//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Quid Pro Quo.... // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Anarchy // by Simply Anarchy //------------------------------// Determined to reach Doctor Hooves before their time runs out, Twilight and her friends quickly boarded a train headed to Manehattan. Understandably, the girls have mixed feelings about what to expect once they reach Anarchy's safehouse. "So what's the plan here exactly? Are we just gonna rush the factory, in hopes that Anarchy's henchponies aren't there waiting to jump us?" Rainbow Dash quizzed bitterly. Twilight huffed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. While rushing the place seems like a bad idea, we also don't have a whole lot of time to waste." She said with uncertainty. "We can't afford to be reckless either." Starlight intervened. She rubbed her chin curiously. "Does anypony know how long it usually takes to get to Manehattan from Canterlot?" "I know that it takes about two hours to get there from Ponyville. I usually take a nap on my way there, but I've been back and forth so many times that I started keeping track of the time." Rarity stated, while brushing her hair out of her face. "I have made one or two trips there from Canterlot, but I haven't a clue of exactly how long it takes. It feels like less time, though." Twilight turned to Rarity. "Are you sure about that?" "I'm fairly certain." The white unicorn confirmed. Twilight thought to herself for a moment. "If what you are saying is true, then we may have a chance. Do you happen to know anything about the umbrella factory he is talking about?" She questioned her fashionable friend. Rarity thought carefully. "I may know what place he is referring to. It has been closed up for years, due to budgeting issues. It's known as the Parasol Palace. It was once a very popular tourist attraction in Manehattan." "Sounds like the right place to me. What do you think, Twi?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded confidently. "I agree. Now all we have to do is come up with a plan of attack." "Oh thank goodness. I thought we were just going to storm the place unprepared." Rainbow sighed in relief. Applejack raised an eyebrow at the blue pegasus. "Ah gotta say, Ah'm surprised to hear you say that, Rainbow. Yer normally all about actin' now and askin' questions later." "This guy has been toying with us for about a week now. Needless to say, I'm sick of falling for his tricks. If we're going to beat him, we're going to have to think like him." Dash explained emphatically. The pegasus looked around at her friends, who were nodding in agreement. "Very well put, Rainbow! I couldn't agree more. Anarchy thinks he will have his final laugh. Let's not give him the satisfaction." Twilight declared boldly. The friends all cheered in unison. With newfound confidence, they were ready to take on anything Anarchy was going to throw at them. They were not going to allow him to win again. Not this time. ___________________________________ Anarchy sat in his cell, quietly counting to himself. The same guards were still posted at his door, continuing to keep an eye on him. While the one guard remained silent, the other was still continuing his rant towards their prisoner. "The princess is going to find that pony. It's only a matter of time now, before we ship your ass to Tartarus for your crimes. You have anything to say now?" The guard mocked bitterly. "Just one thing... would you mind telling me what time it is?" Anarchy asked innocently. The guard looked puzzled. After a few moments, he just chuckled. "Yeah... Time for you to shut up and learn your place!" The evil pony shook his head in disappointment. "Tell me something. Why did you become a royal guard in the first place?" He asked curiously. "None of your business!" the guard responded bluntly. Anarchy was a bit persistent. "Oh, come on! You can trust me! Who am I gonna tell? You said it yourself. I will be in Tartarus soon." The guard was beginning to become very irritated. "You'll be dead before you make it there, if you don't shut the hell up!" Anarchy cackled at his reaction. "What's the matter, huh? Afraid to open up? I would expect a little more dignity... from someone named Fierce Might." The guard pony froze. "H-How do you know my name? I've never told you. And no guards are referred to by name." Anarchy smirked wickedly. "I have my ways... It's funny, isn't it? The amount of trust ponies place in their so-called friends... just to have them turn on you to save themselves. When it all comes down to it, ponies will always choose themselves over anyone." "What has that got to do with me?" Fierce questioned uneasily. "Quid pro quo." Anarchy retorted. Fierce looked at the gray pony cluelessly. "What?" "You want to know more, I deserve a little something in return. Quid pro quo. Now you answer one of my questions." the evil pony explained. "Why should I agree