Chapter 13: Dead End
When Rainbow Dash arrived at Carousel Boutique, she was welcomed in by Rarity, just as she'd expected. Like the night before, Rarity made no effort to question Rainbow Dash about her unkempt appearance or why, exactly, she was out wandering the streets so late, for which Dash was grateful. Instead, the unicorn ushered Rainbow Dash inside, prodding her instead with questions about whether or not Rainbow wanted anything to eat and whether or not she would be comfortable in Rarity's bed, to which the pegasus answered no and yes, respectively.
"Well, if you're all settled in, I'll just be heading back to my workroom," Rarity said lightly. She didn't look quite as frazzled as she had the night before, but she still looked exhausted, as if her night was already shaping up to be a long one. "Please, do let me know if there's anything else I can do, dear."
Ignoring the dear, Rainbow Dash asked, "Why are you so busy? I thought you'd finished your big order thing."
"Oh, yes," Rarity said absently, fiddling with a stray violet curl hanging by her face. "Well, technically I did, but I'm working on a little project on the side, you see. It's a surprise, so no questions!" she added in a playfully warning tone. "I promise that you'll know all about it soon enough, so you'll just have to wait! But for now, if there's nothing else you need...?"
"Yeah, I'm cool."
"Wonderful! Pleasant dreams, then. I'll just be going. Getting your beauty sleep is vital for good health, you know."
Rainbow Dash waited for Rarity to leave, shutting the door behind her, before hopping out of bed and fumbling with the lamp on the bedside table. She had to be careful. Since she wasn't a unicorn, she couldn't just magically turn them on or off, and had to use her hooves. She was worried about jostling it too much and breaking it, which Rarity would certainly hear. After a moment of clumsy groping, Dash managed to flick the lights back on, illuminating her surroundings once more.
Her gaze swept the room.
A large four poster bed – too large for one pony, actually – covered with an elegant crimson quilt and a mountain of fancy pillows. Small tables on either side, bearing identical antique lamps. One corner seemed dedicated to business; it held a work desk, which, at a glance, looked to be as organized and tidy and uninteresting as anything else Rarity owned. Beside it was a large bookshelf, filled with binders and magazines and notebooks – probably research. Rarity's own personal fashion library. Another corner seemed dedicated to pleasure; it held an enormous wardrobe and a vanity table that was decorated with makeup and elegant bottles of perfume – and beside it, a chest of some sort. There was even one of those folding curtains for changing behind and a set of huge, full-length three-way mirrors, probably for admiring when the unicorn wished to admire herself. Next to the window there was a literal drawing board, presumably for when inspiration struck in the middle of the night.
It was a very Rarity room, sort of like how Pinkie Pie had a very Pinkie room. Now that she thought about it, Rainbow Dash had never been in Applejack or Fluttershy's, and she wondered whether everypony had bedrooms that suited their personalities so well. Applejack probably had barrels of apples in hers, as well as trophies from all the rodeos she's won. Fluttershy probably slept in her chicken coop or rabbit hutch or something so that her animals didn't get lonely at night.
Rainbow Dash snickered, but her hoof immediately flew to cover her mouth to muffle the sound; she couldn't let Rarity hear. She needed to be careful not to do anything that would attract the unicorn's attention, and that didn't leave her with much freedom. Rarity was notoriously fastidious, and if she suspected anything at all was out of place, she'd come rushing to fix it in a matter of seconds – regardless of whether or not Dash was supposed to be asleep. Rainbow couldn't afford to make a sound.
We gotta be sneaky, Dashie. Sneaky! she imagined Pinkie Pie hissing, and Rainbow Dash sighed inwardly. When Pinkie had first proposed that they investigate together, she'd thought it was just Pinkie looking for another excuse to hang out, and hadn't expected her to take it seriously at all. Rainbow had been envisioning ridiculous stealth missions like this that the earth pony would have to force her to take part in, but now she was wondering whether Pinkie had been taking it seriously after all, only in her own way, with something slightly more sinister in mind.
She's not stupid, you know. You underestimate her. She did that on purpose. She knows exactly what I'm doing and she's trying to send me a message. She wants me to know that she doesn't like it, so she approached you. Flaunting it.
Mare Do Well had told Rainbow Dash this rather bluntly at one of their earlier meetings, when the mare had lost her temper about Pinkie Pie helping Rainbow Dash. It was getting easier for the pegasus to believe that might be true. She had sometimes wondered if Pinkie was smarter than she looked – or smarter than she acted, at least. She did seem to have a way of always finding out or getting what she wanted, no matter the circumstances, and it really wasn't that much of a stretch to believe that Pinkie Pie was secretly some kind of puppet master who pulled the strings from behind the scenes.
She wasn't cruel, though. That was unthinkable. If Pinkie was some kind of master manipulator, she'd likely only use her skills to bring about a variety of happy coincidences for those she was close to.
Mare Do Well had accused Rainbow of being afraid of change, but that wasn't true. She didn't like change, sure, but there was a reason for that. The way things were before had been fine. Rainbow Dash had been happy with her friends. They'd had fun adventures every day, she'd had a good life, and then Mare Do Well had disrupted all that. If the mare had never reappeared, things would've stayed the way they'd always been. Awesome.
And Rainbow Dash would've been okay with that. She'd had no reason to want things to be any different. It was hypocritical, anyway – Mare Do Well had told Dash that the reason she'd chosen to wear the mask was because she'd wanted to become somepony who wasn't afraid of change. So how dare she accuse Rainbow Dash of doing the same?
This, right now, was probably the very best chance Rainbow was ever going to get to search Rarity's home for those sales files. If they existed. It was unlikely that Rarity would keep something like that in her room – they would probably be kept under lock and key in her office, or something – but it was still worth a shot. Even if Rainbow Dash didn't find them, Rarity might have something else of interest lying around that could theoretically help her, like a diary. A diary might mention what had happened to the Mare Do Well costume she'd had in stock.
Then, in the morning, Rainbow Dash would talk to Rarity and maybe finally get some insight into whether or not she could be a suspect. It's not like it hadn't crossed Rainbow's mind – Mare Do Well had a way of speaking that reminded Dash of Rarity, full of flowery language and long words. Plus, the mare seemed to have a flair for the dramatic.
None of the actual evidence she'd seen or clues she'd picked up seemed to really incriminate Rarity, though. Mare Do Well had even told Rainbow off before for making assumptions based on her behavior, given that the whole point of this charade was to seize an opportunity to act like somepony else, but seriously. That was all Rainbow Dash had to go on at the moment.
Her idea of Mare Do Well had changed a lot in the past month or so.
Rainbow Dash had no idea how long it had been, actually, but a month seemed about right.
At first, the mare had just been an annoyance – always popping up whenever Rainbow Dash least wanted her, always doing what she wasn't supposed to do and saying things just to wind Dash up. But if that was the real mask Mare Do Well wore, then it was rapidly falling apart, peeling away to reveal whatever she was trying to hide underneath.
Beneath that smug behavior from the beginning, Mare Do Well seemed genuinely insecure; shy, almost sweet, and maybe more than a little vulnerable. The carnation had been proof of that. Whatever else she was, Mare Do Well was trying very, very hard to be likeable in some way – she just didn't seem to really know how to do that.
That alone was enough to make Rainbow Dash almost feel sorry for her. But then she'd revert back to the conceited Mare Do Well of before, and although she could be funny and shrewd, she was also arrogant and cunning in the worst possible way, leading Rainbow to dislike her again.
