40. Day of Defeat
Scrambling around Canterlot, the royal guard and the royalties searched high and low, low and high for the Anarchists. They were already within the city’s walls, but where exactly? Considering the size of their army, it only made sense to search the tallest and biggest infrastructures first.
In the dark, Looking Glass hid before Canterlot’s museum and put on the crimson mask. As expected, the ghastly visage of the previous owner reared its ugly head.
“Seems like a lot has happened since you’ve dawned me. Good.” the ghost twisted its neck, gazing at the tall museum. “It looks to me like there are someponies inside, I can feel their magic. Many unicorns. So what’s the plan? Go in alone and fight off an entire horde of criminals, or wait for back-up? You know you can’t kill Anarchy within their presence.”
Looking Glass removed the crimson mask and hid it under his hat that he kept still with a little bit of magic. “I’ll just find a way then. I won’t let him win.”
Alerting the others with a beacon of amber magic, it didn’t take long for the alicorns and the captain to gather before him. The others soon followed, surrounding the entire building under the commands of Princess Celestia.
Lightning struck, and under the storm, the museum looked awfully eerie. The stallions could feel the malice emanating from it. They had found it; the Anarchists were waiting inside.
Princess Luna furrowed her brows. “So this is it. According to your leads, they have hostages, correct?”
The detective nodded. “More than a dozen, I can assure you. I do not recommend-”
“Rushing in, yes, we figured as much.” Luna interrupted.
Captain Mango trotted forward, his face dark and serious, a far cry from his usual laidback attitude. “In any case, they have all the cards, but that doesn’t mean we’ll let them deal our hoof. I strongly suggest we sent a team to sneak inside and cause discord whilst you keep them busy.”
Princess Celestia looked to the balcony above, seeing a stallion poking his head out. “That’s a great idea. I’ll let you pick your royal soldiers for the task.”
Mango smirked, albeit briefly. “That won’t take long with fifteen of us. We’ll give these mad ponies Tartarus.”
Looking Glass felt a slight tingle in his hat and winced. He looked around, beginning to feel a strange sense of uneasiness. Once again, he felt compelled to put on the mask, but that would mean... “If you’ll excuse me, I have a suspicion to confirm. I’ll be back in a minute should any trouble arise.”
Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth in disapproval.
“Let him go, sister.” Celestia interjected. “He must have caught on to something.”
The midnight blue alicorn cringed, looking away before ultimately deciding to give him her approval. “Fine, but be quick. We’ll need you soon.”
“I know.”
The dark blue unicorn made his leave and at this time, the stallion in the balcony spoke up, his voice nearly drowned out by the storm. “I can see you all, you know?! I warn you, we have about fifty hostages in there, and we’re not afraid to hurt them if we see any of you bastards come inside! We have ponies overlooking each of the windows, so don’t even think about sneaking in!”
Princess Celestia giggled, leaning close to her sister. “As I expected, they’re probably not checking the water pipes underground.”
Luna blinked. “Wait... are you telling me Mango and his team are...”
“Of course, we’ll have to pay for the repairs afterwards, but it’ll be worth the hassle.”
A street away, a group of royal guards were smashing the streets open with hammers and maces until they found the pipes underneath. Captain Mango waved them to stop. “Alright stallions, make no mistake, some of us are going to die in there. That’s just a part of the job, but by now, you should be familiar with the risks. I picked you all because you do not fear said risks like me. If any of you are scared to go inside, then leave and regroup with the others, I don’t want to send you to your death if you're not prepared for it. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes, captain!” the group shouted.
Mango looked at each of them in the eye, sensing their determination and bravery. Satisfied he returned his attention to the pipe. Lightning struck, and he briefly saw a figure on one of the rooftops nearby. Wait, didn’t that look like Looking Glass? Oh, whatever... I’ve got a thing to do and I’m not letting any distraction get in the way.
Lowering his head, he picked out a few screws, apologising to the ponies whose water will run out because of them. Afterward, he opened the pipe and stepped inside, throwing his helmet away. “Okay, I’ll go first to make sure it’s safe to step out. Inside, we split up and cover as much ground as possible. Our goal is securing the hostages first and killing the Anarchists second. Oh, and one more thing; if we all somehow make it out alive, I'll buy the entire garrison a barrel of cider.” And with that, their operation began.
As for Looking Glass, he hid on a nearby house’s roof to dawn the mask. The ghost returned with a sinister chuckle, grinning with its elongated mouth. “I’m flattered, you really need me for advice that much?”
“You think like Anarchy, like all crooks of Equestria. I need to hear your thoughts on how you’d handle an operation like this if you were in his hooves.” Looking Glass said coldly.
The ghost stopped grinning and stared at the dark museum. Unlike the unicorn, he can see clearly in the dark as if it was a sunny day. “That’s a shitty place to bunker up in.” he growled. “I doubt Anarchy’s stupid enough to bank his entire success on this flimsy place. Look, windows everywhere, but a lot of blind spots. Big on the exterior, but small and claustrophobic on the interior. Why would he choose this place of all?”
Looking Glass winced, feeling sweat drip down his forehead. “That’s what I’ve been thinking. His ponies are inside, that’s a certainty, but I’m guessing he’s not there.”
“Right.” The ghost growled. “If I were him, I’d use that place as a distraction, a red herring. I can think of a few better places than this crappy museum.”
The detective’s face darkened. He turned around and gazed at the majestic castle of Canterlot. “Like the castle.”
“Built on a slope, overlooking the city. Many windows that give a good view of the surrounding areas. Long and big on the inside. And let’s not forget the magical artefacts inside. It’s perfect.”