to that?" the guard pony asked. "You want answers, that is my condition. I gotta make this interesting for myself." Anarchy replied nonchalantly. The guard was hesitant for a moment. He definitely did not trust him, but he had to know what else he knew. "Alright, I'll play along. You want to know why I became a guard, right?" "For starters..." the villain hissed. "It has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a little colt. I wanted to be strong, like my father. And now I am." Fierce stated proudly. Anarchy clapped his hooves. "What an inspiring story! I bet your father is very proud." Fierce's proud smile turned into a look of pure sadness. "Yeah..." Anarchy caught the expression on the guard's face. "Unless of course... he's dead." He watched as Fierce tried to hold back tears. "Let me guess... He died in the line of duty." "You don't know what you're talking about!" Fierce scolded with hate filling his eyes. "I do actually. My father died courtesy of the crown, as well. And do you want to know something? His life didn't matter to them. He was expendable. Just another sacrifice they demanded to keep their self-righteous cause alive. Your father was no different." Anarchy concluded hardheartedly. "Princess Celestia is a saint! She works hard to make sure the citizens of Equestria live happy and free! My father died defending that belief!" Fierce exclaimed as a tear rolled down his cheek. Anarchy chuckled at the display of emotion. "That's what she wants you to believe! Here's the harsh reality of it. Your father did not die defending Equestria. He died... because Celestia needed a meat shield at the time, and your father happened to be the next idiot on the list." Fierce snapped. "Shut up! Shut your mouth right now! You motherfu--" "Riddle me this, sir." Anarchy interrupted the guard's profanity. "If your precious princess cares so much, then why isn't she fighting with you?! Why are ponies laying down their lives, while she sits quietly on her throne? A real leader is right there on the battlefield standing beside their troops. Not watching from the safety of their castle, while their troops die to defend their name." Might was beside himself. Conflicted. Was Anarchy telling the truth? Has his whole life been a lie? So many emotions were going through him. It was hard to tell which thoughts were his, and which were the ones Anarchy was trying to plant in his head. "You- You're a monster! You just live to manipulate others. The princess devotes her life to ensure evil scum like you don't terrorize the world." Anarchy shook his head in response. "She is determined to silence ponies like me. Ponies who don't fear her, or bend to her whim. Those who won't conform to her tyranny. She is the reason ponies like me exist. And that... will be her undoing." "Enough!" Might stepped away for a moment to clear his head. Anarchy was clearly getting to him. What if he's right, though? She does keep the royal guard close to her at all times. It isn't very common for her to go anywhere without them. What if that is all they were to her? Just shields to cover her at all times. What if- A thought dawned on Fierce Might. This sudden realization made him smirk. He turned back to Anarchy. "That was good. You almost had me there. Was that your plan? To get me all riled up to the point where I help you? It was clever, I'll give you that." the guard praised sarcastically. "That wasn't my intentions, but it's good to see that I almost had your attention. It's unfortunate that Celestia's influence has blinded you from the truth. Oh, and that technically counted as your question." the villainous pony claimed. "Ha ha! I suppose it does. But I think this game is over." the guard pony declared. "Not before you answer one last question." Anarchy insisted. Fierce laughed at the prisoner's persistence. "Fine, I'll humor you. Shoot." "What time is it?" Anarchy posed inquisitively. "As I said earlier, it's time for you to shut up." Fierce mocked with hostility. Anarchy huffed in annoyance. "Look, I would love to trade jabs with you all night, but I am on a rather tight schedule. So if you would be ever so kind-" "Schedule? Ha! You don't get it, do you? You've lost!" the guard scoffed at the evil pony. "The only schedule you'll be on is a life sentence in Tartarus!" ___________________________________ Meanwhile, the girls have arrived in Manehattan. They quickly hopped off of the train and made their way through the city. "Are you sure it's this way?" Rainbow questioned anxiously. "I'm fairly certain. I don't exactly go this particular direction when I come to Manehattan. I am usually in the fashion district. We are heading into the industrial part of the city." Rarity explained while catching her breath. Moments like this made her wish she had the cardio of Rainbow Dash. If there was one think she knew for certain, it was that she was definitely not an athlete. Twilight looked at the