"Well done girls," Celestia greeted the main 6 for their mission, "Now thanks to you, one of Equestria most dangerous criminals are behind bars, and soon enough, those 'Symbols of Anarchy' will join him." Twilight and the others cheered for their success, but Rainbow Dash didn't join to the cheers. Instead, she looked at the coin that Lightning Dust lost, all because of them.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Twilight thanked for the compliments, "But without Lightning Dust, we would not even survive in the club. She saved our skin there." Celestia nodded in agreement and a spirit of sorrow crawled into her mind. Celestia blamed herself for what happened to Lightning Dust. Because of her, Lightning Dust is now lying in the hospital and her face was destroyed. Silence and sorrow filled the room and entered everypony's heart as they thought of Lightning Dust until the doors were opened and Princess Luna entered the room, with the book Twilight gave her.

"Luna, any luck to find the locations of the criminals?" Celestia asked her little sister, who nodded with a small smile. Luna's horn glow and a map Equestria appeared with three red dots glowing above them. The main 6 walked towards the map.

"Thanks to Penguin's book, we have found the locations of the three criminals. The kirin-" Luna said as her horn glow again as the image of the Kirin who kidnapped the children of Equestria appeared."- has been called by Cobblepot as Poison Ivy. The book said that she is at Peaks of Peril."

Celestia turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "I counting on you to find Ivy and bring her here to answer for justice." Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded and Princess Luna's horn glows again and a picture of a white unicorn stallion wearing a green suit, a purple tie, and a green bowler

"Edward Nygma, aka The Riddler. Cobblepot's book said he lives here in Canterlot."

"Rarity and Twilight, I want you to take care of Riddler, I believe you two could solve the case." Celestia giggled at her own pun. Twilight and Rarity nodded as Luna brought the last picture, It was a stallion wearing a scarecrow mask and brown ripped clothes wit straws poking outside of them.

"Dr. Jonatha Crane, aka The Scarecrow, Cobblepot's book indicates that he lives in Starlight's old village. The book also indicates that Crane hired the Shadow bolts as his henchmen, that's how he succeeded to kidnap me, Starlight and Discord. It would hard to get in without him knowing."

"If only you had a pony who knows every way in and out of the village," a feminine voice said and everyone turned their faces from the map to see Starlight Glimmer standing there. The main 6 ran towards their friend who returned from the hospital.

"Starlight, are you sure you can go against him again?" Luna asked, "Last time he exposed you to his toxins you were screaming his name for months."

"Princess Luna," Starlight smirked, "Scarecrow is a pony who feeds on fear. Creaturs who feed on emotions are my sepcialty."

"Well, you're not going alone," Fluttershy said to Starlight and there something different in her voice, she was enthusiastic to volunteer to this terrifying mission.

"And so do I," Pinkie smiled, "No one will terrorize my friends. Who he think he is? Nightmare Moon?" Pinkie looked back at Princess Luna who did not found her last comment amusing.

"Very well." Starlight nodded and the group was separated, all expect Twilight who asked Luna one question.

"Have you found anything about the white stallion that was in the picture?"

"I am sorry Twilight, but there is no other member in the group. Maybe he was just a pawn they killed."

"I don't know," Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof, "There is something about this clown."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash climbed the mountains until they arrived at the Peaks of Peril. The forest gave Applejack a bad memory from the last time she faced that Kirin, but she shook this feeling out of her head as she and Rainbow Dash entered the forest. As Applejack walked and tried to move between the bushes and vines, she noticed Rainbow Dash holding a coin in her wings.

"What's that?" Applejack asked as she took the coin from Rainbow's wings. It was a coin with Celestia's face on both sides. One side of the coin was damaged and on of the faces of Celestia was destroyed.

"Hey! Give me that!" Rainbow rebuked Applejack and took the coin back, "It belongs to Lightning Dust. She lost it when, You know." Applejack put a hoof on her face and nodded. "I feel bad for Lightning Dust. If I have shown kindness, maybe she wouldn't end up in a hospital with half of her face burned off."

"Sugarcube," Applejack put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, "It's not too late you know, Lightning is still alive, and you still can make amends with her." Rainbow Dash cheered up and the two continued to walk in the forest, looking for Poison Ivy. After a while, the two mares heard a feminine voice singing. The two mares walked closer and they saw the redheaded green Kirin, singing to her plants.

