It is the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. Twilight and all of her friends have just arrived in Canterlot and are on their way to the castle. It had been a long, terrible week. It was about time that they all got to enjoy themselves.
"You will simply love the Gala, Starlight. It is the pinnacle of celebrations. And it is absolutely fabulous!" Rarity exclaimed with excitement.
Starlight looked to the white unicorn. "I don't know. I'm not really into these high-class social events. You know.... being a reformed villain and all. What if my presence causes a problem?" She asked nervously.
Twilight placed her hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "Don't worry, Starlight. Everypony knows you have changed. Just be yourself, and you will be fine." She reassured her friend.
Starlight smiled back weakly. "Alright. I'll try."
"Besides, you look fabulous, darling!" Rarity bragged knowing that the dress she designed for her was gorgeous. She never ceased to amaze herself.
Starlight blushed at the complement. She was about to thank her friend when she would be cut off by a very eager Pinkie Pie. "Oh my gosh! I'm so excited that I think I might explode! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are helping out with the treats for the Gala. I got to sample everything that they are bringing, including a super yummy secret dessert that Mrs. Cake made specially for this event!" Pinkie interjected while licking her lips with anticipation.
"Sounds good. What is it?" Starlight quizzed curiously.
Pinkie giggled. "I can't tell you that silly! It's a secret!" Pinkie stated in a secretive hush. She smiled and patted Starlight on top of her head.
Starlight stared back eagerly. "Come on, Pinkie. Can't we have a hint?"
"I wouldn't bother wastin' yer time, sugarcube. Pinkie can keep a secret til' she falls apart. Trust me." Applejack stated with certainty.
Pinkie chuckled sheepishly. "That only happened once. And it was a big secret!"
Starlight blinked in wonder. "I'll take your word for it. Forget I asked." She turned back to Twilight. "So Twilight, are you excited about seeing your niece again?"
"I can't wait to see little Flurry Heart! I'm her favorite aunt you know." Twilight stated gleefully.
"You're her only aunt." Rainbow Dash pointed out bluntly.
Twilight's face reddened with embarrassment. "Well, yes... I guess so. But I'm still her favorite!" She retorted boldly.
Starlight smiled and rolled her eyes. "She's very lucky to have a family that cares so much."
A loud gasp from Pinkie Pie got everyone's attention. "Look, girls! We're here!" She shouted with excitement.
The girls basked in the glory that was Canterlot Castle. Even though they had been to the castle many times in the past, it was still quite the spectacle to behold. Ponies were all crowding around getting ready for the big event. Everypony was smiling and having a good time, and the Gala has barely even begun. The girls looked at each other before eagerly entering the castle.
Inside the castle was just as vibrant and lively as the outside. The room was decorated beautifully for the occasion. Celestia sat on her throne, while many ponies gathered before her in anticipation of meeting her highness. Celestia saw Twilight and her friends and quickly gestured them to her.
"Twilight! It is so good to see you here! And for once the world isn't in peril." The princess stated joyfully.
Twilight smiled as she bowed to her mentor. "It's definitely a better change of pace from how things have been, that's for sure." She said recollecting the events of the past few days. "How are you and Princess Luna doing? It must be nice to finally be out of the archives."
Celestia sighed at her statement. "Actually, Luna is still there. She is determined to find more about Simply Anarchy. I fear that she may have let him get in too deep. Hopefully, I can talk some sense into her soon."
"I hope so. She deserves to relax too, after all." Twilight added showing sympathy for her teacher. "Speaking of which, have Cadance and Shining Armor arrived yet?"
"Over here, Twilight!" A voice came from behind the friends. Cadance waved at them, as her and her husband approached the throne.
"Twily! It's good to see you again, kid!" Shining Armor exclaimed as he pulled his sister in for a hug.
"It's good to see you too, BBBFF!" Twilight lovingly embraced her brother. They barely ever saw each other any more, but each time they did, they cherished the moment.
Shining let go of his sister and gave her a worried look. "I heard about what happened. Are you all okay?"
"Yeah. We're all doing fine. Things got a bit chaotic for a time, but we managed to pull through it like we always do." Twilight reassured her brother.
Shining chuckled at his sister's statement. "Of course you did. You're all making me look bad, doing my job all the time. How about saving some of the bad guys for me?"
"We'll think about it, but no promises." Twilight stated coyly, resulting in laughter among the group. Twilight looked toward Cadance. "Where's the baby? Didn't you bring her?"
