Twilight and her friends returned to the Crystal Tree after yet another loss to Simply Anarchy. The girls and Spike sat around the table in stunned silence. Twilight was lost in her own thoughts. How could one pony cause so much mayhem? Not to mention, how could he keep alluding them for so long? She had so many questions, and yet she didn't have a single answer to any of them. For once in her life, she was left clueless.
Starlight sees Twilight battling her own thoughts and decides to speak up. "Twilight, please, say something. We need your help." Glimmer pleaded concerned. The alicorn princess continued to stare blankly at the floor beneath her. This only worried her friends even more.
Applejack looks over to Twilight. "Twi? What happened isn't yer fault."
"Yeah. Nopony could have predicted what he was going to do next. Not even a princess!" Rainbow Dash adds.
Twilight lifts her head up and glances around the table at her friends. "I'm sorry, girls. It's just.... I'm trying to wrap my head around a few things." She replies with a huff. "I don't get it. We have faced so much evil in the past. Nightmare Moon, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Tirek.... No matter how powerful they were, we always rose above all else to defeat them. Why is this time so different?" Twilight lays her head back down on the table.
A few moments pass before Spike runs into the room. He is holding a scroll and breathing quite fast. With the immense amount of sweat dripping from his scaly body on top of that, it was clear that he ran all the way here. "Twilight!" He called out. He stopped, leaning against the table, to catch his breath.
"What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked with a look of concern. Then, she caught glimpse of his tired stature. "And why are you all sweaty?"
Spike took another moment to breathe before speaking. "You all rushed off so fast, Cheerilee didn't have time to give you this." Spike replied holding the scroll out to his alicorn friend. "She says that he left it for you. And he seemed pretty keen on making sure you got it."
Twilight growled in anger as she took the scroll from Spike with her magic. She unraveled it slowly, as her friends watched in anticipation. Then, she clears her throat and begins to read it aloud.
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Dear Princess Twilight,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is so hard to find good help these days, and the incompetence of most ponies can never be overstated. I write this letter as a gesture of good will.... or it could be my inner Discord (the classic version, not the new, crappy one) coming out to play. I'll leave that for you to decide, but don't spend too much time focusing on that! Wouldn't want anypony else getting hurt on your watch, now would we? Ha ha! But don't let my words discourage you, princess. You are only doing what Celestia asks of you.... like a good little dog. If she truly cared about you or your friends, then why isn't she here helping you? I'll tell you why. She is too busy cracking the whip over her sister's back to even be bothered by your needs. But by all means, continue following her orders. After all, treason is an act punishable by banishment to the moon for a thousand years.... or being turned into a glorified garden decoration. Anyways, it has been fun catching up, but I'm afraid I still have much to do. Ta-ta!
Warm regards,
Simply Anarchy
P.S. You look a bit unwell, princess. I, personally, have never been a fan of hospitals. You know what they say, though. An apple a day....
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The group of friends sat there speechless for a bit. None of them were sure exactly what to make of what they heard. Twilight would break the uneasy silence. "And now he's just gloating!" She huffed irritated.
Applejack would walk over to comfort her friend. "Don't you listen to him, sugar cube. He doesn't know what the hay he's talkin' about." She stated with her usual country drawl.
"I agree with Applejack, darling." Rarity added. "It seems to me that this 'Anarchy' character is just trying to get under your skin." She places her hoof gently on Twilight's shoulder.
"Yeah. And besides...." Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and landed on the table in front of her. "We always come through! We just need to keep our spirits up and not let him push us around!" She interjected confidently.
"Oh oh! Cupcakes always lift spirits up! I'll go get some!" Pinkie Pie blurted out, before taking off like a bullet to who knows where.
Starlight, with her eyebrow raised, looked in the direction that the hyperactive pony took off in. Then, she turned back to her friends. "Anyways.... what we are all saying, is that we are behind you. No matter what. We can do this!"
Twilight smiled once again. "Thanks, girls." She expressed feeling a bit more relieved. She looked back to the scroll. "There's gotta be a clue here some-"
The princess was interrupted abruptly by Spike's loud belch. Green flames erupted from his throat as a scroll magically appeared in front of him. Twilight was surprised. She thought that the princess would be too busy to even send her a letter. She picking up the scroll and began reading it to herself.
