My Little Pony: Friendship Is Anarchy

by Simply Anarchy

Chapter 8: An Apple A Day....

Twilight and Spike arrived back in Ponyville as fast as they could. Her timing could not have been any better, as her friends were all gathered in the center of town.

Pinkie Pie would be the one to see Twilight first. "Hey look! It's Twilight! Yoo-hoo! Over here!" She waved ecstatically.

Twilight landed in front of them. She had a panicked look on her face. There was definitely something wrong and Starlight could tell. "Is everything alright, Twilight?" She questioned concerned.

"No, but I'm glad you are all together already." Twilight proclaimed. "There's no time to explain, but we need to evacuate Ponyville Hospital now!"

Rainbow Dash was ready without hesitation. "You heard her, girls! Act now. Questions later. Let's go!" The pegasus commanded determined. Her words were enough to get the others to follow Twilight's lead. Thank goodness for Rainbow's incredible ability to rally ponies without question. They all followed behind Twilight, as she rushed to the hospital at full speed.

When they arrived, Twilight looked toward the front counter, which had a considerably long line of ponies in front of it. Fluttershy looked at the ponies in front of them uneasily. "They sure are busy today. It might be a while before we get to the front of the line. Maybe we should come back later." She muttered sheepishly. Rainbow Dash facehoofed at the yellow pegasus's shy stature.

"We don't have time for this!" Twilight stated agitated. She began walking around the line, causing many ponies to become angry themselves. She tried to ignore them as she made her way past the other ponies. She eventually made it to the front of the line, despite being yelled at to go back to the end. She approached the receptionist's desk.

The receptionist seemed rather stressed, most likely due to the big group of ponies that were shipped here courtesy of a certain villainous pony. Trying to be professional, she forces a smile anyway. "Hello, Princess Twilight. How can I help--"

"Look, we need to make this as fast as possible. Princess Celestia and I believe that this hospital has become a target of a criminal known as Simply Anarchy. We need to evacuate all ponies out of the building now!" Twilight interrupted her eagerly trying to express the importance of the situation.

The receptionist pony looks shocked at the princess's abruptness, but then frowns. "It isn't funny to joke around like that." She says disapprovingly.

Twilight's expression goes from eagerness to sheer panic in almost an instant. "It's not a joke! These ponies are in danger! We have to move it!"

Applejack walks up beside Twilight. "What she's sayin' is true. We need everypony to leave. Now." She states reassuringly.

The receptionist looks to AJ stunned. "Wait, you're serious, aren't you?"

Rainbow Dash swoops down beside the farm pony. "This is Applejack you're talking to here. You know?" The blue pegasus retorted causing Applejack to blush slightly. "Element of Honesty. She can't lie."

The receptionist's expression changed to one of concern. "Well then, how should we proceed? Not to state the obvious, but this building is pretty big."

"We'll have to split up. Each of us take different sectors of the building." Twilight instructed calmly.

"Then let's get to it!" Applejack exclaims with determination.

"I'll use the intercom to alert everyone here." the receptionist adds.

"Good idea. We'll help get everypony out of here safely." Twilight affirms with confidence. She looks back to her friends. "And if any of you happen to come across Anarchy, don't try to take him on alone. Come find the rest of us, and we'll take him on together." The girls nod to one another before splitting up.

Twilight rushes down the east wing. She attracts the attention of many of the nurses and doctors. She advises them to help her clear the building, which at first they are rather hesitant. But then a voice comes over the intercom sending a warning to evacuate immediately. They promptly began escorting patients out.

Within moments, the hallways are filled with patients and doctors making there way towards the exit. There had to be at least a hundred ponies trying desperately to squeeze out of the building. Floor by floor, the hospital was becoming less and less occupied. In less than thirty minutes the whole hospital was empty, with the exception of Twilight and her friends.

"It looks like that's everypony! Way to go, girls!" Rainbow Dash praises, while hoof-bumping Applejack.