Cadance nodded. "Of course. She's with Sunburst at the moment. He has to help contain her magic before bringing her in here. Wouldn't want another incident like the one in the Crystal Empire to occur, now would we?"
Twilight cringed at the memory of the whole Crystal Heart ordeal. "Absolutely not. I'm just a bit eager to see her again. She is so adorable!" She exclaimed joyfully.
"Well, it's great that you feel that way! Maybe you would like her to stay with you for a few days... or weeks..." Shining put on a very wide smile in an attempt to sway her into accepting his offer.
Twilight laughed at her brother's act. "Nice try, big brother! But she's your responsibility, not mine."
"I know, I know. I'm just messing with you..." Shining responded nonchalantly, causing everyone to laugh. "No, but seriously... how about just one day?"
"Let me think about it... no." Twilight teased.
"Shining, quit trying to pawn our daughter off on other ponies!" Cadance scolded her husband, as she pulled at his ear with her magic.
Shining huffed in defeat. "Darn it. Well, you can't blame a guy for trying, right?" Shining shrugged innocently.
Cadance rolled her eyes at her husband's antics. "Anyways... it's so good to see all of you here tonight. After all that has happened, you girls deserve a bit of a break."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "That's the plan. Tonight, we are just going to have fun and rela--"
One of Celestia's royal guards interrupted Twilight before she could finish her sentence. "Excuse the interruption, princesses, but I bring urgent news of the utmost importance." The guard stated bluntly.
"What is it?" Princess Celestia questioned curiously.
"It seems that the prisoner, Anarchy, is ready to give up the location of that missing pony." the stallion explained.
Celestia stood up from her throne. "Very well, then. I shall go to him at once."
The guard pony cleared his throat. "Actually, your highness, he specifically requested to speak to Princess Twilight and her friends... and well... not you..." He looked as though Celestia would smite him where he stood for saying such a thing.
"Wait... me? Why does it have to be me?" Twilight questioned the guard.
"That was his condition. He doesn't want to talk to anypony else." He stated nervously.
"It's alright. Grant him his condition. Finding this missing pony is top priority." Celestia declared boldly.
Twilight nodded in confirmation. "She's right. Doctor Hooves has been gone long enough. It's time to bring him home. We'll go to him immediately."
"I'm sorry this has come up during your time of relaxation." Celestia apologized sympathetically.
"It'll be worth it to finally not have to worry about Anarchy having any leverage over us. And to finally bring the doctor home safely." Twilight replied with determination. She turned to her friends. "Come on! There's no time to lose!"
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"You should relax a bit, newbie. When they tell us to watch the prisoner, they don't literally mean we have to watch him. We just have to make sure he doesn't escape." The stallion told his fellow guard pony. The guard refused to speak, instead kept his eyes fixed on Anarchy in his cell. "Hello?! Anyone home in there?" The stallion tapped on the helmet to try and get his partner's attention, to no avail. "We don't have to do this unless royalty is around. I don't see any princesses around here, do you?" Still no response. The stallion decided that his efforts were pointless. "Aren't you just a pleasure to work with..." He huffed sarcastically.
"He is taking his job seriously, you fool. And if you were wise, you would too. You have no idea with whom who you are dealing with here." Simply Anarchy stated somberly.
The guard pony turned his attention from his partner to the prisoner. "I'm dealing with a scumbag, who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. You don't intimidate me. You're just garbage who thinks he is mighty because he set a few things on fire. Big deal! The filly scouts light all kinds of fires when they go camping!" He scoffed at the gray stallion.
Anarchy laughed with mirth. "Yes, but do the filly scouts have the princesses and their guards dancing around like puppets for their amusement, like I do?"
The guard pony was red with anger. He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut short when he saw Princess Twilight and her friends approaching them. He quickly straightened up before they reached him.
"Hello, sirs. I need you both to give us a few minutes alone with the prisoner, please." Twilight ordered seriously.
The guard saluted respectfully. "Yes, princess!" The two guards walked away from the area without another word. The stallion took one more look at Anarchy before completely departing. To his disgust, Anarchy was waving his hooves in a puppeteer-like motion. All he could do was snort angrily and proceed to walk away.
Anarchy chuckled to himself proudly. "These ponies have been absolutely fun to mess with. And to think that is Celestia's finest! Hysterical, if you ask me!" Anarchy mocked bitterly. "Speaking of which, it certainly took that guard long enough to get you here. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you didn't care about that pony's life any more."
