw as Celestia cupped his chin, raising his gaze to meet hers, "Anon, honey... we'll be fine. We're all together, we've got Twilight on standby, and we have everything planned out. Nothing will happen to any of us, I promise you. We'll all be home, tucking Artemis and Dawn into bed by this evening, you have my word."

With an assurance like that, given from what could only be described as a warrior goddess given equine form before him, Anon nodded.

"Alright... I guess I'll be here when you guys come back. Truth be told, I'm just jealous I don't get to go in and kick some ass with you all." He replied, smiling weakly.

Celestia giggled behind her wing, "Oh, honey. You've already proven you are more than capable in combat. You're our hero, too. Please don't ever forget that." She offered, sincerely.

Anon nodded, "Yeah, yeah... go out there and kick some ass, Celly."

"Count on it." Celestia winked, before trotting down the steps towards Luna and Chrysalis.

Anon watched them go, his brow furrowing slightly as he turned around and walked back over to the railing. He could see the dark storm clouds following the airships below as dark blobs, even through the cloud cover they were hiding over. He let out a small sigh, "I hope this is as easy as they all think it's going to be..."

Black smoke and fog bellowed from the roaring engines of the Storm King's flagship. Burly, white-furred yetis trudged back and forth, performing their routine tasks or preparing for their respective shift changes. As the helm of the airship, sat a pudgy little hedgehog with gray fur and a white mane. His big blue eyes were focused on the cupcake he was currently devouring, completely oblivious to the presence of the swiftly arriving equine before him.

"Grubber, report." Her voice, cold and calculated as ever, spoke with the kind of authority of an iron leader.

"Gah!" Grubber shrieked, throwing his cupcake into the air and nearly falling overboard, himself, "T-t-Tempest! Uh, things are good! Yeah, everything is fine!" He quickly replied, giving a hasty and very sloppy salute.

"Get off of the deck and get back to your post. If you can't keep your eyes off of a sweet for more than five seconds, then you have no business being my helmsman... and you know what I do to useless crew." Tempest responded, taking a very threatening step toward the pudgy hedgehog as arcs of blue magic fizzled from her broken horn.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh..." Grubber replied, holding his paws up in surrender as he glanced over the side of the ship.

"Good. Now, give me a proper report." Tempest instructed, standing back up to her full height.

"E-everything is fine! We're about a hundred miles from the capital and we haven't so much as seen a single guard outpost. The smoke cover has been keeping us out of sight and all the guys are ready to steamroll some puny ponies." Grubber hastily reported.

Tempest nodded, though her brow furrowed ever so slightly, "Hmm...That's good... almost too good..." She muttered, quickly taking to slowly pacing the deck.

Her steely turquoise gaze lingered on the clouds above, the grays and whites all but blocking out the sunlight from filtering down on them. Her brow furrowed even more as she slowly came to a realization and glanced over to Grubber.

"Grubber... why is it overcast?" She asked.

"Uh, I dunno... clouds just kinda... do that sometimes?" Grubber unhelpfully responded.

"The weather report we received dictated clear skies until the friendship festival in Canterlot at the end of the week..." She muttered, before quickly whirrling around and galloping over to the helm, "All hands! Battlestations!!!" She cried, pulling the cord on the ship horn.

The blaring fog horn sounded so loud that Grubber had to cover his ears, lest he be utterly deafened. The plethora of storm soldiers both below deck and meandering about on deck, quickly rushed to their stations, just in time for a piercing white light to shine through the fog above them. All eyes on her small fleet of airships darted skyward, finding that the fog was displaced in a matter of seconds, and hovering just a few hundred feat above them, were no less than five hundred pegasi, and almost three dozen airships.

"Open fire!" Tempest cried, her troops rushing to meet her demands.

Even through the distance and rush of her soldiers hastily moving to their positions and arming their cannons, Tempest could hear the fearsome battle cry of the solar alicorn hovering overhead, her army at her flanks.

"Charge!" She cried, her entire army of pegasi darting toward the flagship at blistering speed.

There was no way to prepare, no way to shoot the charging army down, and like meteors raining down upon her ship, the pegasi attacked. A flurry of wings swooped in, lashing out with elongated blades affixed to their primaries, or hurling spears with their hooves as they passed. Nearly a dozen of her soldiers fell within seconds, and dozens more were swiftly injured or dispatched only moments later. The attack was so quick and so aggressive, that she didn't even have time to notice the solar alicorn landing on her deck amidst having to dodge the whirlwind of attacks.

Charging her horn as quickly as she could, Tempest fired a blast of electricity that instantly zapped the nearest pegasi out of the air before chaining to the next closest pony and repeating the painful process. In one blast, she managed to down eleven pegasi, but her victory was perilously short lived as she glanced over to the solar princess, finding her horn glowing white hot for just a moment, before over two dozen earth ponies and unicorns appeared behind her.

Seeing one of the rulers of Equestria so closely and adorned in the kind of armor that appeared so thick and heavy, that she could take a cannon blast straight on and probably walk away with barely a dent, made Tempest gulp. For the first time in a long time, she felt a small rush of fear, but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside as the realization that one of her main targets was idly standing just in front of her, her attention elsewhere as her small boarding party dispersed and descended downstairs. Tempest quickly reached back and grabbed a black orb of unstable energy from her belt. With such a perfect shot, she was sure to hit her target.

