It is evening as the girls have gathered at Ponyville Hospital to support Big Mac's recovery. Applebloom has not stopped sobbing, despite Granny Smith and Applejack trying to comfort her.
"H-he didn't even d-do anything. Why would anypony d-do such a thing?" Applebloom cried shaken.
Applejack hugged her sister tightly, a tear of her own escaping her eye. "Ah don't know, sugarcube." She said sadly. "Ah just don't know."
Outside Big Mac's room, the other girls are talking amongst one another, trying to figure out Anarchy's plan.
Rainbow Dash appears to be much angrier than any of them. "He's gone too far this time! If I get my hooves on him, I'll--"
"Calm yourself, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity commanded. "We have to keep our composure. Otherwise, he wins."
"Rarity's right, Rainbow. He wants us to react. So that we will be too blinded by anger to focus on him and his plan." Twilight explained calmly. "What happened was horrible, yes. But if we give him what he wants, then he will remain free to run over Equestria."
Rainbow collects herself a bit before saying anything else. "So, what now?" She asks puzzled.
Twilight walks beside the blue pegasus. "Now, we wait for the other princesses to arrive. Hopefully, this meeting will end in Anarchy's arrest." She says.
Starlight had her doubts. "About the meeting.... it sounds like a trap to me."
"It probably is." Twilight affirmed her friend's suspicion. "But what choice do we have? We can't just pass up this opportunity to capture him. This could be our only chance."
"Besides," Rarity intervened. "We aren't alone this time, darling. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance are coming to help us deal with this ruffian. He is highly out-classed."
"I'm still not sure." Starlight spoke still hesitant.
Applejack walked outside her brother's room. She was visibly upset, which is surprising, as she was never a pony to let her emotions get the best of her. "Y'all are still talkin' about Anarchy, I reckon." She snorted bitterly.
"Yeah. We're trying figure out what his plan is and how we can stop it." Starlight explained.
Applejack's expression became very stern, yet determined. "Well, whatever we do, count me in." She stated firmly.
Twilight started feeling very concerned. "Applejack, it's alright. We can handle-"
"Twi, with all due respect, ah won't take no for an answer. This theivin' varmint has a lot comin' to him. And ah wanna be there when we catch him." Applejack responded.
Twilight was shocked by Applejack's demeanor. Normally, she was calm and collected, but now she was showing a lot more anger and frustration. "We will get him, Applejack." She assured her. She placed her hoof on the farm pony's back. Applejack was silent, but she nodded to Twilight in agreement.
A voice over the intercom caught everyone's attention. "Princess Twilight, you are needed outside immediately."
Twilight's ears perked up at the announcement. "Come on, girls. I think the princesses are here."
The ponies proceeded outside to find all three alicorn princesses standing together looking out towards Ponyville. Twilight quickly rushed over to them. "I'm so glad you could all make it!" She exclaimed with a relieved smile. The princesses immediately turned back when they heard the purple alicorn's voice.
"I just wish we could have been here sooner!" Cadance replied sadly.
Twilight hugged her sister-in-law comfortingly. "You're here now. That's the important thing."
"Any luck on finding anything, Princess Luna?" Rainbow Dash questioned curiously.
Luna shook her head. "Unfortunately, my search has not yielded any results thus far. If I didn't know any better, I would suggest that this pony is a ghost." She claimed bluntly.
"Well that would begin to explain how he keeps disappearing." Spike stated sarcastically.
Twilight shot Spike an irritated look before turning back to the princesses. "So what's the plan?"
"We meet up with him. With our combined efforts, we may be able to convince him to surrender." Celestia declared boldly.
Discord appears from out of nowhere and begins his usual antics. "Ooooor.... we can do it my way! Turn him into a fish and threaten to keep him out of water until he begs to be put in jail!" He interjects gleefully.
"Ah can't believe ah'm gonna say this, but for once ah agree with Discord!" Applejack said, making Discord jump for joy.
"Nopony is getting turned into a fish!" Twilight confirmed glaring at the draconequus.
"Fine! Way to kill the fun." Discord pouted grumpily.
"Hold up! Does anypony even know where we are meeting this guy?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Umm.... girls...." Fluttershy mumbled quietly.
