Sunset Shimmer: The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well

by Joeycrick

Chapter 25: Friends In Need

Argh... stupid! What were you thinking, Sunset?!

Mare-Do-Well cursed underneath her breath as Silver Blade effortlessly dodged her attacks. Successfully disarming the martial artist hadn't done anything except show how much of an amateur she was at fighting with a staff, especially one that she couldn't wield with telekinesis. While she did manage to land a few small hits, for the most part, Silver Blade was nimbly avoiding her attacks, and she was getting aggravated.

"Come on... hold still!" Mare-Do-Well growled as she took another swing at her opponent.

Silver Blade shook his head as he ducked the attack. "Disappointing... your technique is heavily flawed," he remarked. "You wield the staff not as an extension of yourself, but as merely a weapon."

Mare-Do-Well's gaze never wavered as she locked eyes with Silver Blade. "Is that so?" she muttered, gripping the staff in her hooves.

"A weapon will not serve its owner well unless they become one," Silver Blade told her. "They must move as one, fight as one. Allow me to demonstrate."

Before Mare-Do-Well could blink, Silver Blade took a massive leap over her. Grabbing the staff in one of his hooves, he thrust it forward, jabbing Mare-Do-Well in the chest and knocking the wind out of her. As she let out a sharp gasp, the staff was pried from her hooves. The heroine felt it slam into her side, sending her off the rafters and plummeting towards the stage below.

Celestia dammit! she angrily thought to herself as she tried to open up her cape to slow down her descent. Unfortunately, she was too slow and hit the ground with a painful thud.

"Ow... Fluttershy's gonna kill me," Mare-Do-Well groaned as she slowly pushed herself onto her hooves. Her upgraded suit absorbed most of the impact, but it didn't stop her body from aching. As she shook her head, she heard a thud behind her.

"Do you understand now?" Silver Blade said as Mare-Do-Well turned around.

Mare-Do-Well lifted the brim of her fedora. "I think I'll stick with what I know," she stated as she pawed at the ground.

Silver Blade chuckled and cracked his neck. "Fine by me. Shall we?"

Mare-Do-Well simply replied with two words. "Bring it."

Silver Blade moved first. His staff was a blur as he took a wide swing at Mare-Do-Well, who took a massive leap into the air. The martial artist swung his staff upwards, barely missing the masked heroine as she spun in the air to avoid the attack. As she twirled, her gaze fell on the hanging stage lights above the battling pair, an idea forming in her head.

This might not work, but it's worth a shot.

Her horn lighting up, Mare-Do-Well fired a magic blast at the lights.

The bolt struck, her spell sending out a surge that short-circuited the lights. They sparked violently, causing both combatants to look away until the stage became engulfed in darkness.

As Silver Blade looked around, he noticed that Mare-Do-Well had vanished. He began walking slowly, his voice calling out to his opponent.

"So the shadow warrior chooses to hide in the shadows... it may seem like a smart move, but it won't do you any good."

Mare-Do-Well peeked out from behind a box of stage props, keeping her eye on the warrior searching for her. Her enchanted eye lenses not only allowed her to see clearly through smoke, it also allowed gave her perfect vision in dark areas. She watched Silver Blade as he wandered slowly trying to locate her, the end of his staff hitting the floor with every step.

Suddenly, Silver Blade turned, and his eyes fell directly on her.

Her eyes widening, Mare-Do-Well quickly ducked back behind the box. She crouched down, trying to come up with a strategy. I need to be careful here. I may have blinded him, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be easier to sneak up on him. Mare-Do-Well looked down at her bandaged forehooves, wondering if Rarity and Twilight had left in the padding that silenced her steps.

That's when she noticed something off about her costume.

Instead of dark blue and purple, it was now black.

What the heck...? Stupid blow to the head, I must be seeing things, she thought, shaking her head and blinking a few times. But her hoof remained black. She turned around to look at herself, and noticed that the rest of her costume had also changed color.

Now she was even more confused. Okay, my costume was clearly blue and purple just moments ago. Now all of a sudden, it's black. Is there something Twilight forgot to tell me-?

