Resolution
“Rainbow Dash! Wake up! Come on, Rainbow Dash!” a familiar filly’s voice pleaded as the fuzziness faded revealing its owner’s anxious face when the pegasus opened her eyes.
“Scootaloo? What…” Rainbow asked, rubbing the back of her head and realizing she had bandages over her hoof, and on her body.
“You’re alright!” Scootaloo said with a laugh and hovering in the air for a few seconds before dropping to the floor.
“Where am I…” Rainbow Dash wondered, looking around and groaning. “Oh no, am I in the hospital again or did I just dream saving Cloudsdale?” she asked, panicking.
“No dream, Rainbow Dash. Your dad here caught you after the explosion. The sonic rainboom must have shielded you from most of it. Razorbeak didn’t have that luxury,” Spitfire said, walking over to her side. “You’re a pretty amazing pony, or possibly the craziest,” she said with a smirk.
“Heh, I think I prefer ‘amazing’ over 'crazy', thanks,” Rainbow replied, looking around and seeing Spitfire, Scootaloo, her father, and friends all present.
“Good to hear ya soundin’ like your old self, sugarcube,” Applejack commented. “Ya been out for practically a day, they had ta fix a rib or two ta boot,” she gestured to Rainbow’s belly, where some bandages were.
“Hope you get a speedy recovery, Rainbow! Don’t wanna miss the hero party I got planned when we get back home!” Pinkie Pie said with a grin.
“And Tank’ll be so happy to see you back,” Fluttershy said. “Spike took over on watching him while I’m here.”
“Good, I miss the little guy, I can’t wait to tell him all about this,” the young athlete replied. “Any way you can heal me up now, Twi?” Rainbow asked.
“Sorry, Rainbow. I can take care of some of the bruises but the fractures are just gonna need time,” Twilight answered, her horn glowing and a few of the injuries faded.
“Well, I guess I could use a real rest anyway, last two times were kinda forced on me,” the pegasus said with an embarrassed laugh. “So what exactly happened after the explosion? Are the griffons dealt with? How’s Cloudsdale?”
“Cloudsdale’s safe. A lot of cleanup's left to do but the city in the sky still stands proud,” Blitz explained, coming to the other side of the bed. “No sign of Razorbeak, though.”
“Dead,” Rainbow Dash muttered, realization sinking in. “She’s dead…” The last thing she remembered seeing was the look of horror on Gilda’s face before she was engulfed in the explosion.
“She?” Blitz asked.
“Razorbeak… it was Gilda all along.”
“Beg you’re pardon?!” Rarity asked. “That uncouth brat of a griffon was behind all this? Why whatever for?”
“Revenge. She wanted revenge for on me for ending our friendship after she humiliated herself at that party,” Rainbow explained.
“I know she was a rude, selfish bully but I wouldn’t have expected it’d escalate into that,” Twilight said. ” It’s not your fault, though, Rainbow. You couldn't have known.”
“Maybe you’re right… but still, maybe if I had at least tried to talk to her after the whole thing with the party, she might have… I dunno… had reason to think twice about how she acted back then,” Rainbow replied.
“Ya sure she woulda listened?” Applejack asked. “From what ah saw, it looked like she didn’t want any friends if they couldn’t be on her terms. She didn’t want anypony around her that wasn’t suitin' her ego an' not only does it sound like it never occurred to her she brought it on herself, but she chose her own pride over stayin' friends when ya called out on it. It ain't an easy thing ta say, but ah doubt there was anything ya coulda done. Ya just need to be glad ya stopped her from hurtin’ anypony else.”
Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded. It hurt to see the griffoness show her true colors at that party, it hurt to end their friendship, but seeing what Gilda had turned into in the time that followed had hurt far more, and even the assurance from her friends didn’t completely erase the guilt. Blitz came over and gave his daughter a hug, joined after by Scootaloo. After a few seconds, Rainbow Dash smiled and returned it.
“Well, I need to go meet up with the others again before we head back to Canterlot,” Spitfire said at last as she glanced at the clock and began heading to the door, but paused and looked back at Rainbow Dash. “I’ll see you when the Academy starts up again. After all you did, I don’t want you doubting you can handle anything we throw at you, got it?” she asked with a smirk, earning a nod from the other pegasus.
“Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow answered, managing a weak salute despite her injuries. Returning the salute, the Wonderbolt captain departed. Blitz looked up at the clock as well.
