49. ... And Then We'll Save The Day!
Princess Celestia stared in horror before the gigantic unicorn. The memories of the time Jolly Melody was a beloved musician still haunted her when compared to the Jolly of the present. It troubled her to remember his face, handsome, bubbly and with those marvelous olive eyes, replaced by that insult against nature itself. He represented everything she feared in her subjects, to see such a nice and loyal pony turn to darkness for selfish desires...
“Jolly... what have you done?”
Anarchy snickered. “Done? Oh my, princess, you’re in for a looooong answer. So long in fact I should probably write a book about it to properly answer that question.” He said in a bubbly voice. “I mean, eight years is a long time. In that time span, it’s easy to get enough materials to write an autobiography, not that I’ve ever written anything substantial myself.”
Princess Celestia’s gaze was firm, pushing her sorrow away. “You’ve gone too far a long time ago. I won’t let you hurt our subjects ever again.”
“Careful now!” Anarchy cackled. “You’re starting to sound like Looking Glass!” Noticing a slight twitch in the alicorn’s face, the beast’s face light up, sensing an opportunity. “Oh, right... Has anypony told you about Looking Glass?”
The white alicorn felt her heart thumping against her chest. That face, it can’t mean anything good. Looking Glass mentioned he went up against him, or... did he? “Where’s Looking Glass?”
Anarchy’s face drew blank. “I was right. You don’t know. You see, I’m afraid he’s a little... naked at the moment. He can’t show his face to you, not in this oh so pitiful condition.”
“What. Did. You. Do?” Celestia glared.
Smirking, the beast tilted his head and kept on going until it was upside down. “I needed a nice coat for the cold. I’m sorry I lied to you all and led you right in the jaws of the alien. As you can see, I needed the coat no longer. Your maids will have to clean the mess, however. As for the rest, might I suggest you take a look inside your old castle?” He mockingly pointed out the window, towards the Everfree forest in the distance.
“No...” Despair filled the alicorn’s face. Her personal detective, a close friend she’s known for over twenty years, a hero she can always rely on, dead.
The other ponies in the room quickly understood that the Looking Glass that brought them all here was a fake, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They were led straight into a trap. Horror filled their face, were they staring at a dead pony all this time?
“Yes.” Anarchy chuckled. “I won, princess. I beated him, broke your foalish world of cliches and tropes. Today, you see a villain standing victorious, shedding the skin of his nemesis. Like a pretty butterfly, I’ve completed my metamorphosis. Today, I take off.”
Celestia’s eyes widened as she remembered one crucial detail: the dungeon. She turned her attention to her former pupil, not taking her eyes off the beast. “Quick, Twilight! Head towards the dungeon and make sure none of them escape! I’ll hold Anarchy off.”
Troubled, Twilight took some time to make up her mind.
“Go, quickly!”
Frightened, Spike hopped on her back, hoping to get away from the monster that now had his eyes on them. The beast smirked. “You should probably stay here to protect your mentor from her untimely demise. You see, I don’t need my army. Not when I can create the perfect soldiers.”
Anarchy casted a powerful spell, two towers fell in the throne room, shattering the roof. Their doors opened and out of them came clones of the Anarchists, only their coat and mane color reflected that of their leader. Soulless eyes stared back at them, standing in an orderly position.
“No thoughts, no feelings, only bodies existing to carry out orders. That is a good soldier, something I never had the luxury of having before.”
Hearing him disrespect his own ponies, anger rose in Applejack. The memories of her encounter with Strong Hoof was still vivid. He spoke with such conviction, such goodwill. He may have become a monster, but at the core he was no different than her or anypony for that matter. In fact, most of the Anarchists shared that same conviction. They weren’t monsters fighting for chaos, they were lost souls manipulated into following a beast thinking they were doing the right thing.
“How?” Applejack growled. “How were you able to get good ponies to commit atrocities? They truly believed ya were gonna help ‘em!”
Grinning, Anarchy provided a quick answer. “Without a compass, the soldier knows no disgrace!”
The loud booms of the battle above woke up the Anarchists, still rotting in their cells. Dreamcatcher clung to her bars, gasping. She looked to her left, hoping she could somehow squeeze her head enough to see Strong Hoof at the other end of the corridor.
“Strong Hoof, listen! He’s here! He’s coming to rescue us from the dungeon!” She exclaimed happily.
But no response came, the goliath didn’t utter a word.
“S-Strong Hoof? Are you awake?” Dreamcatcher asked, worried.
“Yes, I’m... still here.” The giant finally answered pathetically. There was no ounce of strength in his voice, not since he got here. He barely talked, barely ate, barely slept. He was a husk of the inspiring stallion that drove them all to stay by Anarchy’s side.
“He’s here. We’re going to get out of here soon.” She cooed.
Strong Hoof sighed. “Maybe you will, but I know I won’t. I failed my friend twice.”
“W-What?” Dreamcatcher tried to squeeze through the bars to get a good look at the stallion she loved, to no avail. “That’s not true. You brought him the alicorn’s blood as he demanded!”
“That was but one of three missions I had, the rest I utterly failed. I cannot show my face to him anymore, he’ll never take me back. Never...”
Beaten, Dreamcatcher slump against the bars, wondering what will happen now. Once her dear friend came down here, will he forgive Strong Hoof? If not, what will she do? Follow the cause she believed in, or follow the white stallion instead?
She had no idea, none of the options available were making her happy.
What is their future?
“I’m afraid they’re no longer useful. They’ll probably turn on me once they see my actual plans. They’re no beasts, only I have achieved this state of mind. Therefore, they’re now prey.”
Applejack could barely contain her rage. Despite being criminals, these poor ponies deserved better. They deserved actual professional help, not to be fooled by a criminal mastermind! “That’s no way to treat yer team!”
