Shadowstar, being the only colt among the preparing alicorns-and unicorn-left the room to put on his armor. He'd selected one meant for a pegasus stallion, but swapped out helmets for one from a unicorn's armor. The armor was a dark blue color, almost navy, with a crescent moon in the center of the chestplate. The back covered his cutie mark completely, which would make it harder for ponies to recognize him. That must help when trying to give off an air of unison in the guard. He placed the armor's shoes on. They were silver and sharp-edged. Shadowstar then left, taking one final glance at the armor.
"How do I look?" He asked, then glanced up and was struck dumb by the four mares.
Celestia wore a gleaming gold chestplate armor that retained the purple diamond from her usual necklace-style one. The armor went down to her wings, where two metal pieces shaped like feathers rested over the inner parts of her wings. Her helmet covered her head completely, her long, flowing mane pulled out of the back. It was tied, once at the top and once at the base with golden bands. The same went for her tail, while her usual shoes had been swapped for two-part ones, also golden. They had suns engraved on the base part and swirled designs on the part that strapped to her legs.
Luna's outfit was the same amount of regality as her sister's. She wore armor that, unlike Celestia's, reached to her cutie mark, covering it. It was blue with purple tints to it, and the breastplate held a silver moon in the center, like her usual necklace. Her helmet had the same coloration, but had a silver star in the center. Her mane protruded from the back of the helmet in a ponytail, tied at the top with a silver band, creating a majestic, flowing cloud of night. Her shoes were similar to Celestia's usual ones, only the spikes were pointer and they were the same dark blue, almost black as her armor.
Cadence's outfit reminded Shadowstar slightly of the rouge's design in Ogres and Oubliettes. She wore a crystal bodice, which had a silver wing-like design at the chest, with a gold-framed diamond resting in the center. Her armor had a skirt, unlike Celestia and Luna's. The main part was made of crystal pieces sewn at the belt of the skirt and hanging perfectly in line with each other. The bottom part was white fabric that had a crystal heart design sewn on it. Her helmet was crystal, it wrapped around her face perfectly, leaving room for a ponytail with a strand that was braided. This was more reminiscent of a knight, but a blue hooded cloak over the whole thing gave off a secretive feel. Her own shoes were gold and the same height as her usual ones, with spiked tops like Luna's.
Twilight's was, like Shadowstar's, comprised of royal guard armor. However, she'd found some that was a bit more unique. It had a dark blue theme, with golden lining. The helmet left space for her horn, however her mane had been flattened underneath it. Her breastplate was made of two of the metal plates curving together, meeting in the center and held there by a golden sun shape that had a black inside with a white center. There was no skirt, instead it simply reached down to her tail, part of which had been braided like Cadence's. Her shoes had spikes shaped in a generic castle design.
"You look very handsome brother." Cadence told him, walking forward to examine him. Her hood was hanging down around her neck.
"You-you all..." Shadowstar trailed off.
"The last time we wore this armor was when we defeated Sombra. Remember, sister?" Luna asked, and Celestia nodded, smiling softly.
"You all look amazing." Shadowstar finally said, and Twilight beamed.
"I know! I found this in a pile of guard armor, it seemed like an original design for the guard uniform we have now. There were two samples, one for a mare, one for a stallion. I used my magic to form it to fit me and ta-dah!" Twilight exclaimed.
"I was going for a mystical vibe. I think it works, right? Warrior Princess style?" Cadence asked, posing.
"I was thinking a rouge from Ogres and Oubliettes, but yeah." Shadowstar told her.
"Come on, let's meet up with Shiny and get our weapons." Cadence gave a girlish squeal of excitement and led them out.
-----------------------------------------
Shadowstar and the girls found Shining in the armory. He was talking with Pharynx, Gilda, Gallus, Ember, and Smolder. The others in The Resistance were waiting behind them. As Pharynx had told them in the throne room, they had their own armor and were wearing it.
"Some of that looks like Changeling armor, other dragon armor...and one pony armor." Twilight remarked.
"We mixed up our armor we wore so it'd work more." Gallus explained. He simply wore a cloak over his body.
"There's plenty of armor in here, you're welcome to use some." Shadowstar offered, glancing pointedly at those without it.
"We'll be okay." Smolder assured him. "Ember needed my armor more than me."
"One injury and everyone freaks out, honestly." Ember muttered, reaching for a staff hung on the wall.
"Dibs on the golden staff!" Cadence exclaimed, levitating over a gold one just above the one Ember had grabbed.
"You can fight? But you're the Princess of Love." Sandbar said
"Like I said, Shining gave me some lessons. Thanks to him, both Twilight and I are well-versed in all the weapons the Royal Guard uses. I'm best at the staff though."
"Lucky. Ember and I are self-taught, we just sparred with each other and worked out the best methods." Smolder commented.
"So, what's your specialty?" Gilda asked Twilight.
"My magic. I didn't pick up fighting with weapons as easily as Cadence did. If I had to pick, I'd say a sword, they're the easiest to manage, especially if you have magic." Twilight replied.
"I already mentioned I can use a spear. I once made myself a dream where I was trained by a professional guard. I worked out some moves through it." Shadowstar told them, trotting forward and using his aura to lift up a black spear with a silver head.
"So what's the plan when we get to this mountain?" Pharynx asked
"We spread out, assess the situation, and protect the innocent while pushing back the attackers." Shining Armor replied. "Er-I hope it was okay to give that command, your highness."
"It's quite alright Shining. There is a reason you're the Captain of the Guard." Celestia replied
"And a reason you were ordered to stay here." Cadence added, nuzzling him.
"Just kiss already!" Gabby called, and Shining and Cadence looked at her.
"Gabby, what did we say about speaking out like that?" Gilda asked, putting a claw to her forehead.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Gabby apologized to them, then gave Gilda a hug.
"Gabs, air!" Gilda demanded, and she let go.
"Wait, but if Changelings can scent love, how come you three didn't say anything?" Shadowstar asked the three changelings standing nearby.
"Because it would have been rude." Ocellus replied.
"Well, now that we're all assembled, let's go." Celestia said, horn lighting up. "There's no way to reach Mount Aris other than teleportation. I'm taking us to the far side of the mountain, where Novo will likely have gathered any support defenses. Are we all ready?"
"I think so Princess." Twilight replied, as the others grabbed up some weapons, and Spike entered with a bag of food.
"Here Twi." He shoved it over at them and she lifted them onto her back effortlessly.
"How...?" Ocellus began
"Years of carrying books." Twilight shrugged. "Anyway, thanks Spike. I need you to stay here and stay safe, okay?" Twilight said, and he nodded.
"Okay. You guys are coming back though, right?"
"Of course we are, little bro." Shining nudged him gently, then went over to the bags and examined the contents. "There's enough here to last a few days, should be enough time to take out the enemy. There's also some extra, we can use that to help the Hippogriffs. They may have lost food sources."
"Alright, now, are we ready?"
There was a chorus of agreement and Shadowstar stepped forward as Celestia readied her teleportation spell.
"Alright everycreature, prepare for battle!" Shadowstar cried, and they were zapped away.