Eyes wide open, Looking Glass tore the mask off and teleported down. There were still a lot of the castle’s maids inside. If they truly went there, these mares could be in grave danger. I’ll check... just to be sure.
Back at the museum, the negotiations started but it was made painfully clear that they were going nowhere. Nonetheless, Celestia and Luna entertained the spokespony for as long as they could so that Mango and his team can get inside unnoticed.
Looking at the stallion in the balcony, Luna felt a little envious of his position. The rain was awfully cold, shouting in the storm at a pony really wasn’t the most fun experience in the world. “That museum seems a little hard to defend, Tia. Do you think Anarchy’s inside?” she asked nervously once the spokespony left momentarily.
“I... I’m not so sure. This unicorn is smart, plans everything ahead of the curve.” Celestia responded, her voice composed as always. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s all a lure. However, we can’t abandon the museum so soon. If their threats are true then, we’re looking at fifty endangered ponies. That’s not something we can gloss over.”
“Naturally.” Luna sighed. “Still, I wish I could send Looking Glass to check around, just in case.”
The princess of the sun, however, was much more vigilant than her sister could have imagined for she kept on eye on the detective, even as he teleported to one of the nearby roofs. She did not see the mask, but she saw him running away in a hurry. She smirked. “Seems like he’s already taking care of that.”
“What?”
The spokespony returned and shook his head. “Sorry, princess. We’ve deemed your offer to be... not quite good enough. You see, we want something that’s a little more than cash, we're talking 'bout something... fleshy if you catch our drift.” He tapped on his flank, giving the two sisters a disgusting sly smile.
Luna furrowed her brows. “Repulsive...”
Celestia, however, remained composed, not letting any emotion slip out. “If that’s what you want, we can trade some of our castle maids for your hostages.” The solar princess cringed internally. The things she’s willing to say for the good of her country... “We have over thirty we can give, but we can only afford to send out our fifteen bests.”
The spokespony blinked, bugged on that proposition. “Huh uh, well... ain’t that a swell proposition. Just one question; how old are your fifteen bests?”
The two alicorns exchanged slightly disgusted looks. “Five in their early twenties, seven in their late twenties and three in their mid-thirties.” Celestia responded as neutrally as possible.
“Oh, really now. A shame, I was hoping we could have gotten some teenagers.” The stallion commented in disappointment. From his balcony, he took a step back and chuckled. “Damn, never thought I’d say that.” He returned to his post, quickly glancing over at the castle. One hour he said, one hour... fuck, that’s long. Waving a hoof, “Hey now, I’m not saying the deal is off, okay? I’ll consult with the others, and we’ll give a response in like... say, five minutes tops.”
Below the balcony, a few of the royal guards gazed at their regal rules, mildly perturbed. “Uh, I assume we’re not actually answering their demands?” one of them asked.
Luna scoffed. “Of course not. It’s called buying some time. Mango and his team should be inside any minute now...”
Inside the museum, the spokespony returned to his peers, slightly disappointed in the current situation. I wish we’d actually get maids. Well, maybe we will. He gazed at the castle in the distance, overlooking the city. Once the country’s under new management.
As for Mango and his team, they encountered a small problem in their infiltration. The pipe was girthy, but not big enough for smooth crawling. The captain of the royal guard is a bit on the heavier side and that presented a problem. “Okay, it’d be real nice if one of ya could just push me. I think I’m stuck.” he grumbled in shame.
The guard in his rear groaned. “It’s your beer belly. You shouldn’t have drunk this much, captain.”
Mango chuckled. “I know what you’re implying. Just because I’m a little plump doesn’t mean I’ve lost it.” he motioned at the sword on his hilt. “I can still get the job done.” A few minutes passed; the exit finally showed itself.
The captain left first, peeking like a periscope to ensure nopony would see them. He lightly tapped on the pipe to signal the others to quietly step out, one at a time of course. Now inside the storage area, they only had to find the hostages to turn the tide of battle. The place was dimly lit, filled with various art that was deemed “not quite good enough” to be front and center. Mango quickly examined his rag tag team of fearless stallions. Fifteen, it was fifteen of them and an unknown number of criminals, potentially over thirty.
“Yeah, that’s going to be a little tough. Let’s state the obvious, we’re not going to save the day all by ourselves. We should take some of them hostage, that way they won’t be able to outright execute theirs if we’re spotted.” Gazing at their armour, he added “We’ll have to be quick. Our armour is a little noisy, you see. Better get them before they hear us coming.”
Back outside, the spokespony returned to Celestia and Luna. “I’m afraid fifteen won’t do, princess. You see, we have a little more than fifteen ponies inside and they’re all a little hungry for some nice mares. We are asking for more than fifteen.”
Celestia frowned. “If you’re asking for all, then I’m sorry to inform that not all of our maids are... suited for your tastes.”
Lightning struck, and the alicorns noticed the stallion was glancing at their castle. “Bah! Who cares about tastes! We said we wanted more plot, and we’re gonna get it one way or another. Thirty! We want all thirty of them.”
The midnight blue alicorn giggled quietly. “Then we shall hoof them over as soon as possible.”
The spokespony raised an eyebrow. “H-Hey hey, slow down. Something’s telling me you have more than thirty.”
Princess Luna gave him a sly smile, beginning to feel some pleasure in this negotiation herself. “Was it that obvious? What gave it away?”
“It’s your giddy attitude. You think you’re so smart, t-thinking you can hog some of them for yourself.” the pegasus responded, flustered. “Not on my watch! I’m also perceptive, you could say, and I see you’re mocking me with your sly smile. News flash, you’re not as sly as you think you are!”
The smaller alicorn giggled. “This is a lot of fun.” she admitted to her sister.
