The castle was silent after what felt like an eternity of hectic fighting. The royal guards were hard at work assisting all those who needed medical attention. Shining watched on helplessly as ponies were carted off to the nearby hospital. Dozens of innocent ponies, who were just there for the Gala, had been assaulted mercilessly by Anarchy's goons.
Celestia helped her sister onto a stretcher. "You fought valiantly, little sister. You've made everyone proud." She praised as she held her sister's hoof.
Luna looked up at the sun princess. "I hardly call that a win. Anarchy's troops merely retreated. They could be back at any time." Luna winced as a sharp pain shot through her body.
"Don't you worry about that right now. Just focus on getting better." Celestia insisted with concern. The medical personnel wheeled her stretcher away, leaving Celestia behind them.
The white alicorn looked at her throne room, which was completely trashed. It would take weeks to fix all the damage done to her castle. Celestia was still trying to comprehend the whole ordeal. It all happened so fast! Was this Anarchy's attempt at seizing her castle?
At that moment, Celestia had a terrifying thought. She gestured to a few of her guards. They immediately stood before her, ready for her command. "I need you to head to the dungeon! Make sure Anarchy is still there!" She ordered anxiously. The guards saluted her and took off to the dungeon.
Shining Armor approached the princess. "We managed to keep them in the throne room. Not to mention, we had several guards posted down there. There's no way he could have escaped."
Celestia glanced up at the prince. "We have underestimated him time and time again. I refuse to give myself and my subjects any more false hopes. No... I have to know for certain!" She explained seriously.
Shining nodded in comprehension. "I get it. I just don't think--"
Celestia's guards returned with a brutally beaten guard. Shining stared in disbelief at the sight of his injured comrade. "Fierce... what happened down there?"
The stallion could barely keep his eyes open. Blood trickled down his forehead and chin. He could barely move his mouth, appearing to have broken his jaw. "He... played... us..." He managed to mutter, as the guards assisted him out of the castle.
Princess Celestia felt powerless. She tried desperately to stay calm. Her mind was a jumble of emotions. Anger and self-loathing began to settle in. He was here! She had him imprisoned in her own castle. How could he just slip through her hooves like this? For the first time in a long time, she truly felt defeated.
Shining saw the princess struggling with her own thoughts. "We will find him. As you've told me many times before, you just need to be patient."
Celestia shook her head in disbelief. "His forces overwhelmed us... We are supposed to be the protectors of Equestria! How do we expect to defend the ponies of Equestria if we can't even defend ourselves?"
The white stallion had never seen Celestia like this. She was normally the calm and collected one, who always had a plan. Now, she was completely helpless. He had to bring her back. "We can win! We just have to--"
A loud shriek could be heard from within the castle. Celestia and Shining both jumped to their hooves. The sun princess looked at him anxiously. "Is it just me or did that sound a lot like--"
"Cadance?!" Shining shouted nervously, as he ran in the direction of the scream. He ran through the castle as fast as he could in search of the source. He rounded a corner and that's when he saw her... his wife. She was still here? He knew for a fact that he saw his wife leave the castle. But, why was she here now?
Cadance looked up and saw her husband running toward her. She couldn't hold back her tears. She even lost her will to stand. She felt her legs give way, as she dropped to the ground.
Shining wrapped his wife in a tight embrace. He tried to comfort her to the best of his ability. He ran his hoof through her mane, brushing it tenderly in an attempt to soothe her. He looked down at her. "Are you hurt? Why are you here? What happened?" He showered her with questions, which ultimately was not his greatest idea.
Cadance began sobbing uncontrollably. "H-he took her..." She mumbled quietly.
The prince looked at his wife uneasily. "Took who? What are you talking about?"
The pink alicorn stood up. "I tried to g-get her out of h-here. H-He got to her f-first. It's all my fault!" She exclaimed shakily. More tears poured down her face.
Shining tried hugging his wife again, but she pushed away from his embrace. He was surprised by her rejection. "Cadance, whatever happened, you can't blame yourself. Just tell me--"
"He took our daughter, Shining! He has our baby!" Cadance finally snapped. She fell back down once again. "That monster has our little girl!" She cried inconsolably.
Shining felt his heart drop. He started tearing up. "W-What? He... but I saw you and her leave the castle... How could he--"
"They were changelings... He tricked all of us..." Cadance managed to say through her sobbing.