With dramatically less flare than she would usually put into her attack, given the situation, Tempest lobbed the chaotic orb at the solar diarch, fully intent on taking her down without so much as a fight. However, just as the orb closed in on her, a small portal opened the orb simply sailed on through. Her brow furrowing in disbelief and shock, Tempest quickly gasped as she realized exactly what had happened. Using all the strength and agility she could muster, she instantly dove to the side, narrowly dodging the same orb as another portal opened up just behind her. Said orb sailed just past him and smashed into Grubber, turning him into stone in moments. The poor hedgehog couldn't even react fast enough to look scared by the sudden petrification.

"I'd heard you were good. Glad to see you aren't gonna be a cakewalk." A cocky, feminine voice called out to her, making Tempest quickly push herself to her hooves and face her assailant.

A royal guard, Captain of the guard, no less- judging by her helm and the plume of golden hair shining in the sunlight- approached, a confident smirk on her muzzle. Tempest grit her teeth as the guard approached, cutting of her access to Celestia while the sounds of fighting and conflict could be heard emanating from the deck below.

"Step aside. Now." Tempest ordered, her voice as low and threatening as she could make it.

"Not gonna happen. You want her highness? You're gonna have to get through me. The name's Valorant, by the way. Just in case you want to know who beat your sorry flank today." The Captain replied, glaring at her with deep violet eyes.

Tempest matched the glare with one of her own as her horn crackled to life with malicious intent. Valorant matched her spell with one of her own, her horn glowing red hot. Tempest was the first to act, leaping forward while blasting an arc of arcane energy at the deck. The attack forced Valorant to jump to avoid being shocked, but Tempest was already somersaulting through the air, bringing down a spinning hind-leg kick that would smash her head to into the wood below.

Valorant deftly twisted her head to the side, only narrowly avoiding the impact of an armored horseshoe. As Tempest landed beside her, she tried to fire off the energy pulse she'd been charging, but a quick sweep to the legs from the Storm Commander knocked her off her legs and to the deck below. Her horn discharged the energy harmlessly into the sky as she hit the deck. She barely had time to roll over and avoid Tempest's hooves slamming down on her skull once more. She quickly shot out a hindleg, catching the broken unicorn's flank and creating enough space for her to roll back to her hooves.

Valorant quickly stood upright, her horn glowing with a fresh energy pulse spell, but Tempest was simply too fast, leaping forward so quickly that she caught her by surprise and tackled the guard Captain to the ground. Now atop of her opponent, Tempest's horn crackled with energy, preparing to end the fight once and for all, but she was swiftly usurped from her makeshift throne as Valorant released the spell charged up in her horn, knocking Tempest off of her.

"You know, for a unicorn with no horn... you're not half bad." Valorant remarked, pushing herself back to her hooves.

Not even bothering to reply, Tempest rolled back to her hooves and darted forward again. However, her attack was swifty put to an end as an alicorn of midnight blue landed in front of her, her sword still dripping with blood. Tempest's hooves screeched to a halt as she came face to face with the lunar diarch. The silver armor she wore was splattered with a measure of crimson that she could only assume had come from her soldiers on one of the neighboring ships.

With her secret weapon no longer a secret, and very much easily countered by the unicorn captain before her, she had little choice but to retreat, or so she thought. Just as Tempest turned around, the imposing frame of Queen Chrysalis landed on the deck behind her, her own armor also drenched with a measure of blood and gore that made her slightly queasy. The Changeling Queen looked down at her with a cold glare that dared her to even attempt an attack.

Her options running out quicker than she cared to admit, Tempest turned back to Luna, her eyes widening in despair as she saw the solar princess walking up alongside her sister. Much like the other two empowered beings around her, the sun goddess was covered in a measure of blood, though considerably less than her sister and wife. However, the contrast of sickly red on her golden armor and snow white coat was just that much more noticeable in the sunlight, sending a chill down Tempest's spine.

"Kept her busy for you." Valorant acknowledged, nodding to her solar princess.

"Indeed you did. Excellent work, by the way, Captain." Celestia nodded, before levitating her helm off of her head and fixing the Storm Commander with a stern frown.

A tense moment of silence passed, with only the whisper of the air to fill the void of silence on the airship. Without the fight immediately before her to hold her attention, Tempest quickly noticed the entire army of pegasi hovering around her, crossbows aimed and at the ready. She idly entertained the thought of jumping from the deck to spare herself the embarrassment and potential pain of capture, though after one look back at the Changeling Queen's piercing gaze, she thought better of it.

"Well... buck." Tempest muttered under her breath.

"Commander Tempest. You've been beaten. Surrender peacefully, and I swear no more harm will come to you or what's left of your invasion force." Celestia suddenly announced.

Another tense moment of silence passed them by, and every guard tightened their grips on their weapons, all anticipating some kind of attack or last stand from the imposing unicorn before them. That fight, never came thankfully, and she simply sank to her haunches, her head hanging low.

"Very well... I know when there simply isn't a winning move anymore... I yield." Tempest replied.

Author's Note

Now isn't that an entrance? This is going to be quite the story and there's just so much to cover. I hope I've caught your attention because there is so much more to come and it's going to be a blast!

If you want early access to the chapters before I post them here, please consider supporting me on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4398966