“Manehattan Station! Anypony getting off, we’ll be pulling up in five minutes, so grab your things now!” The conductor announced through the speakers and jerking Rainbow Dash out of her lengthy slumber. After having spent all night packing, unpacking, ruling out things she doubted she needed, and repacking, then topping it off with dropping Tank off to be pet-sat by Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash had gotten little sleep and the long trip to Manehattan was more a blessing then a bore for her as a result.
“Why was I fighting a giant transforming robot…” Rainbow muttered groggily to herself after the rather odd dream she’d had as she rubbed her eyes with her hoof and yawned, flinging her saddlebags over herself and picking up her suitcase in her teeth.
When the train came to a stop and the doors opened, Rainbow filed out with the other ponies and looked about the massive city surrounding her. It was way different from Ponyville; far larger and more upscale, towering buildings and ponies of all kinds out and about walking the busy streets. Cursing all her luggage keeping her from being able to fly above the buildings and get a better view, the cyan pegasus walked over to an open bookshop run by a young unicorn stallion with a gray coat and a messy brown mane.
“Can I help you, miss?” The unicorn asked, his eyes more focused on what Rainbow determined was a Catacombs & Chimeras book but still giving her enough notice to assure her he was not indifferent to her presence.
“Yeah, I need to find the Mareiott Plaza. Heard it’s around here?” Rainbow Dash asked, having put her suitcase down so she could speak. The unicorn closed the book and levitated a brochure from his shop to her. “No problem. Just three blocks left of here. My left. Not yours. Can’t miss it, it’s got a big red sign on it.” He said, gesturing to his left with his hoof.
“Awesome! Thanks!” Rainbow replied, picking up her suitcase again and trotting off in the intended direction. “Tourists.” The unicorn muttered, reopening his book and resuming where he’d left off.
Reaching her destination, Rainbow Dash quickly paid for her room and moments later, was kicking back on her bed. Having secured a top-floor room had improved her mood all the more, feeling more at home in a high place. When tomorrow rolled around, she’d be on sky carriage to Cloudsdale and back in more familiar territory again. “Well, nothing else to do but chillax till tomorrow!” The pegasus declared, returning her attention to the latest Daring Do she’d brought along for the trip and within a half hour, she felt her eyelids grow weary and sleep once again overtook her.
The sound of a siren stirred Rainbow Dash from her sleep a few hours later, causing her to jerk out of bed and flutter above the floor for a second. “Whoa, what’s going on out there…?” The pegasus hovered over to the windows and looked outside “Oh no…” Her eyes widened at the sight before her. The entire top four floors of a building a few blocks down were on fire. Ponies were down below with hoses attempting to put it out but making little progress. That high up, somepony might have still been stuck inside and who knew if they’d make it to them in time. Fluttering back and forth, Rainbow looked over at her suitcase. “Well. Now or never…”
~
“Get more hoses! Where are the pegasi?” A unicorn firefighter called out.
“We sent a messenger to Cloudsdale, they’re gonna bring a rain cloud to try and put this fire out faster!” Another answered.
“We can’t wait, we got somepony insisting her daughter’s still up the top floor but the flames got worse before we could get there.” The first unicorn protested.
Guess it’s up to me now. Rainbow thought to herself as she hid in a nearby alley, now donning the Mare Do Well costume and listening to the conversation. Wings spread; she flew straight up and directly at a window. Time to be awesome or die trying!
“Who…?” One firefighter asked, noticing the costumed figure fly right into a window. “…was that?”
“What’s that pegasus thinking?!” An onlooker wondered.
Inside the burning building, Rainbow looked around frantically. A chunk of burning debris fell from the ceiling in her path and she leapt over it. “Hey! Anypony in here? I’m here to help!” She called out. The costumed pegasus listened carefully and heard a faint whimper.
“Where are you? Say something and I’ll be right there!” Rainbow called, attempting an assuring tone despite the situation as she ducked down to avoid the smoke. This stunk, it’d be hard to fly with all the smoke, but a telltale creak in the floor only hastened the sense of urgency.
“In here! R-room 903!” A filly’s voice cried out. Rainbow nodded to herself and looked at the doors, treading carefully. Up ahead, she spotted the door and picked up her pace, right before she reached the door, though, the floor gave way, and she fell through.
“Whoa!” Rainbow grabbed the edge of the hole with her hooves as she flapped her wings, pulling herself back up and giving a brief glance at the inferno down below. “Oh Celestia get me through this…” Rainbow muttered, sweating under the mask. Climbing out of the hole, she rushed up to the door, spun, and bucked it open. “I’m in! Just keep low and talk to me. I’m gonna get you out, I promise!” She called out. The filly’s whimper was heard, and Rainbow attempted to track down the sounds, leading her to a burning bathroom door. Bucking it open, Rainbow rushed in. The ceiling was beginning to form a blanket of smoke, and she heard a soft whimper behind the bathtub curtain. Turning the curtain aside, Rainbow looked down at a cowering mint-colored unicorn filly under a small towel and let out a sigh of relief. Being a pegasus Rainbow Dash had a better resilience to temperature changes then other pony species but this heat was becoming too much, she was already beginning to have trouble breathing with the heat taking out all the oxygen. “It’s okay. I’m here.” She said in a soft voice and reaching her hoof out, but the filly balled up tighter. “Come on, I promise I’ll keep you safe. You’re gonna be okay.” Rainbow managed a smile, though she doubted it’d be visible with the mask on. “Just get on my back and hold on tight. Stay under my cape. I’m gonna get us outta here.” After a moment, the filly nodded and got up, Rainbow crouched and allowed the small unicorn to climb on and brushed back her cape to cover her. With a quick leap, Rainbow Dash returned to the living room. Flames were building up all around, and unfortunately the living room was without a window to escape from. “Kid, are there any windows in your apartment?” She asked.