I have waited for the day, to
Send the greedy wolves away.
Now the woods are in my salvation,
Get along in my protection.
We will stand forever free.

As Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked slowly, trying to get closer to Ivy, their legs were caught by vines and the ponies were brought to Ivy. Ivy didn't even pay attention to the intruders and she kept singing to her children.

They have come into our domain,
Here to seal our land in shame.
But we held it for generations,
This is just a complication

The vines held tight the ponies as Poison Ivy leaned on a giant vine as it carried her above the mars.

We will stand forever free!

"You know if," Rainbow Dash told Poison Ivy, "If you weren't a psycho mare who kidnapping children, you could have been a good singer." For her remark, Rainbow's vine held her stronger, making it hard for the mare to breath.

"We know yah sent the kids to Scarecrow Ivy, why?" Applejack asked as Ivy's vine got closer to her.

"It is painful to know that your family is in danger, isn't it Applejack?" Poison Ivy asked with a sinister smile, "Joker did not tell any of us whats the plan, the only one who knows about this is Scarecrow. I do not care for the plan, as long as ponies will suffer for what they have done to my children."

"How do yah know ma name?" Applejack asked as she gritted her teeth, "And who is this Joker?"

"So many questions are not good for a mare," Poison Ivy smiled as the vine crawled up towards Applejack neck.

"And so is not paying attention to the blue pegasus," A voice said behind Poison Ivy. Ivy turned around to see Rainbow Dash flying in the air. Ivy looked down to the ground and she saw the vine that strangled Rainbow Dash on the ground dying.

"How?" Poison asked as she went down to her dying child.

"Daring Do's Jungle rule number one, never go to the jungle without a knife." Rainbow Dash freed Applejack and the two walked towards Ivy who was crying on her child.

"You calling yourselves heroes, but you do not care for others, you will pay for that-" Ivy stopped talking as she was knocked down by a golden horseshoe.

"Applejack's villains' number one, always take a horseshoe to a villain fight," Applejack smiled, proud of her comeback.

"Really, always bring a horseshoe to a villain fight?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack and raised an eyebrow.

"It's better from yours," Applejack smirked, "'And so is not paying attention to the blue pegasus.'"

"Are you sure this is the place?" Rarity asked Twilight as they stood in front of an old antique shop.

"That's the address Princess Luna gave me, so I guess it is," Twilight shrugged.

"Maybe she got the wrong address?" Rarity suggested. Twilight gasped, she could not believe the words.

"Did you... Did you just said that the Princess got something wrong?"

"Well," Rarity proclaimed, "This place doesn't scream riddles."

"Let's just get in," Twilight sighed, "After all it could be a false appearance." Rarity nodded and the two entered the shop. The shop was filled with old clocks, rusty armors, and puppets. Rarity was disgusted by the dusted stuff, but Twilight fascinated by the antiques. The purple alicorn ran from one side of the store to another, like a child in a toy store. Meanwhile, Rarity walked to the old mare who stood behind the service desk. It was an old unicorn mare, her coat was pale purple and her mane was white and short.

"Excuse me?" Rarity asked for the old mare's attention, "We are looking for Mr. Edward Nygma. Do you know where to find him?"

"Mr. E. Nygma?" The old mare asked Rarity and the white mare nodded, "Then follow me." Rarity called for Twilight and the two mares followed the mare to the back of the store. The old mare stopped in front of the wall and she just stood there looking at nothing.

"Excuse me, Mam," Twilight asked the old mare, "But why are standing here?" The mare started to laugh as her horn glow in purple and the old mare transformed into a young white unicorn stallion, wearing a green suit and a purple tie. It was Riddler

"And I thought you are the smartest mare in Canterlot, Princess," Riddler smirked as the room started to disassembleds and reassembled into a metal cage. The Riddler laughed as the mares were surrounded by metal walls.

"Let's play a game shall we?" Riddler smiled as sharp spikes extracted from the walls and the walls started to move towards each other, ready to pin the ponies. "Riddle me this now: You can wear me anywhere you go, to shows, to parties, to dinners, and even in bed, but not in funerals. What am I?" The walls got closer and closer as the mares tried to understand the riddle.

"You understand that you will die here with us right?" Twilight asked Riddler.

"I am not even here, you have been talking with an illusion." The Riddler smiled as he faded away.