Mare Do Well had confessed before that she had no idea what she was doing, and that was getting a lot easier for Rainbow to believe with time, what with the way the other mare was constantly flip-flopping between such contrasting aspects of her personality. If the masked mare would just settle on one, it would be a lot easier for Rainbow Dash to decide whether she liked her or not.
As a friend, of course.
The normal Mare Do Well, the awkward, but somewhat goofy, one, was endearing in her own way, Dash had to admit. The superhero Mare Do Well that was trying to be impressive at any cost succeeded in the sense that she was pretty impressive, but she was also insufferable, what with that attitude of hers.
But now was not the time for internal debate. Now was the time to search Rarity's room for any potential evidence.
Rainbow Dash started by opening all the drawers of the bedside tables, since they were closest to where she was standing. Both were empty, and she slammed them shut in annoyance.
Next, Rainbow Dash wandered over to the desk. She wanted to rummage through everything she found – to dig through the drawers and shuffle through the papers – but she had to be exceptionally careful. Rarity was obsessive about order and would notice the instant something was out of place, and Dash didn't want to leave any evidence that she'd been going through the unicorn's things. It went against her very nature, but she had to be slow and wary for once.
There was nothing of any real interest on the desk. Just textbooks about design and the history of fashion. Rainbow Dash flipped through one of them out of curiosity, and to her surprise found that several passages of text were highlighted, and notes were scribbled in the margins. Given how similar Twilight and Rarity were and how Twilight could get about treating books with reverence, Rainbow had expected that any books owned by Rarity would still be in pristine condition. Aside from the defiled textbooks, there were a few sketchpads, but another quick flip through those revealed nothing especially intriguing, except for countless drawings of dresses that all looked exactly the same.
Rainbow Dash tried experimentally opening the drawers of the desk, only to find them locked when she jiggled them. She frowned. Given her luck, the clues she was looking for were almost certainly going to turn out to be in those very drawers.
With another inward sigh, Rainbow gave up, heading to the bookshelf next, but a quick scan of the titles on the spines indicated nothing but even more books on fashion. It was pretty weird to think that there were actually ponies out there who had thought it necessary to make a record of the clothes they wore when ninety percent of the population went around naked all the time. It was even weirder to think that somepony Dash was so close to actually thought it necessary to collect them. And they were definitely read; these books were loved. They were treated well, that was clear, but from the fraying of the spines, it was obvious that they'd been opened quite a bit by their owner.
The drawing board had absolutely nothing on it that Rainbow Dash wanted to look at for any longer than about two seconds. It was the same with the vanity table. Dash threw open the chest only to find a mound of scarves and sashes, and shut the lid again in disgust. The lid slammed down, but she didn't even flinch, gradually forgetting about being careful. After all, Rainbow wasn't finding anything useful.
When she opened the wardrobe, Rainbow Dash groaned. This time audibly, making no effort to restrain herself. Dresses. Nothing but dresses. Oh, wait, no, there was a jacket there, and a bathrobe, too, but for the most part, just dresses and dresses and dresses. She started to look through them, shoving the hangers aside just in case there was something of interest hidden in the back, behind the clothes, but saw nothing.
Was there anywhere else that Rainbow Dash hadn't checked out yet? Did she dare risk venturing outside the room? It sounded like a bad idea, even to Rainbow, but she was starting to get desperate. There was nothing at all that she could use or that told her anything she didn't already know.
She considered.
Rarity would likely still be in her workroom, so if Rainbow Dash just avoided it, she could probably sneak into Rarity's private office. But that would probably be locked, so where would the keys be?
Unless Rarity was in her inspiration room instead. That was a possibility. Rainbow Dash didn't even know what the unicorn was working on, actually. After all, Rarity had just called it a surprise. She wasn't necessarily sewing. Maybe the surprise was that she'd decided to take up tapdancing, and was perfecting her routine for when she gave an impromptu performance at the Canterlot pageant.
That was unlikely, though.
And for some reason, that made Rainbow Dash remember. Mare Do Well was going to give her a surprise.
It was purely a coincidence that Mare Do Well had promised her something like that, only for Rarity to later imply that she was working on something secret as well. If Rarity really was Mare Do Well, she'd done a good job of hiding it so far, and certainly didn't lack for subtlety. She wouldn't have given herself away so easily. Over something so minor. Right?
Her inner foal was starting to get worked up over the possibility of an early Hearth's Warming present, and it was very hard for Rainbow Dash not to feel slightly excited. No matter who they came from, she wasn't one to deny presents; she liked stuff too much. But what would Mare Do Well get her?
Or do for her, Rainbow supposed. It was probably going to be one of those grand gesture presents that were supposedly very meaningful, but were actually kind of disappointing in the long run. But if that was it, then at least Rainbow Dash wouldn't have to feel guilty about being mean about it afterwards. If it turned out to actually be something kind of cool, then Dash would feel obligated to be grateful, which she didn't really want to do.
Rainbow Dash was starting to feel restless. It was that itchy feeling that seemed to come from somewhere inside, from the very core of her being, that meant she needed to fly. It was like the four walls of this otherwise elegant bedroom were starting to close in on her. Her wings were healing, much faster than everypony except Rainbow Dash had expected, and Fluttershy would remove the bandages soon so that Dash could get back into the habit of flying. She could hardly wait, though. Her body ached for the sky.
And then, she heard a scratching sound. Scritch, scritch, scritch.
In a flash Rainbow was back in bed, hooves clumsily fumbling with the lamp to try and shut off the lights.
From somewhere out in the hall, she heard a piercing hiss, and with a sharp intake of breath, Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop.
A hoof knocked against the lamp, sending it wobbling dangerously close to the edge, and her forelegs shot out to steady it, but they just knocked into it, giving it the slightest nudge needed to fall.
"Opalescence!" came Rarity's chiding voice from out in the hall. "Give that back, you naughty girl... and stop scratching that door! Ow, no, don't bite mummy –"
It somehow seemed to happen in two different speeds at once, both in slow motion and too fast for her to stop. All Rainbow Dash could do was watch, helpless, as the lamp tipped over the edge of the table before hitting the ground with a distinctive, high-pitched crack.
The door opened.
"Rainbow Dash, darling! What was that? Are you okay?" Rarity asked, peering into the room. Behind her floated Opalescence, who seemed simultaneously bitter about her entrapment in the magical aura Rarity held her in and satisfied that she was now free to chew on the tape measure she'd apparently run off with.
Rainbow Dash froze, and so did Rarity. Their eyes met. It's not what it looks like, Rainbow wanted to say, except she couldn't honestly say what it must have looked like to the unicorn. She tried to see herself from Rarity's perspective: a pegasus with broken and bandaged wings standing by a considerably rumpled bed, looking over a broken lamp, with shards of glass littering the floor, wardrobe wide open and clearly rifled through. It might've looked like a break-in robbery, except that Rainbow Dash was a friend and had been invited to spend the night.
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity ventured, eyeing the broken lamp. "What in Equestria are you doing?"
"I was sleepwalking," Rainbow Dash said automatically.
Rarity dropped the cat (who immediately scampered off with the tape in her mouth) and entered the room, her gaze slowly shifting from the broken lamp to the open wardrobe.
"Were you going through my things?" she asked suddenly, her sharp tone a direct contrast to the friendly but concerned voice that she'd spoken to Rainbow with before.
"No," Rainbow Dash lied.
"Why is my wardrobe open? And, and... my desk!" Rarity wailed, flying to it. "You went through my personal papers?! Rainbow, how could you?"
"How can you even tell?" Rainbow Dash asked, temporarily forgetting her previous denial. "I put everything back!"