*THUD* Mare-Do-Well's head snapped up in an instant as a noise got her attention. Her ears perking up underneath her fedora, she could barely make out some whispering. She slowly crept along the side of the box, finally noticing how her hooves made no noise as they touched the floor. Nice, still got those padded boots. You two are awesome. As she reached the corner, she could hear the whispers more clearly.

"Dammit! Stupid piece of-"

"Quiet! You want them to hear us?"

Crouching low, Mare-Do-Well crept through the dark stage, making her way to where she heard the voices. Whoever they were, she was certain that leaving them alone to roam about would result in even more complications. She rounded the corner...

...and bumped into somepony.

"Ack!"

"What the hell-?!"

Eyes widening, Mare-Do-Well frantically covered the mouths of the two ponies she just ran into, muffling their voices as she pushed them out of sight. "Get down!" She leaned out from her hiding spot, checking for a sign that Silver Blade heard the commotion. Thankfully, he was still wandering around the other side of the room as if he didn't hear anything.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Mare-Do-Well turned towards the two ponies she ran into. "Are you out of your minds?!" she whispered angrily. "What are you two doing here?!"

"Wait a sec... Mare-Do-Well?" Octavia leaned in closely, her eyes squinting as she tried to make out Mare-Do-Well's form. The fact that her costume practically blended in with the darkness made it difficult, though.

Vinyl lifted her sunglasses to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Is it just me, or is your costume MUCH darker than it usually is?"

"Yeah," Mare-Do-Well answered, looking down at herself. "But don't try to change the subject. Why are you here?"

"We're trying to help Trixie!" Vinyl answered, a determined look on her face.

"No," Mare-Do-Well said firmly. "I want you to get out of here while you still can. These guys are dangerous."

"If they're as dangerous as those two idiots we just knocked out, I think we'll be fine," Vinyl replied with a small smirk, gesturing behind her.

Even with the mask on, there was no mistaking the jaw drop that Mare-Do-Well just did. "You two managed to..." she began, not believing what she was hearing. She suddenly stopped and shook her head. "Doesn't matter. These last two guys mean business, and I don't want you two getting hurt."

"She does have a point," Octavia told Vinyl, tugging at her bow tie nervously. "I don't think we'd stand much of a chance against them."

"So what about Trixie?" Vinyl shot back. "She's our friend, and she needs help!"

"Don't worry," Mare-Do-Well replied, placing a reassuring hoof on Vinyl's shoulder. "I won't let anything happen to her, or anypony else. You two just get somewhere safe. Okay?"

Vinyl glanced at Mare-Do-Well for a few moments, before she gave a small smile. "Thanks," she answered. With a chuckle, she added, "Life can be a funny thing at times, you know?"

Mare-Do-Well simply cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh... nothing, Mare-Do-Well," Vinyl replied with a knowing smirk. "Or should I say... Sunset Shimmer?"

The costumed mare flinched upon hearing Vinyl's remark. Wha... how did she...?!

"Sunset Shimmer?" Octavia repeated, her confused gaze shifting between the DJ and the heroine. She pointed a hoof at Mare-Do-Well. "She doesn't mean...?"

Mare-Do-Well cut her off before she could finish. "No idea what you're talking about," she said quickly.

"I knew it," Vinyl scoffed, crossing her forearms with a satisfied grin. "Stop playing dumb, Sunset."

The costumed mare opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but she never got the chance to say it. At that very moment, a rope caught one of her back ankles, and she was hoisted into the air with a yell.

Vinyl and Octavia looked up, and they both began backing away as Mare-Do-Well was left dangling upside down by her ankle, staring directly into Silver Blade's eyes.

"Letting your guard down during a duel... a very grave mistake," he said with a deep frown.

"Let go of me!" Mare-Do-Well hissed, holding onto her fedora to keep it from falling off as she struggled.

"Very well... if you insist." Silver Blade began twirling the rope, swinging the helpless Mare-Do-Well above his head like a lasso before sending her body across the room.

Aw CRAP!!! the voice inside her head screamed as she flew through the air, crashing into a stack of boxes. She hit the ground with a painful thud, her body aching all over. "What is with this guy...?!" she muttered through gritted teeth as she tried to push herself up.

