//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: Party Crashers 
// Story: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Anarchy 
// by Simply Anarchy 
//------------------------------//

The Gala has been going on for nearly three hours. Celestia sat on her throne, lost in her own thoughts. Twilight and her friends had left the party with little to no warning. Hopefully, they are alright, wherever they ran off to.

Cadance approached the sun princess. "You look worried. You know that Twilight and her friends are more than capable of handling themselves. They will find that pony and bring him home safely." She reassured with confidence.

Celestia sighed. "I just can't help but feel that there is more to Anarchy's scheme than meets the eye." She rubbed her chin quizzically.

"Well, even if it is a trap, the girls will just have to get their hooves a little dirty. Anarchy's troops are not a problem for them. If they can take on a power-hungry tyrant and the spirit of chaos, I'm fairly certain they can handle a few bulky earth ponies." Cadance pointed out.

"I suppose you're right. It's still unfortunate that they had to miss out on most of the Gala." Celestia sympathized.

Cadance nodded in agreement. "I'm sure they will be even more happy to have saved that pony and brought him back safely."

Celestia smile optimistically. "Perhaps. We can make it up to them--"

"Sister!" Luna came bolting towards the other princesses.

"Luna! It's so good to see you out of that dusty old room at last!" Celestia stated in delight.

"Better late than never! The night's still young! There's still time to enjoy the party!" Cadance exclaimed happily.

Luna looked at the pink alicorn. "What? Oh, right the Gala. That's not of importance at the moment. Look, I found somethin--"

"I'm back! Sorry for leaving so abruptly!" Shining Armor apologized. "Flurry Heart was getting tired, so Sunburst and I brought her into one of the spare bedrooms to let her nap in peace. He's keeping an eye on her."

"One of the guards could have watched her. He could be out here enjoying the party." Cadance said feeling bad for the wizard.

"I tried telling him that, but he kept insisting. I think he is kinda disappointed. He was hoping to spend some time with Starlight, but she took off with the others." Shining replied.

"Oh, that's too bad. He really deserved to have some fun after all of the hard work he's been doing for the baby and us." Cadance stated with pity. She looked back over at Luna, who was looking a bit impatient. "Oh sorry! What was it you were saying?"

Luna pulled out a document and handed it to her sister. "I wasn't convinced that Anarchy was untraceable, so I dug a little deeper. I searched every cabinet in the archives. Including, the really old abandoned section."

Cadance looked at the night princess puzzled. "And you found something about him?"

"I did not... but I did find this document. Does that pony look familiar to you, sister?" Luna interrogated.

Celestia was shocked by what she was looking at. "This... this isn't possible. Where did you--"

"That's not all!" Luna stated, as she pulled out another document. "Look at this one, as well."

Celestia grabbed the paper from Luna. She scanned it carefully. Her jaw dropped. "But these two ponies... they look exactly like..."

"Anarchy's henchponies?" Luna finished for her elder sister.

"But this isn't possible... according to this, these ponies passed away from stage four brain cancer nearly a decade ago." Celestia could not believe what she was reading. "How are they walking around causing panic? On another note, how is there so many of them?"

"I haven't a clue." Luna responded in confusion.

Celestia thought to herself for a moment. "They are Earth ponies, so magic is out of the equation."

"What about the Mirror Pond? You and I both know about the truth in that legend." Luna theorized.

Celestia shook her head. "I don't think so. Twilight and her friends claimed to have sealed that up. Supposedly, there was some apocalyptic event caused by it that nearly destroyed Ponyville, so they shut it off at the source."

"Sounds terrifying!" Luna was curious as to who or what could have been so fearsome that they terrorized the entire town. Shrugging it off, she got back to the task at hand. "Well, I am stumped. Do you have any ideas?"

Celestia sighed with uncertainty. "I am just as lost as you. If it isn't magic, then what could it--"

Celestia was interrupted by a bunch of loud screams coming from outside. Cadance looked at her husband. "What was that?"

Shining slowly stepped up to the large door. Before he could open it, the door swung open. One of Celestia's royal guards barged in. "Your majesty! Anarchy's troops are storming the castle! We have to--"

The doors swung open once again. This time, dozens of Anarchy's crew rushed through the entrance and began attacking everypony in sight. Ponies were scattering all about. The room was being occupied by Anarchy's army at an alarming rate.

Celestia looked to the other two alicorns. They all knew what had to happen next. With Twilight and her friends far away from Canterlot, the princesses would have to defend the homefront themselves.

Celestia's horn started gleaming brightly as she readily charged her horn preparing to fire. A few of the minions darted toward her. She drew her horn back and shot two of them. One of the bald mares jumped on her back and tried to choke her out. Luckily, a couple of her guards were close by and saw the struggle. They immediately took action to aid their ruler. They yanked the pony off of her back and threw her at one of the support pillars. With no time to recuperate, the sun princess returned her attention back to the battle at hand. 