building they were approaching. 'Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium.' Twilight recalled what Anarchy had said. "I think this is the hat emporium he was talking about. If he was telling the truth, it should be two blocks from here." "Well, I'll be! Maybe after we rescue the doctor, I can treat myself to a new hat!" Applejack exclaimed happily. "If we can pull this off, I'll treat us all to some dinner!" Rainbow added. "Let's not celebrate just yet. First, we have to get the doctor to safety!" Twilight interrupted their premature victory plans. Starlight nodded to Twilight. Then, she looked ahead to see a neon sign shining brightly in the night. "Girls! I think that's it ahead!" "That is definitely it. The Parasol Palace!" Rarity recalled as the light illuminated the ponies. The building was rather big, but Twilight refused to be intimidated. "What time is it?" Twilight asked nervously. "Hang on juuuuust a second." Pinkie stated in her usual silly demeanor. She reached into her puffy pink mane and pulled out a small clock.... because you know.... she's Pinkie. "Looks like it's 11:19!" Twilight sighed with relief. "We still have a chance! Here's the plan. We will divide up into teams. Starlight and I will be one team. We'll take the West Wing. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity, you head down the East Wing. AJ and Fluttershy, go north. Try to avoid any confrontations with Anarchy's crew. If you find yourself in need of help, come find one of the other groups. If you find the doctor, same deal. Come find us. If none of us find him within thirty minutes, we should all meet back here. Is everypony clear on the plan?" She devised confidently. The girls all nodded to one another. "Well, what are we waiting for? Hearth's Warming Eve?" Rainbow inquired rhetorically. Pinkie Pie perked up. "Ooooh! I can't wait for Hearth's Warming Eve! The aroma of fresh hot cocoa, the amazing holiday goodies, the festive decorations, and of course, the presents!" She interjected with glee. Rainbow slapped herself on the forehead. "Is it too late for me to switch teams?" Before the blue pegasus could even look at her friends, they all rushed inside the building. "Hey! You can't just pawn her off on-" Pinkie jumped on Rainbow's back. "Lead the way, Dashie! Hey, would you like to hear the story about how I got my head stuck in a watermelon? Well, it's a funny story! You see, I was working on this new recipe I had come up with..." Rainbow huffed in annoyance. "I am going to get you all for this!" She interjected angrily. Then she looked over at Rarity. "Not so funny when it happens to you, is it?" Rarity quizzed bitterly. Rainbow stared at Rarity in astonishment. "Did- Did you just hold a grudge?" "Whatever could you be talking about, darling?" Rarity inquired coyly as she snickered at the blue pegasus. "Now, let us continue our search. We're wasting time just standing here." Rainbow was now glaring at the white unicorn. "Is this about that time we were chasing AJ through the desert, and you fell off of the cart?" "I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about..." Rarity glanced back at Pinkie. "Oh Pinkie! Care to explain to Rainbow what a cherrychanga is?" Pinkie's expression lit up. "Absolutely! A cherrychanga is mashed up cherries in a tortilla that's deep fried. Although, I kinda like the sound of chimicherry. What do you think, Rainbow? Chimicherry or cherrychanga? They are both tons of fun to say! Chimicherry. Cherrychanga. I also had the thought of combining them. Chimicherrychanga! I invented it, you know! Wanna hear about how I came up with the idea? Wellll... it all started a few years back..." Rarity smirked wickedly at a very frustrated Rainbow. Rainbow huffed bitterly. "Sweet Celestia, please smite me now..." ___________________________________ "You think, you're in control here? Think again. You can try to manipulate me all you want. I will never betray the princess!" Fierce declared unmoved by Anarchy's antics. Anarchy remained sitting on his bed frame. "Loyalty is a fickle concept, isn't it? It can be so strong to the point where you will lay your life down for the one you are devoted to. And yet, it can be easily turned on its head by material things, such as money, power, and lust. I, for one, never believed in loyalty. Loyalty can lead you astray. Like your father. He was loyal to Celestia and look where that got him." Fierce pounded on the cell door. "If you don't shut your mouth, I will kill you myself." He exclaimed with rage. Anarchy clicked his tongue, as if he were scolding a child. "It burns you up inside, doesn't it? You would like nothing more than to rip open this cell door and beat me to a bloody pulp... but then you would be going up against your beloved princess's will. Another prime example of blind loyalty." ___________________________________ Twilight and Starlight searched thoroughly through the West Wing of the