"I don't know. Did Applebloom give us a time?" Twilight asked uncertainly.
Fluttershy tried speaking louder (well, her version of louder)."Girls.... there's something-"
"Maybe he left us some kind of clue?" Starlight proposed.
"If you look over there-" Fluttershy would begin before being interrupted.
"Girls! Look up there!" Rarity gasped as she pointed to the sky. A small puff of black smoke could be seen coming from somewhere within Ponyville.
Fluttershy sighed. "That's what I was trying to-"
"A sign from Anarchy, if I ever saw one!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Then, what are we waitin' for? Let's go!" Applejack exclaimed eagerly.
The group began bolting towards the source of the smoke, unaware of what could possibly be awaiting them.
It wasn't too long before they found a large pile of logs sitting outside of an abandoned store. The logs were burning brightly, indicating that the fire had been lit not too long ago.
Twilight looked at the fire. "We should probably put this out." Twilight suggested.
"Put it out? But we haven't even brought out the s'mores, yet!" A voice boomed from behind the group, causing everyone to turn around. Anarchy stood there with a wicked grin on his face.
Celestia took a few steps toward him. "You must be Simply Anarchy." She stated.
Anarchy took a bow. "In the flesh." He confirmed proudly. "I must say, I am surprised."
Luna gave him a quizzical look. "And why is that?" She questioned.
"I've actually got Celestia's attention. And all it took was.... let's see.... a robbery, an angry mob, a school invasion, a few ponynappings, and a severe barn fire. Bravo, princess! Bravo!" Anarchy applauded with spite.
"You are trapped! There is nowhere to run this time!" Twilight interjected.
"Twilight! The apple of my eye!" Simply Anarchy exclaimed excitedly. "It is so wonderful to see you again!"
"The feeling isn't mutual." Twilight scorned.
"I believe it is." Anarchy scoffed. Then, he turned his attention to Applejack. "Speaking of apples.... how's big brother doing?"
Applejack snapped and tried to attack him, but was ultimately stopped by Cadance's magic. "Y'all best hope ah don't get mah hooves on ya!" She declared consumed by rage.
Anarchy laughed at her reaction. "Oh, you're angry now? Consider it all a warm-up. I'm just getting started!" He stated arrogantly.
Princess Cadance decided she had heard enough. "Enough of your nonsense! This ends now!"
Anarchy smirked at her remark. "Princess Cadance.... you seem very confident. That'll change. I promise you." He hissed. He walked up to her and patted her on the head. "But not to worry! We'll get to know each other more very soon." He approaches the still burning pile of logs and stares deeply into the inferno. "Remember.... I called this meeting, not you."
"And, why pray tell, would you want to gather all of us in the same place at the same time, knowing full well that you are a wanted criminal?" Princess Luna interrogated.
Anarchy continued to gaze into the flames. "Tell me something, my dear. Did you ever dream during your banishment on the moon?"
Luna was caught off guard by the sudden question. "W-what?" She managed to say.
"I know what banishment can do to a pony. It makes you question your worth. Why me? How did it come to this? Is this what I deserve?" Anarchy turned back to face Luna. "I have been in your position. And let me tell you, the worst thing you can do to a pony is make them question their own self-worth! Everypony is worth something! They feel, they cry, they bleed. But then there are those, who believe that they are what the world needs! And if we don't bow to their will, then they will make an example out of us!" He glared at Celestia with that statement. Then, he brought his attention to Luna once more. "Celestia may think she is the center of the universe, but the truth is she is just a bully. To have all of that power, all of that wealth, just to abuse it for her own selfish gain. It's time for a change. And that's why I'm here. To end the façade."
The blue alicorn was left speechless and conflicted. She became lost in her own thoughts. Her sister would try to snap her out of it. "Luna, don't listen to him, little sister! He is trying to turn us against each other!" Celestia pleaded.
"No, Celestia. I am merely opening her eyes!" Anarchy snapped. "She doesn't have to live in fear! You do not own her! You do not own anyone! It's time that Equestria knows it."
Celestia stomped her front hoof angrily. "No more mind games! Surrender now! Our forces outnumber yours!!"
"I showed up alone, genius. Of course your forces outnumber mine!" Anarchy mocked. "I have allies, too. But I wanted to take the time to get to know you all personally, before I bring them in again."
