Chapter 6: The Language of Flowers
True to her word, Rainbow Dash approached Pinkie Pie the very next day, prepared to accept the pink pony's offer of help. Not because Dash thought Pinkie would actually be any help, but because she knew that it would upset Mare Do Well if she did so – and that was enough of a reason for her.
When Rainbow Dash spoke to her, the subdued, inscrutable Pinkie Pie of the day before was gone; in her stead was the familiar hyperactive pink whirlwind that she'd always known. The smile Pinkie beamed at Dash carried no trace of the cryptic lucidity from earlier. It was a relief. Maybe it was shallow of Rainbow Dash to prefer Pinkie like this, but it was much easier to be around her when she was being her usual, if annoying, self.
Even though they'd had their first ever argument, as small and inconsequential as it had proven to be, Pinkie Pie seemed to hold no kind of grudge. Another small relief. Because of that, even though Dash herself still felt mildly upset by what Pinkie had said to her, she held it in, choosing to ignore any lingering resentments there might have been in favor of getting back to normal. That was what this whole thing was about, really, getting life back to normal – and if Pinkie wanted to help, well, why couldn't she?
But although Rainbow Dash had gone to Pinkie more out of spite than out of a real desire for her assistance, Pinkie Pie managed to surprise her by actually seeming to take the whole mock-investigation thing seriously. Or at least as seriously as could be expected. She was still Pinkie Pie, after all.
Neither of them exactly apologized – Pinkie for bringing up an old hurt, Dash for leaving so abruptly – but since neither of them brought it up again, they left it at that, both pretending not to notice any tension that there might've been between the two of them. It was easier that way, and Pinkie Pie was a genuinely sweet pony, who seemed eager enough to take up the mantle of Detective Pinkie Pie for Rainbow Dash's sake. At least, that's what Dash gathered from the way she insisted on donning a trenchcoat and fedora as they brainstormed.
Pinkie had also insisted on meeting at Sugarcube Corner so that she could continue her baking for the morning, and Rainbow Dash had been too exhausted to protest. She'd pulled way too many all-nighters lately, and tended to have zero energy during the day now. Even on those nights where Dash didn't go looking for Mare Do Well, her sleep was interrupted by fitful dreams that she always promptly forgot upon waking.
Pinkie made for an odd sight – odder than usual, at least – as she stood before the open oven, sliding in a tray of cookies. She was decked out in her very best private investigator gear, complete with a magnifying glass tucked in her pocket, and Rainbow Dash didn't bother to ask where she'd gotten any of it. At the same time, she wore a frilly white apron tied around her waist, and was happily humming and bouncing along with the song in her head.
The contrast between Pinkie's attitude and the different aspects of her appearance simultaneously amused and perplexed Rainbow, but she didn't try and make sense of it. Instead, she focused on how good the cool, smooth wood of the kitchen table felt when she was resting her poor head on top.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie sang, energetically slamming the oven door shut. "Now just twenty itty-bitty minutes of waiting, and then we'll have a yummy batch of Pinkie Pie's special homemade chocolate fudgie cookies!" She yanked off the apron, throwing it off to the side before immediately adopting a serious, all-business attitude and going to join Rainbow Dash, slamming her hooves on the table and making the pegasus jump. "First! Tell Detective Pinkie Pie everything you know!"
"Well –" Dash began with a nervous beat of her wings. She was still hesitant to share too much with Pinkie Pie, but she had offered to help; what reason would Pinkie have to aid Rainbow Dash if she was actually somehow involved?
It's just Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash told herself, and that time, she almost halfway believed it.
"I first saw Mare Do Well when some jerk tried stealing one of my saddlebags and she scared him off for me," Rainbow finally began to explain, albeit it a little uncertainly. "The next day, I talked to you guys about it but you all denied it. Since Twilight had said that she gave her costume to Rarity, I thought that whoever was posing as Mare Do Well again might have stolen it, so I asked Rarity, and she said somepony might have bought it, but wouldn't say who because of confidentiality or whatever."
"Is that all you did?" Pinkie prompted after a beat of expectant silence. She looked wide-eyed and alert, unlike Dash, who hadn't quite found the strength to lift her head yet. Pinkie was practically bouncing with pent-up energy, squirming around on her seat. Aside from the get-up, she didn't look much like a detective.
"What do you mean all?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, voice muffled from the way her cheek was pressed on the tabletop as she slumped forward.
"Didn't you ask any other questions? Or look for her sales records or anything?"
"Sales records?" Dash repeated, a little disbelieving. She hadn't considered doing either, and here was Pinkie Pie, jumping to those conclusions first thing. "Well..."
As soon as Rainbow had realized that Rarity was refusing to answer, she'd dropped the subject, electing to take the unicorn's word for it that she wasn't involved. Obviously Dash should've pushed it a little further. Pinkie Pie had the right idea; she would have to talk to Rarity again.
"What else?" Pinkie asked, and this time, Rainbow Dash managed to look up. Pinkie's eyes were narrowed and she had a grim set to her mouth, like she was playing the part of a hardboiled detective on some cheesy, low-budget movie and was taking the role very seriously. She leaned forward, and it was all the pegasus could do to keep from snickering in her face. As it was, a chuckle escaped before she could answer.
"I talked to Fluttershy, too. She told me that she thought it would probably be one of us; we were the only ones who knew about Mare Do Well the first time around, and whoever the new Mare Do Well is knows to be careful around me, even though nopony else should know that I ever found out who it really was. And I tried getting Twilight to analyze one of the notes I got, but she couldn't help me."
"Hmm," Pinkie mused, a thoughtful expression crossing her face as she rubbed her chin, pondering. "Anything else?"
"...Not really."
"What about Applejack?"
"What about Applejack?"
"You haven't talked to her yet?"
"Why should I?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly. "She said she didn't do it. Why would she lie? And besides, if she knew anything, she'd have told me by now. Secrets kill her. Plus, Mare Do Well might be trying to cover up her voice, but if she had some kind of country accent, I think I'd have noticed."
"I dunno, Dashie," Pinkie drawled. "Applejack's pretty good at changing her voice."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash felt her ears prick up. "How would you know?"
"Don't ask how Pinkie knows her secrets!" came the cryptic reply, sending a chill down Rainbow's spine. "But go ahead and ask her to try dropping her accent. It's crazy, she sounds like a totally different pony!"
Rainbow Dash frowned.