factory, to no avail. At this point, Twilight was hoping that the girls were having better luck than they were at the moment. "How long's it been?" Starlight asked eagerly. Twilight illuminated the small office room with her magic. "It's been about twenty minutes. At this point, I really hope the girls have found him." She stated discouraged. Starlight continued looking around, but she couldn't shake a feeling she had. "Something's not right here. Shouldn't we have come across some of Anarchy's crew by now?" Twilight had to admit. She also wondered the same thing, herself. "It is a bit weird. But I'm not going to question it at this time. If you ask me, he probably has them all posted where the doctor is." Just as Twilight finished speaking, a loud thump could be heard throughout the building. Twilight looked at Starlight. "Did you hear that? It came from this way!" Twilight motioned the pink unicorn to follow her lead, to which Starlight obliged without hesitation. The noise led them to a large, open room filled with many conveyor belts. There were many old umbrellas scattered all across each of the belts. A muffled moan could be heard from somewhere in the room, but it was too dark for either of them to see. All of a sudden, light illuminated the room, blinding both Starlight and Twilight. "Get ready for a fight!" Twilight commanded her friend to brace herself. Starlight's horn was already lit and ready to go. "Way ahead of you!" When their eyes finally adjusted to the light, they were surprised to see no henchponies surrounding them. Instead, Applejack and Fluttershy entered the room. "That oughta brighten things up a bit." Applejack said, having turned on the lights. "Ah take it y'all heard the noise as well?" "Yeah, we actually thought we were about to be attacked by Anarchy's troops. You scared the daylights out of us!" Twilight sighed in relief. "Oh, you wanna know scary?!" Rainbow stomped into the room. "Scary is what I am going to do to all of you for leaving me with the pink menace!" Rainbow scolded the girls. Starlight glanced curiously around Rainbow. "Hey. Where is Pinkie Pie?" She asked confused. Rarity walked into the room with a giant grin on her face. Pinkie followed behind her. Pinkie hopped happily towards the group. "Sooooo, are you all here to find out what that loud noise was too?" Twilight nodded. "Actually, yes. We were just about to--" A loud, muffled moan could once again be heard. It was coming from above them. The girls looked to one another. Then, they slowly looked up to see a cage dangling from a large chain in the center of the room. Inside the cage... was Doctor Hooves. ___________________________________ "I get it now. You want me to kill you! So that you won't have to suffer a lifetime in Tartarus!" Fierce Might assumed grimly. Anarchy laughed evilly. "How about I make you a promise, huh? Just leave the keys in the door, and I promise that you won't get hurt too bad. Deal?" Might approached the door. "Was that a threat?" "I don't deal in petty threats. I deal in facts. The fact that Celestia is a power-hungry dictator. The fact that you're all puppets bending to her will. The fact... that if you step in this cell with me... only I will walk back out." Anarchy declared spitefully. "Sounds like a challenge to me." Fierce replied pulling out the key to the villain's cell. "You're going to wish you chose your words more carefully." ___________________________________ "He's in here!" Rainbow exclaimed eagerly. "Hang on! We're gonna get you out." Mmmm mmm mm mmmm!" Doctor Hooves tried to talk through the tape wrapped around his muzzle. Unfortunately, his efforts were fruitless. "We need to find a key to open this cage up!" Dash reclaimed. She noticed a clock beside him. When she read it, she gasped. "Uhh, girls we only have five minutes left!" "Alright girls! Spread out and look for the key! It's gotta be here somewhere!" Twilight commanded with urgency. "Umm, Twilight... this note was pinned to the billboard back there." Fluttershy stated quietly. Twilight quickly scanned the note. "It says that the key is inside one of the umbrellas in here." "What?! But there's hundreds of umbrellas in here! How do we know which one has the key?!" Dash interjected furiously. "It'll be the one with the Changeling design on it." Twilight added. Just like that, the girls scattered the room looking for the specific parasol. After three and a half minutes, things were looking hopeless. None of them could find the key. "It's not looking good! How much time do we have?" Starlight asked anxiously. "One more minute!!!" Rainbow shouted, now in full-blown panic mode. Pinkie was tossing some umbrellas aside, when she noticed a small blue light coming from underneath one of the piles. She dug through it to find the exact umbrella they were looking for with a blue glow stick keychain attached to it. "I found it! I found it! Rainbow, catch!" She tossed the parasol to Rainbow. Rainbow quickly removed the key from the umbrella and began hastily unlocking the cage door. After some nervous fidgeting, she finally got the door open and pulled the doctor out. Twenty seconds remained on the clock. "There's no time to escape!" Rainbow exclaimed in pure terror. "Everypony gather around!" Twilight ordered her friends. Without even a moment of hesitation, the girls cuddled up around Twilight. Ten seconds remaining. "Starlight! Help me cast a shield around us!" She called out to her unicorn friend. Starlight immediately fired up her horn and formed a dome around the group. Twilight reinforced Starlight's spell with her own. "Brace yourselves!" 