Celestia returned a gentle smile. “Nice to see you’re enjoying your duties, Lulu. But still, be cautious with your words. We don’t want to tip them off.”
Luna composed herself, returning a serious look to her older sister. “I can manage that quite easily. Watch me.”
As for Mango and his team, they’ve just left the storage area, now searching for the hostages. Sneaking around at a snail’s pace, the royal guards tried their best to not make any noise, a task made harder by their loud and clanky armour. If they weren’t obligated to always keep these on, the captain would have suggested they removed them entirely.
Sadly, these armours are the only thing differentiating them from the enemy. Should their armour be off, they could be mistaken for Anarchists. Mango raised a hoof to stop their advance, they had found them, the hostages. At least, partly. There were two circles each composed of five to ten hostages sitting on the ground, being overlooked by four guards each.
The pegasus captain glanced at his team, making sure they’re all on the same page before he launched the command to spring to action. Splitting into groups, the royal guards snuck up behind the two circles of guard, drawing their blades in their mouths, and ambushed them with ruthless efficiency.
Their swords just barely touching the necks of the criminals, they easily got them to back down. At this moment, Mango noticed the guards were all wearing masks which was... uncharacteristic of them to say the least. Masks belonged to those who followed the Crimson Mask, not Anarchy. What was stranger were the muffled mumbling of the stallion he held at sword point. They sounded afraid, understandable but still... something felt off.
Curious, Mango noticed the stallion before him had a black coat, a mane that was composed of two shades: a light gray with lighter streaks. Growing worried, he tore the mask off and in just a split second, he worked out what was wrong. The stallion before him was Thunderlane, as described in Blossomforth’s report, only he had a scarf tied around his mouth. “Get back!”
Mango jumped back just in time to see a blade fly dangerously close to his neck. Clutching his blade harder than before, he blocked another swing and backed away to note the damage done. Two of his ponies were hit, though not lethally. The rest got out in time.
The captain of the royal guard stared at the “hostages” seemingly standing up despite being tied up. The ropes were loose and in the light of the thunderstorm, he could see their bruises and scars were merely painted on them. That smart bastard... he glowered. He switched the hostages and his goons up. We fell for his trick.
The real hostages whined, pleading for the guards to come save them, a difficult task considering they just lost their advantage. The commotion drew in more of these anarchists, also painted with fake bruises. They were waiting for them all along. Anarchy knew they would proceed this way. “Okay, that’s bad. How many are we looking at?”
“At least twenty, they have us outnumbered by five.” A royal guard stated.
Mango smirked. “Don’t get yourselves killed, alright? Those who get hurt badly will be dragged out of that damned museum by me, got it?” Just because they couldn’t do anything against Discord, Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis doesn’t mean they’re useless. These ponies were sorely mistaken if they believed they could take on fifteen of the best royal guards.
The mare that had almost lobbed off his head cackled. “My, aren’t you the confident type?”
The captain examined his sword. It was curved unlike his peers; he preferred his swords to be curved. They're faster and make for good rapiers too. With expert manoeuvres, he switched sides, going from the blunt side to the sharp edge. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be able to take any of them alive. Let’s just focus on staying on our hooves.”
A notoriously big stallion stepped forth, swinging his sword around like a mad pony. Mango frowned at the lack of technique. That earth pony treated his sword like a club rather than the gracious weapon it was. Each attack he sent missed the captain by a wide margin. Despite his big size, Mango was quick on his hooves, slithering around like a snake until the stallion swung a little too hard.
The sword razed the top of the captain’s mane and was too far away to strike again. In that small window of opportunity, Mango lunged forward, and decapitated the stallion with little to no effort, sending his big head flying to the ceiling.
The Anarchists winced, sweat dripping down their face. The flying head smacked against the ground with a loud thud, startling all the criminals, but not the stone-faced royal guards. In that singular strike, the difference in strength reared its ugly head for the Anarchists. These guards were known for fighting some of the worst beasts Equestria had to offer to protect royalties.
They truly stood no chance against Mango, and certainly not against fifteen royal guards all at once. No matter how many of them there was, they wouldn’t beat the fifteen of them. A higher number doesn’t always guarantee victory.
Back outside, Celestia and Luna noticed the spokespony panicking as he looked behind. The midnight blue alicorn smiled. “Ah, it would appear Mango has finally breached their defences.”
“That means it’s our turn.” Celestia remarked calmly, sprouting her angelic wings.
“Oh shit....” The spokespony watched as a head came rolling to his hooves. “S... Seize the hostages. Forget about fighting them!”
Wings flapped behind him, and they were big wings. Startled, he spun around just in time to notice two very displeased alicorns looming above him, cold glints in their eyes.
“Your luck’s run out.” Luna stated. “Ours is just blossoming.”
Needless to say, they were quickly detained, the remaining ones that is. The rest were... missing their heads for the most part. Captain Mango and his team made short work of over half the opposition. The batpony swiped his sword in one quick and gracious motion to wipe the blood away, making sure not to step in any of the crimson puddles on the floor. He sheated his sword and wiped the blood off his face, his posture now laidback again. “Any loss?”
The royal guards looked around, glad to notice none of them had perished. “Nope.”
“That was more or less what I expected. Great job, guys. We’ll catch later, I’ll buy you all some ciders.” Mango glanced over the rescued hostages. Some of them were not so graciously coated in the blood of their captors, courtesy of the guards' ruthless killings. He made a note to himself to be a little more careful around the hostages next time. “As for the injured, I don’t want to see you on the battlefield again, not until your wounds have healed, got it?”