Twilight was already beginning to be irritated. "Enough of your games. Just tell us where Doctor Hooves is!"
"Straight to the point tonight, are we? No annoying speech about friendship? No ridiculous questions with obvious answers? Not even any empty threats?" Anarchy quizzed acting shocked by the princess's bluntness.
Twilight didn't want to play any of his games. She wanted only to recover the missing pony and get on with her life. "No more childish antics. Tell us where he is, and we can all move on with our lives." She stated, unmoved by his insults.
Anarchy sighed in disappointment. "Well, aren't you a buzzkill? I was hoping for more of a challenge. Another battle of wits between Equestria's resident anarchist and the Princess of Friendship, herself. I guess we don't always get what we want."
Rainbow Dash banged the cell door with her hoof. "Stop stalling and start telling us what we need to know!" She snapped with anger.
"Such brutality... Wits may not be something you're familiar with, Dashie, but ponies like myself are master manipulators. And as such, I was hoping for more of a war of words with Twilight here. But since she has clearly given up, I guess we should just get straight to what I've called you here for." Anarchy stood from his bed frame and approached the bars. "But before I do... could any of you, please, tell me what time it is?"
The girls looked at each other in confusion. "Why the hay does that matter?" Applejack questioned in annoyance.
"Time is everything, Miss Applejack. What's the difference between saplings and trees? Time. The difference between day and night? Time. The difference... between life and death?" Anarchy lectured grimly. "In this case, time controls the little surprise I left for you girls."
"I don't think I like the sound of that..." Fluttershy said nervously.
"What surprise would that be?" Twilight asked fearfully.
Anarchy smirked evilly. "I can't tell you that, now can I? Then, it wouldn't be a surprise. I will give you a hint, though. It will result in... an explosively good time." He laughed at his own joke. "Consider it a bonus... for keeping me amused this past week."
"You are a disgusting brute!" Rarity interjected with rage.
"And you are a bitter, old cow! Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, let's move on. Soooo... the time?" Anarchy hissed spitefully.
Twilight stepped forward. "It's about fifteen minutes past nine."
Anarchy smiled. "Good! Then, you still have time! If you take the train, you might just make it to your precious doctor before your surprise... goes off..." He made an explosion gesture with his hooves to emphasize his point. "Your doctor is in Manehattan... at one of my safehouses. It is located about two blocks over from the hat emporium. It's the old abandoned umbrella factory. It should be easy to spot, due to the umbrella neon sign on it. I even left the light on for you."
"I don't like this. Something isn't right here." Starlight added feeling suspicious.
"It's probably another trap! You planning on having your crew jump us when we get there? How do we even know the doctor is even there?" Rainbow questioned also not buying into Anarchy's act.
Anarchy shook his head discouragingly. "I've already told you, I have no intention of lying about his location. He is there, and the more time you spend overthinking this, the less time you will have before... BOOM!"
"You aren't seriously buying this, are you, Twilight?" Rainbow inquired, slapping herself in the forehead.
Twilight thought to herself for a moment. "We don't have much of a choice. We can't just ignore this." Twilight turned to Dash. "What if he is telling the truth? We can't just abandon Hooves on the off chance that he is lying."
"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash a bit on this one. If we are careless, we could be running right into a trap! Then, he will not only have the doctor, but he will have us too." Starlight intervened cautiously.
Anarchy knocked on the cell door. "Ahem. As much as I enjoy watching you struggle with your current predicament, I feel obligated to remind you that time is not exactly on your side here. At midnight, the choice will be made for you." He sat back down on the bed frame and began humming to himself.
Twilight was beginning to get anxious. "Look, we don't have time to discuss this. We will just have to watch our backs." She looked at her friends, who seemed just as worried about the whole situation as she was. "Let's go, girls!" Twilight immediately bolted to to the exit of the dungeon. Her friends followed behind her.
The friends rushed through the castle. They had already wasted enough time discussing their next move. They were not going to stop running until they were on the train bound for Manehattan. The girls even passed Princess Celestia and the others, who were talking with one another. Cadance went to ask Twilight what was wrong, but she couldn't stop her in time. She had already rushed out the door. At this point, Twilight was beyond concerned that they may not make it on time. But she wasn't about to let that fear overtake her. She cannot fail everypony again. She will not fail them again.
A wicked smirk grew on Anarchy's face, as he continued to hum and sing to himself in the confines of his cell. "Sweet dreams are made of these. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something. Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused!♪"