"Everything's been moved! Why were you touching any of this? Why... I only put you in here because I thought I could trust you, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity cried, oblivious to Rainbow's complaint. "If I'd known you would do this, I would've... I would've... oh, everything's all messed up, now! Just look at this! I had everything perfect before!"
"Rarity, I'm really sorry –"
"What were you doing?"
"Looking for clues?" Rainbow Dash offered nervously.
"Clues?" Rarity repeated, looking surprised. "Clues for what?"
"I..." Rainbow Dash looked down at the pool of lamp shards surrounding her on the carpet. Where was she supposed to begin? She'd been panicked before, but now her throat tightened with a new, even more horrible kind of fear. When she'd confessed everything to Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, it had been because she'd felt comfortable telling them – but now she just felt pressured.
But if she didn't give Rarity some sort of reason, then...
"Do you remember how about a month ago, I told you guys about how I saw somepony dressed like Mare Do Well, and then later I came to talk to you and asked you who bought the costume but you wouldn't tell me because of customer confidentiality?" Rainbow Dash asked in a rush.
Rarity blinked, her anger apparently forgotten for a moment, as if that hadn't been what she'd been expecting Rainbow Dash to say at all. "Of course I do," she finally said. "But why..."
"Mare Do Well's still following me. And it's not just me seeing things, it's really somepony dressing like her and looking for me. Like, me specifically. I know because we've actually been talking. And she's the one who sent those flowers."
Rainbow Dash exhaled deeply. It was nice to get it off her chest. With each of her friends that she told, she felt a little lighter, and even though she hadn't thought that she'd been ready to tell Rarity of her secret shame, it felt good all the same.
"Mare Do Well?" Rarity repeated, looking even more confused than before. "I thought... I thought that was over. You hadn't said anything about it for a while, and she hasn't been in the paper since that one time, but... she's the secret admirer?"
"I... I guess. I think so. I mean, I think she likes me, but the thing is, I don't actually know who it is. I thought if I could find your sales files, there'd be a record of who bought the costume from you or something."
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity interrupted firmly. Rainbow Dash had been focusing on a spot somewhere on the ground, but at the sharp tone Rarity spoke with, she lifted her head and found herself staring into the unicorn's eyes. They were brimming with concern, her mouth curved into a worried smile. "I can't believe a friend of mine would be so foalish! If you'd just told me that it had gone that far, of course I would've helped you. Do you really think me so hard-hearted that I'd let a friend of mine suffer because of something as silly as business?"
"No," Rainbow Dash answered, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She gave Rarity an uneasy smile in return. "No, I guess not. I'm, I'm sorry... and does that mean you'll show me the records?"
"I won't show you," Rarity answered primly. "But I'll tell you, provided that you swear not to tell anypony else."
"Right!" Rainbow Dash said quickly. "I swear! Cross my heart, hope to fly –"
"You don't have to do that," Rarity cut in. "Your word is enough. I don't even have to check my ledgers, though. It was Spike. I remember because he wanted me to make it over for his stature, and that was a bit tricky."
What.
"If you'd just come to see me sooner, then I could've told you that earlier and set your mind at ease; because I'm certain the Mare Do Well you've been seeing couldn't possibly be him. For one thing, he's in Canterlot, and for another, I highly doubt you'd confuse a male baby dragon for a full grown mare. You'll have to look somewhere else."
What.
"Rainbow Dash?"
WHAT.
"Are you all right, darling?"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SPIKE?!" Rainbow Dash screamed. She threw herself at Rarity, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
She felt like her mind had exploded. Not once, not even twice, but at least three times. For the briefest second of pure, unadulterated shock, Dash had thought that she must have somehow misheard the unicorn, but then Rarity had gone on, and of course it wasn't Spike, but Rainbow had been so absolutely sure that whoever her Mare Do Well was, she must have gotten the costume from Rarity. And if she hadn't, then what was Rainbow Dash supposed to do now?
Rarity looked startled, then annoyed, magically pushing Rainbow Dash away. "Please do not treat me so roughly, Rainbow Dash," she said stiffly. "I'm trying to help you. Twilight gave me her old costume in case I wanted to make it over, but shortly after that, Spike stopped by and asked to buy it back. I asked him why, and he said that he thought the costume was, and I quote, really cool."
There was a beat where Rainbow Dash could do nothing but stare at Rarity, eyes huge, chest heaving.
"And if I may say so, it looked adorable on little Spikey-Wikey," Rarity added, smiling as if at a fond memory. "If you wanted to ask him about it, we'll see him in Canterlot soon enough. I'm sure he won't mind that I told you, considering the circumstances, but be a dear and don't mention it to anypony else, will you? I believe he said something about saving it for next year's Nightmare Night and surprising everypony."
Rainbow Dash turned and went back to bed.
"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?" Rarity asked, sounding amused. but Rainbow Dash ignored her, shoving her head further into her mound of pillows.
There was a moment of silence while Rarity waited for her to answer. The unicorn sighed when she didn't.
"Well, it's certainly rather late," Rarity said softly, half to the pegasus who was now trying to will herself into unconsciousness and half to herself. "I supposed retiring now wouldn't be such a bad idea. We can talk more in the morning, if you'd like. But for now, I think I ought to be turning in myself."
• • •
Spike. Freaking Spike. Spike, who wasn't even here right now and had been gone for the past two weeks. And now Rainbow's biggest lead was gone, just like that. Maybe the reason Pinkie had lied about the files was to spare Rainbow Dash's pride.
Her Mare Do Well obviously couldn't be Spike. Only an idiot would think that. But Rainbow Dash had been convinced that all she needed to do to figure out Mare Do Well's identity was to find out who'd bought the costume from Rarity, and now she had no idea how to go on or where to start over.
Maybe it would be easier if Rainbow didn't even try anymore, since this whole ordeal just kept leading to dead ends. Maybe Rainbow Dash could forfeit their game and give herself a concussion so that she completely forgot about Mare Do Well. Then she'd be able to relax and get on with her life.
Twilight's costume was gone, then, and Pinkie seemed determined to stick to her own dubious alibi. That left Applejack or Fluttershy's costumes. But they'd promised that they weren't using them, so if it was one of the others, then they must have lent them out or had them go missing. Wouldn't they have told Dash, though? They both knew that Rainbow Dash was trying to figure it out and needed as much help as possible; they both knew what she was going through. Or at least, they should have known what she was going through, since it had been so long and Rainbow had barely been able to do so much as think about anything else. Wouldn't they have told her if something like that had happened?
Unless they didn't even know. Maybe they'd put their costumes away and weren't aware that they'd gone missing. That was a definite possibility.
Rainbow desperately wanted her mind to shut down for a few hours. For once, she wanted to sleep. The dreams that would come, as unbidden as they may have been, would be a welcome respite.
• • •
Rainbow Dash didn't talk to Rarity the next morning. The unicorn wasn't awake when she got up, so she left without saying goodbye. Dash didn't want to hear whatever Rarity had to tell her. She felt more like brooding. She wasn't in the mood for sitting down and thinking logical, rational thoughts. Instead, she wanted to kick things. Unfortunately, Rainbow couldn't, because she needed her legs for walking and couldn't spare any of them for breaking the things she so wanted to break in order to vent her overwhelming frustration.
Time passes surprisingly quickly when you're angry beyond belief for reasons you don't fully understand. There was no mail that day – no flowers – and nopony dared to approach Rainbow Dash when they saw the way her eyes flashed and her face twisted into a vicious scowl whenever they came too close. Normally, she'd get over a mood like this by flying as hard and fast and long as she could until her anger evaporated, leaving her with nothing but a feeling of calm as pure and blue as the sky. But today, she couldn't even do that.