Luna blasted a few pale stallions that were charging the throne. She then flew into the air and launched a massive attack at a larger group  of henchponies. Her assault worked better than she had hoped, as it took out at least seven or eight of the enemies.

Cadance and Shining Armor were fighting back to back, not allowing their opposition to take them by surprise. As always, their teamwork was working tremendously. They managed to ward off a bunch of the henchponies, who were attacking the innocent ponies.

"Soldiers! Keep standing your ground! They may have us outnumbered, but we have the combat experience!" Shining commanded valiantly. His fellow guards followed his orders, fighting harder than they had before.

Celestia looked back at her sister. "We have to push them back, sister! If we can take back the castle, then we will have the upper hand!" She shot an incoming anarchist with extreme precision, tossing him back at least five feet.

Luna nodded in agreement. "Then, let's give it all we've got! No holding back!" The princess of the night lifted four of the evil ponies off of the ground with her magic and tossed them one by one at the hordes of them that were engaging the guards. She launched a beam, which took out a long line of Anarchy's soldiers. As quickly as she took them down, more of them took their place. She turned to fire in another direction, only to be tackled from the side by one of the large white stallions. A group of the white mares began stomping on her chest while she was down.

Celestia saw what was happening and snapped. In a fit of pure rage, she let loose a barrage of high powered blasts at her sister's attackers. Each blast hit its target sending them crashing down on the floor with brute force. She flew over to her sister. "Sister! Are you alright?!" She questioned worried for her well-being.

Luna was bleeding from her mouth. She winced in pain, looking over towards the epic battle that was ensuing around them. "Errgh... There's too many of them! We will have to change our course of attack, if we expect to win this battle." She coughed up a bit of blood.

Celestia shook her head in concern. "Luna, you can't keep fighting in your condition. You should seek cover. We can handle--"

"Don't lecture me about my well-being, sister! I can still fight!" Luna exclaimed boldly.

Her sister was unconvinced. "No! You can't! You are just going to get yourself killed! Quit trying to oppose me. I only want to help you!"

Luna grunted in annoyance. "Maybe I am in over my head. Maybe I am just putting on a brave face. And yes, maybe I shall die trying... But it is our duty as leaders to continuing fighting, despite how hopeless it may seem." Luna grimaced in pain, rubbing her damaged ribs. "I may be hurt, but I'm not dead yet. And if I can't help win this battle, then I shall perish trying." She smirked at her sister. "You want to help me? Then help me back up!"

Celestia looked into her sister's eyes. She knew that look. She was not going to change her mind anytime soon. If there was one thing she admired most about her sister, it was her fighting spirit. Her passion. She always felt that she was obligated to die for the citizens of Equestria as a sort of penance for the pain and suffering she caused as Nightmare Moon.

She smiled and extended her hoof to the blue alicorn. "You are so bull-headed. But since your mind is made up, then let's take a stand!"

Luna nodded and grasped her sister's hoof and struggled back to her hooves. She wiped a trickle of blood off of her bottom lip. Another group of anarchists began backing the two sisters against the wall. The siblings stood side by side, not showing any signs of being intimidated. They looked at one another, before looking back at their foes. "Together!" The sisters exclaimed in unison, as they began blasting pony after pony, taking them all on. One by one, the enemies were dropping like flies.

Though it seemed hopeless at first, the princesses slowly began gaining the advantage. But the battle was far from over. Shining noticed that they were trying to get further into the castle. His heart was beating hard, as he remembered that his daughter was in the castle. And she was definitely not heavily guarded. He ran over to his wife. "They are still coming in strong! You have to go get our daughter and get her out of here!" He interjected while hitting a stallion in the chest, dropping him hard. 

"What about you?" Cadance asked, as she blasted two mares.

Shining kicked one of the anarchists in the stomach. He dodged a punch by another, and countered it with a left hook to the jaw. Then he picked the pony up with his magic and flung him at the other. "Our troops and I have this under control. Our daughter needs you more than we do at the moment. Get her to safety!" He saw his wife looking back at him with worried eyes. "I can handle these punks. But if anything were to happen to you or the baby, I would never forgive myself!"

Cadance thought for a few moments before sighing. "Just... make it back to me... okay?"

Shining lifted up her chin and planted a kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, he looked her in the eyes once more. "I always do."

Cadance began trotting away, but not before turning back around. "And, Shining... Show them how it's done!"

Shining gave his wife a determined smile. "Don't I always?"