Shining stared blankly at his wife. It took a few moments for what she said to sink in. As it did, tears of his own fell from his eyes. He couldn't believe it. His baby... was gone...
Celestia came from around the corner followed by Twilight and her friends. They all looked at the sad scene ahead of them. Twilight walked up to her brother. She saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Pure terror. She looked down at Cadance, who was too emotionally distressed to even acknowledge her presence. Twilight felt her throat go dry. "What happened?
________________________________________
"You see? I told you that everything would go as planned." Anarchy stated in a hushed tone, minding the sleeping infant in his arms.
"I never doubted you, sir. I was more unsure of myself." Firefly said softly.
Anarchy smirked. "Unsure of yourself? My dear, Firefly. What is it that I always tell you about self-doubt?"
Firefly rubbed her neck. "Follow your orders and everything will be okay..." She recalled.
"Precisely. And besides, I knew you could do it. I wouldn't have put you in charge if I didn't trust your ability to lead." Anarchy pointed out.
The commander gazed at her boss knowingly. "You put so much faith in me. I'm just an ordinary changeling. What if I had failed?"
"Then I would have enjoyed your company in Tartarus..." Anarchy claimed coyly, causing them both to laugh. the villain wiped a laugh-induced tear from his eye. "And you are no ordinary changeling... no, you are more than that..."
Firefly blushed ferociously. "I only follow orders. I'm no different than any of the others."
"Such modesty... I don't trust my life with just anyone. You have proven your dedication to me time and time again. And now, my dream can finally be realized! We will raise young Flurry Heart here to be the savior Equestria needs." Anarchy declared boldly.
"There are four alicorns besides her. She is severely outnumbered, not to mention outgunned. How could she possibly take them all down?" Firefly asked puzzled.
Anarchy grinned wickedly. "She doesn't have to... They won't attack their own flesh and blood... Even if Celestia sees her as a threat, the others won't allow her to hurt Flurry. And if she ever did, Mommy Cadance would strike her down." the evil pony brushed the baby's hair gently. "No matter what happens, I win."
Firefly glanced dreamily at him. "You thought of everything... How do you do it?"
Anarchy thought to himself for a moment. "We live in a world where power dictates who rules it. Ponies will claw and kick their way just to assume a place next to the throne. Because the closer you are to the throne, the closer you are to power. It is all one big struggle to seize Equestria. And no one will hesitate to take you out, when you stand in the way of their ascension to power. In this world, you have to either adapt or perish..."
The changeling commander rubbed her chin curiously. "So, the plan is to put an end to Celestia and take the throne?"
Anarchy shook his head. "The plan is to eradicate the throne. The world belongs to the creatures that occupy it. Not by those who hold the most power. Let the ponies choose how to dictate their own lives."
"And if they don't agree with each other, then what?" Firefly quizzed.
"The only thing that solves all conflicts... war..." He responded with no hesitation.
"War? Aren't we trying to bring peace?" the changeling questioned.
"Si vis pacem para bellum." Anarchy replied instantaneously.
Firefly looked at Anarchy in confusion. "What?"
"It's a Latin expression." the villain explained.
"What does it mean?" Firefly asked in wonder.
Anarchy looked at the baby, then grinned. "If you want peace, prepare for war."
Firefly nodded in comprehension. She looked at Flurry Heart sleeping soundly in her boss's arms. She smiled in adoration. "May I hold her?"
Anarchy handed the child over to her. "Be my guest."
________________________________________
Everyone has gathered in Celestia's throne room to discuss the terrible events that had just occurred. Cadance was understandably quiet. She just kept sobbing quietly to herself. Shining held her close. Just the sight of his wife in this state was enough to make him want to cry as well. Of course, his daughter being taken didn't help either.
"He wanted to be caught. He wanted to be thrown in the dungeon. He even timed everything just right. Not to mention, he predicted how we were going to act. I just have one question... how did he do it?" Twilight questioned hopelessly.
"Maybe he can see into the future!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah... I don't think that is possible, Pinkie. But I have to admit, it would start to make sense of this all..." She admitted with uncertainty.
Starlight stepped forward. "He seems to know everything about us. All of us. Our strengths. Our weaknesses. Even our past. It's not clairvoyance. It's psychology." The pink unicorn proposed.