Princess Celestia and Luna strolled in not long after, sealing the deal for what was already a finished battle. As they trotted around the dark museum, they couldn’t help but feel like their victory was hollow. After all, there were no traces of Anarchy so far and that was a big problem.
“Mango, have you found Anarchy?” Luna pressed, worried.
The captain frowned and shook his head. “Nah, only these ponies.” His eyes widened. “Oh shit, it’s only these ponies...”
Princess Celestia furrowed her brows, stomping her hooves to get everypony’s attention. “Search the city once more. We can’t let him slip through our hooves! We can’t afford to give him some leisure time!”
Just as she finished barking her order, the spokespony they chatted with starting laughing. “Oh, you gave him plenty of time alright! Out of the hour he asked me to stall you, I got forty-five minutes!”
Princess Luna gasped. “Th... That leaves us with only fifteen minutes!”
“Oh my! It’s always the number fifteen, isn’t it?” he chuckled. “What an odd number!”
“Enough talk!” Luna snapped. “Guards, send them to the dungeon immediately!”
The royal guards nodded, escorting the criminals out. Right as they opened the door, a unicorn tackled some of them out the way with impressive strength. The two alicorns felt a slight sense of hope once they saw it was Looking Glass, shoving royal guards out of his way without as much as an apology.
Luna teleported to him. “Looking Glass! You arrive at a most fortunate moment. We want to know wh-”
“They’re in the castle! No time to talk, mobilise all your troops there, now!”
“What?!” The midnight blue alicorn turned to her sister. Even she was startled by the news, beginning to show some nervous ticks. Celestia had an itch the moment she spoke to the spokespony. Something was wrong, and now she knows what.
“Guards! Return to the castle immediately in formation!”
Captain Mango swore under his breath and flew ahead of his troops. “You heard our princesses, troops. Let’s give these ponies Tartarus, and this time; we won’t hold back.”
The royal guards galloped in the dark storm, freezing to the point of catching a cold but never slowing down. The pegasi flew with the alicorns whilst the ground troops followed the lead of Mango, each staring at the sister’s castle in worry.
Lightning struck periodically, revealing the ominous castle standing amidst the thunderstorm. The ground troop’s advance came to a screeching halt once they arrived at the castle’s gate. Blocking the only entrance in were a couple of Anarchists. Normally, they wouldn’t pose a problem, but their formation created a massive roadblock. Burly earth ponies held shields in their mouth with other strong ponies holding onto spears slightly poking out the said shields. Unicorns stayed in the back, creating a powerful forcefield that blocked any potential aerial attack.
“Seems like they anticipated our arrival. Let’s not waste any time and storm the castle.” Looking Glass instructed, but the guards didn’t want to move. None of them did. Their faces were perfectly composed, devoided of fear, but they nevertheless showed an unwillingness to proceed. The detective blinked. “Why aren’t we moving?”
Captain Mango sighed. “Because we’d be running straight to our deaths if we did. Look pal, we may be the greatest warriors in Equestria, but that doesn’t mean we’re unbeatable. A good strategy can make quick work of us, something these guys at the museum didn’t have. The ponies you’re looking at, however, have benefited from Anarchy’s intelligent mind.”
Looking Glass narrowed his eyes, observing carefully the formation. He began to understand it’s strength. There were no other ways around for earth ponies and unicorns. The gate was the only entrance, meaning a flank was impossible. Their pegasi troops wouldn’t come for them too, being too busy entering through the windows above. Storming the gate, however, would be a poor decision.
The strong earth ponies were easily bigger and tougher than most of the guards here. Their hits would be deflected with ease by the shields and the spears... will send them to an early grave. Throwing stuff above wouldn’t work too because of the forcefield. This was truly a genius strategy to overcome the royal guard’s strength. “I see now. He’s a brilliant tactician.”
“Great, seems like I don’t have to tell you why charging at them is assisted suicide.” Mango groaned. “Welp, unless any of you have a brilliant idea in return, we’re stuck here.” The batpony sat on the wet ground of Canterlot, stretching his limbs one by one.
The other guards followed soon, a bored and irritated look on their face. Looking Glass blinked, disappointed at how quick they were ready to give up. “Is that really it? We’re calling it quits just because of a turtle formation?”
“Hey, you gotta admit it’s a great turtle formation.” Mango mused before taking on a more serious tone. “Look, I know we can eventually break through them by sacrificing a lot of soldiers, but that just wouldn’t sit right with me. My stallions are not expendable, okay?”
Looking Glass glanced at the formation again, feeling some respect for the batpony’s good will, something he’s rarely shown openly before. The unicorns admit the royal guard were above average in magic, but that didn’t mean they had any useful spell in combat other than levitation. That’s why they used swords as much as earth ponies and pegasi. None of them were truly great at magic, except him. “Then, you’ll be relying on me to get past this gate.”
“Ah! Now we’re talking!” Mango chuckled, rising up from the mud. “What have you got?”
The dark blue stallion smirked. “Chaos. These ponies have got it all covered. Nothing’s getting past their formation, except for magic. They won’t be expecting teleportation.”
Mango’s eyes lit up, and so did his troops. “Sweet! We’ll be staying closely behind. Let’s rile them up!”
Looking Glass was the first to lead the charge, albeit slowly. The royal guards marched, blank looks in their eyes. Under the shade of their helmet, they looked menacing but that didn’t frighten the Anarchists one bit. These ponies were different from those at the museum. They had something distinct in their eyes, determination.
In terms of their will, the two sides were equal. Slowly marching towards them, they made no sudden move. That way, they wouldn’t startle any of the criminals inside the formation. They moved lightly, up until Looking Glass was in range of teleporting. “Now.” he muttered before disappearing.