Everypony avoided her and Rainbow Dash avoided everypony in return. Instead, she hid in her bush, which she'd decided to adopt as her second home while she was grounded. At one point Pinkie passed by on a stroll and hopped over, sniffing and nudging the bush like a puppy while Rainbow glared at her from the leaves in bitter silence.
"Dashie, what are you doing?" Pinkie Pie finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Brooding."
"Why?"
"Because Mare Do Well isn't Spike."
Pinkie giggled. "Well, duh. I could've told you that, you silly filly."
"I don't know what to do now," Rainbow Dash admitted helplessly, fidgeting and causing the leaves of her second home to rustle. "So I'm going to hide in a bush until it's night and I can go talk to her."
It was only after she said it that Rainbow Dash found herself questioning the wisdom of talking about Mare Do Well so easily with Pinkie, but the pink pony didn't seem bothered. The trouble was, Rainbow Dash had no idea if that was because she truly didn't mind, or if this was one of those situations where Pinkie was just being very, very good at hiding her real feelings.
"You can talk to me," Pinkie said softly. And then, in a brighter tone, "Or you can talk to Twilight! Spike lives with her, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
Pinkie Pie cocked her head, examining Rainbow Dash very carefully before springing away. Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the day sulking in her new house.
• • •
That night, Rainbow Dash reached the cul-de-sac only to find Mare Do Well standing on the dumpster again. This time, the mare's back was to the pegasus as she carefully walked along the edge of the bin. The cape she wore draped over her shoulders partially hid her legs, but Rainbow Dash knew that they shook because of the unsteady way with which the mare walked.
"Boo!" she shouted.
She expected Mare Do Well to screech in surprise, or even just fall off, but instead the mare froze before turning to face Dash. When their eyes met – or rather, when Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes met the blank eyes of the hood – the mare gave a little bow before leaping off and approaching Rainbow Dash.
"Are you all right?" Mare Do Well asked unexpectedly.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Rainbow Dash snapped. "Totally hunky-dory. Never been better."
Mare Do Well simply stared. For some reason, that felt worse than if she'd made some sort of witty comeback that left Rainbow Dash feeling like nothing.
Why had Dash bothered coming? She didn't like Mare Do Well, and she didn't want to be here. It wasn't even personal this time; she just didn't want to talk to anypony. After all, Rainbow Dash had been in a bad mood all day – one of those moods where it would've been better if she'd just stayed in bed and not ventured out of her house. Only she couldn't even get to her house.
"Did, did I do something?" Mare Do Well asked, sounding nervous. "I've been trying really hard. Please, if there's something I've done wrong, just –"
"It's not about you," Rainbow Dash interrupted. And it wasn't, for once. Well, in a roundabout way, it could have been seen as such, but the reason for her mood was more because Dash was frustrated with life in general than with Mare Do Well. The one advantage Rainbow had thought she'd had in their little game had turned out to be useless, and even if it was a minor thing in the long run, she was still boiling over it.
But it wasn't like that was Mare Do Well's fault, really.
"It's not?"
"No."
"Oh." Mare Do Well paused. "Then... what's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's stupid. I didn't even feel like coming tonight, but I did anyway, because I don't totally ditch ponies expecting me the way some ponies might."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You don't even... I just... argh!"
With a long, shuddering sigh, Rainbow sank down onto her haunches in the snow, screwing her eyes shut as she cradled her head in her hooves. Now, more than ever, she felt like screaming and crying and throwing a full-blown tantrum – because Dash had actually dared to let herself think for even a moment that she was getting closer to the solutions she needed, only to have any potential answers yanked out of reach by an unforeseen twist.
The game was silly and immature, yet Rainbow Dash still felt compelled to play.
She wanted to win, but had no idea what she was supposed to do now.
Why do I care so much? Rainbow wanted to ask herself – but the intelligent, reasonable Rainbow Dash who might have actually known the answer apparently wasn't in today. Instead there was only the abrasive Dash, who seemed to be especially skilled at making everypony mad at her.
Rainbow Dash sat very, very still, curling as tightly as she could into herself, wishing she could just disappear.
She was terrified because if she couldn't figure out who Mare Do Well was soon, she was going to lose, and she knew it. Because even though Rainbow Dash was being loud and hateful, Mare Do Well wasn't leaving the way anypony else with a brain would've left.
Instead, she was coming closer, and...
She'd better not do it not now if she does I'll kill her.
A pair of gentle forelegs wrapped around her neck, and Rainbow was so startled that she couldn't think to protest or struggle.
By the time she realized what was happening, Rainbow Dash was already thoroughly wrapped in the embrace – warm and soft and strong and all of those wonderful things, all at once, and even then, she didn't fight it. Instead, she felt herself deflate, anger forgotten as she melted against Mare Do Well.
They were both on their knees on the street in the snow, Mare Do Well holding Dash as tenderly as she'd ever been held, and Rainbow Dash, who felt very frail all of a sudden, actually leaning into the hug. Willingly. Her eyes stung with the tears that she'd been holding in for so long, and she still didn't know why she wanted to cry so badly.
"I hate you," Rainbow Dash whispered, her voice muffled from the way her face was buried in Mare Do Well's neck.
"Then why did you come back?"
"I don't know," and she didn't know. She really didn't. "I don't know."
Rainbow wanted to win, but why? The game was ridiculous.
Because she didn't want to lose, maybe?
But the way they'd set up the rules, the only way she'd lose was if Mare Do Well won instead. Why was Rainbow Dash being so frantic about winning as fast as possible? There was no time limit. If Rainbow just refused to play and went on with her life, then she wouldn't have to worry about it at all.
At that point, some unknown supernatural force spontaneously seized control of Rainbow Dash's limbs, forcing her to raise her forelegs and wrap them around Mare Do Well's neck.
She heard the mare's breath hitch, maybe from surprise that Dash had reacted in a way that didn't involve violence.
"What's wrong?" Mare Do Well asked gently. She didn't let go. She was still there, still kneeling in that cold snow and offering the comfort that Rainbow Dash had sought for so long, and she wasn't leaving.
"You're not Spike," Rainbow Dash choked, voice thick with tears that she was still desperately trying to hold in.
Mare Do Well didn't answer for a moment. And then Rainbow Dash felt her shoulders begin to tremble.
"Don't laugh at me!" Rainbow snapped, but she didn't pull away. Her voice was fierce, yet she stayed put, forelegs still pulling Mare Do Well close to her.
"I'm sorry," Mare Do Well said in a voice that was dangerously close to a giggle. "I'm not... I just... what?"
"You're not Spike," Rainbow Dash repeated. This time, she could feel her mouth beginning to twitch into that unwilling smile that Mare Do Well was so good at dragging out of her. "I found out before that Rarity had sold one of the Mare Do Well costumes, and I thought that you were the one who'd bought it. I kept thinking that if I found out who it was – like, in her sales records or something – then I'd know who you were. Easy peasy. But then I found out that Spike bought it, and I'm pretty sure you're not Spike."
Mare Do Well was still shaking with silent, repressed laughter.
"No. No, you're right about that," she agreed, a single giggle escaping. "I'm not Spike. You can cross him off your list; I'll give you that one. Is that why you were upset?"
"I dunno," Rainbow Dash muttered, and she sighed deeply. But she was slowly beginning to realize what she'd done, and all at once, the full understanding hit her like a slap in the face.
She abruptly let go, roughly shoving Mare Do Well away as she scooted backwards, out of Mare Do Well's reach, her eyes widening in horror.
"I-I-I can't believe..." Rainbow stammered. "I just... why... n-no, you can't... you..."
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mare Do Well said softly, voice enticing.