“And I need to head back up to Cloudsdale to help with repairs. Scootaloo, I’ll give you a lift back up, your grandparents are fine and I told them I’d bring you back safe,” he said.
“Aw, okay,” Scootaloo said, giving Rainbow Dash one last hug and followed him out the door. “Seeya when I’m back in Ponyville, Rainbow!” she said, looking back at her hero on the way out, and Blitz pat her on the shoulder and looked back at his daughter as well.
“I’m very proud of you, Rainbow Dash. And I know your mom would be too,” he said.
“Thanks Dad,” the pegasus answered with a blush as her dad left with the orange filly to return to Cloudsdale. After a moment of silence, Rarity spoke up.
“Now that the crisis has been averted, I believe somepony still owes us an explanation for stealing my costume to go gallivanting about as a superhero,” she said. “What exactly got you into all this in the first place?”
“What’s that word even mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, whatever it means, I’m sure it wasn’t why I did it. Look, I’m sorry about having kept all this from you, I wanted to be a hero again, to be able to help ponies when they were in trouble. And after what happened last time, I got so full of it, thanks to seeing all these posters of me, ponies wanting autographs, fanclubs and stuff. I felt all on top like I’d proven everypony who made fun of me growing up totally wrong about me and I couldn’t get enough of it,” she said with a sigh. She remembered how she had acted like it was show, or a game, regardless of what and who was at stake.
“Mare Do Well taught me a lesson about what a real hero is, and I thought about how you said real heroes don’t brag, and shouldn’t expect anything in return…” she explained, her friends nodding and listening. “Well, I started having dreams about that moment, and couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was telling Twi earlier that I realized I wanted to be a hero again but didn’t want to end up like I did. I wanted to help ponies and not get caught up in all the glory again. So, I thought if I could hide behind a mask and costume, then Mare Do Well could make me a worthwhile hero.”
“Rainbow, have you noticed how you handled what we all told you?” Twilight asked. “You’ve learned how to be. Mare Do Well isn’t what makes you a worthwhile hero. It’s you that makes Mare Do Well a worthwhile hero. You’re loyal, you were very brave—‘
“And awesome. I mean come on, I almost died up there!” Rainbow added in with a smirk.
“Well, you risked your life to save Cloudsdale, so I can go with that too,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I think Princess Celestia could use a letter from you on all of that.”
“Yeah, yeah, when I’m back home, I’ll swing by the library and get it done,” Rainbow said.
“Duly noted, Rainbow. We’re gonna head back now, we’ll see you when you get back to Ponyville,” Twilight said as she and the others headed to the door. Laying back, Rainbow Dash smiled, a sense of real accomplishment in her life as she, for the first time in a while, drifted peacefully off to sleep.
~
“Rainbow Dash? Again with the surprise visits. Next time you want any of my old outfits, just ask… except for that dreadful thing you had me make you with that ridiculous helmet. I burned those immediately after that disaster of a show!” Rarity said, cringing at the mere memory of those hideous abominations her friends had made her design them.
“You said they got stolen by gizmonks…” Rainbow said.
“Oh! Did I? Silly me, my memory these days!” Rarity said with a nervous laugh. “So, what brings you back here?” the unicorn asked, eager to change subjects.
“Well, it’s about the costume. I brought it back with me but I want to keep it,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“What would you need it for? Are you planning to wear it again?” Rarity asked. “Not that it’d do you much good, the hat and mask weren’t on you when your dad brought you in…”
“He mailed them to me yesterday. Found ‘em in the factory. The hat’s a bit of a wreck but the rest is mostly fine, a few repairs is all.” Rainbow Dash replied, opening her saddlebag and removing the costume and Rarity floated it up with her magic, looking slightly put off by the damage it had sustained. “Anyway, I learned a lot more then I expected, and I wanna keep it as a reminder.”
“Are you sure, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, leaning in with a skeptical look.
“My identity’s not totally secret anymore anyway. Maybe if Equestria needs Mare Do Well again I’ll think about wearing it again, but for now, I got a lotta other things I wanna do with my life, you know,” she said, rubbing the back of her head nervously.
“I suppose I can work with that,” Rarity answered. “It’ll be fixed by tomorrow. In the meantime, you may want to get ready for that party Pinkie had planned for you. Enjoy a little appreciation, you’ve earned it. Just don’t let it go to your head.”