Unfortunately, Silver Blade caught up with her before she could fully stand. In a flash, he had Mare-Do-Well pinned to the floor. "Is that the best you can do?" he said as his opponent struggled.

Mare-Do-Well didn't answer: instead, she vanished in a flash of light, reforming above the warrior's head. She raised her hoof, ready to strike. Silver Blade intercepted her attack, grabbing her by the hoof and sending her flying.

Mare-Do-Well let out a sharp gasp as her back slammed into the wall. She slumped over against it, rubbing her side as she tried to ignore the pain. Come on, Twilight... where are you?! she thought frantically. This guy's really laying into me... I don't know how much longer I can hold out...

Suddenly, she felt a large hoof grab her, lifting her into the air with her arms pinned to her sides. She attempted to teleport, only to get interrupted by a flick of a hoof against her horn. Mare-Do-Well let out a yell as her horn sparked, leaving her with a painful headache, her ears ringing and her eyesight blurring.

"So disappointing... I was hoping you'd be a more worthy opponent," Silver Blade remarked coldly as Mare-Do-Well tried to shake off the effects of her sparking horn.

"I'm... I'm not... done yet!" she managed to gasp out as she squirmed in Silver Blade's grip, attempting to free her arms.

Silver Blade merely chuckled as he leaned in towards the mare's masked face. "You are clearly outmatched, and yet you still want to fight me?" he said smoothly.

"If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting," Mare-Do-Well growled defiantly, her fiery glare piercing through the eye lenses of her mask.

Silver Blade raised his eyebrow. "Is that so?" he mused. "Then allow me to ask you one question, shadow warrior. Why do you choose to fight? What is your reason for taking on this endeavor?"

"To protect innocent ponies from monsters like you," Mare-Do-Well spat out angrily.

"Are you sure?" Silver Blade replied back. "Surely it must be something deeper that inspired one such as yourself to take up a mask and a cape."

"Oh yeah? What's it to you?"

"I simply want to know what motivates the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well to do what she does," Silver Blade remarked. "So tell me... what is it?"

Mare-Do-Well didn't answer. And she didn't need to.

Because at that moment, something smashed against the back of Silver Blade's head. The blow resulted in his grip loosening a bit, just enough to allow Mare-Do-Well to free her forehoof and land a punch on his face. The stallion staggered from the impact, dropping Mare-Do-Well to the floor in the process. Without hesitating, she rushed up towards her opponent. As hard as she could, she threw one heavy punch that knocked Silver Blade back, followed by another equally strong blow before raising her grapnel launcher and firing it.

Once the claw grabbed onto Silver Blade, she immediately jumped up, pushing the retract button on her launcher. In a flash, she flew towards him, extending her rear legs as she went. With a loud yell and as much strength as she could, she delivered a hard kick to Silver Blade's chest, backflipping off him and sending him crashing into the wall.

As Mare-Do-Well's hooves touched the ground, she heard the sound of hoofsteps behind her. Turning around, she spotted the source of Silver Blade's distraction: a broken guitar enveloped in a red aura of magic.

"Whoa," Vinyl muttered, dropping the guitar as she trotted up to the masked hero, observing the damage. "I knew you were pretty strong for a unicorn, but..."

"I..." Mare-Do-Well hesitated for a few moments as she rubbed the back of her head. "Um... thanks for the help."

"No biggie," Vinyl simply said with a shrug.

"Vinyl!" The two unicorns turned as a voice called to them. Octavia galloped up to them, directing a glare at Vinyl. "Don't do anything stupid like that again, got it?" she said angrily, jabbing her hoof into Vinyl's chest as she spoke.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and chuckled. "No promises, Tavi."

At that moment, there was a loud rumbling sound coming from the direction of the front stage, catching the attention of the three ponies.

"Oh dear... that can't be good," Octavia muttered, tugging her bowtie nervously.

Mare-Do-Well's eyes widened underneath her mask. "Oh crap... Trixie!" she cried out, taking off towards the stage at a full gallop.

Vinyl and Octavia glanced anxiously at each other for a few moments before following the masked heroine.

Hang in there, Trixie... Sunset thought as she raced towards the stage. I'm coming...

None of them noticed Silver Blade's hoof twitching slightly.

