BEDLAM Minus One

Slapping shut the hatch on the drone I was working on, I gave my small attack force another once-over. Each drone had been fit with a big old claw with which to hold a vial of a new potion I had brewing nearby. Returning to the brewing station, I tapped the beaker in which my new blue mixture was boiling, drawing a series of anxious squeaks from the squirrel I had caged beside it. Hopefully, this stuff wouldn't be toxic. I really wasn't set to murder anyone just yet. With any luck, this bank robbery I was planning wouldn't escalate to that.

Of course, the chances of someone, or rather six someones popping up to interfere were very high. And the chances of me winning a fight with them right now were nonexistent. Fortunately, regardless of what we might be able to do together in the near future, for the moment they were guided by unchecked heroism.

Thus, the bank I was planning to rob was really my second target. In fact, I'd only decided to rob the bank after discovering my intended target in the newspaper and realized it was just close enough to provide a perfect distraction.

But only if the proper leverage was applied.

Dipping my gloved finger in the solution I was hacking together, I gently dabbed it against the chest of my captive, yanking my finger back when it tried to bite me. Despite the brief contact, and to my immense satisfaction, the squirrel flinched and glanced down at the spot I'd touched, which was now completely bald.

Ignoring the insulting-sounding chittering that was then spat my way, I turned and eyed up the city far from the little hilltop I was lurking upon.

Using her teeth, Applejack gripped the rope she'd used to lasso a high rotten branch in an overgrown old tree near the edge of the farm. With a grunt and a heave, she pulled with all her might, clenching her eyes shut as she pulled.

"Need some help?" Came a voice that made her eyes snap open. Looking up, she first saw Rainbow Dash hovering nearby. Then she saw that not only had the branch not broken loose but the entire tree was bent down at a rough angle. Releasing her grip the tree snapped back up and she wiped her brow.

"Hey, Dash. And yeah, I suppose if you wouldn't mind," she replied, at which her friend nodded and zipped up to the branch before wrestling with it. "How's scoping the skies with the Wonderbolts goin'? I heard the Royal Guard's had ya'll helpin' out with all them underground fellas." With a grunt, Rainbow finally yanked the branch off and spat it off the side, earning a grateful nod from Applejack.

"Underworld, and yeah, we've been pretty busy. Half of those thugs Bedlam was working with have vanished" Rainbow said as she hovered back down, kicking the branch away once she landed. "Probably fled the country now that Bedlam's not setting them up with those dumb robots."

"You don't reckon they're trying to find him after all this time, do ya?" Applejack asked as she sized up the rest of the tree for any other issues. Rainbow snorted and snapped her wings.

"Nope, and for two reasons: One, like Spitfire pointed out, if they had any clues on how to find Bedlam, then that means he knew how to find them, in which case, he'd still be supplying them with junk," she said before rolling her eyes. "And two, he probably picked a fight with a dragon or something and got roasted." Applejack flinched and raised an eyebrow at her.

"S'a bit grim, don'tcha think?" She asked at which Rainbow bristled her wings with a frown.

"So what? Twilight gave him like a billion chances to stop being such a jerk and he snubbed her every time," she replied, shaking her head. "She might be genuinely hoping he'll come back, or she might just be under obligations as the Princess of Friendship, but I'm neither." She fixed Applejack with a determined look.

"I'm just glad he's not around to make her cry," she added with a curt nod. Applejack grimaced for a moment before sighing.

"Well, shoot, I'm partial to hoping the fella'd work out his business myself, but," she shook her head. "I'm with you at least on that last bit." Rainbow hummed before brushing Applejack with her wing before turning and pointing toward the town.

"Hey, speaking of Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie wanted to take her someplace nice to help get her mind off of you-know-who," she said, turning fully and frowning again. "Starlight said she caught her sitting in his old room a few times." Applejack grunted at the thought.

"Gotcha. What'd they have in mind?" She asked as the two began walking side-by-side.

"Rarity was talking about this dopey fashion show over in Manehattan," Rainbow replied, causing Applejack to blanch.

"Uh-"

"Which Pinkie pointed out was happening in the same event center where they're also hosting a book fair and a home brewing show," Rainbow added with a smirk.

"Shoot, you shoulda led with that one!"

Twilight focused on the ambient noise of the city around her and her friends making idle chit-chat as they trotted along at a nice, even pace. She'd always preferred quieter settings, and never fully appreciated the modern, industrialized look of Manehattan, but today she welcomed the change.

Taking a shallow breath as she glanced up at one of the fancy billboards loaded with flashing lights, she managed a smile. "Just loud enough to drown out all those bad memories," she thought.

At that moment, as they rounded a corner onto the street that led to the event center, an explosion rolled through the air causing all six mares to jump.

"What the heck was that?" Pinkie squealed as they whirled around to see smoke rising from a few blocks away. Twilight furrowed her brow with a grunt.

"Sounds like trouble. Come on, girls!" She demanded before taking off in the ruckus' direction. Along the way, they passed through a small stampede of fleeing ponies that obscured their sight of whatever was causing the problem.
When they finally broke free from the crowd, they froze at what they found.

"Ain't no way," Applejack gasped, being the first to recover.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Rainbow roared, spreading her wings with a snarl.