“Mom and Dad’s room. That way.” The filly gestured her hoof leftward.
“Gotcha. Now kid, whatever you do, don’t let go!” Rainbow replied. With that, she galloped into the master bedroom, it was in even worse shape then the living room, and seconds after she arrived, the bed collapsed through the floor and into the flames below. “Aw, Tartarus…” Rainbow grumbled. Moving carefully to the wall, she and her passenger reached the window. Giving a quick turn, she bucked the window, shattering it. “Now hold on tight.” She ordered, and spread her wings, took a stance, and flew to freedom.
“Hey! Look!” A firefighter gestured upward, spotting the costumed pegasus emerge from an otherwise inaccessible window and descend to the streets. She was rather strangely dressed, in a purple costume of some sort with a cape, mask, and hat.
“What’s wrong with you?!” Another firefighter protested, rushing up to the would-be hero. “Seriously, that was dangerous, what were—“ He was cut off when the pegasus’ wing raised up her cape, revealing the unicorn filly underneath.
“It’s okay, you can climb off now.” Rainbow said softly. The filly stopped trembling and slowly climbed off, then hugged Rainbow’s leg.
“Thanks so much!” The filly said, tearing up, earning a light blush from Rainbow.
“Let’s get you to your mom, okay?” The firefighter offered, leading the filly away, then looked back at the pegasus. “Thanks, by the way. That was either the bravest or craziest stunt I’ve ever seen, but still… thanks.” He said with a genuine smile.
“Hey… it’s what I’m here for.” Rainbow answered sheepishly, spreading her wings again and preparing to take flight once more.
“Wait, what’s your name?” The filly asked. Rainbow paused and playfully nudged the filly.
“Just call me Mare Do Well.” She answered, then took a few steps back and took to the air, flying off into the night sky. As she looked back one last time, she saw several pegasi flying in with a large raincloud, kicking it into action so it could douse the building.
Returning to her room, Rainbow flopped down on her bed, exhausted. “What a night…” She muttered, rolling on her back and flinging off the hat and mask and just stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Finally, a wide grin came to the cyan mare’s face. “THAT. WAS. AWESOME.” She declared. If she’d had the strength left she’d have jumped into the air with a cheer. Not bad at all for her first heroics in this costume, but the thing that really stuck to her mind had been the look on the filly’s face when she’d thanked her, and knowing the young unicorn would live to see another day. It had made putting her own life on the line completely worth it in the end. Maybe this, she thought, was what being a hero really was. After a few minutes, the pegasus got up and got herself some water; after her time in the fire she was thirsty beyond belief. Passing by the mirror she noticed she still hadn’t changed out of the costume, and her reflection earned her a smile of satisfaction. “You survived a burning building and saved a filly’s life, Dash. Count yourself at least thirty percent cooler then ever. Brings the total to one-hundred!” She stated, doing a quick pose and returning to her bed to change.
~
“Costumed Hero Saves Child: Mysterious Mare Do Well In Manhattan covered by Story Scoop!” The report read, its writer detailing interviews with the fire department and the rescued filly, who told of having been trapped in the building. Her mother reported of how she’d been brought out of the building before she could get to her child, and how the flames had gotten worse, preventing the firefighters from getting to her. The filly said how an “amazing and totally awesome” pegasus in a “really cool costume” showed up and saved her life. What followed was reports of how Cloudsdale had sent pegasi down with a raincloud and were able to help extinguish the fire after, and thanking the mysterious hero, “whoever, wherever she may be”.
Rainbow Dash, seated in the sky carriage heading further and further up into the clouds, chuckled to herself proudly as she finished reading the article and peered out the window, grinning as her childhood home in the distance drew ever closer.
~
“Captain! We got a big problem!” An earth pony crewman cried out, galloping over to the unicorn captain of the supply ship en route to Manehattan.
“What’s wrong?” The captain asked. Before his crewman could answer, however, the pony was grabbed by the back and flung past the captain, into the wall. The earth pony fell to the floor and from behind where he'd once stood were several griffons, the one in the middle was a larger male who wore a tattered bomber jacket.
“I’d say a lot…” a new voice announced, and from behind the large griffon emerged a more sleek one in a black full bodysuit with silver chest armor and claw gauntlets. His face was completely concealed under a beaked metal mask that completely hid his features other then his intense, golden eyes. His voice was a low, raspy tone that seemed to reverberate from some device concealed in the mask. “Well done, Leo.” The costumed griffon said with a cruel laugh.
“So what now, Razorbeak?” The larger griffon, Leo, asked. The leader’s eyes turned towards him for a moment through the mask. “Well, Leo, after we take this ship, with the Wonderbolt show not far off, we can move on to phase two… disposing of this trash.” With that, the costumed griffon pointed at the captain, who just stood his ground and closed his eyes in quiet acceptance as the other griffons lunged upon him.