Twilight still felt uneasy. "This isn't over yet. We still have to find Anarchy." She says sternly. She turns her attention to the receptionist. "I need you to take roll call on every pony standing out there. Doctors, nurses, patients, and even janitors. We need to make sure they all are accounted for. If there is any problem, come find me." The receptionist nods and runs back outside. Then, Twilight looks back at her friends. "Come on, girls. Let's continue searching the place for Anarchy." With that, the girls began looking all around the hospital, desperately trying to find any sign of the villainous pony.
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"Applebloom? Have you broken them there eggs yet?" Granny Smith beckoned at her granddaughter, who was being very cautious with an egg.

"Ah'm tryin' not to make a mess outta this, Granny!" Applebloom asserted, while keeping her attention glued on what she was doing. "Steady.... steady...." She tapped the egg on the edge of the bowl. The result was.... the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen. The egg split in half.... as in, half went inside the bowl and the other spilled onto the counter. "Darn it! Every time!"

Granny Smith giggles at the filly's reaction. "Now don't go and beat yerself up over it, young'n. That there happens to many ponies." She reassured her. "Big Mac, mind givin' her a hoof with that?"

"Eeeeeyup!" Big McIntosh bellowed with his usual deep tone. He picks up an egg and walks over to the bowl. Then, he taps the egg on the rim of the bowl, cracking it just right. He placed the egg over the bowl and broke it in two, emptying its contents into the bowl. All that without making a mess.

Applebloom looks up at her brother and smirks. "Showoff." She mutters in annoyance. This causes Granny to laugh even harder. The yellow filly then walks over to the window and looks outside. Sweet Apple Acres always looked so serene, especially when the light caught the apple trees in the right way. The fruit would glow a bright red, looking both beautiful and mouth-watering. Something was off today, though. Applebloom noticed something very peculiar. The lights in the barn were on, even though nobody was in there. Considering herself, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were all in the house and Applejack was in Ponyville with the others, there was no reason for the lights to be on. Maybe, Applejack just left them on by mistake? Just then, she started to hear a faint sound coming from out there. "Wait. Do y'all hear that?" She questioned, her ears perking up in the process. The two older ponies walked over to the window and listened. "It sounds like music!"

"Them girls must be havin' some kinda party or somethin'. You know how that Pinkie Pie can get." Granny Smith responded shaking her head knowingly.

"Come on! Let's go see!" Applebloom exclaims excited.

She runs out the door and toward the barn. Country music can be heard from within. Eagerly, Applebloom opens the barn doors with a big smile. But that smile soon disappears when she beholds what's inside. A huge group of white ponies are spread all throughout the barn. All of which resemble the helper ponies of Mr. A.

At that moment she sees him sitting on a bale of hay in the center of the room. He is playing an acoustic guitar and singing. "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done♪" He stops playing when he notices the little pony standing in the doorway. "Hello again, Ms. Applebloom." He smirks then puts his guitar down. "How have your studies been going?" He quizzed deviously.

Applebloom looked back at him in terror. Then, Big Mac walked into the barn alongside Granny Smith. His eyes widened when he saw the gray pony. He went to open his mouth to say something but was cut off by Granny Smith. "Can we help you with somethin'?" She asked with suspicion.

Anarchy stood up and approached them. "Well, now that you mention it...." Anarchy thought to himself for a brief moment before looking back to Granny. "How good are you at delivering messages?"

Applebloom tugged on Big McIntosh's leg. "That's him! That's Mr. A! He was the substitute teacher ah was talkin' about. The one that tied up Miss Cheerilee!" She interjected fearfully.

As soon as Applebloom mentioned her teacher, Big Mac began walking toward the gray stallion, with anger in his eyes. Anarchy grinned at his approach. "Uh-oh! I think we touched a nerve there! What do you think boys?" Anarchy gestured to his henchponies.

On cue, the pale stallions began assaulting Big Mac. They were merciless, to say the least. Though they outnumbered him greatly, he put up quite a fight. He threw one stallion all the way up into the rafters, and bashed another's head off of the wall. He held his ground rather well.... at least until Anarchy intervened. He struck Mac with a crowbar, targeting his left hind leg. Anarchy was extremely calculated with his strikes. His second hit would take out his other hind leg, a loud crack could be heard as a result. As soon as the red stallion was grounded, Anarchy began smashing his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He didn't stop swinging until Mac was bleeding out of his mouth.