She had never once doubted the credibility of Applejack's alibi for the sole reason that Applejack was the Element of Honesty and couldn't lie if her life depended on it. The thought that Applejack could be deceptive in any way, even if it was in something as minor as the way she spoke, was deeply unsettling. Revelations like these were causing Rainbow Dash to consider all of her friends in new lights, something that had been happening a lot lately.
So many things were changing now. Perceptions that she'd held close for so long that they'd almost become a part of her were growing so distorted that they were barely recognizable.
"It's not Applejack," Dash muttered, once again slumping forward to rest her head on the table.
"Well, you should at least talk to her, to make things all even-Stevens for everypony," Pinkie said firmly, as if equality between the ponies being interrogated was all that mattered. "But you should probably talk to Rarity again too, just to see if you can find out anything else. And also to see if we can find her sales files."
"We can't do that!"
"Why not?" Pinkie asked, batting her eyelashes, once again all wide-eyed innocence.
Why not? What do you mean, why not? Dash wanted to shout, grabbing Pinkie's shoulders and shaking her. "Because as much as I love pranks, I draw the line at getting arrested, you doofus. We can't break into Carousel Boutique to steal private papers, that's totally illegal."
"We don't have to break in!" Pinkie said quickly with a dismissive little wave of her hoof, as if the breaking in part of her plan had been the only troublesome aspect. "All we gotta do is go visit for a teeny-tiny bit and distract her. Then while you keep her busy, I'll go look for them!"
Rainbow Dash considered.
She had no doubt whatsoever that Pinkie Pie was fully capable of doing what she said without getting caught, and Dash had told Mare Do Well that she didn't play fair, but it seemed wrong to drag Rarity into this whole mess, especially since it would involve breaking the law. That was going a little too far.
Then again, what was Rainbow Dash if not extreme? Risks made life... fun.
"Okay," Rainbow finally agreed. "So how do we distract her? We'd probably just need to throw a bucket of mud on her stairs and she'd spend a couple of hours going nuts scrubbing them."
"Nope! Distracting her will be easy-peasy. We'll just bring her some cookies, and you two eat them while Pinkie does her stuff!"
After that, another silence fell over the two of them. Rainbow Dash kept her head on the table, her eyelids falling shut against her will again and again as her body threatened to fall asleep on her. Pinkie Pie returned to bustling about the kitchen of the bakery, poking around the many cupboards and rummaging amongst the pots and pans.
At last there came a ding from the oven. With a delighted cry, Pinkie leapt to her hooves and zipped over to it to yank open the door, peering within at the cookies laid out before her.
The smell of Pinkie Pie's famous triple-chocolate fudge cookies soon filled the bakery, and although she hadn't been hungry before, Rainbow Dash found herself smiling and accepting when Pinkie bounced over to offer the tray.
• • •
They stood on the steps of Carousel Boutique, Rainbow Dash trying to convince herself that coming with Pinkie hadn't been a terrible idea, Pinkie jumping from hoof to hoof as she carried the handle for a basket of sweet-smelling cookies in her mouth. Rainbow Dash almost wanted to reach in for another one, they smelled so warm and delicious, but if they were to be diversion cookies, it would probably be best to save them.
When Rarity answered the door, her normally flawless hair was in disarray; a tape measure hung around her neck and a pair of red spectacles balanced on her nose. She was wild-eyed, but managed to twist her mouth into a strained smile when she saw her guests.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie! Hello!" the unicorn cried in her fake-cheerful way, but she kept the door as tightly closed as possible, barely allowing enough room for her to squeeze her own head through in order to speak to them.
"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash blurted. "You look like you're gonna explode."
"Ha! Ha!" Rarity laughed in a forced tone, squeezing the door shut a little tighter and gritting her teeth when she smiled. "Not explode, I would think, but burst certainly seems more like it. I am very busy right now, so I must ask you to two to leave. I have a massive order due tomorrow, and –"
There was an enormous crash. Rarity flinched. A high, sweet voice came from somewhere inside, asking, "Rarity? I dropped the –"
"Just leave it!" Rarity snapped, whipping around to shout at whoever was in the boutique. "I'll get it later!" Then she turned back to Rainbow and Pinkie with another strained, borderline manic smile. "Ah, as you can see, I have dear Sweetie Belle with me today. It seems mother and father have decided to take another little holiday. My hooves are rather full –"
Another crash, followed by a metallic clatter, as if somepony had knocked over a stack of pots.
"Rarity?" the voice called.
"I told you not to touch that!" Rarity shrieked, and slammed the door shut in Pinkie and Rainbow's faces.
They exchanged a glance, Rainbow looking doubtful and Pinkie shrugging amiably before knocking again. This time when the door swung open and the haggard Rarity answered, she proudly stuck out her head to display the basket of cookies she carried.
"Ta-da! We brought cookies!" Pinkie announced, her words slightly muffled by the handle in her mouth.
Rarity stared at Pinkie. Her gaze flicked over to the basket before straying back to the pink pony. She blinked.
"They smell heavenly..." the unicorn finally murmured, looking unsure. "But... I'm so busy right now. Although... I suppose I could use a break. Come on in, then. Wipe your hooves off first!"
She stepped aside and the door swept open. Pinkie Pie hopped inside, leaving Rainbow Dash to eye her with mingled awe and respect.
The boutique itself was a disaster zone of scattered material and accessories. Mannequins were toppled over from left to right. Opalescence was perched atop a pile of expensive looking fabric that had been shredded to pieces, presumably by her very own claws, looking quite content. Rarity stoically walked through the war zone that her normally orderly shop had become, leading Pinkie and Rainbow into the kitchen, where they found her sister Sweetie Belle balanced on a pile of dishes as she tried to reach for a mixing bowl on the counter.
"Look, Sweetie!" Rarity sang in a loud, false-perky way. "Guests! And they've brought something tasty, so you don't have to make me anything!"
"Aw," Sweetie cried, hanging her head in disappointment as she remained precariously balanced atop the pile of plates and pans. "I was gonna make you a tasty treat all by myself!"
"Oh, I know, Sweetie," the frazzled Rarity gushed. "But now you don't have to! See? Now you can run along and play with your friends. Maybe the three of you can bake something together for some other time over at, at, Apple Bloom's house, while I get back to work?"
Sweetie Belle pouted, but she seemed to brighten at this suggestion from her sister. "Okay!" she sang, and just like that she'd zipped out of the kitchen – but not before stopping to give Rarity a quick nuzzle.
As soon as she left, the stack of plates tipped over and crashed onto the floor, sending countless pieces of broken crockery scattering everywhere.
Rarity winced.