"Unbelievable," Rarity sighed, shaking her head. She turned to Twilight, but before she could say anything, Rainbow took off, violently drawing her attention.

"Let's get him!" She yelled.

"Right!" The rest cheered in response. Following Rainbow's lead, they all took off at a full gallop toward the madman.

All except one.

I groaned as I plopped the last sack onto my hovercraft before heaving a breath and leaning against it myself. "My fucking back," I hissed, pressing my palms against my hips and attempting to pop my spine.

"My money!" The bank owner wailed from the crowd of terrified onlookers. However, when he reached one hoof out, either for dramatic effect or as a genuine attempt to take back what I was stealing, I snapped my fingers. In response, one of my drones zipped down from the veritable canopy of machines hovering above us and floated just before the banker, causing him to wilt and shrink back out of sight, forcing one of the other terrified ponies to get between him and my machine.

I snorted a laugh at the sight before blinking and smirking when I saw several familiar faces burst forth from the crowd. "Well, well. Long time no see," I chirped as I strode forward, putting myself between them and my plunder. The girls lined up, side-by-side and fixed me with a set of determined glares.

Strangely, she was missing, but none of them seemed to notice.

"Bedlam. Was hopin' you wised up and got lost for good," Applejack declared, spitting off to the side. "The heck are you doin' now?"

"Engaging in common thievery, by the looks of it," Rarity offered, sticking her nose up at me with a humph. "Can hardly say it's beneath you."

"The intricacies of what I have planned would, unfortunately, be lost on you currently," I explained, preparing to send my drones off for the next phase of my plan. As I did, my eyes darted around, looking for any sign of Twilight. I held my free hand up. "But I promise! All will be made clear sooner rather than later." I swept my raised hand across myself with a bow, causing their angry expressions to harden.

"For now though, I need you to step aside and let me work," I added with a smirk, before looking all around. "And that means you need to stop sculking and show yourself, Princess." At my words, the five shared a look before realizing they were short one.

"Where the heck is Twilight?!" Rainbow cried as they all took their eyes off me to scan the street. I beamed and slapped a command into my glove. A nearby drone immediately responded, dropping its potion to my hand and shooting forward and snatching her out of the air before dragging her to my side. She squawked in surprise and then struggled helplessly against the drone's claw, which completely closed around her entire body. Just as her friends moved to intervene, a flash briefly blinded us. I blinked and then smirked as the light faded.

"Bedlam!" Twilight yelled.

Twilight paced up and down the narrow alley she'd dove into once everyone else had galloped away. Her breathing was frantic and her ears were firmly pressed against her skull as she shook her head with her eyes clenched shut.

"His name is Bedlam, he's not your friend," she panted as she paced. Her wings bristled and snapped as she trotted. "His name is Bedlam, he's not your friend." She murmured a few more times before clenching her teeth.

"Eddy was your friend. His name is Bedlam," she stopped pacing and hugged the ground. "His name is Bedlam, he's not your friend."

Her face contorted as she repeated the mantra a few more times until she finally threw her head back with a painful croaking groan that she strained to keep quiet. After another moment she stamped her hoof a few times and then wiped her eyes with the same hoof. Letting out a shallow breath she quickly adopted a steely glare and lit up her horn.
"And you can't let him hurt anypony."

There was a flash out in the street that caused everyone to jump. Suddenly, between the Elements and the mad human stood Twilight Sparkle.

"Bedlam!" The princess yelled.

"Ah-hah! There you are," Bedlam chortled. He swept aside his cape and clicked one of the talismans hanging from his belt while holding up a bottle. A magical bubble filled the air around him and Rainbow Dash. "Now, watch carefully!"

"You ghastly creature!" Rarity shrieked as she battered my magical bubble with her hooves. I smirked and glanced down at my companion who was still struggling against her full-body metal harness. Rainbow scowled up at me, before blowing the last strands of her mane out of her face. The rest of her scalp was completely bare thanks to the potion I'd demonstrated on her.

I cackled and pointed at Twilight and the rest, all of whom were glaring at me with grim determination. The crowd of Manehattan ponies around us, however, looked at me with terror in their eyes. Except for the bank manager, who was gnawing his hoof and looking at the bags of money I had loaded on my hovercraft just behind me.

"Now, it's very simple!" I swept my hand toward the buzzing, hovering, magically powered drones above us, each of which had a bottle of my potion affixed to them. "You can stay here and harass me." I brought my free hand to my chest and leaned forward with a smirk.

"Or," I snapped my fingers and the drones whirred off towards the busy event center just up the road. "You can keep that lovely fashion show from making the headlines for all the wrong reasons." The five mares gasped.

"Monster!" Rarity wailed. I shot up straight and held up my free hand.

"But wait! There's more!" My fingers went to work, clicking the gemstones on my glove in a sequence. A magical signal sparked to life, and the harness around Rainbow shuddered before the stones all over it crackled and she was levitated off the ground.

"Hey! Wh- WHOA!" All at once she was shot off towards the event center by a preset telekinesis spell, drawing cries of shock from the ground as a few ponies had to dive out of the way.

"And there you have it!" I cackled and swept my arms towards her with a bow.

"Meanie!" Pinkie screamed.

"This isn't over, Bedlam!" Twilight yelled. "Come on, girls!"