Cadance smiled. Then, she ran deeper into the castle. She was surprised to see that the halls were empty for the most part. Now, she had to find which room her daughter was in. She went to each door, and looked in each room. She searched frantically, hoping that her daughter was still safe. Perhaps, Sunburst had grabbed the baby and evacuated her out of here. At this point, the pink alicorn was just trying to ease her thoughts, but it was rather difficult, due to the nature of the situation.

Finally, Cadance approached the final bedroom at the furthest end of the hall. She did not hesitate to burst through the door. Once she entered, she was relieved to see Sunburst's trademark blue wizard cape and hat leaning over the sleeping baby's crib.

She sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness! Sunburst, we have to get Flurry Heart out of here! The castle's under attack! Anarchy's goons have taken over! Are you two here alone? What happened to the guards that were supposed to be posted at the door?" She asked anxiously. There was no response from Sunburst. Cadance thought that perhaps he just didn't hear her. "Sunburst? Did you hear me? We have to go!" Still no response. She was starting to become a bit nervous. She could hear the baby moan in her sleep, but Sunburst was silent. She walked up to him and patted him on the back. "Sunburst?" She slowly turned him to face her. When she finally got him turned around, she gasped in horror. It wasn't Sunburst under that wizard getup.

"Surprise!" Anarchy exclaimed wickedly, spraying the alicorn with a mysterious purple mist. He laughed maniacally, as he removed Sunburst's mage robe and hat. Two of his crew walked out of the closet within the room and surrounded the pink alicorn. Anarchy trotted up to her giddily. "Princess Cadance! It is so delightful to see you again!"

Cadance's paternal instincts kicked in as she prepared to strike him down with her magic. But there was something wrong... Her magic... wasn't working. To make matters worse, she couldn't move a muscle either. She couldn't even open her mouth to speak. She was completely frozen in place. Unable to help her child, who lied dormant in her crib. All she could do was listen and watch as Anarchy tormented her.

Anarchy smiled at his handiwork. "You know. When I was a young colt, I used to love reading comic books. I found that they were a gateway to escaping the harshness of reality." He lectured to the frozen princess. "Ponies with superpowers performing incredible feats, all for the sake of protecting the common good."

The villain picked up a chair and sat in front of her. "But I'll admit, what I really enjoyed was the struggles that our beloved heroes had to endure to defend the peace. The 'bad guys' would come along and make their nefarious intentions known to the world and the 'good guys' would stand up above all else to stop them." 

He brushed the alicorn's hair out of her face, so he could get a better look at her eyes. "Of course the good guys would always win because we are supposed to believe that good always triumphs over evil. But the bad guys never made it easy. Even with superpowers, the heroes would still have their word cut out for them. No matter how powerful our hero was, they always had something to make them vulnerable."

Anarchy looked over at the baby, who was still sound asleep. Then, he looked back to Cadance, who at this point wanted to tear his head off. "What do you think of my spray? It was inspired by a comic book villain. The Mane-iac! The Power Ponies' most dangerous nemesis! Hairspray Ray of Doom! Sounds silly, I know. But the concept wasn't too far off. It just needed a little... dose of reality..."

The evil stallion leaned forward in his chair until he was face-to-face with the crystal princess. He smirked, noticing the fear in her eyes. "Yes, I did love my comics... but I knew full well what they were designed for. They were created to give you a false sense of hope. To steer you away from the real world. And the real world... is a much more terrifying place. The corruption is real. The danger is real. The bad guys are real. And the good guys... well... they are nowhere to be found... until now."

Anarchy pointed to the baby's crib. "You see, that child is the hero this world needs. The face of change... the bringer of a new world order. A world of true harmony. A world where creatures can express who they really are without fear of being imprisoned unjustfully. A world without tyrants. Do you get it now? She is the dynamite needed to tear down this corrupt system... I just happen to be the match that will light it up."

The villain gave a sinister grin. "I promised you, didn't I? That I would make a believer out of one of you princesses? True, it will take some time, a lot of discipline, and a bit of patience. But in a few short years, I will have her scorning the very crown that has so corrupted this beautiful world of ours. And rightfully so. How else will she lead the rebellion against Equestria's dictators?" He cackled insanely, as he stood from his chair.

"Well, it's been fun, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cut our visit short. I hear that the castle is under attack. Wouldn't want the baby to be caught in the crossfire, now would we?" Anarchy teased viciously. He looked into Cadance's eyes once again. They were glistening with tears. All the rage within was long gone and replaced by pure genuine terror. "Don't you worry yourself too much, my dear. I will take good care of her. I'll raise her like she is my own." As he said this, tears began pouring down the alicorn's cheeks.

Cadance's mouth finally loosened up a little from the spray's hold. She still had trouble opening her mouth, but she could at least speak. "There's one problem with your plan."