“What?!” the ponies inside the turtle formation got on full alert, spastically looking around for the missing detective right until he popped in the middle of the formation. With one swift kick, he knocked down of the shield bearers, creating a crack in their otherwise invincible formation. “K-Kill him!”
But right as some of the earth ponies looked back, stressed out by the dark blue stallion, they didn’t notice the royal guards raising their weapons. In a matter of seconds, they were massacred by the more experienced warriors although there were some casualties on the side of the guards too. The Anarchists were better at handling weapons than they had expected, costing the life of over three guards much to Mango’s dismay.
“Damn it...”
“I’m invincible! And you cannnnn’t touch me! You can goooooo to Tartarus!”
Inside the throne room, the Anarchists sealed any windows they could. The darkness of the storm and the missing sun gave them a clear advantage over their opponents. The sister’s castle turned into their fortress, an impenetrable one at that thanks to Anarchy’s guidance. The unfortunate maids were captured and used as potential bargaining chips should the griffon be tardy. The only problem was his current state left much to be desired.
The mad stallion lowered the sun, a feat thought to be impossible by unicorns ever since the reign of Princess Celestia and Luna. However, it came at a cost. His body was not fully prepared to handle the stress of this act and it hurt... immensely. Blood poured down from his head, streaming down his face and body. His eyes and nose bled too, turning his coat a reddish purple. The pain only got worse to the point he entered a stage of delirium as a coping mechanism, singing random songs without rhyme or reason.
His horn was still glowing, still maintaining the sun away from the sky. The iron will of the unicorn was put on display, and it was terrifying yet inspiring to his army.
Dreamcatcher stayed next to him, blanching. “B-Boss, are you sure it’s a good time to start the final ritual? Y-You're bleeding everywhere!”
Anarchy cackled manically, seemingly not hearing her question. “Start it up! We’re making some fireworks tonight... today, yes it’s day but it’s dark too! Day, night, oh it’s a dayight!” In the face of agony, he laughed. He laughed his pain away and remained on the path of most resistance all in the name of his life’s work.
For that, Dreamcatcher chose to follow him. That, and because he was the only pony who saw value in her. Eight years... eight long years since she first saw him. Despite the passage of time, she still remembers it all clearly. She remembered how he saved her from a meaningless life of mediocrity, and why she was forever thankful for it.
Las Pegasus, city of fortune and fame. A place where many ponies go, for it’s every tourist’s dream to go there. Casinos, magic shows and more, there’s a little bit of everything for everypony. But despite its welcoming appearance, it is not exempt from misery. As with any places in Equestria, some ponies are just down on their luck, shackled to a city for their entire lives. Such was the case with Dreamcatcher, a teenage pegasus forced to be a barmaid in the Lucky 38, the most popular casino in Las Pegasus.
The job didn’t appear too bad at first but then, it is Las Pegasus, a city that attracts all kinds of ponies, some much worse than others. Back handed comments, groping and death threats, these always happened at least once a week. The worst of it, however, was the knowledge that she’d never go beyond being a barmaid at a casino.
Nopony truly knew where she came from, just that a desperate pegasus begged to be sheltered, offering her services in exchange of surviving in this city of rich folks. The problem with this kind of situation, is that the ones in power can choose to do the bare minimum. After all, what can the poor victim do? Complain and ask for a raise? Not a great idea.
And so, Dreamcatcher resigned to perform this job every day until she’d die, knowing that there was a gorgeous world out there that she’d never see again. That was until she met a celebrity or rather, was forced to tend to his every need.
Jolly Melody was a big shot. Everypony heard of him, everypony adored him. He was the greatest stallion alive as some would even dare to say. Entering the Lucky 38, he was immediately noticed by the owners who saw nothing but a giant neon sign pointing to a gargantuan piggy bank. They ordered Dreamcatcher to be his lap dog essentially. After all, she was their youngest mare, the best to catch the stallion's interest. “Do everything he tells you to. S’long as he pays money to play our games and buy our drinks, of course.”
Sighing, the pegasus obeyed the command of her disgusting bosses. Flying next to the violet unicorn, she took in just how handsome he was, slightly jealous. She could never approach this level of beauty. Noticing the disgruntled looks of her bosses, she quickly put on a fake smile. “H-Hey, welcome to the Lucky 38. What can I do for you?” she said in a French accent, for she was French, of course.
The violet stallion smirked. “Ah, I suppose you’re done visually molesting me!”
Dreamcatcher’s face flushed red and in her flustered state, she accidentally dropped something very important, her French accent. “Wh-What? N-No, I wasn’t...”
Jolly Melody chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m being ogled at everywhere I go anyway; you wouldn’t be the first to do so.” Then, his face changed to an undecipherable one. “Say... what happened to your accent? I’ve rarely ever seen a pony lose their accent, even when flustered.”
The light blue pegasus sweated. “W-Well, that’s just because... I’m not really from ‘round these parts.” she said, slipping more towards a different accent, one that Jolly never heard before.
“Je vois... I suppose that was to be expected. Many ponies come to Las Pegasus seeking fortune and fame. I was not one of them evidently, I found them elsewhere.”
Dreamcatcher scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, what a fortunate stallion you are.” Noticing the stallion was staring at her flank, she squealed, covering her flank with her tail. “H-Hey! Wha-”
Jolly Melody’s eyes were open wide with intrigue. “A dreamcatcher? That’s... intriguing. Pardon me if I’m intruding, but I would like to know more about this cutie mark.”
The mare shook her head. “I-I don’t think it’s really all that interesting. It’s just kinda lame if you ask me.”