After a few moments, Fluttershy would speak up. "What is it, Twilight? Did Princess Celestia find something?" She asked timidly.
"It says she needs me in Canterlot at once." Twilight looked up from the scroll and to her friends. "It doesn't say why, though."
"Then it must be too important to discuss over a letter." Starlight replied.
Rainbow Dash flew into the air swiftly. "Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She exclaimed excitedly. She bolted towards the doorway, but was stopped just as fast.
"No, Rainbow!" Twilight called after her friend.
Dash looked back to her alicorn friend, who was shaking her head. "What? Why not?" the pegasus questioned confused.
Twilight stands up from the table. "We can't all just leave. Anarchy is still here. What if he tries something else, while we are all in Canterlot? Ponyville will be completely defenseless!" She responded with a stern look on her face.
Rainbow pondered for a moment, then turned her attention back to Twilight. "So, what now? We can't just ignore Princess Celestia!" She stated impatiently.
"I'll have to go alone." Twilight declared intently. "You all stay here and look after Ponyville. Continue patrolling around and make sure that everypony is accounted for. I will go see what Princess Celestia needs." She began walking towards the door.
Spike ran after her. "Wait, Twilight!" He called out. Twilight turned to face her scaly friend. "Let me come with you! After all, you never know if you'll need your faithful assistant!" He insisted with a wide grin.
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at his remark. "Well, that's true. Hop on!" She gestured for Spike to climb onto her back, which he did without hesitation. "We won't be long, girls. We'll be there and back before you know it!"
The girls wished her luck as she ran out the door and soared into the sky. They all watched as she flew towards Canterlot, before disappearing out of sight.
"You heard her, girls! Let's all do our parts!" Rarity stated with her typical elegant confidence. "Onward- aah!"
Rarity was cut off as Pinkie Pie crashed into her. The two laid on the ground groaning in pain. Rarity was lying flat on her back with a pink cupcake splattered across her face. Pinkie just sat up and looked uneasily at Rarity, who at this moment was giving her a very spiteful stare. "Heh heh.... sorry, Rarity! But look! I brought cupcakes!" She exclaimed proudly. Then she looked to her other friends. "Soooo.... what'd I miss?"
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"Two hours? Really? That's hysterical!" Anarchy erupted with laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, that's rich! Cheerilee must have been so ticked when they finally found her. She can't blame me, though! I told those children one hour. I can't be held responsible if she didn't teach them how to tell time."
His henchponies laughed along with his crude sense of humor. One of the white mares stepped forward. "This all took off without a hitch, just as you said it would." She praised.
Anarchy trotted over to her. "Of course it did! You didn't doubt me, did you, Firefly?" He quizzed.
The mare's eyes went wide with panic. "No no no! Never! It's just.... I thought they would put up a little more of a challenge. That's all." Firefly corrected herself nervously.
Anarchy grinned at her rapid response. "Relax! You know I could never be mad at you, my dear." He reassured the mare. "You are my number one! Through the harshest of times, you have always had my back. And you will be the reason that I finally claim what's mine!" He lifts her chin up, looking into her eyes.
Then, another one of his crew interrupts. "Sir, we have acquired the gasoline you asked us to attain." The bulky stallion states firmly.
Anarchy turns to the pony. "Good! And now we wait for Twilight's next move." The sinister pony grinned deviously. "We'll hit her where it hurts the most. Her greatest strength will become her greatest weakness. If everything goes according to plan, we will have Equestria pleading for mercy in no time!"
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Twilight rushes through the door of Canterlot Castle. She darts her head around looking for the princess. After a few minutes, Celestia walks through the door. Twilight immediately runs up to her teacher. "Princess Celestia! Did you find something on Simply Anarchy?" She says getting her hopes up.
Princess Celestia sighed. "No. Not yet. Luna is still searching. But I'm afraid another problem has just come to my attention." She responded glumly.
"What do you mean? What pro--" Twilight tried to finish her question, but would be cut short when she catches glimpse of a peach colored mare wearing a black power suit and red framed glasses. She had dark brown hair put up in a bun and her eyes were a very bright green. And she certainly didn't look like she was here for a casual visit. "--blem? Umm.... hello. Who are you?" Twilight finished.