“Obviously, do you honestly believe I didn’t already know that?”
Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes, stepping forward. “That’s enough. For all the crimes you’ve committed against Equestria, I will only ask this once; either come with us or die fighting.”
Anarchy gestured at his shadowy army, unimpressed. “You already know the answer, so come on... take me on!”
Diplomacy was off the table. The inevitably of this bloody battle settled in long ago. Ever since Olive came to Ponyville, Celestia and Luna knew that they would one day be forced to fight Anarchy. Sadly, he forced their hooves, leaving no more room for mercy. In their current situation, they had no choice but to kill him even if it went against their moral and the example they wanted to set for their subjects.
The dark Strong Hoof rushed immediately for Princess Twilight. Startled she took off just in time to avoid being crushed, with Spike latching on to her neck for dear life.
Just then, Princess Luna and Captain Mango arrived, catching the eye of Anarchy. With another gesture of his mighty hoof, the door in the left tower reopened and a giant tentacle resembling that of a kraken emerged. It snatched Luna and Mango, dragging them inside the dark tower.
“Luna!” Celestia tried to fly towards the tower, but Anarchy blocked her, smirking.
“Oh don’t you worry about your beautiful sister. She’s in no real danger. I just want to keep her out of the battle. You and the drunken captain, however, is a different story.”
Anarchy charged, swinging his tail around like a mace, trying to bludgeon the white alicorn. Barely dodging the first hit, Celestia had to weave around the tree trunks that were the stallion’s legs flinging around with extreme precision. This monster knew exactly where to strike, aiming for the lanky legs of the alicorn, for her throat and of course, her skull. He was too fast for her to take off. He kept her grounded, vulnerable to all his attacks.
Every single hit he sent her way was delivered with the intent to kill, to be the decisive blow. It was like fighting a rabid animal, next to no trace of pony kind left in him anymore. Only, she could tell there was multiple thoughts running through his brain. Every move he made was well thought out, hiding a deeper purpose.
Despite his impressive speed, Celestia had much experience battling, much more than she’d like to admit. His attacks were fast, but she could see them coming and thus, dodged accordingly. He hadn’t used his magic yet, what he was currently doing was just a mere test to gage her strength.
Reaching for a bite, Anarchy missed the mark and was promptly punished for his sluggishness with a magic beam to the face. “Poorly aimed, need I remind you my face is mostly comprised of crystals now?”
Armors clank in the many hallways connecting to the throne room, but Anarchy had thought of that already, summoning large crystals to serve as roadblocks for the royal guards. Locked inside this prison, the nine of them had to fight without any reinforcement.
On the other side, inside the dark tower, Luna and Mango landed on a ship sailing the dark sea. A pocket dimension! A powerful spell reserved only to the most powerful of magic users. A spell few have ever mastered.
The tentacle that had taken a hold of the two ponies dropped the captain on the deck whilst other tentacles raised from the sea, wrapping themselves around the lunar princess. Contorting, stretching, they locked her in place above the deck, wrapping around her horn to block her magic.
Captain Mango reached for his fallen sword on the ship, ready to help his majesty. “Hang on, princess, I’m coming!”
A gigantic shadow appeared over the unknowing batpony. Princess Luna gasped. She was here before, in the filly’s dream. That thing that was currently holding onto her was... “Mango, behin-mmph!” A slimy tentacle wrapped around her mouth, silencing her just before she could warn him of the incoming danger.
Thankfully, he was no fool. The experienced captain realised there was evil afoot and looked over his shoulder just in time to see another tentacle, only much, much bigger than the one that attacked his beloved princess of the night.
He saw that creature once, in a book in Canterlot’s library. Something that lurked in the darkest waters of Equestria. Something he never got to see with his own eyes before. “Kraken!”
The giant tentacle swooped down, crashing on the deck. Captain Mango barely avoided the crushing weight but was hit by the shower of debris. The ship was smashed in half, beaten by the sheer power of the leviathan. With no ground left to stand on, Mango had to resort to fighting in the air. This was a problem considering he was fighting with a sword. It’s not easy to strike somepony else with all your might while flying.
With no ground to use as leverage, the kinetic energy is less than desired. “Gyah! Damn it!”
Princess Luna mumbled, trying to get his attention. Of course! The smaller tentacles can be cut through, and with her magic, the kraken can be overcome. Then, they’ll just have to find a way out, and join their comrades on the battlefield. “You bastard will pay for what you did to Looking Glass.”
Even in the air, Twilight was in danger. Anything Strong Hoof could get his shadowy hoof on, he threw at her. His sheer brute strength was impressive, BUT, this time, he didn’t have the edge. There was no necklace on him, or on any of the shadow ponies for that matter. No holding back this time.
She unleashed a devastating series of beam on the goliath. The attack was powerful, scorching the giant’s face, but not enough to bring him down in one go. His scarlet eyes vanished, leaving two white eyes of pure concentrated rage behind. Strong Hoof roared, breaking the windows and knocking Twilight to the ground with the sheer power of his voice.
However, just before he could do anything, Anarchy’s horn glowed, and Strong Hoof calmed down almost immediately. “Even so, you’re still just a ticking time bomb...”
Strong Hoof shook his head in confusion, growling like a wild animal. His eyes darted around, searching for a target to lock on.
In the meantime, Twilight Sparkle rose from her fall, making sure Spike wasn’t hurt. Noticing the giant wasn’t attacking yet, she turned to her loyal apprentice. “Spike, you need to get out of here. It’s too dangerous for you!”
“B-But, Twilight!” Spike protested, stressed out of his mind.
“No buts this time, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Anarchy dodged a blast from Princess Celestia, countering with a powerful strike to the jaw. Discombobulated, the mighty ruler of Equestria fell on her knees. Now that he was free, the beast turned his attention to the baby dragon. “Oy oy, tear him apart Strong Hoof! Paste his innards to the curtains!”