“Perhaps, but I can’t form an opinion if I’m in the dark.” Jolly pressed. “I see they’ve assigned you to me. Rest assured; I don’t intend to abuse your services. In fact, I’ll pay you a drink. Come on, sit down with me.” he tapped the seat next to him, smiling gently.
Dreamcatcher was taken aback by this sudden change in the conversation. Hesitant, she looked back to her bosses who, at that point, already lost interest in her and moved on. Feeling beaten down, she sat.
“Now, tell me what’s the meaning behind your cutie mark.” Jolly asked softly.
“It’s... nothing symbolic unlike other ponies. It’s quite literally just a dreamcatcher.” She answered bitterly.
“Why? What does it have to do with you?”
Dreamcatcher grumbled. “I have a different kind of magic inside me, different from the one pegasi uses to fly. It’s best explained by the cutie mark itself.”
Jolly Melody’s mouth opened in awe. “I’ve heard from some First Nation tribes that these objects capture and destroys the nightmares plaguing a pony, sealing it inside. It’s essentially a charm with an apotropaic purpose, meaning it’s protective magic. The name dreamcatcher, however, comes from outsiders. I’ve also heard dreamcatchers can catch good dreams and let it spread amongst its woven webs.” The stallion leaned closer to the mare, slightly intimidating her. “What can you do?”
Dreamcatcher gulped. “W-Well, it’s hard to believe but... I can do exactly that. I can move through anypony’s dreams and capture them if I want to, destroy them even. It doesn’t hurt anypony if I do that, it just means they do not dream while they’re asleep.”
“Fascinating. Why is a mare with such talent working in a worthless slump like this?” Jolly asked passionately.
“It’s not like I have any choice. I’m just... stuck here forever.” Dreamcatcher admitted sadly, finally dropping her French accent. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”
The violet stallion waved a hoof. “Well, we all have a family we can turn to in times of need.”
Dreamcatcher snickered, a bitter smile on her face. “Yeah, well I had one I could look forward to.”
“Huh, must I suppose you dislike them?”
“Other way around.” she mumbled sadly. “I’m an anomaly you see. Not supposed to be proficient in dream magic. It made me a witch in their eyes.”
“And who could blame them? Ponies fear the unknown, but luckily for you, I don’t.” Jolly grinned. “Some would call me a freak if they saw what I read in my spare time. It’s... wild, really. Much more than your cutie mark.” His eyes widened as he looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror, regaining a more normal appearance. “Still, I have one last question. Did you adopt a French accent to hide your origins? I know not many ponies here are fond of the First Nations.”
“Bingo. You read me like an open book.”
An awkward silence filled the air around them. Jolly narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze on the bosses of the Lucky 38. “Hm, say, Dreamcatcher, do you want to see how beautiful Equestria is outside of Las Pegasus?”
Dreamcatcher roused herself, wide eyed. “H-Huh?! D-Did you just...”
“What else could I mean?” Jolly said, smirking. “I have an eye for talent, you see. I’m interested in ponies with strong wills and/or freakish attributes. Not for music, but for something that would qualify as righteous. Of course, if you wish to stay here, I won’t press any further. You’re entitled to your free will.”
The mare grabbed his foreleg, pulling him closer. Her eyes started to water, looking desperate. “N-No! I don’t want to stay here any longer! C-Can you really make me leave for good?”
Jolly’s eyes opened wider, a gentle smile forming on his handsome face. “I don’t really fancy myself as a boy scout but, uh... yes, I absolutely can.” with his free hoof, he placed a sack full of bits on the counter. “Ponies here talk with money, and I can speak their language alright. Dreamcatcher, you’re free.”
Shocked, the light blue mare’s mouth trembled. Overflowing with emotion, she lunged at the stallion, hugging him as she cried in his mane.
“I won’t let them shackle you. Nopony will, ever again.”
Nopony understands Anarchy. Nopony but her, Strong Hoof and the Anarchists. Where they all see a heartless monster that kills indiscriminately, she sees a soft heart that knows to make judgement calls. Anarchy is a pony as much as any other. He’s just on the opposite side, and that automatically qualifies him as evil.
But once they’ll win, all will see his benevolence, his kind soul and they’ll love him.
If he said he can continue to keep the sun below, then she should believe him. Anarchy never lied to his friends.
“Alert! The alicorns are coming in!” In the distance, many pegasi flew towards the castle. Amongst this army were two that were noticeably taller and lankier than the rest.
Dreamcatcher roused herself, now on edge. Their defenses have been breached; very little time remained. They will have to do all they could to slow these two goddesses down to give Anarchy enough time to finish the ritual. Well, it was already complete, it just lacked the final and most important ingredient; the blood of an alicorn. The purple unicorn sent a griffon to retrieve it, but it’s taking some time.
Strong Hoof was... slow to say the least. Dreamcatcher began to worry unlike her boss that was stuck in a carefree world of delirium. She hoped everything turned out alright on the white stallion’s part. He was given a difficult task, even Anarchy acknowledged it. If he was defeated, then they’ll come back to rescue him once the ritual is complete.
Anarchy said he’d be able to accomplish everything they could ever dream of once he’s finished the last step of his eight years long plan. “B... Anarchy, please tell me we’re gonna make it.” Dreamcatcher croaked, fear slowly consuming her thoughts.
Panting, the dark unicorn looked her in the eyes. “Naturally, we’re winners after all. Those who didn’t deserve to live, who were on my kill list, were sent to that wretched museum to die. The pure ones, us and only us, will get to succeed. I’ll probably be gone for a short while once this is over but I promise, I will come back for you all one day.”
“Gone? W-Wait, what does that mean?”