"Oh? And what might that be?" the evil pony quizzed.

"My husband, Luna, and Celestia are all at the entrance of the castle. If they see you with her, they will stop you before you can even say a word." Cadance was tearing up in anger. "There is no escape. Just surrender now."

Anarchy looked at his two henchponies, then back at Cadance. "You hear that, boys? Sounds like she has us all figured out! She's right... Whatever shall we do? We should surrender now! I don't know about you, but I don't want Shining Armor to beat me up! Oh, woe is me!" Anarchy exclaimed putting his hoof on his forehead dramatically. 

"Aaaaand scene!" Anarchy bowed as his henchponies clapped at his performance. "Haven't you learned by now, princess? We're full of surprises...." Anarchy clapped his hooves. On cue, his crew began... changing. Changing from the bald, white stallions to members of Celestia's royal guard. Cadance couldn't believe her eyes. Anarchy laughed as he inspected his new guards. "Excellent work, boys! Lookin' good!"

Cadance felt her heart sink. "Y-you... you're... changelings?"

"Well, they are." Anarchy pointed out. "But, I on the other hand..."

Suddenly, Anarchy began to change. But it wasn't into a guard as she had anticipated. No. What he changed into frightened her more. She watched as he changed into... her. Once the transformation was complete, he did a little twirl. "What do you think? Not a bad likeness, huh?"

Cadance's heart was beating fast, her fear engulfing her mind. "B-but you said you weren't--"

"...a changeling? Not exactly... I'm sort of a freak of nature... Half pony... and half changeling. Mommy was a changeling, and daddy was an Earth pony. Long story short, I'm the best of both worlds!" Anarchy laughed, all the while sounding and looking exactly like the princess, herself. "Now I know what you're thinking... Chrysalis has already done this! Wanna know the difference between us? I will actually get away with it!" 

Cadance began sobbing violently. "Please! Don't take my baby! She doesn't deserve this! Take me instead! Anything but her, please!" Her tears formed a small puddle on the floor.

"Tempting... nah! No offense, Mi Amore, but the world needs fresh blood. You had your chance!" Anarchy picked the baby up and held her in his arms. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a new world order to raise!" Anarchy walked to the door. One of the guards sprayed Cadance once more so that she couldn't do anything once again. She watched helplessly as her baby was being carried away. Before leaving, Anarchy stuck his head through the door one last time. "Oh, and don't you worry! This won't be the last time you see her... but the next time you two meet, she'll be trying to kill you!" Anarchy laughed evilly, as he closed the door to the bedroom, locking it behind him.

Anarchy began running down the hall, the baby tucked in his arm. He ran back through the castle, until finally he stood in the throne room. It was certainly as bad as Cadance was describing it. Speaking of which, he spotted Cadance's husband, Shining, fighting off a few of his crew. Shining saw him and ran up to him.

"Cadance! Thank, Celestia, you're both safe! There's a royal carriage waiting to escort you and the baby out of here! Go! I'll clear the way for you!" Shining exclaimed while taking down two more anarchists.

Anarchy nodded as he ran past Armor and out the door of the castle. He was in the clear! Now all he had to do was get to the carriage. A bunch of guards ran past him, clearing his way to the golden carriage parked at the bottom of the stairs leading to the castle. Anarchy ran, taking care as to not drop the baby. Once he got to the carriage, he got in immediately. His two guards followed him to the cart. They knocked out Luna's guards, who were originally going to pull the cart. They quickly gained control of the vehicle. Anarchy pounded on the door of the carriage to get his henchponies' attention. "Let's get going!" He commanded eagerly. Without hesitation, the cart began moving at full speed away from Canterlot Castle.

With Cadance and his daughter in the clear, Shining was now fighting with a clear head. Luna and Celestia were working flawlessly as a team, despite a few minor setbacks along the way. As a result, Anarchy's crew was beginning to fallback, sensing that they were outmatched.

After about thirty minutes, the battle began to turn in Celestia's favor. A female voice could be heard commanding Anarchy's troops. "Fallback! Soldiers of Anarchy! Fallback! We shall live to fight another day!" Commander Firefly demanded, pulling her soldiers off of the battlefield. And just like that, Anarchy's crew retreated back to the shadows from whence they came.

Celestia sat down on her throne, panting heavily after the long fight. Luna collapsed onto the floor, out of both pain and exhaustion, having pushed her body beyond its limits. Shining sighed, but refused to let his guard down. His job prevented him from getting his hopes up to easily. He scanned the castle, which was now a total wreck, to see if there were any other evil ponies still present. When it was finally confirmed that it was all clear, then he could, at last, catch his breath. At last they had won the battle...

...little did he know the war was far from over.