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... But there was no explosion. Instead, a bunch of confetti bombs went off. Gold confetti scattered throughout the room. Streamers fell from the ceiling, and party horns went off in unison. But no explosion... "Wait, what just happened?" Rainbow questioned completely baffled. "Pinkie... what did you do?" Twilight asked feeling equally confused. Pinkie shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't me!" Twilight looked around the room. "I- I don't understand." "Mmmm mm mm mmmmm!" Doctor Hooves grunted in another attempt to speak. Fluttershy carefully removed the tape from around his mouth. "There! Are you alright?" She asked with concern. "I'm fine! I tried to tell you..." The doctor said between breaths. Twilight looked at him carefully. "It's okay! You're safe now. We're here to take you home!" "You have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment." Hooves expelled dryly. "What are you talking about?" Twilight quizzed eagerly. "This whole thing was a trap. And you all walked right into it." the stallion responded. Twilight looked up at her friends, then back to the doctor. "Trap? What do you--" "Just think about it... Why would he give you his last bit of leverage? Why ask for you all specifically?" Hooves quizzed. Twilight thought to herself. "To exchange for his freedom? But he would have asked to be freed before he handed him over. And he certainly wouldn't have gone through all of this trouble just to hand you over... unless..." Twilight's heart dropped. "What? What is it, Twi?" Applejack asked fearfully. Twilight swallowed nervously. "This was all a diversion to get us away from Canterlot." ___________________________________ The door to Anarchy's cell swung open. Fierce stepped in ready to eviscerate the prisoner he swore to guard. "Celestia will forgive me. I'll just tell her you were attempting to break out, and that I had no other choice." Anarchy still sat on the metal bed frame. "I'm simply quivering in fear. Whatever shall I do?" The villainous pony mocked. "You seem so sure of yourself. You didn't expect me to actually come in here, did you?" Might towered over Anarchy. "Well, of course I did. In fact, I counted on it. You're the only one who has the keys to the cells around here. I just needed to goat you into unlocking mine." Anarchy stated cleverly. "Time to shut you up... for good. You've got until the count of three to get your sorry ass up." Fierce threatened. Anarchy cackled maniacally. "More games? Alright, then. One... Two... Three..." Fierce raised his hoof to hit Anarchy, but before he could make contact, he was hit in the back of the head, knocking him down. He hit the floor hard. "Wh- What the? You? W-Why?" Might said trying not to pass out. Standing over him was Anarchy... and his fellow guard. "Gasp! What a twist?! What you didn't see that comin'?" Anarchy teased. "I guess I should thank you. This would not have been anywhere near as easy without you... or as fun." Anarchy chuckled evilly. "But as I said earlier, I'm on a very tight schedule, so I'm gonna have to wrap this little game up. Until next time..." The gray stallion kicked the delirious guard directly in the jaw knocking him out cold. "...thanks for playing!" Anarchy skipped out of his cramped cell and into the dungeon. He took a deep breath and smirked wickedly. "Smell that? That's freedom... that and I'm pretty sure he soiled himself after I kicked him." Anarchy stated to the guard that once watched over his cell. "What time is it, brother?" "One minute 'til midnight, boss." the guard replied obediently. "Fantastic! Time to kick this gala up a notch." Anarchy looked around the room. Two other guards approached Anarchy. "What do you say, boys? Ready to party?" The guards saluted the evil pony. Anarchy grinned sinisterly. The villain began singing. "Tell me exactly what am I supposed to do? Now that I have allowed you to beat me! Do you think that we could play another game? Maybe I can win this time? I kind of like the misery you put me through. Darling, you can trust me completely. If you even try to look the other way, I think that I could kill this time!♪" Anarchy laughed maliciously. "Alright! Let's go have a chat with the princess!"