It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? The sun is shining as bright as ever, but try as it might, it can’t cast light everywhere. There will always be shadows where the light cannot reach, and it's in this darkness that the worst that ponykind can offer is found.
Somewhere behind Canterlot, a trail of carriages made their way to an unknown entrance, one that closed down decades ago. The old mines underneath Canterlot. Recently rediscovered by Twilight Sparkle during the changeling's invasion, but nothing much came of it afterward. Ponies simply forgot that this place even existed. Add the massive size of these caverns and you get a perfect hideout.
The carriages secretly heading for the mines were fairly inconspicuous, taking a not so popular route to the great capitol of Equestria. On the outside, they appeared normal, with one driver dressed up in a merchant’s outfit, but the merchandise inside was anything but mundane.
Tied up and gagged ponies, deadly weaponries, explosives, poisons and various construction tools, whoever was at the driver’s seat was up to no good.
“Hey, I think I see some sort of entrance over there.” A stallion spoke out to his compatriots.
“Yep, that’s where we’re headin’.” Another pony responded.
A large, burly white stallion wearing a plumber’s cap popped out of the entrance. He watched from afar as the carriages slowly came to him. The shadows casted by his cap hid his eyes in blackness, giving his stern expression a sinister glint.
Once the carriages were in proximity, he grinned. “Right on time.” he chuckled as he approached the drivers. “I see some new faces in this convoy.”
Some of these new faces were understandably nervous at the sight of this giant trotting towards them. Strong Hoof’s body was massive compared to even the biggest and baddest of earth ponies and pegasi. Nopony could hold a candle to him in terms of sheer power. That’s why he was second in command, the lieutenant of their operations.
Now, Anarchy, the head honcho, was a mythical figure they’ve always heard of, but never got to meet. Truth be told, none of the recruits were thrilled to meet him per say. They admired what he strived to accomplish but would most likely be unwilling to chat with him alone in a room. And that’s without even seeing his physical appearance!
Strong Hoof moved to the back of one of the carriages.
“H-Hey! What are you doing?” said the stallion driving it.
The white earth pony opened its doors and climbed inside. “Inspecting the merchandise. Judging your performance.” he sternly answered.
The stallion waited in bathed breath for Strong Hoof’s approval. If he failed, he knew it meant death, and against a pony this big, he stood no chance. Time slowed to a crawl as the seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes turned to hours. The infernal clanking of metal in the back amplified the sweats dripping down his face. He was unconsciously holding his breath to the point of almost passing out. Then, it stopped as he felt a massive weight leave his carriage.
“Your contribution is much appreciated.”
The stallion opened his mouth, letting out a deep exhale as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Th-Thanks for your generosity, mister Strong Hoof!” he exclaimed, saluting the giant earth pony.
“Your weapons will give us an advantage for our upcoming scheme, reclutado. Inside, you will make more for us with our distributed material. Hilo ligeramente” Strong Hoof announced as he motioned him to head inside.
The burly earth pony moved on to the next carriage, inspecting its merchandise. The sleezy stallion at the front slumped on his vehicle, a sly smile carved on his face. “I’m Filthy Traffic, feel free to inspect my ‘merchandise’.”
A cacophony of muffled and frightened moans rang throughout the carriage as the sound of scrambling hooves scraping against the floor was heard. “Like what you see?” the sleezy stallion asked, his eyes closed.
Strong Hoof remainded silent, just long enough to destabilise the carriage’s owner. “Uh, y-you didn’t answer my...” he closed his mouth as the white pony left suddenly.
Much to his relief, the monster of a pony looked satisfied. “Great, you have arrived right on time.” he said with a sinister smile.
Filthy Traffic chuckled. “For a group who likes to preach freedom and whatnot, you sure like to have some naughty fun! Not that I mind, it’s why I’m in this business!”
“The others were getting hungry, especially the master.” Strong Hoof added.
The sleezy stallion let out a hearty laugh. “I’m getting hungry myself! Oh, I’d like to have a piece of her flank.” he said, pointing to one of his prisoners in the back, thought Strong Hoof couldn’t see which one exactly.
The white earth pony began to laugh, but it didn’t sound like he was laughing with him. “Ho ho! Pobre inocente! I see you’ve misinterpreted my words. We are hungry... for flesh.” He grinned, baring his teeth. They were bloodied, with pieces of pony flesh still attached to them. “But we like to keep the best for future uses.”
The rumors were true! There are cannibals inside! Unnerved, Filthy Traffic blanched as he roused himself and went inside with his carriage as Strong Hoof gazed in amusement. "It was just a joke. We are rather... selective with our meals. These ones are not on the chopping block, never will be. Although you'd do well to keep your impulses in check if you don't want to end up in somepony's plate."
Inside the cave, he was surprised to see the Anarchist’s base of operation. He expected to find old mining equipment and infrastructure present, serving as their home, but he found instead was a town-built underneath Canterlot itself! The buildings were all made of wood, built with the help of qualified constructors. It looked like it took years to build this whole place.
There was everything in here! Houses, weapon stores and a bar too! How neat. It almost looked like a cowboy town thanks to its ancient architectures used. Fitting, for there were nothing but outlaws in here. Hundreds of ponies gathered around a stage, waiting for something to happen. Filthy Traffic was halted by a small group of ponies who ordered him to park his carriage to the side, next to the other recruit.
The banging inside his carriage caught the attention of a few more outlaws who approached him.
“Hm, you must be the one carrying the captives.” A French mare guessed, smoke in mouth.