"Okay Twilight you can do this," Twilight tried to encourage herself, "Something you can wear me anywhere, parties, shows, dinners, and bed, but not in funerals. Maybe a dress?"

"Oh darling," Rarity sighed, "No one is wearing a dress in bed, no it must be something else."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked, "I mean, maybe ponies do not wear a dress in bed but maybe other cre-" Rarity put her hoof on Twilight's mouth.

"No one."

It took a lot of time to find the answer and time wasn't something the two had. The walls got closer and closer, Twilight and Rarity stood next to each other.

"Think what you can wear everywhere except funerals," Twilight closed her eyes and focused. "Maybe it's not a cloth, you can wear expression, but what expression you cannot wear in a funeral, maybe something that shows happiness, it's not so nice to show a smile in a..." She got it! "A smile!"

The walls started to back away and a door was opened. Twilight and Rarity walked into the next room. The room was lighted in green lightbulbs and the children were held in electric chairs. There were colts and fillies, baby changelings and young griffons and hippogriffs and all of them were terrified. Among the children, Rarity spotted her little sister.

"Sweetie Belle! Are you okay?" Rarity asked, but before the young unicorn could answer, the chairs were activated and the children were electrocuted. Twilight and Rarity suffered to hear the scream of the children.

"Here is part two of the game," Riddler appeared above the children, behind a glass window, "This one is a more physical game. The platforms you are standing will send electric attacks every 10 minutes, you have to get to the children within 30 minutes without dying. Starting in 3...2...1."

The platforms glow in green and the mares fell to the floor as they crawled in pain.

"2 more of this and maybe you will not stand again." The platforms' green light was fading and the mares had no choice, but to play this mad game. Twilight and Rarity walked towards the second line of platforms, as the green light slowly returned to the platforms, they were still far away from the kids, at least 5 lines of platforms, and before they could move towards the third line, a giant spinning saw blade was moving from right to left. Between the lines, there were 4 blades

"16 minutes," Riddler reminded that time does not wait. The mares looked at the blades spinning around. Twilight counted every time that a blade touched the wall.

"3...2...1," Twilight looked at Rarity, "Now!" The mares ran towards the third line, and the platform was fully green. The electric waves flow through the mares' body as they screamed in agony. The green light faded and Rarity fell on the floor and she started to cry.

"I'm afraid Twi."

"Do you trust me?" Twilight asked and she offered a hoof to Rarity. Rarity smiled and she got up on her legs. "On my count,"

"3..." The lights started to return to the platforms, but the mares did not care.

"2..." The blades' sound was loud and terrifying, but the mares did not care.

"1!" The mares ran, avoiding the blades who almost split their bodies and trying to stay as little as possible on the green platforms. The sting of the shocks was felt in their legs, but they kept running. They leaped from one platform to another. Finally, the mares arrived at the last platform. Rarity looked at her sister and she didn't notice to the green platforms.

"Rarity!" Twilight pushed the white unicorn out of the platform and she receieved the shocks.

"Twilight!" Rarity ran towards her friend who screamed in pain and she pulled her to the cold floor. Twilight was unconscious.

"Oh, the princess is not here to help you now," Riddler mocked Rarity as a time bomb came from the floor with 19 red wires and a cutter, "You have 10 minutes before the bomb will set you free from you pathetic, miserable life." On the bomb was written another riddle.

You could not stand the look of me, but you need me to live, You don't like it when I leave, but when, but when people ask you will donate me.

The riddle was weird, what kind of thing would people donate if they don't like to leave. What kind of red thing would be needed to... Rarity knew the answer. Now it's just to tell which one of the wires red wires is red-blood wire. Anypony would panic because to anypony, the wires would look the same. But Rarity knew the differences between the shades of red. Within 20 seconds she cut the wire in the middle, the timer stopped and the children were free from their chairs.

"How?!!" Riddler asked in rage, "You cheated!" The screams of Riddler woke Twilight.

"No," Rarity smirked, "I just know how red-blood look like." While Riddler was furious in his room, behind the glass, Twilight got enough strength to teleport inside the room and she took Riddler by surprise and took him to Rarity and the kids.

"Why didn't you do this before?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"Because," Twilight answered, "If I would teleport, Riddler would probably hurt the children." Rarity understood and she ran towards her sister. "Sweetie Belle," Twilight asked the little unicorn who was in shock, "Where are Applebloom and Scootaloo?"