Strong Hoof’s eye lit up and he roared.
“Quick, Spike! RUN!” Twilight shouted, firing another beam at the giant’s legs. The blast slowed him down, yet he persisted on his mission to maim the baby dragon. Changing strategy, she chose to lift him with telekinesis. This worked at first, but something in the goliath allowed him to resist her pull. He was heavy, far heavier than a boulder, far heavier than a castle, far heavier than the moon.
Simply keeping him in place pushed Twilight to her limit. The magic that created this dark copy was unlike anything she’s ever seen. Looking back, she was relieved to see Spike had reached the entrance, leaving the battlefield. The only problem was that she was now tired, and the gargantuan earth pony was fired up on all cylinders, turning his attention to her.
“Oh no...” She fell to the ground, her body too tired to move out of his charge. She shrieked before imminent doom. Bracing for the painful death that awaited her, she heard a loud boom. A cannonball smashed into the stallion’s skull, knocking him down. He still moved, albeit concussed. “W-What?”
Pinkie Pie rushed to her, a wide smile on her face despite the dire situation. “I knew it was a good idea to bring my party cannon!”
Getting back on her hooves, Twilight stared at the body of the stunned behemoth. “Pinkie, that was an actual cannonball you just fired!”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “I know, since Looking Glass, or I guess it was the fake one, said that this situation was super-duper important, I brought actual cannonballs!”
“How and when did you have cannonballs!”
“Since before you went to Ponyville, silly! They’re always in my room!”
The rest of Twilight’s friends handled themselves well in battle. That’s a given considering their past experiences of fighting against numerically superior forces. For Applejack, however, that was a harder fight than the changelings because of one factor alone, Olive. She stayed close to the filly, bucking away those who dared to even touch one lock of her mane.
Olive could transform into her monster form, but Applejack would feel terrible if she pressured her into transforming, going against a monster that could kill her easily. It was probably for the best she remained as a normal filly cowering on her mother’s back.
“Mommy! Mommy! This way!” Her calls were not helpful, sadly. What’s the point of saying they’re coming this way if she can’t see the filly pointing at the danger? As such, she was hit in the back of the head. Bucking the pony on her left flank, she sought to correct this problem.
“Sugar cube, if ya see ‘em comin’ behind me on ta right; say right flank. For ta left side, say left flank, ‘kay?”
Olive nodded, narrowing her eyes, her vision as sharp as an eagle. “Okay, mommy!”
Applejack smacked more shadow ponies trying to flank her, keeping an eye on her friends, helping them when they were being overwhelmed.
“Left flank!”
Without checking, she kicked, taking out a pony who thought he was being sneaky.
“Nice goin’, sugar cube!”
The dark sea was agitated, more giant tentacles emerged from the black, watery abyss to catch the flying batpony. Luckily, he had no trouble seeing in the dark, avoiding any danger coming his way. He wasn’t strong enough to deal with a kraken, but one pony here could, he just had to free her and let her handle it.
Swooping down like a hungry changeling, Mango slashed at the tentacles holding his princess captive. Blood poured out the wound, but it wasn’t deep enough. Luna was still stuck, struggling against its powerful grip to no avail. She groaned louder, getting the captain to prepare another attack.
He swooped down again, slashing at the exact same spot. Still no good result, that thing was much, much stronger than they anticipated. Damn it! The cuts aren’t deep enough!
Princess Luna tried instead to charge her horn, but her magic was snuffed out by the big appendages crushing her horn until the pain was too much.
As the batpony was about to go for another dive, the horrid mouth of the kraken emerged from the water, revealing the gruesome fate that awaited him should he be caught. Multiple rows of teeth as sharp as razors biting the air with anticipation.
Alright, this time better the one...
With one last dive, Mango slashed the tentacle in the exact spot he previously attacked. This time, the wound was deep enough. Princess Luna was finally able to break free from the slimy appendages, turning them to dust with one powerful blast from her horn.
The kraken was not long for this world, for the lunar princess wasted no time blowing it up to smithereens, sending bits and pieces of the kraken everywhere.
Captain Mango stopped next to her, noticing the alicorn’s entire body was a little slimy. “That looked like... a disgusting experience.”
Luna growled, wiping the slime around her mouth. “I felt violated in every way imaginable.”
Anarchy missed his bite, badly. With an opening finally available, Celestia took off, hoping to get the high ground. Unfortunately, she underestimated the speed of the mad stallion who bit her tail, stopping her from getting any higher. He swung down, smashing the alicorn back to ground level.
Before Celestia could regain her senses, gravity changed. She slid and fell on the wall behind her, barely missing the broken windows. Anarchy fell on top of her. From her perspective, she had a nice view of everypony falling against the wall. Some, like Applejack and Olive, were less fortunate, falling on the broken window and clinging on for dear life.
Olive was gripping her mother’s tail with all her might. Her entire view of the world changed, all she saw below her was the snowy plains of Equestria below Canterlot, only they stretched on for miles. If she fell, she would be falling for eternity, one day splattering against a mountain. She screamed in terror, begging her mother to get up.
“Ah... Ah can’t! Ah don’t have a good grip!” Applejack cried out, barely able to hold on for dear life.
Luckily, Rainbow Dash came to their rescue thanks to her wings. “Hang on, Aj! I’m pulling you up!”
Rarity and Fluttershy didn't fare much better. The yellow pegasus held the white unicorn but struggled to kept her from falling because of a certain mare with a dreamcatcher cutie mark pestering her.
Rarity flinged rocks and pebbles alike at the shadowy Dreamcatcher, hoping to get her off her struggling friend.
"Rarity, I-I'm sorry but I just can't hold on to you!" Fluttershy whined through tired breath. Her muscles ached, begging her to let go.