Anarchy cackled, lifting his tired bleeding head. “It means I’m going to teleport away in an impressive lightshow once I’ve consumed the blood of Twilight Sparkle, Dreamy! It’s just what it said, I can only take its word for it. It’ll take some weeks maybe, but I’ll be in Canterlot once I’ve gotten the hang of the new height I’ll reach.”
Lightning struck; a particular sight made most of the Anarchists ornery. “The alicorns are inside! We don't have much time left!”
Anarchy’s eyes widened subtly. He began tap on the throne repeatedly. “H-Holy molly, that could be a problem... Any news on the royal guard?”
A unicorn mare looked back outside, waiting for lightning to reveal their enemies. Once it did, she blanched. Hundreds of royal guards marched towards the castle, their blades and armour drenched in blood and water. Their eyes looked hollow, focused entirely on the mission at hoof. All Anarchists who tried to slow them down paid the price dearly. With Mango at the front, there was no stopping them.
Despite being ridiculed for their inability to act during the Nightmare Moon and Discord incident, they were still clinging on their reputation as killing machines at the services of the princesses. The changeling invasion was an especially brutal one, for the invaders of course. Only the arrogant and foolhardy would dare to measure up to these soldiers.
And now, with Celestia and Luna inside the castle, time was running out. Anarchy tapped the throne nervously, eyes twitching as he gazed at the clock. 59 minutes... come on, Gordo. Show up already! Thinking in this state was difficult. His body was broken, his horn barely keeping itself together. Every woke he spoke took tremendous efforts. His mind was a warped and garbled mess of words and ideas flying in and out his consciousness.
Lightning struck, and a loud shriek finally made him snap out his agony. A large figure smashed through one of the windows, barely sticking the landing before his master.
“G-Gordo! You’re back! Has Strong Hoof succeeded?!” Anarchy limped towards the griffon, maniacally grinning.
The roughed-up griffon panted, extending his claw to reveal the vial of blood. “I think he went off the rai-”
Anarchy snatched the vial brutally, having only eyes for its content. In that very moment, the pain went away as he stared in awe at his salvation. “Ah, you are finally at my side after all these years. My true mentor, my guiding moonlight.” he opened his mouth wide...
In the halls of the castle, Celestia and Luna flew at top speed, desperate to reach Anarchy before it’s too late. The ponies in the way could do nothing to slow their advance, blasted out the way like insects. “Hurry, sister! I fear we don’t have much time left!”
Celestia winced, sweating dripping down her face. “I’m going as fast as I can!”
Behind them were the charging royal guards, shouting furiously as they slammed whatever opposition was left in the wake of the alicorn’s mad dash.
... and devoured the vial, glass and blood alike. Anarchy bit down, not caring as the shards sliced his tongue and gums. He cackled, getting louder and louder as he relished his ultimate moment of triumph. Eight years, eight long years he’s been waiting for this. For the moment he became more than a pony. Today, he’ll become a beast, not a pony masquerading as one. Bring me to life! My ascension is complete, I’m done waiting!
The doors smashed open; all had their eyes on the two powerful sisters. Looking up, they gasped in horror as the truth dawned on them; they were too late. In a heart shattering second, they watched as time slowed.
The mad unicorn roared triumphantly, drenched in his blood and sweat. His army cheered him on, no longer bothered by the alicorns. The royal guards arrived just in time to witness their loss. For all the efforts, all the ponies they’ve killed, it was in vain. Lightning struck, basking Anarchy in light, now lifted off the ground as a cloud of smoke wrapped around him. The smoke turned into a ball of darkness that signaled to Celestia that it was over.
The battle ended, and they lost. But that did not mean the war concluded.
Just as the light dimmed, the ball exploded casting a powerful shockwave across Canterlot. A loud banshee shriek accompanied the fallout of the blast, shattering all the castle’s windows. Then, silence. The storm resumed a few seconds later, unbothered by the explosion.
The Anarchists dropped their weapon and patted themselves on the back for a job well done as Celestia and Luna stared blankly, defeated.
A strange feeling came into the white alicorn’s horn, a sort of indication that whatever magic that had pulled the sun away was gone. Absently, she raised the glowing star, resuming the day as normal.
Bewildered, the royal guards did the only thing that was on their mind, capturing the remaining criminals. The Anarchists didn’t fight back, happily surrendering with smug looks on their faces.
Princess Luna lowered her head, wide eyed. “I-It’s too late. He’s gone...”
Her older sister glanced over the damage done to her castle somberly. As she gazed at the broken windows, she gasped. The cold air made her wings shiver, it was unusually cold. So cold in fact, it turned the thunderstorm into a blizzard. “What’s going on?” she asked, her face frozen in shock.
“It’s winter already?” Mango asked, dumbstruck.
Looking Glass gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows. “No, it shouldn’t be.” Staring at the sky, he could notice was wrong with the moon as it was lowering. It had Anarchy's cutie mark on it.
Luna raised her head, meeting the eyes of Dreamcatcher as she was being escorted away by guards that couldn’t stop staring at the blizzard outside. The blue pegasus smirked, relishing in the alicorn’s fear. In her defeated state of mind, she muttered,
“Anarchy’s won...”
Another big chapter down! Now that this chapter's done, I must admit my blog post about the storm was a bit misleading 
. It somewhat showed the aftermath rather than the even itself, which was Nightmare Anarchy's design. He'll be back eventually to enact his ultimate plan. What will it be? That's just the thing; we don't know! For now, let's see how Equestria, and especially the Apples, will deal with an early winter.