"Well, ah –" the unicorn began, taking care to step over the shards as she approached her friend, who'd watched the entire spectacle in silence from the doorway. "Now that that's taken care of, I suppose I could take a little break before getting back to work. I do apologize, though. I tend to get a bit stressed when Sweetie is staying over, especially since I have so much to do. But one should always make oneself a priority first, as I always say."
"That's funny! I've never heard you say that before!" Pinkie said curiously, setting the cookies down on a spot on the counter that Rarity had cleared with her magic. "Do you say that a lot?"
"If not, I should start. Now, darlings, what can I do for you?" Rarity asked. She removed the red glasses, which she only tended to wear while pushing a deadline and always removed when seeing company, and carefully began to pat her mane back in place.
Rainbow Dash found herself closely observing Rarity's every move, waiting for her to do something questionable or suspicious, before privately chastising herself for such paranoia.
"We just wanted to bring you some yummy cookies to try, that's all!" Pinkie said in her bubbly way, sticking her head into the basket and coming up with a mouthful of chocolate cookie. "Dashie helped me make them!"
"Really?" Rarity asked, sounding disbelieving.
"Hey, I was the taste tester," Dash joked.
"That sounds more like it," Rarity acknowledged with a small nod and a wry smile. "But I would've imagined that there wouldn't have been any left to share, what with the appetite between the two of you."
"Rarity, you're so silly!" Pinkie giggled, clapping her hooves at Rarity's little joke. Rainbow Dash felt a sharp kick in her side and almost jumped, but Pinkie showed no sign at all of noticing her reaction. "We have plenty left! But..." and here she leaned forward, glancing into the basket, before gasping an enormous, exaggerated gasp. "We don't have any left in the basket! Oh, no, we brought them just to share, and we already ran out? I gotta go and get more! Don't worry, I'll be right back!"
With a huge, obvious wink at Dash, Pinkie was suddenly upright; and then she was off, basket handle in her mouth as she hopped out of the boutique.
Subtle, Rainbow Dash thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Rarity, however, didn't seem to notice that anything was up, shaking her head.
"I'll never understand where that one gets all her energy," she sighed. "I'm almost envious. I could certainly use it more than her."
An awkward silence fell over them.
Rainbow Dash suddenly felt uncomfortable. She and Rarity, though they got along, weren't especially close within their little circle of friends. She was supposed to keep Rarity distracted while Pinkie did whatever criminal activity she had planned, but she had no idea what to actually do. Her mind was blank.
That was probably why she said what she said next.
"Can you tell me about carnations?" Rainbow Dash blurted.
Rarity blinked, looking a little taken aback.
"Carnations?" the unicorn repeated. "Why, whatever for, darling?"
"It's just..." The pegasus could feel her cheeks burn. "Somepony sent me some, and apparently they mean something big, but I couldn't be bothered to look it up. Twilight said that you or Fluttershy might know."
All at once, Rarity's attitude changed, her face breaking out into an enormous smile.
"Somepony sent you flowers?" Rarity cried, sounding delighted. "Oh, my, that's simply wonderful! Who was it? Was it anypony I know? Or, oh, was it a secret admirer? Imagine, our Rainbow having a secret admirer! How utterly splendid! I'm almost jealous, darling – it's been so long since anypony's sent me flowers," she sniffed, suddenly haughty.
"They're just dumb flowers!" Rainbow Dash protested weakly. "I don't even like them that much! What am I gonna do with flowers? They're stupid."
"They're not stupid! They're a token of the utmost admiration! You were asking what they mean? Let me see, let me see, I know I have something somewhere..."
Rarity rose from her seat to rummage through a nearby mound of junk, finally pulling out a slim red book with an aura of magic. She began to eagerly flip through the pages, chattering excitedly to herself, something about knowing that it was in here somewhere.
"Ah-ha!" Rarity declared in triumph, and thrust the book towards Rainbow so that she could see the page she'd stopped on. "An entire chapter on carnations alone! But of course I must know the specifics. What color? What size? What shape? Were they striped? Oh, I hope not – striped carnations mean refusal. Rather uncouth of a secret admirer, if you ask me."
"They have books on stuff like this?" Rainbow Dash asked, disbelieving, reaching forward to grab the book again, but Rarity yanked it out of her reach so that she could continue to flip through it herself.
"Well?" Rarity prompted, glancing over at the flustered pegasus. "Tell me all about them! I must know! Please?"
"They're not from a secret admirer or anything, they're just stupid flowers somepony sent for a stupid reason!" Rainbow Dash retorted heatedly. "I don't even know if they meant anything by them. Maybe they just thought carnations were pretty."
"Even so, it means they wanted to give you something pretty..."
"And that's dumb!"
"It's better than roses, at least," Rarity added, with a trace of disapproval. "Roses are so overdone. Rather gauche now, if you ask me. Of course, roses are standard during a typical courtship, but although they're fairly lovely and admittedly rather elegant, everypony sends them. There's nothing special about them. Carnations, though, mean all sorts of things." The book rose to her eye level so that she could skim the page. "Fascination, devotion... and then of course there are individual meanings for each color."
Although Rainbow Dash was honestly trying to listen, it felt like she could only catch the occasional stray word as Rarity babbled away. She was far too excited over Rainbow Dash's supposed admirer.
Token. Admiration. Courtship. For a second, Rainbow shuddered at Rarity's non-ironic usage of such an embarrassingly archaic term.
Fascination. Devotion.
"What about red?" she asked, interrupting Rarity's little spiel on the fascinating language of flowers. "Like, dark red."
"Red?" Rarity repeated, glancing back down at the book. "My heart aches for you, alas for my poor heart, admiration, friendship... those are all rather lovely, aren't they?"
Rarity sighed, setting herself back down on her seat at the table. She dropped the book in order to bring her hooves to her chest, placing them over her heart. "So romantic," she sighed dreamily, batting her eyelashes. "I can't believe that somepony would send you a bouquet, though!"
My heart aches for you.
There was something so sad, almost poetic, about the phrasing of those words. If Mare Do Well had sent her roses – boring, overdone, gauche – Dash might have been able to laugh them off as insipid and cheesy, and as a sign of trying way too hard. But the carnations; if that was really what Mare Do Well had intended by giving them to her, then suddenly they seemed almost tragic, and all at once she couldn't help but feel guilty for having thrown them out.
No. No guilt. No tragedy. Rainbow Dash wouldn't let herself derive any shame or flattery from the gesture. She was here for one purpose and one purpose only – to find out what Rarity was hiding.
Just then, Pinkie Pie sprung in.