Rarity looked down, seeing her other friends standing on the walls. "Then drop me on the, uh, walls I suppose, darling. I can hold my own. We'll provide some assistance to Rainbow Dash."
Dreamcatcher kicked Fluttershy in the face, making her drop Rarity. "But what about her?" For that, the shy pegasus made her anger known by bucking her away with a strength she didn't believe she had.
Rarity threw a big rock at a shadowy pegasus creeping up on Rainbow whilst she was busy lifting her friend.
"Hey, thanks for that, Rares!"
As for Celestia, she was in the worst position compared to her subjects. Pinned down by the towering Anarchy, she was about to be devoured as he lunged, mouth wide open. She held his head back with her forelegs. Blood and saliva fell on her face as she resisted the overpowering strength of the dark unicorn. “Take a bite outta royalty!”
Anarchy bit wildly, trying to scare Celestia who kept her composure through it all. Her legs burned, begging her to let them breathe for even just a nanosecond but to do so would mean death. As such, she took a gamble and punched him in the face. Surprised, Anarchy weakened for the briefest of moment, a small window of opportunity the alicorn exploited.
She poked his eye out with her horn and with one last push, got him off her. Pulling her hind legs back, she bucked him in the abdomen with all her might. On that day, Anarchy learned just how painful it is to be bucked by an alicorn much less the strongest of them all. His spell’s effect vanished as soon as he was hit, sending everypony back on the floor.
Writhing in pain, Anarchy had very little time to react to Celestia’s magic beam. Very little time, ay? He had a remedy. Time slowed; the beam was as fast as a turtle to him. He moved with all the grace of a swan as he dodged the beam. His eyes, however, were still lightning quick. His gaze moved towards the much younger princess in comparison. The princess of friendship, Twilight Sparkle.
Grinning, his horn powered up and released a wave of slithering snakes towards her. Something Princess Celestia had a front row seat to witness. Thankfully, time was still slow. The slithering snake barreled towards the young alicorn but were stopped by a portal that redirected them above Anarchy, coming down on him.
Surprised, he undid his time spell and bounced out the way just as the snakes pulverised the ground he previously stood on. Just then, the tower’s door blew up. Luna and Mango joined the fray, their eyes set on Anarchy. The scales tipped on the alicorn’s side.
The beast kept his eye on Princess Celestia, sensing the movement of the two newcomers behind him. Mango rushed his right, swinging his sword again at his head. Anarchy blocked with the crystallised part of his horn, charging it to deliver a fatal blow, but he didn’t know one important thing.
Princess Luna was fast too, much nimbler than her older sister. Tensing himself, he jerked as she moved in for her attack. Before he could finish the drunken captain off, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He was stabbed, by the midnight blue alicorn’s horn!
Whining in his beastly voice, he headbutted Mango and kicked Luna away, barfing blood. He had taken a bad hit, but thankfully his last second move had saved him his life. The alicorn missed his vital organs. The wound was painful, but not fatal. Far from it. Growling, he lit it on fire, cauterising it.
Surrounded by two powerful alicorns and an exceptional swordspony, Anarchy’s options were limited. He was hurt, and if he kept on making mistakes like this, he’d lose. Thankfully, he had one trick up his sleeve, a mighty good one.
With one bright flash, the ground rumbled. Losing her footing, Applejack tripped, causing Olive to fall and roll over to Celestia. A tall tower rose from the ground under Canterlot’s castle. Princess Celestia, Luna and Mango were carried above, being positioned on adjacent towers as they rose.
Applejack watched helplessly as her daughter was hoisted in the sky alongside the princesses. “Olive!” Just then, another tower rose under her, but only her forelegs were on top of it as it did. Thus, she flew to the sky, holding on to the tower with her forelegs until it came to a stop. The last thing she heard was Rarity screaming her name before the sound was drowned by the vast distance that separated them.
Troubled, Applejack looked under her. From her height, she had a beautiful view of the snowy capital of Equestria. Pulling herself up, she saw just how many towers Anarchy had conjured. All connected to form a castle in the sky, a final stand.
Looking down under, Applejack noticed the damages done to the castle of the two sisters, able to see her friends inside gazing at the flying towers. Not all of them could get up here, but she had a sneaking suspicion Twilight Sparkle would soon join her in this madness.
But for now, all that mattered was to find her daughter. She’s in danger up there with her insane father! Applejack’s heart beated faster the more she realised just in how much danger the filly was in. She needed her, now!
Looking to her right, Applejack noticed a winding stair on the side of the adjacent tower that led to its roof, which led to another tower, so on and so forth. Good, she had a clear path to the top, where Olive was surely held hostage in. Approaching the edge, she saw that the gap between the two platforms was considerable. A tough jump, a leap of faith.
But for Olive’s sake, she’ll take the chance. Moving all the way back, Applejack galloped as fast as she could, building up her momentum before she took the plunge. Soaring proud and high, she saw the fight underneath continue. The shadowy Strong Hoof and ponies were still causing her friends problems, but with Anarchy out of the picture, they could handle it. And as luck would have it, she succeeded, reaching the other tower. “Hang on, sweetheart! Ah’m comin’!”
50 meters above the ground, Princess Celestia, Luna and Mango stood inside the dark castle before Anarchy. The walls were filled with crimson curtains depicting the unholy union of the beast and Nightmare Moon. His dream was on full display, and it was meant to be shattered today. Princess Luna spent an entire month chasing trouble for her nights and today, like a superhero, she was here to save her sister’s days.
Three on one. Their opponent was strong, caution was advised. The culmination of this entire conflict now at its peak, it was time to end it once and for all. To kill Anarchy. Their subjects, and all of Equestria, shall be free from his terror.
“Come, foolish alicorns! Come and challenge the great and powerful Anarchy!”