Next chapter, we'll go back to Olive, Applejack, Twilight and Cheerilee as they wake up in the aftermath of the battle with Strong Hoof, dealing with all the consequences that comes with going through such a traumatic event. Now, the story's ready to enter it's final act, which knowing me will probably be over 50k words long. All the set-ups have been done, now it's time I deliver the pay offs.
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I'm about to read the next chapter and if dream catcher doesn't pull out the save for one of the better. Mario Brothers, I'm going to start a ride on the comic section
Dude this was so great!!
I love Anarchy so much as a villain, and the fake hostages?? HA, A CLASSIC! I thought from the negotiatons that it seems like time wasting, and when Looking thought about the castle. I was certain that'll be it, plus I'm convinced at this point that Anarchy's based on the good ol' Joker and that's just something he'd 1000% do. Really curious if Looking and Anarchy are gonna continue with a Batman-Joker dynamic, but that Crimson Mask thing might get into our Dark Blue Knight's way for that...
I am so damn hype!!! Oh yeah, and let's not forget, there was violence in this chapter, so drum roll...
VIOLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENCE!
who this was epic, how are they supposed to fight now
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First off, glad you're enjoying Anarchy as much as I do! He's one of the most fun character to write and probably the best villain I've made so far. And you're right, he is based off the Joker. I tried to make him more unique as time went on so that he'd rise beyond his inspiration, and I believe I've succeeded at that. His color palette is also an interesting thing I'd like to point out. You see, I've only used colors that are associated with evil for Anarchy. Green, purple, black and red, which his final design will have more of. That's probably why he looks so damn evil even if I had not drawn him smiling. Lastly, the Batman-Joker dynamic is a core part of Anarchy and Looking Glass, so it's still going to continue, but the blue unicorn will struggle a lot more to take down the mad stallion now. It won't be a job he can accomplish alone...
Someone should grab Dreamcatcher by the face and just sneer into it. "He may have won, but you won't be there to see it." then take her head off.
This will be an interesting turn for what might happen, too Bad Discord isn't about he would slap Anarchy across the planet and then use him like a ping pong ball.
However Anarchy should really understand, he is the villain here. He even acknowledged that, and the villain never wins. Unless of course its a Grimdark story in which case... the villain does win.
To manny 'we's in here. I think the 'we' before 'we’re' can go.
Is Mango drunk? Because his speech doesn't sound very coherent.
Wait, what? I know that ponies' heads are bigger than ours, proportionally speaking, but even so, I find it hard to believe that, if they can fit their whole body through that space, their hooves couldn't do it. Regardless, I thought that this was going to have ramifications during the fight in the museum, but in the end this helmet detail was meaningless.
I find myself quite surprised that the sisters 'catch the drift' so quickly. My first assumption would have been that they were talking about a means of escape, the typical 'a helicopter to take us out of here', or jewelry or valuable objects that could not be as easily traceable as bits. Sex service was not on my list. And the fact that that was actually 'the drift' just makes this extremely confusing and uncomfortable for me.
That being said, I like this chapter. Anarchy reminds me a lot of another character in a friend's writings.
Hehehe
Not quite
Its MY TURN
[WAR ENDER CHARGING
[1%]
This is your end Anarchy
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Mango here was referring to those who would be afraid to die. The guards that didn't fear death would come with him so that he wouldn't feel guilty if any of them died. I suppose I should have made it clearer, so I added an extra line for clarity sake. As for the helmet thing, I honestly don't remember what it was supposed to be about, so I just left it in without any reason, so yeah, that's gone. As for the "catch my drift" thing, I suppose it was also lacking in clarity as I wrote this scene quite rapidly. Essentially, Anarchy threw in the museum only the ponies that had done rather "unsavory" things to the hostages, so it'd make sense that they'd ask for... well that. I suppose I should have made it clearer too, my apologies.
Also, you talked a bit about the references last time. I just wanted to point out that I put in this chapter a somewhat old meme with Anarchy's singing about being invincible. It's a reference to an old Super Mario animation about the starman song in which the guy sings some made-up lyrics in a strange Peter Griffin impression. It's really funny.
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Considering the story lacks a "Dark" tag, you can imagine Anarchy's luck is bound to run out. Some people say that a good villain won't consider himself to be evil, but I think it adds a lot of layer to Anarchy for him to admit he is indeed evil. He has a good grasp of morality and yet, chooses to do only evil in the name of his ultimate goal.
I've waited for so long to finally reach the point in the story where Anarchy completes his ascension, I've drawn his Nightmare design like two whole months ago!
Also, I wanted to put Discord somewhere in the story 'cause I really like him, but then I realised his inclusion would probably ruin everything I've been building up to considering he's league beyond every single character in this story. To use him to beat Anarchy would be a cop out, and would also rob Luna of an interesting opponent later down the line, so I can't put him in considering pretty much everyony is involved in Anarchy's case one way or another.
My, it would appear my own comments are getting longer and longer!
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Just means you have more interesting things to say.
I can understand not wanting Discord in, the man is simply on another level. Maybe he's just watching while eating popcorn. However there is someone else out there whom could well be watching this all play out...
What's Tirek doing during this, he's out and about at this time?
I just had an idea
But its a risky one
drops Crystals that look blood red
These are fragments of the Blood Moon of Tartarus
It is said When five are collected the Blood Moon shall awaken and HE will retake his kingdom
...if anarchy is on the moon
Then He will be corrupted by it
Destroying him
Its risky but it may put an end to Anarchy once and for all
five shards are seen
I hope you know why i do this
I defeated him once but it was risky
Lets hope this works
TARTARUS!
Destroy Anarchy
SHATTER
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Indeed especially since if anarchy chooses the moon
I have a way
The Blood Moon of Tartarus
Its the only way to stop him