---

Trixie groaned in pain as she struggled to her hooves, her silver mane disheveled and her outfit in shambles. Gritting her teeth, she slowly stood up, breathing heavily as she glared at her opponent.

"Had enough yet?" Diamond Cross taunted as he slowly approached.

Just wait until I wipe that smug look off your face, you lousy... Trixie growled underneath her breath as she lit up her horn and fired off a blast of magic. Diamond Cross merely yawned as the shot bounced off a reflective barrier he conjured up.

"Pathetic," he muttered, shaking his head in disappointment before returning fire. Trixie tried to block the shot with a barrier of her own, only for nothing to happen except for the sparking of her horn.

"Gahhhh!!!" Trixie yelled out as the blast struck her, sending her flying backwards and slamming painfully into the wall. She was on the verge of blacking out, it took everything she could just to avoid falling into unconsciousness. She struggled to push herself into a standing position, her stubborn pride refusing to let her admit defeat.

"Trixie!"

In a daze, the showmare slowly lifted her head as a voice called out to her. A voice that sounded strangely familiar to her. A voice she wasn't expecting to hear now. "S... Sun...?"

"Trixie! Are you okay?!"

Her vision clearing up, Trixie slowly turned her head, spotting a hoof covered with dark blue wrappings reaching out to her. Looking up, she spotted the blank face of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, who was kneeling beside her.

"Don't worry, Trixie," she said in a gentle voice. "I'm here now."

"M... Mare-Do...?" Trixie murmured quietly, her mind racing as she reached towards Mare-Do-Well's hoof. Why does she sound so much like...?

"Well, well, well... this is interesting."

Quick as a flash, Mare-Do-Well spun around, glaring fiercely at Diamond Cross as his mouth curled into an amused grin. "If I didn't know any better, Miss Mysterious," he chuckled, "I'd think you have a soft spot for that pathetic excuse of a magician."

"Get away from her," Mare-Do-Well snarled as she stepped up, shielding Trixie from the cloaked stallion as she watched from behind, surprised at the vigilante's behavior.

"HA HA HA!" Diamond Cross threw his head back and began laughing loudly, his voice echoing throughout the arena. "That's a good one!" he exclaimed. "Give me one good reason why I should!"

"Because..." Mare-Do-Well turned her head, looking down at Trixie for a moment. Trixie could've sworn that she could see the mare smiling down at her, though she didn't understand why. Nor was she prepared for her answer to Diamond Cross's question.

"She's my friend."

Trixie's eyes widened upon hearing those words. "Wh... what?" she muttered, looking up at Mare-Do-Well in surprise. I'm Mare-Do-Well's... friend? But I don't even know her... do I?

"She's your friend?" Diamond Cross repeated with a bewildered look on his face.

Mare-Do-Well slowly nodded. "Yes," she stated, continuing to look down at Trixie with a soft smile. "Trixie is my friend." Slowly turning towards Diamond Cross, her blank eyes narrowed dangerously as she spoke her next sentence in a dark, menacing tone.

"And no one hurts my friends."

Diamond Cross's frown disappeared, replaced by a small, evil grin. "Heh heh..." he laughed. "Well then... if she's your friend, surely you have no problem removing your mask. That way, both she and I can see the look on your face as I wipe the floor with you."

"Remember what I said earlier?" Mare-Do-Well growled as she crouched down, pawing at the floor. "This mask isn't coming off unless you somehow manage to rip it off yourself."

Diamond Cross shrugged his shoulders. "Is that so?" With a smirk, he lit up his horn, firing off a magic blast at the costumed hero.

Grabbing Trixie's hoof, Mare-Do-Well dove to the side, the blast missing the two of them as it impacted the wall. They stumbled to their hooves as another blast of magic streaked towards them. Mare-Do-Well's horn lit up as she conjured up a barrier, deflecting the shot. Pulling out a flash bomb from her pouch, she threw it towards Diamond Cross, blinding him for a moment as it detonated. Before he could recover, he was knocked backwards by a kick from Mare-Do-Well, crashing into a crate.