Shining Armor snapped. "I don't care what it is! He has our daughter! And now, we are at his mercy!"
Twilight looked at the group. "Unfortunately, he's right. And that's what hurts the most." Twilight lowered her head in defeat. "I underestimated him... severely. And now Flurry Heart is paying for it. That is on me."
"Twilight, it isn't your fault. We all fell for his tricks." Fluttershy stated with emphasis.
Applejack put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Fluttershy's right. Y'all aren't alone in all this! We're a team! We just need to work together!"
Twilight sighed in grievance. "I've failed you all so many times... What if I--"
"Enough!" Celestia interjected stunning everyone in the room. Twilight couldn't recall the last time she heard the princess raise her voice in such a manner. The white unicorn took a deep breath. "Twilight... you know that I've always valued your input. Besides Luna, there is no one I trust more than you, my student. But as of recently, you have been letting your losses get the best of you. Failure doesn't determine who you are. It merely serves to guide you." Celestia knelt down in front of her protege. "By letting your defeats get the better of you, you are setting yourself up to fall once again. It is through failure, that we learn how to better ourselves." She sat up and looked down at her student. "I know at times, it feels as though the weight of the world is on our shoulders. But you don't have to carry it alone. Do you remember what you stand for?"
Twilight thought to herself quietly. Her mentor's wisdom awoke something inside of her. She gazed up at her friends with determination in her eyes. "I... no... we are the ones who defeated Nightmare Moon. The same ponies who defeated Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and Tirek. Sure, there were moments where things looked bleak, but through it all we stood strong. Friends that embody the very ideals that Equestria was built on. The keepers of peace. The guardians of harmony..."
Celestia smiled at her student. Her friends all looked at her in awe. The silence was finally broken by Rainbow Dash. "Nice speech, though it was a bit dramatic, don't ya, think?"
Twilight giggled. "Maybe a little, but I stand by what I said!"
"That's the Twilight we all know and love!" Rarity exclaimed joyfully.
Shining sighed shamefully. "I'm sorry for snapping on all of you. I know it isn't your fault. I just can't--"
"It's alright, big brother. Nopony is blaming you for reacting the way you are. But, we need to focus all of our attention on getting her back." Twilight interrupted her brother.
Shining wiped a tear from his eye. "You're right, Twily. So what's the plan?"
Twilight rubbed her chin quizzically. "Let's just start with what we know." She conjured up a quill and paper to begin doing what she does best. Making a list. "He is remarkably smart. He is cunning. He has an army of changelings ready and willing to do his bidding. Not to mention, he is a changeling himself!"
"Almost sounds like you admire this guy, Twilight..." Spike huffed at her.
Twilight facehoofed herself. "I do not! But if we are going to figure out how to beat him, we need to list every single thing we have come to know about him. Does anypony in here have any objections about how I've described him so far?" She looked around the room for any sign of opposition. Not surprisingly, they all agreed with what she had said. Twilight let a proud smirk appear on her face. "Good! At least we're being honest here!"
Pinkie raised her hoof, as if she were in school waiting to be called on by the teacher. Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pinkie?"
Pinkie clapped her hooves gleefully. "I was just wondering... If Anarchy is half changeling and half Earth pony, then he isn't really a changeling, is he? More like a Changepony. Or, oh! How about an Earthling? Which do you think sounds better? Changepony or--"
"Oh, dear Celestia! It's the cherrychanga thing all over again! For the love of all that is holy make it stop!" Rainbow Dash cried out in agony.
Pinkie looked at the blue pegasus in confusion. "Umm... Rainbow. Are you alright?"
"Of course, she is, darling. Here! I brought you some yarn to play with!" Rarity gestured the pink party pony.
Pinkie shrieked in delight. "Yay! I love yarn!" Pinkie propped up in front of the white unicorn as she rolled the ball of pink yarn in the other direction, causing Pinkie to chase it hypnotically.
"Thanks, Rare! I don't know how much more I could take!" Rainbow sighed in relief.
Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "Can we get back on track here?" She asked rhetorically. "Anyway, as I was saying, we need to think. What else do we know about him?"
"Well, we know that he loves bein' in the spotlight." Applejack said in annoyance.
"That's true. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage." Twilight stated confidently. "I mean, if we can lure him out somehow, we might be able to catch him yet again."