"Dashie!" she cried. "There's an emergency and I need you right away! Sorry, Rarity, we gotta run, but we'll bring you a cake next time to apologize!"
Rainbow Dash at once bolted upright.
"Sorry, Rare!" she shouted. "Ponyville's number one hero needs to fly!"
Rarity was too busy sighing and fantasizing over her book on flowers to pay any attention as they left.
• • •
"Find anything?" Rainbow Dash hissed eagerly.
"No," Pinkie admitted, looking sad.
"Then what did you do the whole time?!"
"Well, first I looked for a while and then I found a tape measure in a drawer and I was all, I can think of a million things to do with this, yessir! So I –"
"No. Never mind." Rainbow Dash sighed and closed her eyes. "I should've figured something like that was gonna happen. It's okay."
"Oh, but don't worry!" Pinkie cried, eyes once again gleaming with seriousness, though she was out of her trench coat and fedora for now. "Detective Pinkie Pie is still on the case! I'll find a way to help you, don't you worry! But first I gotta go bake Rarity an apology cake. Bye!"
She spoke and moved so fast, like a whirlwind. Rainbow Dash might've been the fastest pegasus to have ever come out of Cloudsdale, but Pinkie Pie was certainly the fastest earth pony to have ever come out of a rock farm.
Rainbow Dash had been tired enough from the beginning, but being with Pinkie Pie for longer than ten minutes only seemed to make it worse.
The plus side was that now they couldn't get arrested, or sued, or whatever would've happened if Rarity had found out what they'd been planning. The downside was that now Dash was back to square one. Pinkie Pie hadn't helped at all, and Rainbow Dash hadn't been able to get any new information from Rarity, all thoughts of attempting to interrogate her having fled when she'd found herself asking about the carnations.
My heart aches for you.
Just remembering those words, those words that carried such a sad weight, made her feel a funny little twinge in her stomach. It wasn't fear and it wasn't anger, but it was far from the satisfaction she'd seen in Rarity earlier.
Rainbow Dash didn't really know what it was, actually. Only that it wasn't wholly unpleasant, and she found herself repeating those words to herself again and again throughout the day. Always a soft little whisper in the corner of her mind, barely audible, but a repetition nonetheless.
• • •
"Maybe we need to go over the rules sometime, then. Tomorrow, same time, same place?" Mare Do Well had said in that chatty way of hers the night before.
And the truth was, Rainbow Dash had no reason not to go. She wasn't going to sleep that night – she already knew that. She was too restless to manage it. Besides, a part of her was curious about whether Mare Do Well herself would bother showing up. After all, she'd obviously been upset last time, and they hadn't exactly left on what many would call good terms.
They'd never left each other on good terms, actually, but usually, Mare Do Well had been the one disappearing into the night. Last night had been the first time that their little dance had been altered in any way.
Midnight in the cul-de-sac, the streets lit only by the glow cast by Luna's moon. The now-familiar dumpster and the feeling of waiting. Before, Rainbow Dash would seek out Mare Do Well primed to fight, convinced every time that they were finally going to have their confrontation, but now she was finding herself waiting to meet the mare just for the sake of talking. Dash knew now that they were never going to have any kind of epic battle where they duked it out to determine just who Ponyville's true hero was, but what they were going to do, she couldn't say.
Go over the rules, I guess, Rainbow thought sleepily, stifling a yawn. Stupid rules. Stupid game. Stupid Mare Do Well. This is all stupid.
She felt so tired. She had never been this tired before. When had she last genuinely slept, without the constant waking and dreaming?
The air was cool, just like it had been the night before, but where it had felt fantastic to fly against last night, it now felt bitterly unpleasant, especially since Dash wasn't flying. Especially since it was all she could do just to resist the urge to shiver, and a sturdy weather pegasus was supposed to be strong enough to handle a little chill.
Especially since Rainbow Dash was leaning against a wall of brick, tucked into the expanse between the building on one side and the dumpster where Mare Do Well had hung from before, and her eyelids were so heavy and her body so sore that she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to stay awake, waiting to see if anypony was ever going to show up.
• • •
Something was on top of Rainbow Dash, and for a moment she wasn't quite alert enough to tell what it was – but then the initial grogginess that she always felt upon waking started to fade, and her mind began to clear.
The first thing that registered was whatever it was, it was very warm. The next thing was that she must have moved around a lot in her sleep, as it was now tangled around her legs rather uncomfortably. It felt soft and thick beneath her hooves.
Rainbow's eyes flew open with a start, and she glanced down at the fabric that she had wrapped around her. It was a cape, the exact same color of the sky at midnight.
Somepony had covered her with it as a makeshift blanket.
Rainbow Dash sat up with a moan. Her back ached, and just doing this much was a struggle. Rubbing her eyes, she squinted, to let them adjust to the bright light of the dawn, but... it wasn't bright. She blinked, gazing around her surroundings in a daze, and only then did she see where she was. She was still in the alley, and gradually, it dawned on her that she must have fallen asleep.
I must not have slept very long, Dash thought, stifling another yawn. It's still night out.
With a sigh, she shook off the cape; she didn't have the energy to put up a fuss about what it might mean. She just wanted to go find a comfy cloud to snuggle in. The hard ground was in no way a suitable replacement for a bed.
As Rainbow Dash crouched and flexed her wings, preparing to take off, she heard a hoofstep behind her. She turned to look and saw Mare Do Well, having seemingly slipped out of the shadows of the alley itself, quietly stepping forward to retrieve her cape from the street. She looked surprisingly small without it.
What Rainbow Dash should have done was just fly off. Instead, she found herself pausing and folding back her wings.
"Weren't we going to discuss the whole rules and cheating thing?"
"You looked cold. And tired, obviously, since you'd fallen asleep in the street. I didn't want to bother you," Mare Do Well explained, sounding complacent. Her voice carried no hint of the instability or anger from before. Instead, she sounded completely back to normal – calm and reserved, strangely formal diction, yet conceited attitude.
"I would've been fine," Dash found herself boasting, purely out of habit. "Pegasi are built to be sturdy, especially pegasi on the weather team. I can handle pretty much anything. A little cold doesn't bother me."
"Did you want to talk about the rules?" Mare Do Well offered, politely ignoring Rainbow Dash's comment. "I mostly wanted to make it clear that we shouldn't be allowed to seek guidance from third parties, but I was also thinking we should have it officially stated that we aren't allowed to interfere in one another's plans."