"No!" Rainbow Dash shouted, rising upright. "No, I... don't do that! Ever again!"
"You clung to me."
"I didn't mean to! Y-you tricked me!"
"How?"
Mare Do Well wasn't taking Rainbow Dash seriously at all. She sounded amused, like she was playing along with a petulant young filly that was being difficult for the sake of being difficult when she, of course, knew better.
"Never mind," Rainbow Dash said quickly, ignoring the way her cheeks were burning. There was a heat in the very pit of her stomach that would've caused her wings to extend on any other day. Luckily, they were still bound and wouldn't give her away, but her wings were healing, and soon they would be strong and untied, and then she wouldn't have anything to hide behind. "Forget it. Forget that ever happened. That didn't happen."
"Is that just what you do when you're afraid that you might like somepony more than you want to?" Mare Do Well asked, sounding a little sad. She stood up, brushing the snow off the knees of her costume. "You just ignore it and pretend it never happened?"
"No!" Rainbow Dash snapped without thinking. But that was what she did, wasn't it? She'd done it before. Over and over. She ran away and ignored things; that was how she kept them from hurting her. She was speedy, not tough. The best Dash could hope for when things went wrong was to run away and pray that she escaped unscathed.
"I won't push it," Mare Do Well said softly. "I won't talk about this after tonight. But I just want to remind you that you held me back."
"That doesn't count!" Rainbow cried desperately. Her voice was filled with such fear, even though she didn't understand what was happening that scared her so much. "It doesn't! This doesn't mean you won!"
"Of course not," Mare Do Well replied graciously. "I only win if you're willing to acknowledge it. Until then, I'll keep trying."
It. Such a small word, with such a huge, terrifying meaning. Rainbow's heart was thudding like a drum, hard and fast and frightening in how uncontrollable it was.
"I, I'm only here because you said you would have a surprise for me," Rainbow said finally, voice shaking, but she ignored it. It didn't mean anything. It didn't. "So what is it?"
"Do you want it right now?"
"Yeah, I like presents. Getting stuff is pretty cool. So...?"
Rainbow Dash was slowly regaining her composure. Her voice was steady now, her heartbeat slowing to a more reasonable pace. She just needed to stand straight and look Mare Do Well in the eye, sort of, and show her who was boss. She just needed to stay strong.
"You'll have to come with me," Mare Do Well said. The husky tone she used to disguise her voice couldn't disguise the undeniable excitement it held.
"Go with you?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "Where? Is this one of those grand gesture gifts that are all symbolic and stuff?"
"What? No," Mare Do Well answered, sounding disgusted. "Of course not. Those are terrible. It's just not here. It's somewhere else. I can take you right now, though, if you want."
"Where is it?"
"It's outside of Ponyville. Right on the outskirts, though, so it's not too far."
Rainbow Dash considered. The thought process was a reasonably calm one, compared to how Dash had been acting before. She was cool. She was smooth and collected, and no longer wanted to cry or scream. She was relaxed.
Mare Do Well, on the other hand, suddenly looked antsy, sort of hopping from hoof to hoof as if she could barely stand still. It was unusual to see her, usually so stoic, acting so restless, but maybe this was another attempt on the mare's part to be normal.
"You have to promise the same thing as before," Rainbow Dash said after a moment. "No creeping. And there'd better not be anything that'll bust my wings up this time. Okay?"
Rainbow could've sworn she saw the mare flinch, but she made no protest. "Right," Mare Do Well nodded. "I swear. I won't touch you, and to my knowledge, there isn't anything out there that will harm you in any way. Not under my watch, at least."
Mare Do Well paused.
"Are you going to make me Pinkie Swear?" she asked, a little hesitantly.
Against her will, Rainbow Dash found herself relenting. She'd been about to insist on that very thing, but Mare Do Well looked so excited about whatever the surprise was supposed to be that Rainbow couldn't bring herself to do it.
Wow, she was getting soft.
"Okay, fine," Rainbow Dash said, albeit a little grudgingly. "But only because I really like getting stuff. So it'd better be good. Got it?"
"Yes. Yes!" Mare Do Well agreed. "I'm sure you'll like it. Just follow me."
Without even waiting to see if Rainbow Dash would obey or not, the mare began to run, her cape fluttering behind her, and Rainbow Dash, for whatever reason, unquestioningly followed.
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OMG Why in Equestria does it have to end here? Uhg.. I'm going to go crazy waiting for the next chapter now.
"What? No," Mare Do Well answered, sounding disgusted. "Of course not. Those are terrible. It’s just not here. It's somewhere else. I can take you right now, though, if you want."
I don't know why, but this line makes me think it's Pinkie.
dash.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/132517403703.png
I noticed a spelling error when Rainbow was looking at the books I believe: Given how similar Twilight and Rarity could be and how Twiight could get about treating books with reverence
ANYWAYS, great chapter, you're really a talented writer, and I can't wait for the next chapter. Something tells me right now that it's Derpy or Twilight, but I'm sure you'll find some way to change my mind yet again XD.
If at any point this story tops the "Currently Popular" list on the main page and someone is able to get me a screencap for posterity, I shall reward you handsomely with ONE (1) INTERNET MUFFIN!
That chapter was great
I look forward to the next one eagerly 
Maybe Spike bought the costume for Twilight? This is an interesting turn of events indeed. Twilight at the top of my suspects list.
i want to know moar.....
Ask, and ye shall receive!
Screen cap for ya here: http://tinypic.com/r/156v442/5
so frustratingly good. why can't you give more hints...but that would spoil it. grrr. anyway, wonderful
Me: IT'S PIKACHU!!!!
*announcer voice* "It's Koffing!"
Me: GODDA**IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...
101889
Couldn't be, Rarity said she had to alter the costume to fit Spike, and I'm pretty sure Twilight couldn't wear a costume that fit Spike.
Also, congrats Absolute, you've made me once again feel like banging my head on my desk for not giving us such a cliffhanger and for not revealing Mare-Do-Well's identity.
I believe that its Twilight. She returned her costume to give herself an alibi, then had Spike buy another for her pretending it was for him, then sent him off to Canterlot so he couldn't interfere. And as previously stated, it is not outside the realm of possibility at all for her her to have some kind of illusion spell.
Moooooore!
Another great chapter. I'm sort of hoping that it would be Rarity, but the whole issue of both Rarity and MDW telling Dash that they each had a surprise for her sounds like something that neither of them (by them, I mean their personalities) would do. Of course, this could be Rarity's gambit, hoping that Dash would dismiss her as being MDW because of the fact that she did that.
I also noticed a lot of line breaks throughout the chapter. I'm not sure if that's necessary, but I think part of the Pony Writer's Omnibus preferred the usage of minimal unnecessary line breaks.
Anyway, it's very cute stuff. Hopefully we get to see some more emotional MDW in the next chapter.
Oh ho, you like driving me crazy, do you? Well, just for that, I'm gonna drive YOU crazy by NOT making one of my usual text walls this time! Suffer, CAD!
1. Twilight - She's Mare Do Well because I say she is.
2. Rarity - She's second on my list because Mare Do Well is a unicorn.
3. Fluttershy - She's third on my list because I don't like her and you probably do.
4. Applejack - She's fourth on my list because she's not Mare Do Well and that's final.
5. Pinkie - She is not Mare Do Well; if you make her Mare Do Well, I will hurt you.
Other Possible Suspects: Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Scootaloo, Trixie, All Mane Six (Minus Dash)
It was a cute chapter. Darn you and your cliff-hangers. You're lucky DERPY wasn't a part of the chapter or else you'd get it. The part with Spike was shocking; Mare Do Well is clearly Twilight. Rarity is so annoying. I want to use Pinkie as a football. Have a good new year.