Olive poked her head from behind the pillar, seeing the ghoulish appearance of her father challenging the three ponies. Just looking at him scared her. She wanted to stay hidden, praying for the alicorns to win, never having to confront him ever again. The filly only wanted one thing right now; to never see her father ever again.
The three ponies split up, each approaching the giant in a different direction. Anarchy seemed unimpressed, standing on his hind legs before bringing his forelegs down like a hammer. The resulting impact created a flaming shockwave of a hellish green fire, forcing his opponents back. Celestia was the fastest one to recover, resuming her advance.
Levitating huge chunks of the walls, Anarchy threw them all at Princess Celestia, keeping his eyes on the two stragglers. The boulders were each cut in half by the alicorn’s spell. Once each of them was sliced, Anarchy pounced on her like a tiger, but she saw it coming.
Celestia fell on her back and threw Anarchy away with all four of her legs into a nearby wall. The impact was so powerful it caused many boulders to fall on top of him.
The beast rose from the ashes, blowing the boulders to smithereens with one powerful screech. Shaking off the pain, he chuckled. “Show me a good time, princess!”
Captain Mango dashed at the speed of light, swinging his sword with extreme precision. Anarchy shielded his face, letting his body and hooves take all the damage. The cuts were shallow but stinged like a hornet’s bite. With one back hoof, he knocked the captain away, launching him into a pillar with enough speed to crack a few bones.
Olive whimpered behind her hiding spot, worried about the awful sound that came out of the captain. She knew just how much that sound hurt, it made her hind leg hurt simply remembering that awful moment. She looked to the two sisters, her only salvation now. She hoped they would overcome the beast and free her from the torment he inflicted upon her for all these years.
Princess Luna approached from above whilst her older sister came from the front. Despite their superior numbers, Anarchy seemed to have no trouble fighting outnumbered. He fired slithering snakes towards Celestia to keep her in check whilst he focused on dodging Luna’s blasts.
When he saw an opening, Anarchy growled and opened two portals. One underneath him and one above Luna. Reaching through the lower portal, he wrapped his forelegs around the alicorn’s neck and pulled her to his level.
Now stuck in the beast’s clutches, Luna trashed to break free. His grip tightening, she felt the air leaving her body. At this rate, he’ll knock her unconscious within seconds! Luckily, Mango returned despite being badly damaged. He swung downward, but the mad stallion protected himself with a magical barrier.
“Try as you might, you’re not getting through. Let me have a good time for once!”
Desperate, Luna looked to her sister for aid, but she was still dealing with the troublesome projectiles smashing all around her. Using magic in this situation was difficult, but it was her only option available. Powering her horn with the last of her strength, Luna aimed down at the beast’s hooves and unleashed an exceptionally powerful blast.
The resulting knockback sent them flying to the ceiling, with Anarchy’s taller stature meaning he was the one that banged his head against the stones. Blood splattered on the ceiling. Discombobulated, both fell to the ground helplessly. Mango rushed one more time whilst the dark unicorn was distracted and plunged his sword in his chest.
Screaming pain, Anarchy’s vision turned red, seeing only Mango. All that pain, all that anger now rerouted to the batpony. His head was bleeding and now so was his chest once again. That wretched stallion hit one of his organs! He threw the sword out of his chest and lunged, mouth wide open, aiming for the captain’s foreleg. In one brutal turn of event, his jaw closed like a crusher and snapped the bone.
The poor captain screamed in agony, kicking and bucking the mad stallion but it was no use, the beast didn’t want to let go. Instead, he only applied more pressure. Going further and further until a disgusting crushing sound was heard. His jaw closed, nothing stood in the way. A severed hoof fell on the stone tiles, staining them in red.
Paralysed by shock, Mango didn’t feel the pain anymore. His eyes were glued to the gruesome sight before him. And then, darkness overtook him once a powerful hoof bucked him out the window.
Olive supressed a scream, her eyes tearing up before the gory scene. Her entire body trembled in fear as she saw the severed hoof fell. Her pupils turned to pinpricks, her stomach turned upside down and her heart pounded with terror.
“Mango!” Princess Celestia flew down, firing a powerful beam comprised of sunlight at the monstrous shape that stood in the darkest corner of the castle.
Anarchy barfed blood, both his and Mango’s before countering with a beam of his own. “You know what? Screw all this spectacle! I just want you dead!”
Princess Celestia fired another beam, an exceptionally powerful one, but Anarchy stopped playing fair. He levitated her young sister to take the full impact. She gasped, stopping midflight.
“Come on, it’s not like one hit’s going to kill her.” he growled, tossing the lunar princess aside. Pulling Celestia closer, he breathed his hellish green fire upon her to which the alicorn shielded. Although, her magical barrier was weakening.
With one final headbutt, Anarchy broke the barrier. Celestia fired a beam of sunlight on his neck, scorching it but that didn’t stagger him at all. He punched her leg, and with one sickening crunch, it broke. With one last scream of pain, the princess of Equestria stood defeated before the nightmarish unicorn. Although, they did a number on him. He was panting, struggling to keep himself standing.
Then, his cutie mark blew up. Blood showered the tall alicorn as she saw behind him her sister, still standing, willing to fight despite being badly hurt herself. Growling, Anarchy limped towards her. “Damn it, why won’t you just stand down? I hate having to do this, but you leave me no choice.” He fired one last slithering snake, a weaker one but a projectile fast and strong enough to finish the fight.
Luna was out, Mango was most likely dead and Celestia was not doing any better.
Beaten, Princess Celestia was grabbed by the neck as Anarchy opened his mouth wide, revealing the multiple rows of fangs hidden deep within his jaw. “This world runs on fear, my dear princess. All shall fear and obey me now, for there is power in only fear!”