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle answered, "The only thing I heard is that half of the kids would be sent to Scarecrow."

Starlight led Pinkie and Fluttershy through a dark tunnel under Ponyville. It was an old tunnel that was used mine diamonds back in the days. But now, it was an underground road between the villages of Equestria. Starlight used it to find new members to her happy town, and now she is gonna save her happy town. Pinkie, as usual, was energetic and was ready to bust some bad ponies. But Fluttershy was acting kind of odd. She immediately volunteered to go hunt the Scarecrow, and she had a flame in her eyes, a flame Starlight saw only once in her life, and that was when her village was destroyed and everypony abandoned her. As Fluttershy walked, Starlight went over to her.

"Hey Fluttershy," Starlight approached the yellow pegasus, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Fluttershy tried to fake a smile, but it didn't fool Starlight and the fake smile faded, "It's just, I have always believed that no pony is that evil, even the worst of ponies. But now all of this, how can a pony do such a thing? Kidnapping, murder, and torture? I'm starting to think that-" Fluttershy stopped talking as Starlight put a hoof on her shoulder and two hugged each other.

"It's okay. Maybe We will help them and we will show them, you know that friendship is magic."

"Maybe," Fluttershy smiled and Starlight continued to lead the way to the old village, "And maybe we show them justice."

The group finally arrived at Starlight's old village, and it was far beyond their mind could even imagine. Corpses and skeletons surrounded the town as vultures ate whatever left of the ponies' corpses. The trees were filled with crows and vultures. The three mares could not process what they have seen. It was a picture of a nightmare. Three ponies came with a wagon filled with fresh corpses. That gave Starlight an idea.

"Follow my lead," Starlight whispered and the two mares nodded. The three mares walked on the tips of their hooves and they hide behind a bush as the three ponies threw the bodies and tried to get rid of the vultures. The three ponies were Shadowbolts, like Luna said. As the three Shadowbolts finally finished their task and they were ready to go, Starlight made a noise, one so loud they would have to notice, and so they did. The three Shadowbolts went to the bush, to see if it was a squirrel again and they were pulled into the bush.

After a few minutes, the three mares came out of the bush, now dressed as Shadowbolts. "Now we can walk into the Scarecrow's lair without anyone would notice." Starlight smiled, happy with her own plan.

"Ah, Starlight?" Pinkie asked and she pointed on her back, "We don't have wings."

"Don't we?" Starlight smirked and Pinkie was confused.

"We don't."

Starlight sighed and explained, "I will cast a spell that will give the illusion we have wings."

"Ohhhhhh," Pinkie understood, "But we still won't have wings." Starlight rolled her eyes and her horn glow in blue as a blue circle surrounded her and Pinkie and wings grew out of their bodies.

"Alright now you look like Pegasus," Fluttershy approved their look, "But Starlight," Fluttershy pointed her hoof at Starlight's horn.

"Oh yeah," Starlight smiled in embarrass as her horn glow again and it suddenly disappeared, "Now we look like pegasi." The three mares walked towards the town. As they walked through the abandoned town, the mares heard blood-curdling screams came out of the houses. After a while of walking in this dark and depressing village, the mares heard again the screams and this time they went to check the source. Pinkie looked inside a house via the window and what she saw was just sick. There was a griffon child sitting in the corner and his eyes were bleeding and the griffon's claws were covered in blood. Starlight looked at another house were two changelings were kneeling on the floor, crying that they were sorry to the floor and their eyes were red of tears. Fluttershy looked from another house, and she saw a blue earth pony stallion, sitting in the middle and he was laughing, just laughing as he was surrounded by two dead mares. The three mares returned to each other and they saw a grey Shadowbolt with black mane waving for them to come.

"Did you get rid of the failed test subjects?" The Shadowbolt asked them and the three nodded, "Good, Scarecrow wants everybolt to be at his lab right now, let's go."

Starlight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy followed the Shadowbolt into Starlight's old house where at least 1,000 Shadowbolts stood. The three mares walked and moved within the crowd and they stood in front of Scarecrow's lab. The door of the laboratory was opened and the scarecrow came out of the lab, holding his scythe.

"Tonight is the night!" Scarecrow shouted and the shadowbolts cheered, "I gave each of your leaders the locations, wait until my signal and only when I will send the signal, you will spread the fear gas. Any questions?" One shadow bolt walked to Scarecrow.