Celestia nodded. "That may work... but we will need a bit more than that to go on."
"You're right. Anypony have an idea?" the purple alicorn questioned the group.
They all sat in silence. Everyone in the room was in deep thought trying to come up with any solution to their problem. Unfortunately, they were having no luck. Twenty minutes pass and after passing around a few thoughts, they were still no closer to forming a plan.
Twilight huffed in disappointment. "Ugh! This is ridiculous! He's just one pony! How could he stump us like this?"
Spike patted his friend on the back. "It's okay, Twilight. We'll think of something eventually. It's like you always tell me. Patience is a virtue. I mean, it's not like the answer is going to come bursting through that door..." He claimed as he pointed to the entrance of the room.
Just as Spike finished his statement, the front door opened. "Hey everypony! It's me, Thorax! You know, the changeling that doesn't want to enslave you all?" The young changeling stepped into the room.
Spike looked down at his claw in wonder. "Woah... Twilight... I think... I think I'm a wizard!" Spike then pointed to the table in front of him. "And a giant pile of gems won't just appear on a silver platter in front of me!" He shouted into the air. Sadly, his luck didn't hold up. The young drake frowned with disappointment.
"Did I miss something or what?" Thorax asked in confusion.
Twilight giggled in delight. "Not really. Spike's just being silly." She looked at the dragon, who stuck his tongue out at her in annoyance. "But, you did show up during our time of need."
Thorax smiled. "Oh, that's good to hear. Is there any way I can help you all? I mean, I still owe you for what you did for me!" The changeling replied gratefully.
"You don't owe us anything. It is the least we could do for being so judgmental of you before." Twilight felt more in debt to him than she did anything else.
Thorax raised his hoof. "I insist, princess! Tell me what's going on."
Twilight looked to her friends, who were ready to welcome any ideas at this point. She turned back to her changeling friend. "Well, I'm sure you're aware by now of the troubles we've been having lately..."
He thought to himself for a moment. "Yeah, I remember hearing something about a pony causing trouble around Ponyville recently. But I thought he had been apprehended already."
"He was... But as it turns out, that is exactly what he wanted. Hours ago, he escaped... and he took my niece with him." Twilight stared at the floor gloomily.
Thorax's eyes went wide with shock. "Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry to hear that."
The princess looked back up at him. "Thank you. But we aren't here to grieve about it. We're here to get her back." Twilight declared boldly.
Thorax gave a determined smile. "And now so am I! Count me in!"
Twilight's eyes lit up happily. But she wasn't too quick to accept his help. She had to be sure. "Are you sure? You really don't have to risk your own safety..."
"And what? Let this guy keep that little filly away from her real family? No way! I'm in this, whether you want me or not!" Thorax insisted without hesitation.
Shining Armor looked at the changeling. "Thank you. I owe you big time..."
Thorax chuckled. "Now if we keep going back and forth like this, we'll never be out of debt! How about we leave it at that's what friends do?"
"Sounds good to me." Shining agreed letting out a laugh as well.
Thorax smirked, before turning his attention back to Twilight. "So, what's the plan, princess?"
Twilight smiled. "Well first of all, we need to get you up to speed on who we are dealing with." Twilight levitated a few articles of newspaper over to the changeling.
Thorax gazed at each of the articles. He couldn't believe what he was reading. Theft? Arson? Ponynapping? This was definitely no ordinary bad guy they were dealing with. "This guy is the real deal, isn't he?"
"What do you mean?" Starlight asked curiously.
Thorax shook his head, realizing how he must have sounded. "Oh, I didn't mean... I only meant that there are always bad guys talking about doing bad things all the time. They never really do anything. This one actually means business."
Starlight remembered what she was like, before Twilight had reached out to her. She giggled in realizing how correct his statement really was. "I suppose you're right."
"Now that you know what we're up against, are you still with us?" Twilight questioned.
The changeling looked at the newspapers once more, then he glanced back up at her. "What is my mission?"
"I admire your determination." Twilight replied respectfully. "It turns out that Anarchy and his henchponies are all changelings as well. Does that change your mind?"
He looked nervously at the ponies around the room. "Hey, I'm on your side! I never claimed that all changelings are as nice as me! I will do whatever I can to help you!"
Celestia stood from her seat. "Why would changelings be following Anarchy's orders anyway? Shouldn't they be serving their queen?"