Just when hopelessness began to settle in Olive, a familiar voice called out to her from beyond the stars. A soothing voice she missed dearly, an old friend that returned to help her out one last time. Just like with Strong Hoof, she’s here to save her from Anarchy.
Maybe it was just her frightened mind constructing the familiar face of her dear friend Aurora, or she was really seeing a ghost. An angelic ghost that came to her rescue.
Quick, Olive! Your father is winning! You must get out there and find a way to stop him, before he can kill Princess Celestia and rule over the entire planet! Everything that you have learned on your journey here has prepared you for this moment. The malevolent reign of Anarchy must come to an end, or everything we’ve fought for is all lost. I gave it my all, now it's time you give yours.
The filly’s heartbeat accelerated exponentially, pounding against her chest, filling her soul with anger and kindness alike. Standing here she realised, she’s no monster, not like him. This other side... it is no monster. It’s a guardian angel, one that watched over her, shielded her from the dangers of this world. It protected her from Strong Hoof, saved her mother and friends from certain doom, drew her apart from her father and allowed her to find Ponyville. Unlike him, it didn’t hurt those who didn’t deserve it. This other side is no curse; it was a blessing in disguise. One that’ll forever change the course of her life once again.
It’s unfortunate that peace cannot always be the answer. Violence breeds violence. Sometimes, it’s just how the world works. There can be no other way but to confront the horrors of her upbringing. An eye for an eye, fight fire with fire. She’ll never let him get away ever again. He already took Aurora from her; she can’t let him have Applejack too.
He followed his wrath, but her? She’ll follow her love. Today, the world has turned and so many have burned in their path. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Olive can feel it, new life will be born beneath the blood-stained snow. She just has to fight one last time. It has to be this way.
What if I don’t want to be a coward anymore? What if I don't want to hide anymore? What if I want him to kill me? What if I want him to try?
Her fear now gone; she stepped out from her hiding place. “Anarchy!”
Anarchy let go of the princess, surprised to see his daughter here. “Huh?”
Olive glared, a heroic glint in her eyes as she stood defiantly before the pony that was once her father, her master. Powering up her horn, she embraced the other side, letting it comfort her. She had no reason to fear it. The monster filly was her, not a mindless beast that lived in her body. It was just another facet of her, one that can show kindness. It was her anger incarnate. Before she simply let it lash out at the world, but as with Strong Hoof, it will only attack the one pony in this castle that deserved every ounce of pain coming his way, Anarchy.
The castle erupted with a powerful magic, one that shook the very ground it was standing on. Out of the dark smoke, a lanky mare emerged. Her roar was heard from miles as she trotted daringly towards the ghastly unicorn. There was no fear in the beast, but much power.
“Olive, my darling. It seems like you have some th-” Before he could even finish his mocking statement, he was smashed by three powerful pink hooves. One hit his left eye, another his jaw and the last one got his neck. Despite being weaker than him, Olive’s hit left a nasty impact safe for the jaw, helpfully protected by crystals. She knew exactly where to attack to cause maximum pain, almost like he was fighting... himself?
“Oh, I think I get it now. That is indeed a part of me. Damnit, that was a stupid idea!” Regaining his senses, he cracked his stiff neck and stretched his bloodied sore limbs. “You have grown strong, child. There is a different look in your eyes now. You’re determined, take matters into your own hooves. You always get back up even after you’re beaten down to a pulp. I can see it upon your body, where Strong Hoof left his mark. You’re your own master now.”
No longer being in the beast’s grasp, Celestia crawled towards her unconscious sister to tend to her wounds, hoping Olive could buy her enough time to get back in the fight.
Olive roared, throwing another barrage of kicks from her gaping maw. Anarchy dodged the first couple attacks, but the throbbing pain in his stomachs slowed him down. He ended up taking a few kicks to the face before he chose to slow time. The attacks were sluggish, allowing him to narrowly weave around them, firing an exceptionally fast beam at the beast.
But before the attack could land, Olive kicked the beam with another extra hoof, causing meaningless damage as the hoof exploded into bits. The severed hoof returned inside her mouth, replaced by a healthy one. The filly was seemingly unharmed.
“Grah, what the hay’s up with your biology?” Anarchy teleported behind her, and headbutted Olive, following it up with a kick to her scar.
The monster filly raised some large rocks from the floor and charged Anarchy, smashing both in his face in quick succession. Her horn powered, green flames sparking out. Her father, however, grappled her before she could attack and rolled on the ground, getting on top of her.
He lunged for a bite but underestimated the dirtiness of his own fighting style being reflected at him. Olive kicked his eye and then his groin before throwing him out like a ragdoll.
“Cheapshots? Aren't you a spitting image of me!” Anarchy cursed his carelessness in the previous fight. He was stabbed twice, got his cutie mark blasted away and a concussion. All the damages weakened him, slowed him down enough to get on Olive’s level. If he was in top shape, he’d make mincemeat out of her, but alas, he faced the consequences of his arrogance. To briefly level the playing field, he accelerated time and limped towards the filly.
Olive was surprised by the sudden gain in speed, rammed over by the goliath. His horn pierced her scar, opening it again. Blood poured from it, burning her body. In retaliation, she pierced his mouth with her long horn, dislodging a tooth.
Anarchy roared, suffering a painful loss. The resulting shockwave knocked the monster filly away. Recuperating from this devastating hit, the mad stallion quickly formed a plan to end the fight right then and there.
Opening a portal below, he fired a slithering snake. This time, Olive didn’t see it coming and was smashed in the back by the projectile. Then, she was kicked twice in the face. Anarchy threw her down and shoved his forelegs down her gaping maw and began to stretch her jaw. “There’s gotta be a limit. I want to see just how far you’ll go!”
He continued stretching, relishing in the awkward whine the beast made as it tried to shove him away to no avail. Anarchy tanked all the hits without letting go. The jaw expanded and expanded until...