Rainbow Dash struggled to find an argument that she could make in protest, for the sole purpose of being difficult, but found herself drawing a blank. "Fine," she grudgingly agreed.
"And of course amendments may be made later."
"Whatever."
"Do you want to go up on the roof with me?"
That got her attention. "What?" Rainbow Dash asked, snapping her head up to see Mare Do Well gesturing upwards, indicating the roof of the shop they stood by. The shop that Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep against.
"I wanted to show you something."
"Show me what?" Dash snapped. "I'm not going up there with you!"
"You're not supposed to interfere with my plans," Mare Do Well said innocently. "My plan for the night involves showing you something that can only be seen from up high."
"I have wings."
"I d... that's fine. You can fly there. That's not the important thing. The important thing is what's on top."
"What's on top?" Rainbow Dash asked carefully, eying her warily. "It'd better not be anything really dorky like a candlelit dinner or something, because that would just be really pathetic."
"Yes, it would be," Mare Do Well agreed with a little nod, her mask as carefully blank as ever. "That's not what it is, though. Although I thought that was what you believed a proper pursuit would entail. I believe your exact words were flowers and moonlight."
"I didn't mean it!"
"Would you have accepted if I'd initially made my proposal in the form of a dinner invitation?"
"No," Rainbow Dash answered immediately.
"Well, then, I guess I've had to resort to more unorthodox means," Mare Do Well replied contentedly. Again, she pointed a hoof to the roof of the building they stood beside. "Come on."
With a nimble leap she sprung onto the dumpster, then from there to a balcony overlooking the alley, before turning back to see if Rainbow Dash was following. She wasn't. Instead she'd been watching Mare Do Well's agile jumps with something like mingled jealousy and awe before finding herself taking off, following the mare to the roof.
The roof itself was empty, save for some stray pieces of litter and a puddle leftover from the last rainfall, now frozen over due to the chill in the air. Mare Do Well stood at the edge, overlooking the city as she waited for Rainbow Dash. When Rainbow Dash touched down, the mare turned to face her, and beckoned with a hoof.
And again, for a reason she couldn't quite explain, the pegasus found herself silently obeying, going over to join her on the edge.
"Look," Mare Do Well said softly, gesturing with an outstretched hoof towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise.
I must have slept longer than I'd thought.
How long had she been there? Just waiting for me to wake up?
I don't care, Dash suddenly told herself, just to be obstinate. And then, yet again, she heard the echo of Rarity's words.
My heart aches for you.
She could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks, similar to the way the rose colored sunrise was spreading across the sky.
"It's just a sunrise," Rainbow Dash found herself saying. "So what?"
"Have you ever gotten up early enough to watch one from this high before?"
"Well –" No, she hadn't. "It wouldn't be that hard."
"But you haven't. It's worth it, though, isn't it? Doesn't Ponyville look beautiful like this?"
Her cheeks were burning even hotter.
"So?"
"So... this is romantic, isn't it?"
"It's corny."
"There's a reason those romantic traditions become clichés," Mare Do Well said, sounding amused. "It's because they work. Don't you feel overwhelmed by passion now?"
"No."
"Oh well. I'll just have to think of something else, then."
They were standing side by side on the roof, overlooking the village as it was painted by the colors of the rising sun, and even though Rainbow Dash could've flown away any time she wanted, she stayed put.
She felt something warm and soft press against her side, and her breath hitched.
When she looked down, she saw that Mare Do Well had moved even closer, resting against her slightly.
It was such a simple gesture, to lean on somepony, but it was one of such innocent affection that Rainbow Dash honestly didn't know what to do in that moment.
The Mare Do Well who had nuzzled her and who had been jealous and who leaned on her now all seemed to be incredibly different from the idea of the smug and hateful Mare Do Well that Rainbow had created in her head, and although Rainbow Dash should've been pulling away, or at least flinching, or rejecting her somehow, she found that she couldn't. Instead they stayed like that, two ponies side by side in the cool morning air as the village gradually shifted, rising to meet the day.
"This doesn't count," Rainbow Dash finally managed to say. "It's not working."
She could almost hear Mare Do Well smile as she replied, again sounding amused, "Then I guess I'll just try again."
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
1,033 users online
1,401,875 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
A wonderful chapter! I was very excited when I saw this installment waiting for me. It was good to FINALLY see some of Rarity; I'm guessing Applejack will be next, since you simply cannot keep avoiding her. Well, you can, but...yeah, I doubt you will. Minor errors, great details, sweet little addition to the story, all that good stuff; another great job. Since I'm sure you find these amusing and fun to read (I know I would if I was the author), here's my newest suspect listings:
1. Pinkie Pie - For the sixth chapter in a row, Pinkie remains as my top suspect. I find it suspicious that she apparently found NOTHING during all that time...and judging from what Mare Do Well said later on, Pinkie's case isn't looking very good. If you ask me, I think Pinkie is intentionally trying to mislead Dash; she's devilishly clever...if it's her. Pinkie is still tops on my list, but for all I know, she could be far from being Mare Do Well, obviously.
2. Twilight Sparkle - Mare Do Well proved to be agile and good with poetic words...both which equal Twilight. Twilight's not athletic, but she IS small and agile; we've seen her do it. Plus, being the bookworm she is, it wouldn't be beneath her to write and say such nice things. Despite all the past issues that point to her being completely innocent, she remains firmly in my #2 hole of my suspects listing, and will stay there until further notice.
3. Applejack - Something about how Dash said she was confident that it wasn't Applejack...and the fact that she thought about how AJ just wouldn't lie like this, combined with the fact that Pinkie tried to discriminate the cowpony...makes me a tad bit suspicious. Plus, we STILL haven't seen her for a good few chapters. She also is agile and is more than capable of being a sweetheart to Dash. I still doubt it's her, but...who knows at this point?
4. Fluttershy - She wasn't seen or heard in this episode, and she's dropped down a bit on my suspect list. Mare Do Well tends to act like her; no matter WHAT emotion she shows, it's still mostly calm and collective, even when angry. Plus, she's pretty gentle with Dash, as we know Fluttershy would be to her. Putting on the costume to give the cowardly Fluttershy confidence makes sense, but I don't see Mare Do Well being her in the end.
5. Rarity - Nice try, but the "way she was looking at Dash, as though seeing if she did anything suspicious", the talk about flowers, and the dreaminess in Rarity's words aren't selling me. Rarity remains free from the top of my suspects list. There is NO possible way that it's her; it wouldn't make ANY sense whatsoever. Plus, it would be bad story-wise; not seeing Rarity that much at all, and then she turns out to be Mare Do Well? That...just wouldn't work.