Filthy Traffic felt a funny feeling as he saw this mare approach him. Her beautiful light blue coat, those sparkly dark blue hair, that freckled face... It didn’t take long for him to realise it was lust.
That was a bit of a problem considering where he was and who she was. With the Anarchists, you don’t mess around with anypony in their gang. One wrong move and he could end up on their plates. He shuddered at the idea of these monsters sinking their teeth in his neck.
“Uh, y-yeah. That’s me.” He said, trying to hide his blush.
“I’m Dreamcatcher, le capteur de rêves.” the mare said, spitting out her smoke. “I’ve been put in charge of the recruits, you better make this job easy or else you will be sent to the boss.”
Anarchy, the one pony Filthy Traffic truly feared. He only came here to save his flank from the Canterlot Bureau of Investigation who were after him. He could only hope that he’ll never see this stallion.
A pony stepped on the stage behind Dreamcatcher, and she smiled once she saw the familiar shape of an evil unicorn cackling. “Speaking of the boss.”
Oh shit...
A dark stallion made a glamorous entrance, his emerald eyes locked on the crowd below him. Many held a cup of apple cider in hoof, even the boss, only his wasn't foaming unlike the rest. Filthy Traffic felt a shiver go way up his spine as he got to take a good look at his new boss. Sweet Celestia, everything about him screamed pure evil, and these ponies thought it’s a good idea to fight for him? What were they all thinking?!
His mane was large, like that of a lion, his eyes were sunken, hollow but had pupils nevertheless, and he could swear these pupils were locked on him. Anarchy disappeared, causing Filthy Traffic’s heart to skip a beat once the former reappeared before him.
“I am Anarchy, commander of the Anarchists. Little known fact, also an alicorn murderer in the making!” Anarchy closely observed the new recruit with a sinister glint in his emerald eye. “And you are Filthy Traffic, with your little pony trafficking ring... and a poor rod who can’t get enough action.” He tapped the smaller stallion in the bottom area.
Filthy Traffic froze in horror. How does he know about him already? And how does he know about... his legs crossed, awkwardly trying to hide what’s underneath as his face turned red. “I, ba-how...” he helplessly stammered before the intimidating monster of a unicorn.
“You look stressed, Traffic. You appear to be in pain. You need a vacation, hey, why don’t you take a trip on my train?” Anarchy followed up.
The sleezy stallion was at a loss for words, unsure what to say. The evil stallion felt oddly hostile to him, his words were menacing, a threat even. Dreamcatcher giggled, and leaned in very close, whispering in his ear.
“He’s talking about the time he derailed a train heading straight for Fillydelphia. It killed more than a hundred ponies.”
Filthy Traffic went pale, backing away into his convoy, which now caught the attention of Anarchy.
“Oh! Would you take a look at this!” He teleported to the back and hopped in. The captive inside shrieked at the sight of this abomination that was now moving towards them. Struggling against their bonds, each desperately tried to get away from the dangerous unicorn.
Filthy Traffic and Dreamcatcher followed him behind the carriage, watching his next move curiously. Anarchy’s eyes rested on a pegasus mare in the back. He closed the distance in no time at all, placing a hoof on her shoulder.
“Let’s take a moment to break the ice!” he announced as he pulled her gag away. The poor mare’s lips were quivering, her legs trembling in terror as tears were welling in her eyes. The emerald eyes of the stallion were hollow, malicious and maniacal all the same. It was like she was staring death in the eye. “What’s your name, darling?” His grin grew wider as he pronounced that last word.
“B-B-Bl...” The pegasus stammered, unable to get a single word out as tears streamed down her face. She was struggling to speak thanks to her leaking nose forcing her to sniffle.
“What was that? I’m afraid none of us got to hear your name. You know what they say; about how it’s easier to kill a pony when you don’t know their name because it creates a feeling of dissociation. You don’t see your victim as a pony, rather as an object, a tool.” Anarchy responded, pulling the mare’s face closer to him. “So, I’ll say it again; what’s your name?”
“B-B-Bl... Blossomforth!” The mare croaked, fighting her own tears.
Anarchy giggled a bit. “Now tell me; what do you think of Filthy Traffic, your not so handsome captor?”
Blossomforth gazed at the stallion that had brought her in this horrifying predicament, too scared to utter a single word. What was she supposed to say? It felt like one wrong word, and it’ll be over for her.
“Don’t be shy!” Anarchy encouraged, shaking her around a bit. “Here, we value honesty. I want to hear your true feelings. I certainly don’t believe you like Mister Traffic, don’t you?”
“H-He’s cruel, a-a monster!” Blossomforth exclaimed through a hitching voice. “H-He kidnapped us just to make a profit, b-but he sometimes uses us for his own pleasure.” she said, defeat reigning through her voice.
“And me? What do you think of me?” Anarchy brutally said, his grin widening to the point that it overlapped with his eyes. He pulled the mare closer to his face so that she could see his eyes, and the unmatchable evil they revealed.
Blossomforth broke down into tears and uncontrollable sobbing, unable to take it anymore. Any hopes of freedom were gone in Anarchy’s hooves. Despair overtook her.
“Well then...” Anarchy put the gag back on the pegasus as he approached Filthy Traffic. “You see, I’m making a point here. You think you’re so powerful, with the influence you hold in the pony trafficking ring but let me assure you; it means nothing to us.” He stared the smaller stallion down with a large grin plastered on his face, making him feel insignificant.
“They’re scared of you, but even commoners like them recognise where true power lies. In this town, you’ll listen only to me if you know what’s good for you. And on that note, make yourself at home. We’ll need you soon enough to make some noise... ”