Shaking his head, he looked up as he saw Mare-Do-Well swooping down at him, her cape billowing behind her. With a flash of his horn, he vanished from sight just before she touched down. She spun around, trying to find her opponent, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Come on," she muttered angrily. "Where are you, you pathetic- AGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

A particularly painful blast of magic interrupted her as it struck her from behind, sending her rolling across the ground and slamming into a wall. Even with her suit's upgraded protection, her body still ached painfully from the sudden attack. Stars circled her head as she struggled to regain her bearings, her ears ringing loudly and her eyes spinning. Sweet Celestia... what kind of spell was that?! My head... it feels fuzzy...

"What's wrong, Miss Mysterious?" a voice taunted. Diamond Cross knelt down in front of Mare-Do-Well, smirking as he watched her futile attempts to keep her head up. "I didn't hit your head too hard, did I? Not that I particularly care."

"You..." Mare-Do-Well groaned weakly, her head slowly slumping over. No no no! C'mon Sunset, get up! Don't you dare pass out! the voice in her head screamed. Suddenly, she felt a hoof touching her face. Aw horseapples...

"Do me a favor and try not to black out yet," Diamond Cross replied. "I want to see the scared look on your face when I discover who you really are underneath that mask." He took the mask in his hoof, ready to pull it off. Mare-Do-Well grit her teeth as she felt her mask start to slide off, knocking her fedora off her head.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a small explosion went off right next to the two ponies, engulfing them in a large cloud of smoke.

"What in the...?!" Diamond Cross yelled out in surprise, only to start coughing loudly as he tried to expel the smoke from his lungs. The next moment, there was the sound of a magic blast, followed immediately by a loud scream and a crash.

A flash of light revealed the silhouette of a mare, her horn glowing for a moment before the smoke cloud dispersed. Trixie staggered forward as she tried to catch her breath, utterly exhausted and her magic drained.

"Whew..." she gasped out, barely managing to stay on her hooves with a relieved smile. "I hope he enjoyed that."

The sound of coughing nearby caught her attention. Trixie turned her head, only to freeze as she caught a glimpse of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, who was slowly pushing herself up into a standing position. And lying on the ground in front of her was her mask, which Diamond Cross had managed to rip off just as Trixie attacked him.

Trixie's face went pale as her eyes fell on an all-too-familiar yellow mane, accompanied by red streaks. And right beneath that mane was an amber-colored face she recognized too easily. "You?! No... it can't be...!" she shouted in horror as she took a step back, nearly stumbling over in the process. "This isn't possible! How... what...?!"

Sunset Shimmer began rubbing the back of her head, grinning sheepishly at the showmare. "Um... Trixie, there's something I might've forgotten to tell you..."

Author's Note:

Finally... after six months, Chapter 25 is finally finished.

Managing to hold off Silver Blade with unexpected help, Mare-Do-Well rushes to Trixie's rescue... only to be unmasked right in front of the showmare, who is shocked to discover that her childhood bully is now trying to protect her. And it turns out that Silver Blade isn't quite done fighting yet...

I apologize for the panic I might've caused with my last blog post, which has since been deleted. I was under extreme stress that night, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I'll explain everything in a blog post sometime within the next week.

Comments

[JFalk]

Welcome back - and in great style!

[The Bricklayer]

Never expected this to be updated again, but what a magnificent return it is! And with a shocking twist! What'll happen now? Well, guess I'll have to return, same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!

[Chrome Masquerade]

That was awesome!

[sonicfan05]

Welcome back Joeycrick!

[Awesomo3000]

[00RaiserGundam]

Good to have you back, Joey. Awesome chapter.

[BenRG]

Because there is one thing above all others that the history of the Equestrian pony teaches us: That together, they are stronger, more powerful and all-but-invincible.

Why does The Mysterious Mare-do-Well fight, Silver Blade? She fights for the innocent and for her friends. It is from there that comes her strength, her determination and her durability. No amount of training, strength or ruthlessness can overcome that particular kind of magic.

[superfun]

Will this ever be continued?

[WingKnight]

Love this story there way you rebirth of mare do well with someone that wants to put on the mask kind of reminds of Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond.

[Jane_Shadow]

You still writing this? ‘Cause it’s awesome, and I look forward to the next chapter.

[SilverDiamond]

This ever gonna be continued?

[SilverDiamond]

Hello? Next?