Anarchy laughed sadistically. "Not so tough now, are you red?" He stated rhetorically. A sly grin appeared on his face, as he turned his attention back to the other Apples. "Now, where were we? Oh yes! I need you to deliver a message for me. Actually, it's more of an invitation, really." He patted Applebloom on top of her head. Applebloom was in tears looking at her beaten brother. "I want you to tell your sister and her friends that I want to meet with them face to face in Ponyville. I think it's finally time that we have a heart to heart." He walked back up to Big Mac and kicked him in the ribs again.

"Please, stop!" Applebloom cried out worried about her brother's well-being. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and onto the floor beneath her. Granny, who felt just as helpless, held her granddaughter tightly trying to comfort her.

Anarchy began walking towards one of the pale stallions in the room. "Is everything ready?" He asked feeling proud of his work.

"Yes, sir." the white stallion confirmed.

"Goodie!" Anarchy shouted giddily. He looked back at the Apples. "Oh, and make sure the princesses show up to our meeting!" He walked towards the door. "All of them! Wouldn't want anypony to feel left out, now would we?" With that, he exited the barn leaving the family to themselves.

Applebloom was sobbing uncontrollably. "Big brother, are you okay?" He was still breathing, but he was in far too much pain to speak.

"He'll be alright, Applebloom. We just need to get'im to a doctor." Granny responded, holding back tears of her own. She stroked Applebloom's hair trying to put her mind to ease.
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Anarchy stood outside the barn, admiring its design. His crew stood behind him. "On your mark, sir." One of them states readily, whilst handing him a match.

Anarchy took a moment to breathe in the fresh country air. "It's the little things in life that make it worth living, you know?" He posed as he lit the match.
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"Applebloom. Ah'm gonna need ya to go into town and find yer sister. She can help me get him to the hos--" Granny Smith began to say before something caught her attention. She sniffed the air recognizing the familiar smell of smoke.

Applebloom sniffled trying to regain her composure. "What is it, Granny?" She questioned.

"I smell smoke. Why in tarnation would there be--" She paused in realization. "Applebloom. We need to get him outta here now!"

"What's goin' on?" Applebloom asked nervously.

Granny notioned the young filly to help her pick up Mac. "He set the barn on fire!" As she says this, fire began erupting inside the barn.
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"I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down and the flames went higher! And it burns, burns, burns. The ring of fire, the ring of fire!♪" Anarchy sang maniacally. He laughed evilly as he watched the structure become consumed by flames.
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Within seconds, the rafters were engulfed in flames. Granny and Applebloom draped Big Mac's front legs over their shoulders and slowly started making their way across the barn and towards the door. The heat from the inferno was strong at this point, which didn't make dragging Mac's heavy body any easier.

"Come on, Applebloom! Ah need you to be strong, ya hear?" Granny interjected trying to rally the young filly.

"Ah'm sorry! Ah'm tryin' mah best!" Appebloom claimed struggling to hold her brother's weight.

Eventually, they made it to the front of the barn. Pieces of the ceiling began to drop down. They were nearly crushed by a piece, but managed to pull back quickly enough. They hustled around the embers and burst through the door, just as some debris came tumbling down behind them. The two Apples managed to drag Mac another twenty feet beyond the barn before collapsing from exhaustion.

Trying to catch her breath, Granny turned to her granddaughter. "Good job, young'n. Ah'm proud of ya."
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Twilight and her friends had searched every possible room in the hospital, to no avail. Every single floor, every single office, and even every single closet. All of which yielded no results. Needless to say, they were all becoming just a tiny bit frustrated.

"This is very frustrating!" Twilight exclaimed angrily. Spike put his claw on her shoulder trying to calm her down. "I just don't get it! Why would he even include his hatred for hospitals in his letter, if he isn't even bothering to do anything about it!"

"Maybe we scared him off!" Rainbow Dash proposed arrogantly.

"Ah don't think, he's the type of pony to be scared easily, Rainbow." Applejack stated bluntly.