The pony adjusted her glasses and looked to the purple alicorn. "Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle. My name is Swift Justice. I am here on behalf of my clients.... the Rich family." She stated bluntly. "I'm gonna cut to the chaste. The Rich family is filing an injunction against Princess Celestia.... and you."
Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wait.... what?!" She managed to let out. "Why?!"
"Oh, I don't know.... maybe it has something to do with your blatant abuse of power?" She glares angrily at Twilight. "How could you two, do such a thing, anyway? Letting two criminals off with only a two month sentence for robbery? Have you gone crazy?" She stomps her hoof with authority.
"There's a huge misunderstanding here! Pestle and Mortar are not the masterminds of that robbery! We are currently trying to catch the pony responsible." Twilight retorted, defending herself and her teacher.
The lawyer pony stood unshaken. "Regardless of who planned it, Pestle and Mortar were the ones to carry out the action, therefore they are just as much at fault. They were not forced to do what they did. They made their choice, and now they must pay their dues." She declared sternly.
Twilight was starting to become frustrated. "Look.... just give us more time. We will catch this pony and make him explain it all to you. I promise!" She proposed nervously.
Justice looked at the princesses. She noticed the fire in Twilight's eyes. She was bound to catch this so-called mastermind. Then, she sighed. "Okay, look." She removed her glasses to wipe a smudge off of them. "I might be able to calm the Rich family down a little. Maybe convince them to reconsider." She replied putting her glasses back on. She noticed Twilight's eyes light up at her statement. "That doesn't mean they'll drop the case! But it could buy you some time."
Twilight, instinctively, hugged Swift tightly. "Oh, thank you thank you thank--" Twilight stopped her cheering when she noticed the look on Celestia's face. It was a look that said 'let her go before she changes her mind.' She gingerly set the legal pony back down. A blush formed on her face. "Heh heh.... sorry."
Swift Justice giggled a bit. "It's no problem. But you should act quickly. I will head to them immediately." She said energetically. "I'm on the case!" Then she trotted out of Canterlot Castle.
Celestia looked to her star student with amazement. "Excellent work, Twilight."
Twilight turned back to her teacher. "Hopefully, I bought us enough time."
The princess smiled at her apprentice. "Well, I told you how my search is going. How about your own? Any signs of Anarchy in Ponyville?" She questioned.
Twilight sighed in realization that she hadn't quite told her what happened at the schoolhouse. "Anarchy did strike again. This time his target was the school. He left a scroll for me to find there. Even worse, one of Ponyville's citizens has gone missing." Twilight frowned, waiting for her teacher to scold her for her carelessness. "I'm sorry for failing you again."
Princess Celestia looked down at her student. But she never got angry with her. "This is an unfortunate loss. But we cannot dwell on it now. We must stay focused on the task at hand." Celestia stated regaining her composure.
Twilight glanced back up at her teacher and nodded in confirmation. "You're right. What's our next move?"
Princess Celestia stood there thinking for a few moments. Then, she sighed, all the while still maintaining her regal posture. "You said he left a scroll, is that correct?" She asked curiously. Twilight nodded. "And did it contain anything important?"
Twilight brought out the scroll and gave it to her teacher. "It was just a bunch of gloating and evil banter. Not to mention, rude comments about the two of us." She replied sadly.
Celestia scanned the note over and over. Then, she looked back to Twilight. "So it seems." She huffed.
Twilight held the scroll up in front of her. "The part I don't get is at the end. Why go through the effort of telling us he doesn't like hospitals? That isn't at all relevant to what has been going on...." Twilight proclaimed frustrated. Then, she thought about it for a second. "Or maybe it does. What if he's trying to hint that his next target is a hospital?"
Princess Celestia thought about Twilight's theory. Then her eyes went wide with horror. "You need to return to Ponyville. Gather your friends and evacuate Ponyville Hospital immediately!"
"But what about you?" Twilight asked frantically. "What are you going to do now?"
Celestia looked thoughtfully at her student. What she had in mind was a bit unorthodox.... quite a bit.... okay very unorthodox. But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. "I have a call to make." She replied directly. She sat down on her throne and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. She took a deep breath before beginning to write. "I believe I know just who can draw this pony out."