Thorax didn't even realize that the princess of the sun was even in the room. Needless to say, she caught him off guard. "Uhhh... I... erm... You see..." He muttered incoherently. He took a minute to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Much like myself, a lot of changelings left the nest to get away from our Queen's evil influence. A majority of us just want to be left alone to and live in peace." He tapped on his chin thoughtfully. "However, there were also those who left seeking redemption against ponykind for all of the things they've done to them."
"And what have ponies done to them exactly?" Celestia posed quizzically.
"Princess, I mean no disrespect!" Thorax apologized. "It isn't what I think! There are just those who believe that you all left us to starve. They don't realize that there is another way, without all of the violence!"
Princess Celestia sighed. "I understand. I am not upset at you. But they must understand that I do what I do to defend my home. Anyone who tries to cause harm to any of my subjects must be dealt with."
"I understand as well, your majesty." The changeling stated. "I just think that this Anarchy fellow has them brainwashed into thinking that this is how they can exact their revenge."
"That makes sense. But it doesn't change the fact that they hurt innocent ponies under his guidance. And thus, they must be dealt with." Celestia frowned as she sat back down in her throne.
At that moment, Thorax realized that he was going to be helping Twilight, at the expense of his fellow changelings. "It's alright. I will do what it takes. What am I going to be doing?"
Twilight nodded in affirmation. "Anarchy's henchponies have taken the form of a bald, white stallion. It won't be too hard for you to slip in as one of them. You blend in with them, and follow them right back to their headquarters."
Thorax rubbed his chin. "That sounds pretty foolproof... but there is one minor problem. How will we know where he will strike next? Or even if he will strike next?"
Twilight thought to herself. Then, she got an idea. "Applejack, isn't the Summer Harvest Parade coming up?"
"Sure is! Applebloom has been waitin' for it for three months now! Even Babs is comin' down from Manehattan to see it!" the country pony exclaimed giddily.
Twilight clapped her hooves together. "Great! Now we just need to find some way to draw his attention to it..."
"Oh! I think I know how we can get his attention!" Rainbow Dash quickly intervened. She looked around the room. She spotted Pinkie Pie in a corner rolling the ball of yarn around, as if she were some kind of overly hyperactive pink feline. She flew over to the pink pony. "Hey, Pinkie. How would you like to help make the largest 'Anarchy sucks' parade float of all time?" She asked deviously.
Pinkie lit up like a Fourth of July firecracker. "Yippee! That sounds soooo fun!" Pinkie gasped after realizing something. "I just got a better idea! What if we all made one?"
Rainbow looked at Pinkie in admiration. "I like the way you're thinking!" She gave the pink party pony a high-five (high-hoof?).
Twilight thought about it for a second. "So instead of a Summer Harvest Parade... we should have a--"
"Anarchy Sucks Parade!" Rainbow interjected with laughter.
The girls all laughed at the idea. Even Twilight found it humorous. But she had to admit... it was a good idea... a very good idea.
Rainbow finally stopped laughing after what felt like five minutes. "Whew! Yeah, that would be funny!"
"More than that... It would draw Anarchy out." Twilight stated seriously.
Rainbow chuckled again. "You do know that I was joking, right?"
"But I'm not! Think about it! Anarchy prides himself on being the center of attention. Why don't we give him a hoof with that?" Twilight inquired confidently.
Starlight was even starting to agree with the purple alicorn. "Actually, that is a brilliant idea! We can get the Ponyville press to start circulating the news about the parade and eventually, it will reach Anarchy. He will come out of hiding to ambush the parade, but we will be there to get him. When he finds out that it is a setup, he will retreat as he always does. That is when Thorax slips in and follows him home."
"This may very well work. But we will need to get started right away!" Twilight affirmed eagerly.
The group looked at one another. Then, they all smiled and nodded.
"I can give word to some of the press to spread the word about the parade. With my influence, word will travel fast!" Celestia added as she rose from her throne. She immediately took off to get a hold of her contacts.
"The rest of us shall get started on getting the town ready for the parade." Rarity said with determination.
"Let's get to it y'all!" Applejack exclaimed with confidence.
The friends all cheered as they made their way out of the castle to begin their scheme. They had their word cut out for them, but with what is on the line, they knew that they must do whatever it takes. Flurry Heart will be brought back home. No matter what.