“Oh, I won’t, Rarity,” The pegasus said with a laugh. “And yeah, I probably should get ready. I’ll catchya later.”
~
Dear Princess Celestia,
Where can I start? There’s so much to say and I’m not the best with words!
Pinkie’s party was great, nothing too big; just the girls, Scootaloo, and my dad even was there, wanting me to tell them all about my adventures as Mare Do Well.
When I wore the costume, I felt awesome. When I saved lives in it, I felt more awesome then ever. It wasn’t a game, or a show to play. My life was just as much in danger as those I protected, and it gave me a new perspective on it. Being a hero is about helping others, carrying the weight and responsibility of being there when they need you most, helping the helpless and all that stuff… and sometimes having to make tough choices to protect those you care about even if it means risking your own life. Things the Bearer of Loyalty should be all about.
Cloudsdale is doing well, I’m sure you’ve heard. My dad’s sent me letters on progress; the weatherponies have repaired the factory, and the city’s been cleaned up. I heard the Wonderbolts had helped deliver the griffon terrorists that got rounded up, some had retreated and fled Cloudsdale. I also heard while most of them are dead, one of the changelings remains unaccounted for, and they never found the body of that griffon boss Leo that I took down right before my first run-in with Gilda. They better have the sense not to try anything again if either of them is still alive!
Gilda… I still think about her sometimes. In the end I can’t help but feel bad for her, like I should have been a better friend and help her realize the mistakes she made before she got worse; but at the same time, I wonder if my friends… my real friends… are right, that she couldn’t understand what friendship really was outside of her own terms and I wouldn’t have been able to change her even if I did things differently back when we fell out with eachother. What’s your opinion on it? Did I do the right thing, or did I help make her into a monster?
I don’t know what’ll happen in the future. I’m gonna be returning to the Wonderbolts Academy soon, training to live my lifelong dream! I keep the Mare Do Well costume in a box under my bed; a reminder of all I learned, and everything I did. If the world ever calls to Mare Do Well again, maybe I’ll answer, but for now, I’ve got my life ahead of me and I’m gonna make the most of it with all I learned until that time comes.
Your faithful subject,
Rainbow Dash
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Pretty solid story, despite extremely petty motivations for villainy. The action was handled well and it wasn't a batman story rewritten. I approve.
Great job
i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh476/SiaFel/Avatars/coolstory.gif
Thank you both! I am now considering writing a collection of MDW one-shots, essentially they'll be of a more episodic formula that can either be seen as standalones or bridges between any potential long-running 'sequels' to this story if I make them. When I get time I'll write and post 'em in a new story!
When the sky falls
When it crumbles
We will stand tall,
And face it all, together
Darn right! In addition to my love for superhero stories, that song was partially the inspiration for the fic. Not the movie the song was for, mind you, but the song, its melody, Adele's beautiful vocals, the lyrics, listening to it just made many of the ideas for the story crop up in my mind, and the fic was born.
2495626 I see you failed at replying
There were a few plot points that kinda bugged me, but man, this was a really entertaining story, probably gonna jump into the second one right away.
This was Awesome!
Really well written, well thought through and with some pleasant twists.
This is not the end, nor is it the beginning of the end...
Is is, rather, the end of the beginning.
MARE-DO-WELL WILL RETURN!
At least I hope so!
That was a great little story. It had just the right pacing to be a comic-book adventure. The various characters were well-realised (even the mooks). You did a great job with your Big Bad and the reveal of Glida and her reason for doing what she was doing was nicely handled. She's a pretty typical Batman villain, isn't she? Completely obsessed with her own sense of greatness and how she thinks she has been wronged that she has lost all sense of proportion... and even sanity. I also loved Rainbow's recovery from a loss of confidence and the role her friends played in helping her get up and go again.
I really mean what I said above; I hope you tell more of the stories of Rainbow Dash, the Mysterious Mare-do-Well. Maybe Scoot can start trying to be a side-kick (without being asked... or wanted, in the tradition of Batgirl). There are lots of other villains in Rainbow Dash's history as well as the potential for OCs with a chip on their shoulder and a desire to prove themselves against Cloudsdale's mysterious protector, Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis come to mind.