102115
Oh, COME ON! YOU SUCK!
Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Here's Twilight looking cute.
img.ponibooru.org/_images/449699928d9578de745fc53a8304bd10/44115%20-%20absurd_res%20cute%20giggle%20smile%20twilight_sparkle%20vector.png
Do you forgive me now?
101911
You're a hero! Have a digital muffin.
etyman.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/muffin1.jpg
102115 U Mad Brony?
102134 How DARE you pinpoint my weakness?!?! You KNOW Twilight is best pony and MY favorite pony and that picture made my heart melt! DAMN YOU! Fine, you're forgiven...but no text wall for you anyway.
102146 You shut up or else I'll crush your face with a good apple-bucking, follow that up with a good dose of Fluttershy-staring, proceed to unload a Sonic Rainboom on your butt, follow THAT up by forcing you into two hours worth of modeling with horrendously girly clothes, then force you to spend just ten minutes in a locked room with Pinkie Pie and a book on "Cupcakes", before finally forcing you to listen to a Twilight Sparkle lecture.
I swear the author is making fun of me.
#1
Oh twighlight still on the top. Twilight is very socialy awkard she trys to please everyone. It would make since as to why she is diliberty asking if she did something wrong and how she could fix it. Also she would not just want to lose a freind she just made, so it is pretty resinable why she would wear the MDW costum. With spike being the one to buy the costum its seems to much of a cowincidance but this just might be a red harring im falling for again. What can I say red herrings are delicous and have zero calories.
#2
Oh fluttershy why must you beat out rarity. From the commoment many people have ruled out flutter shy because they believe she would have done a better job at banding up raindow when she got hurt. I would agree with with except if fluttershy just someone she loved horrible hurt because of her she would be a complete and total mess. When someone is a total mess they are not able to think straight and therefore can not complete tasks they normaly be able too. So when time passed she was able to calm her nerves and do the job right, of course assuming she is mare do well.ps i think im forgetting something in a prevous chapter so point it out to me if you can find anything conflicting with what i say.
#3
im sorry rarity even though your my favorite mane six you are now third. I dont know why im really putting rarity third all of the evidance points to her but if the evidance points to her in a mystery it usally means its not that person. of course i could be just over anylizing this and it really is rarity which would be awsome. sorry if i dint put much on rarity just cant think of something someone dint all ready say.
So... my two favorite authors are buddies? And they like having fights in the comments?
CURSE YOU, EVIL CLIFFHANGER! CURSE YOOOOOOUUUU!!!!!1
Yeah. Anyway, sorry I haven't been replying to the last few chapters. Christmas threw me off-schedule; I got the new Halo novel and after a two-year wait decided to commit that most blasphemous of sins (putting pony on hold...I am ashamed) while I read that. Finished it up on friday, and spent the time since getting up to speed on the mountain of new chapters that built up during my abscence. So I am now caught up, and...well, buck. A lot happened recently, yet we still have no end in sight. I can't remember a lot of the details of the last chapters off the top of my head, but items of interest that I do recall:
- Pinkie revealing her crush on Dash.
It was obviously there, of course, but I didn't expect to see her admit to it until the finale. This lends credibility to the possibility that she might not be MDW, though I believe that she's simply continuing to use MDW as a less-desirable backup plan now that Dash has shot her down. But regardless of MDW's actual identity, it will be very interesting to see how things play out from here.
- The upcoming Hearth's Warming Pageant. Another unexpected development. I didn't think this story would leave Ponyville, and the trip to Canterlot could open up all manner of new paths for this thing to take. Very much looking forward to that.
- All this focus on Rarity lately is welcome, but I'm not getting any real 'suspicious' vibes from her. She's #2 on my suspect list for the moment, but there really isn't any incriminating evidence pointing to her being MDW. However, I have suspected all along that she may be covertly assisting MDW with this whole scheme, providing advice and such. We'll see. Also, what's this 'surprise' of hers? I doubt it's MDW-related, but I still want to know what it is.
- Spike. Hah. I laughed for a while at that part.
You know, this has been a very unusual story, for me. I normally like to wait for a story to be completed before I read it, mainly because a lot of authors have an unfortunate tendency to not finish their stories. Not that I have to worry about that here, of course. *cocks shotgun* But 'jokes' aside, I'm very glad I decided to follow this one from the beginning. Honestly, going in to this I expected a short, romancified re-do of the MDW episode, but this thing continues to surprise me not only with its quality, but its length and complexity. And that gives the story a very powerful feel of suspense. Any chapter could potentially be the last, and there's no way at all to guess how much time is left or what might happen next. At least twice now, I've thought I know what to expect and that you were setting up the endgame, only to spiral into confusion yet again as things took a different direction and the story kept on rolling with no clearly visible end. So...yeah. This is a very interesting read. I think I'll reccomend it to some friends on another site. I was going to wait for it to be completed, but reading it as it happens adds a whole extra layer of fun to it.
Um...I guess that's about it, for now. Get that new chapter up here ASAP; I gotta know what MDW's present is.
101883 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S BLACK ACEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
lol Silly Rainbow, of course Spike isn't Mare Do Well. Everyone knows Spike is Rainbow Dash.
Here is some reasons now for raity and dyslexic grammar
At first during the young fliers tournament rarity was not afraid of heights but i think after a near death experience, one can tend to become afraid of such a thing. Also many times people tend to admire those who save them. It is easy for me to see that after being rescued by rainbow dash she could come to admire her. Though admiration does not led straight to love. Now im really stretching things hear but after Prince Blue blood, I think rarity changed her directions. Instead of look for something she could not obtain she looked for something else. Now im really steching things real far here, threw her admeration of rainbow and new look on things she wanted someone loyal, that would stick with her. Soom she could not get rainbow out of her head and now she is in love.
well.... that took longer than i expected. one last thing before i forget
MOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
"We gotta be sneaky, Dashie. Sneaky!"
Was...was that a Charlie the Unicorn reference? XD
Also -- oh god, the cliffhanger! It's making me hunger even more for the next chapter. Update soon? Please? Pretty please?
102437 Was it a Charlie the Unicorn reference? Yes, it's entirely possible it was. XD
My theory stands. Last chapter I was thrown off a little, but this chapter reaffirms it.
I found something horribly wrong with this story! You wrote Twiight instead of Twilight at the part where rainbow dash is searching for the papers.
Still secretly rooting for Twidash...
I'm amazed you have kept mare do well's identity a secret for this long, lesser authors would have revealed it by now.
102161
102470
Well then, I shall take your place and offer my own wall O' text... and if it's not big enough, you can probably hop over to chapter 7 and look at that one. It very well may be the largest comment I have ever posted. Don't hold me to that though, as it's filled with rambling...
------------------
Okay, seriously? How much longer can Dash wallow in denial and push away and repress her feelings? She could make things so easy if she just dropped her stubborn and tough facade and actually go along with the feelings that are obviously there.
Rainbow doesn't know why, but she always comes back, she always returns to Mare Do Well. She's basing it off because she want's to win, she always wants to win,winning is awesome. But is that really the only reason anymore? The spark is there, a pool of feelings and longing is present - no matter how shallow it may be, it's still there. She is beginning to succumb to it, with each passing encounter, she falls deeper and deeper into the pit of her internal feelings, what she actually feels. Her stubborn nature and need to win drive her back out though, she hates submitting, she hates loosing. Maybe, just maybe, the reason she wants to win as fast as she can, is because she knows she will eventually fully succumb to this mystery mare. The thing that keeps driving her to win, is that nagging feeling that she just may be falling for her. That fact that this mare - she doesn't even know who it is - annoys her and riles her up to no end, but oddly captivates her. Those moments when a smile involuntarily spreads across her face, those moments when she can't help but sympathize for her. Those moments when she glimpses cracks in the mask, glimpses of who she really is, how she really acts, and how she likes what she sees. That is what scares her, she would never admit it, but it does. She's frustrated with herself because of this. Frustrated that she feels this way, frustrated that some random unknown pony barges into her life and changes everything, frustrated because she doesn't understand why she cares so much. Frustrated, because she secretly knows the answer.