An agonising pain made him stop. The torn off part of his flank screamed, sending all sorts of signals to his brain. A scorching pain, a rattling in his bones. He jerked back, seeing none other than Applejack with her hind legs lodged in his wound.
Olive roared, and it was too late for him to finish the job. She kicked him off and stomped the ground angrily, wrapping her tail around her mother.
Applejack panted, having spent multiple minutes of nonstop running and jumping. “H-Hey, sugar cube... Ah’m ‘ere. Ah won’t leave ya lone, never.” They both watched as Anarchy shakingly stood up, no longer proud and high but low and weak.
The beast was out of breath, just like Aj. The two parents stared each other down, a mutual hatred coursing through their eyes. Seeing how weak he was, Anarchy raised his head as high as he could. His mouth opened wide and with all his heart, he sang one last time, his deep evil voice sounding oddly angelic.
Long ago I left to make our love eternal
Even after we're dead and gone
But even so time has gone by so fast!
I don't want to take the joy away from your life
Maybe time is on our side
Until then, I'll Bring Back Our Love!
He can never forget why he went on this journey.
Gritting his teeth, showcasing his missing one, he screeched like a banshee. An invitation to end this once and for all.
Olive charged, firing a scorching ray of fire at her father. Anarchy did the same, only his was more powerful. Just then, Applejack bucked his hind leg, causing the giant to trip. The monster filly wasted no time beating on his face again, aiming specifically for the crystallised part. Her hits were so powerful, it managed to crack the crystals keeping his mouth in a permanent smile.
Then, she burned his face. Anarchy butted her away, briefly regaining his composure. He summoned a portal below Applejack, making her fall from the ceiling. Olive shot out a hoof from her mouth to catch her falling mother, a saving manoeuvre her father took advantage of.
Anarchy fired another snake, more powerful this time on her head. Blood spurted out of the wound, but the filly didn’t fall, turning her hateful eye to him.
“Oh... You annoying little shit! Why won’t you just die!” Anarchy shouted, coughing up blood as the direness of his situation began to dawn on him. He was losing, badly against a filly and a farm pony. In front of Celestia and Luna too at that.
Applejack popped in unannounced, seizing her opportunity to strike the dark unicorn’s damaged crystals. Enraged, the beast turned his attention to her, opening himself up to another attack from his own daughter.
Smacked around, Anarchy was grabbed by Olive. The filly lifted his head just enough for Applejack to deliver the final blow on his chin. Bucking him with all her might, the crystals around his jaw shattered, destroying his permanent grin. His cheeks drooped in a horrid scowl.
Then, the duo both smashed his right foreleg and with one sickening crack, his bone snapped. Down on the ground for good, Anarchy had no other option than to cut his loss. He had made several mistakes born entirely from his arrogance.
Absolute power corrupts even the finest minds.
His master’s right, he got more and more careless as the years went on. The result? This. It sucked, it hurt, it was shameful. Throwing his head back, Anarchy shouted in the darkness of the castle. The entire place shattered, turning to dust. The castle was gone, and, in an instant, they were all in the sky, falling towards Canterlot.
Princess Celestia sprouted her wings and slowed her descent just as Princess Luna regained consciousness.
As for Olive, she wasn’t done yet. She fell on her father, beating him senselessly as he struggled to fight back.
Applejack, however, had no wings, no method to fly on her own. She screamed as she saw the ground rapidly approaching. She saw death in the broken castle below, now missing the two towers previously lodged in. Then, something grabbed her by the forelegs, slowing her fall.
“Fear not, Applejack. I’m here.” It was Princess Luna! But then...
“What ‘bout Olive?” Applejack watched in horror as the two falling monsters shattered the roof of the castle, falling into the throne room at a near deadly speed. She cried out her daughter’s name, begging the alicorn to hurry. With how much damage the fall did, her daughter could have broken a bone or two. She needed her help!
Inside the throne room, the battle was over. The shadow ponies were gone, Spike returned with the royal guard. No casualties down there so far. Captain Mango was grievously injured, but still breathed, ripping into a nearby curtain with his teeth.
Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were beaten badly, but were still left standing. They were much stronger than Anarchy could have imagined. In that very moment, it was made clear why they were often trusted with Equestria's future.
As for Olive, she laid on the ground, bloodied and bruised next to her father who was limping away. Tears and blood dripped from his eyes, the pain he was in was unimaginable, nothing the others could compare to. By all account, he should be dead had it not been for the unmatchable power of the Nightmare. His eyes tired, his body begged for some rest, but he could not allow it for now.
Princess Twilight rushed to her downed mentor, tears streaming down face as she saw the alicorn’s broken leg. “Celestia! Goodness gracious, I-”
Her mentor pointed behind her in a hurry. “Forget about me, Twilight! Don’t let Anarchy get away!”
Twilight saw the massacred unicorn limping away from the fight, gazing at the sky. Celestia’s plead got the attention of all the other ponies in the area. From the other bearers of the Elements to Spike, to Mango, to Luna, to Olive. All had their eyes on Anarchy whose horn overflowed with magic.
The broken and battered body of the beast flew high in the air. He was trying to escape! Cackling, he gloated once more before his supposed escape. “Try as hard as you can, I will one day put you all through Tartarus before you die!”
Then, he stopped. Like a dog on a leash, something pulled on him, preventing him from fully escaping the majestic city. Confused and worried, he looked at his hind leg only to see multiple long pink legs wrapped around his leg. They raised to his body and neck, pulling with all their might.
Startled, he fell a few inches, his chin impaled on a nearby sharp pole bearing the flag of the city. Roaring in pain, he tripled his efforts to break free from her monstrous daughter’s grasp. He bucked and bit at the hooves to no avail, she wasn’t letting go. The more effort he put into breaking free, the worse the pain his injuries inflicted. “Oh, a persistent little bastard aren't you?! Let go already!” he shouted with all his might.