Other Possible Suspects: Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Scootaloo, Pinkamena, Gilda
Your little not-so-obvious red herring at the start about Gilda isn't fooling anyone...or is it? At this point, I'm seriously confused as to what to believe and what not to believe, but...you made me put Gilda back on my list of top 10 suspects, even though it's VERY impossible by this point. Mare Do Well was said to be somewhat smaller without her cape...and Gilda is very big; the only POSSIBLE way it could be her was if she had a MASSIVE turnaround attitude-wise and somehow shrunk. Rainbow Dash herself still remains a possibility (in my mind), even though no one else thinks so. Derpy...well, why not? She's Derpy Hooves! Plus, she WAS seen once, and it's always those you don't think about. Scootaloo...well, Mare Do Well WAS smaller without her cape, and Scootaloo DOES love Dash...maybe it could be her? Pinkamena, Pinkie's alter ego, still another very strong possibility. All we see is Pinkie at the moment, so it's clearly pointing to either her or her alter ego. Thus, since it's pointing to Pinkie, it's not gonna be her! All the same, great job, and I can't wait for more!
I'm still personally rooting for it to be Twilight...she and Dash make a VERY cute couple.
*Grin*
This is really a very enjoyable story. I love this little game they're playing. So far though, everything considered, Rainbow seems a little out of her league here.
59880
I still hope its not one of the mane six. Derpy though... There's an idea.
Hmmm.... For zome reason, a certain Zebra just popped into my head.
Crowning moment of Heartwarming at the end.
Hmmm...not much in this chapter changed my suspicions. Pinkie and Twilight are still at the top, for me. It was Pinkie's idea to go looking for clues at Rarity's, and then she found nothing? Suspicious. The drop about Applejack is interesting, but it could be Mar-Do-Pinkie trying to mislead Rainbow,
Rarity is seeming less likely to me. Her behaviour seemed almost identical to in the show- there doesn't seem to be anything odd going on with her. I could be wrong, though.
And you seriously need to submit this story to EQD. I can tell you right now that they will love it.
"I have wings."
"I d...that's fine. You can fly. That's not the important thing. The important thing is what's on top."
"I don't" perhaps?
Nice stuff here. I noticed that Pinkie mentioned the cookies would take 20 minutes to bake, and they were ready at the end of their segment. Perhaps you could say that they continued to speak until the cookies were done baking? That conversation just didn't seem like 20 minutes. Not that it really matters or anything.
Anyway, this is another great chapter. I'm loving Rainbow Dash's change in character, as well as Mare Do Well regaining her composure. I'm sort of being guided into believing that Pinkie is MDW, but who knows, maybe MDW knows all this stuff by means other than being Pinkie Pie. Great stuff, looking forward to the next chapter.
did anybody else think that ""I d...that's fine. You can fly. That's not the important thing. The important thing is what's on top." might have been "I do too?"
I still think flutters.
59887 Zecora was on my top 10 list of suspects last chapter, but not this chapter.
despite what everyone here is saying, i don't think pinkie should be #1 on the suspect list. maybe #2 for me, because there is an element of suspicion i have for Fluttershy. i can relate to her the most, and donning on a cape and mask, while looking odd, is exactly what would make me confident. if no one ever knows who you are, you can be anyone.
take me for example. i could tell you i am a us marine, i could tell you i am a farm girl from Texas, or i could say i work on the team for the show it'self.
but i choose to tell you i am a 15 year old guy from Montana. if i were to make another screen name, i could become anyone.
why can't flutters do the same?
and i dunno, with pinkie's attitude, she wouldn't need a cape and mask to tell dashie anything, she's her dashie. there's nothing (well almost nothing) kept secret between them. why would that be a change?
again, relating to my life. this story does that a lot. i have a friend who is EXACTLY like pinkie pie. i mean to the dot, exact. and she once... had a crush on her our mutual friend. she did not hesitate to tell him this, and they became a good couple for almost a year before he had to move.
just relating to my life here, don't mind me.
60067
"it's... fine" comes to mind.... >:)
59926
I caught that too. Fluttershy, Derpy, and Scoots are all eliminated to me.
AJ is a suspect, especially given the agile jumps Mare Do Well performs in the alleyway. But I still think Dash's instinct about her honesty overwhelms this.
My main theory - It's Rarity. She did sell her costume to a customer, who is unrelated to all this. The costume she's wearing is Pinkie's. She is helping Rarity by sending Dash on wild goose chases, and purposely messing up. That's why she didn't check Rarity's numbers and why she told Dash about AJ's voice altering abilities she probably gained from her time as a filly in Manehattan. She's leading Dash into a dead end.
At least that's what I'm thinking. It could be Pinkie is Mare Do Well and Rarity is just another false lead, but something about how Mare Do Well acted last chapter and this makes me think it's Rarity.
Something I noticed,
Chapter 4:"I would've gotten you roses, but that seemed a little overdone," Mare Do Well said conversationally...
Chapter 6:"It's better than roses, at least," Rarity added, with a trace of disapproval. "Roses are so overdone. Rather gauche now, if you ask me..."
This makes me think it might be Rarity, but it could just be them sharing an opinion. But this acts as a fuel for "Mare Do Well is Rarity" arguments.
One word: d'aww.
:D get on with the show my man :D
60213 hmmm, quite
I had thought the "warm thing" was the Mare Do Well.Eh.
Yay! New chapter! I was so excited when I woke up this morning and saw this story had been updated--had some guests coming over, though, before I could leave a proper comment.
This chapter and the last chapter have really been wonderful developments of both MDW and RD, as well as the MDW/RD relationship. Finding out that MDW's new game challenge was actually a spontaneous, panicked last-ditch effort was really amazing--it's really changed how I see her character. She seems less devious and selfish now, and ... a bit more like a very bright child who still lacks emotional maturity. I liked seeing MDW's vulnerability and when she lost her cool. I'd say it humanized her, but that isn't right. Ponyized her? You know what I mean. :)
I also like that RD got to see that, too. I think it "humanized" MDW for her, as well, and I think that's important to any kind of relationship that might develop between the two of them.
For her part, I see RD as trapped in the lies she tells herself as well as her misperceptions of those around her. (I agree with Pinkie's assessment of RD being a bad judge of character--or, at least, an incomplete judge of character.) I think she's badly misunderstanding MDW as well as Pinkie and, most importantly, misunderstanding herself. It's obvious to me as a reader that RD is at least somewhat attracted to MDW, but RD herself still seems ignorant of this. And I absolutely didn't believe RD when she said, "This isn't working."