"Yeah, when will you pay us?" The shadow bolt asked.

Scarecrow raised the scythe and cut the Pegasus' head.

"You will get your payment when I will finish the experiment, Soon enough you will happy you joined me. Are there any other questions?" The shadowbolts say nothing, "Good, now go and place the chemicals!" The shadowbolts did as Scarecrow told them. Soon enough, only Starlight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were left alone.

"Ahhh Scarecrow, sir," Starlight tried to hide her voice, "What about the children?"

"You look familiar," Scarecrow walked closer to Starlight, "you three, come with me." The three mares followed the Scarecrow into his lab. Starlight saw her old house, now changed completely. The entire room was filled with desks, and bottles filled with liquids in many colors. On the walls, there were pieces of newspapers. Starlight looked at one of the news.

A mad professor was kicked out of Canterlot university after experiment his unethical experiment.

"They called me mad for searching beyond the limits of morals," Scarecrow told Starlight as he removed his mask, revealing a yellow earth pony with a brown, dirty mane. "Please feel at home. Remove your masks please." The three mares looked at each other with fear, "Please, you think I do not know when my own ponies are replaced. My crows told me when you replaced the bolts." Starlight removed her mask and so did Pinkie and Fluttershy.

"If you knew that we were imposters, why didn't you ordered your bolts to kill us?" Pinkie asked as she almost drank a pink bottle, but Fluttershy stopped her.

"Because..." Scarecrow put back his mask on and a yellow gas was spread in the room, "I wanted to test the new formula." The gas spread across the room. The mares coughed, Starlight and Fluttershy covered their mouth, but Pinkie did not do this in time and she was exposed. Starlight held Pinkie who fell to the floor, screaming, as Fluttershy saw Scarecrow escaping through the basement. Fluttershy flew to the basement where surrounded darkness.

"You know, I read your and your friends book," Scarecrow voice echoed in the basement, " I wonder why you do not stand more for yourself, I know you can do this, but you don't want to. Perhaps is because you are afraid of other's opinions. No, you did stand for a villain."

"Discord is a better pony than you will ever be," Fluttershy spoke in rage.

"It is the same fear your friend had, you are afraid to lose control, you are afraid to hurt those you love the most."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but you must face your fears!!" Scarecrow leaped at the yellow Pegasus and he tried to attack her with his scythe, but Fluttershy dodged the attacks, and she kicked the stallion in his face, knocking him down. Fluttershy took the unconscious criminal upstairs and she saw Starlight and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie now looked okay.

"How did you do it?" Fluttershy asked Starlight as she took the keys for the houses from Scarecrow.

"The pink bottle, it is an antidote," Starlight said.

"Okay then, let's free the kids."

After she returned back to Canterlot, Rainbow Dash went to the hospital to talk with Lightning Dust. When she arrived at Dust's room, she saw a pegasus mare, her face was covered in white bandages.

"Hey Lightning," Rainbow waved to her friend, "It's Rainbow, how are you?"

The mare did not answer, she just laughed.

"What's so funny?"

The mare did not answer, she just continued to laugh.

"Come on, I have a sense of humor."

And the mare still did not answer. The laughs grew stronger and stronger, filling the room with their psychotic sound until they stopped. The monitor confirmed the time of death. Rainbow Dash called for a nurse and the nurse checked the pulse, nothing. The nurse started to cut the bandages and the face that lied behind the bandages was a blue face with a green mane and a terrifying smile.

Lightning Dust was held in an old, wooden chair as a mysterious figure talked to her. Her face was still covered in stained bandages like they weren't been replaced since the hospital wrapped them on her.

"So there were three ponies in a pub. The bartender asked them what they want to drink, and they asked for water. The bartender didn't understand, why would ponies come to a pub and don't want to drink, and they told him 'We are not here for the drinks we are here for the show.' Then-" Before the figure could finish the joke, a stallion wearing a clown mask bursted through the door.

"Boss, we have a-" Before the stallion could finish the sentence, he was stabbed by a knife that was thrown by the figure.

"I am so sorry for my stallion's behavior," The figured apologized, "They don't have any manners. Now where was I, oh yeah," The figure walked towards Lightning Dust and his face was revealed. It was an earth pony stallion with a green short mane and a red line on his lips, "I was about to tell you the punch line. HAAHAHAHHAHA!!"

Author's Note

I have decided to do one more chapter the grand finale.