On the ground, Princess Luna and Twilight joined the filly’s effort to pull Anarchy down. “Don’t let go!” Luna shouted to the filly.
Olive responded with a powerful roar that sent a shiver down her father’s spine. Nothing could stop her, that filly was too damn stubborn!
On the brink of losing it, Anarchy’s head twisted completely to look behind, his eyes bleeding immensely with a searing hatred in them. His horn powered up for a devastating blow, one that’ll blast her dear daughter to pieces. “Tell me what’s the next step, my master! Provide me a plan, I’m running out of ideas!”
“Oh no! He’s going to fire!” Twilight warned, her grip on the beast loosening.
“This is bad, Olive you have to let go!” Luna ordered, but the filly didn’t budge. No, she only roared louder in defiance.
As anxiety began to take over Princess Twilight, she considered shoving the filly away until she saw a black figure in the sky just above Anarchy. Her heart stopped once she saw it was Captain Mango with a sword in his mouth. He had a tourniquet made from the curtains inside the castle around his injured leg. Even after losing a limb, he soared proud and high for the princesses he admired. His bloodshot eye glared at the unsightly beast before him. Even with a missing leg, he fought for his dear princess’ safety.
Captain Mango is one of our best royal guards. He’ll show you his resolve when the time comes.
Twilight gasped softly, staring in admiration at the loyal captain. Anarchy noticed the angry batpony too late. Terrified, he watched as death knocked on his door.
Forty years since I’ve started my quest. Twenty years since I’ve burned down my home.
Eight years since I went missing. Two years since I became a beast. Two days to bask in your true glory.
Well here I am, broken and battered! Always waiting to heed your instruction.
On my own, the sole opposition. I am Anarchy incarnate!
Giving everything he’s got, Mango swung, aiming for the beast’s horn. Distracted by the three mares below, Anarchy didn’t see this one coming in time. The sword cut through the base of his horn like butter, sending its upper half flying. With his final contribution to the fight done, Mango laughed, dropping to the nearest building unconscious.
His magic gone, Anarchy had only a split-second to realise the dire trouble he was in. Falling to the side, the sharp edge of the pole stabbed through his upper jaw, piercing his eye as he was dragged all the way to the ground by his daughter, blood covering the entire pole and flag.
Smashing in the rubble, he kicked and roared in agony, desperately trying to pull himself out but without any magic, he couldn’t. The pole was too tall, his death rattle echoed throughout all of Equestria as he screamed one last time before dropping to the ground, the life fading from his eye.
Then, there was silence. Only the gentle winter breeze breathed life into this battlefield. Only Olive, Luna, and Twilight were still left standing, gazing upon the destruction and unconscious bodies of their friends and families. The proud flag of Canterlot was drenched in blood, carried by the solemn wind. It showed the death of the beast to all in the city. A monumental victory, an achievement born from the collective effort of the strongest ponies in Equestria. The proof that order will forever stand, and that anarchy was never meant to be.
The temperature suddenly rose, becoming hot like a summer afternoon. Surprised, Twilight lifted a hoof and watched as the snow melted slowly. “Winter... it’s going away.”
Olive raised her head high and mighty and roared as she reverted to her true self, her powerful roar turning to a distraught cry. Dropping to her flank, she gazed upon the corpse of her father, unable to believe her eyes. She didn’t feel anything, all her emotions clashed against one another, eventually leaving her with a blank stare of utter incomprehension as she watched what remained of daddy dearest.
The stallion she thought invincible was defeated, destroyed...
Dead.
Applejack hugged her, tears streaming down her face. Heart thumping against her chest, all her fears were going away. She was thankful Olive still stood amongst them, living to see another day. After this many hardships, it was what she deserved most.
Feeling her mother’s warm embrace, Olive looked up to her, her eyes beaming with pure admiration for the pony that had once again saved her life. “Mommy...
You are my hero.”
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she could see them coming and thus
dimension, singular.
was that BUT intended to be uppercase?
odds? enemies, forces, opponents.
Alright, this time better be the one...
Luna growled, wiping the slime around her mouth.
Out of curiosity, did his spell also affect his army of clones?
He was hurt, and if he kept on making mistakes like this, he’d lose.
Isn't he already dead, didn't Pinkie 'kill' it?
worried about the awful sound that came out of the captain.
This should be purple.
I think that should be just: Quick, Olive!
a persistent little bastard aren't you?!
While this was an impressive chapter, this deficiency shines in the fact that you failed to present a scene in witch Fluttershy and Rarity could make feel their presence meaningful. They were not even named in this royal rumble of a chapter.
awesome chapter and awesome legendary fight to the end
11810868
Oh, damn it! That's what I forgot to put in! Anyway, I added Fluttershy and Rarity in the fray, so thanks for reminding me. Also, the canonball didn't kill the shadowy Strong Hoof. He did headbutt a train to a stop, so he's got a thick skull, thick enough to survive a canonball to the head!
11810943
Happy you loved it! It was quite the tough chapter to write with new ideas consistantly popping in my head. I had to filter which ones I could keep and which ones I had to sadly discard. Like I said previously, (I think I said that?) I want to make every fight feel different or else they'll be rather uninteresting and that goes for the spell used, the terrain, etc.
Oh I WILL
hey someone got a HF blade?
Thats a good quote from Mark
Okay buddy
How much MGR did you watch before this?
ANARCHY!
i once said that my sword was a tool of Justice
Not used in Evil
Not used for Hurt
But now?
tosses starcutter away
???: Package dropped!
Me: now im not so sure
But you?
You deserve a actual weapon
One i used long before
StarExcalibur ONLINE
so i guess the thing is
This Isnt My Sword
Bring it on Anarchy
Stop the cap