Here's a suggestion: Maybe Glida survived, horribly burnt but alive. But... her armour was burnt into her body. Her face has been scarred and disfigured so it is now unrecognisable as Glida... but the pattern of the mask of Razorbeak survives, seared forever into her living flesh. She is not Glida anymore. She is Razorbeak... and she will have her revenge! On Mare-do-Well at least; she isn't sane enough anymore to remember Dash except as another pony she hates (and there are so many!).
2585520
Thanks! Loved all your comments and you definitely hit the nail on the head on a lot of what I was aiming to accomplish with this story and its characters
And minor spoiler: The dress will return one day.
http://megamuffinss.deviantart.com/art/Razorbeak-and-Leo-386512471
I really didn't get a good description of leo unless i missed it.
2899066
Looks about right, I don't think I ever gave him much of a description other then him being a large male griffon (probably a little bigger then Le Grande) with an old bomber jacket, so everything else is pretty much up to the artist
3036279 Ok, I can't wait to read the rest!
I'll comment when I reach the end, which due to my curiosity, will probably tonight, Lol
3036921 Ok, I thought so. Thanks for dealing with me and my constant questions, Lol
Well, I've finished the story, and now I feel about 20% cooler than before!
Although it had a few grammar mistakes once in a while, It was amazing.
Let me break it down:
The story concept was great - 30% Cool
The characters were all entertaining and true to the original - 20% Awesome
Continuity and references to episodes from the show - 30% Sweet
A great character reveal and problem resolution - 20% Epic
All combined equals a 100% Amazing Story!
I can honestly say that this is the best story I've read on FimFiction thus far, and can't imagine any story being better than this one.
Thanks ShadeJak for the great story and the tolerance for answering my questions throughout it.
I can't wait to read your next story!
3037860
Thanks, and thank you for reading it, and I'm glad you enjoyed it
Next up is its 'sequel' story Mare Do Well: The Series, which takes place about a month or so later and has a more episodic formula but still has an ongoing subplot. New adventures, new villains, and new surprises. A third installment to Rainbow's adventures as Mare Do Well is still in the works and I'll start on it once I've gotten through a couple of my other fics.
3037876 So this is going to be like a series? If so, awesome! Can't wait to get started on the sequel!
3373336
Maybe... or maybe not... you'll find out what's going on soon enough
Read on and godspeed!
I'll give this an up-vote and read into it a bit later. Seems interesting enough though.
3434446
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it! If you do, check out the sequel
3907032
No, the stupidest thing they could do would be
1. Turn into a demon
2. Engage the hero alone
3. Shout "I am INVIIIINCIBLLLLLE!"
You will die.
Where were the princesses during all of this?
5293998 Good idea.
Anyways, as a superhero fan (Superman being my favorite), I'm really enjoying this!
5294003
5294015 Thanks! I especially like the idea of having RAINBOW DASH dawn the title and costume.
5294018
Yeah, it's what prompted me to write this trilogy. I thought she would make an awesome legit MDW. Hope you enjoy the other stories!
Well... crap. I was developing a story where Dash becomes MDW. Still, this looks good. Added to read later.
As I have left some small remarks for the chapters, I'll make this short;
Great story and writing, I'm looking forward to read the sequels!
7601482
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it hope you enjoy the next ones!
Fun read, I liked this.
7884140
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the sequels too!
Finally finished it, not a bad story, but the beginning and end really bugged me, manly that scene where RD explained herself.
It feels forced, not once do any of her friends realize that their little stunt basically made her feel like she shouldn't have any pride in her accomplishments period. Especially since she's done it before.... AND the fact that they did it behind her back and bragged themselves. RD is still owed an apology.
I'm sorry, I don't hate MDW as a concept, but the episode was just BAD.
8003723
Well, hopefully you may like the sequel more(I consider it the best of the three), it's more episodic(though still with a subplot) and meant to play like a superhero animated series.
8004089
Out of curiosity, are any of the points I mentioned ever brought up in the future sequels?
I would have thought that it taught her that her friends were D*cks
8520555
.
Well...they kind of were
8004089
just asking, but I never got an answer to my previous question.
11477754
It's been so many years... holy cow it's been so many years I can't believe it's been going on ten years... I don't really know anymore.
I guess in the end I caught the message the episode attempted (but that it executed very poorly) so I decided against being referential to that and instead try and focus more on the spirit and of course spiffy costume.
11477989
Oi.