Yep, well, that's my analysis on Rainbow and what goes on in her head - so to speak, I guess more like how she feels rather than thinks.
Now I'm going to just spill out my thoughts on why Pinkie is most likely not Mare Do Well, I don't know if there is anyone here who is still holding onto that theory, but I might as well toss my own little reasoning. Why would she confess her love to Dash and still go about masquerading as Mare Do Well? Think about this now, the whole time Pinkie seemed jealous of the whole thing. Mare Do Well was taking Dash's attention away from Pinkie and onto herself. This was pretty much made clear in one of the early chapters when she first explains the whole situation to Pinkie. She seems saddened and dejected when she mentions 'kissy face'. That jealousy thing, and the fact that her being Mare Do Well is completely counter productive. She would basically be stealing Dash away from herself no matter what she does, which makes no sense, none at all! Now you may counter my last comment and say 'well she's Pinkie, screw physics. I will then proceed to be perplexed as to how physics have anything to do with it, quickly drop the subject, and counter with this: She's not stupid, we've seen this. She wouldn't do anything that could possibly get in the way of there 'relationship', she wouldn't risk screwing it up. There is no real logical explanation as to why Pinkie would be Mare Do Well, it wouldn't accomplish anything. Now I know others have different opinions, and I'm fine with that. You probably have your own reasons as to why Pinkie is Mare Do Well, and I respect your views, but these are mine, and I just feel like pointing them out.
I'm going to have to roll with Tailslover on this, if Pinkie ends up being Mare Do Well, well them, I may just have to add to the hurt. Seeing as what he posted a few blocks above anyways, you can tell that he means business.
Anyways, this story is really amazing! I read every single chapter today and am oh so eager for more. I would also really love to go over Mare Do Well's and Pinkie's feelings or overall troubles, but I think that is better for a later time. It is 3:18am here, and I really think I should go to sleep.
Before I forget also; you and your freaking CLIFFHANGER!
Ugh... it was perfect...
All right, time for my take on who is most likely.
#1: Pinkie Pie
She's smarter than she looks. She's physically fit. She's attracted to Dash. Her story about her costume is very difficult to believe. She has what she called a "Pegasus Door", which I'm assuming is either the window or a door in the roof. Unless she has a balcony, which would make a lot more sense. As for Mare Do Well herself, she seems to have trouble being "normal". Pinkie Pie is anything BUT normal, and if you asked her to act like it, she would have just as much trouble.
#2: Pinkamena
Split personalities are a wonderful thing, aren't they? I don't know why this didn't occur to me before. Pinkamena might be manifesting due to Pinkie's strong desire to be with Rainbow Dash, and so she takes over at times and dons the Mare Do Well costume. It's clear she's not doing this for Pinkie Pie consciously, though she may be doing it for her subconsciously if not for herself. It would also mean that Pinkie is unaware of her actions and would explain her alibi regarding her costume.
#3: Applejack
Athletic and able to change her voice with ease. I'd be willing to bet that she picked up an impressive vocabulary and various tidbits of knowledge while spending time in Manehattan, such as the bit about carnations. But considering she works on a farm and has a little sister who's always getting into trouble, you'd think she'd be better at wrapping a bandage around a limb. That one incident just makes a lot of ponies unlikely to me.
#4: Rarity
My memory has holes in it so I had forgotten that Rarity had proven her physical abilities in Sisterhooves Social. However, I'm still not entirely convinced that it's her, especially after this chapter. I have no idea how her fashion experience would influence her ability to wrap up a broken wing, but I imagine she wouldn't have been that bad.
#5: Twilight
Only because the existence of a duplication or illusion spell has not been confirmed or denied yet. There's also the possibility that Spike and Rarity are covering for her.
#6: Fluttershy
"I d-..." That short statement could go both ways, actually. "I don't have wings." Or, "I do too." But I doubt that it's Fluttershy. Though Mare Do Well is basically the opposite of Fluttershy, the whole thing is thrown out the window after what happened to Dash's wings. She'd never let Dash's wings go that long without treatment, even if it meant giving herself away.
New chapter! New chapter! New chapter! *yay*
And you ended it on a cliffhanger, 'cause you SUCK. (I kid!)
I liked the scene where RD searched Rarity's room. I liked this bit ..."We gotta be sneaky, Dashie. Sneaky! she imagined Pinkie Pie hissing, and Rainbow Dash sighed inwardly." as it made me "d'aww." As much as RD was complaining during Detective Pony Pinkie's exploits, now that Pinkie isn't actually there, RD imagines Pinkie as being there. Pinkie's still helping her, in a way. That's adorable.
I liked how RD got louder and more careless as her search progressed. "Quiet" and "careful" just aren't words I generally associate with the pegasus, so this seemed fitting, perhaps even inevitable. And I loved the bit where Rarity catches her. I love Rarity's spluttering anger, and I love how quickly it morphed into concern when she found out why RD was searching the room. I love how, even after RD ransacked her room, even after RD abused Rarity's rather generous hospitality, Rarity almost immediately forgave.
Rarity didn't make RD Pinkie swear and said "Your word is enough." I love how Rarity explained that of course she'd tell RD who bought the costume, now that the truth of MDW's reappearance were known to her. Your interpretation of Rarity is wonderful.
Also, if I haven't mentioned this before, I apologize--your story is very, very funny. In particular, from this chapter:
What.
"Rainbow Dash?"
WHAT.
"Are you all right, darling?"
and
Instead, she hid in her bush, which she'd decided to adopt as her second home while she was grounded. At one point Pinkie passed by on a stroll and hopped over, sniffing and nudging the bush like a puppy while Rainbow glared at her from the leaves in bitter silence.
That's good stuff. I love RD and the bush. That's almost Pinkie Pie random.
But let's go back, just for a second, because: SPIKE? Well played, author. Well played! I'm not sure who I suspected bought the costume, but it certainly wasn't Spike. That was a nice, unexpected reveal.
Lastly, I greatly enjoyed the end MDW/RD scene, even though you let it end on a cliffhanger because you SUCK. It was by turns tender and funny. MDW kneeling in the cold snow, to comfort Rainbow. Rainbow actually HUGGING BACK. MDW laughing at RD saying "You're not Spike." And RD telling MDW "I hate you" even as she pulls the masked mare closer--that's basically Rainbow in a nut shell, right there.
"I hate you."/"Don't leave me."
I said previously that MDW is kind of messed up. And I stand by that. She kind of is, though she's also many lovely things, many lovable things. But you know? Rainbow Dash is pretty messed up herself. And it is starting to feel as though the two of them might actually be able to help one another to heal the things that hurt inside each of them. That they're teaching each other valuable lessons. That, just maybe, Rainbow SHOULD fall in love with MDW.
Well, while folks are still tossing in their walls o' text, I'll join the crew!
Here we go, in order:
1/2: Rarity and Twilight. I can't make up my mind who's the most likely and who's the least of these two
Twilight could still have fairly easily arranged to appear at the same time as the costume. Rarity, obviously, wouldn't have had any problems with that. Leaning slightly towards Rarity.