But the most heart-breaking aspect, for me, is that I think while MDW has been trying so hard to be cool, to be aloof, to be heroic ... it's at those moments that RD is most annoyed with her. But when MDW drops all of that, to be sincere or compassionate or caring ... that is, when she acts more like her everyday, "real" personal ... it is at THOSE moments when RD seems to thaw towards her a bit.
And that's the bittersweet irony. MDW the Smug Hero doesn't really stand much of a chance of winning RD, I don't think. But the mare behind the mask just might.
Good stuff as always. Not a whole lot really happened in this chapter to influence my guesses, I guess...Pinkie's still at the top of my list, and Rarity is still near the bottom, just above Applejack. But lack of misdirection aside, this was a very enjoyable entry. Pinkie being Pinkie, Sweetie Belle's typically destructive cameo, the whole deal with the carnations and their symbolism, the 'dawww'-inducing sunrise scene at the end...all great details.
And I second Xeddrief's suggestion that you submit this to EqD. This thing is instant six-star material, I guarantee it. Much better than plenty of the stories already there. And I don't believe they have a Mare Do Well story yet, so it's fitting that the first one they get be the best.
60706
Well, Donny's Boy, my reviewers are like my childrens. I love them all! But if I had to play favorites, well...just kidding. But seriously, I think one of the best parts of posting a new chapter is seeing what you have to say about it.
Your comments are always so well written, it's almost intimidating. I feel like I have to work really hard to live up to such flattering remarks.
To everyone reading out there: COMMENTS SUSTAIN ME. Kindly leave as many long, rambling comments (guess, criticisms, whatever) as you can manage to write, because they bring me much joy to read.
60692
You, sir, are a pervert.
Moar! Moar!
*cough* Sorry, I just had to put that. Now, onto my hopefully more, erm, constructive thoughts about this story ...
I have to say, this is fantastically written! At the end of each chapter, I feel that impatient urge to reach out and shake you, squealing for more ... but I must restrain myself. Your writing is almost impeccable, and to be honest, I am now so caught up in the plot that if you were to falter and the quality drop subtly, I would not realize it so, or simply ignore it, instead choosing to see what happened next. I adore the phrase you used, and I quote (note that this is nonverbatim): 'After all, there's a reason romantic traditions become cliches; it's because they work.' - It's something I have actually occasionally thought myself! However, I shall now move on to my list of suspects, and pause from praising you (I do, after all, believe that too much sugar can be a bad thing ...
)
S U S P E C T LIST:
1. F l u t t e r s h y.
As much as some others may disagree, Fluttershy remains top of my list for me. Though I have many, many doubts as to whether it is her, or even one of the Mane Six (after all, most people do suspect it's one of the Mane Six, no? So that would be an interesting twist ... but please, let me keep my hopes up!), those subtle, little clues continue to point to her, for me anyway. For example, the fact that she's normally portrayed as Rainbow Dash's best friend, whom she (R.D) could trust in such matters, convinces me that Fluttershy, though having her own personal conscience to deal with, could with the power of love (oh so cliche, but, well, you know :P) overcome such moral problems and deceive Rainbow Dash. Or maybe I've simply read too many romance fanfics about her and Rainbow Dash. Yet, she's also rather introverted, and myself being quite shy, I can relate to wanting to be more confident, and feeling that hiding behind a mask (hiding behind the internet would serve as a good example for me!) can almost 'transform' her, or at least develop another persona; and well, I've always wondered if maybe she is one of the more likely romantic interests outside of the canon world ... And you know what, I've always seen her as pretty persuading, so it might just be possible that her friends (the rest of the Mane Six) are in this as well! But, you never know, it may just be Fluttershy herself~
2. P i n k i e P i e.
Pinkie Pie just ... well, she seems to be, apart from Twilight, most 'involved' in this silly mess of a romantic affair, not to mention she can be fairly agile, devious, and whatnot. Also, she loves playing pranks, doesn't she? And I can actually imagine her wanting to be with Dashie, though ... I don't know, I simply dislike the pairing slightly. Or maybe that's only when compared to another pairing that I prefer. =3 But anyway, yes, she has been acting rather suspicious of late, and I'm not quite sure why...
Yes, Pinkie. She comes out as #2 on my list, however; seeing as number 1 is taken up by Fluttershy.
3. A p p l e j a c k.
AJ ... well, the lack of suspicion from Dashie contributes greatly to this spot that Applejack has claimed on my list. Not to mention Pinkie's little bait near the end of the chapter; but who knows? It may be just a red herring. We'll have to wait and see on this one!
4. T w i l i g h t.
Oh Twilight. She's not very high up my suspicion list, but right now, nearly anypony may be this mysterious Mare-Do-Well! However, I honestly believe Celestia's favourite student when she says she's no part of this.
5. R a r i t y.
) that the most suspected character has been truthful all along, and the least suspected, or at least not-too-probable-suspect is the real one behind it all.
For some weird reason, I simply do not suspect Rarity much. Maybe it's her lack of appearance in the story, or that she hasn't done much really. But yet ... she obviously knows something, or at least is trying to cover something up, and as a few others say - some of the best mysteries turn out (yet, this may be too cliche a move
Sorry for my rambling comment, but this is a welcome break from what proved to be a looonnngg nicht!
Oh dear. I meant *night, not nicht. XD
61524
Okay I really want to get this off my mind cause I thought it might be funny so here it goes:
Apple Jack-In th Cul-de-Sac-In Mare-Do-Well Costume-With Rainbow Dash
With everyone posting their opinions on who mare do well is, I kinda wanted to jump on that bandwagon! So here it goes;
Pinkie: Though the most popular suspect, I don't think Mare Do Well can be Pinkie only because mare do well is too precise and organized. To put it simply she dots every "I" and crosses every "T". Which is not exactly something Pinkie is known for. Add the fact that Pinkie seemed jealous of Kissie face mare do well and Mare do well jealous of her it just doesn't seem logical. Pinkie can sometimes be some sort of crazed genius at times but she has never been shown to be THAT methodical in what she does. So in the end I just cant believe Pinkie is Mare Do Well.