Twilight pondered to herself. "Let's try searching one more--"

"Oh come on, Twilight! Try thinking outside the box for a change!" A familiar voice catches all of their attention.

"Hi, Discord! What are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

Discord is practically gleaming with delight. "Hello, my dear Fluttershy! It is so good to see you! I'm here to--"

"Cause trouble?" Applejack intervenes unamused.

"Help, actually. But it's good to see that my reputation still perceives me." Discord replied proud of his status. "I was sent by Princess Celestia to help you find this pony." He pulls a newspaper out of thin air and holds it up. "A pony that dares to challenge my rule as master of chaos. Quite frankly, it's insulting!" Discord grimaces at the thought. "Well anything he can do, I can do better!"

Twilight grins at Discord. "This is perfect! Who better to know a chaotic mind than Discord? He might just be the advantage that we need." She stated firmly.

"Finally! My talents are recognized!" Discord took a bow. "Now, let me take a look at that letter he gave you." Twilight handed him the letter, which he read to himself. After a few moments, a look of disdain appeared on his face.

"Well, what do you think?" Twilight asked with uncertainty.

"I think he needs to come up with his own tricks.... instead of stealing mine." Discord declared blithely.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

"At the end of this letter, he gives a clue as to where he's going next. Cryptic riddles. Sound familiar to anypony?" Discord posed to the friends, who looked in confusion at one another. "It's the same trick I pulled on you, Twilight. You remember that, right? That time I hid the Elements of Harmony from you, and you thought that I said that they were in the Canterlot Castle labyrinth? Ahh.... good times."

"We get it. What's your point? Twilight responded annoyed.

"My point, princess, is that just like before you are not looking at the big picture." Discord pulls out a magnifying glass and holds it up to the end text of the letter. "Look closely at the very last thing he wrote."

"I know the old saying, Discord. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Everypony knows that! That's why we're here!" Twilight affirmed angrily.

Discord slaps himself on the forehead out of frustration. "If he doesn't like hospitals, why would he come to one?" Discord quizzed, causing Twilight to think. "Obviously, he'd want to avoid the hospital. Soooo, how would he do that?" Before Twilight could answer his question, he would cut her off. "By eating apples! And where does one get apples in Ponyville?"

All of them looked to Applejack immediately. Applejack's eyes widened in horror. "Ah need to go home.... NOW!" She blurted out before bolting out the door. As soon as she exited the hospital, she turned to the direction of her home. She shrieked when she saw a large cloud of black smoke. "Oh no!" Panic consuming her, she began running as fast as she could towards home. Her friends following behind her. She looks up to Rainbow flying as she's running. "Rainbow! You can get there quicker than us! Ah need you to fly there and see if everypony is okay!"

"You got it!" Rainbow confirms as she takes off like a bullet to Sweet Apple Acres.

Dash made it to the farm far before any of the others did. She didn't have to look very hard to find Granny Smith, Applebloom, and Big McIntosh outside of the blazing barn. She swooped down to meet them. "Are you all oka--" Rainbow Dash started to speak but noticed the shape Big Mac was in. "W-what happened here?"

Applebloom looked to Rainbow with tears stinging her eyes. "He came back."

Minutes later, Applejack came running down the path. She spotted Rainbow and rushed towards her. "Big Mac!" She exclaimed terrified. "Big brother, what happened here?!" She was shaking uncontrollably. Big Mac didn't speak, instead choosing to control his breathing. "We have to get'im to the hospital, now!"

Twilight and the rest of the group arrived to the scene, as Rainbow and AJ were loading Big Mac in the back of a wagon. Twilight looked to her friends, despair consuming her. She wanted to cry, but it was almost like she was all out of tears. All she could feel was pure anger. Once again, Anarchy struck, and she was nowhere to be seen. She was going to make him pay for this.

Author's Note:

Man! That chapter was hot.... all the puns intended! If you enjoyed what you read leave a like. Also, leave a comment on your thoughts! I enjoy your feedback. Time once again for the legal stuff. The first song is The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. The second, Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. I do not own, nor do I pretend to own the rights to these songs. With that said, I thank you once again for reading! Chapter 9 is on its way.