Twilight did give her costume back to Rarity; we've got confirmation of that story from Rarity, so Twilight can't be lying about that. Rarity claims she sold it to Spike and altered it drastically; she could be lying, because until Spike's back we have no confirmation of this fact. However, it doesn't necessarily matter; Rarity could very well have her own version of the costume. After all, she went and made the others! All of this means that Twi doesn't have a costume, while Rarity probably does. Leaning towards Rarity again.
They both have a tendency to get giddy when they're excited about something, so Mare Do Well's attitude when about to spring the surprise doesn't lean either way. The same with the fact that both of them are insecure; Rarity just masks it by acting incredibly confident, instead of Twilight who masks it by acting like she doesn't care. Again, neither way.
But here's the problem with Rarity - I don't think she'd have ignored the fact that Rainbow is so horribly upset by all of this. That leans strongly towards Twi.
3: Fluttershy; all my previous reasons stand. I don't really stand by the 'panic' explanation; Fluttershy's a medic, she's *used* to thinking a medical situation through until it's resolved, and *then* breaking down in a panic.
4: Pinkie; same thing. I don't see her wanting to put *another* mask on top of all the others.
5: Applejack. Just... no. This is a deception of a really massive scale. Besides, while she can change her voice, it's only for her Manehattan attitude.
Hope that things resolve relatively soon though - this is getting to the point where I think it's narrowed down to the two unicorns, and we've got to resolve it one way or the other before Rainbow's entire life is ruined by this.
At this point I don't think she could be a pegasus with the whole wing-boner thing.
Unless she's just really good at controlling herself.
Poor Pinkie, right back into facade mode.
I maintain my last list. I have a feeling that Fluttershy, while not being MDW, is in on it. It would be exceedingly easy to intimidate her into not telling and I've always seen her as the type who would be a hopeless romantic. If that's true it's possible that she simply gave her costume to the mare playing MDW and promised not to tell. As we've seen she is rather good at keeping secrets when needed.
So I was finally able to save the changes that I mentioned trying to make in the author's note. SUCCESS!
Don't worry, it was nothing major. Basically, all I did was I update the rating from Everypony to Teen, add a couple of tags, and correct that "Twiight" typo. For some reason, FIMFiction won't let me change the cover image - but oh well. It's not a big deal.
Also, should I add the "Slice-of-Life" tag too, or is that a waste of time? Personally, I'm leaning towards waste of time territory, but I'm insecure about my ability to write humor and am thinking it might be better to classify what jokes there are in this story as slice-of-life material rather than outright comedy.
IT'S RARITY.
FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, IT'S GOTTA BE RARITY.
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Slice of life seems to fit better than comedy, while there are defiantly funny moments its not centered around comedy. However slice of life is usually dedicated to ordinary life but it could be interpreted as what someone i going though day to day, which fits this story. I really dont know if I'm being helpful or not but this is just my opinion.
I'm still gonna go with my fandangled theory and say it's none of Rainbow Dash's friends.
I used to think it was Fluttershy, but after Dash's wings got mangled... Fluttershy wouldn't have done such a shitty job of patching her up. I'm on the fence with Twilight, to be honest. She seemed to be the one behind the original Mare Do Well idea, and Spike could have bought the costume for her. But it doesn't seem like a very Twilight thing to do. She's dense as all hell, but once she realizes she's just hurting the situation she tends to cut it out pretty fast. It's obvious now how Rainbow Dash felt about the whole public humiliation thing, so I doubt Twilight would go so far as to rub even more salt in the wound. But like I said, on the fence.
Absolutely can't be Applejack. Nope. Nuh-uh. If she was Mare Do Well, that would basically fly in the face of her entire character, because AJ can't lie for shit. She has no poker face.
Pinkie used to be my second choice, but I don't think it's her either. She already made her feelings known in person, so why would she continue to hide behind a disguise? Can't be Pinkie. Which is a shame, because Rainbow Pie is delightful.
As for Rarity, well, I guess it could be possible. But she's a very hooves-off kind of pony. But, she's also a hopeless romantic so dressing up as a caped crusader to pursue her love interest could be right up her alley.
I dunno. I r confus. Unless it's absolutely none of the above. But what random pony would hide behind a disguise because they're too afraid to meet Rainbow in person? I have my own theory, and it's ridiculous. And if it turns out to be true, I will have to celebrate with the greatest reaction image known to mankind. Or, something.
Not much to say about the chapter itself (although... Spike? Spike?! I don't even....) but I don't like the name "Derpy Hooves" for another reason. None of the official pony names--not even in the toy line--includes a horse-related term.
Why would prospective pony parents possibly punish their progeny by placing pony parts as a portion of a proper name? Their pony pedigree is perfectly plain; providing proof is pointless, unless ponies are perhaps prone to periods of poor perception.
Spike is best Mare Do Well.
Other than (then?) that, great story!
Ponies! People! Ehm.. And things in between....
I thought it'd be fun to do a collaborative mind-map of all the evidence we have for each pony? Keeping things organized would make theorizing a lot easier for the dim-wits such as my self.
So! Utilizing MindMeister I thought I'd provide a public mind map for everyone/pony to use. http://mm.tt/131020345?t=5yMzO2zsJR It's just a blank slate right now, but with the combined effort of all the amazingly clever people who seem to be reading this story I'm sure we can make it a grand network of theories that AbsoluteAnonymous can completely wreck when the story is at end!
Unfortunately I can't make it publicly editable... But anyone willing to trust a complete stranger with their email-address will get an official invite to editing!
Join the investigation, or don't!
Pm me!
As for the story, following this has been amazingly fun, keep the chapters coming!
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At that point, some unknown supernatural force spontaneously seized control of Rainbow Dash's limbs, forcing her to raise her forelegs and wrap them around Mare Do Well's neck. She heard the mare's breath hitch, maybe from surprise that Dash had reacted in a way that didn't involve violence. And then, breaking the silence the two shared, was a distinctive *pomf* sound.
"What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice still little more than a mumble.
"Nothing," Mare Do Well said quickly. "Don't look."
"Look at what?"
"Nothing!" came the immediate response, and she felt one of the forelegs that Mare Do Well had placed around her neck release her. The other remained awkwardly hooked around her shoulders in a strange sort of quasi-hug, but this was infinitely less comfortable than the position they'd been in before; so Rainbow Dash lifted her head, feeling mildly annoyed, and looked.
Her eyes took in the sight of Mare Do Well fumbling behind her with a hoof, desperately trying to force down what appeared to be a pair of splayed out wings. Rainbow Dash couldn't really make out their shape; Mare Do Well's cloak was draped over them, obscuring them from view. Whatever they were, they were fully outstretched - a fact made all the more obvious by the way the cape hung from them like a tent.
"I told you not to look!"
"Oh, wow," Rainbow Dash snickered. "Are you ready to take flight, or are you just happy to see me?"
"It's perfectly natural. I can't help it," Mare Do Well shot back, but she sounded flustered.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to turn you on."
"Shut up!"
106371 ahhhhhahhahahahah
This whole thing: red herrings - the story. Yeah, I see through you, author-dude. You don't even know who MDW is yourself, do you? Your just throwing fish at us! Well, buck you, you little bucker! I don't have to be fooled like that! I bet you will just drop the story before anything conclusive or reveal MDW to be an OC or BGC. Anyway MDW can only be Pinky, since you've written yourself stuck in a room with only one exit. It's just too obvious. Don't even have to read it any more.
(But honestly, keep up the good work, it's quite good and enjoyable and suspenseful in a cute and bittersweet way; feeling sorry for Pinky though, but it will be alright int the, right?)