Twilight: So the first and most obvious thing is that she appeared when MDW was still with Rainbow and unless Twi can duplicate herself (which would be a kind of cop out to me) then I really don't think she can be Mare Do Well. Another thing to note though is that Twilight is an egghead and socially awkward, if she were to want to pursue something in a romantic manner odds are she would look it up in a book right? So my guess is that more than likely every romance book would advise her to use roses not carnations, like Mare Do well did, because they are cliche and work. So Twi is also crossed of my list as well
AppleJack: not much has been said about Apple Jack so I cant really say anything about her, but my guess is that she too would go with the obvious and would have used roses as well being that she isn't really considered a romantic and probably wouldn't be expected to know the meaning behind certain colors of carnations. AJ is also not one to be considered weak or need a costume to strengthen herself. Also she is the element of Honesty and I just cant see her using anything that isn't the full and honest truth. So right now I just cant see her high on the suspect list.
Fluttershy: Flutters has me a bit confused. She fits the role of Mare do Well when it comes to being weak and strengthened by the role of Mare Do Well and she can be seen as a romantic so sending carnations and knowing the meaning is easily done for her but with the "I d..... that's fine you can fly..." line I cant see her as Mare Do well since I'd fill in the line as "I don't." Making Mare do Well not a pegasus. So Fluttershy is out
Rarity: Crossing everyone else out of course leaves Rarity, who is actually my number one suspect for numerous reasons. For starters she was given twilight's Mare do well costume which was a unicorn costume and since she and Twilight are about the same size it should fit rather easily, and if a few slight changes are needed they'd be easily done since Rarity is a dress maker and all. Another good point is the fact that Pinkie found nothing while snooping, this can be explained by the fact that there may not have been anything to find in the first place if Rarity never actually sold the outfit like she said and kept it for herself. Now looking at the hoof writing on the note it was specified that it looked a bit unicorn and a bit not which could be easy to accomplish for a unicorn who pays attention to every little detail right? Another red flag would be her comment about the roses matching Mare Do well's and the fact that she has the carnation book in the first place. As said before with Pinkie MDW is usually very precise in what she does, something more fitting for the one character who actually pays attention to the little details.
59926
I did?
You know what? I realy realy hate you for this story...
It's so well written you can't rule out ONE of the Mane 6. I already stayed up till 1am to get atleast a clue. I couldn't get it out of my head and I think I will lie awake for a hour or two more, because I can't figure it out.
Srsly, well written story, and kudos to not realy letting enough on to figure it out even till now. Thats the point that I realy hate in every TV show, they are too predictable.
I also realy like the part that MDW lost her cool at some point, and that you showed us that it was a last effort to get RD into a challange and all the trouble she is going through.
Also the development of RD and MDW's relationship is very well thought through and thankfully not as fast as in the most shipfics that are out there.
Now I'm off to bed pondering over who it could be for the next hour. I realy hate you... and like you and your story...
Why is this not on Equestria Daily yet?
This is quality work right here. This needs to get out there.
Ha, ha, I'm the favorite child! Hee. Seriously, though, glad you enjoy my comments. I'm enjoying the hell out of the story, so it only seems fair.
Agree with all the comments about this story deserving of being posted to Equestria Daily. Please do consider submitting.
Anyway, the ACTUAL reason I'm droppin' by today is that I was listening to some Paul McCartney while working today (I'm a big Paul fan), and when one of his songs came on, my mind just immediately flashed to this story. It just seemed uncanny to me how well it fits. In case you're interested, the song was "The Lovers That Never Were" (http://youtu.be/NwPkQJu6nuQ).
"The Lovers That Never Were"
Paul McCartney
I have always needed somebody, girl,
But I close the doors to keep out the world.
But for you, I would be here all alone,
Locked in a photograph.
All of the clocks have run down.
Lover, beware.
We'll be the lovers that never were.
I hang patiently on every word you send.
Will we ever be much more than just friends?
As for you, you sit there playing this game.
You keep me waiting.
When all of the clocks have run down,
All over the world,
We'll be the lovers that never were.
For as long as the sun shines in somebody's eyes,
I believe in you, baby, so don't tell me lies.
For as long as the trees throw down blossoms and leaves,
I know there will be a parade of unpainted dreams.
And I know, dear, how much it's going to hurt
If you still refuse to get your hands dirty.
So you, you must tell me something--I love you.
Say goodbye or anything.
All of the clocks have run down.
Time's at an end.
If we can't be lovers, we'll never be friends.
For as long as the sun shines in somebody's eyes,
I believe in you, baby, so don't tell me lies.
For as long as the trees throw down blossoms and leaves,
I know there will be a parade of unpainted dreams.
I had to laugh at the meaning of red carnations, because I exactly know what they meant for the french aristocrats back in 1799.
Guillotine.
Yes, they get a red carnation for their last walk to their certain death.
Oh and in Germany it was the symbol for the labor movement, but that's beside the point.
I'm guessing it's Luna.
Unless you WANT the reader to know by now, you're hinting almost TOO much at Pinkie Pie... SO, personally, I don't believe she could be MDW. However, ya never know, right?
Hm... Gilda would make sense as well (maybe excluding the "looking smaller" bit)
And MDW almost slipped up again, about to say whether she did or did not have wings...
Well, that's my two cents...
Ah well, on to the next chapter!
Aww, Dashie's such a tsundere~
Okay, I've got enough, it's time to remove this fic from my Plan-To-Read list...
... only to put it on my Favourites list.
My primary suspect is still the same, Twilight still seems innocent, and Fluttershy has joined her in her non-suspiciousness.
AJ? Pinkie? Rarity? Somepony else? We'll see if my guess is right.
*Doesnt Read Comments*
"NEXT chapter!"
61018 I thought the warm thing was Mare Do Well at first as well.
I just don't know who it is. I haven't got any new guesses.
Logic keeps pointing to Pinkie... But I want to say its either Derpy or Another backround pony.
This was yet another beautiful chapter. I can't wait to read of all the ways that the Mare Do Well will try to win Dash's heart and how Dash will try to uncover MDW's identity. Keep up the great writing!
2366888
He probably wants everyone to think its Pinkie, so that he can blow everybodys minds in one of the last chapters when it ISNT her. Haha. It can be anyone! Im still guessing either Derpy or ....Trixie i guess. Idk. Did it mention anything about Mare Do Well using a horn or magic yet??? :/
"I have wings."
"I d... that's fine. You can fly there. That's not the important thing. The important thing is what's on top."
She was about to say "I do too"!!!!
I think it's Fluttershy. It makes sense, wanting to be somepony else, as in less shy...
Wynaut have pinkie invite mare do well AND all her friends to a party. Bruce Wayne mentality - whoever isn't there when mare do well is there is her.
4095864
Ah, but the fascinating thing is, she might've meant to say "I don't"...
So the mystery remains!