Twilight stepped up to the villain. "Well, let's review, shall we?" She began pointing out each of her friends. "On our side we have all of the elements of harmony, a very powerful unicorn, the princess of the night, the princess of the sun, and the princess of the Crystal Empire. And, of course, I'm the princess of friendship, as well." Twilight stated determined.
"I have an army!" Anarchy retorted.
"Oh yeah? We have a Discord!" Rainbow Dash bragged with confidence.
Discord then appeared in front of Anarchy. He looked the evil pony right in his eyes. Then, he turned to his friends. "Okay, time out for a moment. Why does this sound so familiar?" he replied, as he pondered to himself.
Anarchy looked up at the draconequus. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day where the spirit of chaos and disharmony would team up with the very beings that embody the exact opposite of his beliefs."
"What can I say? I'm full of surprises!" Discord chimed merrily.
A wicked smile spread across Anarchy's face. "Maybe in the past.... but now you are as predictable as Celestia."
Discord's expression quickly shifted from happy to angry. "Predictable?! You have the audacity to call ME predictable?!" He questioned angrily.
"Now that you are Celestia's lap dog.... yes I do." Anarchy shot back evilly. "And to think you were my idol for most of my life."
"I'll have you know that I am nopony's- wait.... idol? Really?" Discord looked at Simply in surprise.
"Of course! You were a force to be reckoned with! A symbol of freedom! You stood up to Celestia for your right to be free. All you wanted was to embrace your special talent. And how did she react to that?" Anarchy quizzed.
Discord tried to come up with a rebuttal. "Well-"
"Oh that's right! She turned you into a glorified lawn ornament!" Anarchy interrupted. He walked up to his former hero. "That didn't stop you, though! With your immense power, you broke free of your stone prison! You can't imagine the joy I felt when I heard of your return! I caught a train to Ponyville just to see it for myself! And.... it was breathtaking!" Anarchy recollected gleefully. "It truly was the chaos capital of the world! A sight to behold. Your friends were there too. I'm sure they thought the same thing, hmm?"
Discord looked to his friends. They all seemed to resent Anarchy's speech.... but his words were painfully accurate. "We had to stop him! What he was doing was wrong! That's the same reason we have to stop you!" Twilight spoke up, interrupting Discord's thoughts.
"What he was doing was wrong? So being yourself classifies as wrong?" Anarchy inquired bitterly. "Of course it does! Because Celestia said so! How silly of me to ask!" he rolled his eyes, then looked back to Discord. "If turning you back to stone wasn't enough, they would bring you back, just so they could re-purpose you to follow Celestia's orders. So tell me.... who are you? Discord, master of chaos.... or Discord, slave of Celestia?"
"That's enough!" Fluttershy snapped, to everyone's surprise. She then, looked around at her friends, who were staring at her with wide eyes. She blushed, realizing what she had done. "Umm.... sorry everypony." She apologized to her friends before turning back to Anarchy. "Discord chose to change because he saw the benefits of friendship, not because we forced him to. He is happier now then he has ever been! Right, Discord?" She looked back to her friend, who was deep in his own thoughts. He looked absolutely conflicted about everything that had been said. "D-Discord?" She asked again, now becoming a bit concerned.
Discord backed away. "I.... I think.... I have to go...." Discord mumbled, before disappearing yet again.
Everyone was silent, before looking back to Anarchy. "Don't be sad for him. You have no right to grieve for him. Not when you were the ones that caused him to lose sight of who he actually is." the villain scolded viciously.
Fluttershy frowned, as her eyes began to water. Rarity would try to comfort her. "Don't be upset, darling. It's not any of our fault. He is just trying to manipulate us into turning on one another."
"Actually, I'm just stating facts. But enough fun. It's time to get down to business." Anarchy declared.
"The only business here is your arrest!" Twilight beamed irritated.
Anarchy grinned slyly. "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"And why is that?" Twilight questioned spitefully.
"I have something you want. More specifically, somepony you want." Anarchy stated coyly. "Does the name Doctor Hooves ring any bells?"
Twilight's eyes were wide with anger now. "Release him! NOW!"
Anarchy smirked at her reaction. "In due time. For now, he is my.... insurance, if you will. To make sure nopony tries to do anything rash." He picks up a clock that was sitting a few feet away from the fire, and looks at it. "It is 8:43 right now. In seventeen minutes, if I have not reported back to my crew, they have orders from me to kill the good doctor. Do you think you can arrest me and find him before they gut him like a fish. It's a terrible way to die."
Celestia looked to her peers, who looked worried and uncertain about how she will react. Finally, she sighed in defeat. "Why have you called us here?"
Anarchy smiled victoriously. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear." He looks around at his now captive audience. "By the end of all of this, I will make a believer out of one of you princesses. Count on it." He declared boldly. The princesses looked amongst one another, before looking back at the others. Anarchy began singing aloud. "Once I rose above the noise and confusion, just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion. I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high. Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man. Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man. I hear the voices when I'm dreaming. I can hear them say: Carry on my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more♪" He cackled wildly as he finished singing.
He looked to the group that once stood determined to take him down. Now they just looked defeated, much to Anarchy's delight. "Is that all?" Celestia huffed.
Anarchy grinned, turning his attention to Pinkie Pie, who to his surprise hadn't said a thing since they had been here. "What's with the glum face, Pinkie Pie? Aren't you supposed to be the overly happy one?"
"Kinda hard to be happy when you're killing all the fun." Pinkie groaned unamused.
"Awww.... don't be like that." Anarchy put on a fake frown. "I know what will lighten your spirits up! A present!" He exclaimed excited.
Pinkie looked up puzzled. "Wait.... a present? Really?"
"Of course!" Anarchy interjected in agreement. "I'm so excited to show you it that I feel like I'm going to explode! It'll definitely light up your day! It's something.... the whole family will enjoy!"
The others gasped at his proclamation. Pinkie just stared at him puzzled. "Umm.... okaaay. Soooo, what is it?"
Anarchy was dumbfounded for a moment. "That was supposed to... err... you were supposed to get the hint."
"What hint?" Pinkie asked genuinely confused.
Anarchy thought for a moment, then he tried relaying the message again. "Listen carefully. It'll.... LIGHTEN UP.... your day. Something.... THE WHOLE FAMILY.... can enjoy."
"Riiiight...." Pinkie sat there still unsure of what he is talking about. Then her ears perked up and she gasped, causing Anarchy to grin deviously. "Oh oh oh! It's a flashlight! That's something that will lighten things up, and the whole family can use it!" Pinkie exclaimed proudly.
Anarchy's grin changed to an irritated scowl as he slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh for Discord's sake.... It's a bomb!"
Pinkie Pie sat there trying to put the pieces together. "Waaaait. Why would a family enjoy a bomb? Bombs are dangerous." She responded uncertainly.
"What? You... err.... they... I mean.... I was being... UGH!" Anarchy threw his hooves up in frustration. He took a moment to gather his composure before returning back to their discussion. "Look, forget being coy! I am going to set off a bomb and bury your family in rubble! You have three hours to get there before it's too late. Capiche?" He explained as clearly as possible.
Pinkie shrieked in horror. "That's a horrible gift!"
Anarchy sighed in annoyance. "Sorry, I didn't keep the receipt. You can't return it!" He stated trying to regain his composure. He turned back to the others. "Just get going, so that I can be on my way, please!"
"Come on girls! We have to hurry! Three hours doesn't give us much time!" Twilight exclaimed as she began running towards the train station. The other girls would follow suit, leaving the three princesses with Anarchy.
"Now then. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about following me. If I see any of you pursuing me, the doctor dies. Have you anything to say before I leave?" Anarchy asks.
"I do." Princess Celestia steps forward. "It is my duty to let you know that you will end up regretting your actions on this day!" She beamed intently.
Two of Anarchy's henchponies arrive pulling a black carriage. Anarchy sneers at the princess's threat. "I can live with that." He turns around and enters the carriage. Before closing the door, he looks directly at Princess Luna. "Think about what I said. You know it to be true." Without another word, he closes the door, and the henchponies take off into the sunset. The princesses knew it was futile trying to pursue him. Not to mention, they couldn't gamble with another pony's life like that. All